Pretty Boy: The Lost Chapters

Character Archives: Marshall Hale

Note: This section is a bit of behind-the-scenes work that I felt would be interesting to put out there for people who also like story crafting. I think it's cool to see how much the first draft/outline of a story can change so much over time. Enjoy! ❤️

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Final Draft:

Name: Marshall Alexander Hale

Age: 25

Physical details: tattoos on arms and back, piercing in tongue

Special Ability: making tattoos come to life

Career: actor/singer/dancer

Original Draft:

Name: Mason Hale

Age: 18- He was supposed to be Rosalie's twin, rather than being seven years older

Physical details: tattoo on neck and spine; piercings in tongue (midline, snake eyes), ear, and above hips

Special Ability: power over blue flames and purple lightning

Career: There were several choices I ran through which included: doctor, owner of a coffee shop where he also took the role of lead barista, famous band singer, bartender (which is how Bobby came to be), midwife (because at some point, he was supposed to help Emily deliver her and Sam's baby), famous choreographer (which is how the Dance Company came to be), and runway model. I ended up choosing his final career path because it was the one which stuck out to me the most and just felt right.

Life Before the Beginning of the Book:

After moving back in with Carlisle once Michael Hale and his partner passed away, Marshall kept himself busy by traveling all over the world. He did so because his passion for music led to him becoming a world famous composer. He'd often found inspiration by moving from place to place in several continents. 

When he wasn't producing music, Marshall had first chair—usually as a violinist, cellist, or flutist—in professional orchestras. He was also a solo pianist with outstanding prowess in playing instruments from foreign countries. Since he spent so much time in Asia, he ended up becoming a professional in playing the sitar, the erhu, the guzheng, and the pipa.

If he wasn't playing instruments, Marshall would frequently lend his voice as an opera singer as well.

It was normal for him to work under pseudonyms as a way of keeping his real identity a secret. He also did so by donning accessories to dramatically alter his appearance, whether it was wearing extensions or wigs, wearing colored contacts, allowing his facial hair to grow out, or by keeping on masks (if he wasn't playing a wind instrument) to hide his face during performances. Marshall would also speak with different accents to throw people off if they questioned him about where he was from. It worked in his favor when he, as a celebrity, would just disappear from the public eye without notice.

After the family moved back to Forks roughly five years before the beginning of Pretty Boy, Marshall got a job at the theater by initially joining the orchestra. One day though, a choreography manager caught him dancing by himself while he was letting out some pent up frustrations. He was given a spot in the Dance Company, climbing the ranks until he became number one. After settling in a bit as a background dancer for several musicals, Marshall put himself out there in terms of acting. And once he was successful in claiming his first lead role, he decided he'd continue in that direction until something else caught his attention.

Three years before Pretty Boy started, Marshall had enough skill and experience as an actor for agents to contact him about being in Hollywood movies. He was also contacted to be part of higher budgeted musicals in New York on Broadway. Both options promised to give him attractive paychecks, but every offer he was given was turned down.

Marshall never committed to career paths or hobbies because of the money. He did so for the way they made him feel—for giving him a welcomed escape from a rather tough home life. It was his meeting with Brad which kept Marshall at the theater for so many years.

Fun Facts:

-Marshall was supposed to have long hair

-Marshall wasn't supposed to be a vegetarian like the rest of his family

-Marshall wasn't truly supposed to move to La Push until the end of Eclipse/ beginning of Breaking Dawn when the big fight happened

-Marshall was supposed to have a human girlfriend, later found out to be unfaithful after a short break in their relationship, before getting with Paul

-Marshall's decision to not ever date was supposed to stem from both his assault, and from being cheated on by someone who claimed to love him

-Marshall was supposed to be able to blush (since vampires absorbed the blood they drank, meaning it still lingered for a bit in their bodies)

-Marshall was supposed to have a special trait where his eyes would change color and his pupils would change shape depending on his mood, such as: if he was angry, he'd have red eyes with slits for pupils; if he was sad, he'd have blue eyes with tear-shaped pupils; if he was in love, he'd have pink eyes with heart-shaped pupils, and so on

-Marshall was supposed to be a lot more argumentative than he was in the final draft, but I didn't want him to come off as a super-ultra-mega asshole 😂

-Marshall was supposed to have frequent arguments with Paul because of their wild tempers, but those would've naturally simmered down by a substantial amount after the first time Paul witnessed Marshall getting into an altercation with his own family

-Marshall was supposed to bring his wings out a lot more often, having the habit of running his hands through his feathers whenever he was stressed

-Marshall was supposed to die as a human because he took the assault, in its entirety, for Rosalie; giving her a chance to run and find help, leading to her running into Carlisle

-Marshall wasn't supposed to be as open to being around humans as he was in the final draft; he was actually supposed to be way more introverted

-Marshall was supposed to be a lot more open with his mental illnesses, and there were supposed to be more scenes focusing on him dealing with his depression while still not getting the help he truly needed from the coven

-Marshall wasn't as sexually driven in the first outline, but I changed it because I thought it would be good to show that liking sex wasn't a bad thing

-Marshall was supposed to have a cat, two guinea pigs, and a small aquarium while living in the Cullen house

-Marshall's loft was originally just a small room in the finished attic with only a few bookcases, a computer desk, some musical selections, and his bed—the small space being a detail on how he was physically detached from his family and left out

There are a few more minor details about Marshall that I'll be adding in Brad's character profile. Stay tuned for that one!