i hope you didn’t think you were free of me forever…………
1. ) what has been your most favorite part of creating orpheus so far? from your initial idea of him to who he is now, how much has he changed? or has he stayed relatively true to the original concept you had in mind?
2. ) of the three women who have played the most central roles in carina’s life — astera, miriam, and flora — how has carina sought to emulate them, if at all? how have they inspired her, and how does she carry that forward in her daily life?
Oh my dear Sav!!! I never want to be free of you! Please haunt me in every lifetime!
1. My favorite part of creating Orpheus so far is just imagining his stoic self in silly situations honestly, especially in his ship with @creampuffcloudsdreaming’s Jocelyn. It has me giggling like a school girl in my old age (ok I’m not that old, but still).
But anywho! My dear Orpheus was born after I rewatched Shadowhunters with my husband. I’d just finished Carina’s playthrough, and after already beating the game as a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin, both girls, I wanted a male character for the next go round. And listen… Matthew Daddario is a fine specimen of a man. Orpheus’ look was heavily inspired by his portrayal of Alec Lightwood, and I went book-accurate with it because I love The Mortal Instruments series. (My big black cat is literally named Magnus Bane… but I digress.) I decided I wanted to play the game as the evil menace that neither I nor Carina were, so yes, my “evil” Hufflepuff was born.
I didn’t truly start expanding his character until the wonderful @shanethehufflepuff asked if I had any other MCs/OCs. Thank him, because that question is what kicked open the door and let me fully develop my morally grey boy. Originally, I intended Orpheus to be strictly evil, but morally grey is so my flavor. So really, the biggest shift has been his moral alignment. Everything else stayed pretty true to the original blueprint I had in my head. I wanted him stoic and emotionally passive, with that calm, unreadable presence… but also hella flirty and sexy as hell! Unfortunately, I’ve turned my man into a whole man-whore. Lmfao.And somehow, despite all that audacity, he has still been completely unsuccessful in getting into Garreth’s pants, which genuinely unnerves him, but keeps their friendship intact. 😭😂
2. Oh! I love this question because Carina really is a little constellation made out of these three women. I love star parallels with my girl, forgive me, haha.
She carries pieces of each of them into everything she does.
From her mother Astera, she takes her stubborn love, her quiet defiance…and her temper. Astera showed Carina that even when you’re frightened and constrained, you can still change your fate with a single, brave choice. Carina internalizes that. She believes with her whole chest that one decision matters. That’s why she chose to take Ominis to the Room of Requirement after the Scriptorium, why she kept choosing to help Sebastian even when he was wrong, why she reached out to Lodgok when working with goblins could be dangerous. Because of her mother, Carina will never truly let herself believe she’s powerless, no matter how trapped she feels. Astera once looked at an impossible situation and still found Miriam. Carina feels she owes it to her to keep trying, too.
From Miriam Fig, she’s taken her open-mindedness and quiet care for all things. Miriam’s relentless curiosity, the refusal to be afraid of searching, questioning, and looking deeper, lives on in Carina. It’s why she won’t stop at “we don’t know” when it comes to curses or conditions; she keeps digging, keeps studying, keeps hoping there’s an answer.
And from Flora, Carina tries to emulate her poise and tact when situations are less than ideal. Flora’s ability to smooth over harsh words and criticism, but still take no nonsense, has become a model for Carina. She pours Flora’s gentleness and unconditional warmth into her everyday life, into how she treats patients, friends, and even strangers.
They’re three very different women, but Carina loves and carries all of them. She’s their echoes stitched together. Astera’s defiance, Miriam’s curiosity, and Flora’s kindness, all shining through her in their own way.
I hope that I’ve answered your questions well enough love!
