more noodling ~

[lookingland]

prompts kiped from ithilienlady ~

: D

cut to spare those of you who could give a fig.

these are fun, so i thought i would tackle 'em:

Prompt 012.
Name something that serves as an addiction or an obsession for your antagonist(s). Why does it have such a powerful hold over him/her? Describe it and why it would be so alluring. How has this addiction/obsession changed your antagonist(s) life?

for L it would be power ~ he's constantly in a power struggle with others ~ it stems from his sense of powerlessness as a child and having been a victim of bad circumstances in his past. because of this, he has a need to always be in control ~ especially of things he feels threatened by.

*Bonus*: Name one place your protagonist has always wanted to visit, but never had the money and/or time. Why do they want to travel to this place?

San Francisco. mostly because he wants to take his wife, who is enamored of the ocean and yet has never seen it. otherwise he has never had much of a vagus and tends to go where he needs to ~ or stay put if he doesn't. he's not much for vacationing in general.

Prompt 011.
List ten of your protagonist's favorite things. How will these things be used as plot devices to advance your novel? Will any of them be used in this way? Why does your protagonist like these things? (They can be anything.)

1. his wife. okay maybe not a thing, but coming up with ten is going to be hard. she's expecting their first child. any second now. obvious plot implications.
2. his horse. Patches and L have been to hell and back together. this time, it's Morse who takes the horse out, but to be sure the horse will be there.
3. his gun. his old navy colt has been a faithful companion for too long. if he carries it, he's gonna shoot it, and you can be sure he'll be carrying it.
4. his dental practice. he's a dentist. that's his day job.
5. pork chops. his favorite meal. dunno if we'll see any.
6. his best friend Morse. probably rates higher than pork chops, but it didn't occur to me to include him at first. this is their story, so he'll be a big part of the plot.
7. his boots. he never takes them off. prolly not any big part of the plot, though.
8. his loyalty. he prides himself on keeing his promises. big part of the plot.
9. his cigars. he really ought to quit, but in the spring (like it is now), his bronchitis is not so bad. not a major plot point.
10.his modesty, chivalry, whatever you want to call it: the second thing he prides in himself is his moral conduct. major plot issue ~ especially when he's going to kill people.

*Bonus*: What is your antagonist's favorite alcoholic beverage?

brandy. but he doesn't drink anymore. he's a reformed alcoholic.

Prompt 010.
Describe your protagonist's family. How many siblings? How many cousins? Aunts? Uncles? Who are they? What bearing do they have on your protagonist's life? Does his/her immediate family live nearby? Is the your protagonist's mother a nutty old woman who likes to knit? Are your protagonist's parents married? Are they both still alive?

his only living relatives are:

Mother: Margaret ~ religious zealot, psychotic (though the two aren't necessarily related)
Father: William ~ farmer. (this family lives far far away in alabama.)
Sister: Mary Ann Crabbits ~ married to Jacob Crabbits. hysteric, feeble.
Sister: Louise ~ spinster. hateful and bullying. (both sisters are older)
Niece: Victorian Lynn Crabbits (daughter of Mary-Ann).
Uncle: Harold Doster ~ (not related by blood, widower off Charlotte, sister of Margaret.)
Cousin: Melinda Doster ~ (ran away and changed her name to Nora ~ not in this story)
Cousin: Isaac Doster ~ (got shot in the head during the war and is MIA, presumed dead)

only his mother is relevant to this story, i think.

*Bonus*: What famous novel character does your protagonist resemble?

what a skeery question! i think he's a little bit Heathcliff perhaps ~ and a little bit Jean Valjean and prolly a wee bit Motorcycle Boy (hahahaha ~ okay that made me laugh).

Prompt 009.
Where and when did your protagonist go to college? What did he/she major in? Does he/she have a higher degree than just the ol' bachelor's? What was his or her college experience like?

L went to the college of dentistry at Philadelphia (the name of which escapes me at the moment, but it's the same one Doc Holliday attended ~ they missed each other by a year or so). he received a D.D.S. in spite of a very poor start. his college experience was mostly drunken, miserable, and desperate. he took a year off in the middle of it all to go to court for civil case against a war friend of his, get a divorce, and get sober. his last year in college was a good one.

*Bonus*: What is your protagonist's favorite cereal?

can't stand it. won't touch it. if there's not bacon on his plate for breakfast, he'd just as soon not eat.

: D