Hi there. Thank you for coming to the Character Clinic. Now, just from what you've told me, my main concern with Esmeralda is that she might be a bit too cool. Yes, such a thing is possible. She's young, pretty, can increase her size and strength and transfer energy, is good at swordfighting and martial arts, used to be a princess and even has a huge chest. So I think you need to work on her vulnerabilities and weaknesses. That's what I'll try to work on with my questions for her. (Directed at Esmeralda) 1. How did you get your powers, and how would you lose them? Is there something that could happen, or someone in a position of power, that could take your powers away or at least threaten them? 2. What is your current biggest large-scale fear? Something like a fear of losing control, fear of intrusiveness, fear of being alone...not trying to put words in your mouth or push any of those on you, but I mean that type of big-picture fear. 3. What types of real-life incidents you've encountered (or could potentially encounter) could face you with those fears? Name a few. 4. Are you ever in those situations in your storyline in the novel you're in? 5. What about "trivial" fears? Things like cockroaches, spiders, the dark, clows, any of those types of things. (Again, not putting words in your mouth, just using those as examples to illustrate what I mean). 6. Is there anyone you are afraid of? If so, why? Does the reason have to do with reasons #2 or #5, or something entirely different? 7. What do you find most disturbing? 8. What do you think is the saddest problem in your society?
Because of self-esteem issues when Charles was younger (and other problems) he has tried for years to create his own little universe. A house far off from other society, a large family, and one that revolves around him. He is the center and all others follow/respect him. He uses his power to increase the size of that universe, to increase the number of people who respect and follow him. But he rationalizes his behavior by looking at the other things he does, like funding hospitals and schools. Yet he only does this in order increase his grip to large institutions, where his legacy will be permanently etched in stone. Charles would, regardless of his relation with the mayor, several all contact. He would not deal with the mayor, and he would act like the initiative is such hog-wash that he doesn't have the time of day for it. Yet, emotionally, he would be furious that someone would dare to intrude on his personal oasis of power. As is the trend with Charles, he would end his contact (as minimal as it already is with Thomas) completely. The reality wouldn't fit his personal worldview; it just wouldn't make sense. He couldn't comprehend it. To be honest, Charles really wouldn't know what to do and would push it as far out of his mind as he could.
1. How did you get your powers, and how would you lose them? Is there something that could happen, or someone in a position of power, that could take your powers away or at least threaten them? In my world, one does not aquire powers. I was born with them. They cannot be taken away nor threatened. However, I would like to know why I have power over light, transmution, and can do things with flames which no other sorceress can do. Sure it's cool, but sometimes, it really scares me. I dare say, it's unnatural, even by our standards. Actually, while we're on the subject, even my ability to grow and do basic fire magic is considered abnormal. Most human sorceresses aren't really sorceresses at all. They are actually psychics, limited only to telepathy and telekinesis. Only elves have the ability to do such things as fire magic and growth. Back in the day, my magic made me "special" and "blessed". I even had an elvish tutor to help me hone in on my powers. Nowadays, all mention of magic has been removed from my biography, and magic has disappeared entirely from humans. Humans can only use telepathy and telekinesis. It is considered blasphemous to think they were ever capable of anything else. 2. What is your current biggest large-scale fear? Something like a fear of losing control, fear of intrusiveness, fear of being alone...not trying to put words in your mouth or push any of those on you, but I mean that type of big-picture fear. My biggest fear is meeting my match. More on that later. After that, I am afraid of finding myself trapped and helpless in the face of a more powerful foe. 3. What types of real-life incidents you've encountered (or could potentially encounter) could face you with those fears? Name a few. How do you think I got in that crystal in the first place? And if I don't use my powers, I am still a 17 year old girl, so I am bound to meet a stronger, more experienced swordsman or martial artist. And in this new world I've been woken into, there are more exotic weapons than the bow-and-arrows I was trained to defeat - things called "guns" that use chemical explosives to propel lead pellets at speeds too fast to dodge or deflect unless one is a psychic. 4. Are you ever in those situations in your storyline in the novel you're in? Not yet! 5. What about "trivial" fears? Things like cockroaches, spiders, the dark, clows, any of those types of things. (Again, not putting words in your mouth, just using those as examples to illustrate what I mean). Anything without a spine, more than four legs, manibles instead of jaws, and more than two eyes will reduce me to a screaming wreck. It's humiliating and embarassing. I don't want to talk about it. 6. Is there anyone you are afraid of? If so, why? Does the reason have to do with reasons #2 or #5, or something entirely different? Okay. I am afraid of meeting my match. You see, what I mean by match is my evil counterpart. He will be a he. If you can compare me to Christ, he is the Anti-Christ. He is the chosen one of the Goddess of Darkness and Evil, while I'm the chosen one of the Sun Goddess and Good. When we meet, we must fight, and fight to the death. If he wins, humanity, if not all life on this world, is doomed, so I must win. My biggest fear is that he will turn out to be someone I care for, as the prophecy seems to imply. I hope my friends already met and defeated him while I was enchanted so I don't have to. 7. What do you find most disturbing? I'm not quite sure how to answer this. I guess I find humanity's aversion to magic disturbing, especially that they'd rewrite my own biography so I'd be more heroic since human sorceresses are considered in league with the forces of evil. 8. What do you think is the saddest problem in your society? I could write a whole book on that one. If I had to choose one, I'd say humanity's sense of wonder is all but gone. Everything is all about "knowlege" and "science". People seem to have lost respect for the gods, even going so far as to call Our Mother, the Sun a big ball of "radioactive" (whatever that means) gas; her brother, the Moon, a tiny world with mountains and no sky; and her sisters, the stars, as more balls of gas, floating billions of miles away. For some reason, that makes me really mad and hurt, as though they were insulting my own family.
I'll ask some questions of others tonight. Been thinking maybe my Covesea Characters aren't the best for this they are all pretty well developed even the minor ones. Dr. Augustus Harlow (Gus) Mild mannered academic - he is around seventy years old. I don't even know yet if he is human. With his wife the sharp talking umbrella clouting Iris and his precocious grandson Johnny they investigate strange phenomena that happens at archaeological excavations. Their first story involves a stone circle that goes missing over night. Right now I don't know anything else about him and the story has yet to be written.
1. What got him into paranormal investigations in the first place? 2. How does he feel about the paranormal he investigates? In awe, scared, hell-bent on avenging someone, curious, indifferent, jaded, etc? 3. What traits does he most love about Iris, and what caused him to really fall for her when they were dating? At what point did he realize he truly loved her, and what caused him to feel that way? 4. Is there anything about Iris that bugs him or that he dislikes? 5. What aspects of himself, if any, does he see in Johnny? 6. What are his biggest worries about Johnny? 7. If something were to go wrong with the paranormal spirit, what type of situation would terrify him the most? 8. What drives Gus to action? 9. What makes Gus angry/indignant/motivated to the point where he has to take action against it? 10. What, in general, scares Gus? 11. What makes him feel happiest in a bittersweet, touched way? 12. What makes him feel most relaxed and content? 13. What does he have most fun doing? 14. What makes him feel threatened? 15. What's a memory that stands out from his childhood, and how does it affect him now? I gave you a lot because the MC isn't developed yet. Hope I helped.
Hey guys, I'm writing this story of mine and I already have a few characters figured out, but this one character of mine is refusing to show himself. I would appreciate any help you can give me. My character's name is Ferguson. He's leading a band of followers to a new home where they hope to be free from other predators. (He is a field mouse)This is his primary goal, but I feel like there needs to be more to his character to make him more three-dimensional. Maybe an internal conflict or something? I just want to discover more unique quirks and details about him. If any of you could drop me a line or two, that'd be great
Questions for Ferguson the mouse: 1. Are there any weird habits or obsessions you have? OCD quirks like on Monk? 2. What are your biggest pet peeves? 3. As a leader, does anything cause you to clash with other leaders? What's the most important thing in a leader, and what makes a BAD leader? 4. Among those whom you lead, what makes you really happy/proud? What bugs you? What do you have absolutely no tolerance for? 5. Who or what do you look to for inspiration? 6. When confronted by enemies - such as raccoons or something - how do you fight them off or flee from them? What would you do if you were ambushed?
1.) If an owl dropped into your midst and took off with your second in command what would you do? 2.) Do you have family?
1. I would nearly die of a broken heart. My wife is my life. My all. But with a band to lead, I would somehow persevere. 2. No, I only have a wife. Someday the small pitter-pattering of feet will be heard in our den though. 1. I like to twirl the tip of my tail around my left paw when I think. I have to keep my fur clean. 2. I have to be up in the morning at exactly sunrise to get a feel of the day’s weather. It’s vital to my doings of the day. 3. a. Yes, opinions. Everyone has their own opinion and each one isn't necessarily wrong. But there's always one right solution to a problem. b. Decisiveness. A leader must know exactly what to do at the exact time a problem arises. The lives of those who rely on him depend on his decisions. c. Cowardice. But how a bad leader comes into this position, I do not know. 4. To see my band getting along. To see them working as a team. Whether they know it or not, we are a family. What bugs me? To see someone shut another someone down. I believe everyone has a voice of their own, and no one has the right to snuff another voice out. What do you have absolutely no tolerance for? I have no tolerance for lies. 5. I look to the Great Creator for inspiration. 6. I, myself, would distract the predator along with the cooperation of another one of my band and enable my people to get away. If we were ambushed, I'd pray. But with our instincts and senses, we'd know something was out of link beforehand. ----------------------------------------- Thank you, Corbyn and Mallory for submitting questions. They were much help
Caleb Monroe- Caleb is a demon stuck on earth until he fills his quota of souls. A task that wouldn’t be too difficult in the old days, however with faith and belief thanks to all sorts of new media and the bible it has become increasingly difficult for Caleb to effectively harvest his souls. He decides the best way to go about getting out of this predicament and back into hell would be to turn or win the soul of an angel (that would be the equivalent of winning the lottery). Caleb is 5’9 with dark hair and green eyes in his human form. He can take several forms depending on what the situation calls for. He can progress through time only in the context of a single person’s life, and is limited to working in tandem with which ever angel is assigned to the human he is. He is a manifested version of a person’s conscience.
Please excuse this being third person not ready yet to write Gus first person I don't have a definite voice or mannerisms for him. 1. What got him into paranormal investigations in the first place? His parents were at very least pagan – I suspect thcy may have fairy/demon/angelic background. His first investigation I think involved a convent with an errant demon nun. After that he wrote a book on strange phenomena and became reknowned in the field now people call on him. 2. How does he feel about the paranormal he investigates? In awe, scared, hell-bent on avenging someone, curious, indifferent, jaded, etc? Intrigued I think academically interested he is almost detached from it all. He stands back watching everyone flap and then comes in and sorts out the problem. 3. What traits does he most love about Iris, and what caused him to really fall for her when they were dating? At what point did he realize he truly loved her, and what caused him to feel that way? They only had one night together about 30-40 years before. Iris was ashamed and left before he got to say or do anything. She was pregnant. I think they love is still developing he spent all that time searching for her. 4. Is there anything about Iris that bugs him or that he dislikes? Not really he is very easygoing and has spent so long wanting their relationship he overlooks things. After living alone so long he is struggling sharing his home. 5. What aspects of himself, if any, does he see in Johnny? His curiosity, inquisitive nature. His eyes. 6. What are his biggest worries about Johnny? His lack of male influence in his life up until this point. Johnny's Mummy was very ill all his life and his father abusive. His father is currently in prison and Gus is very concerned about what will happen when he gets out of prison and in is in position to see Johnny. 7. If something were to go wrong with the paranormal spirit, what type of situation would terrify him the most? Probably something that helps in find out what his parents really were he doesn't want to know where he came from. 8. What drives Gus to action? Injustice and situations where no one else will help. 9. What makes Gus angry/indignant/motivated to the point where he has to take action against it? Anyone disrespecting something he cares about whether that be the environment, Iris, Johnny or his daughter. 10. What, in general, scares Gus? Death – he has been convinced since a small child that there is someone waiting to get him. 11. What makes him feel happiest in a bittersweet, touched way? That he met his daughter. When Iris left she was pregnant and he didn't know – he came back into her life just a few months before his daughter died. 12. What makes him feel most relaxed and content? Oddly Iris – knowing she is part of his life. Alterntively, soft boiled egg, orange juice, crusty bread, Listening to BBC Radio 3 or BBC Radio 4 or on a Sunday even the music from the potting shed on radio 2 and reading his newspaper. 13. What does he have most fun doing? Being the first to uncover and artefact that no one else has seen in a thousand years. Showing Johnny the different trees and other wonders of the world. 14. What makes him feel threatened? His childhood – he has a suspicion that it wasn't the way he remembers it. 15. What's a memory that stands out from his childhood, and how does it affect him now? Something coming to take his sister – they had been playing and she disappeared. He doesn't know if his memories are real. There is no record anywhere of his or his sister's birth. He can't find anything out about his parents.
1. What will happen to him, eventually, if stuck on Earth forever? Why is this bad? What is the ultimate fate he's running from? 2. What is his favorite form to take and what is his least favorite? Why? 3. How does he view the people on Earth? 4. How does he feel about taking people's souls? Guilty, or like it's the best thing for them? 5. What makes him happiest? 6. What makes him sad? 7. What angers him? 8. What makes him feel threatened? 9. Was he ever a human, and if so, what was his life like then? ---------------------------------------------------------- Elgaisma: I really liked your answers - some of them would make your book have good potential for a horror story, or at least horror elements. The part about something getting his sister and the dark mystery with his parents for example.
1. What will happen to him, eventually, if stuck on Earth forever? Why is this bad? What is the ultimate fate he's running from?: I cannot be “stuck” here forever, eventually I will fill my quota of souls and return home to hell. The longer I am here the more isolated I become. My only companion at this point is my pesky counterpart Arian. If I should fail to bring my quota of souls home I do not know what would become of me. We have oral histories and legends just as you do, and there are stories of Demons living among you humans. I have never met one. 2. What is his favorite form to take and what is his least favorite? Why? Forms are something we demons learn at a young age, just as you learn to walk and talk. They serve a function, but I prefer not to be seen when possible. 3. How does he view the people on Earth? Humans are like ants, there are many of you scurrying around for crumbs. When a great disaster such as a flood comes you are swept away, until the survivors resurface to frenzy for scraps again. 4. How does he feel about taking people's souls? Guilty, or like it's the best thing for them? I do not feel for anything, a soul is a soul and must go somewhere. 5. What makes him happiest? Blatant violence and disregard for the well being of a person’s soul make my job much easier. Also, I enjoy Tom and Jerry cartoons. 6. What makes him sad? *Glares slightly at the questioner* 7. What angers him? I detest humans who cannot or will not take responsibility for their thoughts and actions. 8. What makes him feel threatened? I have never felt threatened, but a lack of control or uncertainty… that is another matter. 9. Was he ever a human, and if so, what was his life like then? One legend has it that we ethereal beings (angels and demons alike) can choose much like your free will, the path we wish to take. I have never risen or known anyone to rise but there are rumors of Angels falling to hell. It is whispered that as punishment for a fall the being is taught the value of a soul by spending one of your human lifetimes on earth. We all assume this is a myth. (Thanks Mallory for the Questions I would have never thought of the Tom and Jerry thing otherwise...)
^ No problem Mal but thanks are always nice to give Questions for Esmeralda Stellina 1. How will you support yourself since everything you knew in the world has changed since you’ve slept? 2. You are forced to pick between rivaling political agendas in your world, do you choose the side with least impact on the people of your world, or the one with more immediate gain to yourself?
1. How will you support yourself since everything you knew in the world has changed since you’ve slept? I'm still not sure. Currently, I am staying with the descendants of one of my friends, the Lucia family. They work for the Royal House of Soliarous, the descendants of the boy who was supposed to help me save the world. I suppose I could help out as an extra bodyguard for the Crown Prince, if the Lucias would let me do something more than raking dry grass and sweeping the porch. I'm a warrior princess, not a maid! 2. You are forced to pick between rivaling political agendas in your world, do you choose the side with least impact on the people of your world, or the one with more immediate gain to yourself? Tough question. On the one hand, the first party would be my home country of Marinia, where my people live, and my great-great-great-grandnephews and nieces still rule as kings and queens. On the other hand, the other party would be Sierria, the arch-rival of Marinia. In my day, part of my mission was to unite Marinia with Sierria, and end the fighting once and for all. I succeeded with the help of the Soliarous boy, but somehow his descendants undid all our work - though it wasn't exactly all thier fault, more like 1% thier fault and 99% the fault of those stupid, arrogant, Sierrians. In my heart, I would like to try and repair the alliance with Sierria and Marinia (maybe with the Soliarous boy's cute descendant) but if that can't work, I would side with my homeland and my countrymen. The hardest part about that would be escaping from the Lucias and the Soliarouses since they live in the Sierrian heartland, and making my way across the mountains, over the border, and into Marinia, which opens your first question again: how will I support myself in a society where it isn't enough to say, 'I have a sword, I know how to use it, do you have anyone who needs saving, outlaws who need an ass-whooping, or do you know of a lost treasure I can plunder?' I don't even know if that kind of work exists these days. I suppose I could try learning how to work those "gun" things and learn to use my powers in secret; just as a starting point, just in case I can find that sort of work.
Name: Hilda Sandström Setting: Post apocalyptic northern Sweden. (Lots of dogs, snowmobiles and moose hunting) Age: 24 Sex: Female Personality: Outgoing. A bit provocative. Hard worker. Her generosity knows borders. The sort of person that keep people at a distance not by being reserved but by choosing what to express and by manipulating. Goals: Keep on living her life, staying out of trouble, keeping her free will, be accepted or at least tolerated the way she is, keep friends and family safe. Family and friends: Mongrel dog, the old couple she share an house with, a few childhood friends, parents and siblings she got a good relationship to but cant have regular contact with. Conflict: The fear of the other as well as the fear of changing is overalls themes. She had to much to do with the other side, and fears that she becoming to much like them. She also fear the post apocalyptic regime. She also struggles with up keeping the lifestyle far away from civilization.
Hilda: If some kind of major conflict happened between the old couple you live with, would the conflict most likely be and how would you handle it? I can help more if you tell me more about what makes the setting apocolyptic and what is the "other" that she is afraid of - also what is the regime like? This way I can think of questions that could be relevant to your plot. Thanks!
Questions for Hilda: 1) If a person you dislike/fear, say, a fairly important person of the regime, somehow came in contact with you. How would you react if your dog warms up to him, say, lick his fingers, instead of barking? 2) What will you do if you start having feelings for someone else other than your boyfriend, say, the person mentioned in question 1? 3) Assuming there is scarcity of food, what will you do if your parents/siblings ask you to sell something precious you own to buy food? 4) How would you react if a sibling/friend/boyfriend decides to join the regime army(or whatever is relevant to your story)? 5) What will you do if you have to be a part of the regime to survive? 6) Will you sleep with the person mentioned in question 1 if that's the only way you can maintain your lifestyle (which I am assuming is better than most)?
Manav, I just skimmed the thread again and I see that you've been extremely helpful and contributive to other members, but haven't posted your own MC. Would you like to let us return the favor for you?
Thanks for asking. I'll post when I have a character to develop. For now I am just happy to help. Anyway, I think it is very good mental exercise for me as well to come up with those questions, which I am sure will help me with my character developments.
Would you mind having a look at Esmeralda? Feel free to develop questions from her profile as well as her responses to previous questions
