forum Your character's core theme

Started December 14, 2020 by @NotSoBeautifulDiseaster group

tune

Sophie- Strength
You know the joke that most MCs these days are either doormats or overly-aggressive, while I believe that's far from the truth. Sophie is directly in the middle, average in everything she does but having a strong will. Strong and always trying to save everyone but at the same time vulnerable and insecure. This first manifest early in her life where ever since she was a child and was surrounded by peers and family members who exceeded at every area and when the amulet falls in her lap while she's scared that she may fuck up, she takes the chance to e a hero. her relationship with the LIs also show this all of them are seemly trapped in situations and it's kind of a struggle between her hero complex and common sense

Ava- Identity
Ava has always been a two-sided character. Diligent yet Lazy. Elegant but Sloppy. Strong but Fragile. This is intensified when she met Sophie, who seems to be her polar opposite, at first she tries to keep up her mature and cultured big sis act but once Sophie sees through her act as Ava is shown to not be the proper and hard-working class president as she thought she was, she starts to get jealous of her. She tries to distance herself from Sophie but in the end, they need each other to complete the mission and revive Sophie's soul. Due to Ava's mother leaving her Ava doesn't know who or what she be other than not being a weak little mute girl, but at the same time she can't seem to take the stress of being perfect all the time
Throughout the story, she opens herself up to people she'd usually ignore or be indifferent towards, and in the later half of the story, and starts shaping herself better. She takes after her mother in the fact she's strong-willed, though she doesn't have as much confidence in it as her mother does. Her attempts seem to scare people at first but in the last half of the story, she's quite successful.

Charlie- Forgiveness
Charlie wasn't a good person as a child he was spoiled, bossy, and had his head in everyone's business, and that only intensified when he befriends the bullies and emulating their ways abandoning all of his former friends just for popularity and when that all blew in his face, he blamed everyone else until, he learned what was really true, It was his fault. Cut to now, where he's now a shy and reclusive boy who blames himself for everything.
He doesn't have any real friends anymore until Sophie came back. When they were kids, they were "friends" despite Charlie's constant teasing and nagging of her. He first tries to avoid her thinking she doesn't want to associated with him, but then realizes it's because she has to associate with him to help him with a disease he caught that has infected his mother, former friends, and former bullies
He tries to avoid this at first but realized that lives will be on the line if he doesn't do this.
Sophie reminds him of his father who supported him in his goals despite his own personal fears, worries and even if Charlie hurt his father on a daily basis. It took him a long time before he realized that his father was right and still is. and when he finds his father in the form of a bunny, He immediately apologlize and tries to fix all the problems he caused.
Throughout the part of the story mostly everyone understandably doesn't forgive or trust him, but he keeps trying to prove himself and eventually at least becomes at peace with himself.
He learns to treat friends like he once did, like family.

Lucas- Love
All Lucas wanted throughout his life was love, after leaving his loving grandmother home, His father practically ignores him and just gives him toys to make up for ignoring him. That was until he met Sophie as a child and fell for her hard, to the point he scared her off by being clingy and jealous of the other boys in their friend group
So when she was gone, he looked for other sources of love, they all ended shortly after they started
After that, he learned that he was the reason he wasn't loved and like that he gave up on love and lived his life out through tales of dashing bad boys on motorcycles swooping in to save their lover from the dastardly villains and getting the girl. Until he met Sophie again.
He at first didn't pay Sophie any mind since she seemed like every other girl until he found she can do soul magic and that ended up dragging him into meeting his past lovers, who weren't entirely human either and they're now after his life Just like him, they are motivated by one thing: love, Love for him, themselves, family, and friends

Jax- Trust
Jax is in a way the opposite of Charlie, while Charlie has to forgive others and himself, Jax has to learn that he doesn't have to forgive but the least he can do is move on and learn to trust other people like he meet Sophie aft it's been 10 years since she moved and broke their promise to protect him, He ignore her at first, not even holding it against her for breaking her word. But then after a few months he started to feel sorry for her and she was his friend again so he forgave her. And now he feels like they are friends again. So far so good, but as much as he might be able to forgive, he still feels guilty about still hating his father after he committed suicide. He tries to bring himself to empathize with him or even pity him, but it just doesn't stick as all he feels hatred for him.
and that manifest when he's possessed by Mavis, his dead half-brother's ghost and he actually tries to kill him and his remaining family members and the more anguished he gets the stronger Mavis gets, so he isolates himself from others to keep everyone else safe but still as more of his family comes back, he has to fight for a way to save them and Sophie is the one he needs to save since she's the only one who can remove the curse. Sophie was the closest thing to a friend he had and he'd do anything to save her. Unfortunately, he doesn't know if it's possible since removing a ghost exacted to the heart from a living being is extremely difficult, if not impossible and he doesn't want to risk even more harm to Sophie or himself if it's not going to work, All they can do now if trust one another and while that might not sound like much, it's more than he ever really had before.

Matthew- Nostalgia
I would say that Matthew is a human embodiment of a liminal space. At first, he's familiar and seems like the only thing that stayed the same from Sophie's past but there's something off about him and his life. He seems too good to be true as if he was stuck in the past. That's manifest with his near-worship of Sophie. Even when he's the top student in his class and surrounded by a bunch of people who love him, he can't help but want to go back to that time where he and Sophie spent their time stargazing. He also feels an element of fuzziness when it comes to his past. For example, when he met those mysterious aliens and got sick for a year, he blocks out those memories, and they get awoken when Tsumi possessed him and the more magical incidents he witnesses he tries to stop it, but when he realizes he can't, he slowly starts worry and become paranoid especially over Sophie's safety since seems Sophie is his key to the past

Micheal- Grief
Micheal's health was gradually gotten worse over the years before the story starts and while he'll make it, he has to adjust to life as he loses a part of himself. When he in 8th grade he used to be in swim club and it really brought him out of his shell, since then, he's become more social and talkative.
In the first semester of his freshman year, his sister got a new group of friends and he fell in love with ringleader, a cute redhead named Jennifer. He tried to make a move on her, but being a freshman, she took advantage of his naivete and had him do homework for her
When they were caught them in the act, she throws him under bus, claiming that he was trying to date her and she didn't like it. A few of his other friends back off him as a result, in a way all of them did, they stopped hanging out with him.
Even his sister stayed by Jennifer's side. Slowly but surely, Micheal was alone. He didn't give up though and tried to make a friendship with Jennifer but her jealous boyfriend got his hands on him and tried beating the hell out of him. Micheal hadn't seen it coming and while he tried to fight back, he eventually lost consciousness.
He has a broken jaw, broken arm and newfound phobia for people.
He'll never swim again, He'll never find love anymore. He'll just slowly become a shell of who he is now., When lose these part of himself he falls into despair and is no longer joyful. He gets homeschool and has seen any outside his family since, that until they move and his sister tries to get him out of his shell again by getting him to go with her to school, he at first acts rudely in the hope she'll give up and let him die alone in his room. but he soon gives in and does open up a bit to others
He is the polar opposite of Sophie, while she is average and naive she tries her hardest to contribute, even if it hurts her while Micheal is talented and intelligent yet fearful to the point he hurts others and more common himself. It comes to a climax when he meet a ghost boy name Mason who he slowly starts to become friends with to the point where they think they know each other well.

Prince Destrian- Determination
Destrian is headstrong but he's dedicated. He even promises that he'll stop at nothing to make sure his kingdom is safe. He strives hard to reach his goal and will do whatever it takes to get there, even if it means killing a king (cough cough).

Prince Sadon- Choice
I don't know if choice is really a theme but that's what he represents at heart. He's given so many choices throughout the book: to either obey his grandfather or help Destrian, to go on the quest or stay in his kingdom. In order for the story to end and in order to win the war, he knows he has to do something terrible (that terrible thing being killing his own grandfather). He knows he has to be the one to do it and still, he has doubts. He obviously doesn't want to, but he has to.

Sir Peter Deximenis- Loyalty
Holy crap, this boy. He shows undoubted loyalty to his friend, Destrian, and even to Sadon, who is the grandson of their sworn enemy. He struggles with it when he realizes he can't join Destrian on his quest- that he must stay home- but he doesn't waver. He immediately welcomes Destrian back and helps him in battle without question.

Arynalli Anuusi- Strength
Arynalli- or just Aryn- is mentioned to not be a good fighter. They don't enjoy battle, but their strength isn't physical. They have so many others, like their book smarts, their knowledge of magic, and their knowledge in history. They help the princes in so many other ways than fighting side by side with them.

Hollow Winds - Loyalty
Hollow is, by far, my most loyal character. He never picks sides during fights or arguments, since he wants to side with everyone in any case. He takes care of anyone who isn't already taking care of themselves. For me, he kind of resembles the parental figures I never had, so I guess that can also apply to his theme and why I chose said theme.

Ace Clubs - Emotion
Emotion probably doesn't count as a theme, but for me, it does. He's the kind of guy who doesn't feel nervous about broadcasting his emotions (which he does very often), and even though he talks about himself most of the time he can still feel emotions not just towards himself but towards other people too. He doesn't back his sympathy and empathy and keeps all of his emotions equal.

Ten Spade (aka: Spade) - Options
This is another thing that may not count as a theme, but I do see it as one. Spade is the kind of person who gives everyone options, instead of rushing through things, like Ace for example. Spade wants everyone to have a say in things, and he usually leaves himself out of choices so that everyone can share their own input.

Jack Rabbit - Options
Jack is pretty much the same as Spade, except Jack provides his own input and also lets everyone else add theirs too. Since Jack and Spade are brothers, it kind of makes sense that their themes are the same except for a few minor details.

Riddle Hearts - Determination
Riddle is a very determined boy, in both a good and bad way. He's determined to take care of the others (except Ace; he hates Ace), but that determination ends up making him very stubborn in the long-run. Either way, he keeps his eyes set on a goal and doesn't stop until he achieves it, even if it may get him hurt or, even worse, killed.

Shea: Courage
Shea is a fearless woman. She will always jump head-first into danger without question to protect others. Shea has powers that control fear, making others scared or braver. She does not fear death, she does not fear getting hurt, the only thing she fears is losing those she promised to protect. She puts her life on the line everyday, unafraid of getting hurt. She smiles in the face of danger and stands up straighter in the face of a challenge.

Bianca: Leadership
Bianca is a governess of a small country. Bianca is level-headed and good at making decisions. Bianca is brave and stoic, always putting others before herself. Bianca is calm and rational, but most of all, fair. She knows what she needs to do for the greater good. Bianca can command a room with barely a whisper and will always listen to both sides of a story.

Paisley: Control
Paisley is a powerful sorceress, but it takes self-control to keep her powers in check. Paisley could level a city if she wished, but she won't because she knows she has to control herself. She practically lives by the phrase "With great power comes great responsibility" and always keeps herself in control.

TW: Sucide, Abuse, Bullying Mentions

Bonita: Escapism
Bonita at first seems to be her own little world, she doesn't get along with most people and has a very negative outlook on life, compared to most of the other characters she's pretty bland and average. Not to mention she is shown to be a doormat and childlike looking which makes her boring to most of her peers. That's why she turns to inserting herself in fiction as a way to not have to be in the real world. While some of the media she consumes is toxic, it's probably the only way she can take a break from reality. But it takes a darker turn when she shuts everyone else out completely by becoming obsessed with her hobbies, to the point that she ignores reality and her family and then the men from her those Drama CDs become real life people and kidnap her when she witnessed them escaping their game. It's a dark world her obsession has created, and it isn't pretty. When kept by Ongi, who has convinced himself that she is the heroine, he's easily ticked off and forces her to act out his fantasies, She goes along with at first, since he is her favorite boy and he is seen as the kindest one of the group. Her attitude towards him gradually changes for the worse. At the end, she embraces both reality and escapism and is finally free.

Valerie: Judgement
Valerie has to have her word on everything due to being bullied when she's younger She has an incredibly low opinion of everyone else, never thinking past her nose and judging everyone on first impression. When she sees Bonita's Bitter Dream copy she is disgusted by the romanticised abuse and somewhat weird out by Bonita, seeing her as some sort of abuse apologist. She mocks her for it at school, while it was minor, Bonita was so fragile, it caused her to relapse into her fiction addiction and when Bonita disappears she thinks she may have cause Bonita to hurt herself, she feels total and completely responsible. Out of guilt, She helps her parents hand out missing fliers and when doing so she bumps into Sophie, a former friends of her bullies, Sophie stood by and watched her get bullied, she feels no remorse in seeing as pathetic that she is.
She digs deeper into the case and thinks Sophie is only in it for attention, though when Sophie and Insato save her from Otori, she eases up just a bit, when she finds Bonita again and she's thankfully unharmed.
There were a few minor misunderstandings, but most of the blame is placed on others and her own paranoia.
Her shadow archetype might be Tsuyoi both are the textbook strong independent woman with a hatred for cowards but Valerie has more of conscience decision making than a self-serving end.
She's a great example of why first impressions matter, though her obvious bitterness towards others would suggest she has no real feelings, she's just bitter, but she secretly was a hurting girl and fortunalety she does stop hurting others

Insato: Softness
All her life, Insato being regarded as weak and a doormat, So when she breaks free you think she comes out as a badass survivor, but that's not the case after all the abuse and blaming she suffered. She's just an emotionally broken shell of the sweet and gentle girl she used to be. And while she's stronger physically, she has emotional and psychological wounds that are too deep to be healed without outside help. She has a disdain for "strong" people considering them cruel and callous for no reason. Since she was always the victim, she assumes that all strong people are like that and it's impossible for them not too. She doesn't have much self-esteem and placed too much stock in the idea that she's always being blamed for things that are the fault of others.
She believe most "weak" people are innocent and good and don't deserve what they get, but as was seen when she more humans it becomes more complex that victim=good villain=bad. Even cruelty among siblings and other close relationships can make someone rethink that. We see some changes in her when she briefly working with Sophie, a girl that formerly hated and blamed her for being so weak. At first, she ignores and hates on Sophie for her own selfish reasons, but then starts realizing that maybe getting in the way of actually helping people as her distrust of Sophie gets in the way of her saving Bonita's life.
In short, she's a softie in the long run, but in the short term…she's going to be a serious threat.

Gaki: Inconsiderateness
Gaki's fatal flaw was his childishness and cruelty, He gets a rise out of offending people for instance, he feigns insanity as quirk and shield himself from criticism, he also has a habit of unintentionally insulting people and then getting defensive when called out on it. It doesn't help that he's very young-looking and his voice carries a youthful, squeaky tone that can easily push people's buttons. He's almost never taken seriously, his fans coddle him as a broken soul, while his detractors see him as the typical mad waif type who is obviously a nuisance. He both uses and resents the treatment He has little value on human life (even his own) in general and will take risks that would terrify most into stupidity. He does show signs of want to be seen as grown-up like destroying his stuffed bunny and trying to seduce Sophie when he possesses the first male body he sees after a long time, But he is still a broken child in most ways, seeing how he's terrified of being alone but at the same time he's a rotten little brat at heart who kills people whenever he sees fit. His death could've been avoided if he wasn't taunting Insato before she murders when him when his guard is down.
Alvis: Attitudes toward Fangirls
Fangirls and younger fans are normally mocked or pitied as pathetic idiots online, (ex. Gacha Kids, Tik Tok Teens, Tumblr girls) but Alvis takes it one step further. He looks upon them as nothing more than mindless sheep to control and influence. He sees them as prey and he's going to take advantage of this as much as he can. He sees teenager girls, his main demographic, as drooling morons that will worship him as a celebrity. The only thing keeping them from being true prey is that they're young and stupid enough to believe he's genuinely interested in them despite his blatant lack of care towards them or so he thinks.
When Bonita sees his true nature pieces of virtual in game items.
However, Youths and teenagers seem to be fooled by his fake charm, they think he's actually being sincere when he says how much he likes them and gives them gifts., she abandons him and his brothers, shaking him and leads him to send Tsuyoi to kill her in exchange for saving his own life.
Tsuyoi finally has enough of him and kills him with ease.
Alvis is a character with hardly any depth, but he serves as a symbol of what happens when people mistreat their fans. You don't have to be nice or a "good guy" to your fans, you just have to not be a complete prick.
Insulting your fan base and failing to take care of them will one day backfire severely.
He has a low opinion of women, seeing them as stupid and basic, especially those of the teenage demographic and mocks them without thinking that they line his franchise's and have lives outside of him.
He just sees them as brainless sheep that need to be herded and controlled.

Otori: Superficialness
Otori's all about appearances. He's the most superficial of the groups, even going as far as killing men who resemble him (Though he always takes care to change his look first)
He takes great pride in his body and appearance, taking snapshots of himself at every opportunity, even when it isn't necessarily flattering. He always knows what to say to lead people on so that he can swap partners whenever he wants. He sees women as conquest and men as competition and he's cruel and selfish enough to take advantage of both whenever the opportunity arises.
His sex appeal is a double edge sword for him on one side, he take full advantage of it by seducing girls onto his side and one the other all he has to offers is his looks and charms. This works most of the time, but he can't just afford to be generous all the time as it could backfire on him.
When he doesn't get what he wants he slowly but sure snaps, as an example when helping Valerie find Bonita, he offers his body as a war but she turns it down, he nearly snaps then and tries to kill her or force her in it but in the end, he got killed by Sophie and Valerie.
His obsession for looks and superficial things causes him to mess up

Ongi: Entitlement
Ongi is a pretty horrible person. While he tries to convince himself that he's doing this to make Insato happy and he's better than his crueler brothers, it doesn't change that he's a complete monster. In his eyes, he's different and better because he's chosen a "good" course of action. This is very apparent with his treatment of Insato and Bonita. In his mind, he's the nice one who is saving the maiden while his brothers are just villains. While he is considerably kinder and shares lots of tender moments, he's still an abuser and a monster. He still allows his brother's behavior while acting like he's the white sheep of the group. In reality, he's probably the most dangerous of all of them. He believes just because he had restraint and did a couple of selfless things, all the bad things he does is automatically disappear. He allowed his Insato to be abused and did nothing. Not to mention he actively destroy things and people when angered. In the end, he gets exactly what he asks, Insato's attention before she killed him with his knife he gave to her.

Tsumi: Place
Tsumi never cared for being the bad guy, but he was written in the role. He's the main love interest of the story and he hates it. Being stuck as someone's dream boy, having to give up his assassination career, and being forced to act as he changed, all things he hates because he knows deep down he's a cold-blooded killer. He's had to compromise on everything to be the character that was written. So when he possesses a human body, he feels free to act how he truly feels.
He targets the main characters first because he knows they're the main ones writing him into this story and he wants to get it over with before he takes out the others.
With his abuse of Insato and Tsuyoi, he acknowledges but he just ignores it as soon as he "apologize" to each of them which is basically in the line of "I'm sorry, Now go away."
In his eyes, Tsuyoi and Insato are fictional characters, their feelings aren't important because they don't exist, and if he can't be with them then what does it matter if he kills them. He has this air of blase ness to him as if these things happen all the time.
He actually snaps when he's forced into a long term relationship with someone who is obviously not Tsuyoi's author.
In a way, he is a victim of circumstance just like the rest of you, but he's a lot more callous about it.

Tsuyoi: Toughness

She is taught to laugh in danger's face and not back down from anything, Though that become difficult when her "love interests" are treating her as a weapon and she can't resist their orders
She was able to remain strong in this way thanks her sharp mind and athletic body. She's able to outrun, jump, climb and fight her way out of a lot of difficult situations. This allows her to survive in the wilderness for a long period of time as well.
Though she programmed to fall in love with Tsumi, an abusive assassin and she does end up falling for him, though wishes that this wasn't the case. However, she can't disobey him of course. Tsuyoi is rather callous and uncaring to the weak and helpless, believing them to be simply too stupid to survive on their own to feet, She also hates girly people and equates it with weakness
despite being feminist. She does show signs of remorse for her deeds and willing to help those in need, but its very rare such that you have to look for it.
While she isn't a good person, she like all abuse victims isn't responsible or at blame for being abused and not leaving. Though she believes that the boys mistreat her for not being as strong as them and that she should be just resent it when she comes to the realization that she's been abused she blames her and beats her own self for being so "weak" and "pathetic"
In a way she's victim of her environment, She always put on this pedal stool of being a "strong female lead" and "sassy" but really she's an abused soul trying to survive, In the end, She escapes Tsumi's control and spares the others' lives, leaving them all to wonder if she killed them or not,

Austin: Passion
Austin is probably the most passionate person you could know. He doesn't really care about things like tv shows or books, etc. But he cares a lot about people. He's one of those people who will make fun of themselves and neglect their own needs, but be ready to commit murder to make sure someone he cares about is feeling okay.

Emily: Empathy
Emily is always there to let you know you aren't alone. Even if she doesn't like to talk much or to be the center of attention, she'll make sure that you think you can make it through whatever you're going through. She's sweet and kind.

Felix: Growth
Felix is a selfish bastard. But he grows as a person to become better, with the help of the people around him. He's a moron, but when he gets the help he needs to grow, he'll become a great person. Just you wait.

Jarrod: Stability
Without Jarrod, several people would have fallen apart by the seems. He's there for everyone to be a shoulder to cry on. He makes sure you're okay, and does what he can to fix anything that's wrong. He lets Austin, Emily, and Felix live with him and makes sure they're fed. Jarrod is the stable person that the others need.

Melissa: Friendship
Melissa keeps trying to be Austin's friend through hell and back. Not even Austin could convince her to go away. She ends up helping Austin to open up and heal, and is always there to help him. Melissa would do anything for Austin because Austin is her first real friend.

(Here's the main themes of the characters that I now have names for)

Yuki- Adventure
After running into the human kingdoms, Yuki is almost killed by the cult before Kazuko stops them. They end up becoming friends and tell each other about their big problems. Long journeys ensue as they venture to fix their problems together. Yuki finds a wild demon, who helps her on her quest by giving her a magical taser. Together with Kazuko, she then travels into the demon kingdoms to fix things and tases her brother. After the adventure is over, she still goes on adventures and quests, whether they be physical or spiritual.

Kazuko- Belief
For the entire plot, Kazuko believes things can get better. She isn't a part of the cult (which is rare for humans), because she believes that there must be good in the demons. This is confirmed when she meets Yuki and actually travels there. She doesn't rely completely on others to make things better, instead, she takes action to make the world a better place she believes it can be. This shows to be a good plan of action as she ends the deceitful cult rulers reign by killing her. She never gives up and believes in herself like nobody else; she's earned the title of belief.

Nakano- Wilderness
Nanako was never the type to follow a hierarchy. In fact, that's why she lives in the forests outside of the demon kingdom. She represents multiple aspects of the wilderness in a way. Freedom, beauty (inner beauty, to be exact) & resourcefulness all come from her. She is the one who gives Yuki the magical taser and helps her multiple times. She goes wherever she pleases, even the human kingdoms, regardless of the rules. She is an all around wild girl.

Kaage- Redemption
Once upon a time, in the start of the story, he was an egotistical demon who ruled the demon kingdom. That all changed when his sister tased him (yes, tased him) with a magical taser. He got his power ripped from him and, since they were out of legible rulers, his sister took the throne. Soon enough he sat down and took a look at himself (not literally) and realized what he had been doing. He asked his sister to help him fix things, which she did.

Akira- Deceit
For the longest time she lead the cult that ruled humans, telling them about the evil demons (who aren't actually that bad). She told them that, because of their crimes, they would suffer for a long time. When members of her cult didn't agree with her, she killed them in secret. She was quite the hypocrite, but was never revealed for her lying ways until the end of her rule. Her rule only ended because she was killed.

Hasuko- Isolation

Colton- Empathy

Kelly- Rebellion

Dawn- Antisocial

Emma- Conformation

Terry- Fakeness

Tori- Truth

Aaron- Ignorance

Claire- Obedience

Darnell- Apathy

Hunter- Tradition

Elijah- Status Quo

Akira - taking responsibility for ones actions
Amaya - Justice
Ea akan'eran - raging fury
Erude - Pain
Freya - Regret
Haiael - Knowledge and temptation
Nour - curiosity and trust
Takeru - self-deception
Vanth - What does it mean to be alive?
Verrier - family ties
Yasu - fear and letting go