OC Links: Citra and Gair
Sep. 2nd, 2016 04:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
So I've been working away at a novel for the last five years (or technically a trilogy, since the attempt to write it as one book proved...chaotic), and since I have various drawings and bits of information about it scattered around, I decided to go ahead and make a post so they're all in one place. I'm using Dreamwidth instead of Tumblr because...well, it's less public (hello, all two of my friends!) and I don't want to go on long character explanations in a more public place. (But I do want them somewhere, because Reasons).
Anyway, here are some art references and a little bit of information on the protagonists of the first book.
Gair Milos:
An old drawing, in color: X
A newer drawing, not in color: X
And, since these drawings are both of younger Gair, I drew some updated versions of older Gair: X X
(Ignore the weird tiny braid in the first of those new ones, it was an experiment.)
Gair is generally responsible and level-headed. He's the kind of person who looks before he leaps...except where Citra is concerned. He's constantly getting dragged into trouble because he can't stop himself from trying to protect her...and he can't stop her from doing dangerous things. He's also a fairly reserved person, not given to big displays of emotion. Again, Citra is one of the few people who can bring that out in him.
Aesthetics:
Hair is constantly windblown. Prefers plain clothes in cool/neutral colors - blue, grey, brown. Wears a lot of sweaters knitted by his ma. Has two cartilage piercings in each ear (because he lost a bet with Citra and/or I wanted his design to be more interesting). Never, ever goes shirtless because he got Citra's name tattooed over his heart and doesn't want her to know.
Writing Excerpt:
Before he had gone more than two steps from the door, an all-too-familiar shadow crossed his on the path outside the bakery. Two more shadows joined it, hedging Gair in on three sides. He turned his own shadow in a different direction and moved away, but their shadows moved with him. Gair kept walking until Citra's feet thumped up behind him. Her own shadow had just collided with his when the first voice spoke.
'Well, well...look what the Sea threw back. Didn't your girlfriend want you, Milos?"
Gair's neck flushed red, but he kept walking. "Don't listen to them, Citra," he muttered.
A different voice responded to the first. "Didn't you hear? The Sea spit him out, and she sent a haunt to follow him around. That's her, the bilge rat with the giant sweater and the crazy hair."
"Ha! I can see why the Sea didn't want either of them. Too bad for us though. It was so nice to finally have the island clean for a while. Now we have another piece of flotsam washing up on the beach."
Citra stopped, curling her hands into fists.
"Ignore them," Gair said through clenched teeth.
Some other details about Gair can be found here: X
Citra Spire:
An old drawing, in color: X
A newer drawing, also in color: X
And a newer drawing, not in color: X
As with Gair, these all show younger Citra, but her appearance changes slowly so they're still a useful reference. I attempted to draw an older version for her too, but they don't necessarily look much older: X X
Citra is impulsive and (outwardly) fearless. Her emotions get the better of her, and she's not one to hold back when something is bothering her. Will fight anyone if they provoke her, even though she's actually not great at fighting. She's also curious - about the world in general, but relentlessly so if she finds a lead that will tell her more about her forgotten past. All of this combines to land her in a world of trouble, dragging Gair along with her.
Aesthetics:
Citra likes bright colors (especially red) and patterns. Prefers pants over skirts because they're more convenient for climbing rigging or running wild all over the island. Also prefers being barefoot, but can be convinced to wear boots as long as they're a pretty color. Keeps trying to get her ears pierced, keeps having bad reactions and letting the holes close. Has a tattoo on her left upper arm - a curlew (bird) as a way to remember someone. Generally likes to wear sleeveless shirts to show it off, but also steals Gair's old sweaters because she gets cold.
Writing Excerpt:
She pulled her sweater off and draped it over the injured sprite, wondering if she would be able to carry it on her own. She reached down to gather it up - and found her hand blocked by a stick.
"You want to take that thing to the sprite witch? I don't think so, sea scab." Mallern Fennig kicked Citra's sweater away and jabbed the stick into the sprite's side. It squealed in pain. Citra flinched away and stared up at Fennig. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you feel that too?" he asked. "Does poking one of you hurt all the others?" He aimed his stick at the sprite again, but before he could make contact Citra snatched the stick away from him. He blinked at her, eyebrows raised in surprise. Then his expression darkened. "I wouldn't do that, flotsam. Give it back."
In answer, Citra brought the stick down over her knee and snapped it in half. "Make me, chum bucket."
Citra and Gair:
A very old drawing, in color. They're the two in front: X
A newer sketch. Extremely sketchy and they're very young, but good for showing height comparison: X
Things these two get up to:
Working as sailors (sometimes under Gair's father, Captain Milos, and sometimes on other crews). Exploring the island where they live, which is haunted by all kinds of strange creatures and odd goings-on. Gair can hear the voice of the Sea. Citra can talk to shadows. This leads to all kinds of problems.
Anyway, here are some art references and a little bit of information on the protagonists of the first book.
Gair Milos:
An old drawing, in color: X
A newer drawing, not in color: X
And, since these drawings are both of younger Gair, I drew some updated versions of older Gair: X X
(Ignore the weird tiny braid in the first of those new ones, it was an experiment.)
Gair is generally responsible and level-headed. He's the kind of person who looks before he leaps...except where Citra is concerned. He's constantly getting dragged into trouble because he can't stop himself from trying to protect her...and he can't stop her from doing dangerous things. He's also a fairly reserved person, not given to big displays of emotion. Again, Citra is one of the few people who can bring that out in him.
Aesthetics:
Hair is constantly windblown. Prefers plain clothes in cool/neutral colors - blue, grey, brown. Wears a lot of sweaters knitted by his ma. Has two cartilage piercings in each ear (because he lost a bet with Citra and/or I wanted his design to be more interesting). Never, ever goes shirtless because he got Citra's name tattooed over his heart and doesn't want her to know.
Writing Excerpt:
Before he had gone more than two steps from the door, an all-too-familiar shadow crossed his on the path outside the bakery. Two more shadows joined it, hedging Gair in on three sides. He turned his own shadow in a different direction and moved away, but their shadows moved with him. Gair kept walking until Citra's feet thumped up behind him. Her own shadow had just collided with his when the first voice spoke.
'Well, well...look what the Sea threw back. Didn't your girlfriend want you, Milos?"
Gair's neck flushed red, but he kept walking. "Don't listen to them, Citra," he muttered.
A different voice responded to the first. "Didn't you hear? The Sea spit him out, and she sent a haunt to follow him around. That's her, the bilge rat with the giant sweater and the crazy hair."
"Ha! I can see why the Sea didn't want either of them. Too bad for us though. It was so nice to finally have the island clean for a while. Now we have another piece of flotsam washing up on the beach."
Citra stopped, curling her hands into fists.
"Ignore them," Gair said through clenched teeth.
Some other details about Gair can be found here: X
Citra Spire:
An old drawing, in color: X
A newer drawing, also in color: X
And a newer drawing, not in color: X
As with Gair, these all show younger Citra, but her appearance changes slowly so they're still a useful reference. I attempted to draw an older version for her too, but they don't necessarily look much older: X X
Citra is impulsive and (outwardly) fearless. Her emotions get the better of her, and she's not one to hold back when something is bothering her. Will fight anyone if they provoke her, even though she's actually not great at fighting. She's also curious - about the world in general, but relentlessly so if she finds a lead that will tell her more about her forgotten past. All of this combines to land her in a world of trouble, dragging Gair along with her.
Aesthetics:
Citra likes bright colors (especially red) and patterns. Prefers pants over skirts because they're more convenient for climbing rigging or running wild all over the island. Also prefers being barefoot, but can be convinced to wear boots as long as they're a pretty color. Keeps trying to get her ears pierced, keeps having bad reactions and letting the holes close. Has a tattoo on her left upper arm - a curlew (bird) as a way to remember someone. Generally likes to wear sleeveless shirts to show it off, but also steals Gair's old sweaters because she gets cold.
Writing Excerpt:
She pulled her sweater off and draped it over the injured sprite, wondering if she would be able to carry it on her own. She reached down to gather it up - and found her hand blocked by a stick.
"You want to take that thing to the sprite witch? I don't think so, sea scab." Mallern Fennig kicked Citra's sweater away and jabbed the stick into the sprite's side. It squealed in pain. Citra flinched away and stared up at Fennig. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you feel that too?" he asked. "Does poking one of you hurt all the others?" He aimed his stick at the sprite again, but before he could make contact Citra snatched the stick away from him. He blinked at her, eyebrows raised in surprise. Then his expression darkened. "I wouldn't do that, flotsam. Give it back."
In answer, Citra brought the stick down over her knee and snapped it in half. "Make me, chum bucket."
Citra and Gair:
A very old drawing, in color. They're the two in front: X
A newer sketch. Extremely sketchy and they're very young, but good for showing height comparison: X
Things these two get up to:
Working as sailors (sometimes under Gair's father, Captain Milos, and sometimes on other crews). Exploring the island where they live, which is haunted by all kinds of strange creatures and odd goings-on. Gair can hear the voice of the Sea. Citra can talk to shadows. This leads to all kinds of problems.