I've always had in mind this triumvirate, so let's get them all out now.
C. is my "leading man." L. is my real protagonist, but C. is the beard, the red herring. L.'s heroism is about honesty and thinking and careful scholarship, hardly sexy. C. has all the classic hero's attributes. C. is young, handsome, dashing, skilful, physical. C. is, furthermore, generous and openhearted, pious and respectful. He's literally a good guy, very much by choice and design. He wants to be "the hero" - in fact, I think "the Hero" in the Lie is his personal totem, the model to which he aspires.
He's an upper-class gentleman, not from the City but from the country to which it belongs and quite aligned with it in his views. The Goddess and her Hero are foremost in his devotions, but he's religiously naive. Not for him abstract discussions of the Goddess' intent or the Hero's nature, let alone spirited discussion of inconsistencies in the Lie. He's a believer in a simple, trusting way that isn't really all that in the spirit of the Goddess - which really should be a big red flag to L. that something is wrong, off, when someone can have this kind of unconsidered, reflexive devotion to a deity who is supposedly all about knowledge and truth.
Like H., he's a fighter. Unlike H., he's not a soldier first, but a duelist. He loves chivalry, the idea of honor among killers, the idea of two fighters facing off. He's very good with light swords. On the battlefield he's a great fighter, but it's not really his element. He's definitely stronger and more able than H., but H would probably beat him in a fight in earnest, because C. would fight clean.
He holds L. in awe, because she's devoted to the Goddess. Probably to the point of not seeing her faults. That comes naturally to him, however; he's a kind person and he doesn't see anyone's faults, or if he does he doesn't take them seriously.
Showing posts with label characters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label characters. Show all posts
Monday, May 23, 2011
Let's meet some other damn person
H. is loosely based off of an H. I know in real life. I picture him as a rival, perhaps even an villain, but one with a not completely unsympathetic point of view.
In contrast to L., H. is a man (definitely a man) of the world. H. is cynical, ambitious, wealthy, and selfish. He's not amoral, but he's not one for causes or crusades. Anything he does he intends as an avenue towards something he wants. He's very good at what he does, however - which is a mix of business and soldiering. H. is a mercenary, or more properly a condotierri, a gentleman adventurer. He makes his life not so much by using the sword as holding the sword, by being paid "to fight or not fight," as Varric might have it.
His vice is really sloth, as that might seem to imply, not greed; put another way, he's ambitious but not driven. He is slovenly in some sense. He eats too much, drinks too much, he's slightly fat and out-of-shape for a soldier (though strong and a good fighter). His hygiene is less than perfect, he's sexually crude, sexist, and a great lover of prostitutes, slave women and less-straightforwardly "kept" women. Matrimony is a distasteful idea to him.
Despite his penchant for pleasure and soft-living, he's not above a little excitement and adventure, provided he doesn't sacrifice too much or enter into too much danger.
He's no duelist; he prefers to have others do his fighting, but when he must arm himself he's purely professional about it. He prefers heavy fighting and a heavy sword, and a solid pike if he can get his hand on it. He has no sense of honor or chivalry beyond what's convenient.
He's not from the City and considers their urbane, orderly ways somewhat quaint (perhaps ironically). He's from a much more rural, impoverished land of an extensive fighting aristocracy protecting a desperately poor peasantry, which he regards as a much more honest arrangement than the subtle political and economic distinctions of the city's classes.
He holds the goddess and her cult in high respect, but mostly as a) a goddess who can do something for him and b) a church that has (in his eyes) conned itself into a great deal of earthly power. It's not that he disbelieves the lie - far from it. He's just the sort of person who knows in the pit of his stomach that "it" will never happen in his lifetime, so he doesn't really concern himself with matters of life and death.
I like the idea that spiritually he literally worships a symbol of his family's standing - perhaps ancestor worship, a fairly rarified form tied to his culture and class?
One of his defining attributes is an amazing sense of self-assurance. He really thinks that he's the best, and that he's on some level invincible.
In contrast to L., H. is a man (definitely a man) of the world. H. is cynical, ambitious, wealthy, and selfish. He's not amoral, but he's not one for causes or crusades. Anything he does he intends as an avenue towards something he wants. He's very good at what he does, however - which is a mix of business and soldiering. H. is a mercenary, or more properly a condotierri, a gentleman adventurer. He makes his life not so much by using the sword as holding the sword, by being paid "to fight or not fight," as Varric might have it.
His vice is really sloth, as that might seem to imply, not greed; put another way, he's ambitious but not driven. He is slovenly in some sense. He eats too much, drinks too much, he's slightly fat and out-of-shape for a soldier (though strong and a good fighter). His hygiene is less than perfect, he's sexually crude, sexist, and a great lover of prostitutes, slave women and less-straightforwardly "kept" women. Matrimony is a distasteful idea to him.
Despite his penchant for pleasure and soft-living, he's not above a little excitement and adventure, provided he doesn't sacrifice too much or enter into too much danger.
He's no duelist; he prefers to have others do his fighting, but when he must arm himself he's purely professional about it. He prefers heavy fighting and a heavy sword, and a solid pike if he can get his hand on it. He has no sense of honor or chivalry beyond what's convenient.
He's not from the City and considers their urbane, orderly ways somewhat quaint (perhaps ironically). He's from a much more rural, impoverished land of an extensive fighting aristocracy protecting a desperately poor peasantry, which he regards as a much more honest arrangement than the subtle political and economic distinctions of the city's classes.
He holds the goddess and her cult in high respect, but mostly as a) a goddess who can do something for him and b) a church that has (in his eyes) conned itself into a great deal of earthly power. It's not that he disbelieves the lie - far from it. He's just the sort of person who knows in the pit of his stomach that "it" will never happen in his lifetime, so he doesn't really concern himself with matters of life and death.
I like the idea that spiritually he literally worships a symbol of his family's standing - perhaps ancestor worship, a fairly rarified form tied to his culture and class?
One of his defining attributes is an amazing sense of self-assurance. He really thinks that he's the best, and that he's on some level invincible.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
L
L is my protagonist. I just realized that.
The story is about truth. Specifically, it's about error. It's about learning to question because you realize that you aren't perfect and you aren't right. What's important in the strictest sense isn't daring deeds or a strong arm, but honesty and a determination to find out what's real and what's right, and that's what L is all about. The story calls out for a spiritual rather than a physical hero, and L fits the bill.
The story is about truth. Specifically, it's about error. It's about learning to question because you realize that you aren't perfect and you aren't right. What's important in the strictest sense isn't daring deeds or a strong arm, but honesty and a determination to find out what's real and what's right, and that's what L is all about. The story calls out for a spiritual rather than a physical hero, and L fits the bill.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
A character named L
Let's call him/her L.
L is innocent, and idealistic. L is private and reserved. L is shy. L has longing - to achieve great things and succeed in L's chosen field. L is in the clergy - a scribe, a scholar, a monk/nun. L is fundamentally a follower rather than a leader. L is a favorite of his/her superiors. L is intelligent - brilliant, even - and inquisitive. L is serious. L is focused. L works hard. L is gentle. L is moral. L is gentrified. L has enjoyed privilege and doesn't understand how much it's affected his/her life. L keeps his/her head in a crisis.
L's great virtue is intellectual honesty. He/she can't lie to others and he/she can't lie to herself - not well, anyway.
L should be sympathetic. L has a devotion, not just to truth, but to reason - he/she wants people to be intelligent and to think clearly. L is never a hypocrite; L will never preach love and practice hate, for instance.
L is a protagonist. L is one of the primary mechanisms by which the reader uncovers the lie, because L discovers the inconsistencies and inadequacies of the lie, and won't shut up about them or leave them aside.
L's arc is one of finding courage. L is a good person, but L has a comfortable life which he/she will endanger if L practices his/her virtues. L will lose the esteem of his/her teachers and colleagues, will lose the comfort and privilege of his/her position, will have to stand on his/her own two feet and engage in a contest with the orthodoxy and its protectors over the lie. These are not things that are easy for L. Nonetheless, L feels they must be done - if only he/she can bring herself to do them.
EDIT: Some research for this character. Logic and theology and how they fit together. Formal and informal fallacies. New testament. Also, occurring to me that I need holy texts for the religion.
L is innocent, and idealistic. L is private and reserved. L is shy. L has longing - to achieve great things and succeed in L's chosen field. L is in the clergy - a scribe, a scholar, a monk/nun. L is fundamentally a follower rather than a leader. L is a favorite of his/her superiors. L is intelligent - brilliant, even - and inquisitive. L is serious. L is focused. L works hard. L is gentle. L is moral. L is gentrified. L has enjoyed privilege and doesn't understand how much it's affected his/her life. L keeps his/her head in a crisis.
L's great virtue is intellectual honesty. He/she can't lie to others and he/she can't lie to herself - not well, anyway.
L should be sympathetic. L has a devotion, not just to truth, but to reason - he/she wants people to be intelligent and to think clearly. L is never a hypocrite; L will never preach love and practice hate, for instance.
L is a protagonist. L is one of the primary mechanisms by which the reader uncovers the lie, because L discovers the inconsistencies and inadequacies of the lie, and won't shut up about them or leave them aside.
L's arc is one of finding courage. L is a good person, but L has a comfortable life which he/she will endanger if L practices his/her virtues. L will lose the esteem of his/her teachers and colleagues, will lose the comfort and privilege of his/her position, will have to stand on his/her own two feet and engage in a contest with the orthodoxy and its protectors over the lie. These are not things that are easy for L. Nonetheless, L feels they must be done - if only he/she can bring herself to do them.
EDIT: Some research for this character. Logic and theology and how they fit together. Formal and informal fallacies. New testament. Also, occurring to me that I need holy texts for the religion.
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