Some Q&A

It's been a bit since my last chapter. Been busy, but i thought i might write some answers to any questions that may be coming up.

Q1. Will you be continuing the story soon?
Until i finish my HSC - i promise. I have all these ideas for part two and who can leave dear Oliver and Belinda hanging??

Q2. Will you reveal the contents of Diana's letter?
I know it sounds irritating, but all i can say is that that's for me to know and you to find out.

Q3. Has any of the guesses you've heard for where Oliver's gone been right yet?
Thankfully, no. That shows how - hopefully - unpredictable it's gonna be.

Q4. Where's the Beauty and the Beast connections in Part One?
There's a few:
*We have the outer beauty of Belinda and the 'beast' of Oliver
*The inner beauty of Oliver as he changes the inner 'beast', Belinda due to being thrown together due to circumstances
*Our sidekick and plump man, Winston is a shadow of Cogsworth
*Oliver's anger issues are similar to the beast
*handsome men chasing Belinda...guess who's the handsome man? And egoistic?
I know there's not much, but it's just a loose relation. I like writing stories with a shade of fairytale but really, breaking conventions and embedded in reality. Why? Because there's such things as happy endings in reality too.

Q5. Where'd you get your idea for Vraie Beaute?
Strangely enough, doing my maths revision during my half yearly exams. I was sitting there, paining over having finished Welcome to Reality and knew i needed another fairytale reality to satisfy me. I thought of Beauty and the Beast and the story just kind of went crazy from there. I think i still have the paper i scribbled on...somewhere...
Funnily, Oliver came as the first character to mind. In my eyes, he's kind of the protagonist of the story - not that i don't love Belinda too.

Q6. Who do YOU connect most to in VB?
Oliver. Simple as that. Oliver, in many ways, is a reflection of myself. His cynical, deep way of thinking, as well as his paranoia at people around him being hurt. His obsession with inner beauty and with rich people lording it over the poor is also some reflexion of my own beliefs. But before i sound TOO guyish due to my being like Oliver (or Ollie being like me), he's also written as the guy i dream of meeting and falling in love with. Handsome yet unknowing, smart, deep, a little sarcastic and cynical, hardworking and brave yet emotional.

I know - i sound like i'm in love with him =P

Q7. So what's next with VB?
Part two teaser i will write after exams finish - first week of July. Stay tuned for that! i have ideas fresh in mind!!

Q8. Any stories other than VB in mind?
Definitely - i have a story i hope is publisher worthy. We'll have to wait and see.

I hope this was helpful or at least informative =)

Where's Oliver Gone?

...Oliver...

Where's Oliver gone?

"Oliver. I wanted to say. I’m so sorry, Oliver.
I was wrong about everything. I wanted to tell him. I wanted to tell him that I knew I had been wrong all this time but was too proud to admit it, even when I knew that he was right. Instead, I had gotten angry at him.
And now, I couldn’t tell him.
I wanted to tell him that I had always been and always will be in love with him…"

~~~

What Belinda never expected was for Oliver to go. Why? He was always there - ever since she could remember. Whenever she needed him, he'd just show up. Even if she didn't want him, he'd still just be there.

But when she realises just how much she needs him, why was it that only then did he mysteriously disappear?

And there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

Any comments on where he might be?

Heavily Broken - The Veronicas

The Carter Kids aka The League

It was finally revealed in Chapter Ten that the Carter Kids were named after heroes of the Justice League due to their father's love of superheroes. I was hoping a little that someone would pick it up, but it seems that most of us don't know our DC Comic superheroes too well =P. Well, just wait for the Justice League movie coming out next year for the Justice League popularity to hopefully skyrocket once more.

So, why don't we have a good look at each of our Carter Kids and their superhero equivalents (note that this post will not include detailed profiles of each Carter but is only based on their superheroes)?

Let's start at number five:

Arthur Barry Carter

Arthur (Archie), aged seven, was named after the superhero Aquaman with his alter ego Arthur Curry. Arthur was a founding member of the Justice League of America and was an Atlantean. His superpowers include undersea adaptation; telepathy; enhanced strength; enhanced speed; Healing factor; senses and durability; extra resistance to heat/energy based attacks; mystically enchanted left hand; ability to dehydrate others.

Arthur's second name, Barry is from the superhero The Flash.

Shayera Carter

Shayera (Shay), aged ten, was named after the superhero Hawkgirl with her alter ego, Shayera Hol. Shayera appeared on the Justice League of America on the cartoon network. Her superpowers include: Belt with a special metal that defies gravity, artificial feather wings, archaic weaponry, flight, enhanced strength, healing factor, enhanced vision, reincarnation.

Diana Carter

Diana (Di), aged thirteen, has matured fast for her age, growing into a true, dark-haired beauty. She is aptly named after the superhero Wonder Woman with her alter ego Princess Diana or Diana Prince. She is princess of Themyscira and a founding member of the justice league. Her superpowers include: God-like strength, speed, reflexes, stamina, durability, and hearing, flight, superior hand-to-hand and weaponary skills, animal empathy, regeneration, resistance to magic, immunity to illusions and mind control, ability to decern truth, access to magical weaponary.

Bruce John Carter

Bruce, aged fifteen, the the dark, stoic Carter who supports Oliver fearlessly. He was named after the superhero Batman with the alter ego of Bruce Wayne. Bruce was one of the founding members of the Justice League. His superpowers include: Genius-level intelligence,Master detective,Master escapologist,Peak human physical condition,Martial arts master,Access to high tech equipment,Extensive monetary resources.

Bruce's middle name comes from the Green Lantern, another founding member of the Justice League

Oliver Clark Carter

(note that after almost 20mins of searching, i've found my close-to-perfect Oliver).

Oliver (Ollie), aged 17, is the oldest of the Carter kids and the one that has been through the most, as he was closest to his father. He was named after the Green Arrow with alterego Oliver Jonas (Ollie) Queen who was one of the later members to join the Justice League (you can also check Oliver out on Smallville!!). His superpowers include: Master archer; arsenal of trick arrows; Exceptional martial artist, Master swordsman as well as being brought up in a wealthy family. The Green Arrow is our superhero version of Robin Hood!

And just for interest's sake, here's Oliver from smallville (as you see, i'm quite the Oliver Queen/Green Arrow Fan, hence calling the male protagonist after him):

Oliver's middle name was called after the founding member of the Justice League, Superman with alterego Clark Kent. Because we all love (well, i do, anyway) Clark Kent, here's the other man Oliver was named after. He's not only strong, smart, superbreath, heat vision, can fly and can see through things, but he's also dark, tall and handsome =) (and my favourite superhero!...as you can see, Mr. Carter follows after my love of superheroes)

And we can't have a superman post without a picture of Clark from Smallville:

So that's all the League and the superheroes they were named after. Hope this post was fun to read an interesting to know about the different superheroes and how the Kids have come to reflect some of the superhero attributes. The most important thing to remember, though, is the fact that, though the Carter Kids aren't really superheroes, their father has instilled in them a sense of togetherness, loyalty and bravery that is reflective of any superhero. Their father would have been proud.

Welcome to Parkes

You are officially welcomed to Parkes - the old and new

Parkes is a large, fictional town that comprises primarily of heritage homes and parks (thus its name) as it was one of the first settlements (of dominantly French and British origin) in the area. Initially a place for the less fortunate to live, the pleasant weather and beautiful scenery has attracted many wealthier people into the town. In the more recent years, Parkes has become a vibrant town with a Village Centre, many large and wealthy houses and a commercially booming place.

Parkes is located in the Southern Hemisphere, thus has a Summer Christmas and Winter in July. If it were in Australia, it would be in New South Wales, on the Northern West of the state.

The outskirts of the town comprises mainly of farmland. Farms have been owned for generations, known for good harvests as Parkes sees plenty of rain and sunshine. Farmers are mostly from French peasant origin but now, many have become quite wealthy due to high demand.

~Parkes Village~

The usual hangout spot for adolescents and the only place where one can find a shopping centre, Parkes Village is the centre of life in Parkes. Many large businesses and restaurants can be found here. The streets are wide and lined with shops and trees. Playgrounds and skateboard ramps can also be found in the Village.

~Schools~

There are three private schools in Parkes - Hillman Academy, Jacques Boys and St Josephina Girls. These are very prestigous schools that are attended by the wealthier in Parkes. Students require high academic results to be considered.

The only public school in Parkes is Parkes Grove High School for all those children who prefer public education. The school is set on a large piece of land and has mainly rundown buildings and lage greenery around it.

Out of interest, Parkes Grove is based on my own highschool mixed with a typical American highschool. The benches, much greenery and rundown look is similar to my own school whilst corridors, cafeteria and the classrooms are similar to an American school.

Parkes Grove High is a school focussed greatly on extra-curricular activities including Student Representative Councils, Sporting Teams and Charity Functions. Our President of the SRC for 2008 is Miss Kathryn Harwood with Vice Captain Isaac Chevalier. Miss Harwood's new initatives include a Charity Dance this May and more student involvement.

Sports Teams are highly popular and range from cricket, volleyball, basketball, baseball, lacrosse and track and field. Most popular of sports seem to the Soccer which, after the World Cup of 2006, has picked up in popularity. Star player of the soccer team is left winger Oliver C. Carter, known throughout Parkes for his saving a fellow student's life.

Welcome to the Vraie Beaute Blog

Thank you to all who voted or expressed interest in a Vraie Beaute blog. I hope that this blog will not only be very helpful in your journey through the story but will be fun and exciting as well.

Please feel free to comment on anything (anonymously too, if you'd like) and if you think of any extras to add to this blog, please feel free to give a shout.

So, what will there be on this blog?

1) Pictures and short profiles on the characters
2) Information on the places in Parkes and Lauchlan
3) Anything cool i find in relation to Vraie Beaute
4) Answers to any questions i recieve
5) My musings when i am bored and want to talk about this story
6) Any youtube videos i come across that inspire me and remind me of Vraie Beaute

As things come up, i will post. Subscribing is the best way to stay updated.

Cheers!