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July 9, 2024 at 12:27 pm #182341
why are two complete strangers geeking about what makes a proper sniper character from two respective sides of a server. why am I doing this with my life. lol.
OUCH! I thought we were friends! lololol!!! haha!
I still think my sniper wins. He’s not military either. He’s a rebel!!!
Man is born for the fight, to be forged and molded into a sharper, finer, stronger image of God
July 9, 2024 at 12:29 pm #182343@ellette-giselle lol! don’t mind my existential crises.
Ron honestly does sound a smidge cooler in a way. He still has to beat out Crosshair though, who’s held the top spot among my favorite military characters for 5 solid years.
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
July 9, 2024 at 12:30 pm #182344First time on the Chat Chat. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed…
I read the chapters you posted. Poor Jonothan. And I thought my character had a tragic backstory! I am wondering though, did Don know that he, his wife, and his daughter would all be killed? If so, why did he not hide his wife and daughter as well?
July 9, 2024 at 12:33 pm #182346Ron honestly does sound a smidge cooler in a way. He still has to beat out Crosshair though, who’s held the top spot among my favorite military characters for 5 solid years.
Fair enough. I’ll send you a Ron scene once I have one. For now you’ll have to be satisfied with Jonathan.
I read the chapters you posted. Poor Jonothan. And I thought my character had a tragic backstory! I am wondering though, did Don know that he, his wife, and his daughter would all be killed? If so, why did he not hide his wife and daughter as well?
Huh? Don doesn’t have a daughter. Just two sons. One is dead, the other is Jonathan. Which scene are you reading?
Man is born for the fight, to be forged and molded into a sharper, finer, stronger image of God
July 9, 2024 at 12:34 pm #182347@ellette-giselle cool!
Jonathan’s really interesting too! Although that scene where they killed his parents was so sad. I feel terrible for him.
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
July 9, 2024 at 12:35 pm #182348@linus-smallprint lollll
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
July 9, 2024 at 12:38 pm #182349Looking back, I think I may have interpreted Sara and Jonathan’s mother as two separate characters. Whoops.
July 9, 2024 at 12:44 pm #182350Oh! You’re reading the first chapter! Wow that was some time ago.
Ah yeah, sorry about that. And yes, the reason Sara couldn’t hide was because Don had to stall the agents while Sara closed the hiding place. You see, they all three were supposed to escape together, but the agents moved to fast and they had to resort to a last move “Hail-Marry” play.
If you scroll through I had a few more scenes with Jonathan in them if you want to take a look.
Man is born for the fight, to be forged and molded into a sharper, finer, stronger image of God
July 9, 2024 at 1:31 pm #182361Here’s a funny scene for a change.
“Ow!” howled Jonathan. “Stop it, Jim!”
Jim, kitchen scissors in hand, was attacking Jonathan’s messy hair. What with the blood, sweat, and two weeks lying in bed, it was frightful. Over the year, Jonathan had let it grow down almost to his shoulders, but now that it was a matted mess, Jim had decided it was time to take some action.
“The blasted things don’t cut!” growled Jim, giving Jonathan’s hair a savage wrench with the object in question.
“You’re ripping not cutting!” yelled Jonathan.
“Shut up,” snapped back Jim. He grabbed another handful of hair and began sawing back and forth and chomping the scissor blades.
Jonathan grabbed his head. “Stop! You’re giving me a headache!”
Jim smacked Jonathan’s hands with the scissors. “Out of my way!”
Jonathan gave up and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He gritted his teeth as Jim continued to hack away with his scissors.
“Good grief, it’s all stuck together. Why don’t you keep it clean?” Jim demanded.
“I couldn’t very well do that lying in bed with a busted head could I?” griped back Jonathan.
At last, Jim stopped cutting. Jonathan made to escape, but Jim grabbed his shoulder and slammed him back down in a sitting position on the floor. “Hold still. If I’m going to do this I’m going to do it right!” Jim marched off into the other room, leaving Jonathan sulking on the floor.
When Jim returned, Jonathan eyed him suspiciously. “What do you have?”
“I grabbed these last raid for the explicit purpose of getting you looking a little more decent,” said Jim, a tone of pride in his voice.
“You mean the raid you left me out of,” groused Jonathan.
“You could barely walk,” snapped back Jim. He displayed a woman’s hairbrush and a small shaving mirror. Jonathan sprang to his feet. “Absolutely not! Stay away from me! Get that thing out of here!” he yelled.
Jim came at him with a rush. Jonathan turned toward the stairs but he was still weak from his two weeks of being bedridden. He made it half way across the room before Jim tackled him. Jonathan fought and howled while Jim good-naturedly beat him with the hairbrush. “If you don’t stop all the racket, the men will come up and see what’s going on. Then they’ll all stand around while I fix you up,” he threatened.
Jonathan snapped his mouth shut and went still. Jim grinned triumphantly and pulled him into a sitting position. He propped up the mirror on the old box they used as a table. Then, he grabbed his scissors and brush. Jonathan clenched his teeth as Jim attacked his hair with the brush. “I’m going to strangle you for this!”
“Only if you can catch me,” Jim cheerfully replied.
“You are taking way to much pleasure in tormenting me,” complained Jonathan.
“Then quit being so fun to torment,” retorted Jim.
When Jim finally stopped brushing, Jonathan’s hair was a smooth as silk and he was fuming. Jim used the scissors to even up the lose ends while Jonathan glared death at him in the mirror.
Jim looked at Jonathan’s refection thoughtfully. Then he brushed Jonathan’s wavy hair into a smooth side-part. Jonathan let out a yell of disgust and immediately thrashed his hair with his hands, making it stuck out in all directions. He grabbed Jim’s leg and yanked him off his feet before scrambling up and bolting for the door. Jim’s howling laughter followed him as he thundered down the rickety old stairs. “Just you wait until I get my hands on you!” Jonathan yelled.
“I’ll be waiting,” chuckled Jim. “Waiting with baited breath!”
Man is born for the fight, to be forged and molded into a sharper, finer, stronger image of God
July 9, 2024 at 2:28 pm #182363Amazon!
Thank you!!
Thanks so much!!!
Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.
July 9, 2024 at 3:33 pm #182366Yayyy!!!!! That’s so exciting!!! I’m so happy for you Ava!!! 🥳 *cake for everyone* 🎂
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
July 9, 2024 at 4:27 pm #182368Congrats, the cover looks so cool!!! Writing a whole book is crazy committed✨🤩
Oh lol I can give you some ideas!! Plot is always hard 😝
They might not be along the lines of what your goals are, but just some thoughts. External conflict doesn’t have to be super action-y, it just has to be a character taking action to push forward what they believe in/want. You already know that though XD
Here are some Leon plot ideas! This might be more Book 2 material, idk.
There can be outward manifestations of things he wants, because that can show his struggle balancing family life with a vengeful spirit/drinking away his PTSD/getting over or forgetting his past. Let’s say he has two goals. 1. Keep multiple jobs to support his family, and 2. Track down something to put his mind to peace, like a past war killer, or just avoiding any triggers of PTSD.
You can write him sliding from one goal to another, like a see-saw. He struggles to keep his jobs, because he would much rather forget everything and go into revenge-mode. Ultimately he might have a dark moment where he abolishes some war memories for good, but sacrifices an important family responsibility.
External conflict is really just a reflection of the character’s values. If they work towards a goal, they are valuing something behind that goal.
I would say for Riker, maybe he learns to speak up against prejudice? If the Jews were oppressed for being Jewish, oppressing a German for being German is just repeating the cycle. This could also seamlessly tie into God’s command, to spread the Gospel to both Jews and gentiles. Beforehand, Riker might have trouble speaking up, and goes through a period of discovering his voice in a new culture. Maybe there’s such a big barrier, that he temporarily forgets how people can connect over cultures and languages. I can totally imagine him going to an American dinner party and uncomfortably watching people behind a furniture barricade 😂 He might see Americans as boisterous and intimidating. I’ve heard that’s often how foreigners feel.
For his struggle to be represented externally… Maybe someone convinces him to start a form of communication between immigrants. A support system for food, a news club, or even a radio talk (which isn’t his personality, but the radio was popular around that time). He gravitates towards talking with other Germans, which sparks American suspicion. Like, just in his town area.
Anyway I don’t know your books well enough 😛 But those are my thoughts! Hope they spark something.
“Everything is a mountain”
July 9, 2024 at 5:35 pm #182370@whalekeeper Ty for the ideas, girlie 💖
The ideas for Leon are def more for his 2nd book
Tho he still struggles with grief, remaining pain, and still his PTSD (Riker also still wrestles with PTSD, both from the camp and from his abused childhood🫠😅), he’s left the vengeance behind, leaving the men that harmed him in God’s hands
and as for Riker, well, he already learned how to stand up during the war, working in *SPOILERS*: resistance work which mainly involved saving Jews and later on, after his arrest, standing up to Hans
and, well, I guess he’s learned about Americans with both of his in-laws being in the US for years and even his wife and kids being American citizens for a while. Although for most of that beginning time Riker was in Germany and then in prison in the US for about 5 years😅 idk, figuring out Riker’s journey in the 3rd book will prob be the hardest.
His wrestle will still mostly be with his shame/regret…and maybe some tension with some ppl, maybe?
idk
😅😅
✨ who the Son sets free is free indeed ✨
July 9, 2024 at 5:37 pm #182371Long story short, External conflict is not my forte. I much more prefer internal conflict😂
✨ who the Son sets free is free indeed ✨
July 9, 2024 at 6:21 pm #182372Thank you so much!! *enjoys cake*
Thanks!! I’m definitely in love with the cover, though it’ll be difficult to match when I make book 2’s cover. We’ll see what I can come up with XD
Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.
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