Character Development Tag
I was tagged by @dotr-rose-love a million and a half years ago (or last week) and I’m just now getting to it, but thank you!! I love these!
Rules: Pick a character from your wip, tell us their role (hero, villain, etc.), and give a brief visual description. Then answer the questions below!
Let me start by saying picking one character was super hard. We currently have five (yes, five) fully fleshed out wips that we’re actively working on at the same time. We went back and forth, but we think we’re going to go with Arlo Russell from Fanon to Canon. First, he’s a sweetie pie and we heart him! Second, after listening to our wonderful beta readers on Wattpad, we’ve decided to switch the perspective to him for the whole novel and it’s working out so well.
So, without further ado, Arlo friggin’ Russell!
He is definitely the unsung hero (sidekick, unreliable narrator, bestie, and cosplay extraordinaire) of our newest novel, Fanon to Canon. It’s in a full overhaul because he was easily the most fun and most-loved character of the book and he’s now narrating the book.
He’s tall, gangly. and has curly red hair. He wears big, round reading glasses ironically so his best friend, Parker, doesn’t feel bad about hers. He doesn’t change his hair hardly ever, and it’s usually cut pretty short, except for the top. He likes to leave that longer because he likes his curls. Don’t worry, he cuts it before it gets to the poof ball phase. Oh, and he loves the color yellow.
Tell us, in one sentence, what your character’s ultimate goal is.
To get Parker and Mason together. The end. He is the captain of that ship. His best friends are his OTP.
What actor could you envision playing your character in a movie? Who is their faceclaim?
Not an actor, but a model. He’s the face I can’t get out of my head when we write. His name is Linus Wördemann and he’s just perfect!
What’s their theme song?
Without a doubt, it’s Dancing in the Moonlight by Toploader.
What character trope do they fit the best?
Audience surrogate, boy next door, conscience, and harlequin
Are they physically fit? What sport would they play?
Yes, but only because he’s a teen and they’re just all fit without trying. So obnoxious. 🤣Also, no sports. But he likes watching football, baseball, and golf.
What’s their patronus?*
A Russian blue cat
How about their Hogwarts house?
Definitely and without a doubt, Ravenclaw.
What’s their greatest character flaw? How does it affect their journey?
Well, the most glaring is the fact that he’s a people pleaser. He wants everyone else to be happy before he even thinks about himself. This affects him during the story because he takes on too much. Too many secrets, too much guilt, etc. Just too much. Because of that he almost has a breakdown! He handles his part in the chaos and moves on from it, but that would be his biggest character flaw, in my opinion.
What scene with them are looking forward to writing the most?
Hmm, it’s kinda hard to say since we’re re-writing the entire novel now from his perspective. There’s a lot I want to write! I just fell in love with the idea of hearing this crazy, wonderful, and romantic story from the one person who loved the main characters as much as we did! Arlo was a natural progression of that line of inquiry and we’re so glad we listened to our beta readers. They were so right! I don’t think I could ever pick out an individual scene, though. It’s too hard. I wanna write it alllll!
Have they undergone any emotional trauma? How does it affect them/their choices?
He’s been lucky enough not to sustain any real emotional trauma, ya know, outside of being a normal teen, but he also knows how lucky he is. Unfortunately, his bestie, Parker, has suffered quite a bit and that actually ends up affecting his choices. He actively chooses to take on way more of the responsibility for the main relationship in the novel than he should. Not that he needs to stay out of it or anything, but he hasn’t quite grasped the idea of taking care of yourself first. Seeing Parker’s trauma unfold firsthand definitely shaped him and his future decisions. He goes out of his way to make sure no one gets hurt and everyone’s happy.
Do they use magic? What type is it and why is this the magic you chose for them?
No magic in this story! It’s a YA rom-com, so nothing serious enough to warrant the use of magic. It takes place in the ‘real world’, so we’d be breaking some pretty big genre conventions if we stuck magic in this one. 🤣
Tagging: @marniebalboa, @bookishbearx, @nemowritesstuff, @shamelesslypoetic, @toceaselivingceasewriting, @notmyproblemdude, @tales-from-a-golden-pen, @h-brook-writes, @aquiniawrites, @highlycosmic, and anyone else who wants to play along!
*this question used to read what’s their spirit animal, but I couldn’t use it. I grew up in a place with a heavy Native American presence and this kind of thing was so not okay.
