Tag: characters

Ruuda
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International Women’s Day – Thread of Souls Celebrates

Thread of Souls

Here at Thread of Souls we are honoring International Women’s Day with a post about our female characters. As husband and wife co-authors, it is wonderful to take this day to celebrate not only Talia’s contributions to the books, but also the women of Thread of Souls that make it what it is.

From Talia

Hello! It’s me, Talia (aka Ashley) co-author of Thread of Souls and co-owner of Tal & Ru Travels LLC with my amazing husband. Growing up, I was exposed to a lot of sexism from my adoptive family on what a woman should or should not do, say, or believe (and a man, too, but that’s for another time). I am proud of separating myself from those punishing viewpoints, and proud to have a partner that thrives with me in fully embracing ourselves and our dreams for the future.

I have been writing all my life, even before I could properly spell words. I wrote my own books, and when I was old enough to have my own laptop I got into the world of fanfiction and won many awards for my works. Even though I drifted away from my path as an author by following bad advice, I have re-discovered my purpose and passion when I began Thread of Souls with my husband (then-fiance.) You can learn more about my journey here.

Being a female business owner and author, it gives me a wonderful opportunity to showcase characters for who they are in their hearts and souls, and not who they are as defined by gender. I am proud to push a narrative forward that shows complex female characters. Jade was my first character created for Thread of Souls, and the last 8 years with her have been wonderful. Dorian created two of our other major female characters, Ruuda and Jasita. If I had just met Dorian at a TTRPG table and saw the character he was playing was a dual-wielding, super strong, female dwarf with a beard I would have fallen in love with him all over again haha. And if I had met him again when he created and played Jasita, an asexual, analytical, numbers-focused researcher, I would have fallen in love a third time.

We do not create characters with defying harmful stereotypes in mind. Rather, we create a person. As complex, flawed, and beautiful as people are in real life. Men who cry. Women who don’t need romance. Bisexuals that are not horny. Black characters that are kings. For us, we simply ask Who is this person? Where did they come from? What do they want? And How does that shape their personality?

So let’s honor some highlighted female characters from our books below. There are so many more that we can’t possibly feature them all! Monster-hunter Encarna, vampire tyrant Corentin, high priestess Maiathah, and much more. Happy International Women’s Day, and may you continue to showcase complex female characters in your own stories!

The Characters

Ruuda of Clan Drybarrel is a pragmatic, fierce, and no-nonsense dark dwarf. She dual-wields a sword of fire and a war hammer, named Liquor and Forge Breaker respectively. Ruuda loves animals, and would rather spend a night camping under the stars than in the finest tavern in the world. Her love of beer comes from her Clan, which have been brewers for generations. She is the youngest of 12 children and is used to speaking up to get her voice heard. Growing up in a caste system, Ruuda never received a Blessing from their god, the Forge King. This has left a bad taste in Ruuda’s mouth for all things religious and celestial in nature. She has sworn to find the Forge King and make him pay for not Blessing her.

Ruuda

Jade Galanodel is a wild elf druid that lives a nomadic life traveling Corventos. Connected with nature, she avoids cities if at all possible, and is highly judgmental of the urban way of life. She travels with her rescued pet fox, and follows the signs the spirits of nature give her. An accomplished herbalists and cartographer, she is a powerful spellcaster that stands up against injustice. So long as it happens outside of the city walls. Those people can keep their own problems. After losing her fiancé in battle, Jade searches for a new purpose in life. She may have just found one with the mysterious creature known as Rehanine that attempted to kill her in her home city of Oceala.

Jade

Jasita Yolarin is a high elf crystalmancer, researcher, and telepathic prodigy. Growing up in the beautiful capital city Eleste’si to historian parents, she was identified at a young age for her talent and taken to the prestigious Citadel. A place of magical study, law, and authority. Jasita did not fit in well with the other students. She found emotions confusing and relationships complicated. Facts and numbers interested her far more. Especially the study of ancient and forgotten elven history that involves dark elves. Jasita excels in everything she puts her mind to, so long as it has nothing to do with people, and is happiest with a book in her hands. Her life is shaken, however, when she encounters a dark elf that has runaway from his home.

Jasita
character
Storytelling

Complete List to Describe Character Appearance Aside from Color

Thread of Souls

We give a full list of words that will describe your character’s appearance better than just the color of their hair, skin, and eyes.

Word choice is really powerful when it comes to describing a character in your book, TTRPG game, or other story format. And while the fact that their hair is blond and their eyes are green is typically first in mind, there are stronger words we can use! That is not to say color is irrelevant. I am one of the readers that does, indeed, want to know a character’s eye color because I am a visual reader and picture things cinematically. But let’s combine that deep brown with other adjectives. These will tell us a lot more about the character’s personality.

So here is a list of adjectives to pull from when describing a character! For a fun exercise, try randomly choosing one from each list to create a character from scratch!

Words to Describe Character Build

  • Powerful
  • Slight
  • Heavy
  • Slim
  • Solid
  • Delicate
  • Strong
  • Stocky
  • Sturdy
  • Graceful
  • Petite
  • Slender

Words to Describe Character Cheekbones / Cheeks

  • High
  • Prominent
  • Sculptured
  • Chubby
  • Hollow
  • Sunken
  • Dimpled
  • Creased
  • Pale
  • Ruddy

Words to Describe Character Arms or Legs

  • Long
  • Short
  • Lanky
  • Bony
  • Round
  • Soft
  • Solid

Words to Describe Character Eyes

  • Expressive
  • Calculating
  • Narrow
  • Hooded
  • Upturned
  • Downturned
  • Untrusting
  • Round
  • Big
  • Vacant
  • Unfocused

Words to Describe Character Voice

  • Breathy
  • Flat
  • Grating
  • Throaty
  • Honeyed
  • Tight
  • Brittle
  • Gruff
  • Monotonous
  • Silvery
  • Hoarse
  • Nasal
  • Rough
  • Singsong
  • Thick
  • Wobbly
  • Husky
  • Wheezy
  • Orotund

Words to Describe Character Hair

  • Shiny
  • Dull
  • Wild
  • Untamed
  • Flat
  • Thin
  • Thick
  • Silky
  • Frizzy
  • Coarse
  • Stringy
  • Wiry
  • Wispy
  • Bouncy
  • Messy
  • Oily
  • Tousled

Let’s take an example from the end of Ash & Thunder within the Thread of Souls book series. Here we see a combination of color as well as descriptive words to give personality to the characters.

“They were the strangest pair Unolé had ever seen. One was a strong female Dwarf with fiery, wild hair of different colors. She wore hardy clothes of deep brown leathers with a purple shirt underneath. Although her thick hair was pulled around front to try to hide her face, Unolé could tell something was strange. The Dwarf’s skin had a grayish blue tone. A beard covered her jawline, but even past that Unolé could tell she was very pretty, with full, dark lips and upturned green eyes framed by thick lashes. She glanced about nervously, fingers twitching towards the two swords she had at her hips. The oddest thing about her, though, was the barrel strapped to her back.

Unolé’s eyes moved to the man. Standing barely taller than her, he leaned confidently against the bar. A cloak draped over his slender figure. She took in clothes of mostly black accented by white and silver. A hood shadowed his face, but slits in the side revealed long, pointed Elven ears. He was exceptionally handsome, with a sharp jawline and high cheekbones. But there was something odd about him, as well. His skin was gray, and two yellow irises were set in large, expressive eyes. Strands of white hair hung on either side of his face.”

D&D
TTRPGs

A TTRPG Player’s Guide to Roleplaying 2+ Characters

Thread of Souls

A creative guide to help TTRPG players who find themselves roleplaying more than one character in a campaign.

While it is expected for a Game Master to juggle multiple characters and creatures simultaneously, it is not the same for players. However, being a GM and playing a player character is not as difficult as it sounds. For those playing singe-player campaigns, having a fuller party makes much more sense.

But are there any drawbacks? After all, if you are the type of player that likes to delve deep into your character and fully bring them to the table, you might be concerned about having difficultly. You might worry you can’t juggle two, or even more characters at the same time.

That’s where this guide steps in! Coming from a player who has spent years playing three characters at the same time, I’ll give a breakdown of how this can be easy, fun, and rewarding!

Choose Your “Protagonist”

This may sound harsh to your other characters, but choosing a main character for your campaign is really beneficial. This will be the character that you default to, that drives scenes, and that spends the most time talking. Collaborate with your GM regarding the campaign’s conflict, as it will help a lot if the overarching conflict is tied to this character.

Tips for choosing: make sure it is a character class you enjoy playing. You should feel really passionately about this character and more intrigued by them than the others you roleplay.

Whose Scene is it, Anyway?

While you are playing the game, determine which character benefits the most from a certain “scene”. If you are navigating a forest, perhaps it is time for your Druid to shine! If you are negotiating with dangerous people, perhaps your extraverted character with the highest Charisma score will lead. If you are back in your Ranger’s town, then they will guide the party around. Think about who makes the most impact in a certain situation, and focus on them.

Have 1:1 Moments

To ensure all your characters have time to develop, make sure they get one-on-one moments. Either with other characters or NPC’s. Having time to voice their own thoughts without overlapping roleplay is great to ensure they get their time to shine.

Collaborate with Your GM

When you are in a single player campaign, player-GM communication is key. Make it clear what each of your characters want, and what they will pursue in the coming games. This helps tell the tale of all of your characters, instead of all but one being silent.

Learn to Narrate More

Playing multiple characters at once requires some narration. This not only helps tell your characters apart, but it also helps set the scene for what each of them are doing. I’ll pull an example from our most recent game. The party just got some critical information and were taking time to digest it.

I said, “Jade has a heavy frown on her face, and it’s clear she is thinking deeply. Taliesin is curled up on himself in a bit of an emotionally fetal position. Sen doesn’t really understand the weight and has gone to get another drink.”

Through this, I was able to convey three different reactions and emotional states without having to overlap dialogue or get the characters confused.

Quick Reference List

  • Choose a main character to lead interactions.
  • Allow different characters to have the spotlight depending on the situation.
  • Give a single character private conversations with others.
  • Communicate with your DM on each of your character’s motivations.
  • Narrate scenes to avoid too much character overlap.
Storytelling

How to Use the Emotion Wheel to Tell Better Stories

Thread of Souls

We discuss how reading and referencing the Emotion Wheel can enhance your character and story building.

Perhaps you have seen the Emotion Wheel pictured online? This large colorful wheel starts with six “basic” emotions and then gets more and more specific with the next two rings in the wheel. It was created by late psychologist Robert Plutchik. It was made to help people better understand and verbalize their own emotions. But it also has great applications for storytellers. Whether your focus is on writing a story or roleplaying a character, looking at the Emotion Wheel has tremendous benefits.

Writing Better Characters

This Emotion Wheel can be a great benefit to your writing. Consulting this helps to understand the complexities of personalities, emotions, and reactions to situations. Use it to build more believable villains, to craft stronger character motivations, and to ensure your story is character-driven instead of plot-driven. Let’s use some examples from our own Thread of Souls book:

  • After pirate Sen’s capture in Book 1, we see great fear in him in Book 2. Fear of interplanar travel and associations. If we look at Fear on the list, we can move to the next ring. Sen is feeling Scared. Why is he scared? What is the base? We look at the final outer ring. Sen feels Helpless. Helpless that a Dragonborn as big and strong as he can still be imprisoned and tortured.
  • Healer Taliesin is feeling Sad about crossing the priestesses that rule his city which caused them to punish him. What is the root of his Sadness? The next ring clarifies that he is feeling Despair. Why is he feeling Despair? The final ring can clarify that he’s feeling Powerless. Powerless at the oppressive matriarchal system that governs his city.

Roleplaying Characters

If you enjoy TTRPG’s, you are asked to fully become your character each game session. Now if your playing style is just to snack and roll dice while not being story-invested, that is fine. We hope you found a group who plays that style. But as we saw from our D&D survey, most people that play are emotionally-driven and insightful. And to avoid being the person who simply shrugs decisions off with “That’s what my character would do”, we can have a better understanding of actually why.

When thinking about your character between games, consult the Emotion Wheel to help interpret their actions last game, as well as what they are planning next game. For example, if your character is feeling Joy, what is the source of that Joy? Are they feeling Satisfied or Amused? If your character is Angry, what is the root cause? Are they Frustrated or Jealous? Knowing what goes on inside your character will help guide your actions next game. And help you bring a more authentic experience to the table.

personality traits
Storytelling

The Ultimate List of 100 Character Personality Traits

Thread of Souls

We provide your one-stop list for personality traits, as well as a fun exercise to create dynamic characters!

Personality traits are one of our top things to decide when creating a character. And unless you already have some inspiration, it can be a daunting task! We hope this comprehensive list is your final stop for a full list of personality traits. Use it to pick ones to help in your character creation! Or workout your character building muscles through the exercise below!

Character Building Exercise: Choose five numbers randomly, or use one of those random number generation tools online. Or roll a d100 five times! Write down those five traits and create a character out of them. Decide how this personality happened. What in the character’s past caused these traits to form? How do they use them? Do they fully understand them? If there are contradicting ones, what caused this internal battle?

  1. Adventurous
  2. Affectionate
  3. Aggressive
  4. Altruistic
  5. Ambitious
  6. Arrogant
  7. Artistic
  8. Assertive
  9. Boastful
  10. Calm
  11. Capable
  12. Carefree
  13. Careful
  14. Charming
  15. Childish
  16. Clever
  17. Confident
  18. Controlling
  19. Cooperative
  20. Cowardly
  21. Curious
  22. Decisive
  23. Distracted
  24. Distrusting
  25. Dominant
  26. Eloquent
  27. Energetic
  28. Expressive
  29. Faithful
  30. Fearless
  31. Friendly
  32. Funny
  33. Generous
  34. Greedy
  35. Grumpy
  36. Gullible
  37. Happy
  38. Hedonistic
  39. Helpful
  40. Homebody
  41. Honest
  42. Humble
  43. Hyper
  44. Idealistic
  45. Imaginative
  46. Impatient
  47. Independent
  48. Industrious
  49. Insecure
  50. Intelligent
  51. Inventive
  52. Jealous
  53. Judgmental
  54. Lazy
  55. Logical
  56. Loud
  57. Loyal
  58. Manipulative
  59. Materialistic
  60. Mature
  61. Mean
  62. Melodramatic
  63. Mischievous
  64. Noble
  65. Nosy
  66. Obedient
  67. Observant
  68. Obsessive
  69. Open-Minded
  70. Optimistic
  71. Organized
  72. Outgoing
  73. Patient
  74. Persuasive
  75. Pessimistic
  76. Pompous
  77. Proud
  78. Quiet
  79. Realistic
  80. Rebellious
  81. Resilient
  82. Resourceful
  83. Reverent
  84. Rowdy
  85. Sarcastic
  86. Selfish
  87. Sensitive
  88. Short-Tempered
  89. Shy
  90. Sincere
  91. Stoic
  92. Studious
  93. Sweet
  94. Thoughtful
  95. Trusting
  96. Unassuming
  97. Unreliable
  98. Unstable
  99. Vibrant
  100. Wise