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Day 4 Assignments
Reply to post your work.
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9 Replies
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What I learned doing this assignment is…my characters are becoming opposite and I like it!
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR PROTAGONIST
Tell me about yourself.
Hi, I’m Katie, social media mom, just trying to share my ways that I make life easy so others can enjoy their path.
Why do you think you were called to this journey? Because I have a positive outlook on life and I’d like for others to be just as happy as me!
Why you? I found the key to happiness.
You are up against . What is it about them that makes this journey even more difficult for you?
She puts a lot of strange ideas in my head but thankfully, I know how to combat unwanted thoughts and ideas.
In order to survive or accomplish this, you are going to have to step way outside of your box. What changes do you expect to make and which of them will be the most difficult?
I’m open to change, I can change. I change my home for every season and this journey is no different. I’ll continue to change to improve.
What habits or ways of thinking do you think will be the most difficult to let go of?
I have several good habits so I’m not sure if I really need to drop any, nervous laughter
What fears, insecurities and wounds have held you back?
I fear a dirty home *laughs* but seriously, when you’re living life and need something there and you can’t find it because it’s under a pile of laundry, nervous laughter, that’s a fear!
What skills, background or expertise makes you well-suited to face this conflict or antagonist?
I was originally a teacher but now my job is social media full-time. I love it! I’m a great organizer so everything is mapped to a t.
What are you hiding from the other characters? What don’t you want them to know? Hiding? Nothing, my life is on display for the world to see. There’s nothing to hide…
What do you think of ?
She can be a little bossy but that’s ok,you can’t argue with a boss lady. Whatever works for her.
Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
She thinks I should do this thing and I’m trying to tell her that just isn’t how this works. Things are going to be ok just the way they are. That’s how they’ve always been.
What does it do for your life if you succeed here? Already successful…hello?
Ask any other questions about their character profile that will help you.
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR ANTAGONIST
Tell me about yourself.
I’m Bridget. That’s all encompassing.
Having to do with this journey, what are your strengths and weaknesses?
Strength, I tell the truth. Weakness, I tell the truth.
Why are you committed to making the Protagonist fail? Or for a relationship movie, why are you committed to making them change?
She’s in denial. She’s on the edge of reality.
What do you get out of winning this fight / succeeding in your plan / taking down your competition?
I guess it shouldn’t matter but I’d like to see her happy.
What drives you toward your mission / agenda, even in the face of danger, ruin, or death?
I lost my mom when I needed her the most. In a way, I’d like her to be around for her kids.
What secrets must you keep to succeed? What other secrets do you keep out of fear / insecurity?
I have no fear. I have no secrets.
Compared to other people like you, what makes you special?
I don’t need the approval of others.
What do you think of ?
I almost feel sorry for her.
Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
I was sort of bystander in all this and didn’t want to see her go down in flames, even though the whole thing was kind of hilarious.
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I learned today that my characters are changing, in fact, my story is changing. I felt frustration for half the day and wanted to run away as fast as possible from this assignment but the feeling passes and I can make progress, no matter how small, by being open and willing. Big reminder not to judge, just flow and see what happens.
Protagonist – KAYLA
Kayla is afraid of entering the work force, she hasn’t had a job like this before and feels a lot of pressure to live up to what she perceives the demands to be. She has an imposter syndrome about the job. She has ben hiding in her life looking after her mother, scared to spread her wings, even as she blames her mother for her holding her back. She’s afraid she’s not good enough to have dreams or love fulfilled. She chose social work because it felt like the closest thing to what she was already doing, looking after someone else’s problems and could keep hiding within that. It felt safe but now she’s facing the reality and just wants to go and hide from it all. She is terrified of most things.. especially being alone.
Main Antagonist – MR. BOX
Mr. Box has morphed into a Lou Grant type character, gruff and cynical, endlessly irritated and impatient with Kayla. He sees her caring personality as weakness and he hates weakness. He is no longer corrupt, he’s tough because jail is a tough place but underneath he is afraid of Kayla’s vulnerability, a reflection fo his own, and so he craps all over her to toughen her up. He is motivated by order and consequences. He fears that others will see he is kind and take advantage of him, so he shuts down all positive emotional expression.
Alternative Antagonists – DATES / INMATES
1) There are a series of men that Kayla dates online. Change agents for Kayla on her journey to self respect and defining her truth in love.
2) There are also a series of male clients that Kayla tries to help. Change agents to reflect her journey to stand up for herself and face change, they force her to adapt to survive.
I have work to do on this element ..
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Oh MAN was I in the same place today! (Wanting to run away, judging…) I too am learning to let things flow and see how it turns out.
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Rachel’s character interviews
What I learned:
That it’s a positive thing to go through the (current) stage of feeling like the story and characters are wildly inconsistent and all over the map, because you must explore the map to begin to draw trails on it. Drawing trails might mean hacking your way through the underbrush and feeling like you’re going in circles, or going off in random directions. But eventually, you’ll step back and look at the map, and start to see trails winding ahead with a purpose!
Vic, protagonist:
1. Tell me about yourself.
– Well, there isn’t much to tell, I guess. Never did know my parents. Raised in an orphans’ home. I always did mean to work with horses. Went out here to Colorado when I turned twenty-one, found all the horses I could wish for, and never did look back.
2. Why do you think you were called to this journey? Why you?
– I wish I knew. I feel so unfit for this role of being a parent. God must have a darn sight more sense of humor than I ever gave him credit for.
3. You are up against . What is it about them that makes this journey even more difficult for you?
– She was my husband’s first wife!! Even if she didn’t have it in for me, GOD THIS IS SO AWKWARD Y’ALL.
4. In order to survive or accomplish this, you are going to have to step way outside of your box. What changes do you expect to make and which of them will be the most difficult?
– Learning to see Sarah (stepdaughter) as her own person, rather than an extension of her father and/or all I have left of him.
5. What habits or ways of thinking do you think will be the most difficult to let go of?
– Thinking that I have to keep things the same, because “that’s how he would have done it”. I have to learn to move forward and adapt to new ways.
6. What fears, insecurities and wounds have held you back?
– Inability to meet Sarah on her own terms rather than always through her father. Refusing to let her do things because of fear that she will encounter an accident and get hurt or killed. Fear of trying harder to really BE a parent because I’m afraid I’ll do it wrong.
7. What skills, background or expertise makes you well-suited to face this conflict or antagonist?
– Sheer cussed stubborness. You’ve got to have that, working with horses and mules and cattle all day long. I’ve never had a family, never had something like this that’s worth getting up every day for, worth fighting for. My family may be broken, hurt, and rough around the edges, but it’s MY family. Like hell if I will stand by and let someone tear that down.
8. What are you hiding from the other characters? What don’t you want them to know?
– That I might be pregnant. My husband is hardly cold in his grave. I never even got to tell him. The thought of raising our child…children…alone, makes me sick. Worse is how Sarah’s going to react. She never had much use for me in the first place, and if she finds out about this…
9. What do you think of ?
– Sarah’s mother? She’s cold as ice, harsh, and doggedly determined. The type who’ll never give up so long as there’s breath in her body. Give her credit for that, anyway. She’s smart, smarter than me. I never was any good at playing chess with people’s minds…or their hearts.
10. Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
– If Sarah could just stop being so angry for ONE MINUTE, and listen, and understand that all I’ve done is for her, to keep her safe… And now I have to keep her safe from her own mother who will only use her and leave her in harm’s way, which she doesn’t understand. Or maybe she doesn’t want to understand. But maybe I haven’t been so good at listening either.
11. What does it do for your life is you succeed here?
– Everything my husband did, he did for us, his family. I have to succeed. Have to know that he didn’t die for nothing.
12. Ask any other questions about their character profile that will help you.
– Still working on this.
Catherine, antagonist:
1. Tell me about yourself.
– Nice to know you’re interested. Raised on ranches, know my way around a horse and a gun, married for five years, now got a ranch of my own. Or I will soon, once I take care of a few things back in my old hometown.
2. Having to do with this journey, what are your strengths and weaknesses?
– I’m blunt, cold and hard, will give it to you straight, and have no room for weakness. I can think on my feet in any situation and can outmaneuver you three steps ahead before you know what happened. People are open books that way.
3. Why are you committed to making the Protagonist fail? Or for a relationship movie, why are you committed to making them change?
– It galls me knowing that he chose her instead of me. That he didn’t try harder to get me to stay. That she seems to have a knack for raising my own daughter, even though she doesn’t seem to know it. That her influence has made my daughter too much like her father – too sensitive. This is a harsh wilderness – any weakness and it will eat you alive. I never could make him fail…but I can still get to her.
4. What do you get out of winning this fight / succeeding in your plan / taking down your competition?
– Custody of my daughter. We’ve been apart for a long time now, but that’s about to change. I won’t be a “mother” who coddles and spoils her. Instead I’ll show her how to be strong and make the place you want in the world, instead of the world making you what it wants.
5. What drives you toward your mission / agenda, even in the face of danger, ruin, or death?
– I just don’t know what ‘quit’ means. You start something, you better take a bulldog grip and set your feet until you see it through, hell or high water.
6. What secrets must you keep to succeed? What other secrets do you keep out of fear / insecurity?
– My daughter thinks her father was the one to divorce me and send me packing. She will never, ever, EVER find out that I was the one to leave him…and her too, so many years ago.
7. Compared to other people like you, what makes you special?
– My daughter needs someone strong, someone whose judgment won’t get clouded by emotions.
8. What do you think of ?
– Bitch. Who does Vic think she is anyway. Thinks she knows my daughter better than I do. Pansy ass little city girl, wasn’t even raised on a ranch. Have to hand it to her, though…she turned out to be a better rider than I am.
9. Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
– When I left, my husband kept our daughter away from me ever since. She stands to inherit the property he left behind, but she’s too young to be saddled with that kind of responsibility when she’s not even of age. She needs someone to take over for her and handle the money side of things, and by “someone” I don’t mean some old crotchety uncle either. It’s time for Vic to step aside, quit standing in the way of reuniting a family.
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What I learned doing this assignment:
Discovering my characters’ voices is really helping me to nail down their personalities – thinking in terms of three-dimensional characters I think is necessary to my path forward on this journey ….
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR PROTAGONIST
Tell me about yourself.
Uh hello my name is Bobby – short for Robert Jr. I’m named after my dad. I don’t see him that much cause he’s always traveling for work. I wish I was old enough to work so I could go with him. I.. I miss him.Why do you think you were called to this journey?
I think it’s cause I’m growing up ya know? – I’m not a kid anymore, and my friends are all older – they know what’s up…
Why you?
Cause I see a lot of adults as two-faced, like the bad guy in the batman cartoon. You can’t trust your parents, school, and especially the church – that stuff is all fake.
You are up against Angela (Mom) . What is it about them that makes this journey even more difficult for you?
I don’t think she wants me to grow up, you know? She wants me to stay a kid. This stuff is hard because she disowned my sister, they don’t even talk anymore. I feel like I am torn between them, it sucks. My sister Judy had the balls to run away and live her own life…I wish I could be more like her….
In order to survive or accomplish this, you are going to have to step way outside of your box. What changes do you expect to make and which of them will be the most difficult?
I think the hardest part of all of this is my friends – they are good guys at heart but they do a lot of um bad stuff… nothing too R rated but yeah they like to cause trouble…I want to be a better student and I like the theater arts teacher Mrs. Williams…she’s different from all the other adults but my friends hate school…I think I might need to ditch my friends but I fear I maybe can’t you know?What habits or ways of thinking do you think will be the most difficult to let go of?
I think pretending not to care…when I really do. I gotta stop that but I just don’t know how to but I wish I did…What fears, insecurities and wounds have held you back?
That my Dad doesn’t love me – that my sister doesn’t love me – I think they do but Dad is always gone and Judy bailed – and now I’m stuck with Ma – I think maybe sometimes I’m scared of her, my mom I meanWhat skills, background or expertise makes you well-suited to face this conflict or antagonist?
I know how to escape and outrun my Mom – I’m good at it. She doesn’t like it and often throws her rosary beads after me ….What are you hiding from the other characters? What don’t you want them to know? Hiding?
That my Ma is crazy – she, she’s not right in the head, she sees things that aren’t there and talks to herself….a lot. I get worried, you know?
What do you think of ?
That other people’s parents are…normal. Their dad is at home for dinner, these other kids are not stuck with just their mom. You see, it’s not the best at home for me…..Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
I want to be better than my mom – she doesn’t live in the real world she doesn’t get it – I wish she would be on my side you know? But she doesn’t care, she only cares about her bible stories and going to church….What does it do for your life if you succeed here?
I need to do better in school, I need to get my grades up, I can’t be left behind a grade…..
Ask any other questions about their character profile that will help you.
– in process/pending thanks!
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR ANTAGONIST
Tell me about yourself.I’m Angela. Praise be and god bless you Jesus will shine a light of love straight into you and you will be beamed up to our father who art in heaven.
Having to do with this journey, what are your strengths and weaknesses?
My strength comes from God. He has truly truly blessed me. Weakness? There is no weakness, there is only strength in belief.Why are you committed to making the Protagonist fail? Or for a relationship movie, why are you committed to making them change?
He is a dirty boy, who needs as much help as possible from the lord. He needs to come with me to Church. I try to drag him but he just won’t go. He runs away – it’s because he has been falling for the devil just like his father.What do you get out of winning this fight / succeeding in your plan / taking down your competition?
I will put my boy Bobby on the righteous path. He will be good. I hope he becomes a priest one day…..What drives you toward your mission / agenda, even in the face of danger, ruin, or death?
My parents were both alcoholics. They drank themselves to death and I was orphaned, sent to live with my cruel Aunt Mary. She would beat me while she read the Bible out loud. I found solace in the lord and strive to do his good work.What secrets must you keep to succeed? What other secrets do you keep out of fear / insecurity?
Aunt Mary did more than beat me – she gave me lashings with a belt and she dripped hot candle wax on me. I still have the scars. I hide them. Bobby doesn’t know anything about this and he never will.Compared to other people like you, what makes you special?
I survived Aunt Mary and was resurrected through God’s love. His light now shines on me where once I was a dark foul little thing.I don’t need the approval of others.
What do you think of ?
I feel sorry for Bobby – he idolizes false gods – his teacher Mrs. Williams, all that damn sinful music, R-rated movies, and slutty TV! I have to cleanse Bobby’s mind from all the filth out there…Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
I am trying to save Bobby – I don’t want him to end up a degenerate on the street begging for scraps and dancing for greasy dollar bills like his rotten sister. I am Bobby’s salvation I must show him the way no matter what…..god willing. -
Shelley’s Character Interviews
“What I learned in this assignment is how important is process is in bringing new insight and information. Surprisingly, I also learned so much more about myself through the characters!
Mollie, <b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Tell me about yourself.
I’ve always said that I have a nervous system like a racehorse, when other people are trying to speed up I’m trying to slow down. I have had a string of failed relationships, though it’s really what I want.-I don’t know who I am. In the past, I have been promiscuous- not being able to love myself for who I am. I am sensual in my nature. The greatest challenge in my life if is my relationship with my father. I love him, but he’s just too much, loving but dominating, and he can’t seem to tell the full truth. My mom is always protecting him.
I have a beautiful daughter, but she is overwhelming. It’s the first time I’m away without her. I love to travel and want to put roots down, but haven’t been able. Money seems to come in and goes. I am done working for my dad at this dead end job, and I am about to lose my apartment, I love to solve mysteries, and I too myself sometimes I am the mystery. Underneath it all, I don’t believe I can have what I want, so why try?
Why do you think you were called to this journey?
I haven’t had a choice in this, my dreams wouldn’t let me rest, it wasn’t till I started to make sense of the dreams that things started going smoothly. I was guided-and the synchronicities keep happening. Being guided by something bigger. “Mysteries are meant to be solved”– In my bones I’m an investigative journalist, needing to find the truth, free myself, in order to live my full potential, my calling.
Who are you are up against. What is it about them that makes this journey even more difficult for you?
Somebody is hiding something, I need to find out what it is. I am up against the corporation. The men in my life-everybody. I’m up against even Emeline. I don’t think anyone sees me- I’m up against myself. The truth hasn’t been found-something is still buried.
What changes do you expect to make, and which of them will be the most difficult?
Underlying, I feel If I stand in my truth, I’m going to lose everything, everybody. People aren’t you know, and, and that’s why I’m always nudging my relationships to speak the truth because how can we trust each other if we’re not speaking what’s true and being honest? I need to start slowing down and stand in my power. Stop giving my power away.
I feel like I have to change everything. I can’t go backwards. People see me as free, I’m not free- I am still shackled to the past.
What habits or ways of thinking will be the most difficult to let go of?
My attachment to others. I think I compromise my own needs to fulfill others expectations. My impulse is to be done and to run away, -giving up too soon. The conundrum is I hang on way too long, in denial of things I see in my relationships.
What fears, insecurities and wounds have held you back?
Fear never feeling supported, failure. Fear appearing stupid. Fear of being alone and feeling like I am too much. I am always driven to live a meaningful life. Fear of not being really loved- and If I am, I will be trapped and taken advantaged. I don’t trust being vulnerable with my relationships, I better end them before they do.
What skills, background or expertise makes you well-suited to face this conflict or antagonist?
I have grown up riding horses, falling off and getting right back up, never hurting myself. I am committed to my own evolution and am persistent until I have clarity. My mom was a special needs teacher and being an investigative journalist-I love tracking energy and following the clues. I am a dreamer-optimistic, and trust my guidance/intuition, it always seems to prove true. Mostly, I am connected to my heart’s calling.
What are you hiding from the other characters? What don’t you want them to know?
How sick I am. I’m lost, cant tell anyone really about. I don’t know what I am doing. How much other’s actions are affecting me. How sad I am. Hiding what I think happened with my father. I, too, am protective of my father, not sure about exposing him. I lack trust in men.
Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
I have always been driven to live a meaningful life. My mom and dad were very alive and engaged people, liked to have fun. My first conflict was, though my parents weren’t wealthy, I hated my dads Cadillac. I was rebellious and didn’t like them always telling me what to do- I was tethered to their beliefs. Every time I tried to be myself, they hindered or stopped me. Money and relationships were the biggest obstacle. I can remember always saying “I don’t know” as a child when asked any question. I thought I was stupid. Later on, when the dreams started to come, I began to believe there had been some abuse with my father. He had always been emotionally unavailable, and thought my spiritual beliefs were wimpy. I was running-funny his boat I began to realize was called runaway. Finally, things began to turn when I decided to be led by my dreams and go back to Maine, where I believe it all began…and there I met Moses and learned of Molly Ockett- the medicine woman of the 1700s, who has since then has been my guide.
What does it do for your life if you succeed here?
Standing in the loving power that I am, I am happily married to a man who loves family, being supporting each other living life on purpose. I have proved to myself I can do this, that I’m perfect the way I am. In freeing myself, there is a sense of fulfillment. I am relaxing and living a joyful abundant life in alignment with Natures design, supporting others in creating their best life.
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Moses: Antagonist
Tell me about yourself.
I am a God loving man, with a challenge to live my best life. I have moved so much in my life I am just now realizing I don’t ever allow people top get close to me, and am non-committal, I love nature, music and love my beer. I am a journeyman, and I expect others to work as hard as me. I am indigenous, yet know nothing about my ancestral culture and ceremonies. In fact, I get angry at how many of us are just lazy SOB’s. I am a Christian that is trying to get back to my roots, yet I am promiscuous, and it gets in the way.
Having to do with this journey, what are your strengths and weaknesses? My strengths are my hardworking ethics, religious beliefs, my commitment to living a good life. I love nature and animals.
For a relationship movie, why are you committed to making the Protagonist change?
I believe Mollie is going to hell, though she is a good person. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, as I just can’t see us together. I have an intense attraction for her, she is unlike anyone I have ever met-yet she is not my idea of the God willing woman I want to be with. Besides, she doesn’t listen. Given my circumstance, I simply push her away-yet I have to be the bad guy as I see she is overstepping her boundaries.
What do you get out of winning this fight / succeeding in your plan / taking down your competition?
I don’t have to commit, deeply engage and have to leave again. She is the adversary and will leave me, or I will leave her anyway.
What drives you toward your mission / agenda, even in the face of danger, ruin, or death?
Freedom to be, live my life the way God means it to be.
What secrets must you keep to succeed? What other secrets do you keep out of fear / insecurity?
My past. I don’t fear anything, well it looks like that…
Compared to other people like you, what makes you special?
I always work hard..
What do you think of ?
Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
I was simply working, then she showed up in the room at the motel next to mine. Couldn’t take me eyes off her after first seeing her. She was a hot babe, and a bit sassy too. I like that though, in the beginning she didn’t give in right away. She immediately took to my dog. I was working for my family’s water business. Doing the grunt work, but I was on the board. Hate those other board members. I was living at my grandfathers house. Just wanted to runaway-the only thing is I had a yearning like him for fiddling with old vehicles. We just couldn’t get along-he didn’t like the way I maneuvered. Don’t like talking much, but boy do I like women. Too much, though-always gets me in trouble. Then came along Mollie-Didn’t like that she took to my grandfather- He’s a dowser too-Mollie she just kept showing up- took her up to Paris-then to the lake house. She was easy-had no idea about her need to “go deeper” not me.
But aI just couldn’t keep my hands off her-and you know she liked it too. Then there was the explosion-I didn’t believe it at first, but they were right, and they handed me the cease and desist from her investigations around the old hotel. Said she was writing a book and a movie about the place. Drove me just about mad-mad at myself and mad at her. We all have secrets, you know-sometime those secrets don’t need to be told.
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What I learned: I learned to just let my characters spill their guts. They like to be interviewed so long as you ask them ego-affirming questions. they’ll spill their guts! (good because I discovered a lot I can use for this story) And if you ask a question that they don’t want to answer, guess what, they’re allowed to not answer, or dodge the question, and viola, you suddenly got an intriguing character!
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR PROTAGONIST (Husband)
Tell me about yourself.
I just turned 60, and so did my wife. We decided to buy an RV and go across country. She did it as a kid, and I never did it before. But we both decided we could pull this off together.
Why do you think you were called to this journey? Why you?
My journey is a new one: starting a new path in life: early retirement. I want to make my wife happy. This is my chance to do just that. I don’t really know if I’ve succeeded in making her happy so far up to this point. She says I have, in a lot of ways, but I know deep down she’s being humble. I really want to pull this off. when I die and get to the pearly gates, I want St. Peter put his hand over my shoulder and look down at the timeline of my life, and see the satisfaction that I gave my wife at this specific point in our life. Pulling this trip off, will somehow “make all the struggle worth it”. At least to me. I Need to get her to California, with all her stuff. This is how we’re gonna do it. I decided it.
Tell me about who you are up against . What is it about them that makes this journey even more difficult for you?
He’s driving one of those new electric high-tech cars. I don’t trust them. People got killed because invisible particles from the sun set off some of the microchips making it impossible to control them. No way, I’m sticking with American-made old fashioned technology. That guy’s doin’ all kinds of crazy things, swervin’ all over the road, might as well be a UFO chasing us. I have no idea how to go up against that thing. Plus he’s young; I can tell that. Still in college I bet: they’re not “DONE” yet. Still not responsible adults. I know, I was in college once too. Can’t trust youth!
What else?
Well, he’s also got his health. I got pills I gotta take, I got arthritis in some of my joints, and my wife too. Its not like I can chase him down if he starts sprintin’ across the badlands.
In order to survive or accomplish this, you are going to have to step way outside of your box. What changes do you expect to make and which of them will be the most difficult?
Running in the desert is pretty much a no-go. Coming up with the solution scares the crap out of me. And don’t tell me I got my wife. It should NOT have to be on her to solve this problem. I’d be such a failure if, for the rest of my life I’d always have to say “you saved our lives honey”.
What habits or ways of thinking do you think will be the most difficult to let go of?
Trusting in other people. Reaching out to this kid? Forgiving him for attacking us?
What fears, insecurities and wounds have held you back?
Everything I said above.
What skills, background or expertise makes you well-suited to face this conflict or antagonist?
I don’t back down. I adapt. I ain’t goin’ down without a fight.
What are you hiding from the other characters? What don’t you want them to know?
If this RV fails, I don’t think I can even change the tire!
What do you think of ?
I dream of California, but I fear not getting there.
Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
See above.
What does it do for your life is you succeed here?
See above.
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR PROTAGONIST (Wife)
Tell me about yourself.
I worked in social work almost all my life. I was in publishing for a while but left it to do social work because it wasn’t fulfilling. My parents thought I was nuts.But they grew up not getting a lot of things that they provided for me, so I think on a deep psychological level, I didn’t “need” the creature comforts they have now as much as they do.
Why do you think you were called to this journey? Why you?
If you mean, “why am I getting persecuted by this car?” I don’t think of it like that. I’d say “why NOT me? Why ANYONE?” Or, also sometimes I say “why my Husband? why him?” First I’m wondering if he deserved it. If this was some person he slighted that he never told me about, in which case I’d probably be prone to blame him. But then I’d feel so horrible for kicking him when he’s already being kicked.
What about the person you are up against? What is it about them that makes this journey even more difficult for you?
OMG, when I found out it wqs just a kid! I had so much pity on him. Dont get me wrong, I had the rage of a victim too, but in another sense, thank God he didn’t succeed! And here he is potentially losing his life. I know enough about cases like these, if he doesn’t WANT to live; to heal, then he won’t. He won’t fight, and he’ll consider it a just reward for his crimes. Part of me feels that if he lives, that will be his punishment. He’s going to have to live with himself, and so in that case, I want him to live, on 2 levels. I do feel some tinge of a need for revenge, but then seeing him suffering in the end… well, that kind of appeases it. He LOST. He DIDNT win! My husband and I are both still alive, and ina weird way now, I think this kind of jarring experience may be the very thing we need to actually help us get along for the rest of our lives! How ironic!
In order to survive or accomplish this, you are going to have to step way outside of your box. What changes do you expect to make and which of them will be the most difficult?
Hmmmm… don’t know yet. Am I going to have to face my fear of heights somehow? Am I going to have to let my husband be a jerk to me and just get over it considering the stress he’s under when he’s trying to save my life? Honestly I don’t know if I’m truly ready for that!
What habits or ways of thinking do you think will be the most difficult to let go of?
What I said above.
What fears, insecurities and wounds have held you back?
The flying thing is a big one. I beat myself up sooo much, for not fitting in… for being “difficult”. I’m so afraid sometimes too. Am I going to have to see bloodshed?
What skills, background or expertise makes you well-suited to face this conflict or antagonist?
None! I don’t do car chases! I hate the way my husband drives half the time and he’s NEVER even been in an accident since I’ve known him. But when the time comes, to have that kid broken… That’s when I can help. You know the really only truly way to stop violence? Is to heal the one prone to cause the violence before it happens, that’s how. Is this kid too late? If not, he’s definitely on the fence. That’s for sure. IF he’s on the fence, and IF he wants help, THEN I can help him.
What are you hiding from the other characters? What don’t you want them to know?
I’m sure there’s some piece of information I’ll be withholding from my husband simply because I wont want him to do what i know he’ll do if he gets that piece of info. That’s mostly fueled by my own pride. Somehow he’ll find out, though.. all on his own.
What do you think of ?
My son. My only child. I DONT want him to have to find us like this!
Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
I’m starting to believe tha this kid has chosen us purely arbitrarily, and that’s its nothing personal. Fine I say. Take me, but NOT my husband! Can he really even handle this? Don’t get me wrong, he’s got talents, but police/commando training??? NOOOOO way. I just hope to GOD he’ll take some advice from me.
What does it do for your life is you succeed here?
See above.
( Ask any other questions about their character profile that will help you.) Just got one more question:
What will you do when you get to California?
-Call my Son. Just to hear his voice. He’s the same age as this kid, and I ABSOLUTLEY NEED to know if he’s got any unresolved trauma that could make him prone to do anything, anything at all, as self-damaging as our pursuer.
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR ANTAGONIST
Tell me about yourself.
I had a troubled childhood. Parents split up. Mom was addicted to opiods (You know, the pills given to her by the pharmacy that were supposed to make her life better). Dad got killed in the Gulf war (you know, the one we never should have been in). I didn’t have money to finish college (because the tuitions are so ridiculously high), and I always had trouble making friends in high school… I got picked on a lot… Had aszthma (global warming sure ain’thelping that. THANKS BOOMERS!) but then I found a home in the tech world. My mind is always analyzing man-made things. I trust them. they continue to evolve and get better. But it’s the God-made things; the humans, that I scurry from. They DONT get better with age, they screw up the world even more.
Having to do with this journey, what are your strengths and weaknesses?
I’m scrawny enough to hide… anywhere. outside under a rock. I’ll sleep in the desert, the trunk of a car, a broom closet; even an outhouse if I have to. I’m not too proud.
Why are you committed to making the Protagonist fail?
Well for one thing, how pathetic am I if I can’t even defeat an old couple with an outdated GPS driving a gas-guzzler through the mountans and deserts? Second of all, who said I’m committed to making sure they fail? What kind of person do you think I am? This is a duel – a modern-day joust if you will. If he can beat me, then more power to him. What the hell else have I got to live for anyway?
What do you get out of winning this fight / succeeding in your plan / taking down your competition?
Oh, well, you know, they’ll analyze my situation. They’ll write articles, saying ‘what caused this’, and maybe, just maybe, the politicians will pay attention and realize that I could have just as easily done this with guns. And then MAYBE, people will start to help people like me before it’s too late. So there’s a CHANCE this will be a wake-up call to society to start GIVING A SHIT!
What drives you toward your mission / agenda, even in the face of danger, ruin, or death?
This is like, the big game, the test. This is my test. It just feels right… I mean, for me. It’s feels right for me. Me alone, I hope. I wouldn’t wish this fate on ANYONE ELSE.
What secrets must you keep to succeed?
My identity for starters. GOD FORBID one of them wants to try and get close to me, like Mr. Rogers or some kind of pedophile would. Fuck that. i HAVE to keep hidden as much as I can. And they can’t know i have Asthma either! Especially not in the desert.
What other secrets do you keep out of fear / insecurity?
If I have any , I’m totally blind to them right now.
Compared to other people like you, what makes you special?
I don’t think most people would have the nerve/bravery/courage to pull this off, let alone the tech savvy.
What do you think of ?
Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
Haven’t I been doing that all along? I mean, I’ve finally got a mission in life. For the first time, in my life I feel like I have a devoted plan; Jerry-rig a self-driving car, so it’s my very own remote controlled car (You know I never had one of those growing up. Like I said, i was deprived.) and use it to single out one of those giant gas-guzzling Boomers, or ex-hippies, or whatever you wanna call them, that’s been destroying the world we’re doomed to inherit, and make a statement for the world to ponder.
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WILL’S CHARACTER INTERVIEWS
I love this stuff. I always learn when I dig into their psyches and just let them talk. At first, as always, it was incredibly difficult, and then it just flowed. And I have to relearn that process every single time.QUESTIONS FOR LAUREN
Tell me about yourself.
I’m washed up at 17. I’m a girl who used to love her town, and had a strong, wonderful mother. But I had enough. My father left when I was very young. My mother tried to make do, and asked for help from Father Byrne. He tried to rape her. I shot him dead. I killed a man of God. And demons have been set upon our town in punishment. Or at least that’s what everyone thinks. Me? I’m not sure. But I know that whatever it is lives and breathes like everyone else. At least I think they do.
Why do you think you were called to this journey? Why you?
Because some damn fool thinks this mark in my eye means something, that I’m important somehow. But what does all this have to do with me? If you were to ask my mother, it’s because I have the blood of her ancestors in my veins. She might have known something, but she never told me.You are up against Jean Cayatte, one of the most sadistic vampires around. What is it about them that makes this journey even more difficult for you?
I don’t know how to fight him. I don’t even know what he is. In fact, when I get to thinking about him, my blood goes cold. Wait, hang on one moment… <fumbles in a pocket>
I need you sober for this, Lauren.
All right, all right. Then let’s wrap it up. I have places to go. And people to hide from.In order to survive or accomplish this, you are going to have to step way outside of your box. What changes do you expect to make and which of them will be the most difficult?
I have to sober up. That’s going to be a stampede of good times. I also will have to stop looking to others for help. It’s all inside me. That’s what my mother said. And I guess it’s true. Right now I’m looking for a hero to help get us out of this. I thought that hero might be Wil Tucker. But there’s someone after Wil, and I think that he might be THE ONE. (It’s not me.)What habits or ways of thinking do you think will be the most difficult to let go of?
Seriously?Oh, right. You’ve got a drug problem.
Out of everything, it might not be the hardest thing to handle. Guilt might be a bit harder. Did I bring this shit on my town? I think I may have. And if you ask me, that’s why I’m raiding Doc Jenkins’s medicine cabinet.What fears, insecurities and wounds have held you back?
I’m not worth anything. Especially now. I don’t have what it takes to get what I want. And I’m scared of enclosed spaces. Mostly, it’s just that the solution of my problems lies with me. And I’ve never understood that.What skills, background or expertise makes you well-suited to face this conflict or antagonist?
I’m strong and I’m quick and I’m bright. And I’m CONSTANTLY underestimated. Just that “weirdo half-breed girl,” as they call me. I get in close and I can strike. But yeah, I’ve got to kick the sauce. And I will, in spectacular fashion.What are you hiding from the other characters? What don’t you want them to know?
That my mother wasn’t the one who killed Father Byrne. It was me. I killed him, for hurting my mother. If they found out, they’d hang me. They already want to do that.What do you think of Jean Cayatte?
Creepy. In truth, he’s terrifying. But really cool hair.Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
We were on the verge, Ambition was. As a town. As much as I hate where I am now, I grew up loving the place. It’s beautiful. And then people began to die. We never saw who or what was doing it. Well up to now. You’re talking to me just before the massacre at the Fool’s Gold Saloon, but we’ll finally get a good look at this guy. I need someone to teach me some stuff about them. Can you do that?In a way, I guess I will be. But no. Not now.
Fair enough.What does it do for your life if you succeed here?
Nothing will ever be the same. In order to truly succeed, I’m going to need to die and then come back to the Threshold, as they call it. That boundary between Dark and Light. Ekta.What’s “Ekta”?
Not sure yet. Do some more research and I’ll tell ya.You ready to have the shit kicked out of you by everyone and everything for two hours?
Get out of my sight. And give me my Laudanum.
QUESTIONS FOR JEAN CAYATTE
Tell me about yourself.
I’m going to eat your soul.Ha-ha, no, seriously.
<silent glare through yellow-tinted eyes> I’m older than this country of yours. Twice as old. I was born in the filthy countryside of France during the Black Death, sliding out onto a filthy mattress as my mother expired. My father tried to raise me, but the poor man also caught the sickness and expired in a mess of filth and prayer. I wasn’t even a full man when Sandrine found me. She turned me into what I am, and we ravaged the world for a century together. Also, I like the violin.Having to do with this journey, what are your strengths and weaknesses?
I am simply stronger and smarter and better at everything. Even better than those mewling, pathetic swogs who call themselves the Threshold. They’re chaotic. I’m… well, I’m just better. And I have an advantage.What’s that?
I’m insane.Some would call that a disadvantage.
Next question. Or I’ll tear out your throat with my back teeth.Uh, okay. Why are you committed to making Lauren fail?
Who’s Lauren? I’m more interested in that simp, John Kelley. Can’t believe he’s still around after almost ten decades. Yeah, it’s all about the failure. I want them to fail. I want them to die. Because my survival depends on it. He put me in this prison, where I sat for almost 100 years. Him and those savages. I can’t be imprisoned again. I’ve seen to it. And I’ve got projects to finish.What do you get out of winning this fight / succeeding in your plan / taking down your competition?
The chance to reclaim what I lost – Sandrine. I’ll learn that she didn’t die in that burning church 150 years ago. Somehow she survived. And then lost her life to that grease-gummed silver-head man, John Kelley. But I have a plan. That Sarah girl, the one I took from the saloon that night? Or rather, WILL take when I storm the place – she may as well be the reincarnation of Sandrine. I can take her and mold her into the very duplicate of Sandrine.What drives you toward your mission / agenda, even in the face of danger, ruin, or death?
Vengeance. Thirst. And the chance to reclaim Sandrine by turning Sarah into one of my kind. Really, with the right touch of powder and a bit of rouge, she’ll look the part.What secrets must you keep to succeed? What other secrets do you keep out of fear / insecurity?
That’s the secret itself. That’s it. If that dog Kelley finds out that everything I hope for lies in turning that girl, he’ll just take her back or kill her or worse. And the secret? I think I’m failing. Sarah’s mind is weak. It’s unable to survive the transformation. She’ll be a mindless hunger machine like the rest of them. And that makes me very… not sad. More passionately violent.Compared to other people like you, what makes you special?
There are no other people like me. But since we’re making comparisons, look at you. Then look at me. Between the two of us, who’d win in a blood-drinking duel? I don’t sound much like my character, I know, but since you only exist in my head, that makes me insane. Which actually IS in character, so there.
What do you think of Lauren?
Not much, I’m afraid. She does knock me for a loop on that battle in the saloon, but I couldn’t care less. She’s a gnat. She’s a withered petal in the sun. She’s… I can’t even remember who we’re talking about now. Oh, the half-breed. I’ll come to respect her. But I don’t think she’s a threat. Is that going to bite me in the ass later? Sure.Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
After Sandrine’s death, I wanted to be alone. I left Europe and came out here where the sun is so blasted bright, but the Threshold were mercifully scarce. Then the Threshold found out I was here and teamed up with those filthy savages. They sealed me in this old copper mine and left me to rot, because they knew they couldn’t kill me. Thanks to greed and fading memories, someone opened up this mine one day. I drank him dry before he hit the earth. And now I’m building my own little private army in order to gain back some of what I once was. Everything was going fine. Then I saw HER. That Sarah Parsons in the saloon. So much like my Sandrine. <shrugs> I took a her and now they want her back for some reason. But trust me… she ain’t all that.GO AWAY NOW.
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<div>David Harper’s Character Interviews</div>
What I learned doing this assignment is that I already know more about my characters than I realize.
PROTAGONIST
Tell me about yourself.
Yeah, ok. So I’m Danny. Danny, uh … Sinclair. I work down to the factory. Mainly sheet metal press. Drain pans for AC units. Sometimes I get moved over to the frame press, but only if somebody is out sick or something. I guess … I that what you want to know what I do at work? I mean there isn’t much else. I live outside town in a trailer. Was my mom’s, but she died last year. Don’t know of what. Just up and died. They said it was alcohol poisoning, but I think they just made that up because they don’t know. She drank, yeah. Sometimes a lot. But I don’t think she’d drink herself to death. She was trying to put things together. She really was. I swear she was making progress. Even Pastor Mike said so. Oh, my dad? He’s just now back from prison. I think he’s going to make himself a good life. I think he’s going to turn things around. I want to help him do that. We’re not close. I hope we can be. I hope my dad will love me, you know? I’d do pretty much anything for him. I never really had a family, you know? My dad in prison, my mom drunk all the time. I had to keep things as stable as I could. It’s been hard. I just want to have a family.
Why do you think you were called to this journey? Why you?
Why me? Oh, man. I don’t know. I reckon sometimes shitty things happen to people, I don’t know that there’s a reason for them. Main thing I want to do now is help my dad. So I guess the thing that calls me to it is I really want us to be close. To be a family.
You are up against your father, Arlo. What is it about them that makes this journey even more difficult for you?
I’m not against him. I’m trying to help him. See that’s the thing that makes it difficult. Everybody else is against him. and they all act like he’s my enemy or something. Like he’s just this awful part of my life and he’s just using me to … I don’t know. But I swear he can be better. He just needs some help. Maybe the thing that makes it so hard is that he doesn’t know any other way than the way he has gone. I got to help him see a better way.
<u style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>In order to survive or accomplish this, you are going to have to step way outside of your box. What changes do you expect to make and which of them will be the most difficult?
I’m going to have to learn to stand up to people. Especially my dad. He’s pretty strong willed and bullheaded. But also, you know, everybody else in the town who won’t give him a chance. I never was really good at standing up for myself, but I need to stand up for my dad.
What habits or ways of thinking do you think will be the most difficult to let go of?
I guess that’s maybe my feeling like a victim in all this. I swear I was dealt a bad hand, but there’s nothing I can do about that. I’ve just been accepting it and folding. But you know, sometimes you just have to play the hand you have. If you always fold you never win. And maybe I won’t win. But I have to try.
What fears, insecurities and wounds have held you back?
I mean, if my parents couldn’t even be there for me, who will? What does it say about me that neither of my parents cared enough to have a real family? What does it say about me that I was just a thing that happened? A thing that made my mom drink herself stupid? A thing that my dad didn’t want to see any time I tried to visit him in prison?
What skills, background or expertise makes you well-suited to face this conflict or antagonist?
I don’t know that I have any.
What are you hiding from the other characters?
I’m the one that got my dad arrested. I was only six. I didn’t know what I was doing. Also, I think I’m in love with Becca.
What don’t you want them to know?
That it was me that got him arrested.
What do you think of Arlo?
I mean, he’s had a hard life, I know that. He told me about growing up, about the banks taking everything from his parents. About going from town to town with his parents while they looked for work. How no one in this town ever helped them. How his parents just finally gave up and lived on the streets until they died, and he was left to fed for himself.
<u style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.What does it do for your life is you succeed here?
I mean, like I said, I never had a family. Not really. And I need one. Everyone needs a family. Without a family we don’t really belong anywhere. Family is home. Family is what grounds us. I need to be grounded.
ANTAGONIST
Tell me about yourself.
Arlo Sinclair. Ex-con. I’ll steal from you as quick as I’ll buy you a beer. Matter of fact, if I buy you a beer you better know there’s an angle. If I pat you on the back with on hand, you better know there’s a knife in the other hand making its way down. Life is about power. You get power from manipulating other people. From taking there power away from them. You see something you want, you take it. You don’t ask permission. You take it. That goes for anything. Power, money, women. This is dog eat dog world, and I’m gonna be the biggest, nastiest dog you ever saw.
Having to do with this journey, what are your strengths and weaknesses?
My strengths are that I’m ruthless and I don’t give a fat shit about what anybody thinks. I see the world as it is. A big ass mosh pit full of dumb shits and piss poor losers. Even the winners are losers, because they’ll end up losing to me. Weaknesses? Fuck you.
Why are you committed to making the Protagonist fail?
It ain’t about him failing. It’s about me winning. If you want to win, the other guy has to lose. That’s life. That’s how the world works. I could give a shit about him. What I care about is me.
What do you get out of winning this fight / succeeding in your plan / taking down your competition?
Revenge. Money. Power. A chance to get the fuck out of Dodge and relax on an exotic beach drinking beer under a palm tree until I figure out my next game.
What drives you toward your mission / agenda, even in the face of danger, ruin, or death?
When I was a kid, the S&L crisis wiped a lot of people out. Two of those people were my parents. They lost everything. House, car, jobs. Nobody in this shit town would lift a finger to help them. The bank that stayed in business wouldn’t give them a loan. Nobody would hire either of them. Yeah, I know it was a tough time for everybody, but you know what? Somebody could have cooked us a meal, or gave us a little money, or given us a couch to sleep on for a couple weeks. There were places here could have hired my dad or my mom, but they didn’t. Yeah, I know economics were tough, but they could have made it work. And the bank here? The one that was still in business? They could have floated us a loan. Something, anything to help get us through. As it was we ended up bouncing from town to town while my parents did odd jobs and lived in our car. Eventually, when I was 14, they left me to wait for them at a local library and went off and committed suicide. That’s what this fucking town and these fucking people and that fucking bank did to my parents. Then a couple years later I decided the world was going to do the same shit to me, so I got busy making my own way. I’d still be making it if that dumbass sheriff hadn’t stopped me.
What secrets must you keep to succeed?
I’m going to get the money. Damn right I am. But I’m not splitting it with Rooster and Patch. I’ll kill them and keep it all. See, I figure it was them that ratted me out before. Revenge is a bitch.
What other secrets do you keep out of fear / insecurity?
I’ve got a whole other stash of cash nobody knows about.
Compared to other people like you, what makes you special?
That I don’t give a fat rat’s ass about anybody but myself. See, that’s the weakness for most people. They care about somebody other than themselves. That’s just a weight that drags you down and holds you back.
What do you think of Danny?
He’s a dumbass. But he’s useful. He’s going to help me look good, look rehabilitated. He’s going to help me gain people’s trust so I can really bring the shitstorm down on them.
Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
You heard it. Right up there. All that shit they did to my parents? It’s coming down on them now.
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