Character Bios
I’m having trouble deciding which story and character to go with. Maybe after getting feedback on these two, I’ll have a clearer idea of which way to go
Luciano Johnson
Age : 4
Evolution/Life Cycle (relative to human?) : Child
Ethnicity: White Bread
Height: 3’0
Weight 40 lbs
Gender: male
Culture: Nick Jr. (Daytime children’s television programming)
Profession: Requires playing with Blocks, reading his big sister’s diary, and tracking mud into the kitchen.
Dreams: To build the best robot fireman in space, ever.
Beliefs: He’s the center of the world.
Food: Cookies. Cookies and milk.
Weaknesses: He hasn’t gotten refined motor skills down just yet.
Goals/Ambition : A thirsty lad, he just wants the glass of milk left accidentally out of his reach. Overall in life, for it to be Christmas again.
Obstacles: He can’t reach the delicious milk of his desires, his legs are too short, gosh darnit. Overall, it’s June.
Stereotype/Archetype: Bratty child, troublemaker
Sense of Humor: Loves Daffy Duck.
Health: A skinned knee, and he should brush more often.
Family: A relatively stable family, a dedicated mother, a dumb old sister who seems always mad at him whenever it’s the end of the month, and a dad whose usually too busy to play right now.
Values: He should brush more often, but it’s not fun. Tattling is SO not cool. Doesn’t understand why he can’t read his sister’s diary.
Environment (Env they feel uncomfortable in?): his work place is a mountain cave opening next to a lake on the edge of a forest. Franky feels comfortable by the lake.
Intelligence: Bright, he gets good marks on his homework (when he does it.)
Education: Nick Jr. (Daytime children’s television programming).
Sex Life: Girls are gross, have cooties. Doesn’t understand what birds and bees has to do with his penis.
Nocturnal habits: Wetting the bed (Don’t tell anybody!)
Body Structure: A little thin and frail. He doesn’t eat his vegetables, too many cookies.
Fears: Someone will find out he wets the bed.
Talent: Touching his nose with his tongue, also making his ears wiggle.
Self View: He’ll be as cool as Spiderman is. Someday.
Addictions: Nick Jr. (Daytime children’s television programming.)
Flaws: He’s an atypical four year old, which means odds are, he’s doing something he shouldn’t. Doesn’t have a lot of world experience, quick to upset. Also, he really should brush his teeth more often.
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Grunwald the Manslayer
Age : 33
Evolution/Life Cycle (relative to human?) : Adult-Middle Age
Ethnicity: Probably Norse
Height: 5’9
Weight 240 lbs
Gender: male
Culture: Tribal, Barbaric
Profession: Smashing in the heads of civilized individuals, pillaging, looting, 9-5
Dreams: Someday, HE’ll be warchief, and wear the elk horns of Victory
Beliefs: If you’re weaker than him, then he has the right to take everything you own, also bash in your head.
Food: MEEEEAAAAAT
Weaknesses: The aformentioned Meat. His cholesterol is out the roof.
Goals/Ambition : His life isn’t too bad, lots of outdoor work, fresh air, bludgeoning peasants to death. It’s active, busy work, and all he wants to do afterwards is come home and settle down to a large plate of animal flesh. Now only if he could get his home life into order….
Obstacles: His wife. she’s not too happy with the choices of what he likes to eat.
Stereotype/Archetype: Bully, Barbarian, Brute
Sense of Humor: Pretty dark. Enjoys the sound of cracking skulls a bit more than most would.
Health: Still pretty virile, but he’s starting to get older, and should be more careful about taking care of himself.
Family: His Lovely, Lovely wife, whom controls every aspect of his home life. With axes.
Values: Strength, above all.
Environment (Env they feel uncomfortable in?): Mud huts and burning villages. Woods.
Intelligence: That’s a word for weak people who can’t smash skulls.
Education: Throwing big rocks at animals 101, The self help stone tablet entitled, “How to get the most out of my axe swing”
Sex Life: Used to be pretty active (violently so), but he and his wife don’t seem to see eye to eye these days.
Nocturnal habits: Snoring. Loudly.
Body Structure: Large, wide shoulders, muscular. Tiny legs, smaller feet.
Fears: GRUNWALD FEARS NOTHING! (Maybe his wife).
Talent: Been voted best roof burner amongst his warband two moon cycles in a row now.
Self View: GRUNWALD FEARS NOTHING!
Addictions: Animals, particularly the eating them part.
Flaws: A very limited view on life.
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Questions to answer about your story:
1. Who is your character?
My character is Grunwald, a barbarian in his late 40s, who is in a relationship that’s run dry of passion.
2. What is your character’s goal?
Grunwald wants to get his wife to comply with him and simply give him what he wants – a meaty meal. He wants to be the king of his castle, so to speak.
3. What is your inciting moment?
Grunwald’s wife doesn’t believe that Grunwald should be eating meat the way he does, at his age (either that, or she’s just lazy, and doesn’t feel like cooking more.) She’s offered him a plate of vegetables – which she knows he hates – for his dinner, an action that displeases Grunwald.
4. Talk about the rise in the conflict.
Grunwald’s exterior conflict is that with his wife, as he begs for a “better” meal and she stubbornly refuses. A more subtle conflict exists within Grunwald however, as he struggles with himself to genuinely confront his overbearing wife.
5. What is your character’s reaction to the conflict?
Grunwald’s reaction is threefold – He first reacts by begging for his food, trying to appeal to his wife’s sensitive side. Receiving no sympathy, he gets ANGRY, and throws a tantrum and attempts to become physically imposing! After his wife throws axes at him, proving that she’s far more physically imposing than he, he becomes more meek, and tries to be clever to out-think his wife.
6. What does your character need to learn?
He cannot overcome his wife by brute force alone.
7. How does your ending relate to the beginning?
Grunwald receives what he wants, the meat.
8. What do you want your audience to get out of your piece?
Even in defeat, there is a little victory.
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Sketches!
September 16, 2008@ 9:51 pm
grunwald huh? very suiting. seems a little deeper than the child. and pretty amusing to say the least