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Beautiful People: Calene and Droben

Hi!  I'm linking up for Beautiful People, the monthly character questions hosted by Sky and Cait.  This month, I am featuring the two brothers from ToP.  They are supposed to be jointly ruling the country while their father is ill -- a challenging arrangement, to say the least.
I don't have pictures for them yet, so I will give you a brief physical description.  
----Calene is 35 years old, blonde hair, tall -- usually seen with a pleasant countenance or a slightly pained look (when around Droben).  
----Droben is 30 years old, dark hair, stocky -- usually seen with a scowl, amused look, or a showman's face.
http://furtherup-and-furtherin.blogspot.com/


1. Do they get nightmares? If so, why or what of?

Calene: Sometimes. Various themes, but one reoccurring theme involves him not able to manage the country.  Sometimes he dreams that Droben ruins everything.
Droben: He hates nightmares. He'd rather stay up late and then take sleep medicine.

2. What is their biggest guilty pleasure/secret shame?
Calene: Hmmm...I'll have to think about this one.
Droben: His nightlife. It's not exactly a secret but he tries to keep it out of Calene's view and, for business reasons, the country's. It's also not exactly "guilty/shame" because he does his best to deny that it is even wrong.

3. Are they easily persuaded or do they need more proof?
Calene and Droben: Both like to think of themselves as requiring solid proof, but they each have weak areas where they can be convinced easily.

4. Do they suffer from any phobias? Does it affect their life in a big way?
Calene: He hates to disappoint, and it does affect his life in a big way.
Droben: Court jesters, superstitions, not being loved, storms. No, maybe, yes, yes.

5. What do they consider their “Achilles heel”? I find this question interesting because rather than asking for the Achilles heel, it asks for the perceived Achilles heel.
Calene believes Droben is his Achilles heel.
Droben doesn't have a specific one. He figures he'll keep going just as he is until he dies -- which could happen soon or later.

6. How do they handle a crisis? 
Both handle a crisis quite well in areas where they have been trained. 
Calene takes a personal interest in it and won't give up no matter what, and he may need time to recuperate afterwards. 
 Droben is slightly more pragmatic, but his hands will shake from the adrenaline.

7. Do they have a temper? 
Droben - yes.

8. What are their core values and/or religious beliefs?
Calene: Calene has a high moral code and is strengthening ties with the established Church -- ties that his father had weakened.
Droben: He believes in honesty. In a general way, he believes in doing things for the good of mankind. He holds promises closely. He hates the Church with a passion.

9. What things do they value most in life? 
Calene values peace and good opinions. 
Droben values himself.

10. What is one major event that helped shape who they are? I don't think I can pin their personalities on one event. If I were to pin it on one thing, I would pin it on their mothers. Even though Calene and Droben are brothers, they have different mothers. Calene's mother died when he was 4 years old. His father immediately remarried and Droben was born a year later .

Comments

  1. Interesting. They sound like quite the pair. I think my siblings are probably my Achilles heel, in that I don't want anything to happen to them! (Also, they know my weaknesses and secrets, so they can be liabilities).

    http://rlhendrian.blogspot.com/2015/05/beautiful-people-for-writers.html

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  2. There is not much brother-like about these two. They are very different and they were not raised as siblings. They have their father in common, of course, but each had their own mother and/or nursemaid to care for them. When Calene was little, his father's second wife and son were (in Calene's mind) very much "the other woman...and her son.". The brothers have never been close.

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  3. They are so opposite, but it makes them all the more interesting. I really like Drobens phobias. :)

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  4. These questions were fun for me. I know these two characters quite well, but some of the questions I had not thought to ask before. It was fun to uncover the answers.
    When I wrote Calene's phobias, I was sobered, feeling the weight that he must carry on his shoulders from such a fear.
    But when I wrote Droben's, I laughed at him. Yes, I know, this is very serious for him and these things truly bother him. But *snort* it was such a comical combination.
    Unfortunately, I also laughed in the real life Droben's face when he told me of his deepest fears.
    Sorry, Droben.

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  5. I'm visiting through the Beautiful People link-up! These two sound interesting! They're certainly the oldest of the ones in BP I've read. I gravitate more toward Calene. We have a lot in common lol.

    storitorigrace.blogspot.com

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  6. Hi, Victoria! Thanks for stopping by!
    Yes, like you, Calene and I have more in common than do Droben and I. But I think part of my fascination with Droben's character is because of how different he is than I. He's so interesting because he takes a completely different approach to life than I do...sometimes with better results and sometimes with very bad results.
    I like how you noticed their age. I hadn't really thought about it, but you're right. Most of BP people are younger. Even my main character in this story is younger -- she's 16. But Calene and Droben play major roles, and these BP questions seemed to fit them well. I'm glad I was able to add a little variety to BP's age ranges. ;)

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