Beautiful People: August

Beautiful People is here again! Doing one person is boring, so I decided to do three characters. I brought back Adhara, and I'm introducing Mira (who's the protagonist of the story, so it's about time she made an appearance), and a novice healer named Ehrai. These three are really the core characters of the story so I thought it'd be fun to hold them up to one another and look at how different they all are. So... yeah...

1) What does your character regret the most in their life? 

A: #Spoilers

M: Nothing very much. She doesn’t really have a tragic story. She’s been very sheltered her entire life

E: His younger brother died before the story starts. It wasn’t really anyone’s fault (illness), but he’s still sad about it. It’s what made him want to become a healer.

2) What is your character's happiest memory? Most sorrowful memory? 

A: Geez, what’s with all of the super spoilerific questions? Um, happiest memory is being invited to study at a prestigious scholar’s guild. That’s all I’m saying

M: Her happiest memory? Geez, that’s deep. I haven’t developed my main character enough yet to know that. *hangs head in shame* where are the shallow questions? Sad memory???

E: Happiest memory: Playing with his brother when they were younger. Saddest memory: His brother dying.

3) What majorly gets on your character’s nerves? 

A: Interaction with people she feels are ridiculous.

M: People who are unkind to others.

E: When people get cuts and don’t clean them properly. I mean really. At least wash it off!

4) Do they act differently when they're around people as opposed to being alone? If so, how? 

A: Not really – which is maybe not a good thing seeing as how she is generally unpleasant.

M: Yes, most people do. She’s very polite and worried about how others are feeling and how they perceive her. When she’s alone she’s more relaxed.

E: Yes – when he’s with people he’s very outgoing and gregarious. He likes to make jokes and tease people. When he’s alone he’s usually more calm and serious (usually because he’s studying)

5) What are their beliefs and superstitions? (Examples: their religion or lack of one, conspiracy theories, throwing salt, fear of black cats.) 

A: Adhara is a follower of a complex religious system. It is monotheistic, but is littered with different spirits. These aren’t divine, but they’re believed to be closely intertwined with human life, and have a higher authority than humans. Sometimes they work with man, sometimes they’re his enemy. You live your life trying to appease the spirits, and occasionally attempt to bind or vanquish ones who get out of control. This is tied into a larger observance of the supreme deity who man and spirit worship in common, but in different ways and never together. You may pray to both God and to the spirits for help and guidance.

M: Mira is a priestess of the main human religion of the region. It’s basically an institutionalized version of what Adhara does. It places more of an emphasis on the supreme deity, and tends to view all spirits as threats (not without reason). Adherents are forbidden to ask the spirits for help or guidance, and instead follow strict rituals observing the one God they recognize.  

E: Ehrai is more superstitious than religious. He believes in both God and in spirits, but neither really affects the way he lives his life. He doesn’t really pray to either, and regards both with a certain amount of suspicion. He believes in things like ghosts and magic amulets that protect the wearer – although he never really feels enough fear to buy those sorts of things.

6) What are their catchphrases, or things they say frequently? 

A: “That’s wrong,” “tch.” “You’re an idiot,” and things like that.

M: She doesn’t really have any

E: “Let me look at that”

7) Would they be more prone to facing fears or running from them? 

A: She doesn’t just face her fears; she hunts them through dark alleyways and watches them while they sleep. She will stalk her fears until they are afraid of her and she has mastered herself once more. It offends her that things can make her feel that way.

M: She is more of the sort of person to run from her fears, mostly because she’s never really had any serious one before – not the kind you really have to face.

E: He’s the kind of person who faces his fears head on and always tries to do what he feels is right.

8) Do they have a good self image? 

A: Absolutely not, and also yes. It is possible to have both a terrible and incredibly arrogant estimation of your own self-worth at the same exact time.

M: She doesn’t have low self-esteem, but she’s also not arrogant. She’s young and unsure of herself sometimes, but she never doubts her worth and value.

E: He’s the same as Mira, although maybe a bit too sure of himself sometimes. He’s confident in his abilities as a healer, so far as they go, but he’s certainly not arrogant, not like Adhara anyways.

9) Do they turn to people when they're upset, or do they isolate themselves? 

A: She would isolate herself all the time if she could – so no, she doesn’t go to other people.

M: She likes to be alone to think things through. Then she’ll go and try and resolve whatever issue has been upsetting her.

E: He turns to his teacher for advice or to his father when he’s at home. He doesn’t do things alone very well, including thinking through his problems.

10) If they were standing next to you would it make you laugh or cry? 

A: Neither? She’d probably make me feel incredibly irritated though.

M: She’d make me smile if she were next to me. She’s just a nice, kind person – the sort of person who’s good at making you feel special and important.

E: He’d make me laugh for sure. He’s a funny guy, and he enjoys being the center of attention.