Character Archetypes
Recently I’ve found myself kind of obsessing over character archetypes and I this would be something really interesting the discuss. (Revelios are spoilers, though I’m sure people who’s been following Archer pretty much knows what’s going to happen.)
I feel like Archer could definitely be a tragic hero or an anti-hero. I’ve described him as an anti-villain before but I’m not sure if he would go that far to be actually classified as a villain character. To me, anti-villains have “bad” intentions but with “good” or “good” means. However, Archer’s intentions are “good”, he just does “bad” things either out of desperation or due to naivety to reach his ends. I don’t think he means to do “bad” things. There is just no other way or he does not even realise it, which makes him seem more like a tragic hero to me: forced to act, almost akin to a fallen angel. He is definitely flawed and he experiences a huge downfall: the death of his mother. After this, his life starts to get a lot messier.
Considering the traditional 12 archetypes, I would say Archer definitely starts out as the Child. Prior to his mother’s death, he looks at the world through rose-tinted glasses and is very much oblivious. He is innocent and again, naive, which I feel by now is a theme for both of my characters. However, as he is exposed to reality, he realises what life truly is, which is where his anti-/tragic hero will begin.
For Hans, he is definitely the Warrior, at least from a general point of vie. He is courageous (to an extreme of a fatal flaw), talented (at least in what he plans on doing), and determined (to a point of ambition). He can be overconfident and if not fearlessness, his fatal flaw would most definitely be hubris. In dome peoples eyes (or at least Archer’s and himself’s) he is built to be the hero. I wouldn’t talk that much about him though since he is still not as developed.
It is important to note that all definitions here are very much simplified and most characters are much deeper than a phrase.
All in all, I’m curious what character archetypes you feel your character(s) embody.
I feel like Archer could definitely be a tragic hero or an anti-hero. I’ve described him as an anti-villain before but I’m not sure if he would go that far to be actually classified as a villain character. To me, anti-villains have “bad” intentions but with “good” or “good” means. However, Archer’s intentions are “good”, he just does “bad” things either out of desperation or due to naivety to reach his ends. I don’t think he means to do “bad” things. There is just no other way or he does not even realise it, which makes him seem more like a tragic hero to me: forced to act, almost akin to a fallen angel. He is definitely flawed and he experiences a huge downfall: the death of his mother. After this, his life starts to get a lot messier.
Considering the traditional 12 archetypes, I would say Archer definitely starts out as the Child. Prior to his mother’s death, he looks at the world through rose-tinted glasses and is very much oblivious. He is innocent and again, naive, which I feel by now is a theme for both of my characters. However, as he is exposed to reality, he realises what life truly is, which is where his anti-/tragic hero will begin.
For Hans, he is definitely the Warrior, at least from a general point of vie. He is courageous (to an extreme of a fatal flaw), talented (at least in what he plans on doing), and determined (to a point of ambition). He can be overconfident and if not fearlessness, his fatal flaw would most definitely be hubris. In dome peoples eyes (or at least Archer’s and himself’s) he is built to be the hero. I wouldn’t talk that much about him though since he is still not as developed.
It is important to note that all definitions here are very much simplified and most characters are much deeper than a phrase.
All in all, I’m curious what character archetypes you feel your character(s) embody.
I am not even singed. My wings are untouched. You use them for everything, except flight.
Liliya Starkova| Anthonie Engelbrecht
Liliya Starkova| Anthonie Engelbrecht
Character Archetypes
Ooo! Interesting discussion!
For Emily, It's most definitely the Caregiver though there's also traces of the Orphan (though it's more to do with the strengths of this archetype instead of being a literal orphan) and the Child in her as well. She's optimistic and daydreams quite a lot but she's also incredibly selfless and gentle, wanting nothing more than to spread love and help those around her, may that be people or animals... especially magical creatures. Something that's already apparent in her story but something I want to expand on when she moves up a year. I mean, she'll even apologise to chairs and tables when she bumps into them
If that doesn't allude to her being a gentle soul, I don't know what does.
She carries a lot of empathy for all living creatures though often overestimates the limits she can endure to provide the love and protection she wants to give.
While I do eventually want to delve deeper into the defining weakness of this trait - i.e. being more prone to risk and exploitation (though that's the generic broad definition) - I think Caregiver sums her up perfectly anyhow. She's always wanting to be somebody's helping hand and/or a shoulder to cry on and in return she'll be her friendly loving self.
As for Casey (iNPC) he'd probably weigh more towards the Warrior - he's set in stone with his goals and pushes people away to avoid distractions (though it's also partially due to the repercussions of his missing brother and the emotions of dealing with that - finding his brother is the overarching goal in his story.). He doesn't want to see himself vulnerable and thus strives to overcome what he faces.
Pretty surface-level explanations but I reckon those archetypes would suit my characters best
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone