#PennedPossibilities Do your characters have any pets?

I'm in the planning stage for the next book, which will have a knight as MC. This prompt made me think about the relationship he will have with his horse, Miette, which I think will be important.

@cstross #PennedPossibilities 884 — Do your characters have any pets?

Not as such, but I deleted a running joke about the Professor's constant failed attempts to woo a local stray cat that we never actually see (an attempt to humanise him a bit). He was sad that even the cats dislike him, and my MC thinks he must have imagined the cat.

But I just completely removed it because it was funnier in my head than on the page. 🤷🏻‍♂️

#PennedPossibilities 884 — Do your characters have any pets?

(Current WIP): Tabitha has acquired a pedigree biological warfare spaniel—a sad-eyed, occasionally incontinent creature that has been genetically modified to express several highly alarming (and illegal) traits. She dotes on Jasmine, and walks her daily on the promenade deck whenever she takes ship.

Jum never stays on the same planet for long enough, but there was that one time he tried his hand at dragon ranching …

#PennedPossibilities 881, Reveal a fact about your MC that only a few people know.

Her elbows are ticklish.
Only her mate ever figured it out, and now that he's gone there's no one left who knows.

#PennedPossibilities Is your MC the type who prepares for parties, gathering treats and decorating elaborately days ahead, or calls together their besties at the spur of the moment, usually making it a pot luck? Why?

I'm gonna answer that prompt with a screencap from my current work in progress (the alt text contains the verbiage, it's too long for a toot).

Jum doesn't exactly do parties, but his events are memorable …

#PennedPossibilities 879. How would your antagonist locate someone in a crowd?

(Laundry Files): He'd have a minion order the Chief Constable of whichever metropolitan police force is closest to the scene to send a riot squad to kettle the crowd and process them until the Person of Interest was found. In extremis he'd send the Home Office duty 'superhero' squad. Or maybe the army.

When you're PMUK *and* avatar of an Elder God basically all options are on the table, short of a Trident strike.

#PennedPossibilities 876 — Does your MC like being the center of attention? Why or why not?

Current WIP: both Jum and Tabitha avoid it like the plague because they're career criminals and con artists—attracting attention is *dangerous*.

Older work, eg. Laundry Files: it varies? Bob hates it but has had to be interviewed live on national TV in the course of his work. Mo has a side-line as a lecturer. And so on. Merchant Princes: Miriam ends up in politics—spotlights are unavoidable. And so on.

#PennedPossibilities 876 — Does your MC like being the center of attention? Why or why not?

Elisabeti isn't a fan of being in the spotlight. She can handle it in the short term, but gets uncomfortable quickly.

#PennedPossibilities 875: Does your SC feel like they fit in with their community or culture?

Jum and Tabitha are career criminals, grifters who sneaked into a hermit kingdom in order to rob it blind. Too late, they realized it was something else: now they're stuck impersonating natives and looking for escape (with a big haul on the way out, of course). So they know for an absolute fact that they don't fit in! They're just faking it for cold-blooded profit.

#PennedPossibilities 863
Has your SC ever quit a job?

In Quenelle, "jobs" are referred to as "service." Their economic system isn't the same. There's no money & everyone's needs are met. Residents perform service to keep the community going as they are able. Once humans arrived, this took more of a "job-like, day-to-day" form, but people still largely set their own hours & can take time off. Mages tend to stay in the same position until bored, then try something new.

#PennedPossibilities 863 — Has your SC ever quit a job? What were the circumstances?

Freya ends up teaching alchemy at the mages' academy. But when a new monarch sets a law requiring 4 year service that has an exemption for scholars, the institution floods with privileged kids whose parents bought their admission.

When some feral prodigious orphans try to apply despite not being old enough, and get into a fight with the privileged students, she adopts the wild bunch and quits.

#writing

#PennedPossibilities 872: How would your SC react to being mocked or made fun of?

(WIP: Starter Pack)

Jum: shrug, have a laugh, forgive them, and steals their wallet on his way out the door.

Tabitha: feign unawareness, but ensure they die of a ghastly prion disease three years later (with all the forensic clues pointing at a customer who forgot to pay their invoice in time).

Todays' #ScribesAndMakers prompt, about engagement, reminds me how amazing our #writingcommunity hashtag hosts are.

@floofpaldi @AlinaLeonova @BranwenOShea @paris @solarbranka @saposcat @gahlearner @willelm @juliebihn @pentup @NaraMoore
And everyone who contributes.

You're all genuinely incredible!
Thank you all so much for all the work you put in, and the authentic engagement it nurtures.

#pennedPossibilities #wordweavers #writerscoffeeClub #timeTravelAuthors #eroticMusings #WebAuthorsCafe

#PennedPossibilities 871 What is the greatest extravagance your MC lets or would let themselves have?

(WIP: Starter Pack): Honesty is the greatest extravagance. Positively reckless! Too much of it is likely to get them executed. And "too much" can be any amount at all.

#PennedPossibilities choose a character. Who has had the most influence / impact on their life?

Anytime I need to answer questions like this, I go straight to Vanyel Ashkevron and The Last Herald Mage trilogy by Mercedes Lackey.

I was already dealing with a lot of self-hate bc of my undiagnosed autism when I picked this book up for the first time. What would have happened to me if I'd had time to internalize my parents homophobia doesn't bear thinking on.

Thankfully, this book got to me first. It's an almost stereotypic example of why representation matters. I hadn't yet realized I wasn't straight, but Vanyel and his chosen family taught me it was okay before my family could teach me that it wasn't.

#PennedPossibilities 870 — Name something your MC fears losing.

Her baby.

Todays' #ScribesAndMakers prompt, about engagement, reminds me how amazing our #writingcommunity hashtag hosts are.

@floofpaldi @AlinaLeonova @BranwenOShea @paris @solarbranka @saposcat @gahlearner @willelm @juliebihn @pentup @NaraMoore
And everyone who contributes.

You're all genuinely incredible!
Thank you all so much for all the work you put in, and the authentic engagement it nurtures.

#pennedPossibilities #wordweavers #writerscoffeeClub #timeTravelAuthors #eroticMusings #WebAuthorsCafe

#PennedPossibilities choose a character. Who has had the most influence / impact on their life?

Anytime I need to answer questions like this, I go straight to Vanyel Ashkevron and The Last Herald Mage trilogy by Mercedes Lackey.

I was already dealing with a lot of self-hate bc of my undiagnosed autism when I picked this book up for the first time. What would have happened to me if I'd had time to internalize my parents homophobia doesn't bear thinking on.

Thankfully, this book got to me first. It's an almost stereotypic example of why representation matters. I hadn't yet realized I wasn't straight, but Vanyel and his chosen family taught me it was okay before my family could teach me that it wasn't.

#PennedPossibilities 866 — Do any of your characters use medical or assistive devices (including glasses)?

Aswathi's mother uses a cane on days when her hip acts up.

#PennedPossibilities 863
Has your SC ever quit a job?

Aswathi is, for practical purposes, a gig worker and has been his whole life. He's happy as a freelance carter and has no interest in another job.

But there have been some gigs that just weren't worth doing. He's quit gigs for low pay, asshole clients, and on one occasion danger.