Tag: wood sprites

Reader Message

Neon BrightLeave a comment

enby-phoenix asked: Have Bowman and Jacob introduced each other to very many foods? What are the weirdest things they’ve convinced each other to eat? (besides pine sap, we know that one.) What is each’s favorite food from the other’s culture?

( Pine Sap Incident )

Sure! They’ve traded all kinds of things. Jacob tries to bring a different (vegetarian) food to the forest every time he visits to see what Bowman and the other sprites think of it. Usually fruits or vegetables that they can’t find in Wellwood, but occasionally he brings candy or pastries.

I think Bowman would be most intrigued by cereal, out of all these things, especially the more colorful stuff. Can you imagine him with a fruit loop?

Jacob has tried whatever sprite foods they’ve offered him, and has had better luck since his pine sap mishap. They have some of their own baked delicacies, including sticky buns wrapped in mint leaves, fruit tarts, and a little thing that’s like a cannoli but with little roots and honey instead of cheese filling.

Jacob likes the mintcakes. They’re very striking and the easiest for him to actually get all the flavors.

Ask Game Part 3

Neon BrightLeave a comment

Ooof. I kind of let this blog go silent for a bit. Here’s another batch from the ask game, and if you have questions of your own, feel free to send them in!

Anonymous asked: Hey! Hey! From one ace aro to another, Jacob, big teddy bear, I love you and wish you the best. May I request a hug?

“Hell yeah, dude. C’mere!”

enby-phoenix asked: Eral, what would you do if you turned human for a day?

“Probably kick Elias’ ass first of all, because the gods know he’s earned it. Then I’d probably go to a pub and order something for myself without the barkeep giving me weird looks about it. That’d be nice.”

enby-phoenix asked: Bowman, please tell us about a time Jacob did something deserving of bops!

“It’s easier to list the times he didn’t earn a bop some days! There was that time the nestlings played hide and seek and he let one fall asleep in his pocket, and I somehow took the blame! Then once he brought this stuff called ‘peanut butter’ and the sprites that tried it couldn’t even speak for a few minutes! Oh, and there was the time …”

(He really can go on forever like this)

enby-phoenix asked: Jacob, would you give me a piggyback ride?

“Sure, why not? Try not to fall off though, I dunno if I could catch ya in time!”

enby-phoenix asked: Bowman! What’s the WEIRDEST human thing Jacob’s shown you / told you about?

“Humans do so many weird things. I really don’t know if I could actually figure out the weirdest one. I don’t get why they have paper money when the little metal ones are so much easier … for that matter, why do they even do money?”

nightmarejasmine asked: Hey Jacob, how does it feel to be a super giant

“Ha. Pretty good, I guess? The sprites are warming up to me a bit more by the day, so I feel pretty accomplished.”

Anonymous Message

Neon BrightLeave a comment

Anonymous Asked: How would things have gone if Lord Scar or Lord Cerul had been the first sprite to meet/encounter Jacob?

What an interesting thing to think about!

If it was Scar meeting Jacob first, he’d have several of his knights waiting out of sight in the trees. At the first signal from him, they’d be ready to swarm a mischievous giant with their little swords. He would learn very quickly not to grab at sprites! And he’d probably be scolded quite soundly into listening. Scar takes no nonsense.

Cerul might still get grabbed, if we’re honest. Jacob can be grabby at first. However, instead of snarking up a storm at him, Cerul would end up taking a much calmer, more diplomatic approach. He would be able to tell that Jacob means no harm with his actions, giant or not. He would explain a bit about why that’s not a good way to make a first impression, how dangerous it can be if he makes a move too hastily, and request that he not do that again. Jacob is respectful enough that he’d probably listen.

Contact me with your questions here!

Ask Game part 2

Neon BrightLeave a comment

The ask game continues! Here’s the next batch from over on tumblr.

Anonymous asked: jacob, have you ever had a negative interaction with any of the sprites that still haven’t warmed up to you? how did it go if you have?

“Nothing like a huge panic … but I have definitely startled some of ‘em once or twice. One sprite came whipping around a tree at one point and screamed when he saw me. I think the poor dude was pretty embarrassed about it, but it’s not like I’m gonna tell all the other sprites what happened. I’m a giant to them, I get why they’d be scared.”

Anonymous asked: For our big teddy bear Jacob: why is your necklace so special to you? Where’d you get it?

“Ah, this is … when I was a little kid, like five or something, my dad went home to Greece for a bit. I guess since I was upset I couldn’t go, he promised to bring something back for me. He probably bought it from some local artist that makes stuff like this for tourists and stuff, but I got super attached to it. Especially after he got sick. It keeps him close.”

Indigomasquerade97 asked: Okay, Jacob. We all know you have been exposing your exasperated winged friend to the chaos that is humanity. Have you ever exposed him to any video games? And if so, what are his (and your) favorite games to play?

“Ha, well, one of the first times I ever hung out with Bowman, he actually saw me fiddling around with my buddy’s DS. Bowman thought it was some kind of animal at first until I showed him how it worked.

“It took me a while to get him to actually try the thing himself, but I did borrow the game to bring it back just to see. I think he likes puzzle games better, since they don’t require timing and Bowman gets frustrated when he can’t reach the right buttons fast enough. He seems to have fun with the touch screen though. His wings get all twitchy.”

Anonymous asked: Hey hey, Bowman, we all know Jacob’s a really calm and gentle guy, but what do you and the other wood sprites think of him eating meat, and maybe hunting animals while in the woods with you and about humans being omnivores in general?

“Well. Just because I don’t eat meat, doesn’t mean something else can’t. There’s a lot of things in the forest that are way less … I dunno, respectful about it than Jacob is, I guess. He goes away from the village when he’s going to eat anything. I’m just glad humans don’t eat sprites.”

Anonymous asked: My best friend wanted to ask you, Bowman: have you ever had ice cream?

“Ice scream? I’ve yelled when my friends throw snow on my wings. That’s the worst feeling! But I always get them back for it.”

Anonymous asked: hey bowman, has jacob told you about human myths/fairy tales/etc?

“Yes. I can’t believe how close and yet far away you humans are from the truth. At least maybe it helps keep you out of sprite business!”

Anonymous asked: Buddy boy Bowman, how much do you know about Jacob’s family? Would you ever want to meet them?

“I know his mother is really nice, and his father died. It would have been interesting to meet his dad, since apparently Jacob tries all the time to be just like him. I’d have to give him some feedback. Or maybe I’d have to bop them both, depending.

“I might meet his mother and her new mate someday? But I’m not rushing into even more giants knowing about me or anything.”

Anonymous asked: Lord Cerul, hi! In the BoW book, when Bowman first reports of giants who he believed were carnivores, and the elder who was present told legends of humans eating and caging sprites, you were the first who was willing to give us a chance and thought we might be reasonable despite this. Why is that, sir?

“Ah. I suppose I have a few reasons. Wellwood has stood for a long time, and I’ve no doubt that the sprites have changed since it was first established. Why should the giants have stayed exactly the same? Also, as someone who’s read quite a bit of the Archives myself, I know that they are often written in the emotion of the moment, which could color the claims made against any giants. Sadly, it really only takes one bad human to cause us insurmountable trouble.

“Lastly, it was clear to me that Bowman had his own doubts about the legends, and he would be curious himself. I merely gave him some small protection from the backlash should he act on his curiosity.”

Ask Game

Neon BrightLeave a comment

Over on my tumblr, I did a small ask game in which people could send in questions directly to my characters and I would answer in the character’s voice. I decided to compile what I have so far into one post over here.

@therealbrigeedarocks Asked: Hey Oscar, we know you’re pretty good at sewing but are there any other hobbies you’d like to try?

“W-well, I really like it when people watch the, um, there’s cooking shows on TV sometimes, and someday, if I could, I would wanna try to cook something all by myself. Not, um, not the ones that … some of ‘em are kinda stressful ‘cause they’re trying to win a prize, and they’re not as fun to watch…”

Anonymous asked: For Bowman: do sprites know what airplanes are? Have they seen them fly over the forest?

“We never knew what the big white birds were until Jacob told me one time. We just knew sometimes they were loud and could pull the clouds around, and that is just ridiculous and it makes way more sense that it’s humans’ fault.

Jacob also told me the fairy lights that fly so high up in the middle of the night are ‘air planes’, too, but I don’t think that’s right.”

Anonymous asked: For my BOY Jacob: do you ever just lie to bowman about random stuff about human society just because you know he can’t prove you wrong. Like “hey, you know humans have cloud factories that make and produce clouds all the time, right?” And just watch as Bowman tries to rationalize what you said.

“Oh man, all I can think of is him finding out. I’m not great at lying but like, Bowman asks a lot of questions about everything and sometimes I don’t actually know the answer. So I’ve made some stuff up sometimes. Honestly I have no idea what he will be skeptical about and what he’ll just accept, y’know? Like he knows what airplanes are now but doesn’t believe me that the lights moving in the sky at night are also airplanes.”

Anonymous asked: For the ask game! Question for Bowman and Rischa: have you ever heard Jacob casually say something fatalistic, like “kill me now” or “this makes me wanna jump off a cliff”? Because this is so casual with humans, and if one of my friends says something like this, my typical answer is “same”.

Rischa: “Wh-what? That sounds awful! Why would someone say something like that?”

Bowman: “Don’t worry, Birdie, it’s like sarcasm. I think. Some kinda human thing. Pretty sure I’ve heard him say something like ‘I guess I’ll die’. But usually he saves his jokes to try to tease me and he thinks he’s so funny when he does.”

Anonymous asked: Yo, Lord Scar Sir, have you ever had to scold Jacob for just teenage shenanigans? What’s that like?

“Ha. That giant is better behaved than some of the sprites around here, if I’m honest. I don’t have to say much if he’s wandering too close to somewhere he shouldn’t.

Some in the village are wondering if he’ll lend some of that mildness to the Leafwing boy, but I’m not holding my breath.”

Anonymous asked: Hey, Bowman, since there are Wellwood sprites who are still a bit distrustful of your giant, have you ever got into an argument/fight with someone because they called Jacob a monster or something?

“Most of us aren’t fighters in Wellwood, but some of the parents with nestlings that always want to see Jacob … they’ve scolded me a lot. As if I’m somehow the reason their nestlings are so curious about the giant that visits the village sometimes. Usually I have to fly out of the village to get away from them when they’re on that nonsense. I can’t control a whole giant any more than I can control some people being afraid of him.”

Anonymous Message

Neon BrightLeave a comment

Anon asked: Are there still a few sprites in wellwood unwilling to trust Jacob or just generally kinda freaked out by him still?

There definitely are! He’s a giant, even among humans, and to the wood sprites that’s an intimidating prospect. Though most of them trust that he is a protector for the village, it can be hard to get past that size. To them, four inches tall is pretty big. Jacob is seventy seven inches tall.

He tries his best to be respectful and give the home trees some distance when he visits. The sprites that don’t come out of their homes to see what he’s up to are the ones he knows haven’t completely warmed up to him yet.

Did you Know?

Neon BrightLeave a comment

In Bowman of Wellwood, Jacob Andris was originally going to be a side character. Instead of the chill giant becoming Bowman Leafwing’s best friend among all humans, that honor was going to fall to Bobby Loran.

That’s right, Bobby, who readers may know is not a gentle or calm person at all, was going to be the human that helped Bowman learn how to accept people so vastly different from himself. Then, as the story progressed and I played with different approaches, the truth became clear. Bobby and Bowman will never get along, while Jacob is the perfect personality to ground out the sprite’s wild, sassy nature.

1 Year Publish-versary!

Neon BrightLeave a comment

On July 9, 2018, I published my debut novel and officially got myself out there in the self-publishing world.

Bowman Leafwing is always flying himself right into trouble. In an idyllic forest haven, a young wood sprite must make his own adventures, and Bowman does so by sneaking out at night to fly in the dark. After a race with his friends is interrupted by an owl, Bowman makes a discovery that the village of Wellwood hasn’t seen in generations.

Find the print book and eBook versions on Lulu!

Reader Prompt

Neon BrightLeave a comment

Anonymous asked: Bowman’s reaction to finding out Jacob is younger than him?

This is a cute prompt! In Bowman of Wellwood, Bowman has his suspicions about Jacob being a bit younger, but he never did find out for sure in all the excitement! They’re bound to stumble upon the fact eventually, and Bowman is bound to have Opinions about this.

“When’s your birthday, Bowman?”

The question came out of nowhere, but upon realizing he didn’t know, Jacob had to find out. So far, he’d always gotten interesting answers out of Bowman for his curious questions. Even if they weren’t all that informative about how the wood sprites of Wellwood lived, they were fun to hear.

“My what? Birth-day?” Bowman echoed. He stopped swooping about to land on a low branch ahead of where Jacob walked. Even a few feet away, Jacob spotted that dubious, curious frown. “It was nineteen years ago, Jacob. Is that how humans ask how old someone is?”

Jacob grinned. The thrill of getting an actual answer to his questions was second only to the many opportunities to see what “human things” still vexed the tiny sprite. “Not exactly,” he replied, coming to a stop just under Bowman’s chosen branch. “We keep track of all the days in a year, so every year we know exactly which day is the same as the day we were born.”

Bowman’s wings fanned open partway. He took a seat on the branch and leaned over to peer down at Jacob. His curiosity couldn’t hide. “So you know the exact day you were born every time the seasons cycle around?”

Jacob shrugged. “It’s not the reason we number the days, I don’t think. But it’s fun to know, I guess. Mine is August 27. That’s in the summer. So later this summer, it’ll be exactly 18 years since I was born, isn’t that cool?”

Bowman fidgeted, and Jacob guessed he was resisting every urge to correct him. Summers weren’t cool in Wellwood, after all.

Instead, Bowman crossed his arms. “I passed nineteen years in winter,” he mused, then narrowed his little eyes. “So I am older than you! I knew it!”

“By a year and a half, sounds like,” Jacob confirmed. Bemusement lined his expression. “So? It’s not that far off!”

Bowman stood again so he could flutter irritably off his branch. “No, but it means you might still get taller, and it also means you never once respected your elder when we met!”

“Whaaat?” Jacob drawled. “Bowman, I am so respectful. At least now. I learned quick!”

“Not quick enough!” Bowman snipped back. A rush of wind accompanied a flutter next to Jacob’s face, and he had to fight not to flinch as the sprite landed on his shoulder. Bowman’s voice was crystal clear when he continued his fake retort. “I had to work to teach you to act right!”

“Got me good and trained,” Jacob confirmed. “Where to next, boss?”

A wing slapped at his neck. “Nowhere, giant. What other silly human things have you got for me today?”

Made Up Title Game

Neon BrightLeave a comment

Phoenix said: Made-Up title: Beans and Sprouts

This is so cute and it immediately makes me think of the name for baby wood sprites, so of course the story would involve them somehow.

The story would start with Jacob making another visit to the Wellwood forest. He’d bring with him a book he found at the library while he was browsing around: Mary Norton’s The Borrowers, in which the tiny folk call people like him Beans. If nothing else, he’d be thinking it’s an amusing thing to show Bowman and the other sprites his age, who never run out of fascination for the things he brings to the woods.

Before getting close to the village, though, Jacob would hear a tiny little voice. Two tiny nestlings, wandering too far past the stream, got lost with the village out of sight and with no patrolsprites nearby to notice.

Not every sprite in Wellwood is 100% on board with Jacob and how enormous he is, and he’s extra big to these poor lost nestlings. They can’t even fly up to bop him like that Bowman Leafwing does all the time. Jacob wouldn’t want to frighten them even more, but there’s no way he’s going to leave them on their own, even to go and find someone to come carry them; the village isn’t far for him, but it’s enough of a trip that something could befall them before he got back.

Luckily, he has a whole book with him, with fascinating stories of tiny people a lot like the sprites that live near the giant human beans. With no idea what else to do and them huddling away from his hands, Jacob would read to the poor sprouts until someone on patrol heard him and came to investigate to get the kiddos home.