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New Ways to Create a Story When You Only Have One Character, Part 2

Have you ever felt stuck in that creative limbo where you have a fascinating character but the story simply doesn’t flow? That protagonist you’ve meticulously designed with a unique personality, detailed appearance, and deep motivations deserves a narrative that matches their caliber. The good news is that unlocking that narrative potential can be simpler than you imagine.

In the first part of this series, we explored some basic techniques for generating exploratory scenes that help discover what kind of story you want to tell. Now, we’ll delve into more specific and practical methods that will allow your character to come to life in diverse situations, revealing facets of their personality that you didn’t even know existed. The true magic happens when we let our characters express themselves, guiding us toward the story they need to tell.

The Revealing Power of Interaction: Your Character Facing Others

Before diving into these exercises, it’s essential to clarify one point: these techniques are designed for characters already developed in depth. If you’re still in the initial creation phase, I’d recommend first consolidating the fundamental attributes of your protagonist through descriptive sheets, visual sketches, and notes about their past and motivations.

One of the most revealing exercises for understanding your character consists of placing them in dialogue situations. Language, reactions, and the way they interact with others can unveil aspects of their personality that remained hidden even from you as the creator. Social interaction functions as a mirror that reflects who we really are.

Imagine, for example, that your character encounters a street con artist. This individual tries to sell them a supposedly valuable object: an ancient relic, a treasure map, or perhaps a revolutionary technological device in a futuristic context. The situation can develop in any setting, whether in the streets of a contemporary metropolis, a medieval bazaar, or a space station.

Some key questions to explore in this interaction:

  • Does your character immediately detect the deception or are they susceptible to believing false promises?
  • How do they respond when they perceive manipulation? With humor, indignation, aggression, or sophisticated indifference?
  • Do they try to unmask the scammer or prefer to play along to understand their motivations?
  • Can your character become the scammer in this dynamic, reversing the situation?

This simple exercise can reveal if your character is trusting or skeptical, compassionate or pragmatic, ingenious or straightforward. Want to master the art of illustrating these interactions with facial expressions that perfectly capture each emotion? Discover how here.

You can also explore interactions with different types of characters: an authority figure, a lost child, a professional rival, or a potential romantic interest. Each relationship will activate different aspects of your protagonist’s personality and help you discover what types of stories are most natural for them.

Another useful exercise consists of writing dialogues where your character must persuade someone of something important to them. Observe what strategies they use: do they appeal to logic, emotions, resort to manipulation, or prefer to be brutally honest? The way we try to influence others says a lot about who we are.

The Truth in Solitude: Your Character Facing Challenges in Isolation

If dialogues reveal how your character is in society, moments of solitude show their true essence. How do they act when no one is watching? Ancient philosophers suggested that even in complete solitude, we continue to play a role, but this time for ourselves. These scenes can reveal the internal contradictions, habits, and most intimate thoughts of your protagonist.

Design a scene where your character faces a problem completely alone, with no possibility of asking for help. The challenge can be as mundane as a water leak in their kitchen or as extraordinary as being stranded on an unknown planet. The important thing is that the protagonist must try at least three different approaches to solve their problem.

If your character is a super genius who solves the first obstacle instantly, no problem. Simply introduce an unexpected second problem that challenges their abilities in a different way. What’s interesting is not just whether they solve the problem, but how they respond emotionally to each failed attempt:

  • Do they get frustrated easily or maintain calm under pressure?
  • Do they improvise creative solutions or follow methodical procedures?
  • What do they do when it seems all options have been exhausted?
  • Do they talk to themselves? What kind of internal dialogue do they maintain?

This exercise can reveal your character’s true level of competence, their emotional resilience, and their ability to adapt. It can also show insecurities or fears they normally hide from others.

For example, a character who publicly appears confident might, in private, constantly doubt their decisions. Or someone who always acts rationally around others might allow themselves moments of intense emotion when alone. These contrasts create depth and authenticity.

Also try placing your character in a situation where they must wait for a long period without doing anything specific. The way they handle boredom can be tremendously revealing: do they meticulously observe their surroundings, get lost in daydreams, create small games to entertain themselves, or despair easily?

Don’t forget to also explore moments of joy in solitude. What does your character do to celebrate a personal achievement when there’s no one to share it with? This information can be crucial for understanding their true motivations. Need to visually represent those intimate moments convincingly? Explore specialized resources on body expression here.

Stepping Out of the Spotlight: Your Character in a Supporting Role

A particularly revealing technique consists of freeing your character from the weight of protagonism. Sometimes, the narrative expectations we impose on a protagonist can limit their natural development. By placing them in a supporting role, we can discover aspects of their personality that would normally be subordinated to the needs of the main plot.

Develop a scene where your character serves as support to another who faces a significant conflict. This temporary new protagonist could be dealing with unrequited love, the loss of a loved one, or any other emotionally intense dilemma. Your character is there to help, hinder, or simply witness the situation.

The crucial thing is that your character’s intervention is meaningful to the temporary protagonist’s story, but without stealing the spotlight. They must influence events without becoming the main focus.

This exercise will allow you to discover:

  • What kind of advisor is your character? Practical, philosophical, empathetic?
  • How do they react to others’ problems compared to their own?
  • What values do they prioritize when they have nothing personal at stake?
  • Do they respect others’ boundaries or tend to impose their solutions?

Surprisingly, many of the most memorable characters in literature and film are supporting characters. Think of characters like Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” or Alfred Pennyworth in Batman stories. Their supporting function allows them to show loyalty, wisdom, or a unique perspective that is impossible for the protagonist, trapped in the demands of their own heroic journey.

Perhaps you’ll discover that your character especially shines in this role, which might suggest a different narrative structure than you had imagined. Or maybe you’ll confirm they’re destined for protagonism, but with a deeper understanding of how they interact with their social environment.

Many great stories began with supporting characters who eventually claimed the spotlight. Interested in perfecting the art of compositions with multiple characters? Click here to access valuable resources.

The Transformative Power of Unexpected Conflict

Characters reveal their true nature when facing situations they never anticipated. An effective technique consists of placing your protagonist in a scenario completely outside their comfort zone and observing how they react.

If your character is an analytical and methodical detective, what happens when they must improvise in a high-pressure social situation, like a charity gala? If they’re a warrior accustomed to solving problems with force, how do they handle a situation where violence would only make things worse?

Develop a scene where your character must use skills or resources completely different from those they normally employ. This exercise can reveal:

  • Their ability to adapt to unforeseen circumstances
  • Hidden talents or knowledge that even you didn’t know they possessed
  • Their true limits and the point where their personality begins to fracture
  • Internal resources that remained dormant until needed

Moments of crisis don’t just reveal character: they forge it. Your character might discover facets of themselves that fundamentally transform their self-perception, creating a powerful narrative arc.

For example, a rational and calculating character might discover an innate talent for artistic improvisation. A loner might reveal unexpected leadership qualities when others are paralyzed. These contradictions create depth and keep readers intrigued.

The Mirror of the Past: Connecting with the Character’s Roots

Another valuable exercise consists of developing a scene where your character directly confronts their past. This can materialize in many ways: revisiting a significant place from their childhood, meeting someone who knew them “before,” or discovering an object that triggers powerful memories.

The way your character remembers, interprets, and relates to their own past can reveal:

  • Which events they consider formative in their development
  • How their perception of significant events has changed over time
  • Which wounds remain open and which conflicts remain unresolved
  • The difference between who they believe they are and who they really were

This type of scene can provide excellent material for flashbacks or for understanding the deep motivations that drive your character’s actions in the present. Looking to improve your skills in illustrating emotional scenes that show your character’s connection to their past? Access advanced techniques here.

Moral Decisions: Exploring Your Character’s Ethical Compass

To truly understand your character, place them in situations where they must make morally complex decisions. Ethical dilemmas reveal the fundamental values that guide their behavior when they find themselves at the crossroads between what’s right, what’s practical, and what’s desirable.

Create a scene where your character faces a dilemma without clearly right or wrong answers:

  • Should they reveal a painful truth or maintain a lie that protects someone they love?
  • Are they willing to sacrifice their principles for a greater good?
  • How do they handle the responsibility of a decision with inevitably negative consequences?
  • Do they privilege justice, mercy, personal loyalty, or pragmatism?

These types of scenarios not only reveal your character’s moral compass but also how they deal with guilt, regret, or justification of their actions. Difficult decisions have emotional consequences that can haunt your character throughout the story, creating a narrative arc rich in nuances.

The “What If?” Technique: Exploring Alternative Realities

A fascinating approach to discovering the essence of your character is exploring alternative realities. Ask yourself: How would your character be if they had made crucially different decisions at key points in their life?

Develop brief vignettes showing alternative versions of your protagonist:

  • How would they be if they had grown up in opposite circumstances (poverty instead of wealth, or vice versa)?
  • What would happen if they had chosen a completely different profession?
  • How would their personality change if a certain traumatic event had never occurred?
  • What facets of their personality would remain constant despite the circumstances?

This exercise helps you identify which aspects of your character are fundamental and immutable (their essence) and which are adaptations to their circumstances. Knowing this distinction allows you to create an authentic character who reacts consistently but not predictably.

Although these alternative scenarios may not become part of your final story, they provide invaluable understanding of your character’s deep motivations. Interested in exploring how to bring alternative versions of your characters to life through drawing? Find inspiring resources here.

The Adversity Test: When Everything Fails

Nothing reveals more about a character than how they respond to absolute failure. Design a scene where your protagonist experiences complete defeat in something deeply important to them. It can be a professional or personal failure, or related to their main mission.

Carefully observe:

  • How do they emotionally process defeat? Anger, denial, depression, immediate acceptance?
  • Who or what do they blame for their failure?
  • How much time do they need to recover?
  • What internal or external resources do they mobilize to overcome it?

Adversity acts as a crucible that burns away the superficial layers of the character to reveal their true core. Some discover a resilience they didn’t know they had; others crumble, revealing fragilities hidden beneath a facade of strength.

This exercise also allows you to explore your character’s coping mechanisms: Do they seek comfort in others or isolate themselves? Do they transform their pain into creativity, revenge, or renewed determination?

The Contrast of Perspectives: Seeing Your Character Through Other Eyes

A particularly revealing technique consists of developing the same scene from multiple perspectives. Create a significant event where your character interacts with several others, and then write versions of that same scene from the point of view of each participant.

This approach allows you to:

  • Discover how your character is perceived by different types of people
  • Identify the discrepancy between how they see themselves and how others see them
  • Understand what impact they have on their social environment
  • Explore the prejudices or expectations that others project onto them

For example, an action your character considers altruistic might be interpreted as manipulative by someone distrustful. A trait they perceive as a strength might be seen as a weakness by another character.

This contrast of perceptions adds richness to your narrative and helps you avoid your character becoming a one-dimensional symbol of virtue or defect. Want to learn how to illustrate the same scene from different angles and visual perspectives? Explore our specialized resources here.

Integrating Everything: From Exercises to Complete Story

Once you’ve completed several of these exercises, you’ll begin to notice emerging patterns. Certain aspects of your character will appear consistently, while others might surprise you with their unexpected relevance.

The final step consists of identifying what type of story seems most natural for this specific character. Ask yourself:

  • What conflicts seem to resonate most deeply with them?
  • What type of transformation arc do their responses to these exercises suggest?
  • What recurring themes appear in the different scenes you’ve developed?
  • What interpersonal relationships generate greater narrative tension?

The key is to listen to your character instead of forcing them to fit into a predetermined structure. If you’ve performed these exercises attentively, your character will already be whispering what story they need to tell.

Remember that many great literary and visual works began not with an elaborate plot, but with a compelling character who asked to be explored. Ready to take your visual storytelling skills to the next level? Discover advanced tools and techniques here.

Conclusion: Character as Narrative Compass

As we finish this journey through various exploratory techniques, we hope to have provided you with the necessary tools to transform that fascinating character you’ve created into the core of an equally captivating story. The true magic of storytelling happens when we let our characters breathe on their own, following their internal logic and revealing narrative paths that our conscious planning would never have discovered.

Remember that these exercises are not simply preliminary steps: they are small stories in themselves that could become seeds for your main narrative. A particularly powerful scene could transform into the turning point of your story, or even its climactic scene.

The next time you feel stuck looking at that wonderfully developed character but without a story to tell, remember these words: don’t think, write. Place your character in diverse situations, observe how they naturally react, and soon the right story will emerge with crystal clarity.

Great stories aren’t built solely with wit or technique, but by carefully listening to what our characters have to tell us. Are you ready to listen?

Join us

New Ways to Create a Story When You Only Have One Character, Part 2

Have you ever felt stuck in that creative limbo where you have a fascinating character but the story simply doesn’t flow? That protagonist you’ve meticulously designed with a unique personality, detailed appearance, and deep motivations deserves a narrative that matches their caliber. The good news is that unlocking that narrative potential can be simpler than you imagine.

In the first part of this series, we explored some basic techniques for generating exploratory scenes that help discover what kind of story you want to tell. Now, we’ll delve into more specific and practical methods that will allow your character to come to life in diverse situations, revealing facets of their personality that you didn’t even know existed. The true magic happens when we let our characters express themselves, guiding us toward the story they need to tell.

The Revealing Power of Interaction: Your Character Facing Others

Before diving into these exercises, it’s essential to clarify one point: these techniques are designed for characters already developed in depth. If you’re still in the initial creation phase, I’d recommend first consolidating the fundamental attributes of your protagonist through descriptive sheets, visual sketches, and notes about their past and motivations.

One of the most revealing exercises for understanding your character consists of placing them in dialogue situations. Language, reactions, and the way they interact with others can unveil aspects of their personality that remained hidden even from you as the creator. Social interaction functions as a mirror that reflects who we really are.

Imagine, for example, that your character encounters a street con artist. This individual tries to sell them a supposedly valuable object: an ancient relic, a treasure map, or perhaps a revolutionary technological device in a futuristic context. The situation can develop in any setting, whether in the streets of a contemporary metropolis, a medieval bazaar, or a space station.

Some key questions to explore in this interaction:

  • Does your character immediately detect the deception or are they susceptible to believing false promises?
  • How do they respond when they perceive manipulation? With humor, indignation, aggression, or sophisticated indifference?
  • Do they try to unmask the scammer or prefer to play along to understand their motivations?
  • Can your character become the scammer in this dynamic, reversing the situation?

This simple exercise can reveal if your character is trusting or skeptical, compassionate or pragmatic, ingenious or straightforward. Want to master the art of illustrating these interactions with facial expressions that perfectly capture each emotion? Discover how here.

You can also explore interactions with different types of characters: an authority figure, a lost child, a professional rival, or a potential romantic interest. Each relationship will activate different aspects of your protagonist’s personality and help you discover what types of stories are most natural for them.

Another useful exercise consists of writing dialogues where your character must persuade someone of something important to them. Observe what strategies they use: do they appeal to logic, emotions, resort to manipulation, or prefer to be brutally honest? The way we try to influence others says a lot about who we are.

The Truth in Solitude: Your Character Facing Challenges in Isolation

If dialogues reveal how your character is in society, moments of solitude show their true essence. How do they act when no one is watching? Ancient philosophers suggested that even in complete solitude, we continue to play a role, but this time for ourselves. These scenes can reveal the internal contradictions, habits, and most intimate thoughts of your protagonist.

Design a scene where your character faces a problem completely alone, with no possibility of asking for help. The challenge can be as mundane as a water leak in their kitchen or as extraordinary as being stranded on an unknown planet. The important thing is that the protagonist must try at least three different approaches to solve their problem.

If your character is a super genius who solves the first obstacle instantly, no problem. Simply introduce an unexpected second problem that challenges their abilities in a different way. What’s interesting is not just whether they solve the problem, but how they respond emotionally to each failed attempt:

  • Do they get frustrated easily or maintain calm under pressure?
  • Do they improvise creative solutions or follow methodical procedures?
  • What do they do when it seems all options have been exhausted?
  • Do they talk to themselves? What kind of internal dialogue do they maintain?

This exercise can reveal your character’s true level of competence, their emotional resilience, and their ability to adapt. It can also show insecurities or fears they normally hide from others.

For example, a character who publicly appears confident might, in private, constantly doubt their decisions. Or someone who always acts rationally around others might allow themselves moments of intense emotion when alone. These contrasts create depth and authenticity.

Also try placing your character in a situation where they must wait for a long period without doing anything specific. The way they handle boredom can be tremendously revealing: do they meticulously observe their surroundings, get lost in daydreams, create small games to entertain themselves, or despair easily?

Don’t forget to also explore moments of joy in solitude. What does your character do to celebrate a personal achievement when there’s no one to share it with? This information can be crucial for understanding their true motivations. Need to visually represent those intimate moments convincingly? Explore specialized resources on body expression here.

Stepping Out of the Spotlight: Your Character in a Supporting Role

A particularly revealing technique consists of freeing your character from the weight of protagonism. Sometimes, the narrative expectations we impose on a protagonist can limit their natural development. By placing them in a supporting role, we can discover aspects of their personality that would normally be subordinated to the needs of the main plot.

Develop a scene where your character serves as support to another who faces a significant conflict. This temporary new protagonist could be dealing with unrequited love, the loss of a loved one, or any other emotionally intense dilemma. Your character is there to help, hinder, or simply witness the situation.

The crucial thing is that your character’s intervention is meaningful to the temporary protagonist’s story, but without stealing the spotlight. They must influence events without becoming the main focus.

This exercise will allow you to discover:

  • What kind of advisor is your character? Practical, philosophical, empathetic?
  • How do they react to others’ problems compared to their own?
  • What values do they prioritize when they have nothing personal at stake?
  • Do they respect others’ boundaries or tend to impose their solutions?

Surprisingly, many of the most memorable characters in literature and film are supporting characters. Think of characters like Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” or Alfred Pennyworth in Batman stories. Their supporting function allows them to show loyalty, wisdom, or a unique perspective that is impossible for the protagonist, trapped in the demands of their own heroic journey.

Perhaps you’ll discover that your character especially shines in this role, which might suggest a different narrative structure than you had imagined. Or maybe you’ll confirm they’re destined for protagonism, but with a deeper understanding of how they interact with their social environment.

Many great stories began with supporting characters who eventually claimed the spotlight. Interested in perfecting the art of compositions with multiple characters? Click here to access valuable resources.

The Transformative Power of Unexpected Conflict

Characters reveal their true nature when facing situations they never anticipated. An effective technique consists of placing your protagonist in a scenario completely outside their comfort zone and observing how they react.

If your character is an analytical and methodical detective, what happens when they must improvise in a high-pressure social situation, like a charity gala? If they’re a warrior accustomed to solving problems with force, how do they handle a situation where violence would only make things worse?

Develop a scene where your character must use skills or resources completely different from those they normally employ. This exercise can reveal:

  • Their ability to adapt to unforeseen circumstances
  • Hidden talents or knowledge that even you didn’t know they possessed
  • Their true limits and the point where their personality begins to fracture
  • Internal resources that remained dormant until needed

Moments of crisis don’t just reveal character: they forge it. Your character might discover facets of themselves that fundamentally transform their self-perception, creating a powerful narrative arc.

For example, a rational and calculating character might discover an innate talent for artistic improvisation. A loner might reveal unexpected leadership qualities when others are paralyzed. These contradictions create depth and keep readers intrigued.

The Mirror of the Past: Connecting with the Character’s Roots

Another valuable exercise consists of developing a scene where your character directly confronts their past. This can materialize in many ways: revisiting a significant place from their childhood, meeting someone who knew them “before,” or discovering an object that triggers powerful memories.

The way your character remembers, interprets, and relates to their own past can reveal:

  • Which events they consider formative in their development
  • How their perception of significant events has changed over time
  • Which wounds remain open and which conflicts remain unresolved
  • The difference between who they believe they are and who they really were

This type of scene can provide excellent material for flashbacks or for understanding the deep motivations that drive your character’s actions in the present. Looking to improve your skills in illustrating emotional scenes that show your character’s connection to their past? Access advanced techniques here.

Moral Decisions: Exploring Your Character’s Ethical Compass

To truly understand your character, place them in situations where they must make morally complex decisions. Ethical dilemmas reveal the fundamental values that guide their behavior when they find themselves at the crossroads between what’s right, what’s practical, and what’s desirable.

Create a scene where your character faces a dilemma without clearly right or wrong answers:

  • Should they reveal a painful truth or maintain a lie that protects someone they love?
  • Are they willing to sacrifice their principles for a greater good?
  • How do they handle the responsibility of a decision with inevitably negative consequences?
  • Do they privilege justice, mercy, personal loyalty, or pragmatism?

These types of scenarios not only reveal your character’s moral compass but also how they deal with guilt, regret, or justification of their actions. Difficult decisions have emotional consequences that can haunt your character throughout the story, creating a narrative arc rich in nuances.

The “What If?” Technique: Exploring Alternative Realities

A fascinating approach to discovering the essence of your character is exploring alternative realities. Ask yourself: How would your character be if they had made crucially different decisions at key points in their life?

Develop brief vignettes showing alternative versions of your protagonist:

  • How would they be if they had grown up in opposite circumstances (poverty instead of wealth, or vice versa)?
  • What would happen if they had chosen a completely different profession?
  • How would their personality change if a certain traumatic event had never occurred?
  • What facets of their personality would remain constant despite the circumstances?

This exercise helps you identify which aspects of your character are fundamental and immutable (their essence) and which are adaptations to their circumstances. Knowing this distinction allows you to create an authentic character who reacts consistently but not predictably.

Although these alternative scenarios may not become part of your final story, they provide invaluable understanding of your character’s deep motivations. Interested in exploring how to bring alternative versions of your characters to life through drawing? Find inspiring resources here.

The Adversity Test: When Everything Fails

Nothing reveals more about a character than how they respond to absolute failure. Design a scene where your protagonist experiences complete defeat in something deeply important to them. It can be a professional or personal failure, or related to their main mission.

Carefully observe:

  • How do they emotionally process defeat? Anger, denial, depression, immediate acceptance?
  • Who or what do they blame for their failure?
  • How much time do they need to recover?
  • What internal or external resources do they mobilize to overcome it?

Adversity acts as a crucible that burns away the superficial layers of the character to reveal their true core. Some discover a resilience they didn’t know they had; others crumble, revealing fragilities hidden beneath a facade of strength.

This exercise also allows you to explore your character’s coping mechanisms: Do they seek comfort in others or isolate themselves? Do they transform their pain into creativity, revenge, or renewed determination?

The Contrast of Perspectives: Seeing Your Character Through Other Eyes

A particularly revealing technique consists of developing the same scene from multiple perspectives. Create a significant event where your character interacts with several others, and then write versions of that same scene from the point of view of each participant.

This approach allows you to:

  • Discover how your character is perceived by different types of people
  • Identify the discrepancy between how they see themselves and how others see them
  • Understand what impact they have on their social environment
  • Explore the prejudices or expectations that others project onto them

For example, an action your character considers altruistic might be interpreted as manipulative by someone distrustful. A trait they perceive as a strength might be seen as a weakness by another character.

This contrast of perceptions adds richness to your narrative and helps you avoid your character becoming a one-dimensional symbol of virtue or defect. Want to learn how to illustrate the same scene from different angles and visual perspectives? Explore our specialized resources here.

Integrating Everything: From Exercises to Complete Story

Once you’ve completed several of these exercises, you’ll begin to notice emerging patterns. Certain aspects of your character will appear consistently, while others might surprise you with their unexpected relevance.

The final step consists of identifying what type of story seems most natural for this specific character. Ask yourself:

  • What conflicts seem to resonate most deeply with them?
  • What type of transformation arc do their responses to these exercises suggest?
  • What recurring themes appear in the different scenes you’ve developed?
  • What interpersonal relationships generate greater narrative tension?

The key is to listen to your character instead of forcing them to fit into a predetermined structure. If you’ve performed these exercises attentively, your character will already be whispering what story they need to tell.

Remember that many great literary and visual works began not with an elaborate plot, but with a compelling character who asked to be explored. Ready to take your visual storytelling skills to the next level? Discover advanced tools and techniques here.

Conclusion: Character as Narrative Compass

As we finish this journey through various exploratory techniques, we hope to have provided you with the necessary tools to transform that fascinating character you’ve created into the core of an equally captivating story. The true magic of storytelling happens when we let our characters breathe on their own, following their internal logic and revealing narrative paths that our conscious planning would never have discovered.

Remember that these exercises are not simply preliminary steps: they are small stories in themselves that could become seeds for your main narrative. A particularly powerful scene could transform into the turning point of your story, or even its climactic scene.

The next time you feel stuck looking at that wonderfully developed character but without a story to tell, remember these words: don’t think, write. Place your character in diverse situations, observe how they naturally react, and soon the right story will emerge with crystal clarity.

Great stories aren’t built solely with wit or technique, but by carefully listening to what our characters have to tell us. Are you ready to listen?

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