Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Music + MBTI Part One - Fall Out Boy

   Today is the first Music + MBTI post! I love music, lyrics, and MBTI, so i'm combining them into a series where I relate song lyrics to each type.
   Note: Just because I relate some lyrics to a type does not mean I relate the entire song to that type.


ISTJ - Uma Thurman



ISFJ - Just One Yesterday



ESTJ - You're Crashing, But You're No Wave



ESFJ - Miss Missing You



ISTP - Immortals



ISFP - Dance, Dance



ESTP - The Phoenix



ESFP - Uma Thurman



INTJ - Jet Pack Blues



INTP - This Ain't a Scene It's an Arms Race



ENTJ - Centuries



ENTP - Immortals



INFJ - The Phoenix



INFP - My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark



ENFJ - Fourth of July



ENFP - Young Volcanoes




Character Interview: Allorie

   Sorry for not posting last week. I really have no excuse.



Me: Hey guys! Today I'm going to be interviewing Allorie, one of the FMCs from Children of the Nameless.

Lyrics from "Fight Song" by Rachel Platten


Allorie: *smiles shyly*

Me: So. Let's get started. What weapons have you been trained in? Which is your favorite?

Allorie: *has a soft voice and speaks with an English accent* I know sword fighting and archery, and I also know how to fight with knives, and how to wrestle. I like everything but knives, *laughs softly* but sword fighting is my favorite.

Me: What are you best at? And what's something you just can't get the hang of?

Allorie: *laughs nervously* I'm going to assume we're still talking about weapons. I'm definitely best at sword fighting. There were a few times when they taught us to use a war hammer, and... *laughs* I failed. Completely.

Me: Speaking of teachers, what are yours like?

Allorie: Well... *looks down at her hands* They work us hard. *long pause* They're not very nice, but...I suppose it must get frustrating, trying to teach incompetent children all day. *tries to laugh*

Me: What's your favorite thing to do in your spare time?

Allorie: *confused* We don't really have spare time...at least, I don't. If I'm not training, or down at the barracks, I'm...with my mother... *twists her hands in her lap*

Me: *softly* How you do feel about your mother? Really? And don't worry; no one will ever know.

Allorie: *starts and stops several times, then whispers* She scares me. She hurts me, and yells at me, and... *shakes her head*

Me: *hugs Allorie* Do you really want to be Empress?

Allorie: *blinks, confused* I don't have any choice. I'm an only child. It's my duty to become Empress.

Me: Are you getting any training for when you become Empress?

Allorie: A little bit. I learn about government and diplomacy, and I watch the Empress to see how she does things.

Me: If you could say anything to her, or ask her anything? What would it be?

Allorie: Oh...oh...that...I... *softly* I would ask her what she thinks of me. If...if she really thinks I'm a failure, like she says I am.

Me: And what would you ask your father?

Allorie: What? I can't...he's dead...

Me: I know, but just pretend.

Allorie: I...I would ask him if he was proud of me. *blushes*

Me: I bet he is. *smiles* What do you picture him being like?

Allorie: *smiles slightly* He's tall and handsome and he's always smiling. And he's very strong.

Me: *smiles* So, tell me about your friend. How did you meet him? What's he like?

Allorie: *smiles slightly* Jeth was one of the older soldiers, and one day his group was helping us train...he saw some of the soldiers in my group teasing me and...told them to stop. After that, he always made sure to keep an eye on me, and talk to me and protect me whenever he could. But then... *looks down* His [squadron] was called to battle and...he never came back. He was very tough, and a great leader, but he was also very caring and gentle. *smiles sadly* I miss him.

Me: If you could have anything or do anything you wanted, what would it be?

Allorie: *thinks* I would...I would be with someone who cared about me. We would take care of each other, and love each other. And...I want to end the war, so my people can live in peace. *sits up straighter* That's why I joined Kaleth and his friends.

Me: Do you ever dream of being someone else? If so, who would you be?

Allorie: I don't want to be someone else. I just want to be a better version of me. Someone...someone who people can care about and come to for help.

Me: How far would you go to save someone you loved.

Allorie: I think, if I found someone I truly loved, I would be willing to die for them.

Me: *softly* What do you fear the most?

Allorie: *stares down at her hands* Being alone and useless and hated forever. Never being good enough for anything.

Me: What words bother you the most to hear?

Allorie: Well, I've heard it a lost from the soldiers, so I should be used to it, but I don't like when the boys curse. And...it's silly, but I don't like when people call me "useless" or "pathetic" or things like that. *tries to laugh*

Me: Nobody does. Now tell me about your singing. Do you have a favorite type of music to sing? Do you ever perform, or is it something you just do for yourself?

Allorie: *blushes* I've never really sung in front of people. It made the Empress angry the one time she heard me, so I don't sing around her or any of the leaders, and the other soldiers would tease me about it, so I don't sing around them.  But I've been singing more, especially with Danica. *smiles*

Me: What's your favorite way to dress? What do you normally wear?

Allorie: Well, I've only worn a dress two or three times, but I loved it. *smiles* Normally, I wear a soldier's uniform: dark grey pants and a blue tunic.

Me: Is there a token that you own that means a lot to you, like a necklace or dagger or book?

Allorie: *thinks, then shakes her head* I don't think so. Unless you count my sword. I usually keep it with me because it makes me feel safe.

Me: And, that's it! Thanks for letting me talk to you, Allorie!

Allorie: *smiles* Of course.


And thank you for reading! I promise, I'll get better at posting.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Questions for Allorie

   Since I've already done painfully outdated and inaccurate interviews for Barrow, Katria, and Egin, there were only three characters I need to interview. All my betas voted for Allorie, so here she is.


   Allorie is the daughter of the Empress of Daglen. She knows very little about her father, who died before she was a year old, except for the fact that he was a soldier. Because of this, her mother forces her to live and train with the other soldiers, but still expects Allorie to become Empress one day. Despite trying her absolute hardest to live up to everyone's expectations, she is constantly criticized by everyone she knows and has only ever had one friend. But mere days before her sixteenth birthday, three strange teenagers arrive at the castle and, in front of the court, tell her that her father was a Nameless, a legendary war hero. Although her mother furiously forbids it, Allorie runs away to join them, hoping to make friends and make a difference in the war that plagues her country.
   Her MBTI is ISFJ. She is very kind and looks out for others before herself. She can always find a way to blame herself when things go wrong. She's very good at singing and loves to spar with Kaleth. She's very protective of her friends and does all she can do take care of and protect them.


   Have any questions for Allorie? Leave them in the comments, and she'll answer them next week.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Street Rats

I wrote a short story about the first time two characters meet in Children of the Nameless. And flailed about it. A lot.






  “What’re you snivellin’ for?” Katria demanded, shoving her hands into her pockets.
  “‘ungry,” the boy said, wiping the tears from his dirty face with a dirtier hand. He looked a little bit older than Katria, maybe nine or even ten.
  “Tha’s it? You’re ‘ungry? Why dontcha do somethin’ about it?” she asked.
  “Don’t got any parents,” he muttered.
  Katria laughed. “What’s that got to do with anythin’? I don’t got any either. I live with my aunt. And even if I didn’t, I could still take care of myself.”
  The boy stood up, thick brown hair almost blocking his eyes. “I don’t believe you.”
  Katria glared. “You think I’m some weak li’l girl, dontcha? I’ll show ya. Follow me.”
  The boy nodded and followed, intimidated by her fierceness. She grinned and led him through the alleyways and backstreets of Tsuki until they reached the marketplace.
  The smells of food and bodies and metal clashed with the sounds of wind and shouting and clopping hooves until it became a disaster that would overwhelm almost anyone. But for Katria, it was home, and she knew just how to pick apart the sights and sounds to get the best result, like Aunt Jada taught her.
  “What’re you-”
  She slapped a hand over his mouth, not caring if she hurt him.
  “Shut up,” she hissed. “I’m tryin’ ta getcha somethin’.”
  He pushed her hand away. “You’re gonna steal something?” he asked quietly.
  “Meet me back where I met ya,” she whispered, then slipped into the crowd.
  She was no longer Katria, orphan, street rat, niece of the most famous assassin in all of Totenshi. She was a little girl, delighted by the bustle of the marketplace, thrilled by the kites dancing overhead, swaying to the music from a pipe-player’s stall. No one suspected a girl like that. And so no one noticed when she slipped a tiny loaf of bread from a baker’s stand into the pouch on her waist.
  If there was one thing Katria Blackthorne knew how to do, it was how to play a part.
  But she was also very good at climbing on roofs, so when she jumped down with a thud, the dark-skinned boy from earlier jumped nearly a foot in the air.
  Katria laughed wildly. “I scared ya!” she crowed.
  “No you didn’t,” he sulked.
  “Did too. I bet your heart’s poundin’.” She punched his shoulder with delight.
  “I didn’t think you was comin’ back, was all,” he said, rubbing his shoulder and glaring.
  She glared right back. “I told ya I’d meet ya back here, an’ so I met ya back here. I keep my word.” She tossed him the bread. “Name’s Katria, by the way.”
  The boy caught it, hands fumbling, and eat hungrily. “Conryn,” he mumbled as he stuffed half the loaf in his mouth.
  Katria plopped down in the hard-packed dirt. “So, you’re a street rat who ain’t used to the idea of stealin’, ey?”
  “I ain’t a street rat,” Conryn said, sitting next to her.
  “You sure look it,” she said.
  Conryn had a square jaw, a long nose, skin that looked a lovely shade of brown under all that dirt, and thick shaggy hair so dark it was almost black. And he had stubborn brown eyes that seemed very sad but very strong. His shirt and vest were even dirtier than Katria’s(which was something she thought she’d never see), his trousers had holes in the knees, and he had a tiny knife strapped to his belt.
  Katria suddenly decided that she liked him.
  “You good at anythin’?” she asked.
  “What’s that s’pposed to mean?” he huffed, probably angry at the idea that he seemed useless.
  “I like you, Conryn. I think Imma keep you around.”
  “What?”
  Poor soul. How thick could one person be?
  “What’re you good at? I want ya to work for my aunt, so I can torment ya more often.” She grinned.
  “I…” Conryn stared at the ground, a look of intense concentration on his face, the same look Katria guessed she had when she tried to read something. “I’m good enough at fightin’. I know some o’ my letters and I can add an’ subtract an’ I’m good with numbers.”
  Katria grinned, grabbing his arm and pulling him to his feet. “I’m sure Aunt Jada can find a use for ya. She’ll teach ya to fight and Ballid can teach ya to read and write-” she grimaced as she pulled Conryn through the streets, “and you can eat and sleep with us and one day you and I’ll get jobs like my aunt.”
  “What does she do?” Conryn said, smiling down at her.
  “She’s an assassin,” Katria boasted. “I’m gonna be one too, when I get big.”
  


  
What do you guys think of my sassy, violent little assassin-to-be and her future best friend?