Character Bios
Since so much of my work is narrative and has a story behind it, I thought I'd create some small "bios" of my characters. They are all connected to one another by less than 6 degrees of separation. Not complete yet.
Characters A-L : Characters M-Z
Jump to: Meyer, Najya, Ogun, Pico, Rhaxma, Snowdrop, Vince, Xan, Zephyr
Meyer
species: Dog (chow-chow)Meyer is a restaurant owner. His restaurant is a unique dining experience modeled somewhat after one of Meyer's favorite shows, "Iron Chef." On the weekends, the cooks are challenged to create unique dishes out of a specific ingredient. During the weekdays, the restaurant favors a more conservative approach and serves a variety of dishes from around the world.
Meyer enjoys traveling (and drags his lover, Kiefer) all over the world. Each year, they take a trip to a new country, sample the culture and cuisine and with Kiefer's encouragement, the night life.
Meyer is less outgoing than Kiefer, and is the one who keeps his flighty partner grounded. The two are extremely close. They grew up together in Europe and were fast friends as children. As they grew older, they realized their feelings went deeper than just friendship and became lovers.
Meyer's
other interests include reading detective/murder mystery stories
and writing poetry. He's not a bad writer and has been published
in a few local magazines.
Meyer means "a farmer" in German.
Najya
species: Spotted HyenaNajya
lived alone on the streets of Rhiyad for many years until she
was brought into service of the Rhiyad royal family. She works
as a harem girl for some time and eventually becomes the favorite
of Balthazar.
She is illiterate, but determined to learn to read. Najya has
a great imagination. She's non-judgemental, kind-hearted and fairly
brave. She's very free, sexually with Balthazar. She expresses
her joy with him in the act of love-making.
Being new to the palace, she feels she has a lot to learn, but
learns quickly and enjoys her lessons.
I like her a lot as a character, but in my mind, she's still developing.
Ogun
species: OkapiOgun
is a medical student at a rather large state college which is
located in the heart of a large midwest city (They live in an
analogue of the USA--Sorry, I currently have no names for these
locations.) He's a hard worker, intelligent and is going to be
an excellent doctor in the future. Since he works so hard at school,
internships and studying, when he unwinds, he really unwinds!
Ogun is not native to the country he attends collge. He's from
this universe's analogue to Nigeria. Like Nigeria it is very beautiful
and very troubled. That's another reason Ogun "cuts loose"
a lot: it's the first time he's been able to.
Ogun lives with his boyfriend, Vince, a flying fox. For Ogun,
the relationship is a conveinent one. He cares about Vince and
they are good friends. The love they have is real... but for them,
it's not enough. Ogun is not faithful to Vince. However, since
their relationship is conveinent, Ogun works to maintain it. He
enjoys Vince's company, his conversation and the fact that Vince
is able to help put a roof over his head. There are selfish aspects
to this relationship, but I should emphasize that they really
do care about one another, just in a very dysfunctional way.
Physical stats: Ogun is of average male height. He's muscular
and a little nearsighted. When he speaks, his voice is deep and
he has a lilting Nigerian accent. Ogunsnwo the name itself comes
from a Nigerian surname meaning roughly "glory to Ogun"
Ogun is a diety similiar to Apollo in Greek mythology. His "American"
nickname therefore is truly a "divine" one. :)
Pico
species: Gryphon (cokatoo/dingo)Pico is Xan's cousin and "partner in crime." Where Xan is, Pico is also likely to be found. She is an assistant to Xan who is the priestess of the goddess Quix, the goddess of chance.
Pico is not as imaginative or as flashy as Xan. Nor is she as intelligent. However, Pico is really a very happy person. She knows who she is and enjoys spending time with her brighter, flashier cousin. Because of Xan, Pico has seen much of the world. Her chief strengths lie in her loyalty to Xan and her unflagging support of her work as the priestess of Quix.
Like Xan and many of the inhabitants of Hispera, Pico is very open sexually.
Rhaxma
species: Okapi
Rhaxma is Somali for "sweet." A childhood friend of Ogun's, they share a common past. Rhaxma studies comparative literature in college and is currently applying to graduate schools. She is very well-travelled and enjoys rock-climbing and off-road driving. Unlike Ogun, she comes from a wealthy family and was largely untouched by her home country's civil unrest.
She is one of the most "vanilla" of my characters. She is heterosexual and not at all bicurious. She is a tease with her body: enjoying showing it off, but not willing to go any further. She neither drinks nor smokes.
Mostly, she is a very practical person, friendly and a natural storyteller. Her travels around the world are full of adventure and mishap.
Rhaxma as a character was created based on a suggestion emailed to me. I appreciate the inspiration very much.
Snowdrop
species: Unicorn
Snowdrop
lives in the magical land of Hispera. He is a creature of magic
and does not have magical powers himself. Like many of the people
of Hispera, he is very open sexually. His personality is somewhat
moody. He can be full of joy one day, and quite sad the next.
He receives a lot of happiness from spending time with his boyfriend,
Irving and truly loves the outdoors.
Both Snowdrop and Irving are Rangers and that's why they are so
often outdoors. It is their job to make sure that life in Hispera
is balanced and healthy. The job is a difficult one, but extremely
rewarding. Maintaining balance in a complex ecosystem is not only
an enormous challenge, but also one of great responsibility. Everyone
in Hispera remembers the 50-year Shadow.
In their off-seasons, both Irving and Snowdrop are allowed to
travel to other countries in the World and enjoy visiting the
States most. The culture of the States is so completely different
from Hispera. Snowdrop is fascinated by the commercialism, the
spectacle of pop-culture and sheer strangeness of it all. As much
as he enjoys his trips away from Hispera, he finds that they are
renewing--when he returns to Hispera, he is relieved and rejuvinated.
Vince
species: Flying fox (bat)Vince is the son of immigrants to the US analogue. He and his family never had an easy time of things growing up and consequently, Vince knows the value of hard work. He works in a small bookstore just off-campus that sells not only textbooks, but also Vince's favorite: science fiction. He saves a portion of every paycheck in the hopes either of attending school to become a librarian or to open his own bookstore someday.
He met Ogun, his boyfriend, when Ogun came into the bookstore to buy some second-hand textbooks. They hit it off really well. They really connect with one another. However, Vince really isn't Ogun's type and so he often cheats on Vince. He likes his personality and loves that, but doesn't always feel satisfied physically. Since Vince is very forgiving, he looks the other way when Ogun hurts his feelings. Part of it is that Vince is proud that someone so beautiful loves him. It makes him feel special. So he always takes him back.
Vince is really just a regular, average guy. He's of average height and is a little over-weight. He enjoys simple things in life like reading, watching TV, drinking coffee with his lover and other such things.
--------------------
Just as Vince knew it would happen, when Ogun finishes medical school, Ogun leaves him. Vince has bought the bookstore he always wanted and life goes on... although Vince is really rather lonely. He hires Jasmine to work in his bookstore and through Jasmine, gets into meditation and Buddhism (Vince is really an atheist, though.) Vince's life takes an unexpected turn in After 7, a story I wrote about him, Jasmine and Cody.
Xan
species: Gryphon (macaw/margay cat)Xan is an inhabitant of the more magical, utopian continent of Hispera. Xan is a princess and priestess of the sacred temple of Quixoricotl. The goddess Quix is normally seen as a detached, neutral deity of chance. Xan's duties to her vary over the course of the year, occasionally leaving her able to travel to "exotic" places like the US analogue or the country of Rhiyad.
Xan is a mischievous person, enjoying surprises, practical jokes and teasing. Her sense of humor is wonderful and she's a fun person to be around, often becoming the center of attention at parties and even serious ceremonies. As the priestess of Quix, she isn't the kind of person you want to play a hand of poker with, something she uses to her advantage and amusement in other countries.
Xan, like many of the inhabitants of Hispera, has no sexual hang-ups. Being somewhat magical people, they are all able to control their fertility (in other words, they choose to conceive) and sex isn't just an act of procreation, it's a romp in the park, literally. Xan is exuberant in her sexual displays and enjoys the play that it is for her.
Xan has an angry side. Anyone who has descrated the temple of Quix is in serious trouble. Xan is proficient in the use of many of the ceremonial weapons of Hispera, all of which are hardly ceremonial when they are aimed at someone. She's even a good shot with a handgun (an import from the US analogue).
I'm not sure where Xan came from as a character, but to me, she has a lot of life and I enjoy drawing her very much.
Zephyr
species: ZebraZephyr
is the "brawn" or the "body" to Jack's "brains."
They are con-artists and thieves. Zephyr is skilled as a cat burgler,
safe cracker, lock-pick and is also a great distraction when Jack
is trying to pull a heist or to swindle someone out of money.
He uses his good looks to distract both men and women and is not
above romancing someone in order to gain their secrets.
He and Jack live together and he slowly falls in love eih him:
something he's never let happen before. He is kind to Jack and
respects his intellect. They live in the capital city of Luna,
Mare Inbrium, and have a great view of the gray lunar plains from
their apartment. The country of Luna, which is on the Moon, is
a frontier city and is a ripe place for theives to scam and steal
their way into a fortune.
Zephyr is friendly and easygoing on the surface. He is polite,
constantly aware of good manners and underneath it all, quite
ruthless. He is a risk-taker, using his charms to work his way
into other's good graces, to squeeze out of difficult situations.
When he is unable to talk himself out of a bad situation, he will
fight. He is strong and is a skillful street-fighter. He doesn't
mind fighting dirty. He suggests that he has killed before, but
this is unconfirmed.
Zephyr is named for the Ancient Greek personification of the West Wind. Zephyr is from my world's analogue to West Africa.
Characters A-L : Characters M-Z
