Back

Lix:
"We are on the brink, World War 3 is a very real possibility, we might face extinction with both super powers having enough atomic potential to erase this planet from the solar system.
I can ignore the state of the world at night. Randall never could. He always had a light sleep, and if he really drifts off, he is tortured by nightmares. I don't know if it is still the same after 20 years, but I guess it is.
Me? I'm fine. I have my ways."
*grabs bottle*

#PennedPossibilities 23

Lix:
"You know, I asked him that, recently. You know what that idiot said?

'normal'

I must have stared at him as if he were an alien, because he elaborated:

'I admire that some people don't need to organize their desk just so or can pass a chair in the lobby without rectifying it. I admire people who are just...normal.'

You wonder why I call him an idiot? That's why! He doesn't see how brilliant he is because he is not normal. Normal of all possible traits. Shesh!"

#PennedPossibilities 24

Lix:
"Snooping around? Ha! If it were only that... he's tidying up when I am not looking. It is..." *trails off, staring ahead* "In a way it is really annoying. But on the other hand... I never needed anybody to look after me, I can do that myself, thank you very much, and I hate if my privacy is invaded..." *takes a deep breath* "But there is this feeling, when I'm watching him doing it. He cares. he really does. And that makes me feel... special? Valued? I don't know."

#PennedPossibilities 25

Lix:
"Ha, that's a difficult one. I mean, for me, it is clear cut. I would become the best journalist in the world. But Randall... he is so devoid of ambition. Greatness is nothing he wants to achieve, he is the kind who nurtures a project to be successful, not being successful himself... perhaps he would want to be the best in getting the whole world sitting down and working together. Yeah, this sounds like a dream he could have, thinking about it."

#PennedPossibilities 26

Stepping for a moment out of Lix's character here to say a few things as 21st century author:

Inspired by #PennedPossibilities I started a new pre-canon story of Lix and Randall in the Spanish Civil War, set in 1937 called "Strengths" which I will use for a while for these prompts.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48775423/chapters/123041050

"My" Randall not only has #OCD, he is also #neurodivergent
and therefore, he stims, only that when the story takes place, nobody knows anything about it.
1/2

#PennedPossibilities 27

All people realize is that he fiddles with things and behaves odd, but they don't know that it is important for his well-being. He tries to suppress it, but of course, he can't.
He knows he instantly feels better if he can tap things in a pattern or stroke the cloth of some of his clothes, but he is embarrassed that he is that way. So, he often turns to alcohol, both to wash down the horrors of war, but also because it is more acceptable to drink than to stim. 2/2

#PennedPossibilities 27

As I have changed stories, let's answer as young Randall:

"I do have opinions about 'you are what you eat', especially as it's a socioeconomic question with its own implications that inevitably points to the injustices of this world. But let's not go there, I wouldn't know where to stop."
*fiddles with his cigarette*
"I think 'You are what you do' is over-simplistic, yet, it is a statement that holds true. I take photos and write. It defines what I am and want to be."

#PennedPossibilities 28

"Dear Mr. Miller,

I want to write a few words to express my thankfulness for you having trusted me with being Mrs. Storm's photographer. I know you had to use your influence because at 29 I am too young for a war reporter by our statutes.

Rest assured that I am learning a lot and I hope you will find your trust rewarded by the photos I send.

The fascists are closing in on us right now, so I want you to know I was thankful to the very end.

Kind Regards
Randall Brown"

#PennedPossibilities 29

"Dear Walt,

just a short note because these might be the last letters we will get across the fascist lines via a trusted courier.
Forget what I wrote a few weeks ago. I'm very thankful you've sent Randall Brown. He might be a greenhorn, but he sure has his shit together. It's safe to say I wouldn't be still around without him.
Anyhow, you take care, will you? I mean, I've survived worse, but it doesn't look good and I wouldn't place a bet on our lives.

Take care,
Lix"

#PennedPossibilities 29

Edited for a name change in the boss they both write to, because that way I could tie him back to what will become "Upper-Floor-Miller" who is one of the side characters in "End of a Road Trip" who makes his first appearance in the chapter "The King, The Queen, The Knight, And The Pawn" there, but it is clear that he and Lix go a long way back.

Not sure if he is really the same man, but I love playing with all the canon I invented over time...

#PennedPossibilities 29

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31042175/chapters/88189615

#PennedPossibilities 30
Randall:
"I...I want to give Lix something for still not having fired me. But whatever I choose, it seems wrong. Flowers might mislead her that I have romantic intentions. Sweets are perhaps not really appropriate. Also, I am not sure she could take them wrong. I also thought about offering her to clean and maintain her camera because she doesn't take good care of it. But that might make her mad at me. I really want to give her something, but... I am just not good at it."

When Lix and Randall grew up it was the first World War. While the UK didn't have an invasion, there were still a lot of friends and relatives not coming back, or coming back broken, body and soul. These childhood experiences influenced their decision to become journalists and war reporters. Now they are in the Spanish Civil War.
No, the world isn't better. Nor is it worse. It is the place it always has been and always will be.
They can only try and make the best of it.

#PennedPossibilities 31

Randall:
"A camera. Really, I did everything, I ran errands for people although it made me nervous I would not pick the right things and I delivered newspapers in the early mornings. It wasn't much I earned, but I saved every penny and was finally able to buy my first, used camera. A friend at the local newspaper let me develop my photos in his laboratory. I couldn't have afforded my own. He saw my photos and said I had an eye for it. The first steps to my later career."

#PennedPossibilities 32

Lix:
"After we escaped the prison of this fascist splinter group we found a farmer who gave us a lift to our headquarters. That was very kind and risky for him, he could have been shot for it. No idea how Randall knew this farmer would be on our side. But I am going to find out!"

#PennedPossibilities 33

Randall:
"It would be: 'The war is over. There are peace talks and it is very likely that we will have everlasting peace on Earth.' I know how unlikely that is, but you asked, and so, I answered."

Lix:
"'You have been promoted to Head of Foreign Desk.' It would be nice to strategically plan who goes where and what is the next hot spot to report from instead of wading in the mud and the blood of the trenches. I'm growing too old for these kinds of adventures."

#PennedPossibilities 34

Randall is a raging introvert. Detremental if you want to be a journalist. Becoming a photographer seemed the obvious solution. He can stay shielded behind the camera and spend hours in the lab without anybody finding it weird.

Lix is an extrovert. In the middle of the action, surrounded by people, that's where she thrives. She feels lost and alone when there is no one around, which is one of the resaons why she works with a photographer although she can wield a camera.

#PennedPossibilities 35

Randall:
"Recent friendship... I am not sure. I mean, I am the new boy, all the others on our team are war reporters far longer than me. I think I first have to gain their respect before I can even think of them seeing me as friend. I think I need to do something really, really outstanding and brave so they can respect me. Unfortunately, that is not my strong suit... I am just a photographer, not a former soldier, like Alex. A friend would be great to have, really."

#PennedPossibilities 36

Lix:
"Well, that's easy. Randall, my new photographer. He drives me mad with his tics and by being like he is. Weird. But he also has a certain something about him. He is good at patterns and connections. Systematic. I like that a lot. Yeah, I consider him a good friend by now. I am sure he knows. I mean, it is nothing you tell someone, right? You just realize you are friends now, and that's that."
*shrugs*

#PennedPossibilities 36

Randall:
"What's wrong with this picture? Let's see... as raging civil war instead of peace. Former friends killing each other over politics. Families divided and fighting each other for the same reason. Men's most noble intentions used and manipulated by people in power. The rise of fascism in Europe. The young democracies in Italy and Germany erased, and now, Spain is next. There is much wrong with this picture. More than I can count."

#PennedPossibilities 37

Lix:
"Wrong with this picture? Well, it is war, that's why I am here. Can't be a war reporter without, right? So, in that regard, everything is right and everything is wrong. Yeah... but there is something else... I could do with a man who is more than just a fling. Someone reliable who just loves me like I am. Someone who is interested in me instead of just my body. Ah, well, who am I kidding? That's not even in the stars. Might as well seek comfort in the wrong ones."

#PennedPossibilities 37