Character deep dive: Jae
A look at the strong and snarky friend from the Five Fates series [contains spoilers]
Welcome to my character deep dives, where I take a detailed look at one of the main characters in my emotional epic fantasy series and what makes them tick. This week’s discussion is on the main character from the in-progress book four of the Five Fates series: Jaelyn “Jae” Aleissandra. [Please note: this article will contain spoilers for Fire’s Hand, Fate’s Heart, and Earth’s Blood, Fate’s Folly, books one and two of the Five Fates series.]
Archetype: the strong and snarky friend
In the Five Fates series, Jae is the strong and snarky friend. She’s tough, and she’s got a bit of an attitude, but she cares deeply about her friends. She’ll be the first one to jump in and defend those closest to her, but she will absolutely yell at them for getting themselves into trouble while she does it. She also has an “oldest daughter” vibe where she tends to take care of people but has trouble letting anyone else look after her.
We see this latter trait more in Earth’s Blood, Fate’s Folly, book two of the series, where Jae is worries over Lucien, even while she’s running herself ragged and overdoing it with her own powers. Spoiler alert, this only continues the further into the series we get.
Personality-wise, Jae is no-nonsense and a bit more boisterous. She’ll use sarcasm as a shield if she needs it, but otherwise she’s not afraid to tell you what she thinks. Although her words may sometimes seem harsh, doing things for others in different ways, both big and small, is how she shows she cares. From the outside, it may look like she prefers to keep people at arm’s length, but when you get a little closer, the degree to which she will focus on the well-being of her friends becomes more apparent.
Inspiration and similar characters
Jae was inspired by a very old character of mine from a short story I wrote in high school, as well as a “self-rescuing princess” concept I created a few years ago. Although the princess element was removed, the core personality trait of “I can take care of myself” formed the foundation for this iteration of Jae. From there, it was a matter of finding the flaws and the fears that take a character from two-dimensional to feeling real.
Although Jae’s inspirations were purely from my own earlier creations, there are several characters in popular media who certainly fit her overall vibe. These include Mulan from Disney’s Mulan, Mira from KPop Demon Hunters, Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice, and Eowyn from Lord of the Rings.
Aesthetic
Jae’s vibes land in the realm of “self-taught badass” with a drive to uplift the women in her life and protect the wayward boys she’s grown attached to despite herself.
Songs that fit the vibe
You know we need to have some songs with the right vibe, so here’s a few from this badass woman’s playlist.
How Jae got into this mess
[This section contains major spoilers for Fire’s Hand, Fate’s Heart and Earth’s Blood, Fate’s Folly, as well as a few hints at the upcoming book three: Air’s Breath, Fate’s Hope.]
No matter which book you look at in the series, Jae “got into this mess” because of her need to take care of others. Before the events of book one, she’s been traveling with Lucien for years. Once he starts having visions that are disturbing his sleep and causing him undue stress, Jae pushes him to follow the visions to Brookshire, bringing the two of them into the events of Fire’s Hand, Fate’s Heart.
In Earth’s Blood, Fate’s Folly, Lucien’s visions return even stronger and clearer than before, pulling him away from the rest of the group. Jae doesn’t even hesitate to go with him, stating multiple times that she needs to look after him. Although she says it in a teasing way, there is absolutely truth in her words. She can’t bear the thought of her friend getting into a dangerous situation without backup.
And in Air’s Breath, Fate’s Hope (coming soon), Jae volunteers to accompany Gregor, her childhood best friend, when his sense of duty (as well as his own power) pulls him on a separate journey.
Book four, in which Jae will be the main character, is still being written, but I think it’s safe to say that Jae will be forced to confront her need to care for others even to her own detriment. Maybe she’ll learn to let go a little or to look after herself for once. Or maybe she’ll even learn to let someone else take care of her instead.
Tell me what you think
Let me know what you think about Jae and other characters like her. She may seem a little snarky and cold early on, but she cares more deeply than she likes to let on. Do you like characters who take care of others while they yell at them for their poor decisions? Or do you prefer characters who are more typical in how they show they care?
If Jae sounds like a character you’d enjoy, check out the Five Fates series. Although Jae is the main character of book four, which is still in progress, she’s introduced in the second half of Fire’s Hand, Fate’s Heart and plays a large role in both Earth’s Blood, Fate’s Folly and Air’s Breath, Fate’s Hope. Books one and two of the main series, as well as the series prequel, are all available in Kindle Unlimited. Book three is in edits and will be released as soon as possible.