Young Writers Society

Link to the DT!

Hi there! I know, I know. "Fantasy! This is like, your bajillionth one!" Hold the phone. This is much different than anything you've seen on this forum. Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Character Talk.

Character Talk is a combination of Storybook and blog where we analyze the characters, events, and concepts of other SBs. No, this doesn't mean we're going to tear it to shreds and point out every little flaw, because that's not cool at all. What we'll be doing is exploring the elements in the thing we're analyzing, and giving an honest and respectful opinion of what we think. We'll accept anyone who's willing to join any time.

Rules

-Like I said before, be respectful of the thing your analyzing. Remember the person who created it put a lot of effort into making it the best it could be, and our job isn't to tear them down.

-keep you language clean

-I'd prefer if you didn't analyze your own character or story. If someone else does and you want to give a counter, then that's fine, but we want people to explore those characters and give their own opinions.

-After stating an opinion please try and give solid, valid reasons you can support by evidence from the Storybook.

-Writing a post for character talk is like writing an essay. Keep it professional and fair.
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If you want to team up with another analyzer, that's great!

No character template, but do put your username in the character sidebar, like you would in a tagbook. Those of you who want to have something reviewed or analyzed, pop into the DT and ask! Someone may just take up the request.

Well, there it is, folks. I hope I'll see some of you soon.

Neon Kingsley, an Unknown Sturggle

Any of you who have red Animorphers, the amazing Storybook created by @LeftyWriter, will know this future world ruler. Without a doubt, @Chaser's Neon Kingsley is a dark, fluffy, adorable force to be reckoned with. But do we really know this character as well as we think we do?

To put it in a nutshell, Neon is a boy Genius with the ability to morph into a calico kitten and an ambition to someday conquer the world.
He is very confident in his own ability, and is, in Chaser's own words,

"the quintessential comedic sociopath, constantly outmaneuvering any who would dare underestimate his extreme power."

When I first read about him, That part of his character really endeared him to me. He's definitely that breath of fresh air the story needs, but the best thing about him is, as you read on and his character unfolds, you find he's more than the comic relief. Neon turns into an even more amazing character with more layers to him than you first thought. Bravo, Chaser. Bravo.
My point? Like I said before, as Neon's character developed, the reader--me included--found that they didn't know him as well as they thought. Neon has his own problems and internal conflicts hidden behind his confident mask. And on top of that, it's a problem that a lot of people can relate with. Low self-esteem.

I know what your saying "Neon Kingsley? Mr. King of the World? Are you serious?" Well, yeas, I am. Honestly, it didn't hit me until his latest post. In the opening scene, Neon, who's been expelled from school, comes very close to being caught on campus, but before trouble could find him, Riley hid him in a bathroom stall. It's at this point that Neon has an interesting conversation with himself that shows him in a whole new light. and I quote:

He hunched over, hollowing himself out with a sigh. “She just needs some space,” he said. “I thought I could help by staying with her, but now I’m worried that she doesn’t need me…”

With a bitter chuckle, he shook his head. “No. Who am I kidding? She never needed me. Maybe she never will.” He let the breath trail out of him, his normally puffed chest deflating until Neon Kingsley was just a pathetic, scrawny little boy sitting on a toilet lid. “I’m useless.” The words seemed to echo in his head, reverberating and harmonizing with deeper memories, filling his skull.

Terror seized his body, and he ripped himself out of his thoughts. “No,” he muttered. “I’m not useless. I’m not useless. I’m me. I’m freaking Neon!”

In this scene, He doubts his ability to help the others, (More specifically, Riley) Even saying she never needed him in the first place, and calling himself useless. Also, let's not forget the phrase after that, that the words "I'm useless" seemed to harmonize with deeper memories. This, to me, seems to hint at a time in his life that he regrets. A moment where he may not have been able to do anything to stop whatever it was that happened That glimpse into his head showed me a lot of the internal conflict he's dealing with, but what really drove it home to me is how he reacted after. He didn't sit there feeling sorry, He immediately began reassuring himself that he was everything he kept telling himself he was. not only that, but he actually felt alarmed by what he'd said before. . Now, I know you may think this one time may just be a one-time deal, that he may be beating himself up that one time because someone else had to save his hide. For someone with Neon's pride, that may be hard to swallow. But, and here's the big but...
That wasn't the only time. In the part of the Storybook where the Animorphers search the bomb site of the lab they'd been experimented on in, Riley and Neon end up having a conversation that draws out a more sensitive side to Neon's personality. That alone shows us how much of himself he really buries, but this ending passage is what I'm going to talk about.

“Just remember, Riley West-” He struck a pose dramatically. “You and I are enemies. And next time, I’ll defeat you for sure.”

With that, he strode off, leaping over the ruptured earth. The smile died with each step he took from her. [/i]Just as I thought. I'm still so selfish.

What Neon says aloud to Riley further drives across the image he wants people to see. A confident future world ruler. But look at his thought at the end of the passage.

Just as I thought. I'm still so selfish.

Once again, Neon seems to be tearing himself down, bringing his own shortcomings to his attention. Who does this remind you of?

Daniel Torsen.

Dan is constantly pointing out his own flaws, and has a much more obvious struggle with depression and low self esteem. In fact, he says himself that pointing out his faws and shortcomings is one of his symptoms that he's getting depressed.
It may be that this similarity is a coincidence, but it could also be the most amazingly subtle hint to that aspect of Neon's character that Chaser could have come up with. Even without that parallel, Neon does have his moments of doubt. Not just the two I showed you, but throughout the story so far. Neon has a few moment like these when he beats himself up over his mistakes and flaws.

Call me crazy, but there also may be a hidden reason for Neon wanting to rule the world. There are the reasons we can plainly see, Neon's a genius, and could probably do it it if he put enough effort into it, and, as shown in the story on a few occasions, has the ideas and inventing skill to pull it off. But maybe, just maybe, without even realizing it himself, Neon decided to become the man who would rule the world, the one at the top of the heap, to make himself feel better, or like he had a little more self-worth.

Neon isn't my character, and I could very well be completely wrong about everything here, but with all the evidence pointing towards it, Neon's struggle with self esteem may very well be real. Even if he isn't dealing with those sorts of issues, it doesn't take away from the fact that Neon Kingsley is a great character, and that he's a lot deeper than any of us thought.

But tell me what you guys think. Am I right, or have I completely missed the mark? I'd love to hear what you have to say.

That's all for now! See you next time,

~Fanty

Hello everyone Oswin1800 here! I am here to analyze a character that you may not be familiar with but whose writer you have definitely heard of. (Especially if you write storybooks.)
This character possesses many of the same characteristics as her author. Persistence, intelligence, and style to name a few.
Have you guessed it yet?
That's right I am analyzing Kirsten Rhett one of the main characters in a storybook called The Heroes of the Shadows. Written by none other than TheFantasy14!
Alright enough with introductions time to dive into the character that is Kirsten.

Here is her backstory taken right from Fantasy herself
"Kirsten was from a poor family. She first learned to do show magic from her older brother, and they both used this talent to help their family. Doing performances at talent competitions and birthday parties to earn money to make ends meet. They agreed to become test subjects because of the money they got paid. More than enough for their family to get back on their feet. Kirsten happened to be a prodigy at Magic, and when her talent for magic was expanded, she couldn't cope with it all. A critical head injury also gave her amnesia."
Kirsten has long ebony hair, golden eyes, and pale skin. She also dresses like a magician wearing a black tuxedo.

One of the first things that readers notice about Kirsten is the steady flow of sarcasm that seems to flow from her without end. Especially evident in this quotation taken from Fantasy's very first post.

"I don't remember anything before I woke up strapped to a hospital bed and the government official sitting next to me told me my name and dumped me here. Let's hear it for our amazing government, folks."

However Kirsten is much more than just a wave of sarcasm and angst. She has a strong conscience that becomes evident to readers just two posts later.

"Beside me, Carlos shivered. I don't know what made me do it, but I leaned up against him, warming him with the heat from my own body. Carlos didn't seem to mind but after a while he asked 'why don't we start a fire?' I leaned back, feeling slightly guilty that I had made him uncomfortable."

Not only does she show concern for this kid she just met she attempted to help him keep warm. Then she felt bad for making him what she perceived as uncomfortable. Say what you will about Kirsten but once you break that tough outer shell there is a heart of gold resting just beneath the surface. She also exhibits great compassion and trust for the other heroes once she gets to know them a bit.

Under her tough exterior is just a vulnerable girl who is trying to discover herself. She has gone through so much suffering and pain at such a young age that she finds it hard to trust anybody. For example when Echo joins the group Kirsten is very cautious around her and that leads to this explosion:

“I knew it! You could never be trusted. Talking to the prisoner was not the smartest move Echo. I knew you knew him!” My eyes widen as my eyes adjust the the face in front of me.

Kirsten.

“Kirsten! Kirsten it's not what it looks like! Trust me-”

“No! I am done pretending to trust you. I am done with you getting into my brothers head. I am done with you getting into all of our heads!” Her eyes glow red.

As you can see despite her abundance of trust and compassion Kirsten often lets her anger rule her head and unleashes her fury on anyone that crosses her. Even her friends. Once she makes you her enemy she will stop at nothing to teach you a lesson. When her best friend Scarlette is captured by Astral who Kirsten has deemed an enemy Kirsten is the first to volunteer to rescue her. Putting both both her endless supply of bravery and need to get even with Astral on display.

Despite all the terrible things that have happened to her Kirsten is trying to put her life back together by keeping her family safe and together. It is understandable that she doesn't like outsiders based on her history but this may lead to conflict with her brother. Leon is much more accepting of new people than the cautious Kirsten and this could put the siblings against each other if only for a moment. Regardless of her temper all Kirsten wants is to have a life again, a life that doesn't involve all the dangers she has faced. She just wants to be normal! That is the tragic part about Kirsten, the scientists have made that life nearly impossible to obtain. She will need all of the qualities I have mentioned to reach her goal.

So what do you think? Can she overcome her limitations? Or have I got her all wrong?

-Ossie

I know what some of you are already thinking. Me, reviewing something? It must be the end of the world. Well, not quite.

In @TheFantasy14's first debut Storybook, the world has already been ruined. The Earth is ample with crime, and is on the brink of complete anarchy. In a desperate attempt to create a sanctuary out of the disarray, the government decides to pluck a few innocents out of their civilian lives and jack them up with all sorts of harmful chemicals to create a comic book lover's dream: Superheroes.

However, as per usual, the government screws up. Instead of having the perfect robo-cops without the robo-, they get a cluster of people whose defects cause a lot more harm than good.

This is The Heroes of the Shadows.



Leon; he's the serial killer, the forlorn brother, the psychopath, the victim of circumstance, and the prisoner of his own mind and body. Throughout this Storybook we see him grow and crumble as he tries to break free of his alternate personality, Blak, who finds joy in torture and tormenting those that Leon holds close. As Leon grapples for a grip upon his mind against his second self to protect those he loves, I can't help but feel bad for the poor guy.

I mean, if I could do magic but was posessed every other hour and routinely tried to kill my friends, I wouldn't be the most relaxed human being either. Leon's paranoia runs high for a reason. Blak's posession of him causes his self doubt. Leon, even after Blak leaves his body, thinks of himself as toxic and he keeps his peers at arm's length because he believes that he can still cause them harm.

Blak is the temptation that we all have within us. Without remorse or empathy, Blak hungers and desires, a true symbol of humanity's greed. Repeatedly he whispers into Leon's darkest thoughts, tempting him to join him over the edge and become the true monster without shame. With grim determination, however, Leon resists, relying on his tactful mind to remind him of what is real and upon his heavy sarcasm to keep him afloat.

Nevertheless, it is Kirsten that is his rock. She becomes the goodness within Leon- in the beginning, it is thoughts of his sister that keeps Blak at bay for the most part. He uses Kirsten as a goal to reach as to not allow himself to fade away in the presence of Blak's overwhelming aura. Without Kirsten, Leon would not have been able to keep fighting as he did.

Kevin scooted a little farther from me. "So you're uh..."

"Mentally Unstable?" I answered his partially asked question. "Why yes."

These particular lines stood out to me. Leon does not hesitate to call himself mentally unstable, nor does he seem to be particularly upset by the question. This reveals that Leon blames everything Blak does upon himself and has accepted the title of being unstable- and he takes comfort in it. Leon is denying the actuality of Blak because he cannot fathom that he can be anything more than a fault within himself. He views himself almost as broken glass in that he can and will hurt anyone near him if they happen to step too close.

Let us take a look at Leon and Blak's (or, alternatively, LB's) first written almost-murder.

Blak is the one to confidently dish out the K.O. blow to Astral when they cross paths on opposing sides. Blak's hand "rushed downward," revealing his eagerness for blood and his lack of conscience and hesitation when it comes to inflicting pain upon others. However, nearly immediately after the deadly blow, Leon "backs away in horror".

Allow me to analyze this little tidbit here. Leon does not stumble, gasp, stutter, jerk, or make any sudden move, as I would and as I assume how an ordinary person would do as a normal reaction; instead, he "backs away". This implies that Leon was not completely comatose while Blak was taking control of his body, and more than that, he expected it to happen. He was not shocked to find Astral suddenly injured in front of him. Does this mean that Blak actually is a second personna of Leon's, one that Leon secretly allows to take over when the risk to himself runs too high?

However, when Blak posesses one of Leon's teammates, it immediately disproves the theory that Blak was all in Leon's head. Blak was given into the form of Leon's magic and, through the scientist's tampering, was twisted into the sadistic psychopath that those in the Storybook recognize today. Blak is his own magic spell, granted intelligence unintentionally through the creation of magic in Leon's body, and that is why Leon feels so much pain when Blak finally leaves Leon's body with a dramatic flourish. Not only is Blak taking away a good chunk of Leon's magic he is also taking away a part of him. Leon's feelings of emptiness and incompletion is also evidence pointing to Blak's connection to Leon:

It took me a while to realize I was doing it again. Waiting for Blak to say something. It was strange, not having him around anymore. In a way, he was as much a part of me as Kirsten.

And Leon is left as a shell of a bleak pessimistic trying to save his sister and the world.

So tell me, am I right? Did I make a home run or miss the ball completely? Is Blak a manifestation of Leon's magic, or has he been inside Leon all along? In this world where science crosses the line, can these heroes of the shadows save the world?

~Craz