If you haven't already, talk about your society HERE.
And if you have? The next thing!
The environment your character is in will affect his desires and wishes. It may stop him from becoming who he is, thus creating more conflict, or it might actually enrich your character! In any case, society will affect your character in some form or another.
For your story, how does society affect your character?
Society affecting characters
28 posts in this topic.
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Oh jeez, lmao! I could have a lot of fun listing the entire cast by answering this question.
My society affects all my characters, every single one. Some, more than others, but that's why I love the Revolution. That current conflict works for me on so many levels.
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I took the chump way out before so, here goes a more in depth list, Go me:
Samuel
The atmosphere pressures him on many levels (which would be pages if I described every detail), and in the long run; it changes Samuel. He has his current duties to the Whigs but on the flip side Samuel must remember, 'family comes first,' as his father constantly reminds him, and his responsibilities should be second-class. This proves to cause anxiety for the teenager. If deciding where Samuel's first priorities should lie, there's the ongoing tension with Tories and the taxing by England that causes extra pressure upon the young Whig.
By his adult years, society teaches Samuel that the world will not change unless you force it too, and thus he becomes a slightly bitter man who's quick to 'tongue lash' and quick to stir trouble if a Redcoat insults his people - Bostonians.
Welcome
Naturally this man is secretive and doesn't enjoy speaking about himself too much unless it becomes mandatory. Thus the hotbed of Revolutionary Boston persuades Welcome in revealing portions of his past life to his wife, and especially his son. However, age plays a roll too for Welcome, but as events become more acute, he reluctantly shares with Samuel his military history to hopefully persuade his son that warfare can be devastating, and Samuel needs to be careful or he could be killed.
Also, because Welcome is a diligent Protestant, society seems to have also have him pray for his son's safety, his sins, and as the years progress, Welcome speaks about the Lord more with Samuel. Basically, Welcome becomes more vocal (far more than the beginning of the story) and very opinionated. (I can't shut the guy up when he gets going!)
Martha
Society has more or less sewed her lips shut, unless Martha becomes upset about something. It's not the matter that Martha is terribly shy, but more that she just doesn't know how to respond; how to cope with the taxing, her son's role in the Sons of Liberty (and the fact that Samuel has nearly killed himself twice), Welcome's mood swings, and the radicals that Martha and Welcome assume to be the reason for endangering Samuel's life.
Six years in the future, Martha joins up in ranks with her son, (no she doesn't become a Whig. This the Eighteenth Century; women have no rights), and displays a treasonous display to honor her home, and prove to her son that indeed she has always been on his side. Unfortunately, Martha's decision brews extreme trouble, heartache, and tests the Garrison's family nearly beyond their limits.
Samuel Adams
He would be nothing, or wouldn't have the near importance as the more influential radicals such as Washington, his cousin - John, Jefferson, Franklin etc. if it had not been for the 1765 Stamp Act. The tax, in a sense provoked Adams; it angered him that his King was imposing laws, and thus Adams tapped into his niche - politics, and more importantly, how to assemble people's opinions and stir their minds.
However, when Adams is alone, or with Samuel, society steps in front of him, and reminds Adams about his 'emptiness,' and so eventually he comes to terms with that dilemma and admits a nagging secret that Adams has been carrying since 1764, when he and Samuel first met each other.
Paul Revere
(Will finish tomorrow)
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My society's openness about shared love and sex creates the huge plotline and violent "love" (or hate) story for my master character, Empri. Then Aloisio rebells aganist the society completely - he defines it's exact opposite, in a way. It also, though, makes my thieves who they are, allows them to be so open to warfare and is history - riddled with the grand fall of the Empress - forms the current Emperor the most, as he must follow in her majestic (hah pun..) footsteps: rash actions, lying to the country and corruption ensue..
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MATTHIAS- is a lower class British man, so...he's drafted into the Virginian army by the Parliamentarians. (The Imperialists and the British government are both after him- for different reasons. Eek would be an appropriate word for his situation.)
LIEUTENANT- is a...lieutenant (in the British army). But also a woman. And Scottish. Which makes her pretty much on her guard all the time, since women are considered useless and of course Britain is still at it with Scotland. Another 'Eek' character.
MR. BARCLETT- is an Anglican, but also slightly underappreciated (he controls quite a bit of the aristocracy's cash flow). The Empire realizes that if they kill him off quite a few of their major players (Hancock, Washington, and the gang) will be left for broke.
Most of the people in my story are involved in some way or another Bennington's Academy for Girls and Andrews Preperatory (boy's school), which lie within a half mile of each other. Both of these schools are based upon Parliamentarian values.
LUKE- is British. Enough said, right? Well...he's also the illegitimate son of a minor princess of England (minor because the King had a lot more sons and didn't really need her) and a student of Mr. Blackwell, which is bad because...
MASTER BLACKWELL- is an underground philosopher of the Imperialist variety. His approach? The Episcopal church goes international. Liberal takes on the Quran? ...why yes! (This is why Alternative History is so much fun.)
DAVID- uhm, well, David loves sex. Which is especially bad considering this isn't really accepted by either the Parliamentarians or the Imperialists at his age (mid-teens, I don't really like to specify). And then there's the fact that he could be considered mentally ill, depending on the way you look at it. (I personally don't think of him as that, but...) He's also Imperialist by nature, which isn't so great because his mother is a bit of a Puritan extremist, if you will. (And then there's the whole 'Parliamentarian School' aspect of it all...)
UPTON- is a lot of things. He's the most fun, as far as societal issues are concerned. He's the grandson of Mr. Barclett (his father, as far as he's concerned) after his father (=British) was killed in India and his mother was wed to another Indian man and they both fled to Russia to escape consequences for her...er...'socializing' with an Englishman. Upton was born with a deformity in his right leg that caused muscle to develop at slower rates than the rest of his body, making his leg weak and very sore all the time. He walks with a cane- probably the most socially humiliating thing that could happen to a boy of his age. There's also the fact that he's got a upper body tic that results in nearly constant tapping, blinking, and jerking- which he's got to attempt to suppress in a society where the unpredictable are locked up. And then, there's the homosexuality thing. If it isn't unanimously accepted now, it's guaranteed not to be then. Indeed...to the Parliamentarians it's complete perversity. The Imperialists are a little more half and half, but no matter where you go, it's not something that pops up in casual dinner conversation. (And in a society where an unmarried man is considered a pariah...oh, the fun goes on and on.)
LIBERTY- is a girl who grew up with her fathers' Parliamentarian values, but once they're separated, she finds that she enjoys the philosophy and literature that the (slightly more adventurous/cautious) boys are studying. Women aren't even supposed to study basic math, so...you can imagine all sorts of interesting things result.
*looks at amout of text and shrugs* Well...Snoink said I could.
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Ah, this is less abstract. ^_^
Tov -- takes the anarchy issue to its bloody end and makes a game of insisting on the amusing lack of order in the universe. A product of his time? If there's no order, he can't care, and that which is humorous is too light to bother - so it's all a joke, either cutting or mock-naive.
He's got a stubborn streak though, and will on whim defy whatever's closest at hand for the Hell of it.
Piers -- has some shadow of certainty that the world is a bloody mess and might be different. But he doubts it - it's a feeling, thought, instinct; and it makes him furious that life and ideas are tossed about so cavalierly. He thinks things have value - which puts him in opposition to the pragmatic survival of those around him, and especially Tov's flippant response.
With his history and what he does, all stays on the subconscious. It comes up in feelings, depression. He likes to pin it specifically on Tov.
Tasia -- has a sociopathic attitude towards the order or lack thereof in her world. Without certainty or formation - ideas, laws all in melee - she never found any reason to feel about things. But having a care to live as well as she could, she uses whatever or whomever is there as stepping stones.
Aleda -- sees disorder and only thinks of it as the inverse of something worthwhile. If there's disorder, there might be order...and she dislikes seeing people in pain, or ignorance. Daughter of a baron's medic, she turns to doctoring when she can...but the animal turn towards survival of the fittest dulls her; makes her melancholy.
...that's not all of them. Drev ought to be on there, but he's another question - and at the other end of spectrum - entirely.
Do you know, this being rather fun, I keep thinking it's going to be blindside and find it's all not worth it? Not that I think that reasonably. Subconscious shadows of paranoia. !_! -
Oh.
My. -
Meep, I need to catch up with these activities. XD
Sadie's Father
Hahah... no, he doesn't really have a name.
Sadie's father was one of those people that were at the bottom and eventually rose to the top class. So he has to be very careful on how he works because, although he's considered free, if he does something considered "stupid" by the higher authorities, he risks his family getting attacked personally. And that would be bad.
The freak
No, she doesn't have a name either, LMAO. Yeah. So she is the bottom class of society ever, and she knows it. She's not allowed to have basic things, such as a name. And freedom is out of the question. Her health and well-being rests completely with whoever her master is. And that's not very good.
Sadie
Although she is an upper-class woman, she doesn't have many freedoms. That is, she knows how to read and write, several languages actually, she will never have a voice in the government. And, since her father raised her in a rather loose environment, this gives her pent-up energy that she can't use.
She a very frustrated girl who is very helpless. And, unfortunately, her well-being is also largely dependent on who her care-taker (master?) is.
Elsa
Elsa is awesome. She's an older woman that, though she shouldn't be powerful, she is. She's the head housekeeper, and despite all that society threw at her, she isn't affected much by it.
Daniel
Daniel is very fortunate to be an indentured servant. He could have been off much worse because he crossed a politician, but... he was rich and his father helped him out.
Carolina
Carolina is trapped by society. She's an upper class woman that can never be free, and she knows it. And hates it as well.
Claude
He's an upper-class politician who was born in it. He can manipulate society pretty well. His main problem is society's perception of freaks. Because anybody who undergoes drastic surgery is at risk to be considered a freak, he can never walk normally again. -
LIEUTENANT- is a...lieutenant (in the British army). But also a woman. And Scottish. Which makes her pretty much on her guard all the time, since women are considered useless and of course Britain is still at it with Scotland.
Britain at it with Scotland? Say again?? -
Jack's forgotten his skewered history again...
1760- Battle of Culloden (still the same). So! Scottish unhappy, obviously...
Which causes the French to realize in
1780- that something is going terribly wrong if they continue getting partial support from England. Voila! French Revolution.
And then several months later, while England is battling it out with France, Russia (who currently holds the principality of India, which England dearly wants) sees them distracted, burns Manchester (seat of foreign affairs...we don't really know why, but there you have it). And then! While the English are in shock, Scotland invades and...
Yes, basically a lot of fun. -
Manchester, seat of foreign affairs? Cool.
All these strange reasons are why I'm scared of Hourglass. Very scared.
Not to mention alternate history confuses me.
Anyway! Sorry for straying off-topic.
My turn.
Robert Shaw -- Being a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy gives him some command in the Pegasus; however, being as he has, stranded from the navy for a while, and being the lest senior Lieutenant, he finds himself wrong-footed at the start. He is thrust into a different world, one he has been alienated from for almost two years. His relationship with new people is affected by this new ship's society. In the West Indies, the slavery affects his caring nature, and the escape offered by Findley allows him to see another side of life -- away from the disciplined, pinned-down world or the Royal Navy to the life of a privateer.
Benjamin Findley -- Society possibly affects him the least since, being a Privateer, he makes his own way in the world. Though he is in the pay of England, this simply means he is not regarded a pirate and can attack merchantmen at will. This role means he becomes a champion of free will.
Ameerah -- Mysterious and hard to identify. At first, she seems simply to be a well-respected woman in an English Caribbean port. Therefore, there are many who like her opinion or advice, and many come to her for help. Also, she holds influence in the army garrison and the port and thus is freed from some of society's restrictions towards independent women. Where often she could be regarded as strange to be unmarried at her age, in the West Indies she has found a place to be accepted. However, she still encounters sexism and discrimination in some areas. This has made her head-strong and unfaultering.
David Fawcett -- Being born in a very poor household meant his mother abandoned him to the Navy when he was young. He is therefore thrust into a completely strange and bewildering world where he is expected to learn technical things quickly and efficiently, lead grown experienced men when he is still a child and far from being a man.
Lieutenant Gray -- The Royal Navy life has been hard on him, leaving him as a First Lieutenant on the Pegasus for many years, since the lack of prizes or participation in battle has emant there has been little luck of progression for the aging officer. This has made him turn to anger easily and also hard to talk to.
Lieutenant Jenkins-Hall -- A jovial man mainly because he is well-supported by a rich, infuential family which gives him sway in the Navy. While still a member of the Navy society, he is somewhat free of the restrictions, and the Captain knows he can't do too much to upset the man and then risk losing favour at the Admiralty which could spell the end of his career at sea. -
Here goes:
Molly: She is constantly watching over Joe and wants to make sure he never gets himself or others into trouble, for fear that he may get marked and therefore shunned by civilized society.
Max: Since he's new to the world, he doesn't really understand the concept of "Good" and "Other" so he strives to help any "Others" he meets. He also believes that society needs to be changed and that this seperation needs to be blurred. Although he is young, he has a well developed mind. And this opposition to established order may get him into trouble.
Joe: Joe dislikes all Others and wants nothing to do with them. This society has made him very prejudiced and he often disagrees with people who insist that Others should be treated like regular individuals, believing that they suffer like they do for a reason.
Diana: This character is perhaps the most deeply affected by this society, since she was marked herself at a young age for having paranormal powers. Becoming an outcast affected her drastically on a psychological level, and she withdrew from society all together.
Wow! I feel my characters getting more real by the second.
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Calais doesn't really know much about the outside world. What she hears from servants fascinate her and so she thinks whatever they say is true.
Mildew hates society, especially those who have a lower 'status' than her. She doesn't like paying tax, especially since a plot to overthrow the queen failed. -
For Shades of Despair:
The Purger: The commonplace society has forced him to do his "duties" in secret. Since these very duties consume his entire life, he is rarely seen by anyone except his minions...or victims.
Teal: Again, because this is a common society, people don't believe that your soul can be stolen. Teal wants people to believe her mother isn't dead, but no one in their right mind will believe her, except of course for her sister Camille, who will do nothing about it. This has made her distant from other people, and angry at society in general.
Camille: Because her childhood essentially sucked (more than Teal's because she's older) in her adult life she wants to be a completely normal person with a completely safe and comfortable life. So she lives in denial of her true self and her true calling because that's what she believes society expects of her, and what she expects of herself.
Donavan: Camille hasn't yet mentioned her and Teal's intriquing life story to him, so he doesn't quite get what the matter with Teal is. Although he cares for Teal, he thinks she is only hurting Camille, and as her future husband, he kinda cares.
Jack: Likes to believe in the supernatural, maybe to a scare extent, which makes civilized people sort of shun him. This cause him to be a loner, that is, until he meets Teal. She lives a very supernatural life, and he is fascinated and wants to befriend her, naturally. -
Here we go again!
Istvan is the Duke's youngest son of four. Although he will never be expected to rule the Duchy, he is still expected to excel in all the things his Duke wants him to -- war, for example. So far he has disappointed his father because he has shown little vivacity for fighting. His position gives him a lot of pressure to succeed, but at the same time, being the youngest son, he is generally considered as useless.
Zverev is considered an outsider by society. Because he is Russian, they view him with suspicion and disgust. He is also disliked because of his elevated position -- despite being a serf, the Duke gave him duties in the palace as trainer to his sons. Therefore, he is hated by both his fellow serfs and the nobles who think only a person of fellow birth should teach the Duke's sons.
Stefania is forced into a completely different society. A Polish Princess, she is betrothed to the Duke's eldest son in an attempt to convert him to Christianity (the Polish King will only accept a Christian wedding). She hates her new surroundings.
Ladislas is the son of a Count, and thus, has a comfortable position in society. He uses his position to his advantage to get his way in life. -
Snoink wrote:Meep, I need to catch up with these activities. XD
*was momentarily confused*
Aaanyway~
Mariel (in her proper 'verse, not 2am 'verse) is female in both sex and gender, but she dresses, and most of the time acts, as a man; I didn't post in the society thread, but the gist of it is that women are primarily healers and not warriors, because it's not believed to be proper for someone with blood on their hands to give birth or the sin will pass on to the child. Mariel, being incapable of childbearing, takes on the role of a man because she feels it would be more appropriate; she doesn't consider herself a woman of her society (she does consider herself a woman, though - it's like being "one of the boys, I guess").
... strangely, I've never really thought about how their respective societies effect the other characters. *lazy* I'll have to, though, now that I think about it.
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