If I regard something as trivial as the first update of the year with solemn superstition then you better believe that something significant (like the first story written that year) is heralded as divine symbolism. Bloody sacrifices and satanic orgies aside, I've grown to believe that the narrating character somehow represents the next twelve months of my career. So I give you...
Aspasia, my darling little Italian savant who can speak at least five languages fluently yet resides in 'illiterate' territory. Aspasia, my loud mouthed and obnoxious super genius who has a bad habit of forgetting to eat. Aspasia, my socially inept, paranoid, ADD inflicted, arrogant, and confrontational character who obsesses over a dead (yet sexy!) philosopher.
Aspasia, who has been exiled from her uncle's strip club thanks to berating the dancers about their weight and banned from the university cafeteria for causing public disturbances. Aspasia, who refuses to go ANY WHERE without her dog, and considers a Cookie Crisp cereal smoothie a proper breakfast. Aspasia, who's managed to solve several unsolvable mathematical problems that've plagued the academic world and who refuses to do her homework in anything but fruit scented markers due to a legit phobia of pens and pencils.
I can categorically say that I'm either FUCKED THIS YEAR, or the Muses have a sadistic sense of humour (this may be due to the fact that I sort've kind've accidentally mispronounced the name of a goddess - one of the patron goddesses of writers and literature, no less - when invoking her a few weeks back). Or, I guess, I can create explanation #3 - the symbolism is SO deep that my unenlightened ass just doesn't GET it.
Then again, it could be as simple as 'writing, almost absently, with ease and no conscious effort', because that's what Aspasia represents to me (at least mechanically). With such an extreme personality it's effortless to 'get in character' and work with her, especially when her reaction to anything is the single most obnoxious thing you can come up with...times a million.
Aspasia is the girl you love to hate, or hate to love. Or just love (or hate), period. Extreme personalities provoke different reactions, some readers find her endearing while others find that she quickly gets under the skin (i.e., my editor - on a rare occasion). I adore her, but it's hard not to when I feel personal satisfaction with her unapologetic one-liners (I can't tell women that they'd benefit from developing anorexia...but SHE can!).
She's also one of my oldest characters. Years before Benway Bunnies, the domain, was conceived I haphazardly established shallow roots in several 'free' homepage services. Aspasia was the second 'recurring' character I ever worked with, closely following Ms Benway's (aka Charlie's) footsteps.
Until recently the only material involving her was written in 2000 (1999?) and 2001. The first didn't survive the transit to Benway Bunnies, and the second was removed late last year thanks to redevelopments (in personality, background, and story line). I now treat her third story, Hot for Teacher, as her first.
Hot for Teacher was one of the stories that helped kick off the (somewhat) new 'I'm updating this goddamn site one a fucking week, so THERE' scheme. Her second story, Black & Blue, quickly followed and was crowned 'the best thing you've ever done with her' with a bonus of 'this is one of your best narrative pieces in awhile' (SCORE!).
Go Fish, this week's story, manages to top Black & Blue. Apparently it's the best thing I've ever done with her, and an accurate representation of her personality - at least through dialogue. Who would've thought that a story involving a crazy shouting girl playing Go Fish with her dog could amount to anything?
Thanks to my consistent successes with Aspasia I'm tempted to work with her even more, but at this time it'd feel like a cop out (if I did). There are other characters who I haven't touched in years, and I need to focus on a variety of 'voices' rather than stick to the one I'm most comfortable with right now.
Not that I'm writing her off for the rest of the year. I just have a habit of getting exited / infatuated with something and flogging it until the mere reminder of it is enough to make me vomit. A scenario which, no doubt, strikes fear and terror into the hearts of Aspasia lovers everywhere.
To read Aspasia's new story, Go Fish, simply click here. Or, as always, you can meander about and locate it by hitting up the Misc. Sexy Girls link (Aspasia? Sexy? GAH!) within the Fiction section. You'll find Go Fish - the first story written this year - under the 2005 header.
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