Beautiful People, Vol. 14: Vandar from “The Keeper’s Curse”

/ saraletourneau

Beautiful People 1

Beautiful People is a monthly blog meme hosted by Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In. Every month they pose 10 questions for writers to answer about their writing and give readers the opportunity to learn more about the writer’s characters.

Hmmmm. No official Beautiful People questions has been posted for April yet. So, instead of waiting, I’m borrowing some questions from Morgan Dusky’s recent Character Studies posts and throwing in a few of my own. (FYI – Questions #1 through #8 are Morgan’s, and Questions #9 and #10 are mine.) If any fellow BP writers want to do the same, feel free to do so. Just make sure to credit Morgan and I accordingly, and let us know when your posts go live so we can see your answers.

This month, I’m finally introducing Vandar, the last of Eva’s fellow Councilors. He’s 19 years old, and has blue eyes and black-streaked brown hair. He’s also the Council’s battle / military strategist and their most talented fighter. So, shall we dive in?

(Visit the Beautiful People category page to catch up on past BP posts.)

BEN BARNES

Vandar kind of looks like Ben Barnes from “Prince Caspian,” except he wears a green tunic and brown trousers instead of armor and chainmail.

1. How does Vandar usually enter a room (dramatic entrance, walk in behind somebody so he isn’t noticed, etc.)? How does he usually exit a room? 

Vandar would walk in calmly yet confidently. He wouldn’t make a grand entrance or purposely try to grab anyone’s attention. Instead, he’d enter quietly, with long, slow strides, head held high, back straight, and shoulders relaxed. He’d probably leave in a similar fashion, too. If he’s not in a good mood, though, he’ll seem more tense and his lips will twist into a scowl. (Oh yeah, Vandar’s a scowler when he’s not happy!)

2. How would Vandar describe himself in one word?

“Integrity.” It may be a noun, but it’s the word Vandar would use for himself. He’s honest, loyal, and responsible; and he lives by a strong moral code that his father and grandfather instilled in him when he was very young.

3. Choose three other words to describe him. 

Ooooh, I get to pick the words this time?? 😀  Here are my three words to describe Vandar:

  • Patriotic: In addition to being dedicated to the people and causes he cares about, Vandar is a staunch advocate of Fei’s ideals and beliefs. He knows Fei’s history well, passionately defends his people and their way of life, and holds grudges against those who have wronged his kind in the past, including the Mountain Folk. (And if you’re familiar with TKC’s storyline, you know Vandar isn’t the only one who’s unhappy about the mission with the Mountain Folk.)
  • Logical: Vandar places more value on facts and truth than feelings. This has its advantages and disadvantages, of course. Having a logical nature allows Vandar to view his plans from every angle and down to the minute details, and to consider all possibilities including worst-case scenarios. However, it also means that Vandar tends to show less emotion than others do, and can be bluntly honest when he’s trying to get his point across.
  • Humble: Vandar doesn’t brag about his accomplishments or like to be singled out for praise. He prefers that everyone be acknowledged and will insist that the success was a group effort. He also likes to compliment his fellow Councilors, friends, and allies on their talents and contributions.
4. What is Vandar’s foremost physical trait, or the first thing someone will notice about his appearance?

Most likely his wings. Vandar is a Feiri, after all; and it’s hard to miss a massive pair of gossamer wings protruding from between one’s back. Other than that, I’d say either his strong jaw line or sapphire blue eyes. He’s actually the Councilor that the Fei girls fawn over most. (Of course, Vandar doesn’t understand why girls pay him so much attention and finds it rather embarrassing. *lol*)

5. What is Vandar’s physical build? How tall is he?

Vandar stands about 6 feet tall, making him the tallest of the six Councilors. He’s athletic, too, so he’s lean and muscular. Not superhero super-muscular like Thor, though. He’s more like an Aragorn sort of physically fit.

Oh yeah. Vandar would totally do that, too.

What can I say? I wanted an awesome Aragorn gif. 😀

6. What is Vandar’s favorite outfit? Or, what does he wear most often? Why?

As part of the Council of Selanaan, Vandar wears a uniform of sorts. It’s a green tunic with small golden wings embroidered at the hem, collar, and sleeves; brown trousers; and leather boots. He doesn’t mind the uniform – in fact, he likes it a lot. But if he had to choose a different outfit, he’d probably go for a simple white shirt, a dark-colored vest, and similar trousers and boots to the Council uniform.

Jacaranda

Courtesy of Easy Garden and Lifestyle @ Pinterest

7. If Vandar was a flower, what kind would he be? Why?

Easy. Vandar would pick the jacaranda (pictured above). It’s the national flower of the Fei, matching with their sigil colors of indigo and white, so it’s a fitting choice for a patriotic soul like himself. You can find the jacaranda in our world, too. It’s a flowering tree found in Central and South America, South Africa, and Australia, among other places.

8. What would Vandar do if he was a pirate?

Vandar wouldn’t be a pirate. He’d be the one trying to arrest them! In fact, a few months before TKC begins, the Council was assisting one of the nearby realms with a “pirate crisis” that was impacting trade and the overall safety of Fei’s merchants. (Hence, the need for the Council’s involvement.) Vandar helped develop a naval strategy that brought the pirates under control.

So, yeah. No “yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me” with Vandar. If he was forced to be a pirate, he would cling to the deck railing because of seasickness. Or, he’d act like Will Turner from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Will and Jack animated

9. If Vandar listened to any music from our world (a.k.a. current-day Earth), who would be his favorite artist / band / singer? 

I don’t think Vandar would adjust to Earth’s pop or rock music too well. (*lol*) He’d want to listen to something that closely resembles the music he’s used to at home. So, he’d probably go for African or Native American tribal music. He might also like Dan Gibson’s Native Spirit and Mystic Sky albums, which I wrote about here not too long ago. Here’s one of the songs from Native Spirit below.

10. If Vandar could spend time with anyone who’s dead or alive, who would he choose? 

His mother and grandmother. They both died from different illnesses at separate times in Vandar’s life: his mother when he was 2 years old, and his grandmother when he was 15. Vandar has different reasons for choosing them, too. He remembers his grandmother and misses her now and then, but he barely knew his mother. So, Vandar would like the chance to know who she was, apart from the stories his father and grandparents have told him.

That concludes this month’s edition of Beautiful People! What are your thoughts on Vandar? Do you have other questions that can help me / us get to know him better?

29 thoughts on “Beautiful People, Vol. 14: Vandar from “The Keeper’s Curse””

  1. That is a really strong characterisation, Sara:). I very much enjoyed reading the questions and your answers – he sounds like a very principled person with a clear moral compass. Two further questions I would ask – does he know why he is so driven to confront the wrong ‘uns and sort them out? And who in your world does he instinctively dislike and/or distrust? And why? Oh, okay – that’s three questions! Have a great week-end and I hope the weather is finally behaving!

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    • Thanks, Sarah! Yes, Vandar is definitely that kind of character – and that isn’t going to make things easy for him during TKC. 😉

      As for your questions… Well, defending his people is in Vandar’s blood. After his mother died, he was primarily raised by his father (who was a Royal Guard soldier) and his paternal grandparents (and that grandfather was once in the RG, too). So, both men raised Vandar on the values that had been instilled in them as young boys, especially public service and patriotism. So.. it’s just one of those things that Vandar grew up believing, thanks to his upbringing. And if he hadn’t been elected to the Council, he would have enlisted in the Royal Guard instead – and it would have been a slightly different avenue for him to explore the same purpose.

      Who does Vandar instinctively dislike or distrust? Well, do you remember the BP post I did on Prince Virik a couple months ago? Yup. Him. *lol* Vandar often compares Virik to a snake; he sees right through the prince and has a pretty accurate hunch about his intentions. And since Virik is Commander of the Royal Guard right now, Vandar is mighty glad to be with the Council instead…

      Also, like many other Fei, Vandar is prejudiced against the Mountain Folk for cultural / historical reasons. (Not personal, like Eva is.) So, if Vandar ever met a Mountain Man in his lifetime, he’d give the poor guy a piece of his mind – and maybe his fist or sword, too. 😮

      Yes, the weather has been lovely the past few days! (I’ve actually been on vacation – hence my lack of blogging activity this week.) How is it your way right now?

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      • Thank you for such a very thorough answer – and it makes complete sense. Ah… I like the obvious conflict that is going to emerge between these 2 alpha males:)). Conflict is always good! Weather is meh… Sunshine and showers and when it rains, it is so cold, still.

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    • Thanks, Phoenix! As for what Vandar likes to do for fun: He enjoys a lot of physical activities – mostly hunting, swimming, exercising, and teaching swordfighting at the city school. He also likes watching or participating in sporting events during the Fei’s seasonal festivals, playing Count and Capture with his father or grandfather, and… well, spending time with his grandfather. I think Vandar would even say his grandfather is his best friend. But he has other friends too, though.

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  4. Aw. I like Vandar. ^ ^ He and my character Silanoc would get along. He also is very morally grounded and humble and would arrest the pirates. XD

    storitorigrace.blogspot.com

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    • Nice! I had a similar moment this past weekend and heard about a fellow writer’s MC who would get along with Eva pretty well. 🙂 Isn’t it neat to find characters in other story worlds who could be friends with your characters?

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  5. Aw I really like Vandar! We would get along well. Actually my character Nephryte would get along with him well too!
    Question: What are Vandar’s views on feiries whose wings have been damaged? Does he shun them, dislike them, like other feiries do?

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    • Thanks, E.! Yeah, Vandar’s a good guy at heart, and I’m glad a lot of people seem to like him so far.

      Nephryte is the teacher from your V Chronicles stories, right? His name sounds similar, maybe from a past BP post…?

      Yes, Vandar shuns fairies who have been wing-stripped and exiled from Fei, or whose wings have been damaged. But in the latter case, it’s only if he knows for certain that their wings were damaged. He’s very much a factual, “seeing is believing” kind of character. He doesn’t believe rumors unless he finds truth in those rumors.

      So, for example, he’s aware that there were rumors about Eva’s left wing being damaged in the raid that killed her parents. But since it was never proven and Vandar had never seen Eva’s wing injury for himself, it’s hard for him to believe it happened. So, he gets along with Eva fairly well – except for when their personalities clash. 😉

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      • Yes, Nephryte was in my last BP post from V.Chronicles. 🙂
        That’s interesting about Vandar and Eva. I admit I was holding out hope that Vandar would be kind toward fairies with damaged wings, but it sounds like just about every fairy shuns the poor things. (makes for a good, interesting plot though! I’m just a sympathizer, haha.)

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      • “I admit I was holding out hope that Vandar would be kind toward fairies with damaged wings, but it sounds like just about every fairy shuns the poor things.”

        Yes, well… the Fei in TKC’s world have been raised that way. Do all of them treat Fei with wing injuries that way? No. But with Vandar, he was brought up to have very strict, traditional beliefs, thanks to his father and his grandfather. Out of the six Councilors, the ones who would be kind to wing-stripped Fei or Fei with wing injuries are Eva (since she’s experience it for herself), Gidion (since Eva’s his cousin / best friend and he feels sorry for what happened to her), Doni (because he’s simply too nice), and Keli (because he’s open-minded enough to treat them fairly).

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      • Doni and Keli, yes, I knew I liked them for a reason. 🙂 I figured Eva and anyone close to her might be more understanding, but it’s good to know there are a few others in the group. Now I’m wondering what Vandar will think if/when he learns about Eva? Hmm.

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      • “Now I’m wondering what Vandar will think if/when he learns about Eva? Hmm.”

        You’ll have to read TKC to find that out. 😉 But at the beginning of the book – no, Vandar doesn’t know about Eva’s vow of vengeance against the Mountain Folk.

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  7. He sounds like a solid, upstanding, likeable guy.
    Since we’re talking about our characters getting along – he’d probably get along great with Melora (Knight of the Blue Surcoat), but I have a feeling that he would find Orlando frivolous and flighty (which he kind of is at first, tbh – #youngersonproblems). But Melora’s high moral code, views on honor, and attempts at dignity, all while being young too – that would probably fly with Vandar (and I’m sorry about the terrible pun, lol).
    I can see why Vandar would be confused by swooning admirers. He wouldn’t see anything of note or out of the ordinary, am I right? Still, *most* girls do seem to like that sort of guy, so it makes sense from a girl’s persepective.
    I love the idea of him being dragged into piracy a la Will Turner – it’s a funny thought. If Melora or Orlando were dragged onto a pirate ship, this is where things would be different. Orlando probably would like the freedom, but he’d also probably start a mutiny and take over the ship. *Or accidentally sink it.* He would be very against piracy, in principle. While Melora would also be against piracy, she’d be more easily swayed in the end. After all, freedom from responsiblity would tempt her, where it wouldn’t affect Orlando at all. He’s used to being ignored and undervalued.

    How do Vandar and Eva get along, by the way? It seems to me that their personalities could clash, despite their mutual dislike/mistrust for the Mountain Folk. And yes, you do seem to have a lot of alpha males to juggle there . . . but conflict for characters is good for readers and authors, *sneaky smirk here*
    I look forward to reading more about all of the Council’s interactions!

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    • Thanks, Rebekah! And don’t worry about the pun. It gave me a good chuckle. *lol*

      From the sounds of it, yeah, I’d agree that Vandar would get along better with Melora than Orlando. Actually, I think Orlando and Keli (who I profiled last year) might make good friends. Keli knows when to get down to business, but he’s a fun guy at heart.

      “I can see why Vandar would be confused by swooning admirers. He wouldn’t see anything of note or out of the ordinary, am I right?”

      *nods her head* Vandar doesn’t see himself as anyone special, just as an ordinary young Fei man who’s doing what he thinks is right. He doesn’t like a lot of extra or unwarranted attention, either, so there’s a little shyness involved, too.

      Your piracy comments. OMG I love them and don’t know how to respond except… XD XD XD

      Yes, Vandar and Eva do clash at times – though Eva has more “issues” with Vandar than he does with her. She think he’s too rigid and judgmental, while he wishes she’d be more careful about what she says sometimes.

      Regarding the alpha males: Now that I think about it, Vandar, Drasten, and a minor Mountain Man character are the true alpha males of the travel party. Aurek could be thrown into that group, too, but his personality doesn’t really match up with theirs. But, yeah, lots of conflict nonetheless. It’s good stuff. 😉

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      • I have a lot more puns where that came from . . .
        Ahhh, piracy. You know that was one of my childhood ambitions – to be a ninja pirate explorer, right? I think I’ve mentioned it. I would fall in between Orlando and Melora. I’d probably sink the ship, or get eaten by sharks . . . Obviously, I take this question *very* seriously, 😛

        Yes, I remember Keli! And I think he and Orlando would get along famously. Orlando is actually pretty good at getting along with most people (he’s likable like that), but anyone more uptight will have issues with him.

        That makes sense about Eva – it’s kind of what I figured, 😉 Also, on Aurek – I get that too. There are those strong personality types who are more content to watch from the sidelines and see how the chips fall (like myself), or the more decisive (and sometimes bossy) types who know exactly how they want things to go. Aurek seems like a deep thinker – and someone who wouldn’t get into conflict/confrontations lightly. Does Vandar get into conflicts because he is so sure of where he stands?

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      • A ninja pirate explorer?? I totally approve. 😀 Have you ever thought about writing about a character like that?

        Hmmmmm… if I were to become a pirate, I’d either hide in the cargo hold or be killed. In other words, I doubt I’d last very long! :S

        You hit the nail on the head with Aurek. He’s more of a thinker than a fighter.

        As for Vandar… yes, he does get into conflict with other characters because of his convinctions, but he also knows when to back down. If he and Gidion were to disagree about something, he’d concede to Gidion mostly because Gidion is his superior (Council Captain). It won’t necessarily change where Vandar stands on something (unless he’s persuaded otherwise by proof); it just means that he has a respect for authority.

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