Character Clinic: Cian

If you haven't taken my Personality and Plotting Survey, PLEASE DO SO NOW!! (2 minutes, tops.)

Today's couch time features Cian, a 22-year-old aristocrat from Kay's paranormal dark romance. He was raised as the "good son" of the monarchs of Seelie Court. His younger brother Crevan was exiled, believed guilty for murder, and Cian followed him into the mortal world. They have a love-hate relationship. Cian is angered by the human world and turned to drinking, which is killing him, preventing him from returning to Seelie Court, and turning him abusive. He's no longer immortal, and has a mortal girlfriend Raven who practices magic who stays with him despite the fact he's a "wreck."

Kay wants to know: Why did Cian turn to drink in the first place? Why does he have a human girlfriend when he hates humans? Why did he not just return to the Seelie Court before he became an alcoholic? Why does he stay with his brother? Why did he leave the Court in the first place? Will he forgive his brother eventually?

Cian -

Most people drink or do drugs to self-medicate the pain in their lives. It's one thing to get drunk at a party or two, but quite another to turn to the drink as a regular way of coping with life. Looks like you're doing the latter, and you have to ask yourself what are you trying to drown? What fear fades or dies altogether when you're drinking? Do you feel invincible while you drink? Does it remind you of being immortal?

As for Raven, you are in Rome, so you're doing as the Romans. I think it's a great lesson that readers will identify with...but to have him struggle with his initial impression of humans and his attraction to her. No one people group is all good or all bad...and he's in that nebulous gray area, which I think is totally feasible and relatable.

Not sure why you didn't return before you became an alcoholic. Probably something in there about your brother, huh? Needing to protect him? Do you feel some sort of guilt about why he was exiled? Could that have prompted you to follow him in a self-imposed exile? Guilt can be a strong motivator. Guilt and anger, but anger is a secondary emotion...and can be caused by guilt. If you had some under current of involvement in your father's murder, let's say...quite by accident, even...then that would be all the motivation you'd need to follow him from Court. You'd be assuaging a guilty conscious.

For fun, I'd have you attend a futuristic/paranormal 12-step group. I'm sure the steps could be tweaked to fit the time period and environment. That could be pretty fun and provide some comic relief to your dire situation. Alcoholism isn't funny, yet it is treatable. Do you think Raven's magic is a way to "heal" you? Just curious....it sounds like a fascinating story. You are a case study in why people do what they don't want to do and can't do what they want to do, which has been a problem around for loooong time.

Hope you enjoyed your time on the couch! Let me know if I can be of any further assistance.