Monday, March 27, 2017

Beautiful People - The Dragon {March 2017}

 

Visit Sky @ Further Up and Further In or Cait @ Paperfury to join the BP linkup!


I am super pumped today! Becaaaause it’s Beautiful People time! I haven’t done just a good ol’ classic BP in ages. Beautiful Books was going down in October through January, and then I skipped February’s BP (oops). It was SEPTEMBER the last time there was just a normal BP for me to do. I HAVE MISSED IT.


I figured since I am (read: supposed to be) editing my Beauty and the Beast retelling, Burning Thorns, I should do a character from it. This month I was feeling the Dragon a.k.a the Beast himself. Because it’s too fun to dig deep into the inner workings of a character who adamantly does not want his life publicly displayed. *cackles*

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The Forest was once so bright.

A yearning fastened to his chest, constricting, throbbing.

With the greatest of care, he inched forward, not daring to make a sound, even breathe. But the moment his shadow cast over the happy gathering, like a spooked flock of birds, they fled. The fairies zipped back into the flower buds, the nymphs wisped away beyond the branches, the gnomes burrowed themselves in the earth. When the thumping of the stag’s great white hooves faded, only Rose remained. She sat unmoving in the midst of the rose petals, her back to the Beast.

Even still he held his breath, expecting her to dart away like the rest.

Finally, finally, she turned to him. She smiled, though something had faded in her eyes.

“Why do they fear you?” she asked. Not accusingly, not with bitterness. She simply wanted to know, and yet that confused him all the more.

He looked down at his gloved hand and crumpled the thick leather into a fist. “Everyone fears me.” Doubts niggled at his mind, thoughts he pondered every day since she came. He had to know.

Keeping his head down, voice low, he asked. “Why don’t you?”

He did not expect her chuckle. Something inside him lifted at the happy sound. He moved his gaze back to her and found the light had returned in her eyes.

She stood and brushed dirt from her dress. “Because,” she flapped her skirts and then looked him straight in the eye, “you’re not the beast the stories make you out to be.” Her smile and the twinkle in her eyes grew softer, sincere. “You’re kind.”

That constriction in his chest tightened, became more painful by the second. He studied her innocent face. So pure, so full of life and light and love. And him… Tainted.


__________________________

 

THE DRAGON

 

1.) What’s their favorite book/movie/play/etc.?

Well, TV doesn’t exist in his world (this is a medieval fairytale after all), and that’s quite unfortunate for him since he’s spent the past 30 years stuck inside a castle in the middle of the woods. Talk about boring. Luckily, he’s got a very extensive library, and one does not have to have TV when there are BOOKS.

His favorite types of books to read are deep and complicated adventure stories. If Lord of the Rings existed in his world, he’d be all over it. He likes to think. Nothing frilly or simple, please. He does also enjoy history books, but anything else nonfiction tends to bore him.


2.) Is there anything they regret doing?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Ahem.

The real question here is: Is there anything he doesn’t regret doing? His entire life is one big convoluted ball of regret. Let’s just say he manipulated someone, which turned into the death of someone, which turned into him being cursed forever, which turned into a whole pile of problems that extend way beyond his own little world. And that’s just before the story even starts.

His life is a mess, guys.


3.) If they were sick or wounded, who would take care of them and how?

…No one. He’s all on his lonesome. He’d have to take care of himself. *sniffles*

The good(ish) news is that his “curse” makes it where he never really gets sick and it’s extremely difficult to wound him. Not a recommended medical plan, but it works for him.


4.) Is there an object they can’t bear to part with and why?

There are two: A dagger and a hand mirror.

The dagger he keeps because it’d be bad if it fell in the wrong hands for…reasons. It’s also the key to breaking his curse so, yeah, he likes to keep it close and may or may not be grumpy about other people touching it.

The hand mirror is something he doesn’t think he wants, he thinks it’s just an annoyance because of, um, reasons again. But when he loses it he realizes how much he relied on it. Or should I say her. *COUGH*

Wow, guys, all these answers are so vague! These questions are digging into some seriously big spoilers…


5.) What are 5 ways to win their heart (or friendship)?

  • Actually treat him like a human being and not a beast. (Cliché, yes, but don’t we all want to be seen as a human being and not some monster? That’s the point of B&B. Or one of the points.)
  • Don’t let him be alone. He may think he wants to be by himself, but deep down he’s desperate for quality time. It gets him right to the core when someone actually wants to spend time with him.
  • Keep things lighthearted. That may sound odd, but the Dragon has a lot of darkness in his life. He deals with a lot of depression and, as we’ve learned, a boatload of regret. He’s very endeared by someone who finds joy in the little things, who can make jokes, and just is all around gentle and kind and fun-loving, since those are all things he struggles to ever achieve.
  • Any acts of pure, selfless service. He’s used to having to fend for himself and being treated badly. Someone doing something nice for him just because they want to, not to get something out of it, is foreign to what his life has been for many, many years. Being shown acts of kindness is something he needs.
  • Most importantly, words of affirmation is his love language, so even more than acts of service, a kind word will go a long, loooong way with him. It’s hands down the quickest way to his heart.

Hm, now I wonder who has all these traits?


6.) Describe a typical outfit for them from top to bottom.

He’ll usually be found in dark clothes. Most of the time he’s in black trousers and a plain tunic. On the rare times he leaves the castle, he wears a full robe with a hood to cover himself in. He also likes to wear black gloves and a black mask that covers the right side of his face to cover his…deformities.


7.) What’s their favorite type of weather?

Bright and warm summer days are definitely his favorites. And he learns to appreciate the sun even more after he ends up living in a place where, well, there really is no sunlight.

He can’t stand the rain or heavily overcast days. They’re too depressing. Again, he loves the sun. Too bad he never gets to see it anymore… Ahem.


8.) What’s the worst fight they’ve ever been in?

Eheheheheh. Going back to #2 and his regrets. As I mentioned, someone dies. And it was because of a fight. Which was entirely his fault. And his curse happened. But I’ll just leave it there.

So informative, I know.


9.) What names or nicknames have they been called throughout their life?

Oh dear. Well, I suppose “Dragon” would be a…nickname? It’s certainly not his real name, but that’s what he prefers to be called over other things. Such as “Beast”. A certain person calls him “Beastie” which isn’t nice at all. I think he’s referred to as “the shadow” a time or two because of reasons. And then of course “monster” is a common one.

Ya know, all fun things.


10.) What makes their heart feel alive?

*points back up to #5* Any one of those things. Really, just making him feel loved. Showing him he can be loved and is not some evil monster. That he’s not a beast.


~ ~ ~


I have no idea if you guys got anything from that. That’s what I get for choosing a character whose entire life is one walking spoiler. Ah well. I do still love my Dragon.

 

Tell me your thoughts! What do you think of my Dragon? And have you joined the Beautiful People Linkup this month???

41 comments:

  1. ooooohhhh, this character looks like an interesting one to get to know :). Thanks for sharing!

    Catherine
    catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com

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    1. Awww, thank you! He's not the...easiest person to get to know, but IF you can make a friend out of him you won't regret it. You know, probably. XD

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  2. I love him even more!!!! You really need to finish BT so we can find out the spoilers for ourselves! *looks with puppy dog eyes*

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    1. GIIIIRL. Your comments! <3

      I really do need to get to working on it more! But it's looking like my big editing plans for it this year may be postponed a bit because life has exploded and editing time may be very sparse for the next few months... I still have every intention of pursuing published with BT. Just...maybe not as soon as I hoped?

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    2. That's sad, but I totally understand life barging in on all of our plans. :P

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    3. Yeah, it is. *pouts* BUT, on the bright side, my life has been busy (and is about to get busier) with a lot of GOOD things. So at least it's not BAD things keeping me away from editing. Haha.

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  3. Aalskjflskjfkldjfl THIS POOOOST!!! So BP is the best and Burning Thorns is the best and the Dragon is also the best so THIS POST IS BASICALLY THE BESSSST! :D (I mean, I don't math, but even I can tell that's how it all adds up. ;)) Aaaand because I've read the book I know the spoilers, so... *cackles* But yes, funny how our favorite charries who are deep in the plot are just walking spoilers and don't lend themselves well to being pried at, isn't it? XD But but but thanks for tearing my heart out again making me think of the poor Dragon and all his problems! D: He's definitely a mess! *huggles him* Anyways, I sooo enjoyed reading this! I always love how deep your BPs are, and having one for the Dragon is just a bonus! ^_^ <3

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    1. YOUR COMMENT THO. <33333 "I mean, I don't math, but even I can tell that's how it all adds up." <--I AM DYING. XDDD

      Lolzy! I was thinking my beta-readers would enjoy this post more than anyone else since you guys KNOW. Eheheheh.

      You are so right! If I do a BP for a side character, it's sometimes more detailed because I can reveal all of their background and stuff. It's the main or best characters that my BP posts tend to be short and vague on. XD Funny how that works!

      The Dragon is such a mess. *sniffles* But I'm really happy you enjoyed the post!!! Thank yooouuu!

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  4. I wanna read this so bad...
    POOR DRAGON!!!!!! O____O *Sobs loudly and hugs him* The poor dear. My poor, poor heart. Poor EVERYTHING! But this sounds totally awesome all the same, and now I am DESPERATE! O___O
    Thanx so much for the awesome info!

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    1. D'awww, YOU! <3

      Yeeeah. My Dragon does not exactly have it easy. *cough* He could probably use a hug. (Even if he'd be very hesitant to take one. XD)

      Thank you so much!!! Your comment makes me happy!

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    2. <3 :D
      Poor dear... Okay. I'm done... No more poor's. (He probably *would* be hesitant...)
      I have a few depressing characters in my book, and I feel kinda bad for creating them... :( lol
      You are very welcome. I aim to please! *flashes trademark grin*

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    3. I have sooooo many depressing characters, it's getting a bit ridiculous. *cough, cough* But a story wouldn't be a story if it was all sunshine and roses. Gotta have the drama and conflict! Lol.

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    4. Exactly. It makes the story more interesting.... :D

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  5. Burning Thorns sounds soooo interesting!

    1. It's a Beauty and the Beast retelling
    2. It's got a dragon in it!!!
    As Tolkien said "It simply isn't an adventure worth telling if there aren't any dragons."

    Thanks for sharing! Though sometimes I believe snippets of stories are brutal because then I want to know the rest of the story! In this case especially cause, as I said, this sounds amazing!

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    1. You are a girl of my own heart! Beauty and the Beast is my faaaavorite fairytale, and dragons are my OBSESSION. It was inevitable I'd write a B&B retelling with a dragon. XD But you like B&B, dragons, AND you quoted Tolkien (my favorite author <3). Basically I just want to hug your comment!

      Lol! I feel the same way! I love reading people's snippets but then it's like, "But I need to know moooore!" But MEEP. It thrills me you enjoyed my snippet and everything. Thank you so much!!!

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  6. AACKKK. I know absolutely nothing more than I did before about BT BUT THIS STILL MADE ME MORE ENTHUSED ABOUT READING IT ONE DAY. XD Not sure how that happened with all the vague answers but anyway. xP

    Seriously though it sounds SO cool.

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    1. LOL! I know, my answers were so vague! But these questions were asking me to reveal like half my plot twists, so. XD BUT I AM HAPPY IT MADE YOU WANT TO READ IT ANYWAY. *flails* THANK YOU, JANE!!! <333

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  7. Ahhh, I loved getting to know the Dragon! Nah, vague answers are okay, even if they build mind-numbingly large amounts of suspense. XD Yes, I did do BP this month! I introduced my smol steampunk price, Ari.

    Ellie | On the Other Side of Reality

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    1. Why thank you! ^_^
      Hahaha! Gotta keep you guys in suspense. That's what we writers do, am I right? *grins*

      STEAMPUNK PRINCE. I just love all your epic story ideas!

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  8. I want to read your book, Christine. Like, now. Please. FINISH IT!!!!!!
    *cracks knuckles aggressively*
    thefloridsword.blogspot.com

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    1. *flaaaaails* THAT MAKES ME ABSURDLY HAPPY TO HEAR. Technically BT is finished, per se. It's all written out, anyway. It's just in the long, grueling editing stages...

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    2. Oh, yes, I understand. Same thing with the dystopia I'm writing. You must finish the editing, though. The world needs Burning Thorns.

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    3. Awwww, thank you!!! That encourages me to actually push on and make progress with this thing!

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  9. Oh my word. Do I assume correctly that this is a B&B retelling where the beast is a DRAGON?
    It sounds amazing. :D

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    1. YES. YOU ARE CORRECT. B&B is my favorite fairytale, and my obsession with dragons has no bounds, so it was inevitable I'd write a B&B retelling with a dragon. XD I mean, technically he's a person but with dragon...deformities? *cough* But still! DRAGON.

      Thank you, girl! <3

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    2. YAY! It sounds fantastic! :D

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  10. EEEK THAT SNIPPET AT THE BEGINNING! So feelsy. <3

    Basically, this post makes me feel SO BAD FOR DRAGON. D: He's so lonely, and it makes me saaaaad. (But hey, Rose comes along and is a little ray of sunshine so that's good news. ^_^)

    GOSH. I just want to read ALL THE CHRISTINE WORDS. Seriously, girl, your books all sound amazing. I have a feeling all the "reasons" in this post would make a lot more sense if I had read the book...lol! Beautiful People posts are awesome, but often very difficult to navigate around spoilers. ;)

    LOVED THIS POST, AS ALWAYS. (And hey, look at me--I didn't wait 1,219 years to comment again. #soproud XD)

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    1. *beams! YOU! <3 (This may be the most feelsy book I've ever written, to be honest. o.o)

      The Dragon's life is actually the worst. *cough* (But yes, Rose is his sunshine, you nailed it on the head there. ^_^ Well...until THINGS happen. But, ya know, more spoilers. *COUGH*)

      Maryyyyyy! THAT IS SO NICE. THANK YOU! But yeah, I have a hard time with BP sometimes because I don't want them to be boring, but I don't want to reveal all the spoilers either so...IT'S A PROBLEM.

      Giiiirl, it sounds like your life is INSANE lately. It's okay if you wait 1,219 years to comment. :P Or just can't comment, because I TOTALLY GET IT. But thank yooouuuu!!!!! I got a little thrill when I saw your comment. You never cease to make me smile. <3

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  11. I WANT THIS STORY SO MUCH. Eeeek, one day - ONE DAY - I will get to read a lovely Christine book with a beautiful cover and beautiful words inside. <3 That excites me so much. :D I'm so interested in all your work, and I can't WAIT to see where God takes you with it.

    The Dragon's character sounds amazing! If I'm being honest, I would be a horrible friend to him since I would probably whimper and hide and curl up in a ball. xD I'm just not BRAVE enough. (basically I wouldn't be brave enough to be a character in any fantasy adventure. ;)

    Again, I'm crazy excited about Burning Thorns! You and your stories rock this world. :D

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    1. EMILYYYYYYY!!!!! HOW DID I EVEN RESPOND TO THIS NICENESS???? This just makes me want to flail for days. And ENCOURAGES me, you just have no idea. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

      Lol! I feel the same way, honestly. XD I always THINK I want to go on a fantasy adventure, but then when I really think about it I realize I'd probably be so wimpy and useless and terrified. XD Maybe it's best we keep our adventures in books. ;)

      EMILY, YOU ARE A TREASURE. <3 <3 <3

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  12. He sounds cool! And I love the pic you chose for him. ^ ^ *wraps in warm blankets*

    storitorigrace.blogspot.com

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    1. Awww, thanks, girl! I do love writing about my poor, tragic Beast. XD

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  13. I don't think I have clicked so fast on a blog post in such a long time. I have missed The Dragon!!!

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    1. Oh my goodness, Skye. I grinned so hard when I read that!

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  14. I WANNA HUG YOUR DRAGON!!! *Hugs it hesitantly* Please let me hug it. Good job! :)
    What's the Dragon's name? Or is it just "Dragon"?
    I read the parts of the dragon. I love dragons. :)

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    1. LOL! He could certainly use hugs! Though...I'm not sure how he'll react to a bunch of strangers hugging him. XD

      He does have a name but...it's kind of a secret. *grins*

      DRAGONS ARE MY FAAAAVE. Seriously, my obsession has no bounds.

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    2. Hmm...that is a good thought. He might get overwhelmed. And we all know how dragons react to being flustered. Eek. :)
      Secrets....ooh.
      DRAGONS ARE MYTHICAL!!!! I love them. Esp. Smoug in Lord of the Rings. *Such a good movie* xD

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  15. Having to write around spoilers just gives us lucky beta-readers a chance to laugh at the inside jokes. Only all the commenters being excited that he's a dragon is just. . . noooo. It's not a good thing at all. Poor Dragon.

    So with all the hullabaloo about the new Beauty and the Beast movie, and my general scepticism that B&B can possibly be turned into a Disney story (since the essence of the whole thing, I thought, has nothing to do with following your heart or the world all revolving around you, and certainly not sentimental when-I-look-into-his-eyes-I-melt (in a pleasant way) kinds of feelings, Mom checked out the old Beauty and the Beast from the library so we could see it. There's maybe one line about self-sacrifice?? All the rest is "I want, I want, I want". So then I had to go re-read some choice bits of Burning Thorns, because one of the things I love most about it is that the sacrifice is not an easy solution, and it's a real sacrifice that involves people giving things up. . . and basically I love it because it shows that real love has nothing to do with other people making you feel good, but it's all about you sacrificing yourself. So thank you for writing a Beauty and the Beast story that is all about right loves!

    I think the Dragon would love LotR, by the way. He'd probably be one of those few people who enjoys the Silmarillion, too. But the Hobbit might make him sad because of the emphasis on killing dragons, though for the record there's a big difference between him and Smaug. . . he's not as petty (not anymore) as Smaug, for one thing.

    https://ofdreamsandswords.wordpress.com

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    1. While I was making this post I was thinking my beta-readers would at least enjoy it since you guys know what all the "reasons" are. XD

      Welp, Sophia. I am just sitting here reading your comment over and over again because it's one of the most encouraging things anyone has ever told me. I just... *collapses* I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAAAAY. The fact that you think *I* produced a better B&B story than *Disney*, and wanted to reread parts because of that just...*collapses again* SOPHIA. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS MEANS TO ME. I'm honest to goodness almost in tears reading your comment. Seriously, I almost feel like my life is complete, knowing that I created something to have such an impact. Thank you so, SO much for coming over and telling me this! I'm blown away! And now am very motivated to continue making BT the best it can be. I actually needed this today because I've been a little down about my writing lately (and sadly unmotivated). So thank you again for saying such nice things and lifting me up! *HUGS*

      Also, you do make some interesting points about Disney's retelling of B&B. I adore the animated on just 'cause I grew up with it, and it was one of the first things to introduce me to my love of fairytales. But it's by no means perfect. And I'm still trying to decide if I liked the new live action version or not. I have mixed feelings... But ANYWAY. It's funny you bring all this up because next Monday I have a post going up about what Beauty and the Beast means to me. But it's a post about the ORIGINAL fairytale. I don't really even mention the movies. Because, after all, those are just retellings themselves.

      You are so right! I bet he'd be all over the Silmarillion and probably all of Tolkien's works. And yeah...I don't know how he'd feel about stories where dragons are slain. It'd probably make him pretty uncomfortable. XD

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  16. Welp! You posted this in MARCH! My falling behind and catching up only to fall behind again is becoming a cycle. o.o

    BUT IT'S THE DRAGON. You have no idea how excited I was to see you did another BP post, and that it's about THE DRAGON. <3333 AND THAT SNIPPET. CHRISTIIIIINE WHAT R U DOING TO MY HEART AGAIN? All the memories are coming back. :')

    The idea of the Dragon poring over LOTR has me CRACKING UP. XDDD I can just see him and Rose marathoning the movies, if they had such technology available!

    So many feels in answer #2! *clutches heart*

    I was just trying to pinpoint his love language when you came out and said it was words of affirmation! And THEN I was just thinking, "Awww, Rose is every single one of the things on his list" when you went and said that too. Braintwins! XD

    I started smirking so bad when I got to the part about a certain someone calling him Beastie. XDDD

    Anyway, this whole thing was all feelsy and nostalgic, and I can totally empathize with ducking spoilers when answering BP questions! Ahhh, you're making me want to reread Burning Thorns all over again! <3

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  17. THAT IS OKAY. I mean, you're a liiiittle busy right now. ;D And I'm always so honored when you take time out of your crazy life to comment on my blog. ^_^

    *BEAMS* I'm so happy this made you excited! I had really, really fun with this one...even if I couldn't fully answer the questions because #Spoilers. But it was fun invading the Dragon's life. *cackles*

    Oh my word, now the idea of him AND Rose watching the trilogy together is making ME crack up. Rose would be squealing and flailing over every little thing and he would have to constantly ask her to tone it down so he could hear. XDDD

    *sniff, sniff*

    That makes me happy to hear, because that means I'm portraying their characters how I see them in my head! Does that make sense? One never knows if the way THEY perceive their characters is how they ACTUAL appear on the page.

    That "certain someone" is so rude. Eheheheh.

    *flails all over the place* Thank you for everything, Tracey. Your comment made me so happy! <3

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