My main character is basically a "Chosen One" in the story (they're called Seraphim and he just became one at the beginning) but because of that has an Empire out to get him. My question is, on his adventure, would he try his best to hide his status as a Seraph to prevent word from spreading to the Empire on where he is (even if it meant making the information he needs to get much harder)? Or would it make more sense to just tell the truth and get what he needs to know faster since he's constantly traveling anyway? I ask this cause I originally wanted to go with the first option, but I've been watching the Last Airbender again recently and noticed how Aang seems to have no problem with just admitting to every person he meets that he's the Avatar, despite knowing the Fire nation wants to capture him. It seems kind of reckless to me, but it allows the characters to interact with the world a lot more as a result. What do you guys think?
Why would he get what he wants even if he tells the truth? I suppose it depends on what kind of a character he is? Try to think about your character more, place him in different situations and see what he will do. What feels right to you? What makes the story more interesting? Also, I wouldn't think too much about what others are doing. Do what you think is best for your story!
Good point. And I certainly know my main character wouldn't be nearly as cautious as my secondary character on letting his identity be known, so that could make for some good conflict.
Going to depend on your character's personality and the context the situation. I would assume he would have to make judgement calls to determine whether or not revealing himself would be worth the risk. Perhaps doing so is reckless, but he happens to be a reckless person. Maybe that's part of his character development? Say, he's sorta cocky and devil-may-care about it in the beginning but gets more cautious when he realizes it could get other people hurt? What I'm saying is, this is a characterization issue. Case in point: Aang was A) a rather idealistic, honest and straightforward person who wasn't especially good at subterfuge and B) not just some random kid pursued by the Fire Nation because of a prophesy or something: The Avatar was characterized as the main force for good in the world and a living symbol of unity between the four nations, and Aang was aware of that. He saw it as his duty to let everyone know that he was finally back, even if it put him at risk, because giving people hope was part of his job. ...Also, he was the last airbender left alive, had a bigass airbender tattoo on his head, and traveled around on a very conspicuous giant flying bison. So, his ability to keep a low profile was already sorta limited. Anyway, this was absolutely a deliberate choice by the writers, because when Zuko went renegade he had to put serious effort into not revealing his identity. And the one time he did reveal himself to people he thought he could trust, they rejected him purely on account of who he was. So, it's not like the writers didn't consider that stuff. On that note, it also sorta depends on what sort of story you mean to tell, since it's going to affect the general tone. If your character consistently hides who he is, then the tone is more serious and tense, implying that he's in constant peril and that his pursuers are genuinely dangerous. If he's open about being a Seraph and willing to face whatever opposition that brings, then the tone will be more adventurous and your evil empire may need to be at least slightly incompetent or hampered in some other way. So, yeah, there's no right or wrong answer here: It's going to depend on what you're going for with both the character and the story.
It would depend on what the general attitude is towards the so called chosen one. In the Last Airbender only the Fire Nation had anything against the avatar as it threated their call for power. Everyone else was long awaiting for the avatar to arrive. So, him keeping it a secret, particularly when the fact he was needing to garner their support and teachings to become fully the Avatar, wouldn't have made a lot of sense. However, had people viewed the Avatar as an enemy, then he would have to hide it.
