radu123

although i'm not inclined to attempt any sort of fantasy project at the moment, a character popped into my head a few nights ago

all i know about him so far is that his name is animus, and he has the power to give life to inanimate objects.

the character was actually developed from a scene i envisaged - a company of travellers are exploring a seemingly empty village / town, when suddenly a house / town's castle comes to life and transforms into a leviathan of stone and wood

i don't know, but personally i find the idea of a castle coming to life and becoming a gargantuan made from its construction materials cool

what do you think? lame? unoriginal? too transformer-ish (because it is sort of a medieval transformers here lol)

or maybe you like it.

cheers.

JHB

Awesome! He could animate a mountain and CRUSH EVERYONE!

radu123

sorry?

JHB

I said it's an awesome character.

radu123

sorry, for some reason your post came up as something along the lines of

*repost and malfunction*, or something nonsensical like that

well thanks for the good feedback

JHB

Yeah, the post copied itself like twenty times and I attempted to edit them, but I guess a moderator took care of that.

Zyphial

Powers - at least to me - really don't matter for how well one would feel about a character. A magical faerie princess who shoots rainbows out of his painted nails can be a great character if it fits the theme of the story, has a detailed background and believable thought processes, and is developed in a meaningful way through the story. I wont pretend to have the skill required to make a broad audience fond of such a character, but the powers have little to do with how a reader would feel towards a character. For instance, based on the sample power I provided, I'm sure some are feeling that the character is homosexual (I mean no offense or stereotypes by this); if that same character used the power to brutally slaughter his entire family before heading off to kill anyone who'd ever teased him for that power, and then anyone ever witnessing him using the power to erase the painful memory of the humiliation it's caused him, instantly the reader's feelings towards the character change.

So, if you're asking about the power itself, well, that depends on what you do with it. And the same is true for the character with the power.

radu123

he wouldn't play a major role, so i guess the audience wouldn't really have to identify with him to a large extent

i just envisage cool scenes that he could enable.

for example, another moment: he is a rogue magician and has been cornered in a tavern. the soldiers don't truly know the extent of his power, and they have him surrounded and seemingly helpless. he gives a cryptic speech in which he alludes to his abilites, and suddenly the tables and chairs have come to life and are attacking left, right and centre.

so i guess it's the power i'm asking about, more than the character, because you obviously can't judge a character from the two lines i wrote about him.

then again, along the lines of what zyphial pointed out, a good author has the ability to make anything appreciated, as long it seems a natural and plausible part of their story.

some interesting points to ponder, thanks

duston

Because gay people aren't allowed to be psychopaths?

seigfried007

If he's not a major character, don't bother. Powers like that need to be explained somehow and that requires time and beaucoup pages.

Power itself is neato, but it's the character that will make or break the story

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lin

Not that big a problem. He can just be a refugee from animus planet and that's it.

Or suffering amnesia and not sure why he can do it or what it means.

It's good not to let pre-conceived notions limit approach to writing.

Especially not this type of writing.

I can think of a LOT of humor possibilities for this, by the way.

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lin

Or vice versa?

Is this a new California law?

Headline in the San Diego paper today says, "Voters Oppose Gay Union"

I'm like... gay UNION? What, the International Order of Muff-Munchers and Fudge-Packers, Local #69?
Bet they'd have some flamboyant picket lines.

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Zyphial

I meant that I intended no offense by the association of homosexual with fairy.

edropus

Great idea. That being said, if I read this, I would expect something more creative then chairs and tables (too Sorcerer's Apprentice). You could do some really creative things with the idea. Play with it.

Definitely has the potential for paranoia. I'll tell you this: if I'm hunting this guy, I'm not wearing a tie.

spider8

What age-group would you be aiming at? The idea seems a little childish but that doen't mean it's a bad idea. I saw a clip of Hancock the other day where Will Smith grabs a whales tail and throws the whale into the sea. Of course, if he was that strong he would just tear of a lump of whaletail and drive himself waist-deep into the sand in the process. So things can be silly and sell.