#five core traits

[therivercrow]

Alana de Riva: 5 Core Traits

I've been tagged by @dell-amor-te, @zennihilation and...oh, lots of folks, and I've enjoyed seeing everyone's core Rook traits!

This prompt is based on this post by my good friend @ashrahcoliary - go check out her brilliant demon warrior Ashrah!

Core traits for Alana under the cut:

Nonbinary

In Enter the Alanaverse, Taash notices that all the Alana variants we meet are nonbinary, and Allanna Ingellvar remarks that it seems to be a fixed point across all realities. Alana isn't a woman, or a man, they're just Alana and always will be. And they have no time for anyone who won't respect that and treat them accordingly. Transphobes are likely to receive a visit from the Crows. They're a guiding friend to Taash as they explore their own gender, and would always be there to support anyone else figuring themselves out. Alana de Riva says trans rights!

Snark and Rage

Alana's mouth gets them into trouble far too often. They can't help but sass any so-called authority figure and know exactly how to make a cutting comment that's as sharp as their blade. If Alana were to stop talking and turning everything into a snarky joke, they'd probably not be Alana any more. Sure, they can take things seriously, but where's the fun in that? They're a ball of spiky anger and often use sarcasm to mask the utter fury simmering just beneath the surface. And where words don't work? Well, then they show you what else they can do.

Reckless...or Heroic

Alana doesn't have a sense of self-preservation. Crow training has made them a weapon, and they will throw themselves into situations where they have no idea how to get out of, or even if they'll survive. If it gets the job done, who cares? Alana's recklessness has botched more than one carefully planned Crow operation but has also been instrumental in saving lives. In any world, Alana is action first think later. This worries the people around them, but Alana shrugs it off as just doing whatever it takes. Hero or danger to themself or others? It depends on the story...

Compassionate

Years of Crow training have made Alana a brutally efficient killer, but they never lost their sense of compassion, empathy and kindness. This, more than anything else, defines why Alana does what they do, and why Varric saw them as a worthy companion. Yes, they're sarcastic and offputting, yes they're violent and angry, but they care. They will always support their friends, protect others, uplift people whenever they can. When they become de-facto leader of the Veilguard, this is how Alana leads - not with orders and hierarchy but with compassion, understanding and support. In any world, at any time, Alana is a fiercely loyal friend who will always be there for you - even if they're gently mocking you the whole time, it's meant with love.

Determined

If Alana were to be a spirit, they'd be a spirit of determination, which is probably why every Alana variant gets on well with Spite. The core of who Alana is, really, can be summed up with this one word. Fighting for survival in the Drowned District, struggling through fledgling training, taking on missions that nobody could reasonably hope to succeed and doing them anyway, fighting a fucking dragon (or two) - like Varric says, Alana never knows when to quit. This of course leads to all sorts of issues in their life, but when they're set on a path they see it through to the bitter end, no matter what.

Gentle tags to @bronzieinthedas, @antivan-sprig, @davrinsleftpectoral and anyone who wants to join in!

[ashrahcoliary]

What makes Ashrah... Ashrah?

A question yesterday on Bluesky asked about what are your character's core, what is or are the things that must remain the same in every AU; the things you wouldn't allow to change in an adaptation. And I thought I'd transcribe here my answer for Ashrah [friendly reminder that her name is pronounced ah-sh-RAH, with a strong rolled "r"].

Fierceness

First of all, Ashrah is a fierce warrior who's not only excellent at fighting but who also enjoys the art of combat! This might not seem too important at first, but it is: she is excellent at fighting, she's brutal, she enjoys it, and it's through this nature of hers that she fights so relentlessly, so passionately for her freedom, which is another imperative: freedom MUST be the core ideal of her character. Some AUs might extend this to the freedom of others, too, make her less self-centred, that would be fine, but HER freedom must come first.

Of course, once she learns about love and develops relationships with people she cares about, this fierceness also extends to them! But to them, and not to strangers!

Balance

NOT her purification. Her purification should NEVER be the true end goal, but what leads her to understand what true freedom means and embrace her duality, embrace her balance, embrace her full self: darkness and light, vice and virtue, demon and mortal.

But she MUST suffer to get there. She must make mistakes, she must kill those she shouldn't kill, she must get close to the edge of losing herself, she must feel like she betrayed herself, because only then do we truly feel the weight of her obsession and her ignorance and her pride.

And yes, Datusha, her sapient sword, has to be a vital character in her story. Indeed, THE most vital character. If you take Datusha and what it represents away, you take away part of her obsession, and that can't happen.

Self-Love

Love must be a core theme of her character, but romance must NOT be the main love. That must be self-love. Once she gets there, once she unlocks this understanding about herself, then possibilities open up.

Also, her mortal form must be Asian or Asian-inspired. Get the fuck out of here with bland white people.

"I Am Always Serious"

Yes, she's a serious gal! Indeed, she doesn't understand figures of speech and has a... shallow sense of humour 😅 That also relates to her autism, which yes, is something that should be consistent, even if her traits can change from story to story.

Curiosity

Curiosity is one of Ashrah's most endearing traits... but also one of the most dangerous ones. This curiosity is detached to any sense of morality: she may save someone if that leads her to solving a mystery, but she might also condemn entire regions, without even realising what she's doing, by following her curious mind.

Because of this curiosity, she's very intelligent... if she allows herself to learn instead of being blinded by her arrogance... and seeks to learn more. This, for example, leads her to learning to play the erhu and becoming a great cook!

Honour

Both inside and outside the battlefield, honour is incredibly important for Ashrah. She would never kill someone in their sleep, for example, but would rather wake them up so they could have an honourable fight.

This also ties into how she doesn't lie and has near-zero deception skills.

Morally Grey

Ashrah is no hero. She's no villain, either. She's far more complex than any of that, even though friends and foes might try to fit her into a box. This ties in to her quest for personal freedom, to her curiosity—it all comes back to her morally complex nature!

However, here's a crucial point: Ashrah is never cruel for the sake of being cruel. She will be brutal and vicious if she must (and, indeed, in battle, she often is), but that will have a purpose behind it rather than pure wickedness.

And this is a small celebration of my Ashrah—as special, badass, complex, unique, and amazing as she is 🥰💜

And, as always, if you want to read her story, you can check out Eternal Flame, Book 1 in the Chronicles of the Realms series, as well as a couple of short stories, here: https://archiveofourown.org/series/4547401.

[ashrahcoliary]

What makes Nitara... Nitara?

After my post about Ashrah's core traits, I decided to make one for Captain Nitara [her name, by the way, is pronounced as nee-tsa-rah] now as well—and seize the chance to share the drawings of her I haven't shared here yet!

So, let's go...

She's a Vampire

Starting with the obvious. However, as obvious as it is, what "vampire" means can change from story to story.

Chronicles of the Realms is an excellent example: in my mythology, vampires are called nensiis and instead of being an undead subrace of humans, they're their own species, living in their own realm, with their own cultures, their own languages, their own magic, and so on. Yes, blood is their main nutrient, but they are not wild creatures addicted to blood, and indeed, they have pleeenty of ways to get their fill—including interrealm tourism where creatures from other realms happily come to be bitten by nensii courtesans! Since nensiis are born and bred as nensiis, there's no way to "turn" someone into a nensii, so yes, you got it: vampire bites without any downside! Well, a little sore neck, but what's that compared to the pleasure, eh?!

A Fierce Defender

No matter where she is, what position she's in, or what role she plays, Nitara is always a fierce defender of her people and her family. She may be hailed as a hero or guilty of rebellion, but at her core, her actions are guided by her desire to protect those she cares about.

And yes, she does have a kind of saviour complex...

Trustworthy

Nitara is someone you can count on, whether it's to ask for advice or to storm a rebel base. She'll go above and beyond to ensure she can fulfil her role and be the reliable defender she is.

This doesn't mean she never cheats (at games she definitely does!) or lies. But if she somehow deceived you or went against something she had previously stated, you can be sure she has a goddessdamn good reason for that, one that she believes will be for the greater good of her people.

Compassionate

Going hand-in-hand with the previous two traits, Nitara's compassion is at the heart of who she is. Yes, she defends her people with claws and fangs, but that also extends to other people, even if to a lesser degree. If she must defend her home against forces that seek to harm it, she'll do so without hesitation, but she will try to mitigate damage and losses.

This does link to her saviour complex and can be harmful in its own way, but hey... that's how she is, and this kind of conflict just adds to how amazing she is as a character!

Strategist

Nitara not only defends; she also leads. She has a sharp intellect for warfaring (in Chronicles of the Realms, she's part of her kingdom's aerial fleet and captain of a renowned ship called Vermilion Star), and that makes her a natural and respected figure of authority.

There are certain roles she wouldn't enjoy—for example, even though her mother, Agaeilisa [ah-gay-lee-sha], is the current Queen of Kraslya, Nitara doesn't see herself becoming the next queen (Kraslya doesn't have an inherited crown and queens are instead elected by the Council of Houses). But like her mother, who was also a general who would've preferred to remain in that position, Nitara would accept the burden if it was the best for her people.

She's a Butch

Yes, that's VERY important, trust me!

Dancing

Dancing has become such an integral part of my Nitara that I cannot imagine her not being a dancer. It's a form of expression she finds no other avenue for; a way in which she finds happiness and freedom even in the darkest times when she feels completely lost and trapped in the traumas of her past.

Plus, can you imagine how beautiful nensii dances are? How fantastic it is to watch these tall, broad-shouldered, winged creatures performing on stage? Just wonderful!

And that's a little bit about the incredible creature that Captain Nitara is! If you want to read more about her (and Ashrah's and Sareena's) story, more than half of the chapters of Book 1 are already available on Ao3.