It's day one of the Blogfest hosted over at Live to Write...Edit When Necessary and Reading, Writing, and Lovin' It! Today's challenge is:
"Characters
on the couch: Have one of your characters answer the following
questions (to make this work to your benefit, choose a character who
is the hardest for you to write :) Max 250 words (Not including the questions—only
the answers). "
I've decided to use a CROSS// character, Syrfila Tograten, alias and officially known in the series as "Yumiko Kobayashi".
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| Well, this picture sums her up. We're done here. Everyone go home. |
She's in that awkward void between protagonist and just so utterly horrible of a human being that I don't want to call her a protagonist. All you really need to know is that she's an intergalactic criminal. She blew up a planet or two.
1. What
is your biggest vulnerability? Do others know this or is it a secret?
I am alone. Even when I surround myself with people, I am alone. I keep people at a distance. I think it’s pretty obvious to most people who know me. It’s one reason they hate me.
There’s no one to turn to. I truly am alone.
2. What
do people believe about you that is false?
I suppose most people think I am
incapable of being selfless. That I can’t “love”. They may even say they don’t
think I love myself. At this point in my existence, they may be right. I really
don’t care about anyone else. But I did once. I didn’t realize how much I cared
about her until I was arrested.
3. What
would your best friend say is your fatal flaw? Why?
My best friend? I guess the closest thing I have to one of those…ha, she
would say that it’s just generally being a horrible person. The thing is, I
know she’s right. But I can’t stop hurting her. Seeing her in pain means we’re
equals.
4. What
would the same friend say is your one redeeming quality? Why?
I am the only person she can confide
in. I know who she is and where she’s been. She hates it, but at least she sees
some use in me.
5. What
do you want most? What will you do to get it?
I just don’t want to die like that. I don’t want to be caged
like some animal and then shot for the entire universe to see. I don’t want the
last thing I hear to be the cheers and jeers. I don’t want the last thing I see
to be her, commanding my death.
I’ve killed to save myself from this. I will kill again. I
would kill you. Selflessly.
(fun fact: the answers are exactly 250 words!...according to Word, anyway.)
Absorbing interview. She is so rooted in her pain that she cannot see beyond herself, like so many we pass on the streets. You made her "real" -- we feel for her, while yet knowing she is a killer ... as long as she is kept at safe distance! :-) Your new follower, Roland
ReplyDeleteHoly crap! I hope I don't get on her bad side!
ReplyDeleteHi, Hildred! I'm a new follower.
ReplyDeleteI like Syrfila. She's a badass, but I want to give her a hug.
@Roland - Thank you for stopping by! And thank you for the comments! You're quite right, she really is self-absorbed but at least she admits it, I suppose. And thanks for the follow!
ReplyDelete@Cassie - LOL, probably a good idea. I can't beat that recommendation.
@Emily - Thank you for the follow! I don't think she would appreciate any hugs. She's not very touchy unless she met you at a bar, but hey, you're welcome to try. (Let me know how that goes, eh.)
Hildred--I love interviews with the antag! Syrfila (great name, by the way :) sounds so broken. Those are the best characters. Great job!
ReplyDeleteInteresting character with a lot of issues. You can go a long way with her.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. What an interesting, complex character! She sounds amazing. And I love the tension you leave us with at the end. Her "friend" could possibly be her death sentence. Crazy! Sounds so cool! Great job.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very intriguing character! I'd really like to know the rest of her story.
ReplyDeleteWow, she is strange. Scary.
ReplyDelete@Angela - "Broken" is a very good way to describe her, but try convincing her of that. She's not really much of an antag as far as plot goes, because she ends up in the same mess as all the protags, but like I said, I don't like calling her a protag, lol. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDelete@Carol - Writing her is like opening a box dropped off anonymously at your door. I have no idea what's going to be inside, and sometimes it's not so bad, and others I wish I had "returned to sender". Thanks for stopping by!
@Leigh - I think I only have one other character who rivals her for quite that much complexity, and that's her "friend". They do quite a number to each other. And thanks!
@Capillary: There's a link up top to her flash bio I did a few months ago if you'd like to know more about her. Otherwise I'm busy editing the first installment for possible 2013 publication. Thanks for stopping by!
@Dianne: Haha, scary and strange sum her up quite nicely. Thanks!
I think it would be interesting to see if she could redeem herself. It's like she just hasn't found that one person to show her her worth!
ReplyDeleteShe's very complex when it comes to redemption. I think she may be too far gone into herself to ever truly be redeemed, but she does make a couple off-handed attempts. She at least improves a bit in her morality as time goes on, which, as the person writing, makes me very, very, happy haha.
DeleteThanks for stopping by!
Totally intrigued...
ReplyDeleteThanks! :)
DeleteInteresting. She is fascinating, and scary.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what she's going to do half the time I'm writing her. Sometimes she totally surprises me for better or for worse. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteVery intriguing character - easy to loathe I would think - but I want to know what made her the way she is!
ReplyDeleteHa, she's scared a couple of my betas (both men). I'm still trying to figure out the details on what shaped her like that as well. Honestly, I think it's about half-intrinsic to her while the other half was exacerbated by events of her adolescence. We'll see, eh =)
DeleteThanks for stopping by!