Beautiful People: Katinka

I haven’t done a writing-themed post since…let me see…okay, about mid-August, and I haven’t put up a Beautiful People questionnaire since June, so I think it’s about time for another one. (You can find all the original questionnaires here!)

Today’s character I’ll be sharing with you is Katinka, daughter of Egon. She is the main character of my latest project, To Love What I Love Not, and while she popped into existence as a pretty much fully-formed character (it’s always nice when that happens!) I’ve never taken the time to sit down and get to know her outside of the story. So what better time than the present, right?

(I’ve yet to find a picture that looks exactly like Katinka, but the closest I can get is a cross between this young lady

and Hedy Lamarr,

except that Katinka doesn’t have curly hair.)

What kind of music does she like?

Katinka doesn’t listen to music much. If/when she listens to it, I think she would secretly like mournful angsty Romantic period classical music, but would be a bit ashamed of it.

Does she like to go outside?

Very much! She lives pretty much all her life inside province walls, but on the rare occasions that she is outside of them she loves it.

Is she naturally curious?

Middling, I’d say. She’s curious about things that are practical or are concerned with her, but she’s not particularly interested in things with no obvious value.

Right, or left-handed?

Right-handed, but she’s learned to use her left hand pretty well in a pinch.

Favorite color?

Vivid emerald green.

Where is she from?

She is from Sargosse, a small northern province. It’s very isolated, surrounded by trees, can have extreme temperatures in the winter, and she has a fierce love of it and pride for it.

Any enemies?

What are her quirks?

She hates showing emotion (though her loves – and hates and fears – can be very strong), and hates it when someone else comes across more clever than she does. And though she tries hard to be just and objective, she can’t help but want to look like she’s in the right even if she knows she’s not.

What kinds of things get on her nerves?

Incompetence, and people contradicting her or trying to restrict her.

Is she independent, or need others to help out?

She is very independent…but as she may eventually find, we all need others to help us out sometimes.

And here are a couple snippets to round out her character:

I felt taken aback. I had not been aware that my name was even known outside of Sargosse. “I have certainly been involved in the political sphere for some time, but I fear that whatever reputation I have has enlarged my real position.” He turned back to the road with a half-smile, and I saw that he thought I was sacrificing truthfulness for fashionable modesty. Though I could not help but realize that this was, in a sense, a compliment to me, I felt a flash of hot resentment at the slight it cast on my father. I tried to repress the feeling. … All the same, I did not say anything more to him, and continued to look at the woods around me instead.
– To Love What I Love Not, chapter 7

“I’m sorry, Katinka,” Lyden said at last. “I’m afraid your possessions will be mostly what they take. I didn’t bring anything of value with me.”
“That’s all right,” I replied. “I’m only glad you weren’t foolish enough to try to fight back.”
He turned to look at me.
“Starting a fight of two against five for a few pieces of jewelry would have been the height of stupidity.”
Lyden turned away again. “Well, I didn’t,” he answered shortly.
I tried to hide my smile. I couldn’t recall getting the opportunity to really speak my mind like that since before the wedding, and it was a refreshing feeling.
– To Love What I Love Not, chapter 9

What do you think of Katinka? Do you have trouble finding character pictures that really actually match your character?