Meme meme meme.
19. Favorite minor that decided to shove himself into the spotlight and why!
Dan! From Polyfaceted. He started as an unnamed bartender in one story I wrote and evolved into the owner of the Corlionis' major hangout. He has relatives and a backstory now, and frankly, he is awesome. I mean, to deal with the Corlionis on a regular basis requires a decent amount of unflappability, and Dan is virtually bombproof. He is also an alcohol snob, and I adore him for it.
20. What are your favorite character interactions to write?
I love, love, love writing Corlioni family interactions. Conference meetings, with five or six siblings at once, are tons of fun, especially if there is fighting or fucking around going on. " Game Over" was enjoyable for me in this respect, as was " A Family Matter". Same with the co-written fic, " Sister Sister", which was not a meeting but a family gathering. This is probably also why I had fun writing the Corlioni musical, and now I'm hitting myself for not including that in the "weirdest situations" question. Basically, anything where a bunch of Corlionis are interacting is fun for me. I also love to write certain interactions with smaller numbers of people. For instance, Nicoletta and Isabella are fun to write together, as are Nic, Is, and Cris. I also love Nic and David, which I haven't done a lot but is surprisingly kind of fun. Lea and Leo are always good times, as well as Nic, Is, and Leo, because they like to screw with him (and it is most definitely deserved). Torey and anyone, really; I just enjoy writing Torey. Torey and Johnny are nice because of the contrast of Torey's laid-back attitude and Johnny's aggressiveness. I also like writing Torey and Is, because of the parallels in their friendly outward demeanors while still being people who would kill you if you piss them off enough. (The fun contrast there is with Johnny and Nicoletta, who are far more obviously dangerous and "I may kill you 'cause it's Tuesday"-like.) Johnny and Isabella are also entertaining, especially when Johnny's being an overprotective ass. David and Teresa are completely sweet together, and that is the only time you'll ever hear anyone use the word “sweet” about anything relating to David, so you have to take what you can. Isabella and Stefano's complicated relationship is always good; I love how Isabella would kill (and has killed) for Stefano if need be, even as he frustrates the hell out of her, and I love how Stefano loves his sister despite her profession while still criticizing her for it, as well as shutting out every other member of their family. I also like writing Mina and Vito; their interactions are based a lot on the interactions my sister and I had growing up. I am not as smart as Mina, and Sharon is not as slow as Vito, but there are still big similarities in the way school and learning has always come easy for me, while Sharon has had to struggle for every grade she earns. That frustration is a cornerstone of a lot of sibling rivalry and I like exploring it with Mina and Vito. Let's see, Vito and Gino are BFF and therefore tons of fun to write; they're just such boys. Eva and Adamo are terribly close and thus great, with how well they get along. I also adore writing Maria with Little David (David's oldest son); their odd friendship is so fitting. It's kind of strange, and yet I love it. Maria is also fun to write with Torey, because Maria likes Torey a lot, and is grateful to him. If she were capable of the ability to love, she would certainly love him fiercely. (Being a sociopath, love is something she will never understand, however.) She actually finds it unfortunate that she has to trick him. It's also fun to write her annoying the shit out of Leo. Oh, and this interaction is only AU, but it is awesome: Maria and her daughter. Yeah, I AUly gave her a daughter, because my brain is on crack. Seriously, though, it works way better than anyone could anticipate; Maria trusts Marietta, and Marietta gets that that's as close to love as her mom can get, and loves her for it. It helps that starting by the time Marietta is thirteen, Maria is completely open with her. It also helps that Maria is very self-aware: she knows what she can't provide, and so comes up with alternatives so Marietta grows up properly.
Okay, that was crazy long and I only covered the Corlionis. This is what happens when you have 16 main + 3 main-ish characters, people! As for Kansas City, I love writing the interactions between Alex and Vincent; she's so mean to him, and I feel a little bad, but I know she'll calm down eventually. Alex and Sam are also incredibly fun. Sam adores Alex and the feeling is quite mutual. If Sam weren't approximately 233% gay, I'd ship them. (Actually, I kind of ship them anyway--platonically. Sam is the closest Alex will ever get to a significant other. I don't quite have an accurate descriptor for her sexuality, and have just been saying "straight" because the one relationship she has been in was with a man, but I really think she's closer to some measure of asexual. I have to do some more research.) Their relationship does have a father-daughter element to it, though, which becomes apparent when you realize Alex never had much of a relationship with her actual father. Lucille and Mark's back-and-forth is also tons of fun, because they very Worthy Opponent-like. They don't really like each other, and Mark is not quite as bound to fairness as he presents himself, but he does respect Lucille, and Lucille grudgingly respects him in return.
In the Untitled Poly Story, Mary, Anne, and Brian are probably my favorites to write; their interactions are just so affectionate and light and I love how they work. There is no question about the fact that Mary is the head of that household. Brian may be the one with the wife and the girlfriend, but she owns him. Anne does too, to a lesser extent. They have fun owning him together (something that Brian does not mind in the least), and I enjoy their friendship.
For Lucy, Lucy and Daniel's interactions are fun, because Lucy takes great pleasure in corrupting Daniel. Daniel pretends to protest, but he really loves it too. Lucy blonde-ing it up for the Committee of Angels and Board of Demons is also fun, because she knows how much it frustrates them and loves it. I admit to getting gleeful about it as well. She and Death are also entertaining, being BFF and being so different. The other...anthropomorphic personifications (there has to be a shorter term for this!) are also great. Famine and Death get along well; War and Peace's relationship is six kinds of adorable; Pestilence and Life's passive-aggressive friendship is the stuff that teen sitcoms are made of, and it's weirdly fun.
I'm finally done with this question! Damn, that was long. As you might be able to tell, characters are really my bread and butter. World-building can be fun, plotting is all right, but creating characters and figuring how they interact is really my favorite part of writing.
I know I'm technically three days behind, but since 20's answer was so long, and 21's is also pretty long, so I'm not posting them together.
Dan! From Polyfaceted. He started as an unnamed bartender in one story I wrote and evolved into the owner of the Corlionis' major hangout. He has relatives and a backstory now, and frankly, he is awesome. I mean, to deal with the Corlionis on a regular basis requires a decent amount of unflappability, and Dan is virtually bombproof. He is also an alcohol snob, and I adore him for it.
20. What are your favorite character interactions to write?
I love, love, love writing Corlioni family interactions. Conference meetings, with five or six siblings at once, are tons of fun, especially if there is fighting or fucking around going on. " Game Over" was enjoyable for me in this respect, as was " A Family Matter". Same with the co-written fic, " Sister Sister", which was not a meeting but a family gathering. This is probably also why I had fun writing the Corlioni musical, and now I'm hitting myself for not including that in the "weirdest situations" question. Basically, anything where a bunch of Corlionis are interacting is fun for me. I also love to write certain interactions with smaller numbers of people. For instance, Nicoletta and Isabella are fun to write together, as are Nic, Is, and Cris. I also love Nic and David, which I haven't done a lot but is surprisingly kind of fun. Lea and Leo are always good times, as well as Nic, Is, and Leo, because they like to screw with him (and it is most definitely deserved). Torey and anyone, really; I just enjoy writing Torey. Torey and Johnny are nice because of the contrast of Torey's laid-back attitude and Johnny's aggressiveness. I also like writing Torey and Is, because of the parallels in their friendly outward demeanors while still being people who would kill you if you piss them off enough. (The fun contrast there is with Johnny and Nicoletta, who are far more obviously dangerous and "I may kill you 'cause it's Tuesday"-like.) Johnny and Isabella are also entertaining, especially when Johnny's being an overprotective ass. David and Teresa are completely sweet together, and that is the only time you'll ever hear anyone use the word “sweet” about anything relating to David, so you have to take what you can. Isabella and Stefano's complicated relationship is always good; I love how Isabella would kill (and has killed) for Stefano if need be, even as he frustrates the hell out of her, and I love how Stefano loves his sister despite her profession while still criticizing her for it, as well as shutting out every other member of their family. I also like writing Mina and Vito; their interactions are based a lot on the interactions my sister and I had growing up. I am not as smart as Mina, and Sharon is not as slow as Vito, but there are still big similarities in the way school and learning has always come easy for me, while Sharon has had to struggle for every grade she earns. That frustration is a cornerstone of a lot of sibling rivalry and I like exploring it with Mina and Vito. Let's see, Vito and Gino are BFF and therefore tons of fun to write; they're just such boys. Eva and Adamo are terribly close and thus great, with how well they get along. I also adore writing Maria with Little David (David's oldest son); their odd friendship is so fitting. It's kind of strange, and yet I love it. Maria is also fun to write with Torey, because Maria likes Torey a lot, and is grateful to him. If she were capable of the ability to love, she would certainly love him fiercely. (Being a sociopath, love is something she will never understand, however.) She actually finds it unfortunate that she has to trick him. It's also fun to write her annoying the shit out of Leo. Oh, and this interaction is only AU, but it is awesome: Maria and her daughter. Yeah, I AUly gave her a daughter, because my brain is on crack. Seriously, though, it works way better than anyone could anticipate; Maria trusts Marietta, and Marietta gets that that's as close to love as her mom can get, and loves her for it. It helps that starting by the time Marietta is thirteen, Maria is completely open with her. It also helps that Maria is very self-aware: she knows what she can't provide, and so comes up with alternatives so Marietta grows up properly.
Okay, that was crazy long and I only covered the Corlionis. This is what happens when you have 16 main + 3 main-ish characters, people! As for Kansas City, I love writing the interactions between Alex and Vincent; she's so mean to him, and I feel a little bad, but I know she'll calm down eventually. Alex and Sam are also incredibly fun. Sam adores Alex and the feeling is quite mutual. If Sam weren't approximately 233% gay, I'd ship them. (Actually, I kind of ship them anyway--platonically. Sam is the closest Alex will ever get to a significant other. I don't quite have an accurate descriptor for her sexuality, and have just been saying "straight" because the one relationship she has been in was with a man, but I really think she's closer to some measure of asexual. I have to do some more research.) Their relationship does have a father-daughter element to it, though, which becomes apparent when you realize Alex never had much of a relationship with her actual father. Lucille and Mark's back-and-forth is also tons of fun, because they very Worthy Opponent-like. They don't really like each other, and Mark is not quite as bound to fairness as he presents himself, but he does respect Lucille, and Lucille grudgingly respects him in return.
In the Untitled Poly Story, Mary, Anne, and Brian are probably my favorites to write; their interactions are just so affectionate and light and I love how they work. There is no question about the fact that Mary is the head of that household. Brian may be the one with the wife and the girlfriend, but she owns him. Anne does too, to a lesser extent. They have fun owning him together (something that Brian does not mind in the least), and I enjoy their friendship.
For Lucy, Lucy and Daniel's interactions are fun, because Lucy takes great pleasure in corrupting Daniel. Daniel pretends to protest, but he really loves it too. Lucy blonde-ing it up for the Committee of Angels and Board of Demons is also fun, because she knows how much it frustrates them and loves it. I admit to getting gleeful about it as well. She and Death are also entertaining, being BFF and being so different. The other...anthropomorphic personifications (there has to be a shorter term for this!) are also great. Famine and Death get along well; War and Peace's relationship is six kinds of adorable; Pestilence and Life's passive-aggressive friendship is the stuff that teen sitcoms are made of, and it's weirdly fun.
I'm finally done with this question! Damn, that was long. As you might be able to tell, characters are really my bread and butter. World-building can be fun, plotting is all right, but creating characters and figuring how they interact is really my favorite part of writing.
I know I'm technically three days behind, but since 20's answer was so long, and 21's is also pretty long, so I'm not posting them together.