Character deep dive: Drystan
A look at a reader favorite who exemplifies the journey of self discovery
Self discovery is often a theme in fiction, with characters journeying to discover who they are inside. This journey is typically intertwined with the main plot (sometimes, it is the main plot), and we don’t often get to see the characters in the ‘final’ state for very long. However, I’ve got one example where we start out in this state of actualization, and then get to move back to see the journey they took to get there. Welcome to my character deep dive of Drystan Serah.
Starting at the end
Drystan is a unique character in the Five Fates series because in Fire’s Hand, Fate’s Heart, we see him in this ‘final’ state of self-actualization. He’s had his journey, and he’s become a version of himself that he’s happy with and proud of. He’s the cinnamon roll best friend. The heart of the group. And to some extent, Verity’s moral compass (not in a true morality sense, but certainly when it comes to dealing with others).
That said, we’re still afforded the opportunity to see Drystan’s journey of self-discovery in the series prequel, Broken Things.
Archetype: the bruiser with a soft center
In FHFH, Drystan is something of the gentle giant archetype, but in Broken Things he’s better described as a bruiser with a soft center. He was always a tender-hearted golden retriever, but back then, his job was to hurt people. And more than that, people who he looked up to told him that was all he was good for. So he believed them, and he quite literally hated himself for it.
Drystan is a cinnamon roll who wears his heart on his sleeve, but he’s only ever been trained to be a weapon. Broken Things is his journey of finding his way back from that, the story of how he grows into the man he is when we meet him in FHFH. His heart always wanted to be gentle, but he needed to teach himself how.
Inspiration and similar characters
Unlike many of the characters in the Five Fates series, Drystan wasn’t inspired by anything specific. Broken Things naturally developed out of my own curiosity of how Drystan became the emotionally regulated bestie in FHFH, while still knowing how to do things like con people and craft forgeries. Once I gave myself permission to ask those questions and explore his past, everything clicked.
Even Drystan’s ‘final form’ in FHFH was accidental. I intended for him to be an even bigger stick-in-the-mud than Verity, but honestly, he just wasn’t having it. Every attempt at making him kind of a righteous jerk changed somewhere in the middle of the dialogue, morphing into something more caring, kind, and genuinely compassionate. Since Drystan was resisting my ideas for his character, I let him take the lead.
Aesthetic
Drystan’s aesthetic in Broken Things can best be described as residing somewhere in the intersection of “hopeless romantic” and “pacifist stuck in a brawler’s body.” He’s giving his heart away constantly, he’s punching people to within an inch of their life, and he’s definitely having an existential crisis about all of it.
Songs that fit the vibe
Here are a few songs that fit Drystan’s vibe very well.
How Drystan got into this mess
In my emotional fantasy adventure novel Broken Things, Drystan longs to be a part of his father’s family business. Larger and more imposing than any of his brothers, Drystan is trained by his father for only one purpose: hurting people. Drystan is anything but satisfied with his role—in fact, he’s nauseated by it—so when he finally gets the chance to run a long con instead of being the bruiser, Drystan jumps at the chance. If only he didn’t fall in love with his mark.
Tell me what you think
Let me know what you think of Drystan. Do you like the bruiser with a soft center archetype, or do you prefer characters that are fighters by choice?
If Drystan sounds like a character you’d enjoy, or if all this talk of soft-hearted cinnamon rolls and emotional fantasy adventure has you all like 👀, check out the Five Fates series. Although you could probably read Broken Things as a standalone, I typically recommend reading Fire’s Hand, Fate’s Heart first. Both books, along with Earth’s Blood, Fate’s Folly (Five Fates book two) are available in Kindle Unlimited.