Beautiful People - June Edition

Yes, yes, I forgot to post on Saturday - I was in Durham, dodging rainstorms and poking my nose into their university. Forgive me, readers. I am a bad, bad blogger.

Life is beginning to get a little mad right now - it's the last week of school, and I have my final five-day Duke of Edinburgh trek coming up the week after. Then it's a "holiday" full of Personal Statement writing (which is already pushing me dangerously close to the border of Loonie Land), writing my Extended Essay (which I am looking forward to with an almost worryingly nerdy glee), cramming the school reading list onto my bookshelf and Kindle, and moving house (more on that at another time).

However, today, the lovely girls over at Further Up and Further In have made time in their own massively busy lives to bring us June's edition of Beautiful People. However, this time around, it's a little bit different to usual. This time, we get to choose the questions for ourselves.

So, being the cherry-picker that I am, I have pilfered their archives and put together ten questions from the mix to amuse you all. Feel free to nick them for yourselves if you fancy!

My victim this month would have been our old friend Rin, but as I have horribly neglected his story for several months now, he's sulking in the corner and throwing pointy objects at me every time I try to get near him. Coupled with yet another plot overhaul, that has upset just about everything in the story, he's in no mood to play the game.

Thankfully, I have my plot for NaNoWriMo coming together already and thus, this week, I will present to you one of its central characters.

The place: the gigantic, sprawling and exceedingly smelly city of Scatterank.
The timeframe: if Victorian England crashed into the Late Mediaeval period, and then spots of Sci-Fi leaked in from the upper floor and left splodgy bits all over the place, you might  get an idea of the place.
The character: our first-person narrator, Deladier Vandaleur. Socially awkward country boy of nineteen, intellect the size of a small country, but a pretty disastrous cook if ever there was one.

Let's begin, shall we?

1. Does your character have a methodical or disorganised personality?
Deladier is a weird mix of the two. Excluding his glasses, he knows exactly where everything is, how it works, and what he has to do with it at any given time. Things may be in odd places (on top of dressers, under beds, stashed in windowsills etc) but they will always be organised and laid out in a sensible, logical fashion. 


2. Favourite writing utensil?
He'll use almost anything, but he's got a particular fondness for fountain pens. One of his mini projects (he has many) is an attempt to build an ink pen that won't coat him in ink. Success thus far has met mostly with over-pressurised ink slots, faulty pen nibs and several small explosions.


3. Where he s/he from?
Deladier was born on a large country-house sort of estate in Pleasancegreen, a small shire populated by ridiculously wealthy aristocratic families. It's about three days out of Scatterank, which is the closest major city. The country as a whole consists of a series of large city-states and their outlying hangers-on situated around the Traders' Sea, a gargantuan natural "bay" that leads out to the open sea and the other countries beyond.


4. Does s/he play a musical instrument? If so, what?
His mother forced him to start playing the violin when he was about five . . . unfortunately, playing music is one of the few things in life that Deladier would sooner avoid. He's hopeless. He loves listening to it, but he can't play it to save his life.


5. How do they feel about people in general?
One word: people-phobe. As much as Deladier likes the idea of social interaction and friendship, he's very shy of people, as he really has no idea how to make conversation. A closeted upbringing with a scary-as-heck father and a smothering, overbearing mother will do that to you.


6. What are they most thankful for?
Books. They're just about the only thing that keeps him sane. He practically lived in his father's library for most of his young life.


Later on in the story, though, there are some very special (if slightly bizarre) people who enter his life, trash it, and leave him standing in the wreckage wondering how on earth he could ever have been who he was before. Whether he's thankful for that, however, remains a mystery to me for now.


7. What's their worst childhood memory?
The day his grandfather died. While the rest of his family were intent on pushing him into a world he has no desire to enter, his grandfather was the only one to consider him as a person in his own right. He was the one who first introduced Deladier to the delights of reading.


8. What is their biggest accomplishment?
Aside from having read every major book by Yostol (a very prolific, very literary and slightly grammatically-challenged author in their world), it would probably be the fact that he's well on the way to being one of the world's top academics. Or he would be, if only he would get around to publishing the essays he writes in his spare time.


9. Is s/he naturally curious?
Very. Despite his social awkwardness, Deladier will jump head first into any opportunity to learn something new, in any area. If he ever plucked up the courage to invite a guest around, he would pepper them with questions about absolutely anything and everything.


10. What does his/her handwriting look like?
For someone like him, it's surprisingly neat - an italicised Times New Roman is probably the best comparison I can think of. He's not into decorative lettering or elaborate signatures - he just wants to get all his ideas down before the ink in his pen runs out, or ends up all over his arm.


And there you have it!

What about all of you? Have you got your NaNoWriMo plots set out? Plotting or pants-ing this year? Anything you're particularly looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!

~ Charley R

Beautiful People, May 2012 - Evil Edition!

My villains are my favourites. As much as I come to feel affection for my delightful bands of heroes, heroines, and gods know what else they are, it's always the villain I'll love the best. 


Of course, this gave me something of a dichotomy when it came to choosing one for this post.


Should I find you a villain from the Aeserion Trilogy?  Can't - they're all in the middle of reworking, and thus everything I write here is probably incorrect. Besides, spoilers!


What about a villain from the new novel I started last week? Sadly, that won't work either - you guys would have no idea who I was on about.


A villain from a past NaNo, then? Now that got me thinking.


Of course, I couldn't settle for just any old villain - I wanted to find one that would be impressive. Terrifying. Skin-tingling. And not eat me when I dragged him out of his lair to answer the questions.


I half succeeded. It may have cost an arm and a leg - quite literally, I'm typing this with my nose, 'cause I'm so talented - but you lovely people will have an insight into the most terrifying entity who currently inhabits my head.


You all know the lovely Vidal. Meet his many-times-great-grandson.


Sephirax; "Sixknives", "The Shadow", "The Bane of Tanelorn". Murderer and madman.
Even the Stormlord bloodline, notorious murderers, liars, thieves and worse, have disowned him. And you're about to see why.


1. What is their motive? 
It depends what he's doing. Sometimes it's part of a long-term plan. Sometimes it's a spurr of the moment necessity. Sometimes there's a personal grudge involved. Sometimes it's a red herring to throw his enemies off the scent. Sometimes it's for kicks and giggles.

2. What are they prepared to do to get what they want? 
Anything. Sephirax has all the morals of a rock. And a good deal less sensitivity. The fact he's dancing dangerously close to insanity doesn't really help his moral compass.

3. Are they evil to the core, or simply misunderstood? 
In the beginning, he did what he did because he had no choice - it was that, or starve and die, taking the one person he cared about, and who cared about him, with him. Now, though? There's no doubt he's lost his mind - or some of it, at least. But whether it's the madness, or Sephirax's own twisted soul that drives him now, no one knows. Depends who you ask. And if they'll tell you anything. 

4. What was their past like? What about their childhood? Was there one defining moment that made them embrace their evil ways?
Sephirax started out in the world much the same way Vidal did - a bastard to a high-born lady, who died not long after his birth, and whose father never claimed him. He grew up fairly wild in the custody of the midwife's family, but they kicked him out the moment they could. He was strange. Very very strange. But sweet enough beneath that - he had a knack for mischief, and a distinct lack of any sort of conscience, but he never meant to cause harm. Not at first.


Unfortunately, the development of his exceedingly powerful mentalist abilities soon lead him towards darker and darker acts, drawn by a strange morbid curiosity with pushing the limits of his power. His friends, who were all he had in the world, started to fear him. And so did everyone else. This seemingly inexplicable rejection twisted like a knife in Sephirax, and he went south when he was still scarce more than a child, looking for something nobody is sure of. No one knows what happened to him, but when he came back, Tanelorn had no idea what it had created. Or what a bloodstained nightmare his madness would wreak upon them.


5. Now that they’re evil, have they turned their back on everyone, or is there still someone in their life that they care for? (Brother? Daughter? Love interest? Mother? Someone who is just as evil as they are?)
Love is a word Sephirax regards with the worst sort of scorn. The world's rejection of him made him bitter, and he'll happily use the loved ones of others to get what he wants - whether it be crucial to his job, or just because he feels the urge to destroy something. 


But there is one tiny little corner of his rotten heart that beats for someone else. His deafblind, crippled half-sister, Eli, rescued from the clutches of their mother's family who sought to exploit her Stormlord blood and use her as a political pawn. Her protection and welfare is all that stands between her brother's descent into lunacy and death. 


And, despite his bitterness towards them, Sephirax still agonises over actions concerning his old friends. Sometimes his old memories inspire a strange act of mercy. Sometimes they drive him to atrocities.

6. Do they like hugs?
Only from Eli. She sleeps curled up in his arms every night.


*aside* In his heart of hearts, he loves them. But don't try. He'll do something horrible to you.

7. Are they plagued by something? (Nightmares, terrible thoughts?) 
Enemies. Shifting webs of treachery. Lies. Deceit. Bitter memories. Fear. His own mental demons. And a new foe, stalking in his shadow, disappearing every time he looks. But he knows it's there. And he knows it's coming for him.

8. Who are they more similar to: Gollum or Maleficent?
Sephirax is a Malificent from the outset, but inside he's just as lost as Gollum ever was. He's both terrified of and intrigued by the power he has at his disposal, though his concern for Eli and his occasional fits of doubt and agony over the wreck of his life torment him near constantly. But he has made his choice, and he pays the price. Great power has, quite literally, lead to madness. 

9. If your villain could have their choice of transportation what would it be?
He would love to be able to teleport. There are thousands of stories that he can - though according to these stories he's also able to fly, steals souls just by making eye-contact, can walk through walls, and his father was a dragon. Teleportation would be a wonderful compliment to his job, and would cover up several of his somewhat limiting physical and mental weaknesses nicely. Even he can't kill a foe from halfway across the city, however much he would want to.

10. If you met your villain in the street, how afraid would you be? Are they evil enough to kill their creator?
I would just stand there and hope he killed me quickly. I couldn't outrun him - stubby-legged human vs nine and a half feet of muscle and malice is hardly a fair match. I couldn't outfight him - brittle-boned and physically deteriorating or no, if he kicked me hard enough most of my organs would explode. And, at close range, he could tear me apart from the inside out, literally or using his mentalism, depending what mood he was in. Heck, he'd probably hunt me down with the intention of killing me if he was bored. He's that nasty. And has that little regard for life.


Thankfully, I've given him a "squeaky toy" list of other characters he's allowed to maim to his heart's content. That seems to be keeping him happy ... for now.

***

Now ... who's up for a scary story?

- Charley R

Beautiful People, April 2012

Forsooth, my dear friends, I live yet!

Though the foe circles ever closer, I hope to thrust this small token of my existence into your hands before it is too late. I feel I must needs cheer myself, and keep my inner obsessive compulsive reigned in by completing a blog meme that remains close to my heart, even in these dark times. Though snow, sleet and storm delayed my posting, I hope my efforts shall bring some small cheer to you in my long absence.

And so, dear friends, I leave you in the charge of my companion Rin, for April's (late) Beautiful People.

1. What is their favourite type of shoes?
Rin only owns one pair of shoes - tough brown leather boots that have been through battles, cross-country treks, and a million and one other misadventures. He doesn't often have enough money to replace them, and his current pair are beginning to fall apart a little, but they are, genuinely, almost as much a part of him as his feet.

2. Do they journal? 
Rin can hardly write his own name in a straight line, let alone form a coherent sentence! He could probably struggle through reading one, but he's not a very well educated man.  Books and all that palaver are left to Florien.

3. What’s their favorite animal? 
Rin's always had a soft spot for the village dogs, but other than that, as long as it doesn't try and eat and / or maim him, he doesn't really pay that much attention to local fauna.

4. What does their average day look like?
Wake before dawn. Snarl and go back to sleep again. Bludgeon Florien has he draws the short straw and is sent in to "rouse the beast". If he's at home between jobs, he'll usually go out and see his betrothed Hilde, or chase up any small tasks that need seeing to before he goes on campaign. If he's on a job, however, he'll be reporting to his employer to get on with whatever he's been tasked to do. Only the morning ritual of attempting to murder Florien with whatever object is closest to the bed remains the same.

5. Night owl or morning person? (Optional: What time do they usually wake up? Go to bed?) 
See Question Four for Rin's view on mornings. He likes the dark, though, and he'll finish off any small tasks that are nagging him before he'll go to sleep. He's usually the man who chooses to take the late-night and early-morning watches when he and his men are sleeping in the open on campaign. So yeah, he's probably a "night owl."

6. Do they have a sweet tooth? 
Not really - Rin's not much one for fancy flavours. As long as it's edible, filling and isn't cooked by Hilde's father, he'll eat just about anything.

7. What colors are their bedroom? 
Can't really answer that - Rin doesn't have a bedroom! If he did, though, I reckon he'd prefer some sort of muted greens, browns, possibly a bit of blue here and there. Nothing loud or drastic.

8. Can they cook? 
When he has to - he can skin and cook most forms of game meat, knows what to do with a potato, and he taught himself all the edible plants and fungi he could find if he was in a really desperate situation when he was very young. I wouldn't ask him for a lasagne, or soufle, though. That might end badly.

9. What is their favorite household chore? 
As Rin spends most of his time fighting Skathains, he's never really had to do any "household chores". Though, when he is around for extended periods of time, he'll often end up doing lifting jobs and such for Hilde's family - her father's getting older, and her younger brother isn't big enough to do most of them yet. He's a bit of a packhorse, though he's not really all that strong compared to most men.
His favourite sort of job involving his men, though, has to be sparring practice. Rin loves a good tussle, and licking new recruits into shape - especially when he's already picked them for their talents - gives him a real sense of satisfaction.

10. Favorite kind of tea?
Rin hates tea with a vengeance - probably because his mother used to make him drink it as a boy when he got ill, and the stuff was revolting. I suspect he'd be more of a coffee person, if coffee was available in his homeland. Gods know he could probably use the caffiene sometimes!


- Charley R

Beautiful People - February 2012

It's that time again! Although I've had very little time for writing recently - what with plotting my extended essay, doing all my required and extra reading and keeping on top of my ever-mounting pile of homework - but, be warned, there is a good deal of plotting going on. This summer will be a wordy one, one way or another!


Not in the least because the Aeserion Trilogy rewrite will begin. And, in honour of that, Rin - whom you may remember from last month's post - has been dragged out from his hiding place happily returned to answer this second load of questions!


Now, without further ado, here we go!


1. If your character could be played by any actor, who would it be?
Without a doubt, I'd love to see Viggo Mortensen (better known as Aragorn, from Lord of the Rings) playing Rin. From what I know of his off-camera antics, he'd have the perfect mentality for the role, and - this may or may not be the result of my fangirl-ness - I think he looks rather like him. Unfortunately, as he's probably too old by now (and might not take well to having to dye his hair bright ginger!) Ah well, I can dream, can't I?


2. Does your character have a specific theme song?
Not really - unlike many of my characters, Rin's creation as a character wasn't influenced by any particular song. A couple that do make me think of him when I'm writing though, are Disturbed's "I'm Alive" and "Hero" by Heather Dale.


3. What’s their worst childhood memory?
When he was about fifteen, Rin decided to present himself to his local lord and ask to be hired as one of his household company. Unfortunately, taking one look at his narrow frame and unorthodox fighting style, Lord Bragan laughed in his face and told him he would eat his boot if he ever saw the day when a "skinny bag of maggots" like Rin ever lifted a sword. However well he's done for himself since, Rin still can't stand attacks on his honour like that - people who make them tend to end up with several bruises and a broken rib or two ... if they say sorry fast enough to avoid further injury!

4. If your character had a superpower, what would it be?
His personal choice would probably be flight - his advantage in a battle lies in his speed, and being able to take off into the air at any moment would definitely compliment that nicely. From my perspective, looking at him as a person, I'd say he would probably be some sort of pyromancer - a manipulator of fire. Not only does it match his general temperament nicely, but it would probably come in very useful for those long cold nights he's had to spend sleeping up trees!

5. If your character crashed on an island with a bunch of other people, how would your character help the group survive?
Probably by seeing off any nasty critters in the vicinity, and, most likely, by taking the lead and organising immediate survival strategies. And giving any weepy-waily fools a good dunking in cold water. He can't stand hypochondriacs.

6. Are they married? If not, do they someday wish to be?
Ah, now THIS is a complicated question. In book one, Rin is engaged to marry his long-term girlfriend. Not to give any spoilers, but we all know I'm too mean to let that work out. From then on out, it all gets a lot more complicated. Rin would love to settle down with a woman and have kids ... it's all down as to whether I'm going to let him! *cackles*

7. What is a cause they would die for?
Rin would sooner impale himself on a spoon than let anyone take away his freedom, or that of people he cares about - whether that be his friends, his family, or his homeland. Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to persuade him to do a William Wallace and yell "freedom!" on a battlefield.

8. Would they rather die fighting valiantly, or quietly at home?
He would definitely like the latter better, but even he knows in his heart of hearts that there's a snowball's chance in hell of that ever happening. Hazards of the job, and all.

9. If someone walked up to them and told them they were the child of the prophecy, would they believe them?
Rin would give them a confused look and walk off. Unless he's clutching at the nearest tree, trying not to asphyxiate from laughing.

10. Do they prefer the country or the city?
It depends - he was born and raised in the country, and I like to think he has a certain attachment to it. He certainly likes the simplicity of life there. But, the city is where he's likely to find employers, and he and his men do need to stock up on gear, weapons and food fairly regularly, and they can't always find everything they need in the countryside. And who can resist a little fun and havoc in a city bar every now and again?

***

Phew! Another month of questions over already!

This month's questions - as well as those from ages past, links to the blogs of other participants, and the answers of the creators themselves can be found at Further Up and Further In.

- Charley R