#15 lines

Thanks to @cervus-scribe for the tag! :D I'm unsure who to tag in return, but if you see this and it sounds fun, tag ME so I can read yours!

📝 Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC.

I chose D, my snarky, easily flustered, bisexual demon son. He was the very first POV I wrote. It's always difficult for me to describe his personality but it is very, very distinct, and I think these lines will show it. Threads: Above is a lot further from completion than Below, but you can see a lot of art of him and Holly, and this can give you a vague idea of what their dynamic is. :)

(These are not in a particular order.)

1 "It's fine," D replied, unsure what was fine, exactly, as it certainly wasn't him.

2 He briefly thought of about fifteen different things to say before settling on a simple, quiet, "Holly. What are you doing?"

3 "You apologize far too often." He crossed his arms and let out a sigh. "In the future, you could try and not do things you think you might have to apologize for later."

4 "I am not worried about it," D said with a frown, tapping his foot and worrying about it.

5 D successfully suppressed a snicker, and raised a brow. "Why would I laugh?"

6 He felt some of her silky hair brush against his hand and he realized she was right beside him--almost underneath him, he could have leaned forward just a few inches and rested his chin on the top of her head. He was not going to do that.

7 "Y-you touched me!" Holly's flustered face was bright red. D glanced over at her, certain he still looked the epitome of calmness and grace and hoping he could maintain that through his next carefully chosen words. "What are you so bothered for? I've done that several times now, in several different places as well." "D-don't phrase it that way!"

8 D sighed and pulled her back by placing his hand on one of her shoulders--twitching slightly as he remembered that they were bare, and twitching more as he learned that they were delightfully soft--and tugging gently, the same way he'd pulled her from the doors the previous day.

9 He bit off a Thread--a habit C had yelled at him about when he was a child-- 'D, don't put strange shit in your mouth, what the hell is wrong with you--but it was one he sometimes fell back into when he was distracted or annoyed.

10 D shook his head, interrupting him with an even more irritated handwave and sigh as he crossed his arms. "No, Asmodeus, i don't need confirmation of your bullshit agenda. I meant, in general. What are you doing?"

11 "Come now," he encouraged. "Unlike my brother, I am an excellent healer, but I do not think he will ever let me hear the end of it if I let his beloved suffer even a little pain." 12 "He is not!" D hurriedly insisted, sitting up straight. "I am obviously the taller one."

13 "Oh, you were joking, I see." He slid his hand up her wrist and removed hers from her neck, pinning it lightly beside them.

14 "Don't worry. We'll take things slowly." He turned another corner and kicked open a door. The knob exploded off it with the impact and rolled across the floor.

tagged by @dirty-bosmer: share 15 lines or less of dialogue that showcases your OC's personality

I was tagged for this awhile ago, and I've finally gotten some breathing room to go through my snippets about my LDB, Khemor gro-Skaven. This was fun, and while there are of course more lines that I want to share, trying to pick ones that would stand alone more-or-less was a challenge!

I tag @gilgamish @saltymaplesyrup @archangelsunited

“Master Phinis has shared with me the manuscript you are co-authoring with him. I was quite taken with your elegant proof of Rhythandius’ Fourth Postulate. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anyone come at the problem from the contrapositive before.”

“Many of the Legion, mostly Nords and native sons of Hammerfell, refused to abandon Skaven, and deserted to continue protecting us. It was futile, of course. They were overrun and the Dominion occupied the city for two years.” He looked again at Calder and said quietly, “I am well-acquainted with the cruelties the Thalmor visit upon the populace of the places where they have control.”

“Indeed I do, Calder. I find myself looking at a future among your people, and despite how foreign many things in Skyrim are to me, I do not find it disagreeable.”

“I can feel it. I can hear the singing from Shor’s Hall in the wind. I look out the window and am surprised when there’s no bridge of whalebone waiting for me. I look up expecting to see the light of Aetherius instead of the moons.”

“What is there for me, down there, except pain and the knowledge that I am past my usefulness? I cannot return to Cyrodiil. I am certainly cast out of the College of Whispers. Now that Alduin is gone, dragons killed by others will stay dead. I would say I have only the clothes on my back but I believe these particular robes are actually Borri’s.”

“No, no. She was concerned that you were going to harm me, I think.” An echo of a heartbeat sounded behind him, resonating with his own. He sent another flicker of magicka in the heartbeat’s direction, just to be certain. “And she didn’t run off, she’s watching us from that juniper grove. I’m certain she can hear every word we’re saying.”

“I am called Khemor gro-Skaven, these men are my housecarls, Gregor and Calder. I am Thane to the High King of Skyrim, Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak. We were fortunate that our paths crossed with Borgakh today; she provided us with a great service.”

“For good or ill, I am seen as a symbol of Ulfric’s rule. Saying a few words over some children is perhaps the least onerous way to shore up the sentiment towards it among the citizenry. It’s certainly the easiest on the Jagged Crown’s coffers.”

“Friga, you belong in Aetherius. In Sovngarde. You fought to remain here, alive, but your fight is over now. Tsun is waiting for you.”

“Hardly--the only sea close to Skaven is the sand of the Sunforge. And Skyrim is my home now. When I’m on the road, it’s Hjerim that my thoughts turn towards, not Hammerfell.”

“Borgakh is a traveling companion. Nothing more," he said. "Her stronghold is the closest settlement to the source of the vampire activity, and they have experienced attacks over the years. She is accompanying me to Fort Dawnguard to offer her assistance for the sake of her clan.”

“My master was a once-in-ten-generations creative intellect when it came to the ebb and flow of magicka, delving into the secrets of the arcane, and uncovering the mysteries of Oblivion. This creativity did not extend to choosing a name for an Orsimer foundling.”

“YOL!” His mouth filled with heat, the feeling of solid matter becoming light, heat, and ash on his tongue.

“TOOR!” The ferocity of the troll’s heartbeat was eclipsed by the energy held within his own as the heat increased, burning even the ash.

“SHUL!” The inside of Khemor’s skin felt the oven-like heat of the sun over the Alik’r desert, even as the outside felt the cool dampness of the forest.

"You hold my heart and soul in your hands, Borgakh the Steel-Heart. Please," his voice dropped into a husky whisper. "Please don't let them break." He pushed their hands and the soul gem against her chest. "Keep them safe."