"What did dad give you?”

Having drinks with your sister, you think she looks just the same. What is it about your family that they all look just the same? Time doesn’t touch them the same way time touches everyone else. Maybe it’s just the way we keep our memories. Maybe it’s something else.

You watch her eyes glitter and your mind trips over heredity. Height, intelligence, coloring. What did your father give you?

“… that I can do anything,” she replies with a half smile and you know there’s more, “to anyone, anytime, without anyone else being the wiser.”



note: sister, Moira, borrowed - with much love.

Both ...

[A 14 year old Max]


He hates his birthday.

You hate his birthday.

Shuffling into the kitchen, he’s not shaved, he’s not dressed, he’s not anything. He’s been in bed for a few days in that dark, dark room. It’s early and not yet dawn. You’ve just gotten home and he’s sort of managing to get up.

He doesn’t even like cake.

You wonder, who the fuck doesn’t like cake?

You think he hates his birthday because he hates himself.

You hate him.

And you don’t feel like dealing with him so you say something that should send him back to bed. “Happy Birthday, Dad.”

She makes that walk of shame all the way home.
Rumpled, tired. Slow walking. The sun is just starting to kiss the sky, but she knows that you’re asleep and will likely stay that way until the sun starts to dip with the turn of midday. Plenty of time to slip into bed with you and absorb your scent.

Barely making a dip in the mattress, she curls up beside you just in time that when you reach out your hand, she’s there. You stroke her lithe lines and she stretches like liquid beneath your touch. All is well.

*
Max’s cat, Dot

Go to the Flickr Last 7 Days page, and hit reload until you find a picture a) that has blue as a dominant color and b) that you like. Then write a response to it from your character's point-of-view/pertaining to your character.

*



Your mother told you that he painted your walls blue.
Before he even knew you, before he even knew of you – he had plans for you and you were wanted. In a house of white walls, he painted your walls blue.

Your sister told you that he hated blue.
Like ice or winter or cold. He hated them. And she told you that he wanted what he hated and hated what he had.

You were 15 the first time you ever landed a punch to your old man. Even though he was big and gray with weight on all that height, he was fast. Even with his knees. That he could come to stand near you and not ever make a sound amazed you.

He called you stupid. His way of pushing you to be more clever, to think beyond the immediate. With his DNA you thought way too fucking much. Felt good to punch him. Felt awful for him to get that rise from you, for him to get you at all.

1. Is your character's mother alive, or deceased? If alive, what kind of health / shape is she in? If not, how did she die?
*Max’s mother is deceased. Multiple myeloma.
This is significant because when he’s less than rational about things, he blames his father. His mother rotted from her insides from staying with his father.
She passed when he was a senior in high school.

2. Was she married, or a single parent? A young or older woman when she gave birth to your character? How many children does she have?
*Married. Just Max.

3. What sort of mother was she to your character when they were small? How did the relationship change as your char grew up?
*A loving, protective, happy mother. In stark contrast to the bounce of his father.

4. Was there ever / could there ever be a time when your character and mom were more like friends than parent and child?
*She died when he was young, and she was always mindful to be his mother and not be his friend. Max needed a parent.

5. If your character has children (or plans to), how did their mother's parenting style influence the character's own? (can be positive or negative influence)
*He would like to have children. He and his fiancé would like to have children. His mother’s parenting style would be relevant to his style.

6. Did mom have any sayings, quirks, or rules that still influence the character's thoughts or behavior? (you'll put your eye out with that crossbow!, don't wear white before labor day, etc.)
*Not so much that he remembers, but when he left home he did take a jar of marbles that was once hers from when she was small.

7. What role (if any) does your character's mother play in his or her story?
*Her muse predates his, so her story and RP interactions shape his character.

8. Does your relationship with your own mother influence how you write your character's relationship with his or her mother? Why or why not?
*No. I rarely write what is mine in story. I borrow from other people’s lives.

1. Double knot your shoes
2. If you want to knock someone out, punch them in the throat
3. Never go to bed angry
4. Pay it forward
5. Never let them see you sweat


1. Respect your father