Monday, February 6, 2012

"I'm Hearing Voices" Blogfest Day 1: Characters On the Couch


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".



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.)

18 comments:

  1. 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

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  2. Holy crap! I hope I don't get on her bad side!

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  3. Hi, Hildred! I'm a new follower.
    I like Syrfila. She's a badass, but I want to give her a hug.

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  4. @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!

    @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.)

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  5. Hildred--I love interviews with the antag! Syrfila (great name, by the way :) sounds so broken. Those are the best characters. Great job!

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  6. Interesting character with a lot of issues. You can go a long way with her.

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  7. Oh 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.

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  8. Sounds like a very intriguing character! I'd really like to know the rest of her story.

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  9. @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!

    @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!

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  10. 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!

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    1. She'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.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  11. Interesting. She is fascinating, and scary.

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    1. I 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!

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  12. Very intriguing character - easy to loathe I would think - but I want to know what made her the way she is!

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    1. Ha, 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 =)

      Thanks for stopping by!

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