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uss-assbutt:
austriea:
man you know what I want? a superhero series where they have powers that 100% contradict their personalities. a fishermans daughter who lives by the sea, swims every day, learns that she can control fire. a boy who’s mortified of heights but realizes he can use antigravity and hates it. someone who was bitten by a dog as a child, suffers extreme fear around animals, can now communicate with them. they’re all disgusted by their powers.
yes good but what about the ~character development~ as they learn to cope with their powers and overcome their fears
the pyrokinetic swimmer wading out into the ocean armed with waterproof matches to practice so nothing goes wrong, building her confidence with the sea as her safety net, being so proud when she figures out how to heat the air just enough that she dries off instantly after swimming
the boy slowly overcoming his fear of heights, realizing that he can catch himself if he ever falls, standing swaying on top of playground sets and closing his eyes as he tries to safely hover down (and not fall on his face again)
the girl’s terror lessening as the previously terrifying cacophony of the dogs at the park turns into a chorus of “ball! ball! throw me the ball!” “it’s me! I’m the good boy!” and “squirrel!!!” and learning to communicate back, have them listen to her, learning how to calm down a dog who’s overexcited to the point of biting, discovering that the scary dog down the street is just home alone a lot and lonely, staring her fear in the face and learning its secrets
because being disgusted with their powers is interesting, but I want to see people learning to love even the scary and contradictory parts of themselves
Okay, once I get past the “why would a fisherman’s daughter be disgusted by fire, living in a damp windy environment there are huge advantages to fire (e.g. not having the place you sleep be moldy and damp), and if you don’t appreciate that why wouldn’t you just be indifferent” reaction, it occurs to me:
These powers don’t contradict their personalities.
These powers contradict their upbringing and backstories.
Figuring out the difference is key for handling the character development, and for making the characters more than a collection of acceptance of their environment in the first place.
uss-assbutt:
austriea:
man you know what I want? a superhero series where they have powers that 100% contradict their personalities. a fishermans daughter who lives by the sea, swims every day, learns that she can control fire. a boy who’s mortified of heights but realizes he can use antigravity and hates it. someone who was bitten by a dog as a child, suffers extreme fear around animals, can now communicate with them. they’re all disgusted by their powers.
yes good but what about the ~character development~ as they learn to cope with their powers and overcome their fears
the pyrokinetic swimmer wading out into the ocean armed with waterproof matches to practice so nothing goes wrong, building her confidence with the sea as her safety net, being so proud when she figures out how to heat the air just enough that she dries off instantly after swimming
the boy slowly overcoming his fear of heights, realizing that he can catch himself if he ever falls, standing swaying on top of playground sets and closing his eyes as he tries to safely hover down (and not fall on his face again)
the girl’s terror lessening as the previously terrifying cacophony of the dogs at the park turns into a chorus of “ball! ball! throw me the ball!” “it’s me! I’m the good boy!” and “squirrel!!!” and learning to communicate back, have them listen to her, learning how to calm down a dog who’s overexcited to the point of biting, discovering that the scary dog down the street is just home alone a lot and lonely, staring her fear in the face and learning its secrets
because being disgusted with their powers is interesting, but I want to see people learning to love even the scary and contradictory parts of themselves
Okay, once I get past the “why would a fisherman’s daughter be disgusted by fire, living in a damp windy environment there are huge advantages to fire (e.g. not having the place you sleep be moldy and damp), and if you don’t appreciate that why wouldn’t you just be indifferent” reaction, it occurs to me:
These powers don’t contradict their personalities.
These powers contradict their upbringing and backstories.
Figuring out the difference is key for handling the character development, and for making the characters more than a collection of acceptance of their environment in the first place.
