Beautiful People #7 Linkup

I've never done one of these before, but Cait @ Paperfury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In host a linkup called Beautiful People which is a monthly list of questions designed to let you get to know your character and book better. I thought I'd give it a shot since other bloggers seem to be having fun doing it.

I've chosen to use Mara and Ace Harrod for this since I need to work on Ace's character, and, well, Mara is his twin so it would be unfair to leave her out. :)
They'll be answering the majority of the questions themselves. If I have a comment to add it will be in italics.

The Questions!

1. What is their secret desire?
Mara: Sometimes I wish I could just forget all about Destinies and what people will think of me and just yell. Yell at everyone who bullies me and stares at me and calls me a murderer even though I've done nothing. Of course, that is a no-can-do because heaven forbid I show any sign of losing control of myself.
Ace: I wish that I didn't have to be perfect all the time. Good grades, act respectful, be popular, do well in sports, be the model guy. It can get tiring, you know? But everyone expects all that from me - hey, I expect that from me at this point.

2. What is the best and brightest moment they experience during the story?
Mara: *smiles sheepishly* When me and Gabriel hung out after school at the park, and had dinner at the diner, then hung out more until it was dark. It was an escape from everything. (The fact that this was at the very beginning of the book doesn't mean anything. At all.)
Ace: When Victoire told me that she loved me. *goofy grin*

3. What are the emotional places your characters are afraid to go?
Mara: I don't want to get angry. Oh gosh, I so don't want to. Because I'm just so scared I'll lose it, and nothing will ever be the same, and everything will be ruined and I'll prove myself wrong. (Oh dear . . . what have I done to you.)
Ace: . . . I don't want to admit that in some weird way I love Mara (sister love, okay?! Anything else would just be wrong). Because we're opposites in our Destinies and I need to be a hero and heroes don't love their evil sister villains. But sometimes . . . yeah, I do love her somehow. Don't tell anyone. Especially her. (Aw, I knew you weren't so bad after all.)

4. Is there a place/city/room where they will never go? Why?
Mara; *blows air slowly* I don't think I'd ever have the nerve to set foot in the Mage League Outpost in town. *shivers* They'd probably lock me up just for setting my toe over the threshold.
Ace: Nah. I'm not scared of anywhere! Why should I be?

5. If they were permanently leaving town, what would they easily throw out? What would they refuse to part with? Why?
Mara: I know I would never get rid of the photo album Gabriel gave me. And I'd probably take my art supplies with me, because that helps me calm down sometimes. But I don't think I'd care if I left the majority of my fashion-y clothes behind. Never cared much for looking popular anyway. (A girl after my own heart. T-shirts and sweatpants all the way.)
Ace: I'd take my keyboard, iPod, sheet music, and headphones, because, ya' know, music. And my leather jacket, because it's cool. And the watch Dad gave me, because that's meaningful, and my folio of drawings from when I'm bored because some of them are actually good, and the picture frames with me and Victoire, and me and the family, and I'd also bring the super-man blanket I've had since I was twelve . . . I think I'd just need a moving truck, because I want to keep it all. No, wait, I would throw out that awful cardigan Grandma knit for me last birthday. That thing is hideous.

6. What do they want (consciously and tangibly)?
Mara: I want people to stop judging. And I want to make a good life for myself - lots of money from a good job, be looked up to. *snort* Like everyone is going to let me actually do that well.
Ace: I want to fulfill my Destiny and save someone's life! I want to be a hero, and I want to marry Victoire one day and have a family.
(Didn't realize that their dreams were so similar . . .)

7. On the other hand: What do they need (on the emotional, subconscious level)?
Aaaaand I'll take this one, thank you, since they're self-ignorant and have no real idea. Mara really needs acceptance, but even more than that she needs to take the acceptance she already has. She's blind to it and focuses on who doesn't care for her instead of those who do.
Ace needs assuring that he'd still be unique and special without his Destiny. His entire self-esteem is based on it, which is shaky ground. He's not as confident as he seems.

8. If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?
Mara: My Destiny, obviously. Gosh, all my problems would be solved.
Ace: I'd make myself not care about everyone else's opinions so much. (Told ya'.)

9. What is the most humiliating event of their life?
Mara: The morning after my mother explained to me what my Destiny was and what it meant, and I still had to show up at school even though all their parents had already told them about me months or years ago. I finally realized why they all hated me. I broke down crying after just two periods.
Ace: Errr . . . when I fell flat on my face in gym class a couple years ago and everyone laughed at me. Then I started blushing and they laughed harder. Then fifteen minutes later I jarred my foot against the ground trying kick the ball and started hopping on one foot. And fell over again. Cue more laughter. It was awful.
(Ah, the differences in their life outlooks . . .)

10. What things do they turn to when they need a bit of hope?
Mara: Sometimes I draw while trying to drown out the world with music. That never really works though so I usually just go to Gabriel and hope a couple hours talking to him will cheer me up. Or I grab the picture album he gave me and hug my yellow fleecy blanket.
Ace: My keyboard. Lock my door, put my headphones in, and play my favorite songs. I get lost in playing, and when I'm done I always feel better.

Have you done any of the Beautiful People linkups? Leave me a link in the comments.