Question Friday 07

Yay for questions! Again, a great list of questions that will give you just a little more insight to what our characters are. 


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1. Do Milo, Galen, Sophia, and Daphne have any hobbies?Milo's hobby is his job, which is being a thief. His favorite thing to do is figure out if he can pickpocket someone without their knowledge and then manage to give whatever item he stole back to them without raising suspicion. Galen is an archer and actually quite good with a traditional bow and arrow. Sophia studies history mostly. Daphne's hobby is beating the boys at their hobbies. 

2. Suppose Julian was approached by robbers and asked to come with them to undertake a special ritual. They swear that he will not lose his life or feel any lightening of his pockets. There is also the side benefit that no robbers in their widespread multinational thief society will ever rob him. What would Julian do at the start of his quest? Would his reaction change at all by the end?
Honestly, this sounds very much like what Milo does when he first meets Julian. I mean, it isn't exactly, but there's some stupid plot that goes on and Julian somehow gets sucked into. In the case that it wasn't Milo and just random robbers, Julian would seriously consider this ritual, so long as it doesn't get in the way of his plans or take him too far from where he is going. However, at the end of his quest, Julian would bargain with them and be much smarter about it.

3. Who, of the characters you've named here so far, is the most likely to:
- panic hilariously in an emergency? Milo and Julian
- be the voice of reason? The Triplets or Sophia
- come up with the action plan? Galen or Daphne, though possibly both with conflicting plans.
- patch up the wounded? Daphne and Sophia
- perform feats of derring doe? Julian
- win a dance competition? Galen for sure!
- give the best relationship advice? Sophia, though it would be lacking all emotional advice and be logical
- give the best directions to get to any place imagineable? Benny the Hunter
- drink everyone else under the table and then some? Milo
- have a fun or unusual phobia? What is it? Milo and he's afraid of losing track of time.
- quote poetry? Galen

4. Would Julian ever play drinking games? If he would/does, what's his favourite?
Yes, he would. His favorite probably involves taking a drink every time in a speech his father addresses the people as 'friends' or 'brothers.' I'm sure there's lots of other rules. You can just imagine Julian and Galen absolutely plastered by the end of the Kings addresses to the public.


5. If you suddenly were given a million dollars, what would you do?
First, I'd pay off debts. Then I would help pay off my parent's debts. I'd ration a small amount for a vacation and the rest would go into savings. 


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Thanks for reading! Some of these were fun to answer since they were pretty hilarious. I swear, Milo cracks me up all the time. I hope you have a fabulous weekend. 


LL&P

Character Development Process

I was thinking about how I choose how a character looks and I realized that I don't really have a set way of doing it. I felt like exploring that today, though.

I don't really plan out how my characters are going to look. When I start with a character idea, I usually come up with their personality first and as I go with that, their physical appearance just comes to me. Sometimes it has to do with one aspect of their personality that reminds me of a specific look or it just sneaks up on me and means completely nothing. With Julian, he came to me pretty quickly. I knew I wanted darker features and strong bone structure while still appearing young. I needed him to look like the hero, but still look pretty green when it came to the world around him. I didn't want him to stick out in society, but he needed to look like he definitely wasn't from around there (or where ever he ended up).

His family came fairly easy once I had him figured out. I knew that he was going to look similar to his father, having gotten most of his looks from him, minus the fact that he has some softer feature and expressions from his mother. His sister I wanted to look fairer than the rest of them and that probably just comes from the want for a bit of the fair maiden stereotype. She's by no means that character, but I don't mind using cliches. Those characters came easy. The rest of them? Well, not so easy.

Milo is giving me trouble, but not as much a another character that I can't introduce you to, because they are a secret. Milo originally was this shady character, who was this short, ratty looking character with a nose too big for his face, beady eyes and thin, stringy hair. However, I started having second thoughts when I realized that, he's a con-artist and being ugly and a con-artist would make him an amazing con-artist, but being attractive (relatively) and a con-artist would make it more likely for him to be one. I figured then, that he needed to stop looking like he was so gross and start looking like it was plausible that he did his trade, dare I call it that.

Now, this is a whole different kind of character development. Instead of just having their face come to me, I have to work with what characters he will be around, the needs that his physical appearance with serve, and the way other characters will see him. So, that's where I'm at. Taking  a look at what his purpose is, I should be able to figure out what he's supposed to look like--in theory. What I figure is that I'd like to have a contrast between Milo and Julian, so Milo is going to be pretty fair. I'm thinking light to medium blonde hair that is cut neatly, medium to light green eyes, still short with not as rigid facial features as Julian. He'll have to be an inviting face, one that people want to trust. He isn't a strong looking fellow, but he isn't soft. Most of his attributes look fairly average, which allows him to blend in.

Make sense? I know I just did a total brainstorm at you for no discernible reason, but you all love me so you'll ready anything I write. Right? Riiiight? Good.

LL&P

Princess of [Kingdom]

Continuing with my family theme, you get to briefly meet Julian's sister. I know these haven't been the most interesting posts, but they give you a little bit of info on the other characters in the story, or at least characters I am allowed to introduce you to without giving anything away. Like I promised last week, here's Sophia.

Name: Sophia Helen de Arques

Age: 17

Height: 5’5”

Weight: 110

Build: Slender, elegant, small boned

Eyes: Deep blue and almond shaped, but larger than her mother’s

Skin: Olive

Hair: Waist length, golden dark blonde with a slight wave.

Other Facial Features: Striking features with soft eyes and high cheekbones. Resembles her mother, but more striking.

Occupation: Princess

Personality: Intelligent, perceptive, observant and generally quiet, but has a gentle way of expressing herself verbally. She has a way with words and charming everyone around her. She less gentle with her older brother.

Background: Born to be the crown jewel of the family. She if very beautiful for as young as she is. She does not regret her place in the family, though she would like to choose her own husband as opposed to having to be arranged in a marriage and her mother has tried to make it as easy as possible. She is currently seeking suitors.

Greek God Equivalent: Athena

Uh, yup. That's about it. I can't really think of anything else I was going to say about this today. I will point out, that my dog's name is Sophia and I kinda like it that way. I know she will have a place in the book, but I'm not completely sure how in depth it is just yet. 

Good news, I'm planning on disappearing out of my house for a bit tonight to go sit at Starbucks, get a drink and do some work on this whole thing. I'm not sure what my plan is for tonight. We'll see how it goes over. I'm looking forward to getting out of my house for a while though. Thanks for reading.

Queen of [Kingdom]

So, here you get to meet Mama de Arques. Again, I'm not sure exactly how she looks aside form what I've described down there. Then again, that could change. I don't know. Looks are hard for me right now.

Name: Claire Helena de Arques

Age: 40

Height: 5’6”

Weight: 125

Build: Motherly curves

Eyes: Almond shaped and rich green

Skin: Medium olive, lighter than her husband

Hair: Waist length golden brown and straight, though always in elaborate hair dos under her diadem.

Other Facial Features: Soft and inviting with a quiet sort of beauty.

Occupation: Queen

Personality: Soft, quiet, respectful, traditional, takes her place at her husbands right side always prepared, though that doesn't make her completely unassertive. She is a strong presence in her husbands life and does have quite an influence on him. She loves her children very much and is upset to see her son have to go on his quest to take the throan.

Background: Born the daughter of a Duke, she was always destined to be married off into royalty, though Julian II’s liking of her and consequent love of her was unexpected. She bore two healthy children to Julian II, but was unable to conceive again after their daughter Sophia.

Greek God Equivalent: Hera

Other: Often seen in peacock colors.

I was going to tell you all something else, but now I can't remember what it is. I started watching Heroes and it definitely brainwashed me. Also, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is on television and now it is certainly that my brain will be mush by the end of the day. I think anyone from when that movie was made and on that names their kid Ferris is asking for trouble. 

On an unrelated note, I now have an affiliates list. If you know anyone else that is working on their own art or writing projects, have them contact me and I can list them if they list me. Also, check out the first affiliate. It's amazing. A friend of my older brother is starting a clothing company; for every shirt you buy, one shirt gets donated to someone in need. It takes the charity/clothing alliance to an all new level. I can't wait until they really get started on it. Keep an eye out for them! You can check them out at http://no1without.blogspot.com!

Question Friday 03

Wow, I keep making late posts in the day. I think I average about 5PM though, so it's okay. Things have been going on around my house and I've just now gotten a chance to sit down and write this out. Lots of questions, too.

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1. So, what's your favourite comfort food?

Spaghetti and marinara. It has been my comfort food since I was a kid. It is the only thing I crave when I am sick.

2. What does Julian think of when he daydreams?

Not having to go through with this tradition. He wants to be given the time to go learn about the world on his own without the added pressure of running a kingdom on his heels. 

3. Does Julian have siblings?

Yes. Julian has one sister, named Sophia Helen de Arques. She is seventeen years old and as of Julian's birthday, she is looking for suitors. She remains at the castle while Julian is on his quest, but she will come into play, I believe in the second book. I'm not sure, but I will be utilizing her. More on her later.

4. Does he have a pet?

He does not have a pet that is just his. There are hunting dogs and horses among other things that belong to the royal family, but there isn't anything that he calls his own. 

5. Any thoughts on the climate of [Kingdom]?

I am in the process of drawing a map, actually. The coastal regions range from mild to cool and rainy. Inland there are forests and deserts, but most of the occupied land is around water, whether it be lakes or rivers or even manmade bodies of water. The one thing that there isn't is any tropical climates or rainforest-like climates. Also, I am so referring to it as [Kingdom] from now until I get a name for it.

6. What is your writing process like?

My process changes depending on how serious I am about what I am writing. Sometimes, I just fly by the seat of my pants and go. In this case, I do a lot more planning. I like to write up character profiles for each character that includes precise information on how they look, their personality, their history, their likes and dislikes and any other technical information I need to remember when it comes to writing them into the story. Once I have everyone as detailed as possible, I will write an outline that is a chapter by chapter synopsis. It details the main point of the chapter, what I am trying to convey. I sometimes have more detailed information than others, it just depends on the kind of chapter it is. Often, a chapter is dreamt up from one line of dialogue or a sentence that I want to include and I will build around that. 

I find that I tend to work a little bit backwards. I find one detail that I like and I create the story around that. If I have two details, I will run through every possibility that they have to be connect and go from there. My writing process is very scattered because my ideas come out of left field sometimes. Some of my best ideas I've ever had happened in a grocery store or while shopping. I keep a small notebook with me all the time, just in case. Then, I go home compare all the notes and find the plot inside it. For this story though, the process will be a lot more structured than usual.

7. Did you get character ideas from people you know, other fandom characters or what?

My character ideas come from all over. I find that a lot of times I know that my plot needs one characteristic to round it out. For example, with Julian's sister, Sophia; I knew that somewhere in the family I needed a place that Julian could feel he wasn't being pressured and I wanted a sort of logic and realistic feel to this place. So, I took those characteristics--logic, realistic, familiar, intelligence--and wound them all up into one character. That is what Sophia is. She's a very smart, level-headed, intelligent young woman who is a counter balance at home for Julian. They aren't great friends, but they care for each other. I knew that it would give him a firm foundation. It just worked out that she corresponds well with the goddess Athena. 

Other times, my characters just come to me. Or maybe I have one look or purpose they need to serve in the book. I'm finding that a lot of the characters in this trilogy are created on and around Julian based on my needs to advance the plot. Luckily, I find that my favorite characteristics are easily implemented in this fantasy world and I can use all my loved personality traits and quirks. I will say this, there's at least two characters that did receive parial inspiration from Captain Jack Sparrow. 

8. Do you have faces for any of the characters?

What's funny about this is that I have so many characters to put faces to, but only Julian's came to me and made sense. The rest of them are still up in the air. There's one character in particular, that I could tell you their personality, the way they dress, their scars, their quirks, their fears, their vices, personal details about their childhood and I cannot for the life of me settle on their physical attributes. I can't decide on hair color, hair length, eye color, body type or height. I mean, I know next to nothing about how they look, but I know everything about who they are. Looks are alluding me a little bit for characters, but I think once I get moving on it, they will make a little more sense. For now, we will just have to live with my poor descriptions of their physical appearance.

9. Does Julian have a sidekick/bestie that will accompany him on his travels of epic proportions?

The Quest of Kings does not allow the heir to embark on the journey with a companion. So, starting out on the journey? No. Julian is completely alone, but--and I think I can tell you this without giving away too much, because I want to talk about him--Julian will very quickly gain a traveling companion. I know I've mention Milo Lycus before. He is a very interesting character that nearly gets Julian into trouble... over and over again. I will get to him next week, I believe. He may not be Julian's best friend and definitely not at the beginning, but he definitely occupies the 'sidekick' role.

10. What inspiring/badass music have you been listening to to prepare/write this epic?

Oh man, I dont' even have a good answer for this. I listen to a lot of movie soundtracks when it comes to this kind of thing because I want it to play very clearly in the reader's head when they discover this fantasy land. I've taken to string quartets and also a lot of the metal sounds that are in Hellboy II have been pretty inspiring. Also, the song "Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)" by Arcade Fire has been and interesting mix. They actually use the sound of whistling kettles in the song and I like the image it gives me. If I find anything else I love, I'll be sure to share it with you!

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I hope that feeds your craving this week and that you will survive until next week when I post again. I hope to get some plotting worked on this weekend, God willing. A lot is going on around my house right now, but I am consistently excited about this trilogy and I really cannot wait to share it. Thanks for reading!