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 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!
Spark Spaulding by Ben Wolf
~ Character prompt for February 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.
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Browse our anthology collections of winning stories
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