#PennedPossibilities 366 — What is your SC likely to take away from a painful experience?

Strength and the ability to persevere, I should think. That's what Bel remembers from the aftermath of Freddie's beating, anyway. She's a strong woman. They overcame the situation together, and he survived.

#ThePastIsAWound

#PennedPossibilities 365 — 1st Anniversary Edition: How does your MC view their mother?

Lix's mother is an atrocious woman. She loved her father. He was such a dear man, and he adored her. He loved /everyone/, but he and Lix were the closest. Her mother cares only for money, status, and her other "normal" daughters. Lix was the black sheep of the family, leaving home to become a journalist! *gasp* A woman doing a man's job? How disgusting! She's ridiculous. Lix stays far away.

#ThePastIsAWound

#PennedPossibilities 362 — How stable is your MC’s physical health? (Do they go for semi-regular checkups by a physician? Do they have any diagnosed illnesses and / or take any medication? How often do they get sick?)

Randall is a rather healthy man, despite his thin frame. He takes care of himself. Mentally, now that's a different story entirely. He goes to the doctor regularly, has had no recent issues, and that's that. Lix is the same as well. They're rarely ever ill.

#ThePastIsAWound

#PennedPossibilities 361 — SC POV: What would you ever say to the MC if you were given the chance and the right timing?

Bel: I would tell Randall that he's like a family member to me. I don't know which, either a brother or an uncle. I don't know. I love him. I would tell him just how deeply I care for him, and just how badly I want he and Lix to find happiness together. If Freddie and I can do it, anything is possible. I would tell him that he isn't broken as well. He isn't.

#ThePastIsAWound

#PennedPossibilities 360 — Where did your MC's core personality traits come from? (e.g. lack of friends growing up can equal clingy traits, or overcoming hardships early on can create traits of strength.)

Also of note: his life and being a war photographer and lifelong journalist changed him.

This journey did these two things:

• It strongly influenced the way his character, traits, and opinions developed.
• It also educated and shaped him into a particular form (who he is).

#ThePastIsAWound

#PennedPossibilities 360 — Where did your MC's core personality traits come from? (e.g. lack of friends growing up can equal clingy traits, or overcoming hardships early on can create traits of strength.)

Randall has terrible OCD, is autistic, and is also a quirky man. He grew up with so few friends but had a gigantic family (meaning lots of cousins) and they loved him. This molded him into the man that he is today. He has suffered so much hardship in his life. He's STRONG.

#ThePastIsAWound

#PennedPossibilities 358 — How would your characters react to an apocalypse? (It could be one with zombies, monsters, full societal collapse, etc.)

This is such an interesting concept. Freddie and Bel would be lost, along with the others on the team, but Lix and Randall (our MCs) would be alright. They would take care of everyone. They've seen the worst of war, which includes societal collapse, and they've survived it all. Killing zombies, though? That would be interesting.

#ThePastIsAWound

#PennedPossibilities 357 — MC POV: Tell us about one of your bad habits.

Randall: I am complex and compulsive. I know it. While I'm compulsive, I'm not IMPULSIVE. I'm good at my job. I'm a journalist. I'm a listener, not a talker. One thing I will say, though, is my habit of organizing things tends to annoy others. Unless they know me and are used to it. I feel terribly about it.

(For the record, it's 1958. OCD wasn't known about back then, and neither was neurodivergence.)

#ThePastIsAWound

#PennedPossibilities 356 — Share an excerpt from your WIP that either shows your villain's true colors or perfectly describes them as a person or being.

Alright, then. Here it is. Sharing anything else right now would just be a spoiler.

#ThePastIsAWound

#PennedPossibilities 355 — If your MC desires friends, do they see every meeting as an opportunity to make a new friend?

Not in the line of work that Randall and Lix are in, they don't. They work in both news and television. The people they're surrounded by and meet with every day, aside from those they work with and are very close to, are usually lying and scheming bastards. So, as the saying goes... "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

#ThePastIsAWound