September Character Studies: Celebrations

You may not have noticed, but I was too busy to do last month’s character study, so I’m doing it today. 🙂

There are ten questions here. You can also find them on Morgan Dusky’s amazing blog, Studies in Character. Remember to check them out and perhaps do them yourself!

The theme this month is ‘celebrations & parties’ (as you can see by Morgan’s amazing new graphic).

I’m interviewing Alice Knight as an eighteen-year-old from At Her Fingertips. As I’m working on developing her (and her fellow main-ish characters) this week, filling out these questions was really great (and a lot of fun!).

The Questions

• When is your birthday?

January 1st, 1862. My mother tells me I was just minutes short of being born in 1861. I think I like being born on an even year, though. There’s a sort of … rounded-up-ness to it.

• What do you usually do for your birthday?

I talk my father into getting me something my mother doesn’t really want me to have or let me do something she doesn’t really want me to do. I’m a bit ashamed of it, but not very. After Papa says it’s all right, Mama doesn’t really mind all that much.
But she still winces every time I take a jump.

• What’s the best birthday you ever had?  The worst?

I like to think every one but my ninth was the best. My ninth was the worst. I spent it at boarding school.

• Are there any holidays you celebrate? Are there any you don’t? Why or why not?

Of course we celebrate at least a dozen holidays. Christmas and Easter are my favorites, especially Christmas. New Years was never very exciting for me, as it’s my birthday already. We celebrate all the traditional holidays, I believe. Of course, we don’t celebrate … oh, Hanukkah, and other holidays from different countries and religions.

• What’s your ideal kind of party?

One that includes my family. I like to be alone with them sometimes. On the other hand, big, merry balls and dinner parties are very nice as well.

• You’re at a friend’s party. Who’s is it and what’s your opinion of the party?

Probably Cassie. Lady Mary Cassidy O’Connell, I mean, of course. She’s bound to have quite a few parties this Season. I imagine they’ll be tastefully done. I’ve heard that when Lady O’Connell gave parties when she was first married in London, they were wonderful.

• You made a new friend right around the time of your birthday, and you invited them. They don’t know you very well, but they still want to bring a gift. What do they give you?

Probably something I don’t like which I must accept. A book, perhaps. I hate reading.

• You just accomplished something really awesome, and you want to celebrate. How do you do it?

I’d probably just pretend like I did that kind of thing every day and not really celebrate (at least not externally) at all.

• Is there such thing as too much partying?

Definitely. The only reason for that, though, really, is punch that really isn’t punch, and that can be avoided if you avoid gentlemen, who always seem to be pressing a drink into a ladies’ hand. Odd, isn’t it?

• Bonus: What’s the most adorable baby animal?

I like puppies … and foals. Kittens are pretty little things, too. But you know I’m not the kind of girl who spends her life cooing over creatures.

What do you think? Does Alice sound like a person you’d like to meet? Or, y’know, read a book about? 😛 ISN’T THAT KITTEN THE CUTEST THING EVER!?!?!?! ALICE HOW ARE YOU NOT FREAKING OUT OVER CUTENESS???
~Kellyn Roth