I think of the five characters in the book, Jessie is the one so much like my real self. She is quiet, more reasoning than Justin. Where he is my desire of something I wasn't, Jessie is more like I was. She's less inclined to believe what she sees, even if it is fantastical. That said, she's not against changing what she believes once she sees proof, understanding it. In some way's she is Justin's superior in this case, she's the one who can help change him, bring him and her father down to reason from the level of the fantastic that they find themselves within.
In a way, Jessie's recollection of death is the one I am more interested in than Justin's. Even though Justin is the narrator, the beginning of the story is based on a wait for her. We see Justin waiting for that reasoning individual. He is already delved into the fantastic, the cold night, the winds and the light of moon. He is the one who sees the strange, whereas Jessie would probably see the night as another night. It would be an interesting exercise to try to write the story from her perspective rather than Justin's.
One of the things I didn't have in this version of the book was a scene where the two characters dine in a dining car. In an earlier version Jessie mentions Persephone in terms of eating the food of the dead. I think this shows another aspect of my character in her. She's more well learned than Justin in this regard. She's afraid of what the trains power is. I am glad I got rid of that scene though because it mirrored the source material and inspiration in Final Fantasy where the characters also dined on the train (with no ill effect.)
Ultimately, Jessie will remain one of my favorite characters. I always find it hard to write women or girls because I'm not one. I modeled her after a few girls I knew growing up as such. But I hope I got the aspects of that side of life correct.
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