25 Character Questions; October 24 2020

It’s happening. We’re gettin’ into the seasonal scares. I’ve bought pumpkins for a carving party with my daughter, the Halloween candy has been portioned out into little bags so I can hand them out with tongs contact-free, and my costume is here! We’re one week away and I couldn’t be more excited.

Halloween was always a Big Event in my house. My parents were into theatre and had an appropriate dramatic flair for the holiday, even owning tech from my father’s theatre. We had lighting casting red glows on the windows, we had a sound system hidden in the bushes for my mother to startle passing kids, we had the most elaborate decorations. My brother and I had tactics for hitting up houses with our pillowcases instead of baskets, including a halfway-point drop off.

I was so proud whenever people told me I just had to see the house at the corner of the block. That was my house.

When we got older, my brother and I started participating in a haunted house set-up instead. It went past the shed where my brother would pretend to be a monster, I’d be doling out spooky fortunes over a crystal ball (appropriative in hindsight, but we didn’t know better then), and there’d be a final scare from my dad before the kids got their candy.

Halloween is a favourite of mine, for sure. It saddens me that I won’t be able to give my kid the same sort of experiences, especially this year due to COVID-19. Decorating an apartment, or someone else’s house, hardly has the same appeal.

Anyway! Last week I asked 25 worldbuilding questions for my fellow sci-fi/fantasy writers. This time, I thought I’d ask 25 character questions!

1. What item would they never be caught dead having on their person?

2. What are they convinced they wouldn’t like, despite never trying?

3. Your character is unexpectedly transported to a new dimension. What’s the first thing they try to learn?

4. Going off the scenario in the last question, what are they stuck wearing/looking like?

5. What’s the most meaningful gift they could get, and from whom?

6. What won’t they ever forget, even if they want to?

7. At what age were they the happiest in their life?

8. Your character is saddled with the greatest responsibility they can imagine. What is it?

9. What personal flaw would they NOT want to fix?

10. What illogical or untrue thing do they believe in?

11. How would they react to waking up as an idealized version of themselves, and what would they look/be like?

12. Under what circumstances could they forgive someone who wronged them?

13. What smell do others associate with your character?

14. They decide to give their loved ones impromptu gifts. What do they give?

15. What book/movie could they read/watch on repeat without getting tired of?

16. Assuming they could tame any animal, what would their ideal pet be?

17. If they could have any job and know they could do it well, what would they want to be? What do they actually do for a living, if anything?

18. What mistake would they never forgive themselves for?

19. Name two characters from popular media your character would relate to! Why them?

20. Your character has control over the actions of the person they dislike most. What do they make their nemesis do?

21. What would they do to sabotage a relationship (be it romantic, platonic, etc)?

22. Their childhood dream comes true, no matter how illogical or contrary it is to their current goals. What happens?

23. Who, if anyone, could they rely on in an emergency?

24. If they knew how their story was supposed to end, would they welcome it, or try to change it?

25. Your character meets you, their creator, and can only ask you one question. What do they ask?