I was writing a condescending character and realized he’s kind of like another character from another story.
Virlan from “Lunar Heart, Shadow Bound”:
is a minor character. He is condescending and comes from a conservative household, brought up by a conservative father who he respects. He follows traditions and is not liking how the clan is changing after the leader goes against tradition. Not afraid to voice his opinions, although traditions say the leader’s choices must be followed, so he does follow. He has some anger issues. He’s the best Hunter the clan has ever had. They heavily rely on him. When there is a war between clans, he’s also an incredibly talented captain.
Argenton from “There Lives a Beast in the Burning Heart”:
is a condescending character and comes from a conservative household, brought up by a conservative father who he fears. Although he follows some of the beliefs of his father, he does question them often and is open to discussions. He has some anger issues which stems from the fears and frustrations he has in his life. He is a trained soldier, one of the best of the best. Without him, the people would die from monster attacks. He later becomes a highly reputable army general.
Interesting
Do you guys have any characters that are similar like this but come from separate stories?
Haha, yes, there’s usually a variation of strong female characters looking for freedom/independence across all my protagonists so far, I think. They come from different backgrounds (and time periods), so they also differ vastly, but deep down, they’re also quite similar. Probably reflects my own struggle as a woman trying to find my place in the world
There’s one character I’ve written into four totally different standalone novels so far just because he’s so useful. I just keep changing his name, but it always begins with T: Tristan, Trevor, Thaddeus, Theodore. He’s a very ordinary, compassionate boy-next-door type, and it’s interesting to put him into unusual situations just to see how the boy next door would deal with extraordinary conditions. ¯\_(ﭢ)_/¯
Somehow I ended up with two gothic leather-wearing biker ladies. And they’re both the love interests of the main character in their respective stories.
Similarities:
Alani and Vale are the same age and are both covered in tattoos. Both of their love interests are bi, funnily enough. They’re both no strangers to fights using tools as weapons, with Alani preferring to use a crowbar and screwdriver, and Vale wielding a machete.
Differences:
Vale is British and has an affinity for art, with her favorite medium behind spray-painted murals in random locations. She’s also tall for a woman and more stand-offish than Alani. Oh, and she’s dead.
Alani is from a fictional place and is obsessed with cats. She’s really short but a lot more approachable than Vale.
They’d definitely be friends if they ever met lol.
I try to make my characters unique in personality so I can avoid that. Of course, there can be some things in common that my characters have, but so far I’ve managed to avoid MCs that are so similar they are just rebrandings of the same character.
Of course. They are facets of me and those whom I live with. Whats real fun is when my MC and my ML are facets of myself becauee my husband is just hearing me getting with myself. It’s a part if me having a far bigger ego thsn I let on.
All the time I’ll have characters that remind me of others because I love me a good trope and like making those little Easter egg characters for my own amusement - if other people notice that’s even better, haha. I tend to have a smartass sarcastic character and a jerk character no matter the story XD. I need my comedic relief.
Elya from “Thee” (currently untitled, this is a placeholder name) and Erin from “Girl Salt”. Other than their similar names, they share some common core characteristics which impacts the story (and them) in different ways.
Anger and resentment both play a heavy hand in dictating their actions. In Elya’s case, this is shown more through her inaction then her actions. She’s cold, careful, and calculated. Her anger and resentment is repressed, simmering deep within her. All her goals/motivations align behind this incessant need to take revenge on those she feels wronged her.
Erin is far more open with her emotions; you can read her like a book. The way anger influences her is through action–she lashes out, acts petty and downright cruel if she feel’s she’s been wronged. She’s impulsive, doesn’t think before she acts, and often makes mistakes based off of misunderstandings which lands her in hot water.
Both have common themes with self-sabotage as well, though Elya’s self-sabotage is far lesser than Erin’s. Elya self-sabotages by denying her true nature and acting without true will. Erin self-sabotages purposefully to hurt those she hates.
A key difference is that Elya’s story is gritty dark fantasy where the main theme is “you are hopeless, and yet you endure” although she is the main character, her character arc doesn’t necessarily influence the actual events of the main plot. In Erin’s case, her’s is more of a magical realism slice-of-life story, and it takes place in modern-day, so her character arc heavily impacts the main plot–not to mention it’s far less desperate and there’s more hope than hopelessness.
