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   Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:26 JST Strange Seawolf

   • 🎄 Panda Bear :veripawed2:

   Both @floofpaldi and I are writing the same character, Randall Brown, who had far too less screen time in the series #TheHour

   I will answer the #PennedPossibilities prompts in POV, but of Liz, his colleague and former lover, taking a look at him.

   I have many versions of them, the 22 minutes of screen time created endless possibilities, but I will take the version from my story "The Dancing Floor" for it where I feel I got his #OCD, #PTSD and #neurodivergence best.

   https://archiveofourown.org/works/41000106/chapters/102752046

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:11 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 20
     (Switching to the short story "A Birthday" here, be aware of suicidal thoughts in the story)

     "He showed it to me. It is from his thirtieth birthday. Me, sitting next to a fountain... must have been somewhere near Gernika. It was so hot that day, but we had lots of fun."
     *smiles*
     "Times were different, then. We had to take our fun where we found it. Death was around every corner. But in some regards we knew better how to live life, back then."

     https://archiveofourown.org/works/28503669?view_adult=true

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:12 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 19
     Liz:
     "Sports..."
     *she stares pensively to nowhere in particular, as if she is seeing something you don't see*
     "It is funny, because that is one thing we never talked about. Aside from the obvious one."
     *snickers lewdly*
     "I don't think he mentioned any. He once mentioned a boat but that sailing wasn't for him. Sometimes he disappears for a few days. Perhaps some hiking?"
     *focuses again on you*
     "The more I think about it, the more I realize I don't really /know/ that man."

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:13 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     • Doctor Monkey
     • Doctor Wanderer 🐝✒
     • 🎄 Panda Bear :veripawed2:
     • QuokkaMocha
     • dan
     • EvelynCold

     @DoctorMonkey2 @floofpaldi @doctorwanderer @QuokkaMocha @justdan @EvelynCold Fairness warning: they will irritate each other terribly as long as I write them younger. The wholesomeness of really "getting" each other is reserved for my stories of them after the series.
     Because, think it through: if they would have truly understood each other and their personalities back then, S2 would never have happened. 😉

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:13 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 18
     Liz: *gulps*
     "Listen, even when I am doing Randall's POV instead of mine... it... it doesn't mean that it hurts less, you know?"
     *lights cigarette, pours glass*
     "He asked. I said no. I just... just couldn't... I had my suspicions... sickness in the mornings... but hadn't tested..."
     *empties glass*
     "So, yes, Randall had to let me go. It was the only solution, obviously. I couldn't have lived with him and he not with me. We were like TNT. Can we please stop doing this?"

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:14 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     • Doctor Monkey
     • Doctor Wanderer 🐝✒
     • 🎄 Panda Bear :veripawed2:
     • QuokkaMocha
     • dan
     • EvelynCold

     #PennedPossibilities 8
     This prompt warranted a one shot. And if only because @DoctorMonkey2 and @floofpaldi agreed.

     "Strengths"
     Takes us back to the days of the Spanish Civil War when experienced war reporter Lix Storm gets teamed up with Randall Brown, a young photographer.
     They get trapped and Lix is highly irritated by his #neurodivergence and #OCD but there is perhaps more than meets the eye.

     https://archiveofourown.org/works/48775423

     For @doctorwanderer @QuokkaMocha @justdan @EvelynCold

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:15 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 16
     Exhibit A & B:
     Randall has this whole inner world of feelings for Lix, but does he get those out? Nope... 🙄

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:15 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 17
     As a writer I will never:
     1. ...adher to writing advice I found doesn't work for me
     2. ...change the POV within a chapter
     3. ...have a damsel in distress. You will find the occasional traditional hero in distress, though
     4. ...have violence being the final solution to a problem.
     5. ...have an ending where the bad guys win.

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:16 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 15
     "Anything you can dance to, really. Randall is a fantastic dancer, even if he doesn't look that part. We were Fred and Ginger among our colleagues, back in Spain. Nobody did it like we did. So, yeah, everything from Sinatra to Platters will make the cut."

     Fun fact: The Story "The Dancing Floor" I refer to was mainly inspired by the lyrics of the Runrig song of the same name, but laso, in this video they use footage of Astair and Rodgers, so...

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9IUCrsFaiw

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:16 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 16
     Lix: "Depends. Immediate, life-threatening danger? Even if it is years since he has been on the frontlines, Randall still acts rather cold blooded, fast, and exactly right. Now, when it comes to admitting feelings... he is afraid of that and so he...chooses not to. Thinking about it, he evades danger in both cases. I don't know what he is afraid of... oh, well, who am I kidding? I do know. We are both cut from the same cloth when it comes to emotions."
     *pours another cup*

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:17 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 12
     Lix: "Randall's home?" *snorts* "I have seen operating rooms not as tidy as this. Seriously, that man is able to get distracted from an accute nuclear threat if there is a lint on the prime minister's coat. His flat is always so clean you could eat from the floor. Of course, the same could be said about mine, but in my case because you will always find some leftover food, there. And newspapers. And other practical things. Really, we are so different!" *laughs*

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:17 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 13
     Lix: *stares ahead, opens desk, takes out bottle, pours generous amount of whisky in tea cup, takes big swig*
     "Randall and I have a commmon one: Girl meets boy, they work at the frontlines, their lives constantly at risk, they make out as if there is no tomorrow, he proposes, she sents him away, she discovers she's pregnant, child is given up for adoption. 19 years later, boy comes back to search for child. Child is dead. Sad enough for you?"
     *Empties cup and refills it*

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:17 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 14
     Liz: *laughs*
     "Randall's favorite dessert? I have never met a man so keen on Tiramisu. Everything sweet, really. I mean, he is infamous around here as 'the man who never smiles', but most of them don't know about his sweet tooth. Really, he doesn't miss Paris as such, he misses the French confectionary and the croissants. But if you place a Tiramisu somewhere, it is like a dog whistle. He materializes out of thin air, I swear!"
     *giggles*

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:18 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 10 contd.
     No, Randall isn't telepathic. But Lix did something she had never done before and even if he doesn't have spidey senses, he is "tuned in" into Lix in a way that catapults him into action. Well, "catapult" at his own, meticulous, neurodivergent pace, of course.
     [some paragraphs between the first and second #snippet cut for length)

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:18 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 11
     Lix: "He sure doesn't look that part, but Randall is an absolute risk taker. I wouldn't go as far as calling him a risk seeker, he takes calculated risks, but those are often much more daring than anybody else's, not even mine. He doesn't give a damn about social conventions. If he feels a story needs to be told, he tells it. He's a taker of calculated risks, but if that risk is he might end up shot, but the story is worth it, he takes it. Reckless to the core, that man."

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:19 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 10
     Lix: "It is strange... but Randall knows when I need him. Not that I need anybody, I can fend for myself, thank you very much!"
     *lights a cigarette, pensive stare*
     "I still don't know what made him show up at my sister's after Herb's..."
     *trails off, takes another drag*
     "Anyway, I guess he felt needed back then. I could have sorted it myself, really. Felt kinda stupid... I don't need anyone and nobody needs me... Anyway, I guess that was the last time he felt needed."

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:20 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 8
     Lix: "I miss the philosophical ramblings we had back in Spain. When it was getting late - or early. Or when we were trapped and needed to wait for dawn to get out and away. Or dusk. I recall the topic of strength came up one time...'Physical strength is meaningless if mental strength isn't there. When the character is strong, you can't break a person. Physical you can, but you will never break a strong personality.' That's what Randall said. I'm still thinking about that."

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:20 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 9
     Lix: "Randall never talks about his family, so I have no idea. I think he mentioned a sister, once, but I am not sure. I know basically NOTHING about his background."

     Remarks:
     I wrote different versions of Randall and therefore of his family and childhood. I always trace back what could have resulted in the personality we see on screen.
     The deepest I explore it in "Up North" where he goes missing and Lix goes on the quest to find him.
     https://archiveofourown.org/works/26494642/chapters/64568317

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:20 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 9 contd.
     Unifying is that the circumstances left him to some extend crippled and distorted but with an eagerness to do better.
     The question always remains if he became a rather distant but kind personality because of what happened to him or if this is how he was born and it stands to reason how much happier he could have turned out and how much more he could have done if he had grown up in a more understanding environment.

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:21 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 7
     "Randall had one bad habit, and that was one we all shared as journalists, especially in warzones. We all drank. He stopped. I'm too old to change.
     Aside from that, I know he beats himself up for his tics and the things he has to do just so. I wish he'd accept that they are part of him, they just belong to the whole personality that actually MAKE him such a fast and brilliant thinker. He sees things differently, spots patterns. That's not a bad habit, that's awesome!"

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:22 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 4
     Story: The Dancing Floor
     https://archiveofourown.org/works/41000106/chapters/103169391
     POV: Lix
     "Cheek to cheek. I have been through a lot, war, conflict...I never needed a knight in shining armor, thank you very much. I can fend for myself. But when Randall challenged my cousin Herb after what he did to me, challenged him in this unique, quirky way only Randall can, in front of everybody...I felt like a princess. Still do when I hear this song."
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOYzFKizikU
     Art https://ko-fi.com/illustory/commissions
     #PennedSongs

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:22 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 5
     "Randall deserves happiness. A good woman. He has so much to offer, yet, he dug himself into work. All this self-loathing and grieving... Sometimes I think it is still about us. Stupid man! He should know best that I am broken beyond repair. Why doesn't he go out more? He has a good job, he is clever, he has a quirky sense of humor once you know him better, age suits him, if anything, he is more attractive now than he was 20 years ago. What is holding him back?"

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:22 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 6
     *Liz giggles*
     "Let me tell you a funny story: Randall really told me that when we kissed for the first time in Spain it was the first kiss he really considered a 'proper kiss'. Don't know...It was just such a Randall thing to say, you know? He doesn't let anyone close, worse than a clam, but then, suddenly, he says something like that and looks at you, with this open, honest expression and his wonderful eyes..." *exhales* "Gosh, sometimes I think I am still not over him."

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:23 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 3
     "Randall... he likes a good book. And clothes. He always had a thing for a good cloth. Or expensive silk ties. I know touching it brings him joy. He once said it put order to his brain." *snorts unhappily* "As if anything about him was chaotic. Anyway, I hope it makes his life worth living. At times, I am truly worried he lost his will to live when we found Sophia has died. He wanted to find her, I didn't. I knew why. A mother always knows."
     *takes another swig*
     2/2

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:23 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     • Doctor Wanderer 🐝✒

     #PennedPossibilities 4
     I have to warn you that I am so obsessed with songs that a while ago @doctorwanderer and I created the hashtag #PaintingSongsWithWords and have an own collection for it on AO3. It never inspired other writers, but dare I say we didn't care?
     https://archiveofourown.org/collections/PaintingSongsWithWords
     I won't do every single story I have ever written, but for some there is definitely a song, either in the story or one that has meaning for a character in there. Filter #PennedSongs to avoid the avalanche.

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:23 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 4
     Story: Martha
     https://archiveofourown.org/collections/PaintingSongsWithWords/works/38862993
     POV: Martha Craig
     "Gosh, I can't hear this song anymore! If you read the story, you will know why."
     Narrator: it is 'Martha' by Tom Waits
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Mse62NFl4
     #PennedSongs

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:24 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 2
     "I know he doesn't look that part, but Randall was always a risk-taker. A taker of calculated risks, but still... he was reckless to the core. So was I. And we were edging each other on. Together we were dynamite, back in Spain. But, apparently, after we split up, he was even worse. Nearly sought death at the front lines. Sure, he brought back the best stories because of this, which helped him after the war, but was it worth the effect it had on his health? I doubt it."

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:24 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 3
     "Little things..." *Liz heaves a big sigh* "For me, I know there is not much, lately. I work, I get drunk, I work again. Work keeps me upright. I enjoy it. Always have. Yeah, working with the team and finding stuff out, the evil scheming behind the scenes of the big politics... that makes life worth living. But I forgot this shouldn't be about me, so... Randall..."
     *takes a big swig*
     1/2

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:25 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     #PennedPossibilities 1
     "Randall is destined to lead a team of journalists. I know he doesn't think so, but that's what he's really good at.He's a great journalist himself, mind. But he has the nose for the audience, he sees the possibilities in topics, especially if they rub politicians the wrong way, he is brave and stubborn enough to go for it, and he has the uncanny ability to make his team mad at him, bringing them together by doing so. He balances their personalities without them noticing."

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     Strange Seawolf (strangeseawolf@mindly.social)'s status on Wednesday, 16-Aug-2023 03:37:47 JST Strange Seawolf

     in reply to

     This is the #tango used in the story:

     La soledad
     que me envuelve el corazón,
     va encendiendo en mi alma
     el fuego de tu amor lejano.
     En las brumas de tu olvido
     viaja mi ilusión,
     gritando tu nombre en vano.

     (The loneliness
     that enfolds my heart
     kindles in my soul
     the fire of your distant love.
     Through the mists of your forgetting
     wander all my dreams,
     crying out your name in vain.)

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDRvQyFbyDA