#rusef

Zara is the POV character of the first book, The Glass Lament. Her jewelry here isn’t accurate but this particular Picrew got closest. The red sun/burning moon represents the curse Zara and her people believe she’s inflicted with.

Nyela is half-human and half-Thashras. This Picrew allowed me to split skin color down the middle, but her hair and facial markings would be split as well (contrasting on opposite sides), her eyes would be darker, and none of the mouths quite fit her. Her teeth would be obsidian-black. Btw not all Thashras hybrids look like her - they come in many colors and patterns.

(I changed Picrews for the next few because they had more of the options I wanted.)

Liriloc is a Dracai’seng, though his name among humans is Jakobi. No Picrew I found could capture his sharp facial features, but this one had pretty accurate horns. The flowers represent his love of gardening and his plant magic.

Samèol is Jakobi’s older brother, a half-Dracai’seng, and a POV character of his own prequel. He has scars on his chest and back and was blinded in one eye; he uses a prosthetic one, but it’s mostly hidden by his paralyzed eyelid.

Rusef is Samèol’s love interest and another POV character in the prequel. His eyes were dyed permanently red by an alchemical experiment gone wrong (he blames his sister for that). Also his hair should be black but this Picrew just had really dark brown hair.

A Scene From The Magpie’s Lament

To better write some characters in my series I’ve been fleshing them out in the prequel. This scene is a conversation between Saméol and Rusef, who are close friends at this point. It’s set after a battle in which Saméol saved Rusef’s younger stepsister but, being a half-Dracai’seng, expended his flame’s energy and nearly died. Rusef visits him in the infirmary, where Saméol for once drops the cool, charismatic facade. This’ll be a long one!

In the candlelight Saméol looked as pallid and translucent as the sheets on which he slept. Seated by his bed in the infirmary, Rusef took in the lattice of scars on his narrow chest, the gaps between his bladed ribs. A wet cloth on his forehead obscured both eyes.

Seeing him arranged like this, in rare stillness, frightened Rusef. How could a man so imposing and full of life one day be so frail the next?

He didn’t have to wait long before Saméol stirred. He hauled in a breath, then burst into lung-raking coughs. Rusef lunged for the glass of water on the nightstand, and when the coughing had subsided raised it to Saméol’s lips. “Here.”

He drank, nudging the glass away when he had finished like a lord dismissing a servant. “Rusef?” he croaked, the light music of his voice ragged.

“No need to talk,” Rusef said. “Rest. I’m not leaving.”

Rusef

Full name: Rusefino Belrevas, aka Rusef or Red-Winged Blackbird among the Retjevu people

Race: Human

Culture: ethnically Strasím, member of the Retjevu culture of the Volary

Age: mid-30s at start of prequel

Gender: he/him, cis man

Sexuality: homoromantic asexual

Hobbies: painting, sailing, taking long walks in nature, browsing the Volary’s markets for inspiration pieces

Appearance and Clothing:

Rusef is considered very handsome by other Retjevu. He’s 5’11” with a broad chest and toned arms and shoulders. His brown irises turned deep ruby-red after an alchemical experiment went wrong, which is why he and his sister Garceta are on poor terms now. He has a tan complexion, black hair in short curtain bangs, and a short neat beard.

Despite his coveted status as a fashion designer in the city of the Volary, Rusef usually dresses in plain black shirts and trousers with some splashes of red and gold. He prefers to stay out of the spotlight rather than flaunting himself. On missions for the Retjevu, however, he has worn a wide-brimmed hat and a long black coat with flashy red-and-gold epaulettes that resemble the markings of his bird namesake.

He speaks with a deep, husky voice. (If you’ve seen the critically acclaimed and widely beloved children’s classic, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, he sounds like Delgado but with a different accent. That's awfully specific but the most accurate voice I could find.)

Thank you for the tag, @memento-morri-writes! Her post can be found here.

I'll do this one for Rusef, his sister Garceta and their younger twin step-siblings, whose Retjevu bird names are Flame and Satin (both named after Bowerbirds. Those born into older families of the Retjevu culture get their traditional bird names at birth).

Who looks the most like Dad?

Satin looks like a teen miniature of his and Flame's dad, Raggiana, with his blonde hair and naturally sad eyes.

Who looks the most like Mom?

Rusef has his mom's silky black hair and softer features.

Who eats the most?

Flame, by far. Satin complains about it a lot.

Who has been in the weirdest situations?

Garceta has been all over the Lopenyan continent to gather information and alchemical supplies. She's had some wild encounters.

Who sleeps the most?

Satin. Of course Flame complains about this.

Most stable romantic life?

Rusef – he had a few relationships crash and burn before Saméol, but those two end up settling nicely together. The twins have only known brief puppy love and Garceta prefers to be single.

Worst habit of each one?

Rusef – isolates and works through his stress, which only stresses him out more

Garceta – treats others like pawns in some grand scheme (which they are, she's playing 4d chess rn)

Flame – attention-seeking

Satin – indecisive yet easily swayed by peers

Who's the most dramatic?

Flame exaggerates everything.

Who had a weird phase?

Rusef has always been the artistic type, but as an insecure young adult he joined the city guard to try and prove himself to his new mixed family. He was a skilled fighter but spent most of that time chest-beating and picking fights, which was quite out of character and led to him searching for a different career.

Best cook in the family?

Rusef by default. He can cook simple dishes but just eats out all the time. Meanwhile Garceta tends to snack on weird stuff from her alchemy stores, and the twins are used to others cooking for them.

Best memory together?

Rusef and Garceta have some good memories of visiting the seaside as kids, but that was a long time ago. The twins have good memories of hanging out with Rusef when he comes to visit their dad's estate.

Worst memory together?

Rusef used to help Garceta with her alchemy while searching for a trade of his own. One experiment (meant to let Retjevu temporarily change their eye color for fashion reasons) went wrong and left Rusef's irises permanently dyed red. He was devastated and blamed Garceta for adding the catalyst before he got his eyewear on. Garceta accused him of being dramatic for pity points because he knew the risks going in and still looks fine anyway.

They haven't talked to each other since.

Dream trip together?

Rusef would like to take the twins to visit the mountains of western Lopenya, where his partner Saméol is from.

Would they rather not being able to shower for a month or have the same clothes for a month?

Rusef, Garceta, and Satin - same clothes for a month

Flame - not shower for a month; she loves changing her style

Who's the oldest?

At the start of the prequel Garceta is in her late thirties, Rusef is in his early thirties, and the twins are in their teens.

How would they describe each other in three words?

Rusef would describe Garceta as cold, untrustworthy, and distant.

She would describe him as melancholy, secretive, and desperate.

How do they feel about their parents?

Rusef is good friends with his biological father, Sunbittern, but has a more complicated relationship with his mom, Scarlet Ibis, since she remarried and moved out of the city. Technically she did nothing wrong so he feels guilt for resenting her choices when she loves him with all her heart. He tries to visit her more often now. However, he doesn't trust her new partner Raggiana because of politics.

Garceta, on the other hand, rarely speaks to her biological parents but does keep in touch with Raggiana specifically for his political power and connections.

The twins are close to their parents, although Flame, as the heir to Raggiana's estate, does feel pressure to impress her father in everything she does.

Who usually has the worst ideas?

Flame, but Satin or one of their parents usually intervenes before she can do something stupid.

A GIANT insect is on the wall. Who's taking care of it?

Garceta would catch it for later alchemical experimentation. Flame would squish it on sight while Satin panics. Rusef would live and let live.

Happy STS! My characters have a variety of hobbies.

Zara enjoys cooking and telepathically weaving stories in the air with glowing gold sunthread. Jakobi likes reading and gardening. By night Nyela stargazes and by day she trains for combat with her silurg (a reptilian mount she rides into battle).

Just kidding! Happy April 1st Special Ask!

Tell me something that makes you laugh about your story. Something about the world or a line of dialogue or introduce me to your comedic relief character. Go crazy. :)

Happy WBW and April 1st!

There's a running gag in the prequel that makes me laugh when I write it. Saméol keeps trying to seduce Rusef but isn't aware (at first) that he's asexual and basically immune to his flirting.

Saméol's used to people being intimidated or charmed by him and crumbling quickly when he gets intense. But when he, say, eats something with a lot of tongue, or stretches to show off, or leans in to whisper suggestively, Rusef always reacts with a flat unimpressed expression or by raising his eyebrows like, "Really?"

Surprisingly, Saméol is delighted by this because for so long others have reduced him to either a fetishized object or an inhuman threat. He was a body, not a person; most of the time he wasn't allowed to be silly and relaxed and just talk about nothing. Rusef being so unfazed but still wanting to spend time with him makes Saméol fall in love more rather than discouraging him.

Rusef, for his part, is amused by the increasingly creative attempts at seduction, but he tries not to crack. And he isn't annoyed by it; he never asks Saméol to stop because he's falling in love, too.

Invasive OC Questions Ask Game

Thanks for the ask! You asked this about one of my most anxious characters, so this'll be fun.

Rusef has a pretty calm, ordinary life and his usual nonchalant apathy reflects that... until you remind him of the enormous secret he has concerning a certain tyrant, of course.

Rusef: By the Guides, what a question. I have enough worries in the day; must they torture me by night, too? Look, I- (He glances around furtively.) I know too much. (whispers: About her.) And I'm a Retjevu with the gift of enchanted wings, yes?

So in my nightmares, my secrets weigh on my wings until I fall into darkness with all my loved ones screaming past. Pleasant, I know. My deepest fear – if I crack under the pressure, everyone else will die with me.

Do not tell Saméol. He will insist that his nightmares are even worse and then refuse to leave my side for one breath. I cannot handle that right now.

ABSOLUTELY I WOULD LOVE TO! Thank you for the ask!

Rusefíno Belrevas, aka the Red-Winged Blackbird or Blackbird, is a character in The Glass Lament series and a POV character in the prequel. He’s the love interest of another main character, Saméol. Both are in their 40s, though Lopenyan humans live longer than we do.

Rusef is very handsome – broad shoulders, deep voice, short black curtain bangs and beard – and a high-profile figure. He’s also asexual, softspoken, kind, and an artist. He's a bit of a twist on romance genre tropes that I'm tired of. In our world he would probably be Colombian-Australian?

He enjoys painting, walks in nature, and sailing. He tends to exaggerate stories to leave people guessing what actually happened. His favorite color is sunset-orange. He dislikes being the center of attention and has a complicated relationship with his sprawling, mixed family (it’s why he has only one surname now).

His once-brown irises are ruby-red because of one of his sister’s alchemical experiments gone wrong. He hasn’t talked to Garceta since.

If you want to know even more, I have to yap a bit about his culture (I really need to get a WorldAnvil wiki for my world up and running).