I know not about my most 'recently' created character instead, but instead I will speak of the protagonist of my WIP novel. [Working Title: Runological Attraction]

Yulia Soutore (pronunciation: So, Tour A?), Age 23

Yulia is a first-year student at the Runaria Runological and Alchemical Academy, one of the newer institutions of higher education for would-be runologists in the Kingdom of Falscythe. She attends to better understand herself and her immense innate ability for runology, especially that of the Wind element, though she also hopes to be able to find an opportunity for steady employment after graduation. She's an orphan whose mothers passed away in the opening salvos of the Fourth Demon-Human War 15 years prior, and has lived much of the intervening years as a nomad and a beggar, working odd jobs when able to earn her daily bread. As a result of her loss, she harbors deep sense of pacifism and struggles with a significant amount of trauma. On the surface, though, she's cheery, though also a bit of a ditzy airhead (pun very much intended).

Unfortunately, while she seeks a peaceful life alongside her lover and partner, the studiously astute Fire runologist Amari Blariot (Blair-ee-OTT), the machinations of war are turning and a new conflict is on the horizon, forcing her to confront her trauma, come to terms with a society that won't acknowledge or accept their relationship, and understand and accept her origins.

The words of her rival Cassandra ring in her ears: "An ideal without a blade to back it up is just a platitude." "Sometimes pacifism needs a champion to take up arms in the name of peace."

Currently it's quite the passion project that I've been pouring a lot of time and effort into; the first arc of the story clocked in at 74,000 words and I'm currently about 11,000 into the second arc. Very slow-paced, dialogue heavy, with a lot of slice-of-life along the way.

In retrospect reading this comment, I completely agree.

I had intended it pronounced with a hard -k sound (e.g. Glock-ee-on, rather than Glace-ee-on) but yeah, I guess not, especially given that that doesn't really translate in text.

I mean, I deliberated spelled it with an 'i' to avoid the Pokemon reference, as that wasn't my intention. Though, I suppose I couldn't avoid it after all.

Not my fault that I'd want to use a term (i.e. glacial) associated with cold/ice as a name for a type of ice spirit.

"What is it, Azera?" Juniper walked over to sit next to her friend on a bench outside the school.

"I- I went to the library last night after school. And I found something."

"A way to break your human chains?" Juniper's canine teeth turned into elongated fangs for a brief moment and her breath briefly smelled of some acrid odor that Azera couldn't quite pinpoint. "That sounds wonderful; I'm really interested to know what your true form looks like!"

"It's exciting, but, at the same time, it's kinda scary isn't it? Knowing that when the spell is broken and I'm no longer bound to this human form, I'll be able to exist as I was meant to be. It's just..."

"I mean, it is pretty nerve-wracking, after all. I remember the first time I saw myself in my dragon form. Besides, you know, being green, and being some three times taller and a lot stronger, it took a lot of time and energy to get used to changing between these forms; believe me, it's not as easy as they make it out to be in comic books! But you're like, the star student here at Hyperion Academy, and your magical aptitude is one of the greatest the Principal Everene has ever seen. So I know you'll do great, and we'll still be best friends! We'll even go on a flight around the country to celebrate!"

"But... that's just it. We've been operating under the assumption that this magical aptitude comes from my being a dragon like you are, Juniper. And, well, after I did some more research in the library last night... I don't think that's what I am." Azera started to cry, and Juniper sat down next to her and gave her a hug.

"Even so, we're still best friends forever. Even if you are just a human sorcerer with a lot of magical talent. I mean, I guess we won't be able to go on that flight together, but..."

"No, I'm definitely a bound creature like you ar- were. But, I checked the seal on me against a number of seals. I went to the library - the restricted section of the library. And I found something. It's not a seal of dragonbind - it looks like one, but the magic formulae used in the inscription are a bit different, and that's why the spell of unsealing didn't work on it. Ever since we met, we've been friends and equals under the assumption that we're both fellow dragons. And I'm scared that when I tell you what I found, that you won't treat me as an equal anymore!"

"No, that's not true. We're best friends forever, I promised you! I won't leave your side no matter what, and that's a promise I swear on my honor as a dragon." Azera smiled slightly; a dragon's promise made on their honor carried immense weight in draconic culture; breaking such an oath lightly carried the risk of being ostracized by dragonkind.

"If you believe that so strongly, then I want you to be here when I undo the seal. Yes, I found a way to do so; I started the spell last night, and I could tell by the way the spell resonated with the seal. I'm confident this is the right one."

Juniper stayed seated and watched while Azera stood up. A glowing circle and various insignias appeared on the ground at her feet, and a couple of passers-by turned and looked at the unbinding ritual about to be performed. Magical energy emanated from Azera as her hand glowed a pale blue; several students broke out in goosebumps and started shivering from the cold air around her. Once the buildup of energy subsided, Azera held out her hand, then placed it on her chest. She gently spoke the words. "Ritual of spiritual unbinding, release." Her entire body began to morph; it grew in height by a couple of feet, though she was still much smaller than most dragons in their natural forms, and her body maintained a humanoid appearance. And yet, her skin was a translucent blue, her eyes, pale white.

"I'm not a dragon, and I never was one, Juniper. This is my true form - a spirit of elemental ice; a Glacion. I was raised by dragons, yes, but I never was one. And, while I have one answer, I have many more questions."

Juniper stood up and, despite the cold of her friend's skin, gave her as big a hug as she could before recoiling from the frigidness. "Then let's work together to find those answers you seek, Azera. My best friend in the whole world."

Why I started writing is actually rather interesting. I have some bad anxiety and a tendency to really 'get in my own head' in a bad way when I get bored or otherwise let my mind wander aimlessly. As a result, I started using writing short stories here as a way to calm myself down when I started getting into one of those moods.

I don't know if I quite count as 'taking writing more seriously' at this point - I have been working on a book for the past month, but it's really for my own sake rather than any expectation that it will ever get to the point of being suitable for publication, traditional or otherwise. But I've shared it with a few friends and the reception has generally been positive so, who's to say. Right at about the 60k mark and just getting to the end of the first arc of the story, so plenty more to write over the coming months.

Elaine spent several minutes in thought before she finally exclaimed, "I wish that you would please provide me your sagest, most honest, and frank guidance and wisdom on how to use my remaining two wishes!"

"It shall be... wait, what? Run that by me one more time." The crimson spirit rubbed what passed for its chin in utter disbelief.

"I said as I wished, Genie! Grant me your sage counsel on how I can best utilize the two remaining wishes at my disposal. You were issuing me a challenge, right? You said that any wish I could make, you'd twist and warp until not a scrap of the spirit of the original wish's intent remained. But that's the secret, isn't it. It's like that one movie I saw a few years back - 'The only winning move is not to play.' I know I can't outsmart you. I'm 28 and you're what... fifteen thousand?"

"12,351, thank you. Geez, you're trying to put me one foot in the grave! Well, if I had feet, in any case. Whatever, it's a metaphor. But anyway, I've had hundreds of people come by over the millennia. The first few dozen were so easy to trick. They come in wishing for gold, and poof, they get a bunch of coins out of the king's vault, then the inquisitors come by and well, you can probably guess how it goes from there. And then there's those that rub my lamp thinking they could beat me in a test of wit and words. But here's the rub, pun intended. You are the very first person not to even try!" The genie started laughing. "Look, Miss, it's actually funny because you're the first one to have these magical, reality-warping, wish-granting powers at your disposal, and you're just going to up and not use them! Even hearing it with my own ears, I don't believe it myself!"

Elaine took an assertive posture, hands on her hips. "So, is that it then? That's your advice - just don't use my remaining wishes? Alright, fine, you win, bye, I don't have time to deal with you; I gotta go pick up my kid from daycare and my wife is gonna grill me so hard if I don't stop by and pick up some eggs for dinner on the way home. So yeah, have a nice rest of eternity."

"Seriously, you're just going to leave these wishes on the table? I could wish you all the eggs you'd ever need, I could wish you the power to, you know, just teleport or fly or even conjure up dinner with a simple wave of your hand."

"You said it yourself, Genie. Your advice was not to use your powers, and I'm not enough of an idiot to believe I could prove you wrong. Take care and see you never."