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[freedom]

@esther-c @mineralizedwritings @godlyfantasy12 @euodia-vision @smiley @koshka @elishavet-pidyon @rae @savannah_grace2009 @grcr @whalekeeper @acancello @keilah-h @anyone-else-lol

Soooo I’ve been really thinking lately…and I’m really curious to kinda see everyone’s opinions on which MC in Freedom’s Fire is their fav.

So (and I’m pretty sure I know some of y’all’s opinions XD) if y’all had to choose between them…

Do you prefer

Leon

OR

Riker

 

I’m just really wanting to see everyone’s opinions, and if y’all could, I’d like to see WHY that MC is your fav.

Y’all are the best <3

#BeardedSteveRogersIsSuperior

[freedom]

@loopylin @highscribeofaetherium @lightoverdarkness6 Forgot to tag y’all🫠

⬆️⬆️⬆️

#BeardedSteveRogersIsSuperior

[MineralizedWritings]

@freed_and_redeemed

Oh, interesting question…

Well my kneejerk reaction is Riker because I feel so bad for him but honestly it’s got to be Leon.

Here’s a couple reasons why:

Leon feels realistic. He’s lost his spouse, been in the concentration camp, and now has to start over. It makes sense he might become a alcoholic.

Leon’s character arc covers a lot of ground. He has a lot of things happen to him in life, and he has a lot of normal emotions because of it. From missing his wife, to loving his children, and hating Riker and God, he feels a lot of things over the course of the book. I can only relate to a character well if I know where there passions lie (Hence why I can’t fully connect with Luke Skywalker lol, he doesn’t really care about much)

Leon’s anger is pretty justified. Not that he should have his back turned on God, but after having been through what he has been through… a lot of people would react that way.

Y’know the thing is that there’s a lot of your characters that I like, like Riker, because I feel so bad for them! But Leon is the one I relate to. he seems the most real to me. 🙂

"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."

[-GRCR-]

@freed_and_redeemed

*thinks for a short minute*

Riker is interesting, but I definitely like Leon more. Aaannnddd…. my reasons are basically the same as Min’s. 😊

Flaz: *yawns* Did the sun just come up? In the west?

[freedom]

@mineralizedwritings

Thank you for the very beautiful response!! <3 That’s exactly the kind of thing I was looking for😂

I really love how Leon has grown, bc when I originally started writing his story he felt so fake and I struggled writing him so much because I couldn’t relate to everything he went through, but as I’ve grown I’ve realized that all of us can at least relate to him a little…I mean, we’ve all questioned God at some point and we’ve all dealt with loss in some way or another (even if it’s not at his level!)…so that really helped me make him real and made it so much easier for me to write him.

 

and it makes me so happy to know that readers can/will be able to relate to my characters💕

#BeardedSteveRogersIsSuperior

[whaley]

@freed_and_redeemed

I honestly don’t think I can answer that, lol.

For me, the two have very similarly structured POVs and voices – which is totally a stylistic thing since they are supposed to parallel each other. But that makes it harder for me to choose XD

The main difference is their internal struggles. I also can’t say I enjoy one conflict over the other, because they are very universal and closely entwined. It’s choosing an arc of self-forgiveness vs. forgiving others – and I think I relate more to the latter, but even then, having a low self-esteem feeds into the former.

So I don’t like either voice better than the other, but… okay, I’m going to say Leon because I think we need more POVs from the forgiver.

“Everything is a mountain”

[freedom]

@grcr Ty for the response!! I’m so glad y’all can relate to Leon <3

#BeardedSteveRogersIsSuperior

[freedom]

@whalekeeper I appreciate your honesty😂 Yess, I’ve begun to see how the two of them parallel each other as I’ve started writing (and it wasn’t originally on purpose, fyi😆) so I see what you mean.

Thx for the response tho!! <3

#BeardedSteveRogersIsSuperior

[Koshka]

@freed_and_redeemed

Ooof. It’s so hard to pick a favorite character. XD Especially when I haven’t actually read the book book yet.

As you know, I do like Leon. He was my first favorite, when I first met them. He also reminds me of other characters I have long adored (Natan Israeli, Judah Ben-Hur). At times I don’t enjoy his arc very much, because he’s hurting himself and others, but I’m also an author, so I understand (and might do the same to my characters).

Riker is…Riker. He has a love for kids and a desire to do right that resonates, even if that desire doesn’t always come from the right place. He is, at times, the more Christlike of the two, which makes me want to shake Leon on occasion XD. He is such a flawed and broken character, dealing with pressures that shouldn’t be, and yet tries so hard to do right. For that I will always appreciate him.

I did prefer Leon at first, but now they’re pretty much equal. I don’t personally relate to Riker’s abuse, or Leon’s anger against God, but I do understand them. and they both break my heart, thank you very much.

First Grand Historian of Arreth and the Lesser Realms (aka Kitty)
Fork the Gork

[freedom]

@koshka

Tysm for the response!! <3

I also love the honesty and I honestly love to see how you love them both for different reasons💖 and yesss, Riker loves kids so much, which is adorable🥰

 

He is, at times, the more Christlike of the two, which makes me want to shake Leon on occasion XD

😂That got me XD

 

I apologize…aren’t breaking hearts what all writers are best at??? 💕😭😆

#BeardedSteveRogersIsSuperior

[whaley]

@freed_and_redeemed

Yeah, ofc, to everything you said 😂

I don’t personally relate to Riker’s abuse, or Leon’s anger against God, but I do understand them.

I second Koshka’s point! That’s how I would summarize my opinion.

“Everything is a mountain”

[freedom]

@whalekeeper I love how y’all may not completely relate to them, but you understand them.

 

Wow, this is giving me such a confidence boost😎

XD

#BeardedSteveRogersIsSuperior

[Koshka]

@freed_and_redeemed

I apologize…aren’t breaking hearts what all writers are best at??? 💕😭😆

What?!! Of course not!!!!!! *Smirk*

Wow, this is giving me such a confidence boost😎

Glad we could help XD

First Grand Historian of Arreth and the Lesser Realms (aka Kitty)
Fork the Gork

[freedom]

@koshka

Glad we could help XD

Yesss, thank y’all for all of the help 💕😂

 

 

now to just figure out what to do next in my WIP🫠😆

I’m on Chapter 10 rn; I’m planning on Chapter 12 being where everything really starts to come to the climax, being that Chapter 12 will mark exactly one year (in the book timeline) since Aadelheide’s death and will thus begin Leon’s total plunge into hatred/alcoholism and Riker’s plunge into…well, Riker’s already struggling 😅 Basically, Chapter 12 will mark when they both enter into the darkest points of their lives.

But I’m trying to figure out what to do with the two chapters beforehand. I currently have Riker talking with Ezekiel but other than that I’m going blank, ooof

 

sorry for the rant😅

#BeardedSteveRogersIsSuperior

[freedom]

@koshka @elishavet-pidyon @smiley @godlyfantasy12 @loopylin @whalekeeper @keilah-h @lightoverdarkness6 @mineralizedwritings @anyone-else-heh-I-can-think-XD

I have this possible scene for Leon/Riker’s 3rd novel!!!

There’s probably more to this scene, but I haven’t written the rest of it yet and wanted to share what I have so far✨

I love them so much y’all😂

 

East Germany, 1952

“Our church numbers are dwindling; people are afraid to even come to church. And those who haven’t been to church before are either afraid or antagonistic to the teachings of Christ. You have no idea how much of a blessing it is that both of you are here.”

Leon smiled faintly at Nikolai. “We learned that people needed God here, so we came.”

“It’s a grave danger,” the young pastor’s dark eyebrows furrowed together, “and both of you could be arrested if the authorities learn that you are both here illegally and to help grow a church that refuses to buckle to communism. You two smuggled Bibles here!”

Riker looked up from where he arranged such Bibles, separating each Bible by language. He rose a playful eyebrow. “Wouldn’t be the first time I did something “illegal” under not so good leaders.”

With everything that had been done for them—everything God had sacrificed—the least Leon felt they could do was help people that needed the truth that saved both Leon and Riker’s lives. “It’s the least we can do.”

Nikolai faced Leon with a small, sad smile. “You could both be arrested. And, well, the Soviets are still furious about the war even though it ended so many years ago…if they found out Riker’s past…”

The rest of his words were left hanging, unsaid. But they were understood by all three men. Leon lowered his voice to a quiet whisper. “It wouldn’t be pretty.”

Nikolai nodded, drumming his fingers on his oak desk. “Shot at best, a Gulag at the worst. It wouldn’t matter that Riker is an American citizen, not to them. Just knowing that he was in the Schutzstaffel would be enough for them to justify sending him to a Gulag.”

Leon glanced at his friend; his brown eyes met Riker’s dark blue. Leon stood and strode over to where Riker stood, offering his help sorting Bibles.

Nikolai released a deep breath and stood. “I will be right back, gentlemen. I have something I must take care of.”

The door closed behind Nikolai, and Leon faced Riker. “Maybe we should get you out of here.”

Riker faced him and raised an eyebrow; he set one of the Bibles down with a quiet thud. “No. Why would we-?”

“If they found out about what you’ve—”

“If anyone needs to leave, it’s you, Leon. You’re the only one your kids have left other than Louisa, and we both know she’s aging.”

“I’m not the one they would kill in a heartbeat.”

“They could.”

“You have a family-“

“And you have kids that have no one to depend on but you,” Riker set a hand on the table, slightly leaning against it; his blue eyes filled with determination and concern, “so it’s either you leave, or we both stay.”

Leon crossed his arms and stared at him for a long moment; he finally let out a sigh. “Isaiah’s right…we do argue like brothers.”

One small corner of Riker’s mouth turned up in a smile; he chuckled and turned back to sorting the Bibles. Leon picked up one of the German Bibles, gently running his hand over the leather cover. “…Did you ever think either of us would be here now?”

“No,” Riker admitted, “I thought you were going to kill me.”

“I wanted to, for a long time.” Leon whispered; he set the Bible he held with the other Bibles translated into German. “Same as I didn’t want anything to do with God for over a year.”

“And I thought God wanted nothing to do with me.”

Leon smiled. “Turns out we were both wrong.”

“Thank God.” Riker whispered.

 

 

 

and I think I’ve got something planned for Nikolai…heh…heh…heh🫢😏

#BeardedSteveRogersIsSuperior

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