The Brooklyn Project: Protagonist-Centered Morality and Why it’s Bad

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accountability, baroness orczy, bbc merlin, bbc sherlock, captain america, captain america: the first avenger, captain america: the winter soldier, character development, characters, dynamic characters, editing, harry potter, heroes, marvel, marvel superheroes, star wars, story dynamics, the brooklyn project, the scarlet pimpernel, undo the sue, writing

Sometimes, an author will become so preoccupied with his or her hero or heroine that they can do no wrong–even when they are. The rules bend for these protagonists. And people in the stories (and occasionally the reader as well) see nothing wrong with this.

This can potentially lead to the creation of a Mary Sue.

Protagonist-centered morality is bad because it takes away the possibility of accountability as well. If your hero does something wrong, you want it to have repercussions. They can’t just get away with a slap on the hand! It reinforces to the reader that the hero has done something wrong, and it also makes for deeper characters. If the hero has slipped up once, they have to fight harder to even be allowed to do it right the next time..

On the other hand, if you don’t add responsibility, your protagonist can become spoiled and obnoxious (as in real life) or unrealistically angelic (sickening.) The latter would make him/her a Mary Sue, no matter how many de-Sue-ifiers you threw in to try and balance it (without removing the lack of accountability.)

Apart from the message that it sends, that it’s okay to do bad things, it’s bad for the story at large.

I’m trying to think of a few examples, but all I can think of is that, though in the final cut, we never see the response to Steve’s failed attempts to enlist, falsifying information, I think there was actually a scene planned where someone found out and didn’t trust Steve for a while. They just didn’t officially tell anyone because if they did he’d be court-martialed and they couldn’t have that. In the planned Howling Commandos fanfic that I’m writing, I was going to have one of the people in the USO show tour find out and hold it over Steve. There are, however, strong consequences when Steve fails to predict that the train is a trap and save Bucky, even if it’s not technically his fault.

Another example would be the BBC show Merlin. While, all around, this is generally a good show, the BBC slipped up a bit (for once); this show displays a bit of protagonist-centered morality. Though, later on, they add more consequences, even to past actions, early in the show there are a few episodes where Merlin slips up and gets away with it. However, for the show’s other protagonist, Arthur, there are always consequences to his actions. Inconsistent much? Or just waiting around? *sigh* I wish they’d done it earlier on.

In the BBC show Sherlock, we’re actually hoping to see protagonist-centered morality blown out of the water; at the very end of the last season, Sherlock killed someone, point-blank, in cold blood (attempting not to give spoilers here); we want to see how people react to this. There’s always mistrust, and rightly so, after something like that.

In Star Wars, Obi-Wan’s attempt to distance himself, to not become emotionally involved, backfires when Anakin turns to the dark side; Obi-Wan’s aloof affection was simultaneously too much and not enough.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier comes with a thorough message about accountability (where Civil War is essentially about people’s Constitutional rights, from what I’ve heard). This is especially true for Natasha, who risks, in a selfless action that proves she is capable, no matter what she (and incidentally, Hydra) thinks, of heroism, she spills all her dirty secrets across the Internet in order to bring Hydra down (again, trying to avoid spoilers.) Ironically, this bypasses the same failsafe that Hydra thought would protect them; they insist that Natasha (or anyone, really) wouldn’t incriminate herself like that.

From what I’ve heard, Harry Potter is really bad about this–it sounds like he consistently breaks rules of both the magician and human world without any consequences.

One very good book that could make better use of accountability (without outright protagonist-centered morality) that I love is “The Scarlet Pimpernel.” Except for Marguerite, the book doesn’t use it quite as well as it could…

Accountability. Use it for deeper character.

Thanks for reading, and God Bless!

Aren’t Chosen Ones Getting a Little Old?

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bound to the flame, characters, editor, harry potter, j.k. rowling, kysherin, realism, star wars, story dynamics, writer, writing

Seriously, it’s starting to get on my nerves. It’s cliche, and cliches bother me. Does it bother you too? No? Well, let’s see. The post is young yet! *sinister grin*

I give you exhibit A: Anakin Skywalker. The chief mistake they made with this one was telling him that he was the Chosen One. He was sweet in The Phantom Menace, but by the time Attack of the Clones came around, he was bratty, spoiled, disrespectful, and disobedient. Not to mention disgustingly and awkwardly lovesick. And in Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan’s gotten to the point where he’s just trying to hold things together, and Anakin’s not helping. And he turns to the Dark Side. We can blame Palpacreep for that, though. He cuts his son’s hand off, for goodness sake! Oh, and we (or at least, quite a few of us) love Obi-Wan better than him. 😛 Maybe it’s the inherent tragedy of Obi-Wan’s position, or that Obi-Wan is a shining example of what an “ordinary” person can be, but… we do. Perhaps it’s that Obi-Wan is even more human than Anakin and still succeeds where Anakin fails. (Oh, by the way. Ever notice how you rarely, if ever, see a poorly-written or grammatically incorrect fanfiction with a lame plot that stars Obi-Wan, but Anakin has lots of those? Not that Anakin-starring fanfictions are all bad, but… food for thought.)

Frankly, Anakin seems just… overrated at times. And it doesn’t help much that Obi-Wan and Luke are the true Christ figures of Star Wars. (Obi-Wan gets the title because he sacrificed his own life to save Luke and ultimately Anakin as well, and Luke gets it because… dun dun dun! he ultimately saved Anakin, in his own weakness. I love these beautiful paradoxes…)

And now for exhibit B: Harry Potter. Now, I’m fairly sure there wasn’t exactly a prophecy included here, but you know what I mean. (To whom it may concern: I have not read the Harry Potter books and have no intention of doing so. From what I understand, they can be violent and cast doubt on traditional values, not to mention that there are what seem to be veiled attacks against the Catholic Church, and there is no way I can condone that! See Harry Potter and the Paganization of Culture, by Michael D. O’Brien. Bear in mind, though, that I am not attacking the author of the Harry Potter books or those that read them. I’m certain that the readers find the books good entertainment, and J.K. Rowling is a well-meaning lady. It’s simply that I object to the books, on religious and spiritual grounds.) Apparently this case is different; they didn’t start calling him that until what? The last two books or so? But from what I’ve heard, they don’t seem to fight the villain with integrity; more with whatever will give them victory. (Recurring theme here; Anakin thought the Jedi “inadequate” and to be “holding him back.”) This is in stark contrast with the way Gandalf, Frodo, Galadriel, and Elrond decide to fight the War of the Ring; they refuse to fight the Enemy with his own weapons. From the reports of the Harry Potter books, not only does Harry indulge in this general lawlessness, but so does everybody else. Yeah, they win in the end… but at what cost? As opposed to Star Wars, where the only victory is by doing the right thing. (I know I’m going to get shouted down for judging without reading, but I really do not need another obsession, or even just more clutter on my mental landscape.)

Exhibit C: Lloyd Garmadon. Despite the Eastern spiritualism perpetuated in the Lego Ninjago series, it really has quite a few redeeming thematic features. I can safely say that I think this is the best portrayal of a “Chosen One” in modern popular entertainment. Lloyd, the son of Garmadon, the supposed “Dark Lord”, is “destined” to “destroy evil” (though, predictably, that hasn’t happened yet or the series would be over!)

Lloyd struggles with his destiny, quite a bit. He is very human indeed (not to mention cute… shhh. 😛 ) He feels rather left out and there are times when he just wants to be normal. He struggles with self-control, and has times when he snaps under the pressure of training. There are days when he just fails. In short, he isn’t perfect, which is a common feature to all humans, and he realizes it, which is a redeeming feature. He realizes his errors and tries to become better. Ultimately, he ends up defeating evil by realizing his own weaknesses, and in the sequel (Ninjago Rebooted,) his powers actually become the team’s greatest weakness. This turn-about, added to the fact that the former Dark Lord, Garmadon, has been redeemed and is now the team’s main “Sensei” after Wu was captured, is nothing but pure brilliance. I’m not obsessed with this show, but I do love the way they suddenly whipped things around fast enough to make the watchers’ heads whirl.

But even without his powers, Lloyd would be quite the character in his own right. He’s mischievous at times, charming, kind, endearingly rascally, occasionally brash, and most of all, he recognizes his shortcomings. Even without the added abilities, Lloyd would have been a valiant defender of the people of Ninjago in his own right.

In my experience, Chosen Ones tend to be humans with a superhuman destiny. They have their own lives, free will, and fallibility, just like other humans. Only occasionally have I read a story in which the “Chosen One” is a supernatural or superhuman being, who has been sent especially to defeat evil, or for some other “mission.” Invariably these supernatural, “perfect” Chosen Ones are side characters, and for good reason. If they are infallible, they’re not loveable. They’re not human enough for human readers to get to like them. You simply can not write a story with a perfect protagonist, because if you do, then what? Nothing even happens. There is no point, no reason to fight. The protagonist must change with the story, they must defeat their inner demons and fight with their flaws. Occasionally, there won’t even be a fight because the Mary Sue takes out the bad guys, end of story. So what if it kicks behinds? It’s still just a fight scene, not a story.

So, what am I calling for?

1. For the Chosen One (if human) to have to understand that their powers are not limitless, and that they are still fallible, and to accept that.
2. For Chosen Ones to have to work at controlling their powers before they can actually use them.
3. For humbler Chosen Ones, or at least for Chosen Ones whose lack of humility brings in bad results.
4. For good mentors to work with the Chosen Ones, punishing them for disobedience or disrespect, basically knocking them into shape and making them accept the consequences of their actions, as well as providing emotional support. (Obi-Wan is the best, but fails partly due to his lack of practical experience.)
5. For destiny not to be written in stone. In other words, the Chosen One must have the free will to deny his or her destiny. He or she must doubt destiny, and have the choice that they can make of their own free will to choose this road of destiny or to live a normal life instead (and those who decide not to choose destiny should be pitied, not judged.) They must have the chance to deny destiny. They must be fallible creatures.
6. Most of all, I’m looking for Chosen One prophecies that are realistic. In other words, the Chosen One’s destiny is not to defeat evil, but to hold it back, or to make some vital stroke in the battle of good versus evil. (To refer to the Bible, Christ came to make a definitive blow against Satan, to open the gates of Heaven, to call on sinners to become saints. He did not come to destroy evil once and for all–that would destroy free will, and must wait for the day of Judgment–or to collect those who were already doing good, but to save all of us, to give our good actions true merit, and heal sinners.) After all, a perfect and absolute victory leaves no room for a sequel, now, does it?

These six points are the reason why Rowan, the protagonist of my novel Bound to the Flame, is not really a “Chosen One.” Yes, he is special. Yes, he is gifted. Yes, there may (or may not) be a prophecy about him. Yes, he probably will change the course of this alternate history he’s living in. But his role is really more of a protector and strategist, not the person who is supposed to single-handedly save the world. And if the story does change into him needing to do that… you’ll be the first to know, my dear readers. ;-P But seriously, if he does end up needing to save the world, you can trust that he’s going to do it by God’s strength, not his own. He’s going to find that out, anyway–he’s still learning the lesson of humility.

I think that should be the true message of a “Chosen One” story–you can only find true strength by realizing your weakness, and in some cases, by embracing it.

I’m pretty sure there are other books, movies, and series out there involving faulty portrayals of “Chosen Ones.” Which is your favorite? Which do you like to bash? Please, tell me! 🙂

Thanks for reading, and God Bless!

Archivist of Selay’uu’s Journal: Breach and Breakfast

Tags

bound to the flame, harry potter, selay'uu, star wars

[Author’s Note: This is not meant to be offensive, merely funny. Also, for those who want to know, I have not read the Harry Potter books and do not plan to–the attitude, even more than the subject matter, of the books is contrary to my worldview. I am not judging those who have read and enjoyed the books, or J.K. Rowling; I merely do not wish to read the books myself. Thank you for your understanding and consideration! 🙂 ]

The next morning, I promptly cleaned up and made my way down to breakfast. The breakfast room, like the breakfast room at any hotel, was reasonably full, and people were constantly coming and going. Getting myself some toast and yogurt, I sat down at a corner table, just to watch the others. Then I realized I hadn’t gotten anything to drink. So, naturally, I got up and went to get myself some milk, not feeling like orange juice that morning. I was about to make my way back to my table when I realized that Anakin had come to join me.

Or rather, he had come and sat down at the same table, with his feet on my chair. I set my glass of milk down, very deliberately, and said very politely, “Anakin, excuse me, but I was sitting there, where your feet are now. Would you mind removing them?” He just stared at me as if I was some bizarre species of alien, chewing away at his bagel. I groaned and went over to sit by Rheadwyn instead.

Then things got interesting.

The bell in the belltower began to clang madly, and booted feet rushed past in the hallway outside. I leaped to my feet, startled, and dashed out into the hall. Mace Windu rushed past me, followed by Obi-Wan. Several others ran past and accidentally swept me into the crowd. I found myself running alongside Obi-Wan. “What’s happening?”

“It’s a breach,” he said. “Someone from an unauthorized story world has broken in, and we need to find and evict them as soon as may be.” I stared at him.

“Does this happen often?”

“It’s become more frequent ever since the Harry Potter lot learned those trans-dimensional tricks of theirs. Of course, we’ve been researching that sort of thing for years, but no one else seems to have found a practicable way until recently.” He remarked telepathically, We think that a traitor sold them the information. I gasped.

Please, don’t do that. It’s cool but freaky.

As you wish. Obi-Wan grabbed my arm suddenly and pulled me around a corner. “Cover me,” he ordered. “Just a basic shield. You never know what they’ll have up their sleeve.” Stretching out my arm, I put into practice the simple defense I had learned, shielding us both. Obi-Wan pulled a liquid-cable launcher from a belt pouch. He kicked open the door to one of the empty rooms and gave a slight sigh. “Potter, come on out. I know it’s you. I know you’re here. Just do things the easy way.” There was no sound from inside the room. Suddenly there was a tiny flicker and I noticed something sitting on my boot. I panicked.

Obi-Wan, there’s something on me, a bug or something!

Calm down, he ordered. He reached down and drew his hand back as if he’d been stung. Ah. A nanodragon. I should have seen that coming. He reached down slowly, a second time. “Last warning, Potter!” he shouted. At the same time he brought his hand up with eye-blurring speed, hurling the nanodragon into midair. There was a shriek and Harry Potter–in the flesh–fell from the rafters, sitting down hard on the floor, kicking up dust. Obi-Wan walked over and grabbed him by the collar, heaving him to his feet. “Unfortunately for you, you pulled Ziggerastica, the great and mighty humbug, marvelous center of the universe, along with you on your little pleasure jaunt,” he observed. “Don’t you think it’s time you outgrew these childish tricks, Potter? If your poor author was still working on your series, she’d be in the middle of a bout of writer’s block by now!” The boy wizard scowled. Obi-Wan frowned. “Have it your way.” He thumped twice on the floor with the heel of one boot, and a strange phenomenon appeared–swirling black and throwing off little sparkles. Obi-Wan unceremoniously dumped Harry Potter into the portal, then closed it with a wave of one hand. “Your turn,” he remarked to the nanodragon attached to his sleeve. Shrieking curses and obscenities in Dragonese, the nanodragon was flung into a bright orange-and-pink portal. Obi-Wan sucked on his bitten finger, wiping his other hand on his pant leg. “There,” he said. “That’s done.”

“I didn’t know you were a Wielder,” I remarked, interested.

“Sort of,” Obi-Wan replied. “I’m technically a Warden, though, which means that I’m one of the few beings actually authorized for inter-dimensional travel. It’s like with normal people; the more times they’re exposed to radiation, the more likely they are to experience genetic mutations. Only for fictional characters, it’s the more often they feature in crossover fanfiction. My first real journey–not in a fanfiction–out of my own dimension was pretty weird. I ended up in the background of an episode of Doctor Who.” I burst out laughing.

“And how did you know Potter was there? I didn’t sense anything.” I added.

“The smell of the detergents they use at Hogwarts is very distinctive,” Obi-Wan said. “Like a combination of bug spray, skunk cabbage, and lichen.” He winked. I laughed.

“Lichen has a smell?”

“It smells rather like wet wood, but a little more acidic,” he said. I nodded.

“Oh, right.”

Yes, I was becoming more comfortable with the members of Selay’uu.