The Similarities of J. G. Velez II and Percivine Ogthorne
Often at times authors will pour some of their own characteristics, qualities, and such into their protagonists and antagonists, or may choose to spread these qualities among several characters like butter over bread. This can range well beyond the main characters and into secondary, minor, side characters—whichever!
Some close to me have told me they have noticed a few things in Percivine that they know to reside in me. For those of you who do not know me on a personal level, let me lay this out for you a bit.
Anxiety: Ah, anxiety. I know you too well and so does Percivine. Throughout A Story of Gylranor, you see moments when this feeling of angst gets the better of him as the result of being in situations he never expected. Anxiety is a natural reaction many of us have. From feeling like your heart is about to burst through your chest to shortness of breath to sweating, anxiety can form in the shapes of thoughts, sensations, and, of course, feelings.
Fondness for food: As Seleborn and Faruin will gladly and loudly tell you, Percivine tends to do some pondering with his stomach. He’ll complain when he’s hungry, or if he’s finished a meal and the hunger returns quickly. Liking food is by no means a condemnation. There are endless cuisines and delicacies found across Gylranor like there are in our own world, so who could blame Percivine and I if we daydream about food a little more than most? BUT, that’s not to say we enjoy all types of food. No, no. We have a strong distaste for anything fishy. HOWEVER, one edible fish found in the waters we do rather enjoy are shrimp. Yes, shrimp. Why? Hard to say really. Just know shrimp has a special place in our hearts.
Enjoys writing: Although not talked about much in A Story of Gylranor (as that is not the focus of this series), Percivine has quite the knack for writing. If you remember, Percivine was a journalist for the Frodrian Fox in Frodrir prior to being thrust into the goings-on of the Solemn Hand. His dad, Astronitus, was an excavator of lore, Sirien an adventurer, and his mother served in the realm of politics. But to Percivine, none of these fields interested him. It was by the quill and parchment that he found his calling. He illustrated with words, which I like to think applies to me. Art has many forms, and this is the one we were both “drawn” to. Get it?
Do you and Percivine differ at all?
Whereas Percivine has a short temper when concerning secrets and not being in the know, I do not delve into that. A secret is one’s personal information they do not wish to share to an abundance of people. A secret is just that: a secret. If they feel empowered to divulge into what that secret is, then that is their choice, and should not be burdened to relay it by someone else’s constant badgering. This is where Percivine and myself differ. I will say this: as the series moves along, Percivine’s yearning to know all that is kept from him does slowly cool down. Not completely, but there is progress. People and fictional characters do evolve as time goes by.