satmolly

⊹ What do they want vs what do they need. these should not be the same thing. what they want is the surface goal ( the job, the person, the revenge, the answer.) What they need is the thing underneath that they can't name yet. The story is what happens in the gap between those two things. if they're identical your character has nowhere to go.

⊹ What are they wrong about. Not morally wrong necessarily. just. what belief do they hold that the story is going to test. What assumption do they make about themselves or the world that turns out to be incomplete? A character without a wrong belief is already finished. They have no arc, give them something to learn even if learning it hurts them.

⊹ How do they talk when they're nervous. Do they go quiet or do they talk too much? do they deflect with jokes? do they get weirdly formal? do they ask questions instead of answering them? the way a person behaves under pressure is who they actually are. And it should be different from how they behave when they're comfortable.

⊹ What do they find funny. this one sounds small and it is not small at all. Humour is worldview. What makes someone laugh tells you what they value, what they're afraid of, how they handle pain. A character with no sense of humour is just flat. even the gravest person finds something absurd. find the thing.

⊹ What are they ashamed of? not their tragic backstory. their actual shame. The small ugly thing they would never say out loud. The time they were a coward. The feeling they pretend not to have. The desire they think disqualifies them from being a good person. Shame is where the most interesting character work lives and most writers skip straight over it :(

NATALIERSO'S FOLLOWERS CELEBRATION

Jyn is a feminist character because she exists for her own purpose. Of course she's a product of her upbringing and of course she's influenced by the people around her but an honest analysis of the film would include that she impacts the adults that raise her and she influences the people around her as well.

Galen put the flaw in the Death Star for Jyn. His entire reason to keep on living was the hope that Jyn was alive in the universe.

Saw raised her and, when she was at risk of being identified as an Erso, abandoned her for her safety. She is the only partisan to whom he opens himself.

Cassian's development in Rogue One occurs because of his connection to Jyn. She wakes him up and reminds him of why he's fighting - not because he's moved by her victimhood but because he's impressed by her abilities, principles and commitment. He sees his early resistance in her and is motivated to re-engage because of the fire in Jyn.

Bodhi carries a message that Galen is sending to Jyn, thereby changing the trajectory of his life. And then he follows her to Scariff.

Chirrut and Baze follow Jyn to fulfill their development. Chirrut makes a difference with his faith and Baze becomes the warrior that he has been cosplaying on Jedha.

Is she surrounded by men? Yes, and she leads them. She leads them in battle. She leads them to their destiny. And she does it as an active agent, making choices, commanding the troops. She's not a muse or a victim that inspires their manly protection. They don't question her leadership. No one has to be brought around to accepting her leadership; they do it without question. Does Cassian bring the troops together for Scariff. Sure, he's part of the actual Rebellion command. But once the troops come together then Jyn was the undisputed leader of the action.

Jyn is a fighter in the Rebellion. That is the frame in which she acts so ultimately she's going to commit to and fight for the Rebellion. It would be a weird movie if that wasn't her path. (Or, I guess it could be season 2 of Andor, but I digress.)