[Meme] Top 5 things to keep in mind when writing various characters

[edenfalling]

As seen around in various places:

Pick a character* I've written and I will explain the top five** ideas/concepts/etc I keep in mind while writing that character that I believe are essential to accurately depicting them.

* Try to make it someone I've written either often or recently in order for me to answer.
** May not actually be five.

-----

Susan Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia), for branchandroot

Ginny Weasley (Harry Potter), for silverblade219

Haruno Sakura (Naruto), for silverblade219

Prince Rabadash (Chronicles of Narnia), for hungrytiger11

Dave Strider (Homestuck), for askerian

Aravis Tarkheena (Chronicles of Narnia), for rthstewart

Lucy Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia), for snacky

Uzumaki Naruto (Naruto), for vehrec

Comments

[hungrytiger11.livejournal.com]

I think this ate my last comment (sorry if it did not and I'm spamming)

But... Ilgamuth Tarkaan or Rabadash from Narnia

OR

Arthur from Inception

[edenfalling]

It would be hard to do Ilgamuth, since he hardly exists in canon! I will start with Rabadash, and possibly do Arthur as a bonus. :-)

1. Rabadash is cruel and whimsical in his application of that cruelty. He is used to getting his own way in a system set up to enforce a fairly rigid social hierarchy, which also glorifies the use of force (primarily in a military setting, but presumably there is some spillover), and reacts very badly when he feels he has been thwarted. He is a prime example of power corrupting.

2. That said, he is a good military commander if someone can pull him to heel long enough to think strategically instead of emotionally. His plan to invade Archenland and Narnia was quite sound (the part about being able to keep Anvard, maybe less so), but once he realized the Archenlanders were prepared, he should have given it up as a bad job, or at least detailed a small force to continue into Narnia and see if the stated purpose of capturing Susan was still viable instead of throwing his whole army against the walls in a useless siege. That was temper and spite, pure and simple.

3. He is an intelligent and well-spoken man, able to be courteous when he wishes. He is physically brave. He dislikes hypocrites and flatterers (even as he fails to understand his own hypocrisy or to tolerate criticism of his own failings). There are a lot of reasons people would follow him, despite his failings. (Blood inheritance will not win undying loyalty, generally speaking, though it will certainly get you a foot in the door.) He HAS to have a good side, or there is no way on earth he could have remained his father's heir and then held Calormen together after the hideous public humiliation he suffered after HHB, particularly since his ability to use violence as a cowing technique was greatly limited by his reluctance to let his generals and Tarkaans go to war without him.

4. I sometimes wonder if some of his cruelty is calculated to create a fearsome reputation and thus discourage anyone who might want to assassinate him or otherwise push him aside at court. He has eighteen younger brothers, so he cannot rest easy in his position as the chosen heir.

5. I am inclined to think he is not particularly religious, given his general disrespect for Calormene cultural traditions (i.e., poetry), but he is not an atheist either. Instead, I think for him the gods are more of... well, just something that exists, in the same way that a sword exists. It's there, it's potentially dangerous, but it's also potentially useful. So one makes use of it. In the same way, his invocations of Tash are highly calculated for dramatic effect -- they are showpieces, not expressions of piety. His attitude toward religion is based on what the gods can do for him, not what he can do for the gods... except insofar as their goals overlap in the glory of Calormen.

[hungrytiger11.livejournal.com]

Very interesting and multi-demensional take on Rabadash. It makes sense because you are right that he must have been a pretty charismatic leader in that he got people to follow him in the first place and in that he held together the kingdom even after the curse of the ass.