Behind the Musings – Part 5

Some writers give backstories for characters. I’m sorry if you’re disappointed, but I am NOT one of them, and am disinclined to acquiesce to your request.

This is Fables of the Lands! Someone’s backstory might actually make an interesting book someday! Like Gabby said; all stories are connected and that’s what FotL is all about!

BUT! As a compromise, here are the character analysis’ I work off of. This will give insight to most of the major players within The Fairy Tale. Now, this was written for my personal use, so I can’t guarantee that it’s complete and/or grammatical error free.

ALSO, the whole thing is full of spoilers, including spoilers for later books. If you’re not about that life, don’t read it.

Gabriella fears abandonment. She fears change, not for the face that things are changing, but because she has no idea what to expect from it.  She thrives on the company of others and would never trust herself to make a major decision…and so she is very self-conscious. Unlike Angel who typically brushed off Harrison’s words, Gabriella takes everything to heart. She doesn’t measure up to some invisible standard, and she wants to. She tries to. She wants to be good enough for Aunt beth to love…that’s the only mother she knows. While she can see that Harrison is abusive and mean, she seeks his approval, not only to be spared a beating, but also to feel like she finally did something right. She “pretends” because it’s the only way she feel she can measure up or belong.

To Sean & Ryan

They are her life. She doesn’t mention close things with them very often, because they are a part of her. And since they are always there, she is always complete. Gabriella so fears abandonment, and so she stays close to them. When she leaves the house of the Arohna the first morning, she isn’t going outside to “play” she is going out to see if Sean or Ryan are also hanging out outside their rooms. She says it’s the longest she’s been without seeing either of them…while that’s true, she also saw them every night they stay in Lavenora. She hides her attachment issues well, even from herself because she knows that they are still close. Honestly, it’s probably why Gabriella had such a hard time leaving home to begin with. She knew the people. She didn’t want to leave the people, no matter how horrid they were to her.

To Angel

It’s a weird jealousy/want-to-be-like feeling she has towards her sister. She thinks Angel is very beautiful, smart, powerful and wonderful…and it’s all the things she will never be. But at the same time, she adores her sister and trusts her enough to walk off of a cliff if Angel asked. Angel is like her hero. She is envious of her sister’s beauty (which shouldn’t be a thing since they’re like…twins…) envious of her engagement (which is not a thing, amiright?) and envious that she takes a lot of Ryan’s attention away. (which is also not a thing, because…Ryan? eww) When Depash gives her a little attention, even knowing it’s because she looks like Angel, she relishes it.

To Connie

She likes having Connie as a friend. Initially, because Connie is a “real-life” princess. How awesome is that for her tale-mind? But eventually, it becomes nice to have an older girl give attention. Connie is sweet and Gabriella isn’t bothered by her past sins. Connie is the first real girlfriend she has, so she really likes her. When she becomes Moura, she is excited tobe able to get close again to Connie, hopefully on a high level.

To Saramine

She will never be rude or anything to Saramine, but as the journey progresses, Saramine is not really her favorite person. She can kinda sense that Sean is falling for her – there goes one of her brothers. Connie & Saramine are closer in age and so get along so well – there goes her first girlfriend. And Angel and Saramine stood of the fields of battle together – so there’s her sister. She doesn’t dislike Saramine for anything about her, just that she’s “taking” everything she loves. Gabby is already self-conscious, so having this beautiful dragon girl around is hard.

To Renard

She adores her father. She’s always been fascinated by his eyes, but once she meets him, she adores him. Really, if Gabby’s poison was daddy issues, finding Renard was the cure. He gives her a confidence she’s never known…he’s encouraging and patient and just how Sean looks at Gibtye, she looks at Renard. He’s her hero and she can see past his imperfection.

is the elder brother of the group. While he feels the same hurt Gabby feels of being orphaned, he cannot let that distract him from his self-given task. He feels that since he’s the oldest, he’s got to be the one to protect everyone. He is the one to make sure everyone is safe.

Everyone, including Sean, forgets that he’s just a boy. His childhood was taken from him just as much as the others. He just hides it a lot better.

To Gabby

He’s watched Gabby grow up. He’s been tasked with watching over her since he could remember. The more evil Harrison becomes, the more Sean feels like a failure. He is helpless, defeated and honestly hates being apart from Gabby. He’s so afraid that if something happens to her, it is because he failed. When she wasn’t at supper the first time we meet him, he wasn’t worried that she ran away. He was worried that Harrison beat her and left her some place  he couldn’t find her.

To Ryan

­He always tries to set a good example for Ryan. Ryan’s temper is short and sometimes rude, and Sean would like nothing more for him than to grow up. Sean is very sweet, and patient but Ryan is the only one who could ever make him frustrated enough to yell.

To Angel

Angel gives him peace. Since she’s the natural leader, he feels as if he’s just her “right-hand man” which is honestly where he likes to be. He doesn’t like the spotlight of being in charge, and Angel takes that pressure away from him. He tries to support her as a good sidekick should, but every now and then she’ll do something that makes him either question, or go against if it’s for her safety.

To Connie

He worries for Connie the most in the fairy route. He is concerned that her delicate, princess body is fragile and he’s often near her to help her walk or hold her hand. Ryan’s brutish ways and Gabriella’s bruised face certainly embarrass him, simply because he doesn’t want to offend the princess.

To Saramine

Sean’s love for Saramine is pure. He’s never had the opportunity to “date” or flirt or even see other girls. When he first sees Saramine, he’s a bumbling oaf. When he gets to know her, he falls hard. Boy’s got it bad. He feels guilty, though – he feels a little selfish about spending time with Saramine when he “should” be watching over the group. His alone time with her is infrequent.

Other

The head of the dragon guard, Gibtye, is everything Sean could ever hope to be. Sean idolizes him – like a kid excited to see their favorite superhero in person. Sean’s adoration for Gibtye is strengthened when charged with “watching over them”

It’s all good fun for Ryan. He picks on everyone, because that is the way he shows he cares…at least for his friends. He trusts little but once you have that trust, he loves hard. He may pick on and bother everyone, but those are HIS people to bother. Anyone else might expect a pounding.

To Gabby

If given the chance, he would kill Harrison for Gabby. Ryan is often frustrated with Gabriella because she’s so idealistic and in the clouds, but it’s a frustration that comes from genuine love…a frustration that Gabby can’t always see what’s best for her.

To Sean

He adores Sean. He can’t imagine life without Sean. He tries to be to Kyle what Sean is to him…a caring brother that’s a good role model and with his younger brother’s best interest in mind. Sean is a constant for Ryan. Ryan grew up without parents and always moved around. He was old enough at the time to at least survive, but young enough where Sean could become like a father figure to him.

To Connie

At first, he is genuinely upset with her, not so much mad at her because she almost had him killed, but because she had the authority over him to have him killed…especially since his crime was justified in his eyes. He doesn’t even realize himself how he’s taken to Connie…she’s got a sharp tongue to match him and while he pretends to be annoyed, he enjoys the banter.

To Saramine

Ryan often teases Sean in secret about Saramine. It’s the one secret of Sean’s that he’s ever got in on. Sean confesses to feeling like he’s abandoning them, but Ryan doesn’t take it seriously. Ryan holds Saramine in the upmost respect, just because Sean loves her so much. He doesn’t really get very close to Saramine, and most of his talks with her are jabs for her to get closer to Sean.

To Angel

He’s already made it up in his mind…Angel is his. He is respectful enough to give her his space, but often hints that she’s the one who has his heart. He knows that Angel is in no hurry to jump into another relationship, but loves that he can work at her side, sit and flirt with her, and that she knows what he’s thinking just by reading his eyes. Because they are so connected, he feels no rush in making things “official.”

He fears her only one time…when she fights Divah’s men. It’s a side of her hes never seen – a veil over her eyes. She becomes a different person and that terrifies him. When he jumps before her, he’s scared she’s forgotten everything. Angel apologizes for it later in Lavenora, giving him some relief and a greater confidence that someday she’ll love him too.

To Kyle

Ryan is over the moon about finding his brother. At first, he goes above and beyond to get his brother’s affection – Kyle is even less in good humor than he is – in an attempt to “make up” for losing him. Kyle loves his new life and doesn’t hold a grudge, but Ryan still can’t forgive himself right away. Kyle is his heart – finding him makes him complete. He will often call Kyle “brother” instead of by name because the term is more dear to him

is a spoiled, rich princess who can get everything she wants. Smart, and a drop-dead gorgeous blonde, Connie isn’t as rotten as she makes herself out to be.

She is actually a very kind and compassionate person, even though she uses the fact that she’s a princess to get ahead, she doesn’t believe its right. She loves her people, and she holds tightly any real friend she may be allowed to have. She wants to do what is in everyone’s best interest.

Because she doesn’t want to get walked all over (her father and promised husband often do) she uses the princess bit as an act, which is completely not like her at all.

She is very proper and very tidy and girly, but it’s all a charade. Gabriella never notices that this princess – who shouldn’t be accustomed to walking for so long – isn’t doing much complaining or getting as tired as she would be expected too.

Uncle Harrison – very power trip kinda guy. Think Caleb from Gunther toody’s but with the ability to actually be able to enforce what he wants. For some unknown reason, Uncle Harrison has some unknown thing he’s trying to over compensate for, and he only gets his relief by pushing everyone he comes into contact with around.

Hannah – just your regular, of the times girl. She doesn’t hate Gabriella, not at all in fact. She loves to do her own thing and have her own fun, but likes Gabriella as a sister more than her actual one because Jessica is so snotty and spoiled. She falls in love, swoons loves gowns and everything a girl of the time would like.

Aunt Beth – A “timid old hag” is true. She constantly gets bullied by Harrison but not knowing how to take his abuse, she slys around. She isn’t all that mean to Gabriella as Gab thinks. She’s like an actual mother; one who wants to her girls to do what’s right. She’s just your average pushy mother who doesn’t stand up for her daughters.

Jessica – is the bratty, spoiled rotten girl. She gets everything she wants because her parents (Harrison) don’t know how to deal with it. The fact is, she gets on everyone’s nerves and the only way to shut her up is to give her what she wants. She is like your regular boastful child, she can get everything she wants and rubs it in Gab’s face because she can. Gabriella has to listen to her and so she takes this advantage to pick on Gab.