"I'm so glad I live in a world
where there are Octobers."
Thus sayeth Anne Shirley of Green Gables, to which I answer, "Ah ha! I always knew there was a reason I liked Anne!"
October is a beautiful month. It means the proper beginning of autumn, and preparation for November's NaNo writing, and - best of all - my family and I going on our annual beach trip. When a month is full of such lovelies, who could not adore it? It being October means, however, that there are several Announcements. First off, I already mentioned that I will be on vacation Oct. 12-19, and I doubt I will be posting during that period. If I am very on-the-ball, I might have posts ready-made to go live; but since I doubt I'll be that proactive, and because last time I tried scheduling a post it didn't work, I don't think you'll see any Scribbles posts that week.
Secondly, and much more fun for
you, Jenny and I are
celebrating the second anniversaries of our novels
The Shadow Things and
The Soldier's Cross this November! Scribbles will be full of giveaways, chatty posts about the book and publishing and that good stuff, speaking French and German, covering screens and I know not what. (Kudos if you got that reference.) There will also be question-and-answer posts, so if you have anything to ask, hurry and send me your questions! You may post them here, send them via Facebook, or email me, and I'll answer them during November.
It's going to be big, folks!
On now to the subject of this post. I didn't do anything with Beautiful People last month; Sky and Georgie's meme is on hold due to the busy-ness of their lives at present, but I do like to shuffle the previous questions about and go on with it all the same. This month I'm bringing in another character from
Tempus Regina: Regina's younger brother, who isn't actually present through most of the story.
kay
1. What does he look like?
Kay is very thin and pale, all limbs and sharply-defined bones. His hair sticks up in odd tufts and, being black, makes his face even paler and thinner; he has large eyes, brown with an odd, heavy coloring of watered gold. If his mind had grown with his body, he might by this time have been the quintessential Byronic hero. As it is, he looks something like a ghost.
2. How old is he?
Kay is fourteen - in years, at least.
3. What kind of personality does he have? Introverted or extroverted? Cheerful or morose?
Extroverted, despite being mentally ill. Kay is friendly in the same careless, open way a child is friendly, for he knows no reason not to be. Living in the slums of Victorian London, such naivete can get him into worlds of trouble, and Regina is often hard-pressed to keep her brother safe. At the same time, Kay has the usual childish streak of selfishness about him and can be difficult to cope with; he is, in essence, the typical child of four in the body of a fourteen-year-old.
4. What animals does he like best?
Kay is fond of most animals. He especially likes moths, and loves to watch the light through their wings as they fly around lamps. Also, some years ago he saw a fawn in a picture book and now talks about it frequently; he is set on seeing one and petting it.
5. Is there something he is afraid of?
Kay is not afraid of much; he isn't self-aware enough to be afraid. As long as he knows Regina is somewhere nearby, he can cope quite well with darkness and the usual childhood bogeymen. He doesn't like spiders or beetles, and always makes Regina kill them. He had croup frequently as a little boy and whenever he coughs, he's afraid he'll have it again.
6. If he had magic, how would it express itself? (Alright, so that's original to me...)
I've asked the question, and now I'm having a hard time answering it. His would not be an "elemental" magic - commanding the elements, that is; nor would he read other people's minds, for that wouldn't interest him. I think he might be an animal-whisperer, with the power to call creatures and command them.
7. Is he musical?
No. He has not had access to any instruments in the past nine years, nor is he by nature musically-inclined. He is, I believe, more of a painter, and would perhaps produce pleasant water-colors if given the opportunity.
8. Does he have any annoying habits? Any habits at all?
Regina could list a host of annoying habits, but the childish selfishness mentioned before is at the root of them. He asks far too many questions - why's and wherefore's and when's and who's, and all sorts of things that Regina cannot or would rather not answer. He is often pushy, and excels at sulking when he doesn't get his way (which is often). He hums to himself, too, which grates on Regina's nerves after a long day of work. Sometimes, however, he will brush her hair, and that is one habit she does not dislike.
9. What sort of laugh does he have?
Kay rarely laughs, but he has a wide grin when amused.
10. How do other characters feel about him?
Regina's feelings for Kay are mixed. He has been her burden for nine years and he makes a heavy load indeed, for it is difficult to care for a child and know at the same time that he will always be a child. At times she feels herself close to hating him - but perhaps she only thinks that because she is not truly aware what either hate or love is. But whatever her feelings, she'll still go to any lengths and make any sacrifice to keep him safe. It's just that those lengths and sacrifices hurt her more than she would care to confess.
