Thursdays Are Right Out

Writing on Thursday is not working for me either.  I volunteered to help coach the local High School Rugby club as it is just getting started.  That's all my "free" time on Thursday.

Penoan flag

I'm going to make this a quick post, but I wanted to introduce someone you our blogging community.  Her name is Zoso (I hope she forgives me, I think her last name is Volvóodis-Lagenam Iratus-Phteris, but I could be wrong).  She lives in Chicago, but she emigrated from a small country called Penoa to the USA.  I would like her to share some of her native country's culture and history through interviews in the coming weeks.

She will likely say that she actually emigrated to the US from Canada.  In point of fact, her mother was expecting as they were coming from Penoa to America.  She went into labor when they had a layover in Canada.  They only stayed 24 hours before continuing on to the States, however Zoso maintains a duel citizenship, a fierce love of Hockey and all thing Canadian.

When I can get hold of her I will interview her and share her answers here.

Howlina Characters - Day 30 - Letters

"30.) And finally: Write a letter to your character, from yourself. "

I was going to split this into two posts because I had 31 days in December, but I'm into January and I want to finish this up so I can get on to my goal setting for 2013.  I wrote the letters and then looked at the prompt again before I realized that these letters are supposed to be from me to the characters.  I wrote them from a character to my main characters.  Hopefully I can be forgiven the mistake.
I'll start with Frank and a letter from his Uncle Vigo.

Frank,

I trust the apartment is comfortable and I hope you're settling in well. 

I didn't know if you had contacted your parents about your recent difficulties, but I took the liberty to.  You must have known that I would talk with my younger brother and your well being would be a hot topic.  You will of course have spoken with them yourself and I hope the conversation went well.  You know there really never is a reason not to tell them things, I understand why you didn't, but you might consider the alternative next time you are in trouble.

I don't know if you have had any success finding work, but I assumed you had not.  Your situation is complex enough to expect difficulties finding anything career oriented.

Please forgive my impertinence, but I have networked on your behalf.  I have some contacts in Sweden.  You're smart enough to realized that was one of the reasons I helped you relocate there.  I have actually found you a position, if you are willing to take it.  There is a prominent and very large bookstore in Stockholm that is in need of an Antiquarian Acquisitionist.  I know that is not your speciality, but the position offer a good deal of travel which should keep your mind quite occupied and in motion.

You should contact Mr. Fredrick Lampson at your earliest convenience.  I will include the contact information and details about the Herdenberg Bookstore.

With Full Confidence in Your Success and Heartfelt Love,
Uncle Vigo


Now Viole's (this is translated from Viole and Payate's secret language):

Viole Dear,

Happiest of Happy Christmases.  I know you are a strict follower of Howler traditions and shun anything you consider to be unwanted intrusions from foreign powers, so please forgive me a slight faux pas from the outside world.  I have a Christmas present for you.

I know you will refuse without hesitation, but before you do, please consider that I am offering you a gift and the proper reaction for a young lady, let alone a Super lady, is to graciously accept and then donate it to a worthy charity.

Also, think about your curiosity.  Why would I offer you a Christmas present?  I've never offered one to you before, as far as you know I have not offered a Christmas present to anyone else either.  Why you, why now?  What could it be?

I know you want to find out and the only way is to meet me at the Bullock Tavern at 2200 tonight, and wear something Christmasy.

Love and kisses,
Payate

Howlina Continues - Religion

I really didn't get to explore the religion of Howlina and the people there.  I did mention their book, the Veebeelo is their preeminent guide to life, and I mentioned that they structured their church hierarchy along the lines of the first millennium Roman Catholic Church.  And lastly I think I mentioned that during the Enlightenment they became more secular and removed the requirement for public officials to be clergy, but I never mentioned what happened to their church after they took political and military power from the clergy.

I also never mentioned the theology behind their religion and what drives the Veebeelo.

HISTORY - 

Before the Howlers moved to Howlina and even before they called themselves the Howlers they had the Veebeelo and called themselves the Roulasa.  They had been moving through Eastern Europe and became Christian when a group of Gothic Christians met with the Roulasa in the Sudette Mountains.  The Roulasa people of the Veebeelo refused to say from where they came.  The groups formed a partnership to protect themselves from their neighbors.  Neither group was particularly skilled at war (that being why this particular group of Goths did not stay connected to the others) so they hid in the mountains mostly and avoided others.  They were far from the Empire and from other centers of Christianity so that they did not participate in the dialogs regarding theology with the rest of Christianity.  They were between the Chernyakhov culture of the Ukraine and Wielbark culture in Poland.

The Howlers (after the two groups had settled together in the Polish Sudette Mountains they started calling their combined group the Howlers) had modified Christianity to fit the world-view of the Veebeelo (which both groups had seen the value of).  They completely discounted the Old Testament.  They already had a creation myth and they only values they could see in the Old Testament were the Ten Commandments and as a reference to what Christ was prophesying.  They already had a code to live by and Christ explained that there were only two commandments, so the Ten Commandments were out.  The Two Commandments fit better in their theology anyway.  They kept the Old Testament as an historical record of a pagan people who really didn't understand what they were talking about.  They put no stock in it. 

Originally the Sudette Howlers were formed prior to 325 when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.  They were organized into parishes and dioceses led by priests and bishops respectively.  They were invited to the Council of Nicea in 325 and left it feeling quite a bit out of it because they had developed their own theology by then and it largely did not jive with what the council put out.  They decided to just grin and bear it to the outside world just in an attempt to stay with a supportive group when all else were against them.  They did gather Paulianists (from Paul of Samosata) who did not want to be rebaptized per the Council of Nicea.

Their theology was just as tenuous if not more so than the normal Christian view so it collapsed under the Enlightenment.  Jesus is still enjoyed as a philosopher even by those who don't believe any of the religious implications.  Because Jesus was never seen as divine, it was less dramatic to drop Christianity and take up a much looser, more deistic spirituality.

Priests are people who study religion and dedicate their lives to partner with a parish as their teacher, counselor, advisor.  Prior to the Enlightenment they were organized into the Catholic Hierarchy and also had the role of leader and ruler.  They have since dropped the power roles.

The Church and Churches -

There has never been a tradition of cathedral building, churches as intimate and home-like.  The idea of a building dedicated to worship is odd and the idea of churches in their tradition is as a house where God is married to the people.  There is much more done there than just worship services because we the people are wed to God and have a symbiotic relationship with him.  We are not parasites of God, but partners.  God needs us as much as we need God.

Churches are separate buildings, but they are much more community centers rather than holy places of reverence and worship.  They are places where community meals are held.  They are more like a VFW hall or Salvation Army hall than what we would think of as a church.  Fundraisers, soup kitchens, dances, dinners and general gatherings are held there.  Often in modern layout the church and the city hall or public building are co-located, with a demarcation within the building.  This is similar to when multi-generations of families live together.  A house is expanded so that it is connected, but separate.  The exact layout depends on the constituents' preference and financing.

During the Enlightenment churches were wholly taken over as civic centers or civic / public buildings were added onto churches as additions.  This tradition continued when they moved to Howlina.

The clergy-member of that particular level usually lives in an adjoining house, if not in an attached house.

THEOLOGY -

Pre-Christian Creation Story -

In the beginning God was alone in the darkness and perfect.  God was lonely so he tried to split himself in order to create a mate.  While trying to do this God shattered into uncountable infinitesimal pieces.  The only thing left in the universe were these pieces of God and God's will.  God's will permeated everything and God tried to reassemble the pieces to rebuild himself, but to do it this time as a mated pair.  All these pieces have a bit of Godness in them and so do the intermediate subassemblies.  That's why men and women are separate, why they should get back together as perfectly as possible, and why they should never be separated.  

Christianity Modified to Fit the Veebelo -

The Virgin Mary's soulmate was St. Joseph, and God made Joseph's soul have a child with Mary, though she never "knew" him.  This was seen as the perfect mating, The Mating as described in the Veebeelo, the one everyone else aspires to.  Jesus wasn't God, he was married to God.  The Holy Spirit is not God the Mother, but God the child of Jesus and God the Mother.

Christ "wed" God to act as an example.  He suffered and died to show how strong the pair bonding is, and to show that it is eternal.  The Christ-God wedding made Christ godesque as a significant part of the pair.

The idea of Jesus becoming God is similar to Adoptionists teachings (Paul of Samosata especially who was deposed in 269 from being Bishop of Antioch).

The key aspect of their philosophy is partnerships, symbiotic partnerships.  Christ would have been only half a man if he had not been married.  Had God been Jesus' father then it would have been incest which they don't like.  They also always recognized that God has no gender and that God is neither wife nor husband to Jesus, but his soulmate beyond any physical pairing.

The situation is complicated and difficult, because how can many people be married to one God.  And one must remember that this is not God the Mother or Jesus the Man that people are married to, but God the Holy Spirit.  The spirit of the community is married to the Spirit of God, we are not each married to God individually or even by household.

They are NOT Gnostic.  They are Stoics though not Cynics because they do not reject sex, power and wealth.

CEREMONIES - 

Baptism -

Howlers have always practiced Home Baptism, with everyone in a home being baptized together. Essentially the home is baptized.  When children grow and marry they create a new home and that home is baptized as well, even though the children had already been baptized in a sense as members of their parents' home.  It was through baptism that Jesus was married to God the Mother and their union, their partnership is a divine thing.  Christ is the marriage of Jesus and God.

Burial and Death -

Death was traditionally seen as a joining with God and everyone who had gone on to be joined with Him, but also as a dis-joining with the married partner.  Those who are not so religious today see it particularly as a dis-joining of the old relationship and a new bond.  The new bond is much more difficult to maintain because it is between the living partner; and the memory and legacy of the deceased partner.  It is the responsibility of the living partner to maintain that link, that partnership.

An elaborate funerary ceremony is held to bond the two together in a new pairing called Second Wedding.  The body is cremated and spread in the home garden to become one with the living partner in body as well as spirit.  The area that is enriched by the deceased is planted and harvested only for the members of the home.  Often this is a veleeya tree.  Also several memorials are created for the deceased including addition to the church registry, a stone in the church, a stone in the home, obituaries, books, songs, trees and annual memorial services held on the death day until the second partner dies.  

The living partner often brands themselves with their partner's initials.  They may alternately or additionally sew or embroider the initials of the deceased onto their clothing.  Often in modern society patches are purchased and/or the initials are tattooed.  Whether the initials are worn (or branded or tattooed) visible or concealed is up to the living partner.  Most often a young parent will feel that they must get remarried for the children.  They will wear the initials of their first partner against their skin or concealed.  

Marriage -

As discussed earlier marriage is a partnership of the very highest order.  A person is not a whole person by themselves.  It is only through marriage and forming a home that a person becomes part of a whole.  First marriages are often later in life (late 20s, early 30s) because people work hard to find the perfect mate and want to do this after they have stabilized their own personalities.  Their is always a big ceremony for the marriage and the whole thing takes at least a week.  During the ceremony all the aspects tested according to the Veebeelo are reenacted, but mostly in public.  Sex is held in private in this ceremony, but it is part of the ceremony (and often repeated each of the nights).  There is a particular position that is reserved for the wedding night.  The couple decides which one it is based on what is their favorite.  The ceremonial positions are the least favorite of the couple, and they may even restrict themselves to the very least favorite only during this week.

If a widower finds that they must get remarried for the children, family and home the second marriage is possible, but it is not considered a first order level marriage.  Because this type of marriage is mostly for the children and is considered a wedding between the new partner and the home (or between two homes) more than between two individual partners.  These marriages are most often between two widowers because a single person will want a single partner for themselves.

Howlina Characters - Day 28 & 29 - Genre & Scent

"28.) If your character’s life was a genre, what would it be? "

Viole's genre would be Science Fiction and Frank's would be tragedy.

That was too short.  Let's do another one.

"29.) How does your character smell? Do they wear perfume or cologne? "

Viole smells like violets (as mentioned earlier) and Frank smells like clean sweat, new leather and Old Spice.

Howlina Characters Day 27 - Songs

"27.) Pick two songs that describe your character at two different points of their life, and explain why you chose them. "

Viole's songs would be the Hallelujah Chorus for her birth and "Girl from Ipanema" for when she graduated college and took a beach holiday.

Frank's songs would be be "Cowboy Song" from Thin Lizzy for when he was in college and "The Distance"  by X for during the story.

Of course the theme song for the story, "Salute Your Solution" is "Salute Your Solution" by The Raconteurs.

Howlina Characters Day 26, Boxing Day and So Much More

Today is a bonanza (no spontaneous singing of the theme song please).

I'll start with Howlina Characters Day 26:

"26.) Second day of favorites! Favorite comfort food, favorite vice, favorite outfit, favorite hot drink, favorite time of year, and favorite holiday. "

Viole's favorite comfort food is savesti berry ice cream.  Her favorite vice is keeping secrets.  Her favorite outfit is her birthday suit.  Her favorite hot drink is veleeya tea.  Her favorite time of year is Spring.  Her favorite holiday is Hatch Night.

Frank's favorite comfort food is oatmeal.  His favorite vice is flirting, which he almost never does.  He truly has no favorite outfit.  His favorite hot drink was coffee, but now it is veleeya tea.  His favorite time of year is Summer, or when you can swim.  His favorite holiday is Memorial Day.

Happy Boxing Day - my kids are running around cleaning the house, it's a boxing day miracle.

Poll Results - my poll on annual Christmas stories came up with five votes, 2 each for Doctor Who and Harry Potter; and one for Wizard of Oz.  I'm going to vote Doctor Who to break the tie and to beat Harry Potter.

Funny thing is, we DO ALREADY get an annual Doctor Who Christmas special.  I guess the BBC DOES know what they are doing sometimes.

Howlina Characters Day 23 & 24 - Superstition & Soulmate

"23.) Is your character superstitious? "

No, neither of them are.

That wasn't enough, so on to Day 24.

"24.) What might your character’s ideal romantic partner be?"

Ah, now this one is much more interesting.

The Veebeelo is a whole book of age old wisdom for determining your soulmate.

It begins with singing.  Even before sight, singing and music compatibility are the primary aspects of love.

The book goes through what aspects should be in sync, how to judge if they are compatible, and a scale on which to measure the level of compatibility.

It includes cooking, eating, walking, talking, games, breathing, snoring, sleeping, child rearing, number of children, body shapes, eye color, hair color, length of limbs, travel desires, vacation preferences, housing history, housing plans, work, career, hobbies, laughs, humor, sadness, anger, holiday traditions, pets, allergies, and ultimately sex.

There are charts, diagrams, and pictures.

It would be much too much to go through in this post.

It does not take genetic engineering and Transhumans into account.

Frank has no such guide, and therefore neither Viole nor Frank know, or can know who their perfect partner is, should be, or even could be.

Isn't that really one of the most important questions in all of our lives, who is this person?

We must also ask, when is this person?  What time in life is best for us to me this person?  We are always changing ourselves, when is the best time for us to me this other person so that we can both change our life directions to match each other?

The Veebeelo talks about that and helps to guide you, but it doesn't tell you who it is.  It tells you how to test.  It is up to you to work with the prospective mate to make a a perfect match.

One of the main points of the story I want to write is whether Viole and Frank are a match, so I could not answer this question here.  Still, it is a very interesting question.

Howlina Characters Day 25 - Hands

"25.) Describe your character’s hands. Are they small, long, calloused, smooth, stubby?"

Frank has thick, calloused hands.  The fingers aren't particullarly long.  The knuckles are hairy.  The nails are strong and kept clipped neat.

Viole has long, perfect fingers.  Her nails are shortish, but well manicured.  Her hands are slender, but she has a powerful grip.

Howlina Characters Day 22 - Temporal

"22.) If your character could time travel, where would they go?"

Viole would travel to the future for the wealth of knowledge she could gather to bring back to our present.

Frank may sound selfish, but he would travel back to when he proposed to his ex-wife and talk with himself.  He wouldn't try to diswade himself because he neither thinks he could do than nor does he think he should.  The experience is part of what makes him what he is today.  He would reassure him that he will survive this and to be prepared.

Otherwise Frank wants to travel in time just like he is now, day by day into the future.

Howlina Characters Day 21 - Marks

"21.) What would your character’s cutie mark be?"

"Cutie Mark" is a new term for me.  It refers to My Little Pony and is FAR too cutsie for me or for this story as a matter of fact.

I think I want to call it something else, maybe a tattoo.  I don't personally like tattoos unless they are from a traditional tattoo culture (like Polynesia), but I'll try not to let my opinion bias this too much.  In other words, I don't want readers to think that the reason these characters don't have tattoos is because I don't like them.  I want readers to see that if these characters do or don't have tattoos it is because that is their character.

Maori "cutie mark"

Howlers are not a visual art type people.  They value literary and musical arts above all others and neglect paintings, clothing fashion, jewelry and sculpture as art.  Their architecture is much more functional than stylistic as well.  They like things to be aesthetically pleasing, but they don't put too much into it.

With that in mind it is rare that a Howler would get a tattoo, and Supers even less likely.  They feel that being Supers sets them apart and binds them as a group already.

However, if Viole were to get a tattoo and it were to represent her personality, proclivity and interests it would be a heart with a book on it and a sunburst behind.  I think she would put it where only her husband would see it.

My initial reaction is that Frank would not have a tattoo, not because I don't like them, but because it seems fairly cliche for a "modern cowboy" to have a tattoo.

I think if anything he would have a brand on his chest, over his heart.  Because it's a brand it can't be as elaborate as a tattoo.  It would be a lantern for his never ending vigil for truth, knowledge and love.

He doesn't have a brand.  He doesn't because a) he doesn't need to prove how tough he is, b) a brand is something you put on cattle and he is certainly not part of any herd.  He is "owned" by his search, drive and determination, but he thinks in his own mind and heart that he owns that drive, not the other way round.

He does have scars and they are tattoo enough for him.

Howlina Characters Day 20 - Phobias

"20.) Does your character have any irrational fears?"

Frank is not afraid of anything.  No, really, he has a strange lack of fear.  He has a calm demeanor and at most he gets very concerned, cautious and meticulous, but no one around him would ever see him in what they would consider a state of fear.

If asked he would say that he is afraid of a lot of things, but he would have a hard time thinking of a general fear he has.  He is a slight bit afraid of heights, but he will joke and say that's because they are so unfamiliar to him.

Viole doesn't know it but she has an irrational fear of death.  Because she is a Super and should expect to live hundreds of years she will not feel the approach of death for a very long time.  She is young enough not to have to think about it too much yet, but most of the people around her are not Supers or even Transhuman and she will probably see over 90% of the people she knows and cares about, grow old and die.

Howlina Characters Day 19 - Travel

"19.) What’s your character’s preferred means of travel?"

Tardis, no; ocean liner, no; winged horse, no; starship, no; transporter, transmat, monster truck, no, no, no.  Jetpack,...jetpack...hm, no.

Both Frank and Viole enjoy walking very much.  Frank enjoys traveling by horse, but Viole would prefer a cart or sledge.

Viole's absolutely favorite way to travel is to fly.  She is partial to hang gliding, but it is entirely impractical to get anywhere, so she prefers ultralight aircraft.  If she could use it to get everywhere she would.  She also likes hot air ballooning.

She loves the ability to move just based on wind, and the feel of working with nature, giving what she offers and bringing what Viole herself has to offer.

Frank's favorite mode of travel is sailing.  He had a canoe as a child in Minnesota and often sailed on the lakes there.  In the winter his favorite sport was ice sailing.  He missed that while he was in Montana at school, so when he got to Argentina he bought a canoe and went out on the rivers as much as possible.

He likes the interplay between water and wind.  He too likes the ability to move on the power of nature alone, but he also likes the idea of traveling on a medium that he normally couldn't, using what others find as a barrier as his means of transport.

Howlina Characters Day 18 - Food

"18.) Is your character a good cook? What’s their favorite recipe, whether they’re good or not? (Microwave mac-and-cheese applies.)"

Frank is an excellent cook.  He enjoys Tex-Mex, Cajun and Argentinian.  He considers himself and is considered by others as a grill-master.  He particularly likes to make the most from the most ordinary fare.  He tries to add just a little bit of flourish to everything he cooks and enjoys subtle flavors.

The dish that Frank is probably best known for is a gumbo that he developed the recipe for himself and refuses to share with anyone.  The thing that he loves to prepare more than others is a grill mixture of foods that he insists be cut on the plate into small portions so the different elements can be combined on the fork for a different experience in each bite.  Rarely do his guests have that kind of patience and they usually gobble it up without regard to his instructions.

Viole doesn't cook.  She can, she knows how, but she doesn't.  She normally eats very simply when she is alone.  When she is with men, they almost invariably insist on cooking for her.  When she is in a large group she busies herself with other chores and helps in the kitchen but doesn't cook.

She has cooked for men that she is in a courtship with, because that is part of Veebeelo instructions, for each partner to cook for each other.  She does it perfunctorily and without enthusiasm.

Her favorite thing to eat is a salmon salad sandwich or a fish sausage sandwich, either on pumpernickel bread.  Her favorite thing to cook is a cheese, mushroom and kelp omelet.  She also enjoys savesti berry ice cream.

Howlina Characters Day 17 - Desk

"17.) What’s your character’s desk/workspace look like? Are they neat or messy?"

I am making a name change.  Fiole will now be Viole.  That will keep them from both having the same first initial.  Also, she smells like violets, and Viole is similar to viola.  Her very existence is something of a "Ta-da" for her parents and the developers of Transhumans.  I'm going to go back and change the spelling as I can.  From here forth I'm going to spell it Viole and you should read it as Viole anywhere else you see her name.

Viole is extremely neat and organized, almost to the point of obsession.  She doesn't obsess over it though, but is so organized and quick in her mind that she can just put things where they belong the first time.

Frank is fairly neat, but not a minimalist.  He doesn't have undifferentiated stacks of things, but his office is also not as sparse and bare as Fiole's or maybe one showcased in an Ikea catalog.  There is stuff everywhere and plenty of dust on certain things, but most everything is labeled and Frank can find anything in a matter of moments.

Frank is the kind of guy that likes to work out of a bag, out and about.  He keeps the bag fairly sparse and only has to take a few things out to get right down to work.  He doesn't have to set up a "station" where he is.

Howlina Characters Day 16 - Relatives

"16.) Are there any blood relatives that your character is particularly close with, besides the immediate ones? Cousins, Uncles, Grandfathers, Aunts, et cetera. Are there any others that your character practically considers a blood relative?"

Fiole has a cousin that lives in Chikagopolee that she lives with.  Her name is Katazeena, but she insists that everyone call her Kat.  She is quite a bit older and a black sheep in the family.  Kat never bought into The Solution, and Fiole had thought that Kat hated her because she IS The Solution, but when she broke up with her latest boyfriend and felt lost in Protopolee it was Kat that actually physically came and got her.

Kat had always been interested in the visual arts and almost completely shunned music and singing.  She was interested in fashion as a young girl while the rest of the family were academics, particularly her father and grandfather, Fiole's maternal grandfather.  Their grandfather was a wise and well respected man that both Kat and Fiole dearly loved, but Kat felt disillusioned by him because of his active promotion of what the Howlers call The Solution. 

The Solution is the concept that transhumanism, by creating better people will solve all the world's problems.  Their grandfather worked tirelessly to make it a reality. 

Kat was against transhumanism because she felt that it did not trust people.  Kat believed in the goodness and value of Homo sapiens sapiens and felt that transhumanist didn't.  She didn't think that we need new people, but that people should live up to their potential, to take responsibility for themselves.

By the time she was a teenager she had turned to painting and her anger at her grandfather had grown so that she could not even speak to him.  In the end, because of her anger at their grandfather and because she wanted to go somewhere where she could paint she left for Paris to attend school.

She left at about the time Fiole was born.  She traveled around Europe, Asia and Africa; specifically avoiding the America's because she felt that Howlers too readily associated with the US.  She wanted a broader view.  She is the only one of Fiole's family who has been abroad.

Eventually she got a degree in Anthropology and specializes in the art of different cultures.  She met her husband in South Africa.  He was a zoologist.  They married and had a son.  While doing fieldwork as a family together they were caught in a tragic series of events that ended in the death of both her husband and their school aged son.

The disaster devastated Kat and she tried committing suicide several times.  Eventually a man from Howlina came to Africa and found her.  He stayed with her and nursed her back to health, eventually bringing her back to Howlina.  She never knew how word got back to her family, but eventually she did find out that it was her grandfather who, as he lay on his deathbed, had sent him.

Kat's rescuer was Soteero, and he is now her husband.  It's very unusual for a Howler to get remarried, but it had been unusual for a Howler to marry a non-Howler in the first place.  Soteero is a normal Howler in almost all respects except that he married Kat.  He's a Biologist, but he had trained as an EMT when he was younger and in the Coast Guard.  Since marrying Kat he has become a teacher.  They have no children.

Kat is still an anthropologist, an historian and a painter.  Both she and her husband follow the Veebeelo, and for Cheekagopolee standards they follow it closely, but that's Cheekagopolee.  Compared to the rest of Howlina they are very loose with it indeed.

When Fiole was at her worst and most self-doubting Kat suddenly appeared at her door.  Fiole was completely surprised to see her and didnt' even recognize her.  They talked for a while and that was when Kat revealed to Fiole that it was their grandfather who had rescued her from Africa and her sorrow.

Fiole dearly loved their grandfather.  He had so beautifully described the world that he knew would be.  It was a glorious Utopia and Fiole was an integral part of it.  It was his dream and became her dream, her drive and her goal.  A goal she doesn't trust herself to achieve.

Kat doesn't believe in The Solution, in fact she hates it, but she is certainly capable of putting her hatred of an idea aside for the love of family and friends.  It was Kat that suggested Fiole come to Cheekagopolee and live with her.

Frank has an uncle Vigo who is a captain of industry in Argentina.  He is his father's older brother by many years and Uncle Vigo had always had a soft spot in his heart for his baby brother and his nephew.  He was the reason Frank sought a job at a university in Argentina.  When Frank was arrested after the gunfight with his wife, it was Uncle Vigo that kept him from being criminally prosecuted.  He made sure that Frank was only kicked out of Argentina and he arranged for Frank's current job.

Howlina Characters Day 15 - Sleep

"15.) Is your character an early morning bird or a night owl? "

Both Fiole and Frank are early risers.  They love a long day and like to get started early.  Both do love sunsets, but after sundown neither of them like working.  Sunset to predawn is time for relaxing.  They feel that you should wake up early enough that you are ready for a full day of work or play as soon as the sun is fully risen.

Supers don't need as much sleep as normal people and 4 hours is a full night sleep for them.  Fiole still likes to spend any other dark hours as down time, time to "sharpen her saw."

Frank makes due with less sleep because he feels like it is time he could be doing something else, and he doesn't like to think there is anything he can't do (he tries to keep up with Fiole).  He knows how important sleep is and sleeps a full night when there is no pressing need for him to be awake.

Neither of them have any trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep.

Howlina Characters Day 14 - Temperature

"14.) How does your character react to temperature changes such as extreme heat and cold? "

Frank is not bothered by cold until it gets extremely cold or he's been exposed for a long time.  When he has spent a whole day out in the cold he may end up weakened and sluggish for a couple of days aferward.  His small size is a disadvantage when it comes to extremes of cold and exposure, but he is also too stuborn to let it restrict him to bed.

He is also very good with extreme heat, except that he sweats profusly.  His sweat is watery rather than musty and is not as unpleasant as some people.  He's never suffered a temperature related injury.

Fiole has not really been tested in cold.  It doesn't get very cold in Howlina except at the tops of the mountain ridges in the middle of winter.  These are popular ski areas, and she has been skiing, but she was never exposed to the cold for very long.

I suspect that because she is a Super she can handle extreme cold as well as she handles extreme heat, with ease.  Some of her friends are very jealous that she never seems to sweat.  This is especially evident now that she lives in Chikagopolee, which is as hot and humid as New Orleans.  The really annoying thing, for those that are annoyed by the way she handles the heat is that Supers' sweat smells like flowers.  It's something they wrote into their genetic code.  Most of the Super men smell like grass or fresh forests after a rain.  The women all smell like different flowers.  Fiole smells like violets.

Howlina Characters Day 13 - Bedroom

"13.) What does your character’s bed look like when he/she wakes up? Are the covers off on one side of the bed, are they all curled around a pillow, sprawled everywhere? In what position might they sleep?"

Being so tall, Fiole has to sleep diagonally on a bed or sleep on a specially made super-size bed.  One of Fiole's quirks is that she wants to fit into normal society so she doesn't have a super-size, she normally sleeps on a queen-size bed. 

She prefers cotton bedding and a single pillow.  She isn't the kind to snuggle into a bed, but she does like very clean sheets.  She washes her sheets twice a week, but doesn't iron or starch them. 

She has a quilt on her bed that is a prized possession.  She got it as a gift from her sister-in-law and she has used it on every bed she has had since she got it, regardless of whether it goes with the room.  The quilt is done in abstract patterns in the national colors.

Frank generally sleeps above the covers.  He is usually warm and sleeps with the covers half off even in winter.  Lately he has found himself tossing and turning quite a bit in his sleep.  He's very good about being able to sleep anywhere, in any position.

By the way, bedrooms in Howlina do often look like the one in the picture I included.  Because they eschew air conditioning and because they are almost in the tropics, bedrooms are often open and airy.  They do use screens in their windows so a netted four poster bed is a bit of a luxury.

Howlina Characters Day 12 - Technology

"12.) How is your character with technology? Super savvy, or way behind the times? Letters or email?"

The story will be set 30 - 50 years in the future.  The things we have as cutting edge technology now will be old hat in the story.

Fiole IS the cuting edge of technology.  As a genetically engineered person she is part of the Science Fiction element in the story.  As a Super she is a genius and is up to date on all the latest technology as well, not to mention that she has a doctorate in computer systems technology.

Frank is techno-savvy but is also nature-wise.  He can start a fire with flint and steel; or a bow and drill.  He knows how to read the weather, make a camp, and cook outdoors with the foods he can gather in the wild.  On the other hand he carries the latest portable computer system.  He is not old fashioned, but he sees technology as a tool, not a way of life.

Howlina Characters Day 11 - Animal

"11.) Is there an animal you equate with your character? "

As in, "if you were an animal, which animal would you be?"  No, I don't equate my characters that way.

However, if I were to chose spirit guides for my characters I would choose a raven ("Destroyer / Rebuild, Explorer of the unknown, Mysterious") for Fiole and Frank's would be a salmon ("Able to overcome obstacles. Determination. Focused energy. Perseverance.").

Fiole had a pet papagalo (a kind a parot).

Frank has had horses and dogs.  He's currently considering one of the rats specifically bred in Howlina as pets.

If forced to choose a favorite animal Frank would chose orcas, Fiole would choose golden eagles.