Beautiful People September Edition: Meet Luc (well, officially)

So I am much tardier on this BP post than normal. Chaos reigns, my friends. But that's beside the point. 

Beautiful People is a monthly character development meme hosted by Skye at Further Up and Further In and Cait at Paper Fury. Click the links for their fabulous blogs and more info on how to participate.

I have been using BP posts to explore the main characters of my WIP, The Last Coffee Shop, which is a post-apocalyptic (parody-ish) adventure about a barista who gets kidnapped by a chronically dishonest bounty hunter (who is, in turn, chasing down the even more dishonest thief extraordinaire, Jupiter Jive).

Bounty Hunter Luc Phelen, a. k. a. The Wolf, a. k. a. too many aliases to count, is going to be the victim subject of this month's round of random questions. And bonus, if you read to the bottom, there's a picture I drew of him.

First, a little about Luc. He's around 29 years old (he has no idea when he was born, but he was born in ancient catacombs). He didn't escape the catacombs until his teens. Sometime later he took up bounty hunting, and he has devoted his life to taking down the one mark that can't be caught: the elusive Jupiter Jive. Traveling along with Graynard Peck (a tri-bearded Atelian*) who is the closest thing he has to a friend or family, Luc takes on a job at The Last Coffee Shop as cover, and things derail . . . 

So here we go . . .

1. They’re in a crisis: who would they really like to see right now?

Graynard. He's the only person that Luc trusts (even a little bit). Granted, Luc can always make the best out of a bad situation, so he would probably say that the only person he'd ever like to see is his own reflection . . . 

2. Are they easy to get along with?

When he wants to be, he's the most magnetic personality in the room. It depends on how much effort
he feels is necessary. He's chronically dishonest, after all.

3. Who was the last person they had a deep conversation with?

As of TLCS, Mads (my protagonist). In fact, she might be the only person he's had a deep conversation with in a long time. He doesn't tend to stick around long enough for deep conversations.

4. They’re in the middle of a huge crowd of people: how do they feel?

Elated. He loves the energy of large groups of people. And it's the best place to disappear. He likes when his targets end up in crowds: they'll always think they're safe, maybe drop their guard. And then Luc finds them.

5. Do they believe in luck or miracles?

Luc believes he makes his own luck. And he would define luck as "twisting every situation in your favor." Miracles, though, not at all. He's a definite skeptic.

6. Do they like and get along with their neighbors?

If neighbors means any colleague or associate Luc has ever had, then no. I pointed out above that he can make himself likable, but even that runs out when he's around people too long. Considering he easily cheats, lies to, and betrays anyone close to him, this probably makes sense!

7. If they could travel anywhere in the world, where would they go?

He's been just about everywhere, he's a wandering soul. He's also pretty jaded. If he could go anywhere, he'd go to the past. He was born in (my parallel world version) the Parisian catacombs, and he's infatuated with art. So he'd probably come to our present, when art museums and beautiful things were intact.

8. How do they feel about their body?

Mixed. He's tall, attractive, and fit, but there's a lean, hungry, darkness to him. He hasn't ever recovered from starvation, in a way. His childhood was a nightmare (though he doesn't see it like that), filled with violent people who saw a delicate, pretty, little boy as an easy target (something they quickly learned to regret, if they survived). Also, since he lived in a brothel in his earliest years, he has an interesting perspective on bodies and value. He views his as a tool, something to hone and sharpen and use to attain his goals. But he also covers about 90% of his skin at all times (partly because his numerous scars are major conversation starters - see the answer to #3).

9. What is the cruelest thing someone has ever said to them? How did they react?

That's a hard question. He's been told he's worthless, a waste of breath, heartless, a rotten piece of humanity (usually in some more colorful terms) since he was born. And honestly, he doesn't care. In a way, he's more shell than person, with feelings buried so deeply, and so muddled, that he often doesn't know himself. And since he's usually in a character, playing a part for a job, he tends to think and feel exactly what his persona should.

10. What’s the kindest thing someone has ever said to them? How did they react?

In his personas, various things. He's often told that he's beautiful (this cracks him up - beauty is such a lethal weapon). He's often told that he's friendly or kind (which he also laughs at, since both of these things are like shirts he puts on for an occasion). As Luc- as himself (the persona he rarely uses), I doubt he's ever heard a kind word. He hasn't sought them, either. After all, you can't trust words.

In the progress of the novel, he and Mads inadvertently rescue a couple teenagers from human traffickers (Luc has rescued a lot of children in his short lifetime). This gets him called "brave," which he doesn't think is true. However, it's possibly the only time where the real Luc emerges - he has a vengeful hatred for sex trafficking ingrained into him, and protecting children might be the only honest thing he ever does.

Wow, that was kind of dark. This made me consider that I am writing a novel about the heroine running around with the villain, lol (an anti-hero at the very least). But naturally, it's much more complicated than that :)

You're probably wondering where the parody part comes in . . . it's there, but Luc's story isn't the funny part. Oh, and that picture. My scanner isn't great for pictures, but this will have to do *sigh*.

He only looks harmless. His chin scar is bothering me, since it just came out like a random line - that scanner!!

Footnote:
*Atelians are large humanoid aliens, noted for their triple beards, wide faces, and skin that darkens with age. The women also have beards, but theirs rarely grow to the epic proportions that the men were known for.