Answered the character development questions on this UnVale post for the Pet Projects cast. Here's Everett's!
1. a) How does Everett see himself, b) how do others see him, and c) what is the truth?
a. Everett sees himself as the L&F’s resident tough guy and Shay’s protégé. Very confident in his physical abilities, he believes he’s a better fit for the position of co-leader than Tristan.
b. A complete outsider would describe him as confident or arrogant and loud. His assertive speech and confrontational body language alone would deter people, and his animal features only add to his dangerous vibe.
A member of another gang might call him foolhardy and see him as a colony kid in over his head.
Shay internally refers to him as her “trouble child”. She recognizes potential in him to become a great protector; but she also sees his jealousy toward Tristan and attention-seeking tendencies stirring up problems within the group.
Tristan sees him as an obnoxious brat. In his view, any talents he has are cancelled out by his poor attitude and oversized ego – which irritates him because he knows Everett could do a better job than him of protecting Shay and the others if he would stop being so focused on competing with him over “some stupid title,” as he says.
Veli thinks of Everett like a big brother. Like most siblings, there are times when he’s great fun and times when he’s not so nice to be around.
Avery would describe him as loud, energetic and in-your-face. He’s always yelling, whether he’s in a good mood or a bad mood, which makes dealing with him stressful.
c. Everett is, in actuality, a massive scaredy-cat trying to look impressive. He’s focused on physical strength to the detriment of nearly everything else – because he doesn’t want to be perceived as weak. His M.O. is “fake it ‘til you make it,” which means plenty of bluster as a front for an easily-bruised ego.
2. What is his main goal?
He wants to learn how to fight so that he can get stronger – and maybe take over Tristan’s co-leader title.
3. What is his clothing style, and why does he wear what he wears?
He likes flashy and unique designs, but he’s constrained by a poor-person’s budget. His clothes are typically second-hand or bargain bin but on the nicer side. He wears a cap when he goes into predominantly human areas.
4. What are his strengths and weaknesses?
Strengths:
Eagerness: Hungry to impress and devoted to Shay, Ev is quick to do most of the tasks that are assigned to him.
Weaknesses:
Pride: Trying to look capable and cool, he enthusiastically takes on jobs that will get him praise and recognition but becomes easily bored with drudgework. He also tends to compete with Tristan for Shay’s attention.
Stubbornness: He’ll try to take on things he can’t handle and butts heads with Tristan when he doesn’t get his way.
Both Strength and Weakness:
High energy: He’s able to handle a lot of the daily grind both on- and off-base and still manages to have energy left over to entertain the younger kids in the group. When it comes to the more reserved members of the L&F, he can be very overwhelming.
5. What kind of person does he have the potential to grow into?
If he achieves his goal of getting stronger but does not address his flaws, he would be a disruptive force within the L&F, constantly trying to prove to Shay that he’s the better choice to be her co-leader. The only thing keeping him in check is his respect for Shay, but his inflated ego may win out over even that eventually.
If a situation proves that physical strength for its own sake only goes so far (he fails at getting the perceived strength he wants), he may be moved to re-evaluate what he really needs that strength for and what his true priority is. In this case, he could become the protector that Shay envisions.
