Category Archives: The Fictorians

A guest post by Jacqui Talbot

When I was ten, my uncle gave me a chemistry set, and with my first successful experiment, I was hooked.

There were a few less successful endeavors.

Like the time I decided to make a homemade stink bomb. Nothing too difficult. Just cut the heads off some matches and stick them in a bottle with some ammonia. Give it a swirl and then leave it for 3-4 days. Et voila! A perfect tool with which to prank my older siblings.

That is, of course unless a certain person—who shall remain nameless—decided to alter the recipe for maximum stench, and then forgot about it, leaving the bottle in a kitchen cupboard for two weeks during one of the hottest summers on record. And if that nameless (and blameless) child’s stepmother happened upon said bottle, gave it a little shake, and then opened it…. You get the picture. I was grounded for a month and the kitchen was uninhabitable for almost that long.

And then there was the incident with that batch of super-charged homemade gunpowder. (I was trying to make my own fireworks and wound up losing the porch and my eyebrows in at the same time.)

The point is that I have two great loves in my life: chemistry and the written word.

So, as you can imagine, when I discovered Alan Bradleys’ intrepid protagonist, Flavia de Luce, I was entranced. A beguiling cross between Pippi Longstocking and Sherlock Holmes, Flavia is an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry (specifically poisons) and a penchant for crime solving.

You can see why I love this kid.

She stars in seven novels, each one told in first person with some of the most beautiful writing I’ve ever read. To say that Bradley has a way with words is like saying Michelangelo was handy with a paintbrush. The way he crafts the language is mind-blowing. Here’s the first line of the fourth book in the series: I AM HALF-SICK OF SHADOWS:

“Tendrils of raw fog floated up from the ice like agonized spirits departing their bodies. The cold air was a hazy, writhing mist.

Up and down the long gallery I flew, the silver blades of my skates making the sad scraping sound of a butcher’s knife being sharpened energetically on stone.”

*Sigh* See what I mean?

If Flavia sounds like a character you want to meet, I recommend starting with book one in the series, THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE:

Reading one of Bradley’s books is like diving into a soft bed covered in silk sheets and down comforters. It’s like a hot bubble bath after a long day’s work.

Just be careful when you dive in. Because when it comes to Flavia, you never know what lurks beneath.

But when it comes to memorable characters, that’s not really a bad thing, is it?

About the Author:
Jacqui Talbot is a book worm, devoted Whovian, and certified fantasy geek. When not pursuing her dream of becoming a full-time writer, she spends her time learning different languages (six and counting) and being a nuclear chemist. Her current projects include SPINNERS, a YA supernatural thriller set on the Choctaw Indian reservation where she grew up, and KARMA AND CHEMISTRY, a MG fantasy adventure featuring a twelve-year-old protagonist who uses science to battle dark magic.

Walter White, you monster.

April 12, 2016

E. Godhand

Character Emily Godhand Reader Investment & Empathy 2 Comments

Everyone loves a good anti-hero, right? Maybe they have limited…moral inhibitions, but we root for them because ultimately we believe that even if their methods aren’t right, they are. The thing we wish we could do if only we weren’t constrained by things like “propriety” and “conscience”. The anti-hero becomes a sort of escapist fantasy where the reader or viewer can be a badass who gets what they want (or what ‘needs to be done’, you know, whatever they tell themselves to sleep at night) vicariously through the protagonist.

And they’re memorable characters for that, sure. Yeah. Of course.

…but let me tell you about a villain protagonist. A sociopath who is good at manipulation. You root for him to overcome obstacles because he was a normal person like you. A seemingly loving and attentive father who wanted a place in his family’s hearts. A teacher and brilliant chemist who wanted his contribution to his field to go noticed and appreciated. A victim fighting against life’s unfair cruelty that left him with terminal cancer and against a system that would let him die because he wasn’t rich enough to afford to live.

But with each new murder, each new atrocious act he rationalizes to assuade his own self-guilt, he asks more, and more, and more of your sympathy and support, until you have nothing more to offe-

Wait, you’re saying that Walter White was a compelling and memorable character until the very end?

Once he’s in the criminal underworld, even though he had many chances to quit and turn back, he doesn’t take them. He wasn’t in too deep. There was a way out. But like the Greek tragedies, he had a fatal flaw that lead to his downfall. His perception that he’s sunk so much of his life and savings and good-will into this that he can’t stop now, no matter how much he promises and thinks he can, is overshadowed by the insight that he…he likes it.

What’s more, he can justify his own behavior to himself. He believes himself, in the beginning at least, that he’s the victim, that he is doing what needs to be done to provide for his family before he’s gone. That the alternative is for him to die thinking he’s lived a meaningless life and his family in debt and grief.

But he likes what he does. He likes the taste of power when he previously felt powerless. He likes the recognition for his talents and skills when he felt he had fallen from grace after his contributions weren’t acknowledged and the people he worked with made a lot of money off HIS ideas. Money he really needs now. He had done everything “right”, and he still didn’t have what he wanted.

Now? Now he has nothing left to lose, he feels, because he’s already a dead man, and he can have one last shot at everything he wanted.

The ‘sunk-cost’ fallacy that explains why humans tend to “throw good money after bad”, also applies to the viewers as well. We’ve invested so much emotionally in this character ourselves, we’ve identified so much with them, that we want him to be redeemed…or at least see his goal through.

Because ultimately, as much as we want to be the powerful professional who is finally recognized for their talents, whose name puts fear in the hearts of our enemies under the illusion that that will protect our prestige and authority, as much as we want to be the one who knocks…

We want to know that it was all worth it. We want to know there’s an escape from our own mistakes. Because the character has become a viewer-insert, we begin to rationalize their actions on their behalf. Even an atrocious murder is a victory for us, because it was a victory for that character.

We want redemption to be possible for us, because the character was written in a way that we think, “But for the Grace of God goes I.”

And even if it is a tragedy and the main character goes out in a blaze of glory, we find comfort in the thought that we won’t forget their name, or the legacy they left behind.

Marty Stus by Moonlight

April 11, 2016

Kim May

Character Kim May The Writing Life No Comments

Yes, it’s usually considered a bad thing to have a character whose sole purpose is to be the main character’s love interest and rescuer. But there are times when I’m perfectly fine with that because the character hits all my happy buttons.

Exhibit A: Tuxedo Mask/Chiba Mamoru/ Darien Shields/Prince Endymion from Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon

No, this isn’t four characters serving as an example of “I don’t care that they’re a sexy shadow puppet”. This is one character with multiple identities. In the original manga his name is Chiba Mamoru (for Americans that’s Mamoru Chiba) who fights for justice as Tuxedo Mask. In the American version of the anime series his name was changed to Darien Shields.

The character’s creator, Takeuchi Naoko, designed him to be her own ideal of a man: strong, silent, and enigmatic. He’s also a perfect gentleman. Clearly our similar taste in men is a sign that Ms. Takeuchi and I need to be friends.

Mrrow.

Tall, dark, and sexy as hell in a tuxedo (or a three piece suit), and always there when you need him. I’d like to know how much this hot buffet costs because I’m willing to sell organs to get in that line. I’ll also cut anyone who tries to line jump. Seriously. I have Black Friday skills.

(Deep breath…calm down. Time to wipe off the drool and get serious.)

His primary purpose in the series is to be Sailor Moon’s love interest and to rescue her from peril when her klutziness and fears get the best of her. It doesn’t get more Marty Stu than that. However, as the series progresses and we find out there’s much more to him then that. He’s a student, he knew and loved our fair protagonist in a past life, and oh yeah, he’s a freaking prince!

I love a man in uniform.

In a past life, back when all was well in the universe, he was Prince Endymion of Earth who wanted to marry Princess Serenity of the moon. Unfortunately we don’t often get to see him as Prince Endymion. Most of his royal appearances are in flash backs but when he does shift into prince form in the present it’s a jump to the edge of your seat, jump up and down and scream kind of moment because you know that some serious butt-kicking is about to go down.

Even though the infrequency of this glorious unveiling is disappointing I can’t complain. Most of his time on the page are as Mamoru and Tuxedo Mask. As I mentioned before, both forms are pretty yummy. It’s also great to see him swoop in and be awesome.

Except for that one time he became a creepy stalker.

At least he had the decency to remove his hat like a gentleman.

I kid, I kid. When put into context this scene isn’t nearly as creepy as it looks. He’s actually paying our fair protagonist a visit to give her a pep talk. She felt so inadequate at being a superhero that she decided to quit; and it was at a moment when her team needed her most. When Tuxedo mask found out he ran over to her place, jumped onto her window sill and proceeded to remind her of all the wonderful qualities and strengths that she possessed. You have to admit. There are times when we really really need that kind of rescuing….even when we didn’t know that the person doing the rescuing knew where we lived.

Yeah. So…

One of the things I respect Ms. Takeuchi for most is that instead of letting Mamoru be the white knight/love interest who just happens to have a day job of sorts, she gave him super powers of his own that equal what the heroines have. He has psychic powers (including psychometry) and healing abilities. Granted, we rarely see him use them in the manga, even more rarely in the animated series, and almost never in the live action show. (Can you tell I’m obsessed?) All right, it doesn’t sound that impressive when I put it that way. Keep in mind though that this series was created and intended for teenage girls. It’s all about girl power. Girls solve the problems, girls fight for justice and right wrongs, and on the occasion that they need a little help that’s when the guy steps in to lend a hand. So really, it’s because the heroines are so capable that Mamoru rarely gets the chance to use his powers. But my point still stands that the fact he even possesses special abilities and has a back story makes him a Marty Stu worth indulging in.

The Marty Stu haters can hate all they like. I firmly believe that every woman needs a pretend boyfriend to daydream about and Mamoru is mine. To be perfectly honest, Mamoru is the reason I got hooked into the show in the first place. I’ve never cared that he’s the prince of Mary Sues — literally. He’s everything I love in a man and since he’s fictitious I don’t have to worry about him leaving me for another woman…or another man. Besides, Marty Stus were never meant to be the ideal we should hold out for. They’re the ideal that we have little escapist fantasies about on a moonlit night when reality is too much…and there’s no shame in that.

A Lesson in Character from Superman

April 10, 2016

fictorians

Character Guest Posts 1 Comment

A Guest Post by D.H. Aire.

I can’t think of a better character to explore than my favorite, Superman, particularly with Batman v Superman currently in theaters.

Everyone knows that Superman (who first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938) was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. That year they were paid a “kill fee” of $130, signing over all their rights to the character and story they had been developing for five years. This was a significant sum back then for two young men from immigrant families.

Knowing the genesis of Superman, helps us understand why people embraced this character then and why Superman endures. The following historical information about the creation of Superman comes from Arie Kaplan’s From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books.

Superman’s creators, Siegel and Shuster, came from Jewish immigrant families. Jews in that day were seen as weak, a minority that faced persecution. In the United States the comic book industry, like the movie industry, offered opportunity. So, Siegel and Shuster tried to break into the industry, envisioning an immigrant (an illegal one, as it turns out) who epitomized their aspirations – a superman, who falls in love with an American girl, just like they hoped to.

They gave Superman a Kryptonian name, Kal-El, which in Hebrew means Voice of the Lord. (That’s both a statement and an inside Jewish joke that’s been a point of pride to many a Jewish kid reading or watching Superman.) Creating Superman, who fights for truth and justice was more than a story for them. Superman was written at the beginning of World War II, at a time when the Third Reich’s genocide policies against Jews, gypsies, trade unionists and anyone who they labeled as a threat, were being enforced.

They wrote during the cusp of the beginning of World War II, where anyone (such as Jews, gypsies, homosexuals , even trade unionists) the Third Reich chose to claim as a threat to making their nation great was targeted. Thus, a superhero who fights for truth and justice, was more than a mere story for Siegel and Shuster.

Siegel and Shuster, like other comic artists of the day made Nazis the villains at a time when the American public was often enamored of the rhetoric. They and many other Jews in the Gold Age of the comics helped change that perception through their stories of Superman and other heroes, preparing Americans for seeing Nazi Germany’s evil.

Even though Superman was written during a turbulent and horrible time in history, he still endures. So, why do I love Superman? Why do I think so many others do, too?

Perhaps we secretly wish we were Superman. Not necessarily that we want to be a hero, but that we know we have a secret identity – one that we know is the real us. Maybe we know deep down we have a gift, a power, which when we talk about characters might be called “agency,” which may not be a superpower like the ability to fly faster than a speeding bullet, but still the power to make the world a better place in our own way through what each of us does to help others.

Perhaps, it is something else. From the perspective of an author who writes about speculative fiction, thinking about the character of Superman’s appeal, he’s not invulnerable and at key times he depends on Lois Lane or another average person like Jimmy Olsen who often saves him from exposure to Kryponite. He also has human frailties. He’s suffered personal loss. He’s lost his adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, and his biological parents – even his home world, making him the ultimate orphan, a classic aspect of those on the “hero’s journey.”

Better yet, Superman has great duds. I really like the red cape. Okay, I’m not a fan of his glasses, which I guess are intended to make him look smart. His costume is red, yellow, and blue, which might have been better as red, white, and blue, except for the fact it likely would not have looked quite as good in the comics…

But I digress, the costume itself makes Superman bigger than life, suggesting the Man of Steel is a knight in armor in the modern day. What I mean by that is more apparent in Man of Steel, where the costume literally is Kryptonian body armor. There’s also resonance in him being a knight an aspect of his character. He’s a defender of the weak, not unlike the ideal knight or samurai.

That’s always inspired me – just as seeing Superman fly on the movie screen does.

That’s a take away for me as someone who creates characters. I believe that in order to create a memorable character there should be something inspiring about them. Like the rags to riches tales of Cinderella, who appears in a variety of cultures in their folktales, Superman is a small town boy, who becomes the ultimate prince – someone who could almost be any of us with such hopes and dreams.

Another way to look at such resonance is to think of Superman as mythological. He’s godlike powers and emotional human frailties. Think of Hercules, a demi-god, who has amazing strength and fights the good fight on behalf of humanity against evils, human or monstrous. Tapping on the resonance of such old tales makes Superman’s stories feel truer somehow, more epic. That makes for strong story-telling, which comes from creating a wonderful protagonist.

So, Superman is my ideal memorable character and an excellent example of what goes into creating a, well, superb character. And if such insights helps you or I make a memorable character or two along the way, thank you Siegel and Shuster.

An alum of the Superstars Writing Seminar, D.H. Aire became a member of SWFA (the Science Fiction Writers of America) in 2015. He’s the author of ten novels, including the Highmage Plight Series.

You can follow him on twitter @dare2believe1 or the Highmage’s Blog on his website: www.dhr2believe.net.