Hello hello, daring questers! It occurs to me that I have not done a Beautiful People post in quite some time (ahem, since January). In light of that lack, and in light of the fact that:
a) I’ve been immersed in The Brightest Thread this week
and b) the questions this month couldn’t be more perfect for my male protagonist . . .
I’ve decided to properly introduce you to Hadrian, the precious, frustrated hero of The Brightest Thread!
[For more BP posts, read this one about the female protagonist, Luci, and this one about the villainess, Vyntyri. You can also check out this Dual Character Inquisition, featuring both Luci and Hadrian.]
Beautiful People is a (typically monthly) writing meme hosted by Cait @ Paper Fury (a.k.a ruler of all) and Sky @ Further Up and Further In (a.k.a master of fangirldom). Grab the ten questions, join in, and be sure to leave your link in the shiny little linkup gadget. It’s a great way to dig deeper into your characters and meet other writers!
Meet Hadrian, crown prince of Bauglind.
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| [via Pinterest] |
1. What’s their favorite place they’ve ever visited?
Hadrian loves the outdoors. Put him in the royal garden or out in the jungle/wilderlands, and he’s the happiest you’ll ever find him. The specific location doesn’t matter, as long as something is growing underfoot.
2. What’s one mistake they made that they learned from?
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| the streets of Vale [via Pinterest] |
On an errand in the heart of Vale, the capital city of his kingdom, he comes across a merchant harassing a customer and trying to cheat money out of her. Hadrian, already stressed due to prior happenings in the story, is filled with righteous indignation and rather . . . forcibly puts a stop to the merchant’s behavior. Later, he discovers that instead of fixing the injustice, he only pushed the merchant into even worse actions.
A flurry of more pressing events hasn’t given Hadrian much time to process this, but eventually he’ll realize that one can’t force morality on another. (Much as he’d like to.) Taking away a merchant’s wares or writing a new law won’t restore his crumbling kingdom–reaching the people’s hearts will.
3. What was their favorite subject in school? Or favorite thing to learn about?
He’s quite the horticulturist. Cultivating, crossbreeding, all of it is of interest to him. His latest project is developing the gildleaf: a plant with roots that have medicinal properties. As far as schooling goes, his tutors were never the agreeable sort, but he has a natural inclination toward history.
4. What’s their favorite flower/growing thing?
All of them! In his words, “To discover the character of each is a joy. I hope to one day know the intricacies of them all.”
5. Have they ever made someone cry? What happened?
He has made Luci cry in a couple of the dreams they’ve shared (since her enchanted sleep enables her to enter other people’s dreams), but the reasons are . . . well, crossing into spoiler territory.
6. Would you consider them a reliable or unreliable narrator?
I would say he’s a pretty reliable narrator. Luci a bit less so, simply because of her rebellious side. But Hadrian’s a balanced person and a good judge of character. So except for situations when his strong moral compass might blot out the shades of gray in a situation, he’s a reliable narrator.
7. What do they dream about at night?
(Do you see how perfect this question is? Do you?! I am delighted.)
Ahem. Hadrian never remembered his dreams growing up, and good thing, too. If that wasn’t the case, having a half-ogress for a stepmother might have caused constant nightmares. (Though I wonder if perhaps he did have nightmares that he’s blocked from memory. Survival techniques, right?) But when Luci started haunting his sleep, he started remembering his dreams in the morning. They often feature strange versions of real places he’s been, like his palace halls, the seaside, or the jungle. And then there’s some that are completely arbitrary.
8. They’ve gone out for a “special meal.” What would they eat?
Hearty fare, that’s for sure. He likes flavor and new spices and has a particular fascination with fruits and vegetables (obviously) but enjoys wild boar and other protein. As long as it’s good food, he’s content.
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| [via Pinterest] |
9. Do they have any distinguishing or unique talents?
His penchant for growing things has already been mentioned, so I won’t repeat myself.
Hadrian is also an above average swordsman, but he compares himself to Chief Rook, a master of swordplay and commander of Bauglind’s army, so Hadrian doesn’t think all that highly of his own skills.
He’s also great with people. His strong convictions might be off-putting to some, but aside from that, he’s very perceptive and–unless provoked–excels in diplomacy. (In contrast, Luci is terrible at being polite. If it weren’t for one of the fairies’ magical gifts, she would offend a lot more people. Having Hadrian around is good for her.)
10. What’s at least one thing they want to do before they die?
Uh, how much time do you have? Hadrian’s dreams are lofty and large.
Bauglind is rotting from the inside out (metaphorically speaking), so one of his greatest aspirations is to reverse the decay once he becomes king. He wants to reinstate truth and justice. He wants to raise the oppressed and rein back the oppressors. This is a task that will take a lifetime and more to complete, but he’s committed.
A more recent goal is to rescue Luci from her curse. She’s stolen his heart, much as she hates to admit it, and he will put aside all other dreams in order to reach her.
On a more lighthearted note, if Hadrian had a bucket list, it would surely include fun, adventurous things like voyaging across the sea, riding a dragon, going spelunking in some dark, forgotten cave, charting the stars, visiting other kingdoms, and turning as much of his palace into a garden as possible.
Ooooh, Hadrian sounds cute. XD He seems very… well… sweet? And willing to do anything help people? I also love the picture you chose for him. It suits his personality very well!
In all, you wrote/are writing a veryyyyy adorable character. <3333
*anything TO help people, hehe, typos… XD
HE IS BOTH CUTE AND SWEET AND I LOVE HIM. ;D And I'm tickled pink that those character traits (especially helping people) came across! Thanks, dearie! <333
Hadrian sounds like a very interesting person.
Also: Your blog aesthetic is beautiful.
Mary Kate
I'm glad you think so!
Wow, I think that's the first time anyone's told me that! Thank you, Mary! I've actually been thinking it's time to spruce this place up. 😛
MY TRACEY DID A BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!!! And not only a BP, but one featuring DEAR HADRIAN. *flail for days*
I know I've said it basically every time Hadrian comes up, but I've just got to say it again. I LOOOOOOVE how he loves gardening. It just breaks all kinds of stereotypes. He likes to garden and still is a master swordsman. Usually it's one or the other. It's seriously the best!
I also thinks it's fantastic how his good trait of so strongly wanting justice in the world flips around into being a bad trait sometimes, like that incident you mentioned with the merchant. I think Mirriam wrote a post about that a while back–the Reversal Effect. Where a good trait can also be a flaw. I think that makes the best kind of characters. They can be good, without turning into Mary Sues. You know?
Basically what I'm saying is: YOU MAKE THE BEST CHARACTERS. I adore Hadrian so very much! And yes, these questions were PERFECT for him! 😀
D'awww, you darling human. ^___^ (You're going to get tired of all that flailing though. Don't hurt yourself. XD)
Okay, I know *I* say *this* all the time, but you are so fabulous at studying characters and noticing all kinds of things about them–deep things. You bring up aspects of my own charries that I hadn't even considered! I mean, I haven't given much thought to the way Hadrian's gardening breaks stereotypes. I'm thrilled to realize that!
Oh oh oh! I remember that post! 😀 Reversals are the best. Honestly, that good/bad desire for justice that Hadrian has is similar to my own… But you're so very right–we can write genuinely good characters that are still well-rounded and engaging! Yes!
All the hearts, because all the words have fled. <33333333333333
Reading about Hadrian was so much fun! You conveyed his character super well, and let him know that I'd love to go on a tour of his garden any time. 🙂 Out of curiosity, what is your WIP called? It sounds super cool! XD
Sincerely, Melissa
melissagravitis.blogspot.com
Upon returning I just realised you already mentioned your WIP's name. *sigh* I swear sometimes I can't read properly! XD
*beams happily* I'm so glad! He'd be more than happy to show you around his garden. (Take me with you, though, because I'd love to go too.)
Haha, no problem! I realized that I didn't exactly come out and say "he's from The Brightest Thread," so I've edited the opening of the post to make that more clear. XD
I love Hadrian already. 🙂 And the thing about sharing dreams? SO INTRIGUING. Sounds like a great twist on the original Sleeping Beauty!
That makes this writer terribly happy! 😀 And thank you–that's probably one of my favorite elements of this story, because with dreams, absolutely anything goes. Logic goes out the window. XD
Sounds like a great guy. I would also love to tour his garden, maybe pick up some ideas for my own. =)
Thank you, Mrs. D!!! I'm sure he'd love that. I'd join you and the three of us could spend a relaxing afternoon puttering around in the dirt. 🙂
He is adorable, I love hearing more about him!
Awww, thank you, Skye! <3
Hadrian is SO CUTE. I must know more about him! And him and Luci share dreams? Fascinating! You should really get this book published, Tracey, so I can read it and love it. XD
If writers are allowed to have crushes on their own characters…well. I do. 😉 Haha, you're making me smile so big! It's going to happen one day!
Hadrian is obe of those characters that I wish I knew in real life. I have a feeling that he and I would get into some really cool conversations.
Catherine
catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com
What a high compliment! *beams* I already wish he was a real person, but now that you've said that, I'm wishing even more. ^_^
Isn't it great when Beautiful People questions perfectly match up with one of your characters? I had that last month. 😛
Hadrian is a lovely name for a lovely person! This story sounds absolutely fantastic! I want to know more.
That always makes me excited! Nice–which character was it?
Aw, thank you. I hope to reveal more in the future! *has grand dreams of blog tours and book launches* 😉
Hadrian is an awesome character!
I love how his desire to do good overshoots- not only does this make it more interesting, I can relate. Good intentions have a tendency to go awry at times. I also like how he loves his plants!
Glad you think so!
I can definitely relate to that as well! I can be a little…fiery at times. XD
I love Hadrian's love of good green earth. That immediately made me like him. ^ ^ Best wishes writing him!
I did BP too this month! http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2017/06/beautiful-people-25-june-edition.html
Aww, happy to hear that! Hadrian's kind of a lovable guy (in my humble opinion…I may be biased, though XD). Thanks, Tori!
I'll be heading over there shortly! 🙂
HORTICULTURE?! VEGETABLES?!!! IS HE JBH IN DISGUISE?? Hahahaha they can be best pals! Seriously, what is about vegetable-loving MMCs that makes them so adorable??
So this is the most I've ever read about TBT I think (I do remember your post about Vyntyri, but only foggily), and I'd love to know more, specifically, what is the dream thing?? BECAUSE IT SOUNDS REALLY GREAT. So it's a Sleeping Beauty retelling, isn't it. (I'm getting that from the fairy gifts bestowed on Luci, and the fact that you use a spindle for thread, including brightest threads, and my vague idea that Luci is locked in a tower? Also I think you have defs SAID in the past that it's a Sleeping Beauty retelling.) I'm so glad you're enjoying yourself! How is it going currently?
JONATHAN BLOODY HOLCROFT, YES! I forgot he loved horticulture too! Oh my goodness, it would be hilarious for them to become friends in some sort of alternate universe. (Very adorable, I agree.)
Oh that's right, you were away during the time I shifted my attention from The Prophet's Key (so sorry, Aileen and Josiah and cameo Emily–I shall return to you) to TBT. I decided that a standalone novel is a safer bet as a debut novel, and also that my Prophet series is such a huge project that I need to give it time to properly percolate. (Not to mention give myself time to build everything to my satisfaction.) But not to worry, TPQ is never far from mind. ^_^
Anyway! TBT is a Sleeping Beauty retelling, you got that right! 😉 Luci's not locked in a tower, but she is asleep in her castle, which is trapped by a wall of thorns, a la Disney style. The sleeping curse Vyntyri cast has locked her in a realm of dreams, where she can move around at will and enter other people's dreams! So there's lots of capricious dream logic and (hopefully) lyrical prose to match, and it's all quite fun.
How is it going currently? Well. 😛 I set rather high goals to expand it into a full novel by the end of June, then have time to do some editing next month. I hope to pitch TBT at a writer's conference I'm going to at the end of July, so…!!! I'm not progressing as fast as I'd hoped; I'd like to add another 25-30k words at least. If any Sleeping Beauty ideas clock you upside the head in the coming weeks, feel free to send them my way, lol! And thanks for asking about the progress! ^_^
Hadrian sounds like an interesting fellow to know. I like the idea that Luci haunts his dreams and such. That's very intriguing! Also, I would like to help Hadrian complete his bucket list. Some of those adventures sound fun!
My June BP: https://dancing-lawn.blogspot.com/2017/06/beautiful-people-june-2017.html
Thanks, Jaime! Yes, the dream thing is one of my absolute favorite parts of this story. I'm sure he'd love some company on his adventures! 😀
I'm heading to your BP post right now!