But when they'd been spending so much of their time fighting for their life, it just seemed so frivolous to request someone make some cupcakes or some shit. Baked goods simply were not very high on their requirements list these days.

"No, it doesn't...It's no big deal. It's not really mine, anyway," Atlas shrugs. "It's... Will's place." Would it ever be theirs, too? Maybe, one day. But it certainly wasn't that way these days. There wasn't much they considered theirs anymore. A knife. A gun that they'd had to relinquish at the door. A leather jacket they wore more often than not, except for when the weather became too oppressive for it. Their well worn backpack with a notebook tucked inside, pages yellowing with age. Small and simple things, but things that had come to mean so much.

Hasen is nudged by his mother who gives him a look. A 'seriously?' look. She saw it as crossing a line, asking an almost invasive question too early in their 'friendship'. At least, that's what she hoped for. Aurora looks back at Atlas with a 'Sorry about him' look.

"They are important roles," Santiago says, "it sounds as if he wishes to have something concrete to do that will support the community." Wasn't that the same reason Santiago had made his own choices? "Perhaps he would be safer, staying inside the walls. But sometimes safer isn't always better. Or maybe he just doesn't know what he wants, yet. Perhaps tomorrow he'll wish to become a painter and help beautify our little town."

"Why do you do it?" She asked, looking up at him. "I mean, maybe you can talk to him...Help him make a decision."

At the mention of coming inside Atlas realized they'd probably been rude not to extend the offer in the first place. They hadn't had a place that was considered 'theirs' in forever, or been around people who waited to be invited into it, at least. "It's hardly my place, but you can do as you like, if you wanna come in."

Aurora looked back at Hasen, letting him cast a vote on entering Atlas' home. The boy smiled softly & nodded before following his mother into Atlas's apartment. They both looked around, taking in the space. "Hope it didn't feel like I was forcing you," she said. "I really hope you enjoy the bread though!"

But if he was given a choice on how he wanted to spend his time, it would almost always naturally revolve around Miguel. And Miguel was not off duty. So he had made his way over to the infirmary, as a supportive husband would. Not at all because he needed a simple reminder that Miguel was still there with him. Plus, maybe he could get a word in with Natalia, even if she was persisting up until now about keeping to herself...

He encountered Aurora first and gave her a smile in return to her greeting. "Hello, Aurora. I'm...well, all things considered." Because it could've been him, couldn't it? It was a thought that had crossed his mind on more than one occasion, but he often tried to chase it away. "What about yourself? And how is Hasen holding up?"

"He really wants to be part of the militia or the hunters," she started with a shake of her head. "I don't disapprove but ," Aurora looked through the door leading to the hallway, wondering where Natalia was. "When you all come back like this. I couldn't handle it if he was," she admitted in a mumble.

"Ah - we can stick with Atlas," they remark, though it's delivered with a soft smile towards the little boy. Damn, he couldn't be much older than ten, eleven, twelve? Atlas still struggled to think of what kids born in this world thought, how it would shape them differently than the rest of them. "Though it seems maybe you already knew that." This their eyes shift back towards Aurora, nodding to her introduction as well. "Yeah it's uh...been a minute since I last had a 'neighbor.'"

⸻⸻⸻ miguel drank his first drink like a shot, putting the glass down and immediately filling it again. what a day, week, year. he would love to just go home, cuddle to his husband and well, forget the whole mess. darell's unmoving body, lying on the bed, chest barly moving with each breath flashed in his mind again, and miguel scowled lightly before taking another sip, slower this time. he looked to the side, making eye-contact with the other and lifted his glass. " wanna join me? " he asked, smiling just a little. distraction, that what it all was. " c'mon, don't let me become a sad drunk here. "

And now she found herself near Miguel, who was asking her to join him. And with the stress on her shoulders, she could imagine the relief she'd feel if she just had one glass...or two. Aurora looked at the glass in his hand & then turned to look down the hallway. It was either drink or spend the night with Hasen. But Hasen was 12 & surely was heading to sleep by now. "Just one," she said as she walked closer to the other, pulling out a chair for herself. "What are you having?"

But beyond that, the whole living in a house situation still felt strange. It had been years since Atlas had felt safe within the walls of a house, not on constant alert for strangers that could approach at any moment. Let alone someone calmly knocking on the door as if they were living back in a normal neighborhood in a normal lifetime again.

"Uh, hi," Atlas greeted the woman standing on the doorstep, feeling slightly at a loss for the fact that she clearly knew who they were and they had no clue who she was. But hey, free food was free food - and there had been plenty of nights where Atlas's stomach had been rumbling wishing for something like this to fill the empty spaces. "You made these? For me? That's...unexpected."

Who: Shawn and Aurora (@mommabcar )

Shawn meticulously cleaned the various scraps and bruises she could find in the skin of the unconscious man while looking for other injuries. Really she was looking for bites. So far she hadn't found anything concerning but you really couldn't be too careful with someone in this state. If they were outside this little town, she and Atlas would have left them behind.

"He is one lucky bastard," she mumbled to Aurora as she attempted to pull his boots off. Most of what they did here was minor doctoring, anything more than that was a death sentence anyway, but it was the first time she'd done it on someone who wasn't awake to tell her what hurt. Her mind wandered to the woman down the hall who could probably tell them what had happened. "I wish she'd at least talk to us about this. I don't even give a shit if she did it, I'd just like to know so we're not flying blind here."

"Very," she mumbled in agreement. She helped Shawn remove the boots and sighed to herself. She glanced at the door at the mention of the other woman. She nodded in agreement. "I understand why she's quiet though. I can't imagine what they see out there now these days." She remembered how horrific it was & if it wasn't for her constant nightmares, she would've forgotten.

(  an  assortment  of  dialogue  prompts  for  various  apocalypse  /  end  of  the  world  scenarios.  feel  free  to  change  as  you  seem  fit.  )

❛ stay alive. for me. ❜

❛ you won’t survive long out there. i can protect you. ❜

❛ how many bullets do you got left? ❜

❛ i’m gonna make sure this place is secure. ❜

❛ will things ever go back to the way they were? ❜

❛ i know the odds aren’t good, but we’ve got to try. ❜

❛ you should be dead by now. ❜

❛ this isn’t the world you remember. ❜

❛ it’s all gone. it’s really all gone. ❜

❛ shit. why did you hide this? ❜

❛ stay down. don’t let them see you. ❜

❛ you are making it very difficult to keep you alive. ❜

❛ how is it you’re not scared? ❜

❛ when i give the signal, we run. ❜

❛ holy shit, we hit the jackpot! look at all this stuff! ❜

❛ i’d say we make a pretty good team. ❜

❛ if you don’t fight, you die. ❜

❛ remind me to not get on your bad side. ❜

❛ been there. seen that. got the scars to prove it. ❜

❛ unfortunately, we can’t kiss in the rain. it’s acid. ❜

❛ just keep moving. don’t look back. ❜

❛ i’m scared of ending up alone. ❜

❛ still alive, are you? ❜

❛ i’m beyond saving at this point. ❜

❛ an animal that’s tasted human flesh isn’t safe. ❜

❛ there’s nothing you can do to save them. ❜

❛ do you have any idea how many people we lost today?! ❜

❛ thought you’d be lighter without all that blood. ❜

❛ just a few more stitches and you’ll be as good as new. ❜

❛ my job is to watch your back. ❜

❛ don’t enter the city, it belongs to the dead now. ❜

❛ it must be important, otherwise you wouldn’t have gone back for it. ❜

❛ there’s something about that robot that doesn’t seem right to me. ❜

❛ you still remember how to kill, right? ❜

❛ there should be an opening through the fence. watch your head. ❜

❛ our luck will run out sooner or later. ❜

❛ everything looks so beautiful from up here. ❜

❛ can’t say i’m surprised to find you in a dump like this. ❜

❛ we can sneak past them, even though i know that’s not your style. ❜

❛ i can’t imagine losing someone like that. i’m sorry. ❜

❛ if you were smart, you’d turn back now. ❜

❛ shut up. are you trying to get us killed? ❜

❛ breathe. we’re safe now. ❜

❛ you’re better off without me. i’ll only slow you down. ❜

❛ i brought dinner. it’s not much, but it’s edible. ❜

❛ for what it’s worth, i’ll do what i can to help you not get killed. ❜

❛ you’re gonna be real happy you didn’t kill me. ❜

❛ if it was the other way around, would you have come back for me? ❜

❛ why don’t we just stay here? live out the rest of our lives? ❜

❛ you really shouldn’t be out here by yourself. ❜

❛ rest. i’ll take the first watch. ❜

a    set    of    thought    provoking    questions    based    around    character    development    .    send    a    blue    emoji    to    explore    more    about    your    characters    .

What’s the lie your character says most often?

How loosely or strictly do they use the word ‘friend’?

How often do they show their genuine emotions to others versus just the audience knowing?

What’s a hobby they used to have that they miss?

Can they cry on command? If so, what do they think about to make it happen?

What’s their favorite [insert anything] that they’ve never recommended to anyone before?

What would you (mun) yell in the middle of a crowd to find them? What would their best friend and/or romantic partner yell?

How loose is their use of the phrase ‘I love you’?

Do they give tough love or gentle love most often? Which do they prefer to receive?

What fact do they excitedly tell everyone about at every opportunity?

If someone was impersonating them, what would friends / family ask or do to tell the difference?

What’s something that makes them laugh every single time? Be specific!

When do they fake a smile? How often?

How do they put out a candle?

What’s the most obvious difference between their behavior at home, at work, at school, with friends, and when they’re alone?

What kinds of people do they have arguments with in their head?

What do they notice first in the mirror versus what most people first notice looking at them?

Who do they love truly, 100% unconditionally (if anyone)?

What would they do if stuck in a room with the person they’ve been avoiding?

Who do they like as a person but hate their work? Vice versa, whose work do they like but don’t like the person?

What common etiquette do they disagree with? Do they still follow it?

What simple activity that most people do / can do scares your character?

What do they feel guilty for that the other person(s) doesn’t / don’t even remember?

Did they take a cookie from the cookie jar? What kind of cookie was it?

What subject / topic do they know a lot about that’s completely useless to the direct plot?

How would they respond to being fired by a good boss?

What’s the worst gift they ever received? How did they respond?

What do they tell people they want? What do they actually want?

How do they respond when someone doesn’t believe them?

When they make a mistake and feel bad, does the guilt differ when it’s personal versus when it’s professional?

When do they feel the most guilt? How do they respond to it?

If they committed one petty crime / misdemeanor, what would it be? Why?

How do they greet someone they dislike / hate?

How do they greet someone they like / love?

What is the smallest, morally questionable choice they’ve made?

Who do they keep in their life for professional gain? Is it for malicious intent?

What’s a secret they haven’t told serious romantic partners and don’t plan to tell?

What hobby are they good at in private, but bad at in front of others? Why?

Would they rather be invited to an event to feel included or be excluded from an event if they were not genuinely wanted there?

How do they respond to a loose handshake? What goes through their head?

What phrases, pronunciations, or mannerisms did they pick up from someone / somewhere else?

If invited to a TED Talk, what topic would they present on? What would the title of their presentation be?

What do they commonly misinterpret because of their own upbringing / environment / biases? How do they respond when realizing the misunderstanding?

What language would be easiest for them to learn? Why?

What’s something unimportant / frivolous that they hate passionately?

Are they a listener or a talker? If they’re a listener, what makes them talk? If they’re a talker, what makes them listen?

Who have they forgotten about that remembers them very well?

Who would they say ‘yes’ to if invited to do something they abhorred / strongly didn’t want to do?

Would they eat something they find gross to be polite?

What belief / moral / personality trait do they stand by that you (mun) personally don’t agree with?

What’s a phrase they say a lot?

Do they act on their immediate emotions, or do they wait for the facts before acting?

Who would / do they believe without question?

What’s their instinct in a fight / flight / freeze / fawn situation?

What’s something they’re expected to enjoy based on their hobbies / profession that they actually dislike / hate?

If they’re scared, who do they want comfort from? Does this answer change depending on the type of fear?

What’s a simple daily activity / motion that they mess up often?