Character Appreciation Post: Nahadoth

Nahadoth by sorskc

Who is Nahadoth?

Nahadoth is the first born of the Three gods of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. He is chaos and darkness incarnate; a true weapon of mass destruction that would consume all if he could. But when we first meet him, he is only a fraction of himself, imprisoned within mortal flesh by day, bound to the whims of the ruling mortals.

“The Nightlord cannot be controlled, child. He can only be unleashed. And you asked him not to kill.”

But who is he?

"Face like the moon, pale and somehow wavering. I could get the gist of his features, but none of it stuck in my mind beyond an impression of astonishing beauty. His long, long hair wafted around him like black smoke, its tendrils curling and moving of their own volition."

Nahadoth oozes sexuality and seduction as much as he does darkness, violence and chaos. He inspires these kind of thoughts and reaction GIFs, but, while I appreciated the tastefully done erotic moments, I loved more the tenderness, the pain, the loss, the loneliness, the heartache.

“...and when I lift my head to scream out my fury, a million stars turn black and die. No one can see them, but they are my tears.”

The rage and violence had their place too, but it was the moments spent as a father to Sieh,  and the moments of peace that Yeine coaxed out of him that had that much more meaning for me. The image I hold in my head is of him comforting her through her tears or letting her fall asleep on his shoulders.

Character Appreciation Post: Phèdre no Delaunay de Montrève

As painted by Lee Moyer for the
2013 Literary Pin-up Calendar

Who is Phèdre no Delaunay de Montrève?

Born flawed by a scarlet mote in her left eye and given an ill-luck name, Phèdre was sold into indenture at Cereus House when her parents, traveling merchants, ran out of funds. Her flaw and her rebellious nature made others certain that she would amount to very little, until Anafiel Delaunay recognized her as an anguissette, one who derives pleasure from pain. It is said that the gods use their chosen hard - an understatement for Phèdre, chosen by Kushiel, the punisher.   Beginning in the book Kushiel's Dart, Phèdre's adventures would take her across the world, through wars, conspiracies, violence and love to become the most desired courtesan in all of Terre d'Ange and beyond.

But who is she?

As a child, Phèdre could never accept her apparent fate. She constantly ran away from Cereus House, intent on seeing what was beyond the walls of the Night Court and reveling in the danger. When the Dowayne of Cereus House discovered Phèdre cutting herself and taking pleasure in the pain, the Dowayne obeyed her instincts and summoned Anafiel Delaunay.

As a member of Delaunay's house, Phèdre truly came into her own. Delaunay allowed her every opportunity to learn and her inquisitive and brilliant mind gobbled it all up. As long as she did not defy him or common courtesy and protocol, Delaunay encouraged her willingness to speak her mind. She came to understand the power of knowledge, as this was all part of Delaunay's plans. Where best to learn the secrets of men and women but in the bedroom and, as an anguissette who chose to study Naamah's arts, Phèdre was highly desired.

Circumstances painfully removed Delaunay from her life and whisked her away to the northern wilds. Despite being raised in a lifestyle of indulgence in the Night Court, Phèdre is an incredibly adaptable woman and her will to survive ensured that she not only endured her exile in Skaldia, but ensured that her then protector, Joscelin Verreuil, survived too. For those she loves or considers to be under her protection, there is no end that Phèdre will not go for her friends. Whether she is forced by fate or it is of her own choosing, she is an unstoppable force when it comes to those she cares for. Being chosen by Kushiel could be considered a curse by many, but Phèdre embraces it and its responsibilities, no matter how cruelly fate leads her. If Phèdre makes a promise, it will be kept.

I consider Phèdre to be warrior woman - not one that wears armour or bears a weapon. Phèdre's armour and weapons are her mind and body. She earns loyalty and respect through her compassion and willingly submits when she deems it necessary. Through all things, Phèdre endures.

"That which yields is not always weak."

Character Appreciation Post: Modesty Blaise

Who is Modesty Blaise?

After writing he-man type stories and squishy romances, Peter O'Donnell decided to write about a strong, resourceful woman and so, in 1963, Modesty Blaise was born. She began her career in British comic strips with art by Jim Holdaway, moving into novels and radio dramas and finally, some films that I'll pretend never happened.

But who is she?

Before the age of about 12, she knew nothing, not even her name. An almost feral orphan wandering the Middle East, she crossed paths with a former professor, now a refugee, named Lob, who educated her and gave her the name "Modesty." She named herself "Blaise" after the wizard who tutored Merlin. Lob soon died and Modesty was once again forced to survive on her own. Armed with knowledge and her fierce will, she became involved with a gang in Tangier run by Henri Louche, working her way to the top until she herself was in charge. "The Network" worked in various vices, but Modesty strictly forbade dealings in drugs and human trafficking. When The Network reached its pinnacle, the young woman married and divorced a British man, thus allowing her to retire comfortably in Britain, a place she had carefully avoided in her illegal dealings. But the sophisticated life of the aristocracy proved a bit boring for Modesty. And Sir Gerald Tarrant, senior official of the Special Intelligence Section of the British Foreign Office specializing in international espionage, was not about to leave her alone.

Why do I love her?

Sexism in comics remains a major issue, though the collection of strong female characters is growing. Modesty Blaise has been there from the beginning, modestly doing her thing. For me, she is the epitome of a sexy, independent, strong, confident woman who doesn't need an anthem to proclaim any of that. Her personality is far more subtle. Modesty simply is who she is and has neither need nor desire to proclaim her strength and independence or prove anything to anyone. She is beautiful, and true to her name in spirit. She is deadly, brilliant, loyal, feminine, determined and her mere presence commands respect without her ever having to say a word. 

She is completely comfortable with her body and embraces her femininity and her sexuality, whether she is lounging post-coitus with a lover, posing nude for the blind sculptor examining the scars across her skin, or stepping topless into a room full of armed thugs, before taking them down with her Colt .32 and her kongo.

The Nailer

O'Donnell decided that Modesty should have a sidekick named Willie Garvin. Don't assume that this meant O'Donnell felt a woman required a man. When Modesty found Willie, he was a feral, broken man. She saw the potential in him and raised him up to surpass it. He not only serves as her right hand man, but as her best friend. He fights by her side, encourages her interests, dresses her wounds, they can talk about anything and when no one else is around, he is the shoulder she can cry on when the stress of a caper has taken its toll on her. And the most beautiful part? Their relationship is platonic perfection:

"It’s refreshing to see the portrayal of different kind of close relationship and one that doesn’t interfere with the overall story (or become the overall story). Instead we just have two people who are fiercely loyal to each other kicking bad-guy arse."

I have always admired Modesty Blaise. She is one of my idols; a woman who knows what she wants and doesn't let her fears and weaknesses stand in the way of obtaining it. She is not perfect, and doesn't try to be. But she manages to be so anyway ;)

As far as princesses go, she's the one and only.

Character Appreciation Post: Ororo "Storm" Munroe from Marvel Comics

"Storms, Wolverine, have a myriad of colorations. No less than people. So long as I remain true to myself... I see no reason to apologize for how I appear to others." - Storm, Uncanny X-Men #246

Who Is Ororo Munroe?

She is Ororo "Storm" Munroe, a mutant in the Marvelverse with the ability to manipulate the weather. She is most notably known as being the empathetic co-leader/leader of the X-Men and (ex?) queen of Wakanda. And while Ororo does carry herself with much poise and class, her background is varied and some of it troubled, leading to her cultivating the indomitable strength and will that she possesses instead of crumbling under the pressure.

Orphaned at a young age, she spent much of her early years fending for herself living as a child thief and then later she served as a "goddess" for a village. She learned  street skills that would later aid her even when she accepted Professor Xavier's invitation to join his X-Men. Throughout her years, she has been many things for many people from a surrogate mother to a most hated opponent. And while she has stumbled from time to time, Ororo has never lost a sense of who she is as a woman and as a hero.

A Song I Associate With Her

For The World by Tan Dun

Why I Love Her

And if you say, “Of course you like Storm. You’re a black woman,” I will find you and I will cut you. No bull.

True, as a woman of color, it is empowering to see other people of color—especially women—in comics with strong roles. And arguably, Storm is probably one of the strongest in that category. However, my love for her extends beyond the color of her skin and into who I perceive her to be as a character.

Now, I’m one of those Storm fans who sees her as a very intricate character rather than just the strong, regal, power all-mother that most people know her as. I’ve often even argued with other Storm fans who feel that some of my views of her don’t fit in with that “mold” of who she is because, as much as I love her for her perfections, I also love her for her flaws.

Yes, she is a powerful woman, and yes, I believe her moral compass is (almost) always true. However, she is still a person, and she’s always been her most interesting to me when she was facing situations that pushed her beyond her status as the goddess, that showed that she still made wrong decisions, that she did things that weren’t wise, that she felt things that maybe she shouldn’t.

One of the things that I often heard from other Storm fans in our arguments was that “she’d never do that.” They especially loved to use that line when anyone suggested that Storm might do something that was less-than-honorable, that might actually make her human.

But I’m a firm believer that you never know what a person would do if you put them in certain situations. Not saying that Storm would just completely lose herself, but Storm has always had a rebellious streak that sometimes made her enjoy and do things that she aren’t Storm-like.

And maybe I shouldn’t just chalk it up to rebellion. This could just be a different side of her that isn’t seen often.

Even though I complain about Storm: The Arena, I did like how they showed that she could revel in brutality if she wanted to, that she could find beauty in even the grotesque. Sure, maybe a lot of that was her frustrations and failures she’d gone through with her team at the time, but this isn’t her only instance.

Some might argue that was extreme (haha, no pun since it happened in X-Treme X-Men), but that wasn’t the first time she’s been out of sorts with her goddess persona—a persona that I sometimes feel is forced on her and leaves little room for her to be anything else.

She had her rebellious Mohawk phase (the scene of her snatching Kitty out of the window with a whirlwind after an argument is still the best thing ever to me). She’s entertained villainous men who’ve desired her (Dr. Doom and Khan just to name two), even when she knew nothing would come of it. She’s been a warrior, an avenging goddess, a thief, a queen, a monster, a sorceress, a temptress… The list could go on and on for me.

And all those things, all those incongruities, are why I love her character. Most people see a goddess. I see a complex character who is more than that. 

Besides, tell me she ain't fabulous!

Character Appreciation Post: Anna Korlov from Anna Dressed in Blood

“… there she is, my goddess of death, her hair snaking out in a great black cloud, her teeth grinding hard enough to make living gums bleed.”
 – Cas Lowood, Anna Dressed in Blood

Before I get started, I thought I'd post a brief introduction since this is the first time that I've done one of these for this site. From time to time, I'll write a post about characters from books and comics that I love. I try to touch on the reasons why they've made an impression with me as a character. I tend to listen to music while reading, and certain songs stick out for scenes and characters when I'm reading. So, I'll also include a song that makes me think of them. And yes, if you watch Game of Thrones, you'll probably recognize the song I used in this post as the trailer song. Anyhow, I may include other things in these posts, but I'll try to stay mostly consistent with my format. On with it, then, yes?

Who Is Anna Korlov?

She is one of the heroes, and the main catalyst, in Kendare Blake’s Anna duology, which consists of Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares. She's a ghost who lives in an old Victorian house. She haunts the house wearing a white dress stained red that drips blood, the same dress she was wearing when she was murdered in 1958. She has murdered every living person who has ever entered her home except Cas Lowood, a ghost hunter.

She is snared in the fingers of a curse for reasons she doesn't quite remember, and she houses a dichotomy of feelings. She is both love and fury, anger and sorrow. She carries a heavy burden of regret and sadness. She is a ghostly goddess of death and a scared teenaged girl. She is a power not matched by many, if any–living or dead. She doesn't know if she deserves forgiveness or release, but she is tired and wants true death. Despite it all, Anna is anything but your typical ghost.

A Song I Associate with Anna



Dig up her bones, but leave the soul alone
Let her find a way to a better place
Broken dreams and silent screams
Empty churches with soulless curses
Bones by MS MR

Why I Love Her

Admittedly, the main reason I wanted to read these books was because of the covers, and while I do love Cas and his misfit group of friends, Anna Korlov, a girl relegated to an unfortunate fate, is the real hero of the story for me.The thing that really stood out for in these books is that Blake kept Anna consistent in general character and in the ghostshipping (the romance) that's presented in the book.

In so many books, once a male counterpart enters the story, the female character becomes a bit useless, especially in young adult books. Let me stop here for a moment to clarify “useless” in the sense that I mean. Anna has fears. She has desires, wants, and needs. She has feelings that run deep. She is not a shell of a person… er… ghost. I’m not saying that she shouldn’t be allowed these things and feelings. Quite the contrary.

A strong character for me doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be allowed their weaknesses or that they shouldn’t need someone to save them from time to time. I don’t mean that, sometimes, they don’t break when things overwhelm them. However, when a character loses complete sense of self and suddenly becomes nothing more than “that chick that needs saving by her oh-so-strong man all the time,” I get pissed. Vulnerability as well as strength should be shown. There needs to be a balance, and I think Blake did an excellent job with that. She also seemed to do a great job of having Anna and Cas complement each other.

In the story, Anna did not suddenly become a weepy girl ghost who needed Cas to protect her after he helps her reconcile her duality, which makes her a near unstoppable force. Anna already outpaces the average ghost with her strength and awareness (most vengeful ghosts in the story don’t realize they’re dead and are unaware that the world has changed at all). She becomes Cas’ protector in some ways. She doesn't run in always saving him. She allows Cas to be the person that he is, and she doesn't underestimate his abilities or formidability.

Cas gives her the same respect. But they both are there for the other to lend strength when needed. And there have been scenarios when they have both needed the other in extreme cases. Anna doesn’t ignore her feelings for Cas, but she tries not to mourn what she can’t have with Cas. It pains her and she quietly shows it, but she she is more willing than Cas to accept that a relationship between them is impossible. I really liked the dynamics between Cas and Anna, and I appreciate the love story didn't eclipse the rest of the story.

Anna doesn't excuse herself from what she's done. She understands that she's taken lives and she's disgusted and saddened by it. Her living companions--Cas, Thomas, and Carmel--are much more sympathetic to her and her plight than Anna is to herself even though they've seen what her fury can do firsthand. She doesn't know if she's deserving of the kindness that she's given. She doesn't know if her final rest should be peaceful because of the horror she's perpetrated over the years.

Anna is presented as a realist, and she's pragmatic about her situation and the situations surrounding her. She won't lie to herself or to any of the others just to dull an ache. She's not some over-romanticized wisp of a ghost who spends time sighing about life and the living. She seemed more practical about what was going on than her living companions. And this doesn't seem like something she only gained in death. In the brief glimpses of her life we are given, Anna was respectful and kind, but she would not be cowed.

She shows impossible courage along with the rest of the gang. Despite her fears, she stands her ground, even in one of her weakest moments, and she makes a sacrifice far greater because she knows she's the only one who can despite the fact that she may be sending herself to some unknown fate. Anna has earned her place on my list of favorite fictional characters.