I know it's a question but which is the proper punctuation here? or I ask because the character speaking isn't really asking anyone. It's more of that flat response than a question. Given that info does the ? apply anyway?
This one I think: "Who cares? I need to sleep..." It doesn't matter if it's rhetorical or an actual question to someone.
I think you get two different tones. "Who cares." is a statement. Which is how it ends up getting used a lot. While, "Who cares?" is a question, albeit rhetorical. I feel like, proper punctuation would be dictated by whether or not your character is directing it at someone or is using it as a rhetorical question, or if they're just saying "who cares," as an interjection or way to get out of a conversation. But, I could be totally wrong about that. lol
That's kind of what I was thinking. Period because it's a statement and not directed at anyone in particular. Just internal monologue. But I wanted to make sure.
How is "Who cares." a statement unless 'Who' is somebody's name/nickname? And then it would mean that Who does care. So a period makes no sense. "Who cares?" is proper - no, it's not directed at anyone in particular, but that doesn't change the fact it is a rhetorical question.
