Tuesday, February 21, 2012

About world-building

Hmm...
I didn't think it is such a problem.

Urban Fantasy World-Building

But, sure... when people can see you one day and next day not, it might turn into a problem.
You can't have unlimited abilities and no disadvantages. Even superheros have their weak spots.
I hate it when the "weakness" is something good. Maryannish, you know. He would sacrifice himself for his friends. He's too loyal. Her sense of duty is too strong... Bull. This is not a work application. I cannot like you if your worst problem is something people consider to be a virtue. "I'm just too good a person, it's so horrible..." Yuk.
In a way it reminds me of live role play. Everything costs. You get some and pay with something else. You might have supersight, but you're deaf. You speak 15 languages fluently but are allergic to cats.
And save the cat...

I was talking somewhere how angry I was with all the teenaged protagonists who
a) didn't behave like teenagers and
b) had all the teenaged vices and none of their virtues.
Rebelling just because you ought to rebel is just as old as a picture perfect heroine who thinks she's not that good looking.
Just average... Oh, my lips are too full and my eyelashes so long, it's so irritating!

I mean, I truly believed I must be ugly because no boys seemed to be interested in me, but even then I didn't see what was so ugly in me, when I looked in the mirror. I thought I was kind of pretty. "Oh, I look just like my mother, the most beautiful woman in the world, except that I'm not pretty at all."
Well, well... give me a plain heroine, who really is plain.
And a little plump.
And clumsy, for real. But not in that "walk against walls, everything falls as she passes" kind of marysue way, but let her put her sleeve in someone's pizza and such.
Also, I want a heroine who has both parents and siblings and grandparents and friends - a life and a network. I want her to have connection to the place where she lives, reason to care about life, people, about all the things she is supposed to save during her quest.

Anyway, an ordinary, kind and good girl, who really is nothing special, except that she truly is. She has to be, as she is the heroine... But one of my favorite characters in literature is Momo. The little Italian orphan street girl, who was nothing special, except that she could listen... When she listened, people started to talk... and when she really, really listened, she could almost here the music of the spheres...

Anyway... I want a nice, kind, quiet, shy and sweet, ordinary girl to be my heroine. I have always liked this type of girls. You know the ones who sigh and say "I'm sorry, I try to understand, but I'm not so smart..." Pooh bear girls :-)

I also like the were-ferrets :-D There are homunculi and were-ferrets make me think of Lyra and her daemon...