WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER'S NAME? WHAT DO THEY PREFER TO BE CALLED?
Gary Riley

HOW ARE THEY BEST RECOGNIZED IN A CROWD?
Gary is quite tall, standing at six foot five, with dark blond hair and green-grey eyes. He has a light, slightly tanned skin tone, and is of a slightly-above-average build. He rarely smiles, and when he does it may come across as slightly unnerving. That said, he is still relatively handsome.

WHAT IS A STRANGER'S FIRST IMPRESSION UPON MEETING THEM? HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER SEE THEMSELVES?
A stranger's first impression would be that Gary is quite serious. Get to know him and you will discover that he also has a sense of humor, though he may occasionally display some rudeness as well. This isn't too far from how Gary sees himself, though he prefers to think of himself as honest rather than rude. He also possesses strong principles and a healthy sense of skepticism.

WHERE DID THEY GROW UP? WHERE DO THEY FEEL AT HOME?
Gary grew up in a larger town not too far from Duswick, and eventually moved to one of the nearby cities to pursue a career in journalism. Despite this, he is still most at home in a suburban setting.

WHO ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES?
Gary... doesn't actually have anyone. His parents are dead, he has a brother that he only occasionally speaks to. He is on good terms with his roommate back home, but he isn't sure they could be considered friends. He maintains a professional relationship with his boss and coworkers.

WHAT IS THEIR PROFESSION, SKILL OR LIFESTYLE? WHAT DO THEY THINK THEIR STRENGTHS ARE? WHAT ARE THEIR ACTUAL STRENGTHS?
Gary is a journalist, and as a result he does not live an overly wealthy lifestyle. He is highly perceptive and observant (when it comes to people or his surroundings), proficient in hand-to-hand combat, surprisingly dextrous, well-versed in history, and quite well-read in lore relating to supernatural creatures (he doesn't actually believe in them, he simply enjoys the genre). He is also an excellent writer, and has been trying to work on a novel in his spare time.

WHAT ARE THEIR FEARS, FLAWS AND SECRETS?
Gary's worst fear would be heights: he simply does not cope well on high ground. In terms of flaws, while he can maintain a two-way conversation easily enough, he is not particularly charming or good at winning people to his side. His bluntness can sometimes offend people as well. He is also somewhat resentful towards his job; particularly how online journalism has become more concerned with clickbait and ad revenue instead of actually providing clear unbiased information. It is possible that he has a minor case of depression.

WHAT DO THEY WANT MOST? WHAT DO THEY ACTUALLY NEED?
What Gary wants most is to leave his mark on the world, and he intends to that through his articles and his writing. What he needs is to do so in a way that he enjoys, and also find something other than his job that gives his life meaning.

IF YOUR CHARACTER COULD HAVE ANY SUPERNATURAL ABILITY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
The ability to conjure portals which allow him to traverse great distances.

WHY ARE THEY HERE IN DUSKWICK? WHAT IS THEIR OPINION OF THE STRANGE RUMORS?
He was sent to investigate the odd rumours and paranormal sightings, in order to write an article on them. He doesn't believe in them personally, but it was a chance to get out of the city, and for all he knew there might be something else at play within the small town.

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THIS CHARACTER CHANGE AND DEVELOP?
Become more open-minded to the paranormal, and also become bit more light-hearted and easy-going. Also, find someone he can form an attachment to - whether it's a romance or a friendship.

PITCH A SMALL SUBPLOT THAT WOULD BE PERSONALLY MEANINGFUL TO YOUR CHARACTER.
I would like for him to be briefly possessed by some sort of spirit. The spirit does not necessarily have to be malevolent, and I would prefer that it does not make him do anything dark or overly-violent. Gary has always viewed his mind as a safe place he could retreat to; the idea that something can invade it could have quite an effect on him.

WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER'S NAME? WHAT DO THEY PREFER TO BE CALLED?

Her name is Jillian Sanders, but Jill will do just fine, thank you. She’d also be perfectly happy if you didn’t call her anything at all. She’s trying so hard not to be noticed, and frankly, it’s just rude to ruin her efforts.

HOW ARE THEY BEST RECOGNIZED IN A CROWD?

If you listen very, very carefully, you might hear the sound of muttered swearing… And there, you’ve found our Jill. She doesn’t like crowds, never mind that they’re usually the best ticket to blending into a place.

Beyond that, you might look for a ducked head and somewhat pointy shoulders.

WHAT IS A STRANGER'S FIRST IMPRESSION UPON MEETING THEM? HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER SEE THEMSELVES?

A stranger’s impression would depend largely on how they met. Left to her own devices, Jill comes off as quiet and bad at small talk. To wait staff and retail workers, she’s polite, because she knows too well how much those jobs suck. To a guy who tries to get a little too chatty on the bus? Tired and crabby and, goddamn, would it kill you to smile? (To which Jill will reply that she has not smiled in one thousand years, and she will not be starting now.)

As for how Jill sees herself? Jill is a goddamn marshmallow, and she knows it. She even likes it—she likes herself best when she’s being helpful, when she sees someone having a hard time and somehow does or says the right thing to make their life a little easier. But her self-esteem isn’t high. She has no illusions about her looks—when your primary method of travel is bus and your wardrobe consists mostly of old t-shirts, jeans, and flannel, you aren’t looking to catch anybody’s eye—nor about her people skills, which are severely rusty.

WHERE DID THEY GROW UP? WHERE DO THEY FEEL AT HOME?

Jill’s family is originally from Virginia, but she grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. This means there’s very little Southern in her, but it’ll occasionally come out when she’s agitated—you’ll notice a sharp increase in the use of words like “y’all” and “hell.”

Right now, Jill doesn’t really feel at home anywhere. There are moments of peace—looking out a bus window as the countryside passes by; sitting in the corner of a café when she’s stayed in a place long enough to become a regular—but her last memory of home is hiking down Pennsylvania backroads with her best friend, Bobby, taking pictures of old barns and crumbling sheds and pretending neither of them had anywhere to be.

WHO ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES?

There’s really only one person Jill misses: Bobby. He would probably have hit the road with her, had she asked, which is why she didn’t tell him what she was doing until the day she showed up at his house and said she needed a ride to the train station. He hasn't forgiven her for it, though that doesn't stop him from calling to check in—and swearing at her voicemail when she doesn't pick up.

WHAT IS THEIR PROFESSION, SKILL OR LIFESTYLE? WHAT DO THEY THINK THEIR STRENGTHS ARE? WHAT ARE THEIR ACTUAL STRENGTHS?

Jill’s profession is currently whatever job someone will give her, though she prefers things that don’t require her to interact with people all that much—if she’s in a grocery store, she’d like to be the stocker; if she’s in a restaurant, she’d like to be on dish duty. She supplements whatever (likely part-time) job she can get with online freelance work.

As far as practical skills go, she’s good at reading and retaining information, and she’s handier with a pocket sewing kit than you might expect. She views thoroughness as one of her strengths, and it is, though it can also be a weakness. (See below.) She’s also better with people than she sometimes gives herself credit for.

WHAT ARE THEIR FEARS, FLAWS AND SECRETS?

It’s not a fear, really, but Jill does not like to be touched. She’d rather be the one initiating contact, and most of the time, that’s only for one of two things: to someone in trouble, it’s a hand to help them up; to someone causing trouble, a good shove that she hopes will be enough.

She is afraid that she will never find her place, that the urge to move on and on and on will continue until she either gives up or runs out of money.

She absolutely hates it, but she’s nervous around large dogs, thanks to an ex-boyfriend’s German Shepherd. Equally hard to admit is that she’s also nervous around strange men, thanks to aforementioned ex-boyfriend.

Some of her flaws are obvious: she’s prickly, and sometimes she puts her foot in her mouth when she’s too overwhelmed to think before she speaks. She can be quick to judge whether she does or does not like someone, sometimes based on things that are not their fault. She is very thorough when caught up in a project and will sometimes throw herself into something to avoid dealing with other issues.

She’s a private person, so many of her secrets are inconsequential—it may take a while to figure out what books she likes, what her favorite color is, etc., but that’s mostly because you’ve got to get her to talk first.

Her main secret, however, is this: even though it’s irrational, she’s afraid she’s going to ride into a town one of these days and find Stephen and that damn dog waiting for her.

WHAT DO THEY WANT MOST? WHAT DO THEY ACTUALLY NEED?

What Jill wants is to be at peace. What she needs is to learn that home is what you make it, and the first part of feeling at home is learning to live with yourself. (She also desperately needs some more friends.)

IF YOUR CHARACTER COULD HAVE ANY SUPERNATURAL ABILITY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Unsurprisingly, Jill would very much enjoy the ability to become invisible. Or rather, she’d be relieved by the ability to become invisible. If we’re talking just for funsies? The ability to teleport, or maybe step through time.

WHY ARE THEY HERE IN DUSKWICK? WHAT IS THEIR OPINION OF THE STRANGE RUMORS?

Honestly? She needed to move on, the ticket was relatively cheap, and a small town with an interesting history will sometimes keep her occupied for a while. She likes delving into local lore and feeling a part of a place, even if only for a little while.

The rumors prickle at the curious part of her that devours thrift-store paperbacks with old-school fantasy covers, but discomfit the part of her that feels like she already spends too much time in liminal spaces. Her life doesn’t need those kinds of complications… Probably.

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THIS CHARACTER CHANGE AND DEVELOP?

I’d love to see Jill develop some steady and affirming relationships with the people around her—and to learn that she can have friends while remaining her prickly self, rather than having to twist into someone she’s afraid she can’t be.

PITCH A SMALL SUBPLOT THAT WOULD BE PERSONALLY MEANINGFUL TO YOUR CHARACTER.

Oh, gosh, can I think on this a bit more? Or I would be happy to brainstorm a bit, especially if you have any ideas! I basically started work on Jill about an hour ago, so I haven’t gotten far enough for any subplots. I’ve largely been making up this character sheet as I go.