Character Portrait Tyler Reese
The quote for this post is not only applicable to the character I am highlighting but also to the creative process. In the past 8-years of writing about the various elements and framework of content creation, specifically creative writing, I have highlighted instances where change is inevitable, often impressed upon us during periods of our lives where we simply do not want to deal with it. My friends and colleagues are well aware of my fondness for saying, life does not care about our well laid plans or agenda, we need to adapt and get on with it.
In my own life, as I suspect it is in yours, change can come in very faintly, requiring greater self-reflection, taking care you are not looking too much into certain events or momentary instances of flash enlightenment. As I continue to rekindle my spirituality by focusing on various philosophies associated with the Dao and Zen, I have made shifts in my thinking in how I see life and approach the business side of writing. This has allowed me to break away from entrenched patterns related to the frequency of blog posts, social media usage, and where the genre my universe resides fits in today’s modern world.
Since my June 2025 blog post, I have finished the edits submitted to me by my friend and editor, written a cover letter and synopsis to submit to a publisher, all the while updating my website to reflect all the titles in the Sy’Arrian Legacy series. The latter was a significant breakthrough for me given my mind has pondered how many total books there will be in the series for many years, not to mention what their titles would be. I attribute most of my creative breakthroughs as of late to balancing my spiritual, logical, and compassionate sides, while remaining vulnerable in acknowledging small relapses into old ways of thinking or approaches to difficult situations.
The frequency of posts will not drastically change, and I will attempt to remain on a monthly schedule albeit it will be more loosey-goosey as they say. I have always been of the mindset not to write just to write in order to meet some arbitrary deadline. Keeping my content crisp, non-duplicated where possible, and relevant to my overall theme of writing about what inspires us, is the most important. Plus, we all go through periods where ideas morph, which forces us to pause and evaluate our existing content/projects. This is natural and healthy, which is where I have been in the last few weeks. Given I have been through this before, it is much easier for me to conceptualize and allow it to take its natural course.
Although this character portrait does not specifically touch on what I just mentioned, it does speak to a character who had to adapt very quickly at a very young age to instances thrust upon him due to parental figures whose own personalities prevented them from seeing anyone worthy of their attention unless it benefited their careers and social status.
I toyed extensively with Tyler’s background and took a flexible approach to integrating his uniqueness. Previous posts clearly point to my passion of treating all characters with respect and I have held, it is often characters in a supporting role who can and will define the overall course of a story. Tyler is one of those characters and I look forward to working outside of my own comfort zone in developing his manipulative and sadistic qualities.
Born Arune Ibrin in 3251 on the planet of Altrum in the city of Olaris to parents, Ignarum and Sana Ibrin, Arune's young life was wrought with multiple struggles, ranging from emotional and physical abuse at the hands of his parents. This would not only shape his perspective of life overall but directly influence his decisions to obtain the highest level of power possible in the Telerin military at all costs. This singular focus would eventually give rise to sociopathic tendencies bordering on the sadistic.
Ignarum, a key mind in developing the efficient ore extraction processes for the Altrum mining facility, and Sana, a medical doctor, had little time for their son, often viewing him more as a burden and distraction from what mattered most; obtaining prestige in their chosen professions.
Growing to a height of 171 centimeters (5'6") and plateauing at 68 kilograms (150pounds) Arune's lean, defined musculature and naturally pale complexion often lead to the perception, the young man was sickly and fragile. Suffering from a genetic disorder which left him completely hairless except for his head, Arune would often use these slanted perceptions to obtain the necessary favors he viewed would aid in achieving his goals. His high intelligence, bordering on the genius, would eventually garner the attention of a top-level agent in the Intelligence branch of the Telerin military who was a regular patient of his mother's, known only as Agent Krillis.
Just shy of turning 15, Arune left his home for the streets of Olaris, after a physical altercation with his father, which left a permanent scar across the young man's left cheek and Ignarum lying on the floor with a broken nose and right hand. Sana naturally took the side of her life partner, citing Arune's mere presence had done nothing for their careers, except to hold them back in order to nurture the boy's fragile sense of self. It was a common sentiment conveyed to Arune due to his mother's tendency towards mental abuse and her own lack of empathy, which he felt odd given her profession.
It did not take long for Arune to seek out the services of Gnash, a merchant who had a reputation in the seedier areas of Olaris for helping street urchins obtain the means for survival. Complementing Arune on his sharp facial features, piercing green eyes, slender build, and light-brown hair, Gnash introduced the young man to what he referred to as, professional services. Arune knew precisely what the merchant was referring to and did not give it a second thought, readily accepting his new path as a means to an end.
Over the next 3.5 years, the men Arune accompanied on various business ventures and provided a myriad of pleasures, including the giving of his own body, ranged from prominent politicians to visiting dignitaries. From Arune's perspective, it was merely another set of skills to hone on his path towards achieving his own slice of power.
Upon reaching the age of 19, Arune changed his name to a combination of two men who had treated him with respect and never viewed him as just another body to share with others. He assumed the first name of Tyler from a prominent Telerin businessman by the name of Tyler Daedrun and took the last name of Reese from the leader of Altrum's top mining production facilities, Reese Yar.
When he approached Agent Krillis for admittance to the Telerin military's intelligence branch, the agent didn't ask any questions regarding the name change, citing it was an excellent first step in severing ties with one's past, so they may hide in plain sight, until the time was right to strike.
Allowing Arune Ibrin to fade into obscurity, Agent Tyler Reese became one of the youngest at the age of 25 to achieve the rank of First Commander and eventually catch the eye of Alexis Striken, who wanted a fresh perspective to head the new, autonomous intelligence branch of the Telerin military called the Draconian.
Until next time, be safe, be well and let us continue to hone the fine art of creative writing.
