Part 1! Thalia: 1.What initially prompted me to like the character enough to write about her: Short answer? I am a huge, huge comedy nerd. It's been a big love of mine for a long time and when FG was just starting out -- actually before the game even officially opened -- I was considering picking up Thalia as a character, to the point where I'd begun compiling some research. For some reason I didn't go ahead with it then, maybe I was worried I couldn't do her justice, maybe I'd just decided I had enough characters to juggle already at that time, I can't really remember -- but in any case, I left it and ultimately Thalia was picked up by somebody else. But the niggling idea never really left me, and when later Thalia's original player left... well, I couldn't help myself.
2.One of her best traits: Thalia has a very inclusive nature; she’s somebody who believes laughter, and indeed most things in life, are better shared, and she strives to make sure that nobody is left on the outer. She’s full of seemingly endless positivity; she takes real joy in things and in people and she tries to see the good in everything.
3.One of her worst traits: She can be quite dependent on others, in some respects. She gets her energy from being around others, and she doesn’t do so well when she’s left isolated. There’s a part of her that is very insecure-- she needs the comfort of her sisters and Musagetes around her and it distresses her not to have that security. She’s prone to freaking out in a crisis and she doesn’t deal well with conflict, such as the recent Greek dramas.
4.How easy/difficult I find it to write the character: Thalia’s voice comes to me very easily, always has. She’s one of those characters who came into my mind with a very definite voice, even from the very beginning.
5.The story/thread/chapter/post/paragraph/tag/phrase where I feel that I truly captured the character: I am bad with this question. I dunno, I'm too self-critical when looking back at my own writing, I think. I will say that I have found it a very interesting experience exploring a different side of Thalia with the Greek shenanigans and the attacks on the Mousai -- that’s been challenging at times, but I’ve enjoyed it. (Though I do hope to give the poor girl a bit of a break soon!)
6.My plans (if any) to write the character in the near future: I have a narrative planned out, which I’m hoping to have posted over the weekend. It’ll span the past month and a bit and will deal with the continuing aftermath of Mania’s assault on Thalia, bring a certain level of relief and introduce some characters from her past. Beyond that? We’ll see! She’ll definitely be seeking to reconnect with her family and friends.