Mel's Inktober 16 - Wary of the Windwillows

Reid's relationship with the Windwillows is a very interesting and complex one, much more so than how it started out.

Fauns and humans may get along considerably better than they used to, but for the most part, a barrier still lingers. While most of them may not try to harm each other, sticking to their own kind remains an unspoken rule.

That's why it was such a big deal when Malachi became the first faun High Priest, and that's what feeds the conflict for my overall story. It is possible and ultimately vital to overcome prejudice, but it's a complicated process and even those who make it through don't get there overnight.

It even took Jonathan quite a few years to really warm up to humans, more so due to his beloved father's horrifying brush with death at the hands of humans. And then when Jonathan got to the point where he started to embrace a human as legitimate family, his parents raised a surprising protest...which didn't sit well with him or Reid, to say the least.

You could say Reid's need to be loved is one of his weaknesses. He can be a bit too clingy for his own good, but he doesn't force anyone to like him or act entitled in any way. Let's just say he trusts the Windwillows a little too much at first, and then they learn a hard lesson in taking such trust for granted. So, neither side is all right or all wrong, and lessons on both sides are learned the hard way.

As irony would have it, fauns are big on loyalty and don't take kindly to betrayal. Then the Windwillows, who know as well as anyone what it's like to be on the receiving end, find themselves doing the exact same thing to someone else.

For all the pain Reid goes through, this is among the worst. He can sort of expect everything else to happen to him, he can almost count on other people hurting him...but having the very people he was so sure he could trust stab him in the back is something else. He's like an affectionate dog who gets struck out of the blue by the same hand that used to pet him, and now he cowers in the corner with his tail between his legs.

This is heavily based on Sulley scaring Boo in Monsters, Inc. Man, I'm choking myself up already.

Happy Birthday, Mom

 70 years old

Mel's Inktober 15 - Mortified Fauns

Many of my characters are prone to facepalms, and the Windwillows are no exception. 

One of the most fun things about drawing fauns is playing with their super-expressive ears.

I'll let you decide what the mortifying scene is. But I really enjoyed this one!

And just like that, this month (and this challenge) is already half over. 

Mel's Inktober 14 - Reid Relaxes Underwater

When Reid's not splashing about above, he's taking it nice and easy below. 

No one to disturb him, nothing else to occupy his mind, so this is his ideal place for thinking things through or simply daydreaming.

No one can say how long you can last underwater with that magic shell. It gives you pretty much all the oxygen you need, provided it stays in your mouth and you're on your own when it comes to eye protection. So, it's a great benefit in some ways and not so great in others.

He'll often do this in his own bathtub. By the time he's done, he's about as clean and soaking wet as it's possible to get.

Mel's Inktober 13 - Reid Swimming

One of the great things about owning an indoor pool is Reid can swim anytime he likes, whatever the weather. 

While he loves swimming outdoors best, he'll take any form of water that's big enough to cover him up.

And he finds something rather comforting about swimming in a somewhat warm pool in the middle of the night or the middle of a terrible storm. Don't worry, that part of the castle is in a sheltered area and that glass is super thick, though it still grants an awesome view.

That pool is just big enough to share with the public. But anyone who's not family or a close friend must pay a small fee to use it, and there are lifeguards on hand at all times as well as bodyguards. No one is ever left totally alone in the pool or the lake, least of all the kids. Pretty much the only ones who don't have to pay up are the Wiles, the Windwillows, the Byrnes, and Kaylee Drummond.

Swim times vary as far as Reid's concerned. Sometimes he'll swim for an early morning workout, sometimes he'll swim when he has a hard time sleeping, and many times he'll swim just because he's in the mood and he's got a little time to spare. But there's not a single week in which he does not take at least one big dip and none of those dips last less than an hour.

Even his own bathtub is deep enough to totally submerge himself, so he can still relax underwater. To him, it's absolute heaven to lie at the bottom of the tub, surrounded by hot water (but not hot enough to scald him) with a thick quilt of bubble bath on top, and if he has a shell with him, he doesn't have to worry about coming up for air anytime soon. He has to pretty much make himself get out.

He learns to love swimming so well for three reasons. One: he learned to not be afraid of the water after he almost drowned when he was five. That would be a traumatic experience for anyone of any age and no one would have held it against him if he never wanted to go anywhere near deep water again. It takes several decades for his uncle to conquer his own crippling aquaphobia.

Since Romulus is a pretty good swimmer, the reason he's so terrified is because he lost several loved ones to drowning, so he can still go in the water; he just doesn't want to if he can help it. That proves not to be the case for Reid, although he understands how his uncle feels and Romulus won't forbid him or any of his own children from swimming, just as long as they're careful. But Romulus does ask Reid not to use the shell too much in the indoor pool, because he just about had a heart attack when he found his nephew way down at the bottom.

Tallis is somewhere in the middle. He doesn't get wet nearly as often as Reid does, but he's less afraid of the water than Romulus is and he'll often join Kyla or Malachi in a swim. Sometimes he'll play with his nieces when they're taking a dip and they always have some fun with Uncle Tallis, a lot more fun than they would ever have with Aunt Ann.

Reason number two why Reid is such a dedicated swimmer: it's one of the few places where he can totally escape Tyrell, because Tyrell can't stand getting wet outside a shower and he'd sink like a rock if he tried. So, the water becomes Reid's personal haven.

And reason number three: he just loves it. It feels like he simply belongs there, so even after he and Tyrell finally make up, he still takes advantage of any opportunity to get good and soaked. It relaxes him so and provides wonderful exercise at the same time.

Later, all three of his kids learn to swim just as well, although Troy is the most devoted to the wet sport. And, of course, Kaylee Drummond learns to swim so well because of Troy and Reid, among several others. Despite Kaylee's mother and sisters frequently denouncing the sport as unladylike, Reid just tells her that's pure nonsense and she sees for herself how well many of the ladies in Reid's special circle fare in the water: Lara, Angela, Anna, Grace, Sara, Joanna, Mara, Tracy, Opal, even Cecily. Because Cecily and her family spent so many years next to the ocean and are so big about sailing, they saw the practicality in learning how to swim, too. "One way or another, it couldn't hurt," both Cecily's parents said.

While Reid has many other interests and passions, it's safe to say swimming tops the whole list. 

Mel's Inktober 12 - Malachi Swimming

Something a bit more uplifting. In my world, fauns are fabulous swimmers (as are centaurs and unicorns, although dwarves are prone to sinking like stones) and Malachi is as fabulous a swimmer as any.

There are a few ponds not far from his home, and he's got free access to the giant lake by the castle as well as the big indoor pool; he's permanently exempt from the little usage fee. Once in a blue moon, he's lucky enough to visit the ocean itself.

All his life, Malachi was never afraid of the water. He was always careful, of course, but his face spent more time below the surface than above it, and he can beat all the Lactantiuses at holding his breath.

It's because of him that Romulus, Tallis, Kyla, Reid, and Mason have all learned to swim so well. And yes, all of his children are skilled swimmers, too, as is his wife. When it came to training for the Royal Army, knowing how to swim was a must, so Jonathan, Sam, and Fritz all passed that part with flying colors. Even Caleb and Mara would do well in a race or could save someone from drowning.

Sometimes Joanna will get good and soaked alongside her husband, and sometimes he prefers a private dip.

For a while, he was resistant to the idea of a water mask. He claimed he didn't really need to see where he was going and that keeping his eyes closed kept him more relaxed and focused anyway, and Kyla used to agree with him. But when at last they donned a mask, they took everything they'd said back.

Either way, just like Reid, whenever Malachi goes into the water, he takes his sweet time to climb out and every centimeter of him will be sopping afterward.

Mel's Inktober 11 - Malachi and the High Priest

My main books are Christian fantasy, and my character Malachi is the first faun to become the High Priest of a Christian church. 

This is him in his younger years, at the lowest point he's ever been in his life. 

He's just lost his parents, his big acting career is over, and everything is simply in an awful mess. He only refrains from committing suicide because that would be the easy way out and he doesn't deserve it, and he doesn't want to hurt his remaining family members even more.

With nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to, he stumbles upon a Christian church and somehow manages to set hoof through the doors. At first, all he can do is cry it out, until a special someone comes to him.

The man's name is Joram, and he's the High Priest of the Church at that time and as deserving of the position as anyone else.

Most people avoid Malachi or ridicule him because he's a faun, but Joram knows what this faun really needs and is more than willing to give it to him. A few fauns have joined the Christian sect every so often, but they also keep to themselves most of the time.

For the time being, Joram tries to let this young stag know he's here for him and it's not too late to turn over a new leaf. It takes a long time for Malachi to get back on his hooves and even longer to forgive himself, but this marks the point where his life starts moving in the right direction. In hindsight, he's immensely grateful to Joram and can't think about the man without getting a little teary-eyed.

No, Malachi isn't Joram's immediate successor. He doesn't become High Priest himself for a few more decades. But when that day finally comes, he's truly honored and humbled to put the same mantle on his shoulders and don the same winged ornament below his throat. He also keeps a special photo of Joram in his office, often pauses at the man's painted portrait on the wall in that special hall, and tells his children all about his old friend.

Joram really had no way of knowing just how far his influence would spread.