Four Kinds Of People in a Story;

in characterization •  7 years ago 

Categories of this sort can be useful in developing plot and character. Just remember, none of us fit precisely in one category. After all, if a group of harlequins should segregate themselves into their own clique, then someone will become the Hero harlequin, someone the bully, and so forth (Bloom, Howard, [1995]. The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History. Kindle Edition. < http://a.co/aHN8PCu >)

α: the hero – master of their fates and likely leader of everyone else on the team. Of course, without the bully they might become an asshole about it;
β: the bully – the good son who encourages everyone to be their best, sort of like a drill sergeant. Um, fail to give him some key self-esteem events (See Erik Ericson, Nathaniel Brandon http://a.co/9HDozYv) in their lives and they could be the villain;
γ: the gizmo, geek – fixes this, that and the other, might be genius, might be Asperger, likely both. Works better with objects and data than with people;
η: the harlequin – comedian, joker, trickster, ready for a punchline, or just a good punch, could be a particularly dangerous enemy.

Maybe the hero and bully run up to a problem and try to cut that knot in one fell blow, and leave the clean up to the others. The others might seek a different kind of solution, like seeing if the puzzle or engine would work if you kick it just right.

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