BASICS
Name: Len din’Ferago sa’Vienne
Birthdate: Believe it or not, my birthday often falls on the last day of Festival.
Birth Place: A small village at the foot of the Trans-Vienni mountains; I am sure you have not heard of it.
Current Location: The second story of a shop I tend with Mer on the outskirts of Nachtlin proper.
Eye Color: Favorably compared to violet.
Hair Color: Brown.
Height: Not the least bit imposing.
Weight: Sturdy.
Piercing: Several, mostly in my ears. Each one has a meaning.
Tattoos: A few, but I only share them with those I am close to.
Boyfriend/Girlfriend: None.
Overused Phrase: I have never paid much attention. It probably involves chastising Mercutio.

FAVORITES
Food: I enjoy all manners of baked goods.
Candy: No real preference. If I want something sweet, I am most likely to bake something.
Number: Large, positive numbers, at least in so far as what I like to see in the till.
Color: I am partial to earth tones and greens.
Animal: I feel a kinship to creatures with feathers, for what it’s worth.
Drink: A good, strong tea.
Alcohol Drink: While fraug is generally considered to be a northern creation, many people in the rainy forests created similar fruit-based fermented beverages which are far more palatable than their northern counterparts.
Bagel: With spices and a pat of butter.
Letter: No particular preference.
Body Part on Opposite Sex: I enjoy a lovely face as much as the next person.

THIS OR THAT
Pepsi or Coke: Er…?
McDonald’s or Burger King: Hmm.
Strawberry or Watermelon: Berries certainly bake better than melons.
Hot Tea or Iced Tea: Hot tea, as strong as I can make it.
Chocolate or Vanilla: Both are good, depending on the context.
Hot Chocolate or Coffee: Again, they are both good for different things.
Kiss or Hug: I enjoy both.
Dog or Cat: I have never had much use for pets.
Rap or Punk: Um…
Summer or Winter: Summers, definitely. I’ve found that I do not winter well.
Movies or Funny Movies: Hrm.
Love or Money: I have found that I am happier when I have love than when I have money.

YOUR…
Bedtime: An hour or so after the shop closes.
Most Missed Memory: I miss my mother more than I can ever hope to say.
Best Physical Feature: I am fit, despite living a quiet life as a baker.
First Thought Waking Up: Generally, I am pleased to greet another day.
Goal For This Year: See the shop through another year without losing money.
Best Friend: I was very close with my sister for a time, and there was a time I would have considered Kiih my brother, but for now, Mercutio is the closest I have to a “best friend.”
Weakness: I find I have a difficult time turning away someone in need.
Fears: While I do not live in fear of it, the possibility of losing those I care for is always in the back of my mind.
Heritage: Both of my parents came from the province of Vienne, though my father came from the northern edge and my mother from the “less civilized” southern area.
Longest relationship: I would think that the relationship I have had with my sister would be the longest, since I have known her my entire life?

HAVE YOU…
Ever Drank: More in my youth than now.
Ever Smoked: Often.
Pot: Pardon?
Ever Been Drunk: Again, more in my youth than now.
Ever Been Beaten Up: It has happened more than once.
Ever Beaten Someone Up: This has also happened more than once.
Ever Shoplifted: I have not taken from another personally, but I have known people who took what they needed from those who could spare it.
Ever Skinny Dipped: When I was younger.
Ever Kissed Opposite Sex: Yes.
Been Dumped Lately: No.

IN A GUY/GIRL:
Favorite Eye Color: I have no particular preference.
Favorite Hair Color: Again, no preference.
Short or Long: I do tend to prefer long hair, but I can hardly fault someone for wishing to keep it short.
Height: It is my experience that most women I meet are taller than I am.
Style: I do not know what this means.
Looks or Personality: If a person is interesting, I am more likely to find them attractive.
Drugs and Alcohol: What someone chooses to do, so long as they do not harm others with their choices, is their business.
Muscular or Really Skinny: The look of someone who is starved is hardly appealing.
Who Is the Guy or Girl You Wish You Were With Right Now?: If Mercutio knew, I am sure he would never let me forget it.

RANDOMS
Number of Regrets in the Past: My fair share.
What Country/World Do You Want to Visit?: The island nations to the west always seemed fascinating, but, given the opportunity, I would happily tour Yuri’s home.
How Do You Want to Die?: Loved.
Been To the Mall Lately?: I can’t say as I have.
Do You Like Thunderstorms?: Sometimes.
Get Along With Your Parents?: It has been too long since I have seen my father, but I left home with his blessing.
Health Freak?: I keep myself in as good health as I can.
Do You Think You’re Attractive?: I don’t believe I am ugly.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
Want to go to College?: Not particularly.
Do you Smoke?: Often.
Do you Drink?: Not now, no.
Shower Daily?: The stereotypically grimy southerner is just that, a stereotype.
Been in Love?: I have.
Do you Sing?: I do not make a habit of it.
Want to get Married?: Not as such, no.
Do you want Children?: One day.
Have your future kids names planned out?: If I had a daughter, she would have my mother’s name.
Hate anyone?: Not as much as I used to.
If There Is Someone You Love, Who Is It?: I love my sister, and my father, and sometimes, begrudgingly, I am fond of Mercutio.

I hope that I’ll be able to post a few more things like this until I can get the story going again. If you have questions or comments or want to see something in particular for an Extras Day, feel free to leave a comment! I promise I don’t bite. >.>

Other Interviews: Yuri

BASICS
Name: Yuri Kitazawa (Dad doesn’t write his name the Japanese way, and neither do I.)
Birthdate: March 8
Birth Place: Atlanta, GA (I’ve moved around a lot, though; Dad did a lot of contract work.)
Current Location: Technically, I live in Maryland now, but I’m prone to… um, wandering. Yeah, let’s go with “wandering.”
Eye Color: Green.
Hair Color: Purple with some black streaks. I swear it’s natural!
Height: 5′4″ Tall enough to not be too short, but short enough that I can’t reach anything. :/
Weight: About a buck and some change.
Piercing: Nah. I got my ears pierced once, but they closed and I never bothered to do it again.
Tattoos: Nope. Maybe one day, but I doubt it.
Boyfriend/Girlfriend: Umm… not really. But there is someone I like a lot. Does that count?
Overused Phrase: Arguably “jerkface,” but he really deserves it sometimes. :P

FAVORITES
Food: I like “Italian” food. I know it’s not really Italian food, but stuff like lasagna or pasta or pepperoni rolls just makes me happy. :)
Candy: Rock candy, hands down. What’s not to love about colored, crystallized sugar? :D
Number: I’ve always liked the number three. No real reason for it.
Color: Purples, especially dark jewel-tones.
Animal: Bunnies. But I’m not that big into animals to begin with.
Drink: I like root beer.
Alcohol Drink: I don’t drink that much (I know, I know, I’m lame). When I do, I mostly like sissy drinks. :B
Bagel: Plain with some jam, I guess?
Letter: That’s kinda a weird question. Um. X? I dunno.
Body Part on Opposite Sex: Um. No. Moving on. -_-

THIS OR THAT
Pepsi or Coke: I’d rather go thirsty, thanks. :P
McDonald’s or Burger King: Burger King. BK fries beat Micky D’s fries hands down.
Strawberry or Watermelon: Strawberry.
Hot Tea or Iced Tea: I spent most of my life in the southern US, so I’m gonna have to go with iced tea. Sorry. :B
Chocolate or Vanilla: Vanilla. I know, I continue to be lame.
Hot Chocolate or Coffee: Mocha! :D
Kiss or Hug: Who’s asking? >.>
Dog or Cat: They both have their strong points and their annoyances. I dunno. Let’s go with dogs for now.
Rap or Punk: I’ll go hide in a corner with my 80’s music, thanks. :P
Summer or Winter: I like winter. Being able to bundle up and have hot cocoa is pretty awesome.
Movies or Funny Movies: Um, what? I think somebody wasn’t paying attention when writing these questions. :P
Love or Money: Love please.

YOUR…
Bedtime: Don’t really have one now that I’m out of school. I try to be in bed by 11 most nights, though.
Most Missed Memory: This one time, when my Dad was working in Oak Ridge, TN, we went out to this really cool coffee house in Knoxville. I don’t remember how old I was, maybe seven or eight? But I just loved the place. I wish I could go back there with Dad again sometime.
Best Physical Feature: Uhh… I dunno. I guess I have nice legs?
First Thought Waking Up: It usually involves four-letter words and rolling over to sleep for five more minutes. :P
Goal For This Year: Get a handle on my crazy life. :P
Best Friend: REESEY! :D (Even if her initials DO spell something, haha.)
Weakness: Purple kryptonite? I don’t know. I don’t like it when people I love are hurting, but I mean, who does?
Fears: Umm… Well, I’m afraid of dying, like most people. I don’t like heights that much, and I’m not that great with fire sometimes, either.
Heritage: Japanese/??? (No one knows who/what my father is/was, but I’ve heard rumors that he might’ve been some Scandinavian guy or something.)
Longest relationship: I’m not that great with relationships, just letting you know. :P

HAVE YOU…
Ever Drank: Yeah. Not sure what all the fuss is about, but I’ve done it.
Ever Smoked: Yes.
Pot: Does contact high at a concert count? :P
Ever Been Drunk: Not really. I usually stop just past tipsy, ‘cuz it stops being fun after that.
Ever Been Beaten Up: Nah. I have gotten into a couple of slap fights, but that really doesn’t count. :P
Ever Beaten Someone Up: See above.
Ever Shoplifted: I stole a tootsie pop once when I was little, but I’m pretty sure it was an accident.
Ever Skinny Dipped: No.
Ever Kissed Opposite Sex: Yes. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
Been Dumped Lately: Naw. Last time I got dumped was like, a year ago. And it was kinda mutual anyway. (He did the dumping, but I wasn’t surprised or upset about it.)

IN A GUY/GIRL:
Favorite Eye Color: Hmm… Gonna have to go with violet on this one. >.>
Favorite Hair Color: Not blue. :P
Short or Long: No preference.
Height: I admit it, I’m a sucker for short guys. Tall guys don’t intimidate me, but I feel better when I don’t have to get a crick in my neck to stare into his eyes.
Style: What is this question even supposed to mean? Is it hair style or clothing style or what? :P
Looks or Personality: If it’s an either-or thing, I would have to go with personality. I don’t care if you’re pretty, if I can’t stand you, I can’t stand you. But realistically I’d like someone with a great personality who I’m also attracted to, y’know? :/ Not asking for rock star looks, but I don’t want to have to put a bag on his head.
Drugs and Alcohol: Drug use is a turn-off, sorry.
Muscular or Really Skinny: I’m not a big fan of huge muscles.
Who Is the Guy or Girl You Wish You Were With Right Now?: That’d be telling. :P

RANDOMS
Number of Regrets in the Past: I think I’m a little young to be dwelling on my regrets. :P
What Country/World Do You Want to Visit?: Haha!
How Do You Want to Die?: Painlessly in my sleep after a long and fulfilling life.
Been To the Mall Lately?: Not recently, no. :(
Do You Like Thunderstorms?: No sir, I don’t like ‘em.
Get Along With Your Parents?: I love my ‘rents a lot, and I know they love me, but I really don’t think they understand me anymore. :(
Health Freak?: Nope. I loves me some pork rinds! :B
Do You Think You’re Attractive?: I’m cute enough.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
Want to go to College?: I don’t know. I’d like to, but we’ll just have to see where life takes me.
Do you Smoke?: Sometimes… :/ (I hope my parents aren’t going to see this…)
Do you Drink?: Not often.
Shower Daily?: If at all possible. I hate feeling dirty and gross.
Been in Love?: Maybe.
Do you Sing?: Poorly! :D
Want to get Married?: Well, sure, but goodness only knows when/if it’ll happen.
Do you want Children?: All signs point to “no,” but I’m young, so maybe that’ll change.
Have your future kids names planned out?: Psh. No.
Hate anyone?: I dislike a lot of people. :/
If There Is Someone You Love, Who Is It?: That would also be telling. :P

Hopefully that was fun and informative. If you have questions or comments or want to see something in particular for an Extras Day, feel free to leave a comment! I promise I don’t bite. >.>

Other Interviews: Len

I’ve put a lot of love and effort into making the world of Adan as real a place as I possibly can so that the characters have a rich setting in which to roam free. A lot of the things I’ve hammered out exist in the form of notes for my own reference which I can go back to periodically to make sure elements that show up in the story are consistent with each other. Unfortunately, it’s highly doubtful that Yuri (and therefor the narrative) will ever have any reason to learn most of these things. However, given the nature of this site, I can share some of it with you guys. None of this is necessary to understanding the story (hopefully; if it is, it will theoretically appear in the story itself), but it might be interesting to know or discuss.

One of the things that I’ve given a lot of thought to is names in Adani culture. A person’s name can give a lot of clues about their family and where they come from. For example: Ro sa’Surlan and Len sa’Vienne. Both of these names reflect a very common naming convention which has its roots in Adani’s pre-Illustran feudal period: their surnames denote where they were born. The prefix “sa” would roughly translate to “from” or “of,” and it tells anyone introduced to them that Ro and Len are from the provinces of Surlan and Vienne respectively. In some cases, depending on the area, the surname may reflect a province, a town, or a local district. Most people also have names that we would associate with family names, and these often (but not always) make use of the prefixes “din” and “dor” (son [of] and daughter [of]). However, unless your family lineage has a direct impact on dealings with the person you are introducing yourself to, those are often just omitted.

Related to this is the name “san’Illustra.” Taken literally, it simply means “of/from Illustra,” the “san” being a form of the “sa” prefix. However, Illustra is not a place, but rather a deity. In this case, it is a name which is taken by those who devote their lives to Her service, and replaces any family name or surname the person might have had before to show that the Church is the only affiliation that matters.

In all of this, Mercutio Kellaras and Olivia Delegarde are somewhat special cases. The lack of the “sa(n)” prefix indicates that both of these individuals are from noble houses. Often, family lines were elevated to nobility by a ruler based on valorous acts in service of the kingdom. The person who performed the act would become the proginitor of the new house, and the house would carry their name. Therefore, at some point in the past, one of Mer’s ancestors performed a service for a ruler and was dubbed Kellaras Kellaras. With the full unification of Adan under the Illustran theocracy, it is relatively rare to see new noble houses formed.

Anyway, I hope that this was at least a moderately interesting post. If there are any questions, comments, or suggestions for future Extras Days, please feel free to comment!

I’ll start off with something that dates back to around 1999-ish: the very first picture I ever drew of Yuri for this story. It’s from shortly before I started actually putting pen to paper on the very first version of the story (back when it was still a blatant anime rip-off, instead of just a kind-of anime rip-off). She and the story have both changed a lot since then, but it’s always good to remember one’s roots.

Next up is a sketch I did quite recently which involves Kiih and his current hair style. It’s not much, but it at least shows you sort of what I was thinking and hopefully gives you a little insight into why in the world he’s so cranky in chapter eight. >.>; The other face in the sketch is someone I don’t particularly want to name, but you guys will meet this person this week.

And speaking of sketches, here is a little sketchy portrait of Reese. I struggled with her character a lot over the course of the story, but she’s one of my favorites right now. I just love her to bits and wish she could get more screen time. Ah well.

Anyway, over on the extras page, there are several wallpapers, the first of which features this pin-up image of Yuri I did a while ago. Granted, this is a sort of speculative image, because Yuri is supposed to appear much older in it (and she totally doesn’t have any tattoos– yet), but I’m still really fond of it and can’t help showing it off.

And while on the subject of pin-ups I’ve drawn of Yuri, we have these two images that were both done relatively recently. The first image is the first in what is intended to be a series of cute lingerie pin-ups that, once I finish them, are intended to be viewed as a set. No particular reason for it other than I just felt like drawing Yuri in cute undies. The second is something that I did when I finally started coming out of an artistic funk. At the time, my hard drive (with all my work on it) had been eaten by a virus, and the chances of getting it back were slim-to-none, so I was pretty depressed and basically lost my will to create anything. Incidentally, this is also my avatar pretty much everywhere I go these days. >.>

There’s a whole bunch of other stuff in my dA gallery/scrapbook, but a lot of it involves things that are a bit on the spoiler-ific side. I hope that this art post has been at least marginally entertaining, and hopefully sometime soon I’ll have some fresh sketches to bring to the table between story posts. :)