Greetings! First time for me here. I have some big questions. I've been thinking for some time about a godlike character, an enigmatic one in the Middle Ages, dressed like a normal townsman. He doesn't wear anything special and he doesn't show his powers to just everyone. He is talking normal, although with a little charm in his speech, as if he is going through another boring day. His attitude is calm and doesn't team with the protagonists out of the kindness of his heart, neither with the antagonists. A neutral character which wants to achieve his little goals (Albeit I don't know what those are yet). No one knows his true identity until he shows it. Also, I've been thinking about a lonely character, 17 years old. He has the spirit of a dangerous dragon and he is traveling the world in search of new challenges. He doesn't help the protagonists nor the antagonists, because his goals are more important to him. He is very arrogant and stronger than good or evil. Another neutral character, as I see it. My questions are: did you meet those two archetypes before? What do you think about them? If yes, they are still unique in some way? Could I adjust them somehow? Thank you.
A benevolent demi-god, and a chaotic neutral young man. IDK, I have not read a lot of Fantasy. I think it comes down to how you portray them in story, that makes them unique. I think @rktho might be able to help you.
Would these be supporting characters or main characters? They strike me as too powerful for main characters.
They would be supporting characters. Think of the young man as a treasure hounter, too. Maybe his dragon is hungry for more power. I will try to create a backstory for both. Also, I have a little problem describing the medieval clothing. I don't like psyhical descriptions, it's somewhat hard to do them well.
Just pepper phrases like "leather hood" or "mail shirt" or "brown cloak" and "sandy hair" and "water-colored eyes" throughout the beginning about a specific character. The best way to do that is to describe them with an action. He straightened his faded hood, hoping Elvira didn't notice that his usually lustrous black hair was caked with a dark, muddy substance he didn't care to name. He flashed his teeth nervously as she batted her soft brown eyes in his direction, tresses like spun gold and a face that others found fairly pretty, but that Eriac was utterly captivated by. So let's gather a list of what we know. Eriac is wearing a faded hood, that his hair is shiny but there's some hoop in it, so it's not very shiny at the moment, plus it's probably messed up somehow by the mud, like it's unkempt or tangled slightly. That could be why he's wearing a hood. We know he is definitely interested in this girl, and being in this awkward situation with her makes him very nervous. "Flashed his teeth" indicates he may be too nervous for a real smile, although that's only implied. We know Elvira has brown eyes, and blonde hair, which are decorated with appropriate descriptors that convey beauty. We know from the narration that she's probably a 7 or 8 but Eriac thinks she's a 10 or higher. Also, we know nothing about what she's wearing, probably because her outfit is drab and unremarkable and Eriac hardly notices it because he's focused on her physical features, namely her face. Final question: where did the mud come from? It could be a result of a recent adventure, like being puked on by a monster, or something just embarrassing as having Elvira see it, like tripping and falling into a puddle. That question would be for you to answer in the text. Also, if multiple attributes are important you can mention it again with a different descriptor. ("You there!" called the dwarf. "In the green hood!" Eriac turned towards him.) I used dialogue that time; that works very well too.
I've definatley seen the second one, reminds me of Sasuke from Naruto or Murtagh from Eragon. I still like the idea, maybe give him a soft spot for something kinda trivial. For depth? Or Comedy? I really like the first one, it's probably still been done before but you can always add your own twist.
I think it's a lot harder to pull off a truly indifferent or neutral character. And I'm not sure why you would want to. It's really hard to say if something will or won't work in a story without reading it. Personally, I think neutral can be boring in both life and writing.
A neutral character doesn't have to take sides of the major players in order to contribute to their paths. They would have to contribute something in some way or else why are they in the story?
Tom Bombadil. Maybe Beorn. I like them ok. Characters like that are never really gonna be unique, as archetypes; there are whole stories that are about nothing but gods. But why worry about that?
