Writing and crafting combine!

I'm still slowly making progress on my novel (it would help if the plot would stop changing every five minutes!), but one of the artsy things I've been working on this month is related to writing. I decided that since I hoard charms the way a dragon does treasure, I'd finally use some and make a charm bracelet based on "In the Cards". I'm really happy with how it turned out!

I'll explain why I used each charm below. (Sorry for the watermarks; I try to watermark everything I upload to flickr.)

-fox
(Felix, one of the animal sidekicks and technically a character in his own right)
-playing cards
(tarot cards are an important part of the story and key into the prophecy)
-a bird, boat, and blue bead dangle
(Piper. She's the shapeshifter who wears blue; her occupation has her protecting ships from bad weather, although that doesn't come into play much here)

-feather and orange bead
(Raff. These represent the feather in amber pendant he wears as his holy symbol)
-clover
(For Clover, obviously; she'll get something else to go with it later)
-arrow, heart with red and white beads, violin
(Seph. As a priest of Eros, arrows and hearts are par for the course, and red and white are the colors of his order. He plays the fiddle.)

-tooth and beads
(Tavin. The fang charm represents the natural [bone, stone, wood] weapons he carries (and also the fact that he's an orc. He has fangs, lol). He's a shaman who works with the elements; the four colors represent air, water, earth and fire)
-knight charm
(the tarot cards that represent all but Clover are knights)
-mouse and key
(Bip, Raff's pet mouse; she's good at finding keys)

The clasp is a heart with an arrow, so that's another Seph-related thing. I'll probably be squeezing in more charms as I unlock more plot points. (But please, don't let there be any more characters to unlock! I already have too many of those!) Now I'm itching to make bracelets for my other stories, too!

~Meri

Dear Writer (from Seph)

((Time for another letter from one of my current characters! Try to ignore his ill humor; he's not usually quite this bad, I promise.))

Meri,
I should have known that you wouldn't let me just wash my hands of this mess and return to Zet. Now I'm caught in a prophecy that I shouldn't have been able to hear which doesn't even make much sense in a place I shouldn't be in the first place. I know (or at least think I know) what parts were about me and what parts were the annoying elf, but who are the other three people involved? If you're going to force me to eavesdrop, at least give me more information! Being told "your elf knows more than he lets on" isn't particularly helpful when he won't tell me anything. I am not one of your immoral Messengers, as similar as you seem to think I am; I'm not going to use mind control to get that out of him.

Besides, I think his god was on to something with the assumption that Raff will react angrily if he learns I've been recruited to keep him safe. If I try to ask what's up, he's going to suspect something and go on the offensive again. I'd rather not be punched in the jaw or tackled again, thank you. I know I can immediately heal, but that's not the point. I'm not the elf's keeper, his tamer, or his punching bag, which is what you and certain gods seem to want from me.

Speaking of, know what really gets me? You could have given some sort of warning that I was speaking with a god! A "Hey, Seph, keep your trap shut so you don't spill snark all over the conversation" would have sufficed. And since when can a deity speak to someone who isn't His own? I could understand if you'd had Eros "ask" for my help, but why Hermes? Is one headstrong elf enough to change the way things have always worked? What is really going on here? It's more than just having to keep him safe, particularly since three others apparently have to share our quest (whatever that is), isn't it? Something big is heading towards us. I don't need functioning eyes to be able to see that.

If it wouldn't be too terribly much trouble, perhaps you can give me a hint of what this is before it happens so I can keep my word and not, you know, let the elf get killed and have the wrath of an angry god fall on me. I'd prefer to avoid that type of ire at all costs and I'd rather not lose Raff if that can be prevented, either. (Shut it, Writer. It's just easier to get around when I travel with someone who can see.)

Unrelated to the rest of this, I want to add that I'm not happy with the addition of yet another pet. We don't need a bird. Are you trying to get us kicked out of the inn? I'm still not happy about that lie to get us there, by the way. In fact, I'm not happy about any of this. Gee, is that obvious?

~Your unamused Knight of Wands,
Seph