"they see you as just a 𝓟𝓡𝓔𝓣𝓣𝓨 little thing, but they can’t ( s e e ) the web you’ve wrapped around their necks, or the ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍ behind your eyes, and soon you willcarve 𝒷𝓊𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝑒𝓈 into their 𝓗𝓔𝓐𝓡𝓣𝓢."
what is your character’s name ? “tatiana alina stanev.”
do they like it ? “my name is the feminine form of tatianus, which is derived from tatius, a third century saint that was martyred in (how ironic) rome. i love it.”
do they have any nicknames ? “i prefer to be called by my given name, or tiana if we are close enough. only valentin has the privilege of calling me ana.”
how old is your character ? “i am twenty years old.”
when is their birthday ? “december twenty-fifth.”
do they feel young or old ? “neither. i feel too young to be old, and too old to be young.”
how do they feel about death ? “i have nearly faced it before, therefore i do not fear it. it is merely inevitable. with that said, i do not desire it, either. like the french say, c’est la mort.”
where is your character from ? “deva, romania.”
do they like it there ? “i love it. it home. it is the only home i have ever known, or ever will know.”
how do they feel about rome ? “it is beautiful, but it is not romania.”
what is their sexual orientation ? “i am heterosexual.”
are they open about it ? “define open. yes, i am romantically and physically attracted to men. will i display it at every waking moment of the day and make love to anything that breathes and bleeds? no.”
how do they feel about romance ? “it is what it is. i would prefer for it to become integrated into my life naturally and not at the omnipotent hands of my mother, but it is what it is.”
what are their thoughts on religion ? “god is an incredibly important part of my life. i consider myself to be a devout orthodox christian, although i do not think i could be a nun.”
do they believe in ghosts ? “no.”
do they believe in the supernatural ? “no.”
are they supersticious ? “no.”
what did they do during the war ? “i helped her royal highness protect other nobility from the war. will you believe me if i told you that? actually -- but you mustn’t tell this to anyone -- i enlisted in the army during the last two years of the war as under a pseudonym, eduard ciobanu.”
is there anything they regret doing ? “sometimes i regret enlisting in the army, mostly because i lied to my mother and my brother. however, most of the time, i do not regret much.”
do they remember the world before the war ? “i was born during the war. for me, there was not a world before the war.”
how do they feel about the war ending ? “bandages will not heal diseases. that is all i have to say.”
how tall is your character ? “i am five feet, four inches tall.”
how much do they weigh ? “one hundred seventeen pounds.”
what color are their eyes ? “blue. the same hue of my brother’s and my father’s.”
what color is their hair ? “brunette.”
do they have any scars ? “too many to count. many minor ones, and a few major ones. most notably, there’s one that runs down from my right elbow to the knuckle of my ring finger and a short, deep scar that runs from the tip of my left eyebrow to my cheekbone. mama will not be happy to know that she can no longer boast about my ‘beautiful hands and feet’. i did not know such thing was criteria for a perfect wife.”
how do they dress ? “as a lady in waiting, i am required to wear court fashion. i personally think it is quite beautiful. no embroidery can rival that of romania. my only problem with it is that it is so uncomfortable. you would think that after nearly twenty years of wearing corsets that i would get used to them. quite the opposite, actually. endless pain everyday. however, when i am ‘off duty’, i enjoy wearing more comfortable clothes. my favorite dress is made of ivory muslin. there is baby blue embroidery at the hemlines, and there is a matching sash tied around the waist. it is as beautiful as court fashion, but much more comfortable -- and preferable. and, do not tell anyone this, but sometimes, i like to wear men’s slacks from time to time.”
how do they feel about their appearance ? “quite simply, i do not. i do not think i am particularly beautiful, nor particularly ugly, nor particularly extraordinary, nor particularly plain.”
does your character drink ? “only wine at dinner.”
are they violent ? “only when need be.”
are they self-destructive ? “i cannot say. no one likes to think badly of themselves. we cannot erase what we have done, and to alter our future behavior may not be in our interest. to simply change our attitude is much easier. one day, i may feel as though everything i touch turns to ashes, and the next, gold.”
are they trust worthy ? “i can only hope so.”
