A Minor Ramble Caused by too much Game of Thrones.

Thursday, January 8th

I enjoy a well written story. I enjoy well written characters within a well written story even better. And Game of Thrones has proved to have both these things. Even if it does have an outrageous amount of softcore porn fit in between. Or used for the story more like. George R.R. Martin uses a lot of things for his story. And I don’t think he uses perfect characters. More writers should aspire to avoid perfect characters, it gives people high hopes about real heros. Hopes that have a tendency for not matching reality. Perfect characters are those that either do no wrong, or if they do they quickly learn it is wrong and change their behavior. This is all well and good for a moral lesson, but there are no Disney heroes in real life. People have problems, people can get wrong ideas in their heads and think them right. People can make mistakes and refuse to own up to them. People can find themselves lying without fully knowing why. Nothing stands without casting a shadow. 

Similar things could be said of villains. Those that cause pain for the sake of pain are extremely rare and frighteningly enough are often very charming up until they can safely harm you. The much more common evil in this word is that one that sees itself as good. A evil that believes that it is making the necessary sacrifice for the good of all. The antagonist of a story should have redeeming qualities. You should be able to inspire pity from your audience by changing the perspective that they view your villain. Every shadow is cast by something in the light.