Answered the character development questions on this UnVale post for the Pet Projects cast. Starting with Shay's...
1. a) How does she see herself, b) how do others see her, and c) what is the truth?
a. Shay sees herself as the protector of her found family. She believes in her strength, but doesn’t have as much confidence in her judgment, many times second-guessing whether the decisions she’s made are really the best for her family.
b. To a complete outsider, she appears to be cold, wild and dangerous. Her many scars are intimidating to the average person, and her feline features and raggedy dress identify her with the gang culture common among the “beast ears”, as hybrids in Harlein are often called. With strangers, she is always wary and on her guard, so her body language and expressions also give her an uninviting air.
To a member of another gang, she’s perceived in one of two ways: cold and battle-worn, wearing her scars like a badge of honor; or a fool who got badly beaten and is still parading around as though she’s tougher than she really is.
Tristan views her as an older-sister figure, someone worthy of his trust and whatever support he can offer. Her impulsiveness and recklessness worry him. Her kindness is simultaneously something he’s immensely grateful to her for and something that pains him because he believes it will bring her grief.
Everett admires her. He sees her as one of the strongest and coolest people he’s ever met. She’s the only one whose authority he truly respects.
Veli sees her as an older-sister or even a mother figure in the absence of his own family. He is drawn to her because of the efforts she makes to provide a safe space for everyone in the L&F.
Avery views her as an authority figure first but also as one of the people who saved his life. She can be intimidating when she’s angry, but he appreciates the genuine care she shows for everyone in the L&F.
c. In truth, Shay is a fierce protector, though she puts a little too much stock in her strength and doesn’t think things through enough. She is kinder than her physical appearance would lead some to believe, but if anyone were to threaten her found family, she would not hold back from giving the aggressor(s) a beat-down. She has little experience in leadership and knows it, which is why she relies heavily on Tristan to fill in her knowledge gaps.
2. What is her main goal?
Her primary goal is to find “family”, and to this end, she protects the underdogs who get taken advantage of in the dog-eat-dog world of Harlein’s hybrid outcasts. She formed the L&F to shelter these outcasts, regardless of their species or previous background.
3. What is her clothing style, and why does she wear what she wears?
Function trumps form in this case – and so does price. Her clothes are old, worn and tend to be full of holes, as she wears them until she can’t anymore. When she does buy new clothes, she buys the cheapest thing that will serve her purpose, whether that’s something to keep warm or to protect her while she’s working. Her coats and hoodies tend to be oversized in order to hide her tail, and she wears a lot of poofy hats to cover her ears.
As far as what she actually likes, comfort is her top preference.
4. What are her strengths and weaknesses?
Strengths:
Bravery: Not much scares her, but when she is scared, she doesn’t let that stop her from doing what needs to be done.
Loyalty: She will not abandon people that need her.
Physical strength: She’s healthy and has enhanced strength and reflexes. Lifting up to 50 pounds is no issue for her, and her combat skills are sharp.
Weaknesses:
Impulsiveness: She tends to take action without really thinking the results through. At times, she can be downright reckless. She doesn’t know much about the world outside her old gang and can be gullible without having Tristan to give her a reality check.
Overbearing affection: Shay’s always had a soft spot for kids and lets her emotions take over where the younger members of her gang are concerned. She can be overprotective and also overcompensates with her shows of affection.
Both strength and weakness:
Curiosity: She’s inquisitive, quick to learn and open-minded. This can be taken advantage of when coupled with her impulsiveness.
5. What kind of person does she have the potential to grow into?
If she takes the steps to correct her flaws (learn more about the outside world, gain more experience to take care of her family, be more emotionally balanced), she could grow into a nurturing leader.
If her found family is harmed or breaks up, she would stay strong for the people she still has to protect, but internally she would even more doubt her capabilities as a leader. She would double down on her protectiveness, and she might become more hung up on bolstering her physical strength and/or more distrustful of outsiders.
If she loses her found family, she would lose her whole reason for living. Her confidence in her ability to protect the ones close to her would shatter. She may bury herself in her secondary objective of cutting off the underground splicing mills, going after their transport vehicles by herself. If she eventually opens up to someone else, she would be extremely overprotective.
