Character Focused Narrative Writing
The following are parts taken from long form writing I do in my spare time (with hopes to one day have professional work displayed here as well) from various works, such as a modern horror setting, a fantasy setting, and a more fandom based approach of writing within the limitations of a prebuilt world.
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“Can we talk about it?” Thaddeus asks. “What happened on the job.” As expected, he glances over to see Calx closing up, curling in on himself. “It’s okay if not, I just…” He taps the wheel a few times as they drive, trying to find the words. “I am here to talk about it. On and off the job. I would hate to see you let something fester and eat away at you when I could help you though it.”
Calx is silent for a while, tapping his knees to a beat Thaddeus couldn’t place. It’s when they are about 15 minutes out from the apartment that he finally starts talking. “Never really had a good time with closed spaces. Too quiet. You can’t tell how much time passes in a place that is only you in a small wooden box.” Thaddeus nods as the Occultist talks through it, turning off on an exit. “Could be hours, just you in the cold darkness around you, crushing, clawing. Or it could be just a few seconds, over in a moment, like a blink. Don’t… I don’t like the dark.” He whispers that last part, tucking his arms around him. For a man so adverse to being in small enclosed spaces, he curls around himself as a safety mechanism. Odd. It’s noted in the back of his mind.
They pass a few traffic lights, just existing in the silence together. “Ephesians.” Thaddeus says suddenly. “Five Eight.” Calx perks up, staring over at him. “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”
“That’s… New Testament, right? Ephesians?” Thaddeus smiles, a warm feeling of pride swelling up in him and echoing into Calx who sits up straighter.
“Exactly. One of Paul’s letters.” He notes the change in Calx’s demeanor suddenly far more comfortable. “Perhaps we can read it together sometime, Ghoul. I think you’d actually enjoy some of the more… well morbid verses in some of the Old Testament books as they are, rather than whatever rewrites the Mormons slipped in.” They both fall into comfortable laughter and banter, talking for the rest of the ride about how strange some differences are. The entire time, there was a glimmer in Calx’s eyes, an excitement that made Thaddeus get hopeful of further talks like this, of openness from the Occultist instead of repeats from their past few attempts.
Thaddeus parks in the apartment parking lot, looking up and spying that, indeed, the lights are gently glowing from their apartment as usual. Calx smiles, glancing up as well.
“Onir’s got the next watch with Lucielle. Dismas gets the last watch with Luanne, lets them both experience the sunrise.” Juniper nodded. It’s a small movement, Draven reaching over to nudge Juniper.
It was, however, a very instinctual movement when Juniper flinched away from Draven’s hands, both of them freezing the moment she did. A creeping blush of embarrassment began to coat her face as she realized what she had done, and mixed with the look of shock and concern from Draven, it only deepened. “Sorry! Sorry I didn’t mean to-”
“Hey,” His voice was low, spoken more like a reassurance than a secret. “It’s alright, here, feel them.” He gingerly reached out, taking June’s hands into his own. Where she would have expected burning heat radiating off of them, instead there is an almost comforting warmth. She runs her hands along his forearms, tracing over the glowing… flesh was the wrong word. Everything beneath her fingertips is just pure radiant magic.
“See? Ain’t burning up like you thought right?” Draven muttered, letting her get comfortable with the proximity.
“How much are you suppressing? To be like this, I mean.”
Draven sighed, a slight flicker in the light being noticeable. “A bit, but it’s gotten easier. Less like pressing the flame down and instead routing it to other things. Always there, just swapped to inner rather than outer, y’know?” He takes one of his hands and twists, the calm blue flickering back to an energetic cyan. “Able to call it out,” And in a flicker, it is back to that cool blue once more, “But always able to swap it back in. Helps that I’ve been more calm recently. Taking care of me rather than worryin’ about everything else.”
Juniper snickered, getting an offended look from the sorcerer. “Hey what’s the laughin’ for? I open up and you mock me?” He feigned offense, pushing her with his elbow.
“No it’s-” She covered her mouth as another giggle worked its way out. “It just feels like the wrong advice for a situation like that. Focusing on you rather than everyone else.”
Draven chuckled with a shrug of his shoulders. “I mean, yeah maybe for most people, but I ain’t most people if you would have noticed, Junebug.” He held his arms out, turning them over as they shimmered in the night air. “I mean, hells, I got into all this mess trying to help other people, even putting them above myself one too many times.”
Jake stumbled into a tree, leaning against it as he gripped his head. Everything felt like it was on fire, his vision felt like it was blurring but focusing at the same time, and something deep within his mind cried out to be satisfied, to be fed. But this bubble was a ghost town, and nothing could subdue his hunger here.
He was sure of it.
“Bad night, huh.” A spectral figure stood across from Jake, arms crossed as they stared at him. White eyes peered over triangular shades, framed by long brown hair with streaks of dulled blue highlights. Dirk. His dirk. Not some bullshit hope ghost but the actual one.
“Would have thought you’d lose it a while ago but here we are.” Reality bent around him as something drew Jake in towards the ghost. Maybe it was the fact that for the first time in years, he was standing in front of his friend. Or, more accurately, the fact that the Thief of Heart was finally standing before him, soulless as ever.
Jake brought his hands down, trying to ignore the pounding that made him feel like he was going to pass out. “Dirk? Is that..”
“Yeah yeah, don’t get your fucking panties in a twist. It’s me, English.” Dirk crossed his arms, looking unimpressed with the pitiful display before him. “You’d think at this point you’d be used to this sort of thing after meeting all those other me’s in that server but nope. Still the same stammering dork you have always been.”
A different anger filled him. It momentarily clouded over the resurgence as he straightened his posture. He was not going to let Dirk Strider see him at his lowest of lows, especially in death. “They’re different. They aren’t you. And honestly? Rather thankful for that.”
“Oh I’m sure you are.” Dirk smiles, that same fucking smile that drives Jake insane. “That’s why you killed that younger one, yeah? Because they’re different. They’re worse.”
Jake was being gracious, calling him a ghost. More like a vengeful spirit at this point. Even in death, Dirk was the most annoying and frustrating person he had ever met, and Jake used to hang out with Caliborn.
“That was a special situation. Of course you wouldn’t understand it. Bet you were jealous of his position.”
Dirk laughed. He fucking laughed. “Oh believe me, I was not. You’d think I’d stoop so low to be petty that you killed another me? Be honest with yourself, English. You know me better than that.” He steps out of the shadows and Jake can see him even more clearly. More importantly, his eyes fell to the scar he had left on Dirk’s neck, a perfect slit that was scarred with Heart.
Dirk’s own sword had caused that scar, and Jake remembered every time he had left that mark on him. Satisfaction filled his mind, and he would never admit it, but a small part of him felt remorse. He never wanted to kill Dirk. He only did it because there was no other way.
“Besides, what we had was special. I know you would never have the same thing we had with anyone else.”
