Beautiful People, Vol. 18: What Does Nomaro (Future Novella Protagonist) Look Like?

/ 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.

This month’s Beautiful People topic (describing a character’s appearance) threw me off a little. I was hoping to cover another supporting character from my WIP The Keeper’s Curse, but when Cait and Sky revealed their questions, I couldn’t think of anyone right away. But there’s always a certain protagonist from the novella I’m planning to write when TKC’s with beta-readers…

So, if you liked learning about Nomaro during last year’s Beautiful Books post or his first BP post back in March, you’ll be pleased with this month’s subject again. 😉 Ready?

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

Nomaro collage
1. Give a brief overview of Nomaro’s looks. (Include a photo, if you want!)

How about a collage that gives an impression of what Nomaro looks like? That’s better than a photo, right? 😉

Now, to describe him: Nomaro is a 28-year-old male winged Feiri. He has ice blue eyes and shoulder-length, brown-streaked black hair. He also bears a few facial scars from his time as an assassin and spy.

2. Share a snippet that involves description of Nomaro’s appearance.

Well, I can’t quote from the novella, since I haven’t written it yet. But during TKC, the protagonist Eva recalls Nomaro (her former mentor) a few times. Here’s an instance where she remembers their first meeting:

“Gidion snuck in archery lessons with me after school. The rest I learned from a former Councilor. He refused to teach me at first.” Memories of the night I met Nomaro returned, and I slowed my strides. His scarred face, his ice-blue eyes peering out from under his black-and-brown hair – the look in them penetrated me, scraping me to the bone for the truth I had refused to share. “But I think he saw something in me, something he thought he could change. And he did. I wouldn’t be what I am now if he hadn’t.”

3. What is the first thing people might notice about Nomaro?

Nomaro doesn’t like to draw attention to himself, so he’d do whatever he can to not be noticed. That said, the first thing people notice about him is his eyes. They’re not friendly blues, but ones that penetrate, just as the TKC snippet implies. They’re so cold and bright that most people miss his facial scars until they do a double-take.

4. What are Nomaro’s unique features (e.g., freckles, big ears, birthmark, scars)?

I mentioned in #1 and #2 that Nomaro’s face is scarred. His largest and most striking scar looks like a crescent moon, starting from his forehead and curving down to his jaw, nearly clipping the corner of his right eye. He also has scars on his left cheek and chin, and several more along his body; and the top of his left ear is missing.

Hey, killing and spying on people is messy work. Nomaro couldn’t get away unscathed every time. 😉

5. How tall is Nomaro? What is his build (stocky, slender, petite, etc.)?

Nomaro stands about 6 feet tall, which is tall for a Feiri man. (An average Feiri man’s height is 5 feet, 5 or 6 inches.) He also has a lean build, so he’s neither too slender nor super-bulked in muscle.

6. What is Nomaro’s posture like? How does he usually carry himself?

Nomaro doesn’t relax easily in public, and it’s apparent in his posture. He walks stiffly, sometimes with his shoulders hunched, arms folded over his chest, and head down. He also uses a lot of “closed” body language: arms or legs crossed, facing to the side instead of straight at someone, sidelong glances, etc. The only times he’s not so tense is when he’s hunting, working, or doing anything active and/or alone.

7. Nomaro has been seen on a “lazy day” (free from usual routine or expectations). What is he wearing? How does he look?

Nothing fancy. Nomaro is fine with a simple shirt, pair of trousers, and boots. But he prefers black or dark-colored clothing. You won’t find anything light-colored or flashy in his wardrobe. Also, if he’s occupied with something, he’ll tie his hair back in a ponytail. But when he’s finished, he’ll leave his hair loose. As for how he looks… it’s hard to say. He keeps his face so expressionless that you don’t know what he’s thinking or feeling unless he shares it.

Chances are, though, if it’s a “lazy day” for Nomaro, you probably won’t see him because (as I said in #3) he doesn’t like drawing attention to himself.

8. Does Nomaro wear glasses, accessories, or jewelry on a regular basis? Does he have any article of clothing or accessory that could be considered his trademark? 

Maybe leather strips or string for tying back his hair? Apart from that, Nomaro doesn’t have any accessories. He’s learned to live with very little, and values tools and practical items over fashion. He did have a pendant once that a former lover had given him. It was made of silver and looked like a circle from afar, but was actually two birds in flight, connected at the tail and beak. But when Nomaro and his lover broke up, he threw the pendant out a window.

What would be Nomaro’s fashion trademark? His black clothing and black cape, which he wears every day.

9. Has Nomaro ever been bullied or shamed because of his looks? Explain.

Nomaro wasn’t bullied when he was a boy, mostly because of his imposing height. (When you’re taller than the other kids, they tend to be wary of you… or am I wrong in thinking that?) He gets some strange stares nowadays because of his facial scars, but he’s usually the one who intimidates other people – and not because he does so on purpose.

10. Is Nomaro happy with how he looks? If he could change anything about his appearance, what would it be?

Nomaro’s relationship with his looks is… distant, I guess? He cares about exercising and eating well, but not so much about what people think of him or his appearance. If anything, he’s not a fan of his facial scars. He considers the scars on his body as “badges of pride.” Plus, he doesn’t see them when he’s dressed, whereas he’d have to completely cover his face and head to avoid seeing those scars. But, in Nomaro’s opinion, there’s nothing he can do about how he looks now, so people will have to live with it, just as he does.

That wraps up this month’s Beautiful People. What do you think of Nomaro now that you know more about him? Do you have any other questions for/about him?

18 thoughts on “Beautiful People, Vol. 18: What Does Nomaro (Future Novella Protagonist) Look Like?”

  1. First of all, I love the idea that you will be writing a novella about one of your side characters, it’s so cool that you’ve thought that far ahead! Love hearing about his description, he’s definitely a character I would like to get to know better:-)

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    • Thanks, Tammy! Nomaro has always seemed like an interesting character, and very different from others I’ve thought of before. And it wasn’t until I answered this month’s BP questions that I realized how much we can learn from someone because of their attitudes toward their appearance. I’m really looking forward to writing about this guy. 😉

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  2. Nomaro is an interesting one for sure! I like how he tries to hide his presence and uses closed body language. It says a lot about him as a character. And all of those scars!–wow! It makes sense though, he couldn’t get away from every situation unscathed.
    I’m curious to hear more about his former lover and why they broke up?

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    • I actually don’t know how that happened yet (the break-up with his lover). I know it happened toward the end of his time with the Twilight Order, but that’s it. Methinks Nomaro will need his own novels in the future so I can figure out all of that. 😉

      It’s amazing how little details like posture and attitude toward one’s appearance can reveal so much about a character, isn’t it? I hadn’t really thought about it until I started answering this month’s questions.

      Thanks for commenting, E.!

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  4. Good choice for BP! I like his look. Black is always cool. I don’t care if you’re a bad guy or good guy. XD I love the crescent moon scar. That’s so interesting! I like that he doesn’t like to be noticed. That’s a neat feature. Best wishes writing him!

    storitorigrace.blogspot.com

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    • Thanks, Tori! I think some of his desire to draw as little attention to himself as possible comes from his background as a spy and assassin. Because they don’t want to be noticed in their work, right? 😉 But Nomaro also has personal reasons for acting that way, too.

      There’s something mysterious about people who wear all black or dark clothing, isn’t there? 😉 Some people could interpret that as “sexy,” but in Nomaro’s case it matches his mood more than other colors do.

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  5. I love how you’re writing a novella for your story. It’s actually an idea I’ve been toying with too 🙂
    Nomaro’s appearance is intriguing, I can’t wait to discover more about him. I’ll have to look at your previous posts now to discover just that!
    Thanks for sharing your characters with us!

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    • Thanks, Faith! I’m still more or less in the planning phase for The Novella, but I’m really looking forward to writing it. 🙂

      I think there’s only one post about Nomaro so far, as well as a Beautiful Books from last November where I started toying with the idea. That’s it so far, so it’s not much to “catch up on,” so to speak. Feel free to read and comment on them when you have time!

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  6. “But when Nomaro and his lover broke up, he threw the pendant out a window.”
    This image had me giggling – as I could just see it. It sounded rather sentimental for a pendant, anyhow, and it totally would clash with the all dark colors aesthetic ;p

    ” (When you’re taller than the other kids, they tend to be wary of you… or am I wrong in thinking that?)”
    Nope – you’re right. I was the tallest kid in every group until I was around twelve. People just looked at you out of the corners of their eyes and tended to whisper any thoughts they had.

    Ahh, assassins and spies – I have an unhealthy soft spot for that kind of character (unhealthy because, well, they’re ASSASSINS and SPIES). I’m super excited for this novella 🙂

    Looks are a funny business, aren’t they? I have a couple characters with facial scarring or really noticeable appearances, and it ALWAYS affects them somehow. Whether they embrace it or use it as a weapon, or whether it makes them wary of people – I just find it interesting. As for myself, I haven’t really been too noticeable since people finally outgrew me (I’ve been the same height since I was twelve), but I tend to swing between wanting to be noticed and wanting to disappear, depending on my mood. I assume that Nomaro, with his height and scarring, would have had to work harder on being unnoticed, and that his current skill in it might be a thing of personal pride?

    *Rabbit trail Rebekah strikes again*

    At any rate – I loved reading this, and my enthusiasm for Nomaro continues to grow ;P

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    • “This image had me giggling – as I could just see it.”

      I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t picture it, either. 😉 But yeah, however it ended between them, it did NOT end well, and Nomaro was clearly upset about it. :S

      I might have mentioned this to someone else in my comments… but I had no idea how much you can glean from a character from their appearance and their attitude toward it until I did this post. And Nomaro was the perfect choice for it. His looks create enough of a “front” that you can’t tell what he’s thinking or feeling at any moment, yet they still reveal a lot about who he is. It’s fascinating.

      “I assume that Nomaro, with his height and scarring, would have had to work harder on being unnoticed, and that his current skill in it might be a thing of personal pride?”

      It probably took Nomaro a while to learn how to be so inconspicuous. But now (and in The Novella) it’s second nature to him. As for his pride… Nomaro isn’t exactly a proud character. He simply does what he knows he needs to do and doesn’t question it. Some of his past experiences have cut him off from certain feelings, too, so he doesn’t really experience pride to the same degree other characters / people do. He just shrugs it off and keeps moving forward.

      I never mind the rabbit trail. *lol* The extra questions always help with getting know the characters even more. So, thank you! 😉

      Btw I noticed you posted your BP about appearances. I’m planning to check that out in a little bit – as long as my overtired brain doesn’t crash on me before then…

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      • I feel like Nomaro was more revealed by his appearance precisely because his appearance isn’t as important to him. On my BP for appearances, I used a character who seems to be entirely about appearances. It was a little harder for me to get under her surface without revealing too much.

        -On Nomaro – I more meant satisfaction of accomplishment type pride, lol, but your answer made perfect sense to me

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      • I read your BP post on appearances a little while ago, and I thought you offered just enough hints for me to understand what she’s like. My comments there go into more depth, of course, but I thought Phaidra was a great choice.

        I had a feeling you were implying that “satisfaction of accomplishment” type of pride. And Nomaro definitely knows how it feels to be satisfied… but… I don’t know. I guess he doesn’t dwell on it too much?

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