Our Multiversal contest season is a very special collaboration between Havok, a few of our favorite veteran published authors, and our fabulous flash fiction author community.
Veteran authors created profiles of completely brand new original characters and graciously gave permission for writers to use them in stories they submitted to the Season 12 contest.
Featured Author Character Profiles
Each profile is copyright © 2024 or 2025 by its creator. See the Character Copyright Terms for details.
Joe Enza by Kerry Nietz
~ Character prompt for January 2025 stories || Visit nietz.com ~
Physical description: Middle-aged; about 5’9” tall; a little paunchy, but by no means overweight. Dark hair that is long around the sides, but bald on top. (Think the comedian Gallagher.) Typically smiles from the side of his mouth.
Personality type / traits / archetype: Neutral good. Excellent problem solver and workaholic. Gets in, gets the job done, and gets out. Honorable, structured, non-aggressive, inquisitive, and driven, but also unintrusive and sly.
Core values: Solve the problem, fix the thing, get it done. Here’s your bill. Extra charge for stupid people. Has a surprisingly positive attitude despite countless personal setbacks.
Greatest weakness: Self-image and random ailments. (Once got poison ivy in his lungs.)
Deepest desire / motivation: To be seen and appreciated. Also, could use a competent assistant. He’s plagued by slackers, bumblers, and malcontents. Interesting aside: nearly half of his problems are caused by mice or birds.
Worst habit: Tends to add “and stuff” to the end of sentences. Can go long on storytelling, if prompted. His tales, while interesting , can stretch on for hours.
Backstory: You choose!
Kytt Windthorn by Nadine Brandes
~ Character prompt for February 2025 stories || Visit nadinebrandes.com ~
Physical description: Young adult with wavy brown hair past her shoulders. Wears simple round glasses that seem too big for her face, but accentuate the fact her eyes are, subtly, two different colors (one blue and one green.) She tends to smile with lips closed because she’s self-conscious about the gap in her front teeth.
Personality type / traits / archetype: Thief with a good heart. She likes to get what she wants and talks herself into thinking it’s a need. She also steals for the sake of others—think medicine for the sick, money for the poor, food for the hungry…. She likes to think of herself as a female Robin Hood, but her own thievery for personal gain (usually books, weapons, and sturdy clothing that travels well) makes her half-villain even to the good guys. But it’s okay because she doesn’t kill. She has morals, thank you very much, and she’s not a murderer. She just likes nice things and nice people, okay?
Core values: Honor. She may be a thief, but she has honor in how she does it. And she respects others, especially if they have manners.
Greatest weakness: To earn approval. From the people, from family, from whomever is in her circles. Usually once people get to know her, they tend to back off. No matter how much she tries to please people they don’t stick around. What is she doing wrong? Why can’t they see that she’s doing her best?
Deepest desire / motivation: People-pleasing. Some people refuse to see the good in her and she often goes to great—and dangerous—lengths to prove herself.
Worst habit: Squeamish. Can’t stand the sight of blood or vomit or injuries. She also can’t kill things. Not even bugs. Not even a spider. Will absolutely refuse to wade through the sewers even if doing so will help her escape from prison. This tends to incapacitate her ability to do what’s necessary even in dire situations.
Spark Spaulding by Ben Wolf
~ Character prompt for March 2025 stories || Visit benwolf.com ~
Physical description: Lean but muscular, average height. Light-brown hair with a little curl in the front, green eyes. Always wears clothes that make him stand out rather than blend in.
Personality type / traits / archetype: Chaotic neutral, but leaning toward good. He’s a roguish fellow who thinks he’s hot stuff, and he prides himself on being able to talk, weasel, schmooze, or fight (if it comes to it) his way out of anything. He’s pretty selfish in the sense that he’ll do just about anything to save his own skin, and he’s REALLY good at doing exactly that.
Core values: Nothing is more important to Spark than freedom. He wants to live unhindered, without anyone telling him how to do it.
Greatest weakness: Very self-absorbed and overconfident in his own abilities. Also, he hates pickles.
Deepest desire / motivation: Spark wants to earn enough of a living (however he can) so he can buy his way out of whatever oppressive system he happens to find himself within.
Worst habit: Physically, he chews his fingernails to the point where they sometimes bleed. Personality-wise, he likes to interrupt other people, and generally he thinks his voice is the most important.
Backstory:
Spark Spaulding has ventured far and wide, throughout history, time, space, and every possible dimension. It’s all thanks to an ancient curse that has him trapped in a sort of karmic perpetual motion—he literally can’t stay in any one place more than a little while, or the curse might catch up to him.
You might find him locked in a medieval fantasy dungeon, but he’s already worked up a scheme to buy or sneak his way out. Maybe he’s found himself tangled up with steampunk pirates (again), and he’s got to help them with one last heist before they cut him loose. Or maybe he’s adrift in a derelict spacecraft floating on solar winds toward an unknown destination. He thinks he’s alone on the ship… until he realizes that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
What tense and mischievous mayhem will Spark Spaulding get up to? Will he be the lovable rogue we all know he can be? Or is he in scoundrel-mode, desperate and willing to do whatever it takes to survive? Only you, the heroic HAVOK authors, can decide. The choice is yours.
Zaivar “Zai” Witz by Jill Williamson
~ Character prompt for April 2025 stories || Visit jillwilliamson.com ~
Physical description: Zaivar stands at just over 5’5″, his short build compact but sturdy. His dark, slightly wavy hair falls just past his ears, framing a face that defies easy categorization. His skin is a warm, olive tone, somewhere between golden and bronze, lending him an almost sun-kissed glow regardless of the season. His brown eyes are deep, observant, with a glimmer of mischief, revealing little of his inner thoughts but much of his quick wit. He’s not exactly handsome, nor is he considered ugly. He’s rather plain, a look which he uses to his advantage. What makes Zai truly unique is his chameleon-like appearance. With a rich heritage—one quarter Kinsman, one quarter Otherling, one quarter Chuman, and one quarter Poroo—his features carry a subtle amalgamation of his diverse ancestry. His dark hair and eyes along with his warm skin tone could easily be attributed to any number of ethnic backgrounds. His heritage will be hard for people to guess, no matter what world he wanders into.
Personality type / traits / archetype: Zai is a free-spirit who thrives on unpredictability and adventure. He’s a self-employed warrant chaser, which is the Er’Retian version of a bounty hunter. (Some people call them huntsmen.) Due to his diminutive stature, he takes an unorthodox approach to warrant chasing. His Enneagram 7 personality has him always chasing the next thrill, using his quick wit, charm, and flair for disguises to outsmart his targets rather than overpower them. He’s not tied down by rules or loyalty to anyone but himself. He’ll bend or break any law, even beg and charm if it gets him closer to his goal, though he never acts out of malice. Life is too short to hold grudges. Whether he’s masquerading as a nobleman or a humble merchant, Zai is always a one step ahead, enjoying the game as much as the catch.
Core values: Zai’s core values are freedom and joy. He’s always looking for the next adventure. He hates boredom or the feeling of being trapped. He loves outsmarting others. He likes his independence and often refuses his father’s gifts of money.
Deepest desire / motivation: To be content, satisfied, and self-sufficient. To not need to depend on others.
Greatest weakness: Being trapped or imprisoned. He’s also claustrophobic. And he hates pain—is kind of a baby when sick or wounded.
Worst habit: Zai hates negative emotions. He avoids conflict and commitment and has many superficial relationships. He also has an odd quirk of keeping a memento from each of his arrests, which has resulted in a bizarre collection of random objects that clutter his living space.
Magic: Zaivar possesses a minor ability to bloodvoice, which is a form of telepathy. He uses this magic to read the thoughts of those he’s tracking, which helps him capture his targets more easily. Although it’s frowned upon to invade others’ thoughts without revealing oneself, Zai has kept his ability a secret—even from his family. His magic isn’t particularly strong. He cannot bloodvoice from a distance and must be within eyesight of anyone he wishes to spy on. He allows everyone to believe that his success as a warrant chaser relies solely on his wit, but in reality, his magic is a significant asset to his achievements.
Backstory:
Zaivar is from the medieval fantasy world of Er’Rets, specifically the capital city of Armonguard. His father is a diplomat, traveling around the nation on behalf of Prince Oren Hadar. Zaivar has one brother named Rynley (Ryn), who was recently promoted to chamberlain to Prince Oren. Ryn offered to get Zai a jobin the prince’s household, but Zai finds the idea of such day-to-day tasks mundane.
Growing up, Zai craved adventure and excitement but also wanted to make a difference. Becoming a warrant chaser seemed like the perfect way to escape the dullness of everyday life while still doing something meaningful. For him, the constant action, problem-solving, and unpredictability of the job is an antidote to the boredom of his childhood. As a way to poke fun at his serious brother, each time he makes an arrest, he says something like, “This one’s for Ryn.”
Phezznibbet Maplebark by Rebecca P. Minor
~ Character prompt for May 2025 stories || Visit rebeccapminor.com ~
Physical description: 2’ 7” tall, red-coated, fluffy-tailed creature who is just shy of middle-aged for his kind. (Picture an oversized red squirrel who operates mostly on his hind legs, unless extreme speed is called for.) He typically wears a soft leather vest of light tan buckskin and a leather and steel helmet with holes for his ears to poke through. He’s never seen without a bandolier of knives carved from antler around his chest, but most of the time also carries a bow and quiver of arrows. He has large, expressive brown eyes. A dark scar runs from his right brow across his snout. His smile comes rarely, but conveys heartwarming depth, laced with sorrow, when he offers it.
Personality type / traits / archetype: Lawful good, bearing in mind the law of his kind is “Survive, first and foremost.”
Phezz is a protector at heart. Belonging to the diminutive race of the Xintixa, he’s spent his whole life far too acquainted with the heartless side of the world’s larger races. He champions the underdog, but never gives his loyalty blindly. He’s seen his share of adventure and has developed a seasoned skepticism of young firebrands who want to change the world. Yet at the same time, he can’t help but get sucked into their enthusiasm, having once been one of them.
Core values: Stability and respect. Anyone who underestimates him learns quickly a Xintixa’s speed isn’t to be trifled with, especially after he finds Phezz clinging to his back with a knife at his throat. He’ll stand between forces bent on destruction and the common folk of his kind without hesitation.
Deepest desire / motivation: To set aside derring-do for a quiet life running a treetop inn, if only the threats and dangers of life would stop plaguing him all the darn time.
Greatest weakness: Bullying. He gets himself into scrapes that weren’t technically his problem far too often because he can’t just walk away. Also cheese.
Worst habit: Making morally complicated situations difficult with his rigidity.
Ethel Grieves by Kara Swanson
~ Character prompt for June 2025 stories || Visit karaswanson.com ~
Physical description: She’s just five feet tall and a little curvy, face sprinkled with freckles and long chestnut hair always braided and tossed over a shoulder. Her green eyes flicker a little gray, hidden behind large, half-inch thick glasses. She’s always dressed in dark colors and business attire—a pinstripe vest, a pair of dark slacks, and a heavy coat thrown over the ensemble. She’s the type you’d expect to see behind the secretary desk, or with her nose in a book. Walks with a limp, thanks to one leg being longer than the other.
Personality type / traits / archetype: Because of her limp she’s easily missed, easily pitied, easily picked on—and easily underestimated. Ethel rarely makes full eye contact but is always taking in her surroundings with an instinct for uncovering a good mystery. She doesn’t speak much, but when she does, there’s a rasp to her voice and a very methodical way of placing her words. She may keep her head down around those larger and seemingly more important than her—but when she lifts those determined eyes to pierce you, Ethel is able to bring down even the tallest man with just a few cutting words. Because this small woman who no one sees as a threat has a way of finding just the right threads to unravel even the most hardened criminal or politician.
After all, she’s a Grieves.
Core values: She’s immensely loyal to her family, particularly her parents. Her three older siblings sometimes speak down to her or ignore her— but underneath, they are also a little terrified of her, and glad that Ethel’s attention is trained to aid their criminal dynasty, not to take their places. Ethel believes in logic and strategy. In the psychological rather than getting her hands dirty. Why simply cut a man down when you can make him pay by dismantling everything he’s ever cared for?
She thrives on the chase, the mystery. She’s become addicted to the feeling of being overlooked and underestimated, only to flip the tables on those who mistreat her. Everyone is a pawn to be maneuvered—even her family, although they are the pawns she is trying to maneuver to end out on top. Even her ragdoll cat, Fresco, can be used to further a ploy on occasion. She’s lonely, if she stops to think about it, but doesn’t trust others—or herself—enough to ever be that vulnerable. But she does have friends. Very specific friends. People she chose who would never have the chance to betray her. Those she’s helped off the streets who owe her. Those who can at least give her a good game of chess when she wants to sit in the park and look busy while staking out her next prey.
Backstory: Ethel Grieves was born into a longstanding, wealthy crime family, practically a princess of the underbelly. But due to her limp and her bottle-thick glasses, she’s often overlooked. She could have spent her life on the outside looking in — but her parents saw her when others didn’t. Her mother gave her a notepad that could transcribe Ethel’s thoughts with magical ink (or is it cursed? Or is it highly advanced technology?), allowing her to take in the world and file it away for future reference. Ethel’s father gave her a special shoe — one that helped with her limp, but also came equipped with various gadgets she could cycle through—for example, if she tapped the toe just so, a knife would appear. The heel? A small device perfect for picking locks. And more…
And so, to the outside world, Ethel seemed like the youngest of a family of power-hungry crime lords, forgotten and left in the corner. But to that family, Ethel was far more: a super spy. An ace up their sleeve. And when the occasion called for it—Ethel could hunt down those threatening their dynasty, slinking into guarded rooms with a flip of a braid and a sad little thu-thump of her limp. Then, she would reveal the information she’d found on them—the dirt, the thread that if tugged just right, could unravel even the most bulletproof politician or dirty cop. Once she’d gotten the leverage she needed, Ethel could discard any witnesses with a quick slash of her boot knife. Because to the outside world, Ethel was the black sheep—but to the Grieves family, she was their queen, quietly crafting a reign of terror from the shadows.
Greatest weakness: Ethel is afraid of being the weak link. Of being caught in an inescapable situation where her family would have to cut ties, leaving her utterly alone. But she’s made some peace with that possibility. After all, she’d have no qualms with slipping some poison into a siblings’ meal if it meant protecting the family’s secrets. It’s just a matter of time until someone slips up, and she’ll stay three steps ahead to ensure that it’s not her.
Deepest desire / motivation: To feel in control and to feel valuable. After being looked down upon her whole life, Ethel craves that feeling of power too much to ever truly let it go. She’s never met someone who didn’t befriend her just to use her. She may secretly wish for someone who would choose her, even if she offers them nothing in return, even if she doesn’t deserve it.
But that kind of sacrificial love is just a fairytale. But maybe one that could prompt her, even once, to choose something other than the feeling of power—to choose to protect someone else. Someone like her, only not as cynical. Someone who still believes in redemption. Or maybe that’s just a fairytale too…
Miriel Takkenridge by Gillian Bronte Adams
~ Character prompt for July 2025 stories || Visit gillianbronteadams.com ~
Backstory: She’s old enough to be your grandmother, but she was born to save the world, and she did—only, it turned out, it wasn’t her world she was meant to save. Disappearing from her home in her teens, she was missing for five years. During those five years she somehow experienced twenty years away from everything and everyone she’d grown up with. Did she go through a portal? Get caught in a virtual reality simulation? Land on an alien planet while a nearby event horizon warped time? That’s up to you, Havok authors. Although she’s been “home” now for many years since that amazing experience, the draw to help, to fix, to save never quite goes away. After all, what’s a Chosen One to do… Retire?
Physical description: She has wispy white hair that gives a sort of gauzy, almost ethereal aura. She is short, but sturdy. Used to rolling up her sleeves and getting things done. She moves with an energy that makes you wonder if she’s secretly been training for marathons all her life, or possibly has some fae blood in her. Her ears do look a tad pointy, but that could just be the way her curly hair parts around them. The lines wreathing her gray eyes make her whole face light up when she smiles. She’s rarely seen without her enormous Saint Bernard, Matteo.
Personality type / traits / archetype: A born helper, she’s warm and friendly. She’ll strike up a conversation with anyone even if they clearly don’t want to talk at first. But people almost magically find themselves telling her things they wouldn’t tell anyone else. She’s also madly skilled with her knitting needles and all things sharp, and she’s a repository of odd skills and tidbits of knowledge. Whipping up tasty goodies with ingredients you’ve never heard of, identifying weird fungi taking over your vegetable garden, diagnosing your cat’s off appetite, helping with your rebellious teen—if you’ve got a problem, Miriel is sure to help. Got a bigger problem, particularly of a magical or inexplicable nature? Miriel might just show up at your door!
Deepest desire / motivation: Being needed gives her a sense of day-to-day purpose, but she secretly hopes that she might do enough to earn the opportunity to return to the world that became her second home.
Core values: She was born to help, and she will, no matter the cost to herself. She sees putting others first as the highest ideal, and finds herself baffled, even irritated, when others don’t do the same.
Greatest weakness: She cannot simply walk away from a problem. Her compulsion to help borders on obsession, and she struggles with taking no for an answer. She can get into all kinds of trouble when she sees a possible solution and insists on getting involved.
Worst habit: She never believes you if you say you’re not hungry. If you go to her house, you can expect to be fed. A lot. Fortunately, her dog likes to park himself beside guests, and she’s good at looking the other way when food happens to fall into his mouth. But only if she likes you. If she doesn’t, you’ll find yourself with five more courses to eat before leaving.
Animal Companion: Matteo sulks if he’s not permitted to follow Miriel everywhere. He’s a giant, five-year-old, mahogany-and-white Saint Bernard with soulful eyes. Miriel adopted him as a seven months old puppy that outgrew his home. In the winter, he’s always sporting some kind of knitted wear made by Miriel—a scarf, doggie sweater, etc. He’s very protective of Miriel, but he’s enormous and intimidating enough that he rarely needs to be overtly aggressive. He’s a giant, bounding, drooling goofball who can reduce any toy to shreds in a matter of minutes, except for stuffed animals, which he treats with exceptional care, as if they were alive. He especially loves kittens.
Public Domain Character Profiles
Remember! When using public domain characters, be careful not to include any details or characters from later works (retellings, movies, TV shows, etc) that may have come later and still be under copyright. Use the original source material only as your inspiration.
Alice by Lewis Carroll
~ Character prompt for August 2025 stories || See Project Gutenberg’s copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ~
Physical Description: Alice is a lovely young girl with striking blue eyes, fair skin, and shoulder-length blonde hair pulled back with a black ribbon tied in a bow. She usually wears a white pinafore apron over her short-sleeved blue Victorian dress, which makes for a great parachute in a pinch. She also wears a white petticoat with matching tights and knee-length pantalets, as well as black Mary Jane shoes.
Personality Traits: First and foremost, Alice is a daydreamer. She’s curious and imaginative, and she loves reading, but books with pictures are always best. Raised as a proper lady, she maintains her graceful Victorian demeanor and pedantic sensibilities in even the most chaotic and ridiculous situations. This makes her resistant to the unexplainable circumstances that her adventurous spirit gets her into, leaving her looking for the quickest way home before teatime.
Core Values: Despite the absurdity of rigid social norms, Alice’s active imagination drives her to discover the unknown, both within herself and throughout the multiverse. She’s not afraid of personal growth or challenging experiences, but she expects reciprocal respect and level-headedness from others despite the situation.
Deepest Desire/Motivation: Desire to understand the universe beyond daily expectations in order to better prepare herself for the challenges of coming adulthood.
Greatest Weakness: Unwavering curiosity despite her Victorian sensibilities, often recklessly leading to precarious situations.
Backstory (optional): Alice’s adventures in Wonderland are too numerous and ridiculous to be detailed here, but they include run-ins with a tardy rabbit, a mentally unstable hat maker, an occasionally invisible cat, a hedonistic caterpillar, and a terrifying queen, to name a few.
Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
~ Character prompt for October 2025 stories || See Project Gutenberg’s copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray ~
Physical Description: Dorian is a remarkably handsome and perpetually youthful young man looking to be in his early twenties with flawless features, often compared to a statue made of ivory and rose petals. He has “finely curved scarlet lips,” “frank blue eyes,” and “crisp golden hair,” giving him a soft, angelic appearance… on the outside.
Personality Traits: Charming and pure with a simple and beautiful nature—at least at the beginning. However, these child-like traits of uninhibited openness often lead him to be volatile, selfish, manipulative, deceitful, and even cruel at times in his pursuit of hedonistic fulfilment.
Core Values: Dorian values beauty for beauty’s sake. Whether he’s admiring a rose in a garden or himself in a painting, he is ever searching for self-gratification through the physical form.
Deepest Desire/Motivation: Dorian desires to remain forever young and forever happy. He does have a moral compass, but his quest for pleasure and beauty comes first.
Greatest Weakness: Vanity and self-superiority. And also his painting. If it were to be destroyed, all of Dorian’s past sins would come back on him, destroying his beauty and his immortality.
Backstory (optional): Dorian’s story begins in Victorian England, where his friend Basil Hallward paints a portrait of him to capture his exquisite beauty. A young and wealthy libertine, after seeing the painting Dorian becomes obsessed with his own beauty to the point of selling his soul so his portrait will age instead of him. He uses his newfound immortality to explore all that London has to offer. However, he quickly notices his portrait taking on the physical manifestations of each of his sensual transgressions. Soon, the painting is so hideous that he has to hide it to avoid seeing its decay. Some say that Dorian became so desperate to hide the truth of his painting that he murdered his best friend Basil and stabbed his portrait with the same knife, putting an end to his own eternal life. However, immortality is a hard thing to give up, and there’s a lot to enjoy in the farthest reaches of the multiverse.
Ebeneezer Scrooge by Charles Dickens
~ Character prompt for December 2025 stories || See Project Gutenberg’s copy of A Christmas Carol ~
Physical description: “Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. He carried his own low temperature always about with him.”
Personality / traits: Selfish. A greedy, miserly, joyless workaholic. Unmoved by external appeals. Clever strategist when it comes to making money. Cruel in his complete lack of care for the well-being of others.
Core values: Take care of yourself, because nobody else is going to do it.
Greatest weakness: Blinded by fear of falling into poverty. Unable to see what his obsession is costing him–and others.
Deepest desire / motivation: To build and keep enough wealth to avoid poverty and suffering. But secretly, so secretly that he doesn’t admit it even to himself, he is desperately lonely and afraid that it’s too late for that to ever change.
Backstory (optional): As a child, Scrooge wanted to enjoy Christmas as much as anyone. But he was also neglected as a child, left at boarding school during the holidays. He suffered from the hardships of poverty, so later Scrooge decided money would solve all his problems. This single-minded pursuit of wealth as protection against suffering caused all other considerations to fall aside. The obsession destroyed his relationship with his fiancee, Belle. He had no compassion on his employees when they were in need. Even his deceased business partner, Bob Marley, warns Scrooge from beyond the dead about the ultimate end of the path he has chosen.
Contest Winner Character Profiles
(coming soon)
~ Character prompt for September 2025 stories || Public contest winner ~
~ Character prompt for November 2025 stories || Havok staff contest winner ~
See current Seasonal Themes & Deadlines
Browse our anthology collections of winning stories
Recent Comments