Out Your Front Door

A Character Blog for Willa Sweetgrass

[thelilnan]

Well done, my brave knight.

[shogas]

[sweetoothgirl]

Gingered Peach Bourbon Thyme Smash

[willasweetgrass]

10, 34, 40

10. What energizes and drains them most?

Willa is energized by other peoples’ energy. She’s also drained by it, at times. She’s very empathetic, to the point that she seems to sort of siphon energy off of people, and when there’s none to be had she often droops. She gives just as good as she gets, though; if there’s someone else around that also feeds off of the energy of others, they tend to get into a sympathetic feedback loop. 

34. How do they understand the world–what kind of worldview and thought processes do they have? Why?

Willa sees most things through rose colored glasses, still, despite everything. She believes that the world is truly the home of good things, and that people become evil because of things they’ve experienced, rather than some innate drive. She’s a glass half full girl, even when the world seems to be falling apart around and within her.

40. What do they wonder about? What sparks their curiosity and imagination, and why? How is this expressed, if it is?

Willa often wonders what her friends are thinking. She has conversations with them in her head where she says all the things she’d normally be far too polite, or shy, or conflict-avoidant, to say. She keeps these little conversations secret, but often the closer she gets to someone, the more readily her brain will supply these interactions. In any case, most of her imagination and curiosity is expressed through music and stories; she writes late into the night sometimes, dreaming up things that are influenced by the tales of her friends and found-family. 

[willasweetgrass]

[sosuperawesome]

Flower Crowns, Combs and DIY Kits, by Nicole McInnis on Etsy

[thejarlofwhiterun]

Daisy Trio by Marc Jacobs

[willasweetgrass]

In the Weeds, part one

Willa leaned over the edge of the tall grass, stomach roiling. She pinched her nose closed with one hand, trying to stave off the waves of nausea that threatened to overwhelm her. Twenty feet away, freshly killed rabbit cooked over the open fire. Normally that would be cause for joy; Willa had always been a hearty eater, and she’d had her share of rabbits while traveling the Faerunian countryside with her mother in their caravan. Now, though, the scent was so overwhelming she felt instantly sick.

It was a little funny: even with all the new smells and heightened senses, the copper-sharp scent of blood didn’t turn her stomach the way it once had. She’d grown far too used to it.

Belkii said something indistinguishable in the distance, and then a wave of scent hit her again, and she lost the battle she’d been having with her stomach, emptying its meager contents in the hedge. Martin hovered uncomfortably nearby while Xan looted the bodies of the fallen mercenaries, with El keeping silent watch. For some reason she remained steadfastly aware of her companions, even quiet Rashawna in the distance, as her stomach upended itself. It was like she could hear them breathing, hear them taking up space in the air. It was almost as overwhelming as the smell. Almost.

She knew why. She’d be stupid to not know. But she’d been hoping - praying - hoping that maybe the curse would miss her somehow. Maybe that Sheela would protect her from its foul touch, or that her natural stoutheartedness would be able to fend it off.   Not so, she thought sourly as the taste of acid filled her mouth once more and she leaned further over into the grass, retching, holding her long hair back in one hand.

It took several long minutes for her to regain herself, the rest of the party giving her a bit of distance. She straightened carefully, feeling dizzy, and reached immediately for the waterskin at her belt. Luckily it was full. They’d filled up at the spring near Greenest, and the water still felt cool on her heated cheeks as she poured it over her face. She rinsed out her mouth, spat, and then swallowed a mouthful further. Her stomach protested the sudden addition, but she knew she needed to keep it down if they were to go any further.

“Here.” Martin’s melodic voice sounded from behind her. Willa wiped her face quickly with a handkerchief, plastered a smile on despite the way she felt. No use in looking as miserable as she was.

“What’s this?” she asked, holding out a hand. She looked up at him, up up up, until he decided to come down to her like he often did, squatting. She still had to look up at him, but at least it wasn’t quite so far.  

“Mint,” he explained, offering her the vibrant leaves. “Got it from Belkii so… be careful. But it should help settle your stomach.”

Willa took the leaves and quickly put them in her mouth, chewing gently. “Thank you,” she said, flushing a little that he’d go out of his way to do that just because she was feeling poorly. Maybe it was just because he wanted to get back on the road - but, no. Martin had always been so kind, looked out for her. He’d done it because he genuinely wanted her to feel better, she could sense it.

As she chewed, she thought of the miserable creature who’d bitten her: cast out from his friends, forsaken by his lover, neglected by all of society except for the rats that kept him company in the tunnel. She imagined herself in his place, turned into something so unlike herself. She was a natural lover of the light, the smattering of freckles on her cheeks a testament to her time in the sun, the blonde streaks in her red hair a halo of summer’s sending. The thought of being buried in the dark, separated from her friends, from her purpose - it chilled her in a way that the warmth of Martin’s friendship barely touched. She looked around at their small party, at El standing steadfastly near the rock, looking off into the distance as Xan counted out the coins he’d managed to find on one of the bodies; at Rashawna, knelt down near the fire where Belkii was turning the rabbit on a makeshift spit from one of her arrows; at Martin, whose eyes seemed so sad and understanding all at once.

He knew what was happening to her. They all did. No one spoke of it, really, but they knew.

“He said there was an ambush, right?” Willa asked the air. She sterned herself up, pushed the thought of rats and those who hated them out of her mind. “Well, what are we waiting for?”

[mockingbird-uncaged]

@quicklikelight

[thenationalyrics]

The Inn at Cos Cob (1914), Lowell Birge Harrison / Baby, We’ll Be Fine (2005), The National

[willasweetgrass]

5, 8, 9

5. How do they dress? What styles, colors, accessories, and other possessions do they favor? Why?

Willa often wears yellows, greens, and blues. She doesn’t shy away from color, and tends to wear loose, flowy garments that she can easily move in. She usually opts for skirts or loose, wide-legged pants, though being so short it’s often difficult for her to find silhouettes that don’t overbalance her frame. Having unrestricted arm movement is very important for the expressive way she plays the flute, lute, or harp, and whenever possible she skips sleeves entirely. Her hair is generally an unbound mass of curls, but occasionally she wrestles it into a braid. When she does, she usually ties it off with a bit of gold ribbon that she keeps around for just such a purpose. She doesn’t wear jewelry other than a simple gold ring on one finger, a gift from her father.

8. Where and when do they seem most and least at ease? Why? How can you tell?

Willa’s the most at ease when she’s practicing music or spending time in small groups of friends. She’s quick to laugh, even when it’s at her own expense, and her smile is easy, small, like half a secret. It’s not the wide one she paints on for performances. Willa’s least at ease during periods of interpersonal conflict, or when she knows she’s inflicted pain on someone. When Willa’s nervous or scared, she has a tendency to stern her shoulders, putting on a brave face even though she’s not comfortable; this is a holdover from a time when Willa was intensely afraid of being on stage. Her feelings are pretty easy to read, though, as she’s not good at hiding them.

9. How do they manifest energy, exhaustion, tension, or other strong emotions?

Willa is one of those people who show every feeling on their face, and stronger emotions are twice as visible on her. She seems to practically vibrate with energy at times, especially after performances when she’s elated and still feeling the high of playing. On the other hand, when she’s exhausted, it’s visible in every muscle of her body. Even her hair tends to droop when she’s tired, and if she moves past tired, she rapidly deteriorates. She does her best to hold it together during these times, but often during spells of exhaustion she ends up dissolving into a puddle of tears.

[johannescena]

42 character development questions!

PHYSICAL PRESENCE AND GESTURE. 1. How do they move and carry themselves? Pace, rhythm, gestures, energy? 2. How much physical space do they use, active and at rest? 3. How do they position themselves in a group? Do they like to be the center of attention, or do they hang back at the edges of a crowd? 4. What is their size and build? How does it influence how they use their body, if it does? 5. How do they dress? What styles, colors, accessories, and other possessions do they favor? Why? 6. What are they like in motion–in different environments, and in different activities? What causes the differences between these? 7. How do they physically engage with other people, inanimate objects, and their environment? What causes the differences between these? 8. Where and when do they seem most and least at ease? Why? How can you tell? 9. How do they manifest energy, exhaustion, tension, or other strong emotions? 10. What energizes and drains them most? 11. How are they vocally expressive? What kind of voice, accent, tones, inflections, volume, phrases and slang, and manner of speaking do they use? 12. How are they bodily expressive? How do they use nonverbal cues such as their posture, stance, eyes, eyebrows, mouths, and hands? DISPOSITION AND TEMPERAMENT. 13. How do they greet the world — what is their typical attitude towards life? How does it differ in different circumstances, or towards different subjects? Why do they take these attitudes, and why do they change? How do these tend to be expressed? 14. What do they care deeply about? What kind of loyalties, commitments, moral codes, life philosophies, passions, callings, or spirituality and faith do they have? How do these tend to be expressed? 15. What kind of inner life do they have — rich and imaginative? Calculating and practical? Full of doubts and fears? Does it find any sort of outlet in their lives? 16. Do they dream? What are those dreams like? 17. Are they more shaped by nature or nurture — who they are, or what has happened to them? How have these shaped who they’ve become as a person? 18. What kind of person could they become in the future? What are some developmental paths that they could take, (best, worst, most likely?) what would cause them to come to pass, and what consequences might they have? What paths would you especially like to see, and why? CONNECTIONS WITH OTHERS. 19. How do they behave within a group? What role(s) do they take? Does this differ if they know and trust the group, versus finding themselves in a group of strangers? Why? 20. What kind of individual relationships do they have with others, and how do they behave in them? How are they different between intimate relationships like friends, family, and lovers versus more impersonal relationships? 21. What kind of relationships do they tend to intentionally seek out versus actually cultivate? What kind of social contact do they prefer, and why? 22. How do people respond to them, and why might these responses differ? 23. How do they respond to difficult social moments? What makes them consider a social situation difficult? 24. How do they present themselves socially? What distinguishes their “persona” from their “true self”, and what causes that difference? 25. What do they need and want out of relationships, and how do they go about getting it? 26. How do they view and feel about relationships, and how might this manifest in how they handle them, if it does? ACTIVITIES AND PREFERENCES. 27. What do they strongly like and dislike, in any category? Why? 28. What are they likely to do if they have the opportunity, resources, and time to accomplish it? Why? 29. What kind of activities, interests, and hobbies do they have? What significance and impact do these have in their lives, both positive and negative? 30. What is their preferred level of activity and stimulation? How do they cope if they get either too little or too much? 31. Is there anything that counts as a “dealbreaker” for them, positively or negatively? What makes things go smoothly, and what spoils an activity or ruins their day? Why? 32. Do they have any “props” that are a significant part of their life, identity, activities, or self-presentation somehow? What are they, how are they used, and why are they so significant? How would these props’ absence impact them, how would they compensate, and why? THINKING AND LEARNING. 33. How do they learn about the world–what is their preferred learning style? Hands-on learning with trial and error? Research, reading, and note-taking? Observation or rote memorization? Inductive or deductive reasoning? Seeking patterns and organization? Taking things apart and putting them back together? Creative processing via discussing, writing about, or dramatizing things? 34. How do they understand the world–what kind of worldview and thought processes do they have? Why? 35. How and why do they internalize knowledge? What effect has that had on them? 36. How much do they rely on their minds and intellect, versus other approaches like relying on instinct, intuition, faith and spirituality, or emotions? What is their opinion on this? 37. Have they had any special education or training that colors their means of learning about or understanding the world? Conversely, do they lack some kind of education considered essential in their world? What kind of impact has this addition or lack had on them? 38. Is there anything they wish they could change about their worldview or thought processes? What, and why? 39. What sort of questions or thoughts recur in their lives, either specifically or as a theme? Why are these never answered, or answered permanently to their satisfaction? 40. What do they wonder about? What sparks their curiosity and imagination, and why? How is this expressed, if it is? FREE FOR ALL. 41. What associations do they bring to mind? Words or phrases, images, metaphors or motifs? Why? 42. I have a question of my own!

[yutaan]

Papercraft commission of the client’s OC, the fiddle-playing changeling Lark! Her design is really neat, so she was a lot of fun to make. The leaves blowing in the wind were a treat, too!

[midnightinthemagicmicagarden]

Chillin’ With The Girls

Watercolor and Gouache On Cotton Paper

2017, 7″x 10″

Daisies

[1116665-555567777]

In [fairy tales], power is rarely the right tool for survival anyway. Rather the powerless thrive on alliances, often in the form of reciprocated acts of kindness —from beehives that were not raided, birds that were not killed but set free or fed, old women who were saluted with respect. Kindness sown among the meek is harvested in crisis.

Rebecca Solnit, The Faraway Nearby (via alchemy)

[rosdottir]

This Inktober I’ll be doing weapons based on the official prompts list—day 1, ‘swift’! I’d do something fancier but it’s turning out to be a busy month; working on a new book for end October and moving house too, but I’ll do my best for you guys!

[anastasianaxx]