#characerization

[jessicanjpa]

Jessicanjpa do you think, A Vampire could have a mimic gift like a sponge shield.

It’s certainly possible, at least back in the Olden Vampire Days. This type of vampire would have been a very high profile target, though, because regardless of ambition, I think many of the old coven leaders would see them as too dangerous to be left alive. And it’d be relatively easy to ambush the person with an army of all-ungifted-vampire soldiers, newborn or otherwise.

Like a lot of fans, I’m not crazy about superpower-gifts, so it’d be nice to see the gift come with some major limitations/side effects. There was an OC in one of my favorite fics with a power like this, and when he borrowed Edward’s power he was so overwhelmed with the sudden “noise” that he just sort of flinched with his hands over his ears, unable to do much else right away. Borrowing Benjamin’s power might result in a sudden, uncontrolled flinging-about of fires and tornadoes or something like that, especially if the borrowing was done in an emotionally tense situation. Borrowing Jasper’s power might not have obvious side effects, but the vampire might not be able to correctly interpret the sudden emotional influx or “find the right muscle” to effectively wield the active component of his gift. In other words, they have to suddenly contend with whatever shock and clumsiness that their gifted target had to deal with as a newborn. This wouldn’t be too big of a deal if it a particular gift was borrowed and practiced often (effectively duplicating the gift of one of your allies that the two of them could wield in a share-one-sword kind of way), but grabbing gifts from your enemy during a battle wouldn’t be particularly helpful, and it might even result in accidentally hurting/hindering your allies.

Another way of compensating for the super-power aspect that I’ve seen is for the sponge vamp to have some kind of exhaustion or “recovery time” after they’ve borrowed and released a person’s gift. This would be another huge liability in a battle scenario, especially if for whatever reason the sponge vampire isn’t able to hold onto the gift long enough. Even if they are, they wouldn’t be able to switch from gift to gift without becoming vulnerable.

So it’s entirely possible that there’s a sponge-gifted vampire out there in SM’s world right now; they’re just smart enough not to tell anyone. This is actually another one of those gifts that could go a long time without being detected/explored.

I guess the two biggest questions in my mind are: would Bella’s shield protect her from this vampire, and how would the vampire discover their gift in the first place?

[gooseandcaboose]

She was flint-eyed beneath the feathers of her hat, nodding along with the impotent tick of her fan. There was something angrily vacant about her face, something both prideful and dead.

Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry

[heartonleatherarchive-blog]

-- fill out with muse information

ABOUT THE MUSE.

General

Name: Zoe Renee Quinn Alias(es): Zo Gender: Female Age: 25 Date of Birth: December 20th Place of Birth: Richmond, VA Hometown: Odessa, CA Spoken languages: English Romantic preference: Panromantic Sexual preference: Bisexual [strong male pref] Occupation: Co-owner/Manager @ Ernie’s Garage  Criminal record: juvenile record sealed Disorders: ADHD

Appearance

Eye color: brown Hair color: brown/black Height: 5′5″ Scars: one long gash down her left hip from a camping accident when she was younger;  one from stab wound on her upper left thigh. Burns: small burn on the inside of her right ankle from her first time riding a motorcycle Overweight: no Underweight: no

Favourite…

Color: red Hair color: No preference Eye color: No preference Song: “Bad Girlfriend” by Theory of a Dead Man Movie: Fracture T.V. Show: Pawn Stars Food: Turkey and cheese sandwiches Drink: beer/coronas Video Game: No preference Candy: Snow Caps Ice cream flavor: Cookie Dough

Have you…

Graduated high school: Yes Had sex: Yes Had sex in public: Yes Gotten pregnant: Yes No Kissed a boy: Yes Kissed a girl: Yes Gotten tattoos: Yes Gotten piercings: Yes Smoked/drank/done drugs: yes/yes/yes Had a broken heart: Yes Been in love: Yes Needed surgery: Yes Stayed up for more than 24 hours: Yes

Are you…

A virgin: No A cuddler: Yes, with the right person A kisser: Yes Scared easily: No Jealous easily: Yes Trustworthy: Yes Dominant: sometimes Submissive: sometimes In love: No Single: Yes In a relationship: No (tho it depends on the verse) Considered mean: Sometimes

Random questions.

Have you harmed yourself: No Thought of suicide: No Attempted suicide: No Wanted to kill someone: Yes Driven a car: Yes Have/had a job: Yes Have any fears: Storms, being alone forever 

Family

Sibling(s): none Parents: unknown. Children: none Other: Ernie Quinn (uncle) Pets: Kah (snake)

[irisbleufic]

Alright, if the sunglasses are a form of armor, do you think with time he could persuaded to wear them frequently less, specifically to the point where he only wears them when he needs to?

Yes. In my extensive mind-map of their world, this has been happening for a while.

[paigereiring]

People Have Friends - And So Should Your Characters

It took me a long time to notice this trend. Perhaps it's because I'm an introvert and only have a very small group of close friends, but after a while I began to notice that my characters - and the majority of characters I read about - had almost no friends. This is especially true if the character has to go from one area to another. Harry Potter doesn't have friends until he goes to Hogwarts (although this can be excused by his abusive living situation), Divergent's Tris doesn't get notable friends until she joins her faction, Arya Stark doesn't get good non-family friends until she's on her way to Castle Black.

Honestly, it's a really strange phenomenon.

I would say it has to do with writers not wanting to create additional characters who won't have much to do with the books later on. If Tris is never going to see her friends from Abnegation again, then what's the point of introducing them for any brief period of time?

I'm going to argue, however, that this is a poor way of thinking. Most people have at least one good friend, and if you're ever in a situation where you have to be dragged from them - either because a change in school or getting dragged into an inter-dimensional war - you're going to spend a lot of time upset about the loss of your friends and thinking about them. Even if they never see each other again or their friendship doesn't rekindle, there will still be a mourning period for your character.

For example, in Death Defiant, Cherifa ends up having to go on a journey. Since she lived in New York for ten years, I knew she needed to have friends there, so I developed two very good people for her to hang out with. While she has to say goodbye to them and push them away - and she'll certainly never see them again - I wanted them to be on her mind every now and then to show that there was a life she was leaving. Going on this journey isn't as easy as packing a bag and catching a train. There's a part of her that she's leaving behind, and there are a couple times throughout the novel where she mourns the loss of these friends. It makes her journey mean something more than it would have otherwise, and it explains her extreme distress at having to make a new life for herself.

If you need to emphasize the hardship of a character leaving their initial location, giving them close friends from that place is certainly one of the best ways to do it. It gives them a concrete connection to their former life, and provides a way for them to reflect on it later. It also shows your character as more realistic and three-dimensional, with a way for the readers to connect to them.

[kyliewritingcrafts]

Characterization Questions And Kurt Vonnegut (March 25, 2014)

1. Where does your character live?

My character lives in New York City during the Zombie Apocalypse. She once lived with her mother, father, and two sisters but she now romes the state with two other teenage girls named Perrie and Camila.

2. Where is your character from?

She is from New York City. She's got a Brooklyn accent because that's where she grew up. Since she's from the city, she knows how to fight boys off.

3. How old is your character?

She's 15. She has her IPhone that she charges whenever they can find power. She also carries around her and her parents life savings because her parents and sisters died when the zombies hit. She doesn't drink alcohol, but Perrie has a bad past so sometimes she will to drink away the memories.

4. What is your character called?

Her birth name was Vanessa Edwards, but she goes by Nessie because her face is half scarred like a monster (Nessie is the Loch Ness Monster's name).

5. What does your character look like?

She has long, blonde curly hair that she often wears up in a bun because it'll get in the way otherwise. She is very skinny from loss of weight since it's hard to find food. She's taller than average.

6. What kind of childhood did he or she have?

She grew up in New York, so she knows how to fight on the streets. She had a very good childhood, besides that. It is like a "picture perfect" childhood.

7. What does your character do for a living?

She tries to stay alive. She is basically a hunter, gatherer, and a companion to Camila and Perrie.

8. How does your character deal with conflict and change?

She gets very angry easily. When she is mad due to conflict, she will kill a bunch of those nasty zombies. She never gets mad at Camila or Perrie though. She doesn't like conflict, but she is used to change because of the zombie apocalypse.

9. Who else is in your character's life?

Camila and Perrie are her only companions. They may come across a pack of travler's sometimes, but not often. She also kills the zombies.

10. What is your character's goal or motivation in this story or scene?

Her goal is to stay alive and not get killed by the zombies. She also wants to keep Camila and Perrie alive. That is honestly her only goal.

Kurt Vonnegut Timeline Thing: From Bad To Worse. They will start out very poorly and just continue to get worst and worst and worst. She tries  to improve their situation, but it never works.