Character Backstories Vol. 8 - Faris & James

Character Backstories 

Vol. 8 - Faris & James

Out of the pencil case and into the author's blog today are two characters that are, once again, extremely different not only because of personality and psychology, but also because of the two very different projects they come from. 

• Faris (The Pirates of Sissa)
• James (Apartment) - spoiler alert
  

So, let's dive right in.

 

Faris (The Pirates of Sissa)

After the final expulsion of the Qorsan from the Empire of Sissa, many of them ended up in the harsh and dangerous Black Desert. Faris, like Sahra, ended up there as a child, though he had his father (a Captain of one of the many Qorsan communities throughout the Desert) to take care of him. After the passing of his father, it was Faris who took the title of Captain - and nobody really questioned it, for he was most definitely worthy of the title even before he'd received it.

Because the particular band of Qorsan that Faris leads is in close geographical proximity to that of Sahra's, the two have met and visited one another often, and their people trade with each other for goods and services - whatever little they have, anyway.

As a character, Faris is a dependable, honest, and morally-centered man who distrusts all Sissans. This will play a role in how likely he is to accept the Sissan peace offer, but there are also other factors at play, like his relationship to Sahra, who becomes an unwilling (or willing? ...depends how you see it) spokesperson for the peace treaty.

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James (Apartment) - spoilers ahead!

James is an isolated, lonely artist who yearns for company - perhaps even desperately. When he finally catches a glimpse of his elusive neighbour, he ends up developing an obsession with her, going so far as to call every number in the building to find out where her apartment is. When another woman comes to live at the apartment building, she, too, becomes a target for his obsessive and dangerous behaviour.

Before coming to live at the apartment building on Wallstone Avenue, the reader learns that he was married to Patricia, a character who, from his reminiscence, was an unsupportive wife who trampled all over his dreams and may have been borderline abusive in her behaviour. That being said, it's important to note that this is from his subjective perspective, and that he may or may not be the most reliable narrator. 

Patricia dies after they are divorced - she was murdered by a man who media say probably also murdered other women in the area recently. It is implied at first that James is the murderer, and it becomes clear later on in the story.

It may have been partly due to his guilty conscience, or due to the fact that he's running away from what he's done and putting distance between himself and his crime scenes, that James finds himself in this apartment building. But the guilt, evidently, is not enough to keep him from falling into a dangerously obsessive pattern with Angela and Alex.

You can learn more about James's character by reading Apartment, which you can find here.