Open Thread: Oracle Hotline

[mithen]

--Describe your perfect book hero or heroine.

I like writing protagonists who are basically good people, but who struggle to remain that way while dealing with external conflicts and pressures. Upon reflection, that's probably not the base of a terribly riveting protagonist! Which is I guess why I enjoy fanfic, because that kind of character can be a bit bland to power a whole narrative without some careful planning. But I love being in the head of a conflicted but fundamentally decent person dealing with external threats.

(Now, an antagonist--I love a deeply conflicted, ambivalent, and often-oblivious antagonist who refuses to think about their own motivations.)

I hope you're all doing well, in life as in writing!

Comments

[me_ya_ri]

Clark Kent.

Or, as contrast, Tim Drake. And, I suppose Jason Todd.

There, done! :D

*laughs* No, really, what I love in a hero is someone who's honestly good to the bone, who tries hard and never gives up no matter what they're facing and who learns, grows and changes over time. Not that you get that from Clark, Tim or Jason but that's the medium's fault, not the characters.

I've never been that interested in the struggle to remain good. I like the "damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead" characters who Will Not Stop no matter whether they have to go over, under around or through their obstacles. Internal conflict for me comes from the moment of oh god, I'm so exhausted where they want to give up but then they take a deep breath and get up again.

The villains, on the other hand, hell to the yes for internally conflicted villain who knows what they want but has these lingering good thoughts or who realizes in odd moments that maybe their path isn't actually as good as they're telling themself it is.

Doing reasonably well though this is a laze about weekend. I haven't had one in a long time and I'm enjoying it despite feeling guilty about not getting stuff done. Hope you're doing well, too!

[bradygirl_12]

I like the good guys like Clark. He's genuinely good but there are times I'm sure he's tempted to take humanity by the scruff of the neck and give it a good shake! He doesn't because he knows humans have to figure things out for themselves, but he can set a shining example.

Villains who are evil through-and-through can be formidable, but those with some good left in them are more interesting. Or when villains team up with heroes because it's to save the world and they would prefer doing that to getting overrun by aliens or whatever. :) A truce can lead to all sorts of interesting things! :)

Still working on my The Alienist Halloween story and deciding whether I should start on my third original novel. The weather has been gorgeous, which I'm enjoying because humidity is returning soon! :)

[navaan]

I do like people who "wear masks" like double identities to using less visible masks to get through life, who have to compartmentalize a part of themselves for whatever reasons. I love the questions of identity that brings.

I do prefer good guys with a moral compass and people who are maybe more critical of their own failures and shades of grey than others are. Basically people who are good but want to be even better or hold themselves to very high standards (even if they struggle with that sometimes.)