source.
Character Creation – Dreams and Fears
Absolutely
everybody has their dreams for the future and there isn't anybody alive
who isn't afraid of something. Giving your character both dreams and
fears will help to flesh out your character a little bit.
Dreams
You
probably have dreams for your future, so why shouldn't your character?
They don't have to be huge, but it has to be possible to work towards
them. Their dream could be to get the job they've always wanted. It
could be to recover from an illness that they've had for a long time, or
it could be as simple as to just find where they belong.
Whatever
the goal is, there has to be something getting in the way. For example,
my dream is to become a professional author, but I'm not comfortable
showing what I've written to other people. It's the same for your
character, achieving a dream shouldn't be so easy.
Of course, no
one has just one goal in life, but they will always have one major one.
That would be the one you would write down if you were creating a
character reference sheet. There will be small goals leading up to
achieving that dream.
Heroes aren't the only ones who have
dreams. Villains have them too. If you are creating an evil character
they will still need to have a goal that they are working towards.
Sometimes it's the same basic goal as the hero's, but for a different
purpose in the end. The difference in these goals will most likely
define whether your character is a hero or a villain.
Example:
Both Shafiq and Quintessa are after the same thing. The difference
between them is that Quintessa will use it to plunge the world into
darkness after making herself all powerful and eternally young and
beautiful. Shafiq, on the other hand, will use it to save his family
from a generational curse and then he plans to destroy it so no evil can
get their hands on it.
Note: For a happy ending, the goal
of the hero should be reached and the villain loses. If the villain
wins and achieves their goal, then it's a not-so-happy ending.
Fears
Fear
is the ability to recognise danger and flee from it or face it. It is
also known as the 'fight or flight' response, a basic instinct.
Everyone
is scared of something. Most of the time there is a reason, but they
could be irrational fears. Sometimes these fears will be so big that
your character just freezes up or passes out.
A traumatic
experience in your character's past would most likely cause them to have
a fear of that particular thing. If they had an incident with fire and
have burn scars to prove it, then they are likely to be afraid of fire.
If they almost drowned as a child then it would be reasonable to develop
a fear of water afterwards.
A phobia is a persistent fear of a
situation or thing. Someone with a phobia will go to great lengths to
avoid that fear which is often considered irrational. If the phobia
cannot be avoided then the person will endure the situation or object
with visible distress and it could interfere significantly with social
or work related activities.
Encountering a phobia usually
provokes an immediate anxiety response. It may take the form of a panic
attack; the symptoms of a panic attack can include trembling, shortness
of breath, chest pain or tightness, hot and cold flushes, nausea,
dizziness, sweating, light-headedness, and more. Fainting can also
occur. A child will express their anxiety as crying, freezing, tantrums
or clinging.
Your character is going to have fears, whether they
are rational or completely irrational. They only need a few of them, and
they should be used. If your character is afraid of spiders, have them
scream every time they see one. Your character will probably notice
whatever scares them more than someone who wasn't afraid of it.
Example:
Faunus is afraid of blood, he faints when he sees large amounts of it;
even small amounts make him nauseous. Shafiq is afraid of falling asleep
because of the nightmares, he avoids it until he collapses and has to
sleep. Flora is afraid of spiders and will scream and stomp on it until
it is dead, and then she'll stomp on it some more.
Villains will have fears too; usually it is a fear of failure.
Your
character doesn't need to conquer their fears. Having that fear can
define them. Of course, it is possible to get over it, but getting over a
fear is never easy.
Conclusion
Now your
character should have their major goal and also some fears. They should
be fairly fleshed out by now, but they need some friends and family.
It's not possible to be completely alone in the world.
