February Snippets

I had intended to do some sort of thought-provoking post, but nights of little sleep and grey days aren't conducive to thoughtfulness. Fortunately, though, Katie S. has begun a monthly "story snippets" roundup over at Whisperings of the Pen, and I decided to join in. These are my

february snippets

Tip did not answer. The bullet was in place, so he took a better handle on the weapon, which was nearly too small for his hand, and turned so that he was looking down the stretch of battered grey stone to the empty rows forming a half-circle about the stage. There would have been people there, centuries ago, Tip mused, and we could have been the actors.

- the white sail's shaking

It was so dilapidated that the cover dangled by a mere thread and its pages were blistered into the humped form of a whale’s back, but Charlie had it cradled in one hand as though it were a lovely thing, his fingers rubbing absently at the binding.

- the white sail's shaking

Suddenly the fire on the Philadelphia reached her powder, and with a shock that tore the air in a brilliant flash of red the frigate exploded. Sparks and fragments flew upward and then showered the harbor and city like falling stars, lovely and dizzying, and though there was no need, Tip recoiled all the same and instinctively put up a hand as if to protect himself. The debris settled, hissing into the harbor; on the surface of the water the remnants of the Philadelphia still burned angrily, long flaming tongues licking the sky.

- the white sail's shaking

Then the tesser came. It screamed down the tunnel, a formless explosion of light and rain, consuming the grey; and when Alex plunged forward, it consumed her, too.

- tesser 004

And yet [Tip] must have found something, for he laughed—and that, too, was a strange sound—and began to shepherd her on to find Mr. Worth. What strange people are thrown together in this little island world, [Marta] thought as she half-skipped to keep up with him. And I have wrecked on it.

- the white sail's shaking

Beautiful People - Tip Brighton

After a hiatus which seemed much longer than it probably was, Georgie and Sky have returned with their Beautiful People series. I have already done Tip, but as he is my main character and The White Sail's Shaking is on the mind (approximately seven more chapters left until the end!), I have decided to put January's list of questions to him. Enjoy!

tip brighton, midshipman

1. If his house burned down and he were left with nothing but the clothes on his back, what would he do? Where would he go?

Tip's first reaction would be total shock, and then he would probably be sick; he tends to be or at least to feel ill in the wake of any sudden news, good or bad. As for where he would go, considering that he considers the Enterprize at least as much his home as the house in Ryton, he would go back to sea and try starting over.

2. Is he happy with where he is in life, or would he like to move on?

He is happier with his position now than he has ever been before; he likes the Enterprize and takes pride in serving under Decatur, and he has purpose in his life for the first time. If he had the ability to go back and keep his family from placing him in the navy, he wouldn't do it. At the same time, however, there are things about his present position that he would change if he could.

3. Is he well-paid?

Tip gets a midshipman's wages - that is to say, not much.

4. Can he read?

Oh, he can read. He is perfectly capable of understanding the words on the page. Does he read is an entirely different matter.

5. What languages does he speak?

English. And...English. Tip was never much good at languages (he was never much good at anything in school), though he can read a smattering of Greek and Latin and speak a few words of French. None of these are of any help to him on the Enterprize.

6. What is his biggest mistake?

Just one? That would be difficult, as Tip seems always to be making mistakes. He has a tendency to stick his nose into other people's business, to land himself in situations where he is not wanted, and to try to correct things and thereby make them worse. And the one time he tried not to do all these things, it resulted in a man's death. I believe Tip would say that that was his biggest mistake.

7. What did he play with most as a child?

Tip has always been most comfortable out-of-doors; inside he is too much of a bull in a china shop, especially as with the amount of fine pieces his mother owns, she could start a china shop. As a child he played mostly with whatever came to hand: sticks, pebbles, mud, water, seed pods, the whole shebang. He often built fortifications in his mother's vegetable garden and played out battles of the Revolutionary War (in which the British always lost, with no regard for historical accuracy). For a while he also played with a very ugly toad who lived near the cucumber patch, whom he simply called "Toad."

This is why he wasn't the one to name Scipio.

8. What are his thoughts on politics?

Tip has never thought much upon the subject of politics. He is fiercely patriotic, and now fiercely pro-Navy, but the inner workings of the government mean little to him unless they impinge upon either of these things.

9. What is his expected life time?

Well, this is a sneaky question! I'll only say that Tip hopes to have a good long life, but that considering how things are going at present, he may very well not get it.

10. If he were falsely accused of murder, what would he do? How would he react?

He has been, actually, and he responded in a typical Tip Brighton manner: flying into a temper. He was, however, clear-headed enough to actually give a defense of his innocence instead of merely getting angry.