NaNoWriMo Interviews Part 2; November 14 2020

NaNo check in! How are my fellow participants doing? Are you remembering to take care yourselves amidst writing?

I prepared another interview in advance, so please enjoy!

Interview with Kaity, from ‘Destiny High’, by Nicole Nowotnik.

Q1: Well, hello there! Thanks for taking the time to answer some of my questions! Incidentally, what were you in the middle of doing before stopping for this interview?

A1: I’m supposed to be doing a history paper on the reincarnations of our national hero Rowan of Valkanar, but I kinda sorta can’t focus? I don’t think I should have to write this paper, anyways. I think I, personally, should be exempt. Because, uh, got called to the guidance counselor’s office the other day, and our national High Priestess was there, and she was just kinda like, oh, you’re the most recent reincarnation of Rowan of Valkanar, here’s his legendary sword. So yeah, unfair that I have to write a paper on basically myself? And now everyone’s sucking up to me so they can use me as a primary source, when usually they all just complain about me being annoying. So I’m not helping anyone, no matter how much they suck up to me to ask.

Q2: Sounds like you were busy! I really appreciate you taking the time for me. Incidentally, where are we right now? I’m not familiar with this place.

A2: I’m at home. In my aunt’s house, because I live with her, because my parents are dead. Rowan’s parents are always dead awhile before he has to accept his destiny.  Mine were druggies. Sucks to be them, I guess.

Q3: So, as I understand it, you’ve been facing some hardships recently. Can you tell me about them?

A3: Well, like I said, just found out I’m the reincarnation of Rowan of Valkanar. And that means I have to do battle with my destined nemesis, the reincarnation of King Raevukas Vorax. And I’m not entirely sure who the reincarnation of my nemesis is yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s… Taylor. The pretty, smart, rich, super popular chick, who treats me like crap because I’m the weird kid. Well, I mean, everyone and their mom treats me like crap because I’m the weird kid, but she like… finds joy in it, I swear. And so you’d think it’d be fun to be given a sword and basically be told to shank the mean girl with it, but… I dunno. It’s… not as fun as it sounds like, so far.

Question 4: That’s rough, buddy. Imagine all your problems could be solved in one fell swoop – what would your ideal life look like?

A4: I want a farm. With cows and chickens and all sorts of vegetable gardens and apple trees and crap like that. I mean, that's the goal, but I'm not even sure how I'm going to get there. Like... high school student, trying her best to get good grades... insert missing steps here... obtain farm? Maybe in my case I could find out I have a long lost grandpa who has a farm and he dies and leaves me the deed to it or something, but that's, like, way too convenient.

Q5: Ah, that’s the dream, isn’t it? On the flip side, what do you think the worst case scenario is?

A5: I mean, Taylor could literally kill me. And then I'd be literally dead. And then my sweet baby cousin would have to grow up without me to give them—yeah, they're six and already asking to be called them, and guess who's the only one who actually does that?—advice on stuff. Like being queer and neurodivergent, and being bullied, and learning to be your authentic self without letting other people drag you down. I do not want people dragging my sweet baby cousin down.
Also, if Taylor defeats me, the goddess will grant her the power to rule over the entire country. I can see it now. She'd rename it to something stupid, like Taylortopia, and she'd take all the tax revenue away from funding roads and food stamps and stuff just so she could go shopping for purses and shoes. People would be starving and the streets would be full of dead people and the only clean safe place would be the mall she goes to.
My poor innocent baby cousin would be suffering in Taylortopia. I will NOT let them have to be suffering in Taylortopia!

Q6: That does sound bad. Do you have someone special in your life to help you through the tough times? If not, is there someone you wish was there?

A6: I mean, I have my baby cousin. And I have like, two whole friends.
Erica's like, the druggie burnout who's taken me under her wing because she's somehow convinced that if I started doing drugs then I would be cool and people would like me more. She's basically the poster child of what those anti drug programs warn you about. But she's a good person in other ways, and as far as mind altering substance use goes, I just... well, I turn kids' apple juice into booze. I guess that's enough to keep her from insisting I smoke or snort whatever.
And then there's Madison. She's like the human equivalent of a ruler. Straight, rigid, inflexible, academic, everything done by the book the way the teacher wants it. She's so uncool she makes me look cool. But she's the voice of reason, and trust me, I NEED a voice of reason. So I guess I kind of drag her around and try to make her act out more, the same way Erica drags me around and tries to make me act out more.
If you're asking if I'm dating anyone, uh, then no. I'm super gay and I wish I had a girlfriend, but I'm already basically persona non grata at school, so how am I gonna get a date? Guess I'm just kinda operating under the assumption that I'll magically come into my own in college?

Q7: Can you tell me about your family, your friends? What are your other relationships like, if you have them?

A7: Oops, I basically just did that.

Q8: If you could be known by history for anything, what would you want it to be?

A8: Well, I don't get a choice about that, now, do I? Nope, I get to be the great hero, Rowan of Valkanar, coming back in a new form yet again to selflessly rescue the entire nation from the threat of evil. Actually, that sounds pretty good. No one will have to hear about how freaking “weird” I am, or how no one in school likes me. Wait, actually, go back. I hope that people do actually talk about how I'm the weird kid. So that when fellow weird kids in the future are studying the history of Rowan of Valkanar, they can know crap like, they're not alone.
It's weird reading about him now that I know he's me, because he's always been so obviously ADHD and super gay. Like they don't tell you that in school. But when you read excerpts from his diaries, and other people are like, “it's so weird how he jumps from one thought to the next,” and I'm like, well, it makes perfect sense for me, that's how I think?! Or like “oh, he never took a wife, but had this one really close male friend who was obviously just a friend.” You know. That crap. But no one cares about that. They care about him either because he's a powerful warrior or because he's a selfless hero. And that's the part that weirds me out. Because I'm not a powerful warrior, and I don't feel like a selfless hero.

Q9: If you could erase one thing from your past, make it so no one knew about it (maybe even you), what would you choose, if anything?

A9: Uh, my past is not that exciting or scandalous or anything. I don't think I'd change anything. Besides, that seems like the kind of thing that'd piss the goddess off, that I was trying to change my destiny or something, when I'm predestined to be the hero and all that crap.

Q10: Thank you so much for answering everything! One more question, if you don’t mind – if you had one wish, but could only wish for something that wouldn’t benefit you directly, what would you wish for?

A10: I guess I'd wish for the thing I said about being remembered historically as the weird kid. That people will always love Rowan of Valkanar, but that maybe they'd look deeper when they remember him, and actually notice he was gay and neurodivergent and all that other stuff. That maybe, just maybe, that connection might make the average person have more respect for us weird kids. Not me, but all the ones after me.