Hello all!!
Kathryn apologizes for no post on Saturday. School bombed her at the same time we were out of town.
There was a character linkup for April aimed towards siblings. I was, obviously, too late to post it during April, but I figured I might as well post it today. So mine will be about Cecil and Vil, from the story that another blogger (Alexa) and I wrote. The story is about the two brothers, who are living in a dystopian society where anyone with a mental or physical disability is taken away, brainwashed, "upgraded" and forced into military service.
This is Cecil. He's got a bad hand that the boys try to hide from the society so he won't be taken away. He's a little bit (okay, a lot) of a scaredy cat, and his automatic reaction to danger is to freeze. He's a precious baby, and is very sweet and caring, although a bit of a pushover.
This is Vil. He's the older of the two, and is fiercely protective of Cecil. If he isn't a psychopath or a sociopath, he's scarily close. He's charming and charismatic, and quite frankly terrifying at some points in the book, but he's still a bit of a sweetie too.
So now on to the questions!!
1. What is the first memory they have of each other?
Cecil's first memory of Vil is him defending Cec from bullies, since Darling is always wearing gloves to hide his hand. Vil's memory of Cecil is seeing Cec as a two-year-old, noticing his hand and realizing, even at a young age, that bad things would happen if people found out about it. And, for some reason, he decides that their parents can't be trusted and takes it upon himself to protect Cecil.
2. Describe their relationship in 3 words.
I'm going to use one word for each of the boys, then a word that they both would use.
For Cecil, their relationship is safe. He doesn't have to hide his hand or anything else from Vil, since he knows his brother will protect him and not care a bit if something is different in him.
For Vil, sanity. Cecil is what keeps him from going over the edge. At one point in the story, something happens to Vil and Cecil is devastated. If the same thing were to happen, but with the boys reversed, Vil would snap. He'd go crazy and probably literally start killing anything and everything around him. Cecil is his moral compass and what keeps him grounded.
For both of them, defense. Because one is the defender, the other is the defendee. And, while Cec is the defendee, he is also willing to at least try to step up for Vil, although that hardly ever happens.
3. What kind of things do they like to do together?
They don't really have a favorite thing to do together, they just like being around each other. It's the only spot that either boy can act like himself, and it's just comfortable.
4. What was their biggest fight?
They never really have a big fight-- ever-- but there was a disagreement about what Cecil was allowed to do in the rebellion. Vil wanted him to do pretty much nothing, since he's overprotective, and Cecil was finally starting to want to step up and help with something. So there is a couple moments in the book where they get irked with each other over that.
5. How far would they go to save each other?
*Cackles* Waaaaay too far. The better question would be "Where would they stop?"
6. What are their pet peeves about each other?
Cecil doesn't like it when Vil tries to prevent him from doing the things he wants to do, like lend a hand in the rebellion.
Vil has an extremely buried pet-peeve that he hasn't realized exists, he's buried it so far down. His pet-peeve is that Cecil won't do anything. And yes, we know how ironic that is considering the fact that he won't let him do anything.
7. What are their favorite things about each other?
Oddly enough, Cecil's favorite thing about Vil is the same exact thing as his pet-peeve. I think it's because he knows that his brother loves him and is trying to keep him safe. And quite frankly, he wouldn't have lived this long if it wasn't for Vil. No joke. Cecil's hopeless in the beginning of the book.
For Vil, it's how sweet his brother is. But it's not just even that. Vil wishes he could be more like Cecil. He admires his brother's innocence, despite how much junk has gone down in their past, and wants to protect that innocence, even if it turns him into a monster.
8. What traits do they share? Mannerisms, clothing, quirks, looks, etc?
The boys look a lot alike, except for their eye color and their overall build. Add a little more meat to Cecil's bones and take away his perpetual scared look, and the boys could be twins.
They dress different, since Vil acts like a chameleon, changing as needed to match expectations, whereas Cecil just tries to hide. So Cecil's clothing leans more towards nondescript and Vil's is more in the direction of preppy, then in the Enforcer's uniform.
The boys don't quite have any shared mannerisms, although Alexa and I debated if Vil had a few of Cecil's minor coping mechanisms. Like, rubbing a hand with his thumb or something else subtle. He would only do things like that around Cecil, since anywhere else, it would mean that his walls were too far down. It's also a subtle way to let Cecil know whats up with him without speaking.
9. Who has the strongest personality?
Vil. Unarguably, undoubtedly Vil.
10. How does their relationship change throughout your story?
Heh, their relationship becomes more normal. Because Cecil becomes more independent and Vil backs off a little. He's still protective, but not as bad as it was, since he realizes that Cec is growing up. Cecil also learns that he doesn't need Vil as much as the thought he did, that his brother doesn't have to be his security blanket.
I shall see you all on Thursday with a review!! Thanks for looking!!
--Rebecca
