The Mutant and the Mage

It’s amazing where character inspiration comes from. I knew I wanted to write another retelling of King Thrushbeard, this time with a protagonist that had a severe anger and resentment problem. In fact, Shyla’s name was inspired by an Inuit name meaning “flame”. But she also needed other traits. Trouble is, I’ve never written a character with an anger problem before, and I knew that couldn’t be all that was to her.

Like Shyla, Raphael from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has a temper problem and is very strong-willed. His anger isn’t just his main character trait, it’s his biggest character flaw. In fact, you could say it’s his fatal flaw (literally, in one incarnation). But if you take away that anger, what remaining personality traits does he have?

He’s protective of his family and friends, and he loves them deeply.

He’s fiercely independent.

He’s a brave warrior.

He’s loyal.

He cares about the innocents of New York (not that he’ll outright say it).

In other words, to quote the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, “he’s like a big cuddly teddy bear…if big cuddly teddy bears were incredibly violent.” (Although that’s mainly true of the most recent incarnations of the character. The older versions are downright scary.)

Shyla’s dangerous too, in her own way. She didn’t think twice about threatening Bardulf at the feast and she has an independent streak. But like Raph, she’s a devoted sibling, protective of those she loves and she’s brave.

I wanted to give her a legitimate reason to be angry other than her temper. That was where Ruby and her story came in. Alarick hurt people Shyla loves, and she finds that very hard to forgive. And to be fair to the princess in the original King Thrushbeard story, you probably wouldn’t like it if you had to choose someone to marry who only saw you as a prize or trophy (see this blog post by Kate Stradling to see an analysis of the tale).

Shyla does get there, though. She just needed a bit of time.