Meet the Remaining Ones: Danny Terrence

To celebrate Those Who Remain being published and selling its first copies (thanks for those who bought it, if you are out there!), I’m doing a series of posts profiling each of the five main characters of the trilogy. The goal is present a few more details about them and some trivia. The first one to go is Danny, our small town geek.

Name: Daniel (Danny) Terrence

Age: 20

Birthday: February 19

Appearance: Short, stocky with green eyes, goatee, and pierced-ear. Started a diet when he was 18, and lost 30 lbs before the events of Those Who Remain. He wears anything comfortable, especially if the T-shirt has an ironic text or geek-related image.

Personality: Smart, sometimes too honest to the point of being cold, arrogant, but protective of loved ones and loyal to the bitter end. Still immature in many ways, but well-intentioned.

Background: Danny was a shy kid, who liked nothing more than to read and be left alone, but being the Principal’s son placed him in the spotlight. This plus his weight, lack of interest in other children and good grades made Danny an easy target for bullies. After being pushed, laughed at and isolated, Danny’s shyness transformed into arrogance as a form of self-protection. If people didn’t like him, then he wouldn’t like them either. He wasn’t the problem: other people were. After his father was diagnosed with cancer, Danny got worse. He began to fight back and get hurt in the process, and that’s when he met Roger. The two were fast friends, connected by their mutual dislike of bullies and loss of father figures. Roger’s strong sense of justice was just what Danny needed: someone who understood what he was going through with his father and fought back against those Danny hated. Roger was, and is, Danny’s own personal superhero. Of course, being a side-kick isn’t Danny’s style. His strong personality overcame Roger’s more laid-back attitude, and it didn’t take long until Danny was the one calling the shots: what to do, where to go, what to see and read. His dream of leaving his small town for good to become a movie director and his friendship with Roger helped him withstand his high school years.

But after his father’s death and graduation, Danny’s dreams were gone. Before the zombie outbreak, he worked as a freelance web designer, earning more money than many in Redwood, but still living with his mother, the now-retired Principal. Viewed as a lazy, unmotivated and weird, Danny still has to deal with whispers and disapproving stares. In his town, going to college, finding a corporate job in a big city is the only way to be somebody.

That or saving the whole town from the Zombie Apocalypse might do the trick.

Hobbies: Collecting DVDs, comics, and other geek-related products. Playing video games, searching the internet for conspiracy theories and reading books. He really likes George R. R. Martin’s Game of Crowns! (Yes, that’s the correct name… In Danny’s world).

Bonus round: Tried to launch a rocket from his roof and failed miserably. Had a crush on his teacher and Lily. Decided hentai wasn’t for him after being horrified by some adult mangas. Favorite Star Wars character is Princess Leia (has a weak spot for brave kickass ladies). Hides chips and Caramel Galaxys in his room.

Alignment: True Neutral

Name meaning: Danny’s name and surname comes from The Shinning. I didn’t like how “Torrence” sounded, and thought a somewhat more subtle reference would be more interesting. I just find it cute / appropriate that Danny has a connection to a horror movie (and novel, although I haven’t read it) and I ended up always associating him with the image I have of The Shinning’s Danny: a small kid roaming halls with his little tricycle, while everything goes crazy around him. Who also has a bit of dark inside him…

Trivia: Danny was not the first character I imagined for Those Who Remain, in fact, he was the third one. He and Mrs. Terrence came to my mind at the same time. I can’t picture one without the other. They both started off as tropes: the nerd in the basement and the overly dotting mother that didn’t understand technology, but became much more as I plotted out the books (hopefully!). Their first scene was supposed to be Danny telling his mother about the zombies, and she, at first, not believing him. It was very bare, and someone pointed out to me it didn’t work, and I ended up agreeing with her. His first chapter was the only one that drastically changed since I first wrote.

And that’s it for now… See you on the next profile!