Main Secondary Character (MSC) would have wanted me to make up for the merciless teasing I subjected him to in the last blog post. The only problem is that he’s too busy eating a quesadilla to even notice that I’m writing this (if ever one day he becomes lactose intolerant, I’m sure he’ll drop down dead within the week). This means, of course, that I will have to shoulder the responsibility and explain why he is the way he is, and why he’s one of my favourite characters.
In my last blog post, I more or less mocked him for his inability to pay attention to all the important things around him. This was for good reason, but it speaks to a part of his character that I greatly admire.
MSC is all about honour, and he focuses on what is honourable, the temptations to go against his code of honour, how to grow as a person and still keep to what is honourable... you get the picture. He also has a great ability to focus on what he considers to be important. Add these two together and you get a really decent guy with tunnel vision. Vital things tend to fly by his radar simply because they do not fall under the list of things he thinks about. It is his greatest weakness. And his greatest strength.
Because of his deep commitment to his morals (his code of honour), I can trust him to do what he considers right, no matter what. He may make mistakes out of haste, he may allow his judgement to be clouded in the heat of the moment but, given time to think, he will ultimately do what is necessary to rectify the wrong he has done. If that cannot happen, he will do all he can to make sure he never makes the same mistake again.
This isn’t always easy, of course. He has suffered in the past, which makes it hard for him to forgive certain people and certain actions. It also makes it harder for him to step back and take the time to see all the factors in a situation resembling his past hurts. His absolute sense of right and wrong further hinders this process because justice is more familiar to him than mercy.
I’m going to test him, face him with choices he has never faced, show him his worst fears. MSC will not only have to try and overcome his tunnel vision, but also his prejudices. My hope is that he will not only meet my expectations, but exceed them because that’s the kind of person he is.
I bet I know what you’re thinking right now: “If you’re going through all this trouble with a measly secondary character, how much more are you going to mess with your main character?”
You have no idea.
As promised last time, the next post will detail the events surrounding my story getting a pet. Stay tuned!
(first published at theasworld.doxa-canada.com/Blog)
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