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| Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash |
Hullo, one & all. :] Happy Wednesday!
Can you believe this is the 20th of November?? Which means I've been writing steadily for about twenty DAYSSSSSS.
Wow.
I gotta say, I'm quite pleased with myself in keeping up with the goal. And as a reward, I maaaay have taken advantage of the mid-way NaNo discount. . . *starry eyes*
Wow.
I gotta say, I'm quite pleased with myself in keeping up with the goal. And as a reward, I maaaay have taken advantage of the mid-way NaNo discount. . . *starry eyes*
Below, I'm sharing a character spotlight of someone from my Noya, my 2019 NaNo novel.
Read on to meet Master Black.
Read on to meet Master Black.
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CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT
Jedoran "Boon" Black
AGE: unknown
HAIR: black with streaks of white (and mostly white beard)
EYES: grey
HEIGHT: 6 ft
WEIGHT: 195 lbs
MOST MEMORABLE FEATURE: salt & pepper hair & beard, and ever-present wooden staff
PERSONALITY
Mysterious. Kinda gruff. But not in an unfriendly kind of way. He's simply lived long enough to believe humans in general are fools who ignore what can be gained from knowledge & wisdom, and set out to destroy those who seek it. He's a hermit, an unsociable kind of fellow, who prefers the company of his books as opposed to people, though he finds he enjoys the presence of the Enlow family---particularly Noya & Brom due to their thirst for knowledge.
He's a mystery to all, and the townfolk tend to give him a wide berth. Noya often gets the sense he knows far more of the world than he lets on, for he speaks of his ancient history lessons and records of battles & events as if he were present. O__O < _ < > _ >
Suffice it to say, he's an onion with MANY layers. Think Halt from the Ranger's Apprentice series. . . ;D
He's a mystery to all, and the townfolk tend to give him a wide berth. Noya often gets the sense he knows far more of the world than he lets on, for he speaks of his ancient history lessons and records of battles & events as if he were present. O__O < _ < > _ >
Suffice it to say, he's an onion with MANY layers. Think Halt from the Ranger's Apprentice series. . . ;D
OCCUPATION
Owner of Boon's Blasted Bookshop. Noya secretly believes he is somehow the unofficial guardian & protector of Lakeside Town & region, and wonders if he exaggerates his age in making people believe he's far older than he truly is. . .
SKILLS/TALENTS
Not much is known about this gentleman. But Noya knows he is an excellent scribe, as evident by the tomes and books he translates from who knows what/how many languages. And a phenomenal illustrator to boot.
WORST FEAR
Unknown.
QUOTES + SNIPPETS
Directly
in the center of this room, a cozy sitting area was arranged, and a
tray of tea things was set on the small table in between the sofa and
armchairs. She could see steam wafting from the teapot made of
exquisite pottery, skillfully crafted.
It
was as if someone was expecting her. But as far as she could tell,
she was the only customer.
Until
someone cleared their throat, causing her to nearly jump out of her
skin.
She
squeaked, “Hullo?”
“Yes,
yes. Come in, come in. No need to stand there gawking,” came the
gruff, but not unfriendly, reply.
It
took her a moment to find where the voice came from. He was
half-hidden behind two wooden chests stacked high with books (and
most likely filled with books). When Noya shyly ventured closer
toward the lounge and sofa, she noticed he was seated at a desk
surrounded by yet more volumes on either side of him, a large tome
open at his hands. But instead of reading it, he was scratching away
at the parchment with an obsidian quill, the metal nib shining like
silver in the light of the chandelier and sconces. And he wasn’t
simply writing, there were illustrations of some kind from what she
could see.
When
he said nothing more, she softly inquired, “Master Black?”
The
eyes looked up to meet hers, grey and deep, before turning back to
the page before him. “Yes, yes. Surely you’ve established that,
Miss Enlow?” More scratching. “Now, help yourself to the tea
before it gets cold, and have a look around, eh?”
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The
two hours passed by far more quickly than she wished. And still, she
had yet to go to the grocer’s for the few supplies she needed. But
she couldn’t be any happier, having perused a good portion of
Master Black’s impressive library and shop. He had books on
everything: from mundane, hand-illustrated how-to’s, to
outlandish fictional tomes about other worlds and cultures, to maps
of every country in Everon—including their kingdoms and history,
and even a beautiful collections of fables and faerietales. The
latter section had held her attention the longest.
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“The
Tale of Arandil, eh? An Elvish tale of lore. Quite the
interesting choice.”
“I
enjoy such stories. Or anything to do with the Elves, rather. Even
those of the other High Races. But the Elves—I like imagining them
as the author saw them: full of grace and strength and beauty. I
should love to see one of the Elven kingdoms someday.”
He
pondered her a moment, before grunting once again. “Yes, yes.
Well, there are few of those left, I’m afraid. And none here
anyone is likely to recall.” He returned to his book, leaving her
slightly bewildered. Whatever had he meant by that?
He
surprised her by continuing, without glancing up again, “They are a
proud race, to be sure. But one cannot deny how they draw out the
beauty in everything.” She had the vague sense he was hinting at
something, but no idea as to what that could be.
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{This last one is a treat for you because it actually contains a SPOILER!!! But I have to share it. Besides, by the time this every even gets close to publication---which HOPEFULLY IT WILL---y'all will probably have already forgotten it. ;D }
Noya
continued on, finally stopping before Master Black’s bookshop.
The
bell jingled a greeting as she stepped inside. After the dreariness
of cloudy days and rain this past week, she grateful for the natural
light of the sun streaming through the large windows. Dim lighting
served no purpose in a shop of books.
She
hung her shawl on a hook in the foyer before walking further in,
wondering what her lessons might consist of today. Secretly, she
hoped for the bits of history that went further back in time, before
the devastation of the Blood War. She always imagined such an age to
be purely fantastical, a time filled light and magic, before the War
began, all but destroying the magic users and sending the creatures
of legend into hiding. How long had it been since a dragon was seen?
When was the last time someone played with a griffin, instead of
hunting them?
Noya
longed for days where bonders were one of the most common things one
would see in the streets, walking side by side their bonded
creatures—or flying with them through the air above the roads. She
often imagined which creature would choose to bond with her: perhaps
one of the smaller flying drakes, or a wyvern? Maybe a friendly
griffin, or another of the Fable
creatures, like one of the Numorin
Cats—such as the lion, tiger, or panther, all of whose skin was
impenetrable. Or possibly one of the Ayalo! a beautiful and
extremely rare deer-like creature with wood-like antlers and bodies
made of mottled moss and twigs and fur.
She
thought such a shy and timid creature most fitting for her own such
personality.
Now,
Brom, he would certainly bond with a much fiercer animal, but one
that would also wrestle him in play. Perhaps a Numorin tiger, or
other such large cat.
Both
Lezak and Jonavan were excellent hands with horses. Noya could see
their bonders being one of the Jorunn breed, a bloodline of horses
that were known for their strength and intelligence. And, like many
of the High Race of Fables, able to speak. Of the other creatures,
if she recalled correctly, most spoke through mental images or mental
thoughts, like the Griffins and Phoenixes, as well as the elusive
Unicorns. She could not recall how the Cats communicated. But the
Dragons, another of the number of Seven High Races, spoke in any form
they chose.
“May
I ask what has you so lost in thought, Miss Enlow?”
She
nearly jumped at the deep rumble of Master Black’s voice. “Oh,”
again, that sensation of reddening cheeks assaulted her. “I—Well,
I was pondering what type of creature would bond with me, and other
members of my family,” she added, more sheepishly.
A
ripple of emotion flashed over her mentor’s face, so quickly she
almost missed it. Sorrow?
He
cleared his throat, gathered his robes, and gesturing with his head
for her to follow. “And what creatures would you see as bonding
with yourself and your brothers?” Noya settled her basket by a
table before following him into another room, this one much smaller,
but no less filled with books. As she matched his steps, she
recalled her thoughts and shared them with him, unable to contain the
excitement in such imaginings.
They
settled in their usual corner by the hearth in two plush armchairs, a
tray of tea prepared and ready for their lesson. But after she
concluded her thoughts on bonders, there was a near-uncomfortable
silence. And that look of sadness had returned to her mentor’s
face.
“Master
Boon?” she inquired softly. “I apologize if I’ve somehow upset
you, but may I ask what is wrong?”
He
sighed—it was a deep inhale and exhale that seemed to fill the
room. And when the echoes of that had passed, he pulled up the
sleeve of his arm, revealing pale lines of what looked like swirling
scars.
Noya
gasped, “The mark of the bonder.”
“Yes,
my dear,” he said sadly. “But that is a tale for another day.”
ROLE IN NOYA
He has a minor side-character role. But it's one of the old-man/mentor type that we are extremely familiar with (with the exception he is an impossibly mysterious person. . . One never truly knows him. . .). He tutors Noya during her time living in the Lakeside region and countryside. He appreciates her extended education back in Meyrn, but would laugh to himself at the massive amount of things her teachers there neglected to teach her. (He would probably scoff at their modern ways and ignorance of how the world truly works.)
Unexpectedly to him, he befriends not only Noya, but Brom as well, enjoying the eagerness for knowledge that Brom shares with his sister, and the fact there is so much more to the world than what is merely before their eyes. Master Black finds himself immensely enjoying passing on his wealth of knowledge to the siblings. And surprises himself by trusting Noya with his shop while he travels. Surely, he's going soft in his old age. . .
In short, he's kinda like a grandfather to Noya.
Unexpectedly to him, he befriends not only Noya, but Brom as well, enjoying the eagerness for knowledge that Brom shares with his sister, and the fact there is so much more to the world than what is merely before their eyes. Master Black finds himself immensely enjoying passing on his wealth of knowledge to the siblings. And surprises himself by trusting Noya with his shop while he travels. Surely, he's going soft in his old age. . .
In short, he's kinda like a grandfather to Noya.
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Talk to me! So. What think ye of Master Black? Even I don't know all his secrets yet. ;D He's still surprising me.
Happy writing, y'all! Only 10 more days!!!
Happy writing, y'all! Only 10 more days!!!
Oooooh he's very intriguing! And I love the snippets! Now I really, truly want to visit his bookshop and chat with him about griffins. xD I hope your writing's going well!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Melissa! SO DO I. I could LIVE at his bookshop. And thanks! It is /STILL/ going quite well, I'm giving myself a couple months to complete this draft. I still have a deadline, just not as rushed as NaNo is. heehee *^ - ^* Hope your November was a great one!!
DeleteWE GOT A MASTER BLACK POST. YASSSS. I was so wanting to know more about him and OH MY GRACIOUS. He's like my favorite of the characters now! I always ADORE those no-nonsense but still kind, mysterious mentors types. Plus he owns a BOOKSHOP which automatically makes him The Best.
ReplyDeleteThe snippets were a TREAT. And oh my gracious, that whole thing about a Blood War and DRAGONS and griffins and bonders and and and AJSLDJF:LJS:LDKJF. This storyworld sound so deliciously fantastical. EEEEEEE!!!! I cannot wait to read this one day! <333
*beams* Awwww, you are the BOMB. Thank you for your amazing comment/compliments!! I still feel like Master Black needs some major fleshing out in this story, but that can be done later, right?? AGH---my perfectionist self has SUCH a hard time with this first draft imperfection, ya know? xD
ReplyDeleteThank you, girl!!! I'm soooooo beyond glad you are intrigued. You inspire me to think waaaay outside the box, which is an ENORMOUS help to me. Thank you!! When I finish this story---because I AM DETERMINED---I will definitely call on you as a beta reader!!!! <333