In a fight with each other, MC will watch just to see what level they're at now. Against others - For most opponents the best friends don't require the MC's talents but she will jump in to test new moves and ideas. "Your MC switches bodies with their nemesis for 24 hours. What does your MC do (and what does their nemesis do?)" It's not possible but if it was, Villain would hide terrified of the new MC, and the MC would act like a jester in front of the people in order to remove fear of the Villain. Your MC hears second hand that their close friend killed opponents who can't fight back in front of children. What does the MC do in response?
Fredrick: "Guess it'd depend on who they said did it. I know some of my brother-in-arms were the type to do that. If it was one of the ones that weren't, I'd go confront the guy spreading the rumor and tell him to knock it off." Jason: "Fredrick killed people? Well, of course he did he's a soldier, I mean, he killed unarmed men? I don't believe he'd do something like that. Would he? Maybe he's changed? Well no point in bringing it up to him, just gotta hope he doesn't decide to do it again." Sharon: "So, I'm trusting a wacko with my life. Great." Someone gives your MC a goat. What do they do with it?
Someone gives your MC a goat. What do they do with it? They are not sure, is it better for milk or meat? Do they have a mating partner? If they do, keep; if not, eat. Does your MC go on the teacups, the log flume or the roller coaster?
My MC takes the most intense roller coaster in the park and forces others to go on with him. He hopes to cause the most vomiting possible. He personally feels invincible . . . and he might be, for all we know. How would your MC respond to a Live, Laugh, Love decoration in someone's house?
Tommas : This genuinely makes me want to die. In fact it makes me want to die right now. James pass me that curtain would you. James : And what am I supposed to do once it breaks? Explain to this nice lady that you were trying to kill yourself with her furniture? Tommas : Good idea, let's go with that. Maybe it'll give her some perspective on the realities of life. How would your MC react to getting stared at by some weird stranger on the bus who is clearly homeless with no social cues?
That sort of actually happens, although I guess he wasn't staring at him, but there was a strange, homeless person who sort of made him uncomfortable, but being the kind of guy who grew up in a not so well-to-do area where there were all kinds of people he was friendly to him and helped him off the streets. I imagine he'd do the same with any homeless person, and if they're staring at him and it's clear they have no social cues, he wouldn't take offense to it. He's probably actually used to that sort of thing. How does your MC feel about celebrities? (Or if they are not in a modern setting, how do they feel about the people of their world that are equivalent to the way we see celebrities?)
Dav: Do you know how many famous dragons my family gets to know from travelling the world? A lot. Ginzaekh: Eh. It's not like I'd recognize one if I passed them on the street. [My world is not in a modern setting, so there aren't photographs or recordings. There are famous people though.] Zash: You can bet I'm going to at least try to get backstage at every concert I go to. Gazi: [makes high-pitched noises] Your MC is now at the highest rank of office, be that president or king or emperor or however his nation governs things. What do they do?
Fredrick: "Rule justly and fairly while kicking these invaders out of my home country." Jason: "Do I have do? I don't wanna rule anything. I can barely manage myself. Fredrick seems like he might be good at it, can I give it to him?" Sharon: "What idiot thought letting me be in charge of anything was a good idea? Let the other guy have his job back before I mess it all up." Your MC finds a genie's lamp! What are their three wishes?
She refuses to answer the genie and instead consults her brother and they decide to store it in the most secure, secreted part of their palace and only use it in the direst need. Basically to avert a doomsday event. Your MC accomplishes the ultimate goal of your series/novel. What do they plan to do after?
[this is a joke] Ginzaekh: go into hiding because Dav's son turns evil Zash: get captured by Dav's evil son Gazi: help defeat Dav's son-- from home Dav: mentor the new characters and sacrifice himself Narta: forgive Dav for his son killing her son (or, more accurately, let him know she never blamed him after Dav cut off contact with her for years out of shame) Rastira: give sage advice to the new protagonists and urge the female lead to learn magic This will all happen in a sequel released after the main series that rehashes the first book, but it's different because the crystal is bigger and made of something harder to destroy, but they destroy it just as easily anyway. Also they're back to square one.
If your MC decided to dramatize their life, what parts might not be completely accurate due to embellishment or revision?
Fredrick: "I would tell my story as accurately as possible, thank you very much." Jason: "Oooooh, can I change my backstory to be a prince in hiding? And- and I'm secretly a great warrior and my dad was just in hiding for a while and he ends up coming back! And there's a lot of other stuff I could fix too while I'm at it!" Sharon: "No one wants to hear about my life. I wouldn't bother." Your MC is given your job, how good are they at it and how much do they like it?
... Let's see if this question gets more interest: What does your MC want to do that people in a similar category haven't? Alec: I've gotta be one of the first D&D nerds to become the self-proclaimed Lawful Evil supervillain that looney moms think all D&D nerds wanna be someday. Charlie: I don't give a shit about firsts, and I don't want to be "The First Super-Powered Lesbian Drug Lord." I want to make a living, I want to learn the magic that will let me do this, and someday, I'll want a girlfriend who doesn't mind my line of work. That's it. Amy: Once I master metalmancy, I'm going to become the first serial killer in human history to make 40,000 war hammers. What does your MC want to do that people in a similar category haven't?
What does your MC want to do that people in a similar category haven't? Spagbol: I am of the species Linguine, and I am the only one of my species to make an evolutionary leap towards higher thought. I made a rudimentary unicycle out of my fork and plate, meaning to use it to cycle beyond the kitchen door. Unfortunately I fell off, and now I lie in a puddle of Ragu on the kitchen floor. What hat would your MC choose to wear?
FredrickFaris: "A helmet. Good for protecting the head." Jason: "Oh! I had a hat once! Me and my dad made it. It had feathers and bells and it didn't fit right but it was perfect. I jingled everywhere I walked. Then it got burned. I miss that hat." SharonShiloh: "Something that I could use to hide the scar on my face." What would it take for your MC to cry happy tears?
Vanna: I did cry happy tears when I was reunited with my mum and met my dad last summer. What would your MC do on a gorgeous day when they had no commitments?
Marckus would probably settle into a fantasy novel and a good bottle of whiskey. Corlixia might have to find something to do, maybe organize her living space for maximum efficiency. Then who the hell knows what. Graxis would go fishing with some close friends and a cooler full of Blood Fruit Ale. What would your MC do if they were in a car with the Joker ( Ledger's Joker)?
Alec: Well, if I knew that he was supposed to be a fictional character, then I'd tell him that he was a complete betrayal of everything The Joker was supposed to be and that his incarnation inspired the garbage "Joker cuts his face off and staples it back on" comic book arc... But if I was just a part of his world, then I'd want to ask if he thinks that everybody's already as evil as the two of us, or if he knows that other people aren't like us and he just thinks it's fun to make them be like us anyway. Charlie: Shoot him first. Not taking any chances. Amy: I would tell him that his entire life's philosophy is wrong. There are people who've gone through trauma without turning out as bad guys like us, there are people who turn out like us without going through any trauma, and trying to make everybody be more like us is fundamentally a waste of time. Sure, he can do it for its own sake if he thinks it's fun, but if he's trying to prove some grandiose philosophical point, then the whole thing is doomed to failure. How much does it take for your MC to think that they were wrong about something important?
Ginzaekh: Seeing my dad and grandpa again. Zash: An unlimited supply of salted buffalo shoulders. Gazi: Singing onstage and meeting every single audience member personally after the performance. [sniffles just thinking about it] Dav: Seeing Narta again. Or publishing my book. I really want both to happen. If your MCs knew about you, what would they do? Would they worship you as a god? Would thy hate you for controlling their actions? Would they consider you a normal person like them? Would they be tripped out by the fact that their reality isn't actually real?
Haha! I always have this irrational fear that I'm going to run into my own characters. I'm sure that if any of my characters ran into me, they probably wouldn't know it was me, lol. And if so, they'd probably be out to get me after all the crap that happened to them because of me. How does your MC feel about people with differing opinions?
My group has expanded and shifted. Faris is now one of the bad guys tagging along (possibly banished) and I've got a widow and her son joining. Faris: "I want to help my people win this war. It's cost a lot of lives, and I want to see it over before it costs too many more." Jason: "Well, since we finally left Egalia lands, I think it would be to see my dad again. I miss him a lot." Shiloh: "I- I don't know. Now that we've left. . . I think I'd like it if Faris wasn't around. I don't feel safe around him." Mahuru: "Oh I've got a lot of 'wants'. But sticking to what's possible. . . I want to see Taishi again. He was too young to strike out on his own, but he did it anyway. I miss him so much. . ." Charaka: "I'm with Mom. I miss my brother, and I'd like to know he's okay." (Since it got skipped earlier I'm re-doing Simpson's question.) How much does it take for your MC to think that they were wrong about something important?
Ginzaekh: Well, I got injured multiple times due to the antics of a sentient crystal, was unable to chuck it back into the river, didn't believe the dragon who told me he was the emperor and that he was a wizard, even when my cousin and uncle confirmed it, and when I did start believing in magic, I still thought they were trying to deceive me somehow for an unknown reason. So... I'd rather not answer that question. Ash: I'm never wrong about anything important. Well, there was that one time when I thought Ginzaekh's family was crazy... I mean, I was right, it was just the wrong kind of crazy. Gazi: I admit when I'm wrong right away, usually. I don't like being wrong and pretending to be right is more wrong than being wrong in the first place. Dav: Usually when I'm wrong about something it hits me like the ground and I react accordingly. I thought Narta didn't care about me, had forgotten me, but the letter changed all that the moment I saw it. Zarakharn: I learn from my mistakes. Next time, my revenge will succeed and I will be sure to make it as painful as can be imagined. The Rishnaran: Zarakharn's not as quick to learn from his mistakes as he says he is. But when he does, he corrects his strategy. However, he usually misses the point and makes the same mistake because he changed the wrong aspects of his plan. He's a lot like me that way, actually. Your main character writes a novel about you. Describe it.
