Do you fall in love with members of the supporting cast? Do you love Merry and Pippin? Do you wish there was a movie starring Lando or Chewie? This happened to me while writing Bloodborne Pathogens — there are a number of supporting characters who I fell in love with, and now I need to tell their tales.
One of those characters is Bee. Bee’s interesting because she started life as a man. However, a friend who read an early draft suggested that he might be better as a she. And I have to agree. I don’t think I’d love Bee so much if she’d stayed a man. As it is, I love her so much I wrote book just for her — A Circus of Devils — where I tell her origin story (you can get it for free if you sign up for my newsletter).
She’s also the first character I’ve created a character profile for. I’d like to make more of these, and actually compile them into a book of their own. In the meantime, I thought I’d share the text of Bee’s profile (I plan on it being a more graphical spread, which I’ll share in future).
Beta
(Also known as Bee, Bea, Bernice, Belladona, Beatrice)
Profile
The best guess for the location of her human birth is the region of sub-Saharan Africa. But her birth into the nefarious undead was in the Roman sphere. Perhaps in or around the Arena of Devils (the existence of which is still disputed by reputable scholars).
Don’t let looks fool you. Beta might seem calm and unperturbed, but only insofar as a tiger is. Underneath her seemingly placid demeanor, she’s a fearsome warrior, with mastery of a ridiculous number of weapons and fighting styles. Picking up new and deadly weapons and learning debilitating moves seems a hobby of hers, but she has a special affinity for swords and sharp pointy things, perhaps hearkening back to her start in the arena.
Kinship
Rumours suggest that one of Beta’s first co-conspirators was the mythical Peregrine, about whom little is know and whose lineage is still unknown.
Motivations
Loyalty and standing up for her distorted definition of righteousness, wicked though it is.
Special Skills
Beta was a retiarius in the arena, and can fight with what’s at hand. Quick and agile. Deadly accurate with thrown blades. Master of kung fu, juijitsu.
Weaknesses
Her motivation is her weakness. Use her loyalty and belief in doing what’s right against her.
Physical characteristics
- Hair: Usually brown, usually cropped close to the head
- Eyes: brown
- Height:
5’7”156 cm - Weight:
10 stone140 lb63 kg - Distinguishing marks: the letter β on her shoulder