Munday Small Victor
Tell us about your character as a child. What were they like as a kid? A loner? A friendly, outgoing child? Rambunctious? Well-behaved? Spoilt?
Child Victor wasn't too different from the grown-up one -- he was shy, quiet, very polite, and loved butterflies. He grew up in a world of prosperity, but also neglect. That is to say, Victor's parents met all of his physical needs -- he always had plenty of food, the best clothes, nice toys, all the best material things -- but they didn't pay nearly as much attention to his emotional needs. Basically, Victor was raised by a series of governesses, who ranged from kind and loving to distant and strict. His impression of his parents in those days were as rather mysterious, scary people who expected him to be quiet, docile, and obedient, and yelled at him a lot (well, Nell, anyway). It didn't help that he was kind of a naturally timid sort -- easy to scare. He was scared of practically everything when it was first introduced to him. One major exception was butterflies --he loved those from the start. And eventually, as he grew up, he managed to get a hold on his fears (if not his startle reflex). (Victor sometimes complains that his mother apparently formed her entire opinion of him based on his behavior at five, and never updated her mental snapshot.) As a result, Victor grew up feeling like he was always letting his parents down and tried his best to be the perfect child they seemed to want.
He didn't have many playmates growing up -- Nell didn't want her son associating with "lower class people," and most of the kids his age resented him for having rich parents and bullied him. Victor's main source of companionship was his puppy Scraps, and he eventually developed a preference for being either alone or with the dog. He was a creative kid from the start, always drawing and coloring. He also became fascinated by the piano when his parents bought one when he was six, and convinced them to let him take lessons. (This is, incidentally, pretty much the only idea of Victor's Nell's ever wholeheartedly endorsed. Fortunately for him, she thought having a piano-playing son would be cultured.) Most of his happiest hours were spent coloring, practicing the piano, playing with Scraps, or chasing butterflies. He wouldn't say that he had a bad childhood -- but he will admit that it could have been better.
Additional note -- would you believe Victor started out as the smallest child in the village? It's another thing he gets from his father's side of the family -- you start out small and end up tall. He briefly shocked his bullies when he finally hit his growth spurt in his teens and shot up to six-foot-three. (Of course, they quickly got over it when they saw he hadn't really added any muscle to his frame, and was as shy and retiring as ever.)
Child Victor wasn't too different from the grown-up one -- he was shy, quiet, very polite, and loved butterflies. He grew up in a world of prosperity, but also neglect. That is to say, Victor's parents met all of his physical needs -- he always had plenty of food, the best clothes, nice toys, all the best material things -- but they didn't pay nearly as much attention to his emotional needs. Basically, Victor was raised by a series of governesses, who ranged from kind and loving to distant and strict. His impression of his parents in those days were as rather mysterious, scary people who expected him to be quiet, docile, and obedient, and yelled at him a lot (well, Nell, anyway). It didn't help that he was kind of a naturally timid sort -- easy to scare. He was scared of practically everything when it was first introduced to him. One major exception was butterflies --he loved those from the start. And eventually, as he grew up, he managed to get a hold on his fears (if not his startle reflex). (Victor sometimes complains that his mother apparently formed her entire opinion of him based on his behavior at five, and never updated her mental snapshot.) As a result, Victor grew up feeling like he was always letting his parents down and tried his best to be the perfect child they seemed to want.
He didn't have many playmates growing up -- Nell didn't want her son associating with "lower class people," and most of the kids his age resented him for having rich parents and bullied him. Victor's main source of companionship was his puppy Scraps, and he eventually developed a preference for being either alone or with the dog. He was a creative kid from the start, always drawing and coloring. He also became fascinated by the piano when his parents bought one when he was six, and convinced them to let him take lessons. (This is, incidentally, pretty much the only idea of Victor's Nell's ever wholeheartedly endorsed. Fortunately for him, she thought having a piano-playing son would be cultured.) Most of his happiest hours were spent coloring, practicing the piano, playing with Scraps, or chasing butterflies. He wouldn't say that he had a bad childhood -- but he will admit that it could have been better.
Additional note -- would you believe Victor started out as the smallest child in the village? It's another thing he gets from his father's side of the family -- you start out small and end up tall. He briefly shocked his bullies when he finally hit his growth spurt in his teens and shot up to six-foot-three. (Of course, they quickly got over it when they saw he hadn't really added any muscle to his frame, and was as shy and retiring as ever.)