Cheshire
Tell
us a bit about your character, Cheshire, and what inspired you to create
such a unique feline?
I stumbled across American McGee’s Alice in Wonderland a while back, and just had to adopt him. I’ve always had an affinity for the darker side of things, and he personifies it perfectly. I love the look on his face. He’s absolutely delighted to see you, and when you find out why, it’s sure to hurt. A lot.
I think his greatest strength as a character is the fact that he is completely mad. When being psychotic gets tiresome, he can turn playful, or farcical, or *gasp* downright social. It’s a handy crutch.
I noticed you’re a member of both Into the Woods and Under a Venus Moon along with being a fan of the Horror genre. What appealed to you about these novels, and the specific genre you have chosen?
The genre was a toss-up between Horror and Romance. Chesh is wicked, but he can be real suave when he wants to be. Then I noticed that he appears to have dried blood on his teeth, and that kind of narrowed the options.
I joined Into the Woods at the urging of that hellion, Mary. Apparently, she was aching to do some sort of splatterpunk version of Wonderland. (She didn’t need to urge very hard, understand.) We set out with all intentions to do just that, but it quickly devolved into very broad farce, which was (and still is) quite hysterical.
I applied for Under a Venus Moon because I misread the title as Under a Venous Moon, and I have a bit of a blood fetish. By the time I realized my mistake, Solitaire and some other character, Lady…something, *pointed look* had their hooks in me and were trying to force me to write poetry and marry one of ‘em. I escaped that trap by doing what most husbands-to-be wished they could do. I asked Mary to kill me.
When did you join Pan Historia, and what was it about this community, and writing in general that appeals to you?
I joined in the Fall of 2003 at the invitation of some people I had met on another board, and really enjoyed the collective efforts of everyone trying to put together a good story. I’m a role-play gamer (read: Geek) from way back, and that part of it came very easily. I like collaborating with people on plotlines and specifics, but I also like working with writers that can be spontaneous without being stilted; who enjoy just running with ideas to see where they end up.
In general, I like playing with words. Finding just the right turn of phrase or descriptive passage is fun. Pan affords me the opportunity to experiment with many different styles of writing.
What is your favorite part about being a member at Pan? Do you have any favorite novels, or reference books?
The camaraderie is definitely my favorite part of Pan. From the games on the Community Board, to seeing my friends on the IM Panel, to getting (and leaving) surprise notes saying “I read your post yesterday, and it was great!” I especially like the fact that the site is entirely member supported. That’s the real testament to the members here. Even though I haven’t managed to save up enough for a subscription yet (sorry, Wyatt), I buy Pannies whenever I can.
I don’t really have any favorite novels or reference books. I tend to follow the work of certain writers, and they span all genres.
If you could choose one character in history to portray, who would it be and why?
Mark Twain. I’d happily disembowel someone if it would give me his ability to spin a yarn. I love his auctorial voice, and his gifts for irony and satire.
One last question…What are your greatest accomplishments, either here or in RL?
I was absolutely thrilled to have a post I co-wrote with a friend be chosen for the Pan birthday book.
