It's Juuuune and that means a nuuuuew spotlight! Here at HNZ, we like to start of each new month with a celebration of a character (and RPer) that has caught our attention for one reason or another. This could be their character's development, biography, or because they might have brought something a little special to the site lately. I am so excited to share with you who the spotlight for the month of June is.
This month we're spotlighting Freddie Lagowski, RPed by our wonderful Clairey
For more information on Freddie make sure to check his biography, character development and aesthetic.
As is tradition, we asked Claire a few questions:
What was your initial thought when you were contacted about being spotlighted? Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!! OMG 
(like that basically!!)
What was the inspiration for your character? Well, it all started with Susie!! I decided the moment I made her that she had two younger brothers - and that they depended on her almost like a parent. As sorting approached, I started brainstorming personality ideas for Freddie, asking myself, 'How can I make Susie's life even harder??' I had just been reading The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett, so I took a tiny bit of inspiration from the character Jonathan Teatime - a polite assassin (it was a very small amount of inspiration HAHA). I liked the idea of a polite, well-meaning kid who used rudeness and aggression in very intentional ways to protect himself. That dichotomy would make Susie's life very difficult; she'd know her brother was a good kid, but he would seem constantly determined to prove her wrong. His backstory came from trying to rationalise his behaviour. I drew a bit from my own experiences of growing up with invisible health problems when I gave him nerve damage. Like, I personally enjoyed school, and I had a hard time getting teachers and doctors to take me seriously, so I figured a kid with a reputation for fighting and skiving off wouldn't stand a chance. Giving him a history of being let down by adults and bullied by his peers helped explain his core beliefs and attitudes, and then everything just grew and grew from there. It's funny to me that I started developing him solely based on the criteria that he should be a pain in Susie's butt, and he ended up being one of my favourite and maybe most complex first years ever
I love him so much ;u;
What is your favourite RP that your character has taken part in? Oooh, it’s already hard to pick!! I think I’m gonna say To the Village, because it captures so many key parts of him all at once: his vulnerability, his defensiveness, his loneliness, his distrust, his yearning to be seen, and his kindness. Also I just love Syrah and Rose, they're amazing. But Exploding Dragons was also hilarious, and the RPs he's had with Kahurangi Josephs and Edward Pirrip have made me emotional ;-; <3
What is your favourite aspect of your character? His sense of humour probably!!! Like, underneath all his posturing, despite all his struggles, he's still just a kid who passes stupid notes to his friend in class and suggests using human tears in a potion. I have particularly enjoyed doing his lessons because of all the silly things he gets up to.
He has a quietly mischievous streak, and I love him for it.
Your least favourite aspect? I hate that he thinks of himself as a bad kid. I dislike how paranoid he is, and how he assumes the worst of everybody. Given what he's been through, these beliefs make sense, but I have to be careful to balance out his angst with more upbeat RPs, or else he would get tiring to write (and probably read).
If you could meet your character in real life would you want to? Why or why not? Hmmm.... tricky question!!! Meet like in passing?? Probably not - there's a good chance I'd catch him on a bad day, and he'd be rude to me. But if I were his mother or sister or something, I would protect him with my life.
What do you feel your strength in developing characters is? I'm a chronic overthinker, and that probably works in my favour when developing characters haha!! I put an embarrassing amount of time into considering their motivations, exploring their impulses, making sure their experiences align with their beliefs, etc. - it's so overkill, but I love to do it, and I hope it makes them fun to read.
Your weakness? I struggle to develop and connect with characters whose emotional or moral spectrums don't overlap at least a little bit with mine - especially when I'm writing in close third person, like on HNZ. I'll still try, but those characters end up being woefully underdeveloped. Which is why my most roleplayed characters are the sensitive and anxious ones hahaha!!
What would you recommend to those looking to further develop their characters? Having said what I just said, I don't really feel qualified to answer this!! But I guess I'd recommend giving your characters a couple of wounds, aka beliefs about themselves which make them feel vulnerable or ashamed. I think giving them wounds is just as useful as giving them weaknesses when it comes to fleshing out their personality. Especially if you consider what they do, and the lengths to which they'll go, to protect that wound.
What are you most looking forward to on HNZ in the next several months? Holiday topics!!! More roleplays!!! More lessons!!! I'm having so much fun with Freddie, I just want to write everything, everywhere!!
What is your favourite part of HNZ? Aw, cmon... you know it's the community. :') It really is, though! Getting to collaborate with so many passionate, kind, and talented people is amazing, and I'll keep coming back as long as you guys are here making it so fun <3
(like that basically!!)What was the inspiration for your character? Well, it all started with Susie!! I decided the moment I made her that she had two younger brothers - and that they depended on her almost like a parent. As sorting approached, I started brainstorming personality ideas for Freddie, asking myself, 'How can I make Susie's life even harder??' I had just been reading The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett, so I took a tiny bit of inspiration from the character Jonathan Teatime - a polite assassin (it was a very small amount of inspiration HAHA). I liked the idea of a polite, well-meaning kid who used rudeness and aggression in very intentional ways to protect himself. That dichotomy would make Susie's life very difficult; she'd know her brother was a good kid, but he would seem constantly determined to prove her wrong. His backstory came from trying to rationalise his behaviour. I drew a bit from my own experiences of growing up with invisible health problems when I gave him nerve damage. Like, I personally enjoyed school, and I had a hard time getting teachers and doctors to take me seriously, so I figured a kid with a reputation for fighting and skiving off wouldn't stand a chance. Giving him a history of being let down by adults and bullied by his peers helped explain his core beliefs and attitudes, and then everything just grew and grew from there. It's funny to me that I started developing him solely based on the criteria that he should be a pain in Susie's butt, and he ended up being one of my favourite and maybe most complex first years ever
I love him so much ;u;What is your favourite RP that your character has taken part in? Oooh, it’s already hard to pick!! I think I’m gonna say To the Village, because it captures so many key parts of him all at once: his vulnerability, his defensiveness, his loneliness, his distrust, his yearning to be seen, and his kindness. Also I just love Syrah and Rose, they're amazing. But Exploding Dragons was also hilarious, and the RPs he's had with Kahurangi Josephs and Edward Pirrip have made me emotional ;-; <3
What is your favourite aspect of your character? His sense of humour probably!!! Like, underneath all his posturing, despite all his struggles, he's still just a kid who passes stupid notes to his friend in class and suggests using human tears in a potion. I have particularly enjoyed doing his lessons because of all the silly things he gets up to.
He has a quietly mischievous streak, and I love him for it.Your least favourite aspect? I hate that he thinks of himself as a bad kid. I dislike how paranoid he is, and how he assumes the worst of everybody. Given what he's been through, these beliefs make sense, but I have to be careful to balance out his angst with more upbeat RPs, or else he would get tiring to write (and probably read).
If you could meet your character in real life would you want to? Why or why not? Hmmm.... tricky question!!! Meet like in passing?? Probably not - there's a good chance I'd catch him on a bad day, and he'd be rude to me. But if I were his mother or sister or something, I would protect him with my life.
What do you feel your strength in developing characters is? I'm a chronic overthinker, and that probably works in my favour when developing characters haha!! I put an embarrassing amount of time into considering their motivations, exploring their impulses, making sure their experiences align with their beliefs, etc. - it's so overkill, but I love to do it, and I hope it makes them fun to read.
Your weakness? I struggle to develop and connect with characters whose emotional or moral spectrums don't overlap at least a little bit with mine - especially when I'm writing in close third person, like on HNZ. I'll still try, but those characters end up being woefully underdeveloped. Which is why my most roleplayed characters are the sensitive and anxious ones hahaha!!
What would you recommend to those looking to further develop their characters? Having said what I just said, I don't really feel qualified to answer this!!
But I guess I'd recommend giving your characters a couple of wounds, aka beliefs about themselves which make them feel vulnerable or ashamed. I think giving them wounds is just as useful as giving them weaknesses when it comes to fleshing out their personality. Especially if you consider what they do, and the lengths to which they'll go, to protect that wound.What are you most looking forward to on HNZ in the next several months? Holiday topics!!! More roleplays!!! More lessons!!! I'm having so much fun with Freddie, I just want to write everything, everywhere!!
What is your favourite part of HNZ? Aw, cmon... you know it's the community. :') It really is, though! Getting to collaborate with so many passionate, kind, and talented people is amazing, and I'll keep coming back as long as you guys are here making it so fun <3
Please join us in congratulating Claire on this spotlight or ask any questions you might have!
~Verity
(on behalf of the HNZ site staff)
