#PennedPossibilities 624 — Are there any mental health issues that run in your SC’s family?

Many complications come from bad chips and implants. It can affect the brain in the myriad of ways. Dante's family have suffered a lot in the past, and his father was one such case. The man went insane from a virus on his chip. His mother is still alive and well, though. What's more, since her husband's passing, she's done well for herself. Depression and anxiety also run in his family. Living on Citune, it's no wonder.

#PennedPossibilities 623 — In theory, what would be your SC’s weapon of choice?

Junk prefers knives. He has a set of cryo-blades and they freeze the poor soul who gets stabbed. It'll freeze, burn, and immediately "cauterize" the wound. Fantastic.

Dante is a lover, not a fighter. He's a doc, after all. He's ridiculous whenever he's somehow found himself in a fight, all long limbs and not a single ounce of grace in his body. He manages to stay alive, though. He's the type to choose a frying pan if it's the closest object he can find to defend himself.

Cosmia's a bar owner. An empty bottle works. She doesn't need a weapon, though. Her mouth is more than enough. She'll curse you on your way out of the door. You'll run for your life.

#PennedPossibilities 622 — Does your MC read? If so, what sorts of things? Do they have a preferred genre of choice?

Alexios reads. In his spare time, he likes to leaf through adventure stories. (Romance novels too, but that's something he'll NEVER tell another living soul, not even Junk.) During workdays, he spends time searching (and reading) the system database and combing through the warehouse archives for acquired books and other trinkets. It's all for black market clients, and it depends on whatever they want. Alexios' gang sell antiques and oddities to customers willing to pay for their desired items. If there's something they don't actually have, Alexios and his gang will do everything they can to find it for them. But yes, Alexios enjoys reading in his downtime. Comic books, novels, long or short stories, etc. All from the genres I mentioned as well.

#PennedPossibilities 621 — What was the bravest moment in your MC’s life? Were they known to be courageous from then on?

It was the moment Alexios chose life... He escaped slavery, becoming the sole survivor of his planet being destroyed and its people turned into slaves or experiments. He survived. It was the bravest he's ever been. Since then, courage has come easily. He's a man on the run. He's a rebel, a fugitive, a crime circuit boss, a gang leader, a salesman on the black market, etc. Bravery is a must.

#PennedPossibilities 620 — What have you enjoyed about writing your antagonist / villain?

Dr. Death is a smooth motherf*cker. His lines are excellent, but I'm biased. He isn't as much of a (noticeable) sleazeball as you would expect, honestly. It comes as a surprise, I'm sure, with the way I talk about him. He attracts women for a reason. That's the extent of it for me, though. Everything else about him is disgusting.

#PennedPossibilities 619 — What type of “accent” does your MC have? Tell us about their voice. Discuss speech patterns, vocabulary, slang, or their way of speaking, if you like.

Sorry but as a massive wrestling fan, I just have to say... "619! Booyaka, booyaka, that's my pueblo!" God, I love Rey Mysterio so much.

Alexios Jace comes from a planet that I've mentioned many times before called New Glasgow, where a group of people (Scottish families, obviously) left Earth as it was dying and claimed a habitable world for their own. That particular planet was destroyed by the Syndicate, and Alexios was the sole survivor. Now living on Citune, he's the only one with a voice quite like his. He has a distinctly Scottish accent, setting him apart from everyone else around. His slang is a mix of cyperpunk and Glaswegian. While he says "choom" like everyone else, he always throws around "mate" rather easily as well. That's just a quick example. I will say, on top of things, he's always a mardy, grumpy man, and he tends to grumble a lot. His voice is deeper, thick with an accent, and everyone automatically assumes he's pissed off. Go figure.

#PennedPossibilities 618 — Is your SC prone to jealousy? How might they handle any envious feelings?

Dr. Arcturius "Dante" Cason hates when the woman he loves is shown attention from anyone. He would never say it, would never voice the words aloud, but he'll burn with jealousy as he watches on. All of this is ridiculous, of course, because he'll never tell her how he feels... Maybe one day, if he ever gets up the nerve. Until then, he'll just suffer in silence. (Also, I've never mentioned this woman's name here. It's a big spoiler for Book 2.)

As for jealousy in any other way, Dante never experiences it. He's a fantastic doctor and others look up to /him/, not the other way around. "Workplace jealousy" never happens. Dante's Inferno is a med shop that everyone frequents.

#WordWeavers 3.17 — How organized are your characters?

This is a fantastic prompt.

Here's a few:

• Governor Tarkin: He's a clever man. He's prepared for any outcome. He's forever organized to a fault when it comes to notes and battle strategy. His home, however? Or his personal quarters aboard the ship? Both are clean and organized as well. (His wife keeps his home clean.)
• Lady Nolana Disa: Halfway organized. She's always prepared but never sure of what's to come. She lives out of a suitcase as well.
• Director Orson Krennic: Messy notes on his datapad, clean living quarters. He's a contradiction.
• Emperor Palpatine: He is, of course, an organized man, but only because everyone else "cleans" for him.
• Lord Vader: Does it even need explaining?

#PennedPossibilities 616 — Name a bizarre and hyper-specific detail that you know about one of your characters but is completely irrelevant to the story.

I should have made a Marvel joke, but...

Junk is a Master (or Iron) Chef level cook. He's absolutely amazing in the kitchen, and that goes for both baking and cooking. No one makes a better crème brulée. The synthetic eggs he uses are a very high quality as well. (Not a bad idea for us struggling Americans right now.)

#WordWeavers 3.16 — If someone reads your book in the far future, are there themes or influences they’d identify as relevant to our time?

This dark romance tale differs from many. It's from the POV of the Empire (the villains). As for themes, let's list a few.

• Self-discovery
• Survival
• Tragedy
• Love
• Tradition

#WordWeavers 3.13 — If your MC was a music genre, what genre would they be?

Lady Disa would be pure death metal. Hands down, no contest. Governor Tarkin (and this is canon to what he likes) would be classical music. The terrifying kind that leaves your heart pounding.

Random, maybe, but both of those genres are ones that I adore.

#WordWeavers 3.12 — Does your MC love the spotlight or try to pass unnoticed?

Governor Tarkin loves it. He revels in it. Lady Disa, however, tries to avoid it. She's a Sith, so it does her no good whatsoever and it only makes her uncomfortable.