Shared WIP Tag #2 || Billie, ball of snark and bitterness

Me: this week my post will be earlier! I will be the earliest! because I live in Australia so I get to Friday before the Americans! just have to beat Melissa...
Friday: are you aware you have swimming groceries basketball piano groceries and need to get your glasses adjusted and pick up a family member from work.
Me: ...
Me: ...Saturday?
Saturday: Sorry ma'am, you need to clean the house, your laptop has a tantrum scheduled, and then you're going for dinner with family and to see a live stream of the ballet.
Me: ...
Me: next week, I will be prepared early! earlier than this week! I will be the earliest!!

...welcome to week two:

MC Questions!

("main character", if you're not familiar with the abbreviation.)

Which means... *gasps* we get to talk about Billie!

(Wonderful ball of bitterness and snark that she is.)

If you weren't around when the last WIP Special was on, I did a post on Billie here, and it has a few more details (also a few of the same ones).

........

–{{1. Introduce your MC a little, and tell us something quirky about her.

Billie || Isobel || never Bill, because Old Bill is the horse

(have Billie's aesthetic again! Not because that's the only one for her I have, obviously! haha no! I lie. The picture in the middle is, as far as I've managed to decide, her face.)

Something quirky about her (it's basically just her character to be honest):

Billie does a lot out of spite and/or pettiness. The more something would have shocked her father (stomping around a veggie patch ankle-deep in mud, wearing those same muddy boots to a meal table and eating like someone who's just done a hard day's work, being outright rude to someone instead of super passive-aggressive [which is obviously the correct way of doing things]), the more angry joy she gets out of doing it.

A sad life, really. she would verbally flay me for saying that but eh. I'm the author, she has to put up with it.

–{{2. What does your MC value the most?

More than anything else, Billie values the safety of her sisters. She didn't use to - that was someone else's role. But that [carefully unnamed because spoilers (actually they just don't have a name yet, oops)] person failed the sisters, and ever since, Billie has not trusted anyone to fill that role but herself.

–{{3. What is your MC's wildest dream? What is her greatest fear? 

Billie doesn't really do 'wild dreams'. Not even before her move to the forest. Now that I think about it, she's not a dreamer. She has goals which she works hard to achieve - although currently they're all short- to mid-term goals (don't starve, don't get killed, don't go crazy - those kind). No long-term. She refuses to look beyond surviving in the forest. (This may or may not be because she can't see anything beyond that, so it's too depressing to look.)

Her greatest fear is that she won't be enough to keep her sisters safe. 

–{{4.  What is your MC's favourite food? Can she cook?

She can't cook. I mean, she enjoys cooking toast?? But Elsie cooks; it's never been Billie's role. She prepares the carcasses Josie brings back, though. It's gross.

If asked, she'd say her favourite food is Elsie's bread or something. It's actually pavlova, although she'd deny it if you asked. With lots of cream and probably passionfruit on top.

–{{5. What do you, the writer, have in common with the MC? What do you not have in common?

We both have two younger sisters (the older of whom is likes cooking + is more of a creative person, the younger of whom is wild[ish] and likes horses); I like to think that I, too, would protect them with my life if it came to that.

I also share her love of banter and snark; although, being fictional, she can come up with the perfect response on the spot, whereas I think of mine two hours late.

What don't we have in common? Billie's pretty good at being in front of people, the centre of attention. She's also a super-hard worker and very dedicated. (I... procrastinate.) She's not very sensitive to others' feelings, either, whereas I sometimes think I might be over-sensitive (anxious that people are upset, angry, etc when they're just thinking or whatever).

–{{6. What lie does your MC believe about herself/the world?

You can probably guess some form of this one:

Billie believes you can't rely on anyone except yourself. To do a lot of the work; to keep her sisters safe; to not let the sisters down or betray them. 

–{{7. Who is her best friend and why?

She doesn't... have a best friend?? Even before the forest, she didn't really have a close emotional relationship with an unrelated person. Now, she does have very close relationships (or strong, but not close?) with her sisters (who are the only people she voluntarily sees), but they're not best friends.

–{{8. What song best describes her in this book?

Song. With, like... lyrics?

*flips table*

I have carefully developed a long list of music for this story (see playlist-in-progress here!)

NONE OF WHICH include lyrics. Because a) I can't write while listening to lyrics [I start singing, which makes typing hard]; and b) how do you get a modern song that matches the fairytale story?? have not yet figured this out.

–{{9. What is her personality type?

I took the 16 Personalities test for Billie last time I was asked this question, and got ESTJ (the Executive).

I took the test again this time, because it's been a while and I've gotten a few different results for myself before, but it was the same?? which I somehow found surprising??

She's so extraverted, which I never actively realised. In fact, Judging is the only trait we match in. Now I'm slightly anxious as to how I (an INFJ?) am going to write her. ;P

–{{10. Why should your readers care about this person?

... I don't know. I mean, I wrote Billie because I cared about her, but other people seem to as well. So.

(I've never actually wondered, but now I'm curious: do you care about Billie [or just the story idea in general]? What makes you care, if so?)

........

The other participants:

Jules @ Saver of Memories (inventor of this wonderful idea!)
Nicole @ Legend of a Writer
Ceci @ Ceci Creates
Lisa @ Inkwell (the amazing graphics are courtesy of her!)
Gray @ Writing is Life
Julia @ Lit Aflame
Melissa @ Quill Pen Writer
Brooklyne @ Showers of Blessings
Ariel @ Scribes and Archers
Keturah @ Keturah’s Korner
Sarah @ Pen of a Ready Writer


How do you find a theme song for your character if they're fantasy? How do you go about writing characters who are different personality types to you - or do you see it as everyone is different anyway? (does anyone know how ESTJ and INFJ would be similar/different?) Why do you like Billie? Do you like Billie? Do you think it sounds like she's a miserable person, with no dreams/friends/fun?? (hint hint: you would be right. she is happily bitter and miserable. and then the bad stuff happens mwahahaa)


And super-important: do you read Calvin and Hobbes comics??