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Day 4 Assignments
Reply to post your assignment.
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13 Replies
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Marian Redmann Character Profiles Shark Abyss
Logline: When an explosion of a WWII submarine cave at the German high-sea island Helgoland traps tourists in a collapsed bunker, claustrophobic marine biologist Lisanna has to fight dangerous bull sharks to save the group and win back the love and respect of her estranged daughter Mia, before the bunkers are flooded and they either drown or get killed by the sharks.
What I learned doing this assignment is, that this an effective exercise, that was fun to do. Secondary characters and antagonists are easier for me to write.
Role: LISANNA
Role in the story: Mother of Mia, shark expert, savior of the island.
Core Character Traits:
Pragmatic
Courageous
Aloof, difficult to see through
loving mother
underestimated
Character Subtext Logline: wanted to make the world a better place and failed, gave up and became pragmatic
OPTIONAL:
Flaw: feels guilty about a mistake in the past, her claustrophobia hinders her from advancing in her job
Want: to earn enough money to make ends meet
Need: wants to be a good motherMission/Agenda Character Arc (if any): needs to rediscover her ideals and come to terms with the past
Secret:
wanted to save people in the past and defuse an explosive device of her activist friends, it went wrong and people got hurt
NOTE: I had to adjust the character traits and hope that these are the right words. Lisanna is supposed to be a loving mother who has to hide the secret of her past from her daughter and therefore seems unapproachable for her. She is sympathetic, but it is difficult for her to bear all the responsibility alone. Also she can do a lot more than people think when they meet her the first time.
Role: MIA
Role in the story: Daughter of Mia and Claas, schoolgirl,
tour guide as a vacation job, filling in for someoneCore Character Traits:
moody
Dedicated
Know-it-all
Stubborn
Sensitive
Character Subtext Logline:
Wants to be like Greta Thurnberg and at the same time a normal teenager
OPTIONAL:
Flaw: Too sensitive and good-natured.
Want: wants to improve/save the world and have her mother by her side
Need: find her place in live/ who she really is
Mission/Agenda Character Arc (if any): realizes her mother is much stronger than she thought and recognizes her as a role model
NOTE: Mia is now 15 (instead of 13) and I clarified that she is doing a summer job as a temp, thanks and credit for my feedback partner! Changed smart to moody. Lisanna and Mia are both smart of course. But moody seemed better to do something with it.
I like her character because she wants to be a modern Greta Thurnberg, but also a normal teenager, which is not possible, bzw. very hard to unite.
Role: CLAAS
Role in the story: Father of Mia, Lighthouse Keeper
Core Character Traits:
Charming
Takes too little responsibility
Know-it-all
taciturn
Nature Man
Character Subtext Logline: Wants to make the world a better place, but doesn’t have the discipline to do so
OPTIONAL:
Flaw: makes it too easy on himself
Want: wants to be a good father to Mia and get Lisanna back
Need: to get over the separation from LisannaMission/Agenda Character Arc (if any): must learn to take responsibility
NOTE: Claas is super likable but makes it too easy for himself, it was harder to find anything that really characterized him. Here, nature man is supposed to show that he cares about the environment and the island, also he’s supposed to be a typical islander why I changed lovable to taciturn, hope the word is correct, like a wordless hermit, someone that doen’t speak much.
This also makes for a bigger difference with Julian who is an eloquent talker.
Role: SOPHIA
Role in the story: best friend of Mia
Core Character Traits:
Sassy
Cocky
Practical
Morally flexible
Reliable friend
Character Subtext Logline:
A girl who just want to have fun!
OPTIONAL:
Flaw: overdoes it, knows no limits
Want: wants to enjoy her youth and grow up as fast as possible
Need: wants to be part of a community and to be loved
Mission/Agenda Character Arc (if any):
Must learn to respect rules and other people
NOTE: Almost more exciting than Mia because she’s more fun and edgy, I added reliable friend to give her more depth.
Rolle: JULIAN
Role in the story: Antagonist
Core Character Traits:
Charismatic
energetic
Doer
Morally very flexible
egomaniacal/ psychotic
Character Subtext Logline:
Wants to prove to his overbearing father that he can follow in his footsteps
OPTIONAL:
Flaw: overcompensates, goes too far.
Want: desperately wants to be successful and go down in history
Need: wants his father to accept him
Mission/Agenda Character Arc (if any): learns nothing and must atone for his mistakes
Secret: was once in love with Lisanna and wanted to change the world with her, but didn’t dare to get rid of his roots
NOTE: Julian practically writes himself… absolutely new to this and also from feedback from the group is, that he and Lisanna have a past together. Mia might or might not be his daughter!
Big thanks to everybody in this class!
🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈
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Good job on creating a compelling inner conflict for Lisanna and Mia! It makes them both relatable and endearing. I misread that she wants to be like “Greta Thurnberg,” as she wants to be like “Lisanna.” Perhaps the conflict of wanting to be a normal teen comes from her secretly admiring her mother? Just a thought.
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I learned that if your character’s traits and background are clearly defined, their dialogue, actions and reactions can flow from them. Subtext traits and flaws, clearly defined, can help inspire the necessary subtext and flawed actions a character can make well-rounded characters and elevate the story.
Title: THE SANTA BROTHERHOOD
Main Character Profiles
Logline: <b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Logline: A “play-it safe” employee of an outdoor store gets involved with three store Santas, who are part of a clandestine but benevolent, secret society, just in time to start a Christmas project benefiting the kids and single moms in a housing project where the city’s most dangerous gang lives.
DOUG
Stays in his lane even though financially it is not enough to make ends meet.
Life’s Motto: Don’t Screw up.
Generous to a fault.
Devoted to the company to a fault
Fights fear and insecurity
Subtext: Tries to hide how bad things really are, and what the root causes are for his weight gain.
ABE
Military: Marine Reconnaissance
Leader and chief strategist of The Santa Brotherhood
Compassionate counselor
Loves connecting with the history of the historical Saint Nicholas, the founder of The Santa Brotherhood
Rebel against his father, a Santa Brotherhood member, now walks in his footsteps as leader of The Santa Brotherhood
Motivated by not only generosity, but making real differences in people lives. Handouts and helping hand up.
Subtext trait: loves a good prank and plays one on Doug
BOB
Former Hell’s Angel
Sick of the gang lifestyle counseled with Cal during one of Cal’s Santa gigs,
Became a 100% believer in the cause of the Brotherhood to help and not hurt people.
An encourager and supporter of Doug as he becomes a member of the Brotherhood.
Always ready to take the game on the road (a la midnight Santa drops to needy families in dangerous neighborhoods. Usually the driver of the Santa van.
Subtext trait: Goes along with Abe’s pranks and enjoys them
CAL
Fun loving
Doug’s best fan and encourager
Ju Jitsu black belt champion, turned vigilante, turned one of the Santas in the Brotherhood.
Costume designer and wearer. Inspired the Superhero birthday parties the Santa Brotherhood hold to raise money year-around for the cause.
Subtext trait: Brave to a point. Don’t know when he is going to freeze.
MISS AMY
Lived former life as a prostitute, druggie
Cares for the children and mothers in The Project, has reached out to Abe to help clean up the neighborhood.
Subtext trait: Ashamed of her past. Is embarrassed of and hides the fact that T. Roy is her son.
T. ROY
Feared Gang leader
Crazy, eccentric, jokester
Subtext trait: Can turn on a dime into a very threatening person.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Kenneth Wood.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by
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Terry’s Character Profiles
What I’ve learned doing this assignment is: A more efficient way of creating character profiles and the value of a character subtext logline
1.Logline: A superficial realtor must survive Heaven’s “wake up call” when he switches bodies with an older widow to whom family means everything.
2. Create a Character Profile for each of your top five characters.
Include two required items and at least two optional items.
REQUIRED:
Role
Core Character Traits
Character Subtext Logline
OPTIONAL:
Flaw
Want/Need
Mission/Agenda
Character Arc (if any)
World View
Life Metaphor/Identity
Secret
Something they don’t want to admit about themselves
What makes this character unique?
Character1 Name: Michael Jeremy
Role: Realtor/Search & Rescue leader
Core Character Traits:
Private
Status Driven
Success Driven
Charismatic
Sensitive
Optional:
Secret: Terrified of Horses
Secret: Michael Jeremy Gonzales is his full name
What makes this character unique: He doesn’t take credit for all the philanthropy he does.
World View: If people knew who he was and where he came from, then he would lose respect and the power to help those he cares about.
Character Subtext Logline: Michael’s drive for status and success mitigates his fear of being gay and the Latino son of migrant farm workers.
Character2 Name: Georgia Woods
Role: Ranch Woman/Searching for Nephew
Core Character Traits:
Independent
Spiritual Connection to Nature
Pragmatic
Compassionate
Wise Mentor
Optional:
What makes this character unique: A woman skilled in all aspects of ranch life
World View: Devoted to family and community. If you have the means/resources to help someone, you help.
Something they don’t want to admit about themselves: It’s been a year since her beloved husband Charlie passed away and some days the loss feels like yesterday.
Character Subtext Logline: Georgia turns away from joining her beloved husband in the afterlife to help their nephew David survive his life crisis.
Character3 Name: Anna Romera
Role: Michael’s ex-wife/ESL Teacher
Core Character Traits:
Outgoing
Multilingual
Passionate
Family Devoted
Mentor
Optional:
Secret: Takes their son to visit Michael’s parents
What makes this character unique: Outdoors skills & Skilled Search & Rescue Tracker
World View: Family and community give meaning to life
Character Subtext Logline: Anna continues to buck Michael’s desire to send their young son to an elite boarding school.
Character4 Name: Jesse Woods
Role: Architect/Georgia’s adopted son
Core Character Traits:
Outgoing
Creative
Sensitive
Gay and Proud
Polished Demeanor
Optional:
Secret: His sense of direction is horrible.
What makes this character unique: He is as comfortable presenting before a board of investors as he is out on the ranch mucking stalls.
World View: Architecture can help people re-connect with nature and the landscape around them
Character Subtext Logline: Jesse wants to build a visionary 5 star farm to table restaurant in the middle of the Bosque to help city dwellers connect to the heart of their city.
Character5 Name: Carmen Nunez
Role: Michael’s Office Manager
Core Character Traits:
Out going
Compassionate & intuitive
Efficient & Organized
Loyal
Protective
Optional:
What makes this character unique: She sees past Michael’s facade
World View: Respect and meet people where they are at, even if you wish it was different.
Character Subtext Logline: Carmen knows its just a matter of time before Michael’s inner world and outer worlds collide, and is prepared to help him through as needed.
3. Improve at least one item on each character profile.
I didn’t have Character Subtext loglines for any of the characters. Developing those for each character helped clarify their role in the story.
Also want to note two major character changes made after brainstorming during previous drafts:
Georgia was originally a male character and while changing gender to female was a lot of work, it was well worth it. A richer and more emotionally engaging story was the result.
It wasn’t until Jesse
became an architect with a dream of his own that his character came alive, and
I was then able to find more ways for him and Michael to connect besides the
gay theme. And have Jesse’s subplot
intersect with one of Michael’s subplots. -
Logline: A counselor at a transition house has 6 days to deprogram a brainwashed woman who believes she will be safe when she returns to her abuser.
What I learned from this assignment: Small changes to a character’s profile can produce a more interesting character and story.
*** indicates change
SELMA
ROLL:
She’s the counselor who tries to deprogram Elizabeth and persuade her not to return her abuser, Mark.
A liar
Compassionate
Insecure
Afraid of authority figures
***Needs to control her environment
CHARACTER SUBTEXT LOGLINE:
Selma is a compassionate counselor who fears authority figures and lies when she feels insecure.
FLAW: she lies
WANT/NEED: to feel safe
MISSION: to save Elizabeth because she didn’t save her mother.
ARC:
· from lying with impunity, to realizing lies can have deadly consequences.
· from believing she caused her mother’s death, to understanding that her father was the cause.
· from fearing men and their feet, to saving Elizabeth by taking hold of Mark’s foot and not letting go.
WORLDVIEW: The world is a dangerous place.
LIFE METAPHOR: Life is a boot that’s ready to stomp on you becomes you are stronger, braver, and more powerful than you think.
SECRET: She watched her mother die and didn’t try to save her because she is weak, stupid, and a bad person.
SOMETHING SHE DOESN’T WANT TO ADMIT TO HERSELF: She needs love.
WHAT MAKES THIS CHARACTER UNIQUE: She is a counselor who lies and a COVID long hauler.
CHANGE:
Needs to control her environment becomes has a temper.
This heightens the interaction between Selma’s struggle to control her temper and Elizabeth’s anger. It increases the conflict in the story.
Elizabeth
ROLL: Selma’s first client and Mark’s victim.
CORE CHARACTER TRAITS:
***Intelligent
Empathetic
Maternal
Angry
A doublethinker
CHARACTER SUBTEXT LOGLINE:
Elizabeth is an intelligent and empathetic physician who loves children. Because of her abuse, she is angry and protects herself, subconsciously, by denying reality.
FLAW: her conscious mind’s inability to accept reality.
WANT/NEED: to love and be loved in return
MISSION: to protect Mark
ARC:
· from denying Mark is in control to accepting he is in control
· from believing Mark is a good man to accepting he is despicable.
WORLDVIEW: Love is the answer.
LIFE METAPHOR: Life is a garden; with care and love she can cultivate beautiful flowers.
SECRET: She gave away her new-born baby.
SOMETHING SHE DOESN’T WANT TO ADMIT TO HERSELF: She is completely under Mark’s control.
WHAT MAKES THIS CHARACTER UNIQUE: She is an abused woman who doublethinks–She realizes her abuser is dangerous. At the same time, she believes that she controls him and that he’s a good man.
CHANGE:
Intelligent becomes opinionated.
This allows Elizabeth to say what she thinks in a strong (and intelligent) manner. It makes her a better match for Selma.
Mark
Roll: Elizabeth’s abuser
Story B. the antagonist to Elizabeth’s protagonist
CORE CHARACTER TRAITS:
A narcissist
Cruel
Manipulative
***Intelligent
Arrogant
Psychologically damaged due to childhood domestic abuse
CHARACTER SUBTEXT LOGLINE:
Mark is a cruel, manipulative, arrogant, and intelligent narcissist who is psychologically damaged due to childhood domestic abuse.
FLAW: He must have power and control over Elizabeth.
WANT/NEED: to have power and control
MISSION: to get Elizabeth back
ARC: none. He doesn’t learn and has no regrets.
WORLDVIEW: Power and control are worth any cost.
LIFE METAPHOR: Life is a crown; it gives power to those who deserve it.
SECRET: He’s always afraid.
SOMETHING HE DOESN’T WANT TO ADMIT TO HIMSELF: He is unlovable.
WHAT MAKES THIS CHARACTER UNIQUE:
CHANGE:
intelligent becomes loves animals.
This makes him less one dimensional and shows why Elizabeth might have fallen in love with him.
Jasmine
Roll: An abused teen with a new-born baby and a broken right arm.
Story C. antagonist to Elizabeth’s protagonist
CORE CHARACTER TRAITS:
Insecure
Immature
***Self-Centered
Jealous because she’s insecure
A bully because she has no real power
CHARACTER SUBTEXT LOGLINE:
Jasmine is a self-centered, immature teen who is jealous because she’s insecure and a bully because she has no real power.
FLAW: She doesn’t realize who she should ask for help; her father and her abuser are the wrong people.
WANT/NEED: to be loved
MISSION: to become the greatest of all time mom
INVERSE ARC:
· from believing she can stay away from Clarence, to going back to him
· from accepting Elizabeth’s help, to becoming jealous of her
WORLDVIEW: The world owes her.
LIFE METAPHOR: Life is an avocado; it’s one giant pit.
SECRET: She is unlovable.
SOMETHING SHE DOESN’T WANT TO ADMIT TO HERSELF: She’s not a good mother and may never be.
CHANGE:
Self-centered becomes overwhelmed.
This makes Jasmine more sympathetic because many women feel overwhelmed with a new-born. When she’s killed, it’s more tragic.
Gaia
Roll: Manager of the transition house, mentor to Selma, employee to Petra
Story A. “friend” to Selma
Story D the protagonist to Petra’s antagonist
CORE CHARACTER TRAITS:
Gets angry when her residents are in danger, emotionally or physically
Kind
Inspires trust
Lonely
***Intelligent
Mother-figure
CHARACTER SUBTEXT LOGLINE:
Gaia is a kind and lonely mother-figure who inspires trust and fiercely protects her residents.
FLAW: She fails to look for common ground with her boss, Petra
WANT/NEED: her daughter or a substitute
· MISSION: to keep women from leaving the transition house and returning to their abusers
ARC:
· She starts out lonely.
· She ends with Selma as a substitute daughter/ Selma gains a mother.
WORLDVIEW: The world can be cruel. The strong must protect the weak.
SECRET: She’s ashamed of being lonely.
CHANGE:
Intelligent becomes fears retirement.
This creates a conflict for Gaia. Should she protect the residents or try to stay on Petra’s good side to keep the job? This makes for a more interesting story.
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Congrats on creating characters that are three-dimensional with traits that generate conflict!
A thought: You’ve done a great job filling out what makes Mark a bad person, is there a specific physical or character trait that, if found out, would expose him as someone trapped in the mind of a little boy who’s had his humanity destroyed by abuse?
Nice work!
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Lisa’s Character Profiles
What I’ve learned doing this assignment is defining character profiles is a powerful tool to use when writing strong subtext and dialogue.
Logline: A homeless teenage orphan, chasing her dream of becoming the next Adele, must survive the streets of L.A. and the pursuit of the criminal who killed her family.
This includes main characters of pilot episode only.
CLARE DAMIANO
Role: Lead female, heroine
Core Character Traits: enthusiastic, intelligent, strong-willed, stubborn, obstinate, impatient
Character Subtext Logline: Clare is an emotionally wounded teenage orphan chasing her dream of stardom in spite of her great misfortune
Her Mission: To become the next Adele
Flaw: Clare’s stubbornness cans sometimes lead to her ignoring the plain truth or seeing something for what it is, which results in making some bad choices.
CHRISTIAN SANTIAGO
Role: crime scene investigator, anti-hero
Core Character Traits: intelligent, principled, sensitive, generous, melancholic, pessimistic, cynical, self-loathing
Character Subtext Logline: Christian is a self-loathing man who started out with the best of
intentions but allowed himself to be coerced to the dark side.
Secret: Christian lied on the witness stand under threat of ruin and destruction of his family.
Mission/Agenda: To find a way to safely leave the police force and remain faithful to his wife.
MARGARET KENNEDY
Role: Clare’s aunt
Core Character Traits: Reserved, sensible, manipulative, cold, sarcastic, selfish
Character Subtext Logline: Margaret is only out for her own gain. She views relationships as tools for her to use and if you are not a useful tool, you are doomed to her cruelty.
Secret: She has an emotional wound from childhood that has made her the way she is.NATALIE HOFFMAN
Role: Clare’s best friend
Core Character Traits: Hot girl, loves to be the center of attention, smart, capricious, pandering
Character Subtext Logline: Natalie has a good heart but is easily swayed by her own vanity and the respect of others, which often results in being disloyal.
Flaw: Natalie is too easily swayed.Mission/Agenda: To be the one everyone else envies.
AARON FORSYTH
Role: Clare’s boyfriend
Core Character Traits: Steadfast, friendly, outgoing, trustworthy, strong, leader, sanguine.
Character Subtext Logline: Aaron wants a reliable, happy, normal life without disruptions.
Secret: He finds Natalie extremely attractive.
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Subject: Daniel Rangel Character Profiles
What I learned doing this assignment is…
Ok, I’ve written over a hundred pages of character background and world building for this story– but taking the time to make profiles for everyone was something I didn’t value much. Until now.
Being able to quickly access, edit, etc. will be very helpful.
1. Logline
“In the year 2106 virtual and simulated realities become invaluable to overcome the bleak environment created by the Solar Induced Dark Age. Civil war brews as a cynical war hero must find a mystical group of scientists before an experimental serum kills her and a young girl she’s sworn to protect.”
2. CHARACTER PROFILES
Rafaela Gutiérrez (Main Protagonist)
Former Captain of elite military unit. *Los Águilleros* (Eagle Brigade)
Core Character Traits
– Motivated by guilt from her daughters death, Rafaela wants to escape reality.
– Struggles to find meaning in her life.
– Knows how to take charge when things get rough.
Character Subtext Logline
Rafaela is a cynical veteran whose insurmountable debt keeps her from the dream of “starting over” inside a retirement simulation.
Optional
HER MISSION: To escape this life by starting over within a simulation.
WANT: To give up all responsibility.
NEED: To forgive herself for her daughter’s murder.
SKILL: Inner strength, leadership.
MISBEHAVIOR: Alcoholism, self-doubt.
VULNERABILITY: Her good heart.
ACHILLES HEEL: Her faith in the system, wanting to live in a bubble.
CHARACTER ARC: A journey that takes her from “despair to hope”.
WORLD VIEW: Struggles to find meaning in her life. She is a woman who feels that everything you experience is, “to keep us from seeing what life really is… suffering.”
SECRET: She won’t listen to 70s classic rock or dance because she’s waiting to be among the first people to hear it over the airwaves within a simulation.
SOMETHING THEY DON’T WANT TO ADMIT ABOUT THEMSELVES: She wishes she knew how to paint her toenails.
3. Improvements
Added the last two (secret and something she doesn’t want to admit.) Made me think more about her vulnerable side and how she keeps herself from expressing it. She doesn’t allow herself to feel joy very regularly.
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Lena Lovelace (Internal Antagonist)
Only surviving daughter of Lady Anne and Lord Kristoff in Manzano territory (New Mexico.)
11 years old.
Core Character Traits
– Motivated by a sense of duty to continue her parent’s legacy of bringing justice for “Polys” (People of Labor Yields) around the globe.
– Precocious. Knows how to handle herself under pressure.
– Commands the respect of everyone who interacts with her. Well, almost everyone.
Character Subtext Logline
Lena begins an orphan, having lost both her parents a week before the story begins. During a raid on the family estate her mother sends her and the mystic, Gloria, with a secret technology that promises to bring peace among nobility and the lower classes.
Optional
MISSION: To find The Hide and complete what her parents started.
WANT: To bring her parents back to life.
NEED: To say goodbye to loved ones and reconcile with those who murdered them.
3. IMPROVEMENTS
Her “want” and “need.” By keeping these in the forefront, it will inform what she says and does in the rewrite.
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Juan Guerrero (External Antagonist)
Former lieutenant to Henrietta Stone, current leader of the PLF (Poly Liberation Front).
Core Character Traits
– Motivated by lifetimes of oppression, Juan wants revenge.
– Insatiable lust for power.
– Knows how to exploit situations and manipulate others into destructive acts.
Character Subtext Logline
Juan is a charismatic military leader who sees the woman leading the cause against nobility (Henrietta Stone) as a weakness and liability.
Optional
MISSION: To seize power and oppress the oppressors.
WANT: To destroy ancestry simulations and place nobility into penal colonies.
NEED: To forgive those who’ve wronged him so he can begin to cooperate toward a better world.
SKILL: Charisma, leadership.
MISBEHAVIOR: Treating people as a means to an end.
VULNERABILITY: His lust for power.
ACHILLES HEEL: His arrogance and dehumanization of others.
CHARACTER ARC: A journey from standing up to abusive power structures to perverting, then abusing power (murdering innocent children.)
WORLD VIEW: Juan believes in a dog eat dog world. Life is zero-sum-game. Naive people like Henrietta and groups like The Hide will keep him from seizing power and obtaining revenge.
SECRET: He’s always hated the fact that Henrietta Stone became leader of the PLF due to her noble background.
SOMETHING THEY DON’T WANT TO ADMIT ABOUT THEMSELVES: The more he kills, the more perverse pleasure he takes from each act.
3. Improvements
Again, added the last 2. I knew his secret, but hadn’t listed it in his profile. Now that it’s there, I can reference it when I’m polishing his dialogue, etc.
I hadn’t even thought about what he wouldn’t want to admit to himself. Brilliant. He’s definitely a “shape-shifter” in dramatic terms. He goes from someone who holds to his ideals and sense of justice, to someone who’s become the monster he wanted to destroy. (sad face)
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Henrietta Stone (Protagonist Helper)
Leader of the PLF (Poly Liberation Front).
Core Character Traits
SKILL: A powerful leader and good judge of character.
ACHILLES HEEL: Failing to recognize when those in her circle have turned against her.
Character Subtext Logline
Henrietta Stone was kidnapped and indoctrinated into the PLF as a teen. The daughter of wealthy landowners, she rises up the ranks and eventually becomes the leader of the PLF. She is infamous among both Polys and nobility and seen by many as a “traitor to her class.”
Optional
MISSION: To keep Lena safe until she’s under protection of The Hide.
SECRET: She fell in love with Zulema Ramirez, a soldier in father’s militia, as a teenager. When Zulema was sent to fight in the Nomadic Wars the two maintained correspondence. It was through correspondence that she first learned the legend of “Rafaela Leona.” Zulema tells her Rafaela is the bravest warrior she’s ever seen. This is why Henrietta specifically looks for and trusts Rafaela with the mission.
SOMETHING THEY DON’T WANT TO ADMIT ABOUT THEMSELVES: That she made a mistake in trusting Juan and that’s why it’s so important to her to recruit Rafaela on this mission.
3. IMPROVEMENTS
The latter. I knew it, but having it in her profile will be helpful.
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Gloria Lilialés (Protagonist Helper)
Member of a Vago tribe outside Manzano Territory in No Man’s Land (ungoverned territory).
Mystic who learned ritual magic from her grandmother, Dolores.
Core Character Traits
SKILL: Thinks fast on her feet. Acts now, apologizes later. Gifted in transmitting ancient ceremony and wisdom.
ACHILLES HEEL: Her incredible sense of loyalty.
Character Subtext Logline
Gloria sees the divine in the everyday and mundane. She doesn’t fear death and would gladly sacrifice her life to ensure a better future for humanity.
Optional
MISSION: To act as spiritual mentor and keep Lena safe until she’s under protection of The Hide.
SECRET: She had a vision about her own death and Rafaela’s journey into the afterlife.
SOMETHING THEY DON’T WANT TO ADMIT ABOUT THEMSELVES: That she’s capable of biting off more than she can chew.
3. IMPROVEMENTS
I had no idea that she had a secret vision! This could be very useful in the rewrite!
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Infinity Plus One character profiles (better late than never!)
What I learned: Giving the characters loglines and agendas helped me find some new twists/turns/obstacles for the story, and tweaking character traits helped me add life to the characters that were otherwise more bland than I realized. This was so much more helpful than completing a 2-3 page questionnaire that asks questions like “What’s in their fridge?”
Logline: A jaded loner seeks the truth about her late father’s shameful past but digging for answers could mean losing her sister’s trust forever.
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Character Name: Infinity
Role in the story: Prodigal sister
Core Character Traits:
-Loner
-Self-interested
-Jaded
Character Subtext Logline: Infinity is a jaded young woman who is secretly trying to prove her father’s innocence.
Her mission: To prove her father is innocent so she can forgive him and bury him in peace.
World view: The people she loves most always disappoint her or abandon her, so she’d rather be alone.
Changes:
Loner –> Misanthrope. Adds more disdain and contempt for humanity, rather than just avoidance of it.
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Character Name: Anne
Role in the story: Perfect sister
Core Character Traits:
-Uptight
-Guarded
-Traditionalist
Character Subtext Logline: Anne is an emotionally unavailable perfectionist who is trying to hold onto a secret as long as she can.
Secret: Anne lied about Infinity’s father molesting her when she was a child.
Agenda: If Anne can be a perfect wife and mother who gives back to the community, perhaps she can absolve herself for a lie she told that ended up destroying two peoples’ lives.
Changes:
Traditionalist –> Control Freak. Anne’s need to control everything, including her need to uphold traditions, is how she maintains her stability.
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Character Name: Tabs
Role in Story: The lover / speaker of wisdom
Core Character Traits:
-Gen Z
-Party animal
-Effortlessly wise
-Brutally honest
Character Subtext Logline: Tabs is a free-spirited friend-with-benefits who persuades her lover to find forgiveness.
Flaw: Doesn’t set boundaries, complains later
World View: We’re all living in a simulation, so set yourself free and have a good time while you’re here.
Changes:
Character Subtext Logline –> Tabs is a free-spirited Buddhist who advises her friend-with-benefits on the true meaning of forgiveness.
Gives Tabs more depth and spiritual maturity to juxtapose her seemingly blasé lifestyle.
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Character Name: Carl
Role in Story: Unlikely friend
Core Character Traits:
-Jolly
-Rural
-Simplistic
-Sedulous
Character Subtext Logline: Carl is a neighborly grocery store GM who is the first in town to befriend a woman that has avoided people for years.
World View: Life ain’t all that complicated, ya’ll.
Flaw: Can’t take a hint
Changes:
Rural –> Country boy.
Fits the tone of the character better.
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Character Name: Morena
Role: Family friend
Core Character Traits:
-Maternal
-Vivacious
-Loyal
-Non-confrontational
Character Subtext Logline: Morena is the over-protective best friend who accidentally shares more than she should.
Life Metaphor/Identity: Everybody’s favorite auntie
Changes:
Vivacious –> Sassy
Gives the character more attitude to play with, so she’s not too warm and fuzzy.
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Marie’s Character Profiles
What I learned: The story beats and the characters proved to be even more intertwined than I had realized. Many of the changes in beats necessitated changes to the character profiles.
Logline: A veteran of the brutal Mexican Wars for Independence is sent to the childhood home he swore he would never set foot in again to gain support for the newly installed Republic. But when a bank of fog driven by angry spirits traps him there, he and his childhood tormentors must face nasty truths about their pasts or die.
Ramon Madera
Role in the story: Protagonist
Core character traits:
– Responsible
– Controlled
– Protective
– Intelligent – a Man of Reason
– Passionate about his ideals
Character subtext logline: Ramon is a traumatized soldier who wants to complete this mission to drum up support so he can move on with his life and leave the past where it belongs – behind him.
Want: Give his speech, get support where he can and get back to Mexico City to start his new life. Need: to remember his past and deal with his trauma so he can truly move on and feel whole.
Flaw: All the sublimated trauma has given Ramon a violent temper when he encounters certain triggers.
What makes this character unique: The idealistic passion, trauma, and vulnerability that lies beneath the stoic exterior.
Changes: Previous iterations of Ramon were not as passionately idealistic. Ramon experienced a lot of things during the war that made him more practical and cynical than he would otherwise have been, so before, I had shied away from describing him that way. How could a person who has experienced that much violence and death still be considered idealistic? But it doesn’t work that way for everyone – some people double down on patriotism under similar circumstances. So, this version is still very passionate about his ideals, even though he now has seen exactly how much human nature makes the fulfillment of those ideals next to impossible. It’s what got him through the war and it still influences how he acts and reacts in the story. He doesn’t just stay at the Mission because the weather is dangerous – he does it because this new government is supposed to serve the people and help them solve problems. If he can’t even solve a murder, how are these people going to buy into what he’s trying to build?
Antonio Alvarez
Role in the story: Antagonist
Core character traits:
– Grandiose
– Has to be the center of attention
– Arrogant
– Bully
– Deeply insecure
Character subtext logline: Antonio is a racist bully who wants to be seen as the best by making Ramon look like a loser.
Want: To win, to be right, to be seen as better than Ramon. Need: To get approval from his father.
Secret: He cut a strap on his older brother Jaime’s saddle as a kid, so that Jaime would fall and lose a race. Jaime died. Antonio lied to himself that it was an accident, but he wanted Jaime out of his way. He likes to think of himself as being all about his family, but when it comes to it, he’s not capable of that kind of selflessness.
Changes: I changed Antonio from being someone who is very competitive and racist (seeing himself as superior because of his Spanish blood) to being a full-on narcissist (who also happens to be racist). This makes him a little less nuanced as a character, but it also means he is more active. He wants Domingo’s approval, but he’s just too selfish to abrogate his own urges and desires in order to support his father’s plans. It makes for more and better conflict between him and the other characters.
Father Francisco Zabala
Role in the story: priest who’s a problem for protagonist
Core character traits:
– Religious zealot
– Ambitious
– Bigot
– Worried about appearances
Character subtext logline: Zabala is an ambitious religious zealot who wants to destroy anything that he sees as wrong or against the Church.
Identity: He sees himself as the ultimate Franciscan friar and representative of the Church. To challenge his authority is to challenge Church itself, which is sacrilege.
Agenda: He wants to distinguish himself in this post so he can move up by being a perfect living example of what he thinks a priest should be and by saving as many souls for Christ as possible. He wishes that he could have come earlier when none of the heathens had yet been converted, because then he could have saved more souls. But he doesn’t see the natives as people – just a tally of souls to send to heaven. He has little interest in making their lives better.
Changes: I didn’t make any extreme changes to Zabala – he does what he’s supposed to, and he and Cascon are foils for one another. I did make his ambitions more prominent than they were before. He’s not just a zealot who’s keen to prove himself. He’s an ambitious zealot who wanted to be beatified and recognized as great. Despite the performances of piousness and poverty, there is grandiosity about him that wasn’t there before.
Eulalia Terrazas de Madera
Role in the story: wife of protagonist
Core character traits:
– Artistic
– Curious
– Warm/Loving
– Insecure
Character subtext logline: Eulalia is an artistic young woman who wants to protect Ramon and the baby she’s carrying and get back to Mexico City before the birth.
World View: Eulalia is the only major character who is young. She was sheltered before the war and then saw the horrors of it, but she has seen little of the world before marrying Ramon, and she wants to see things, do things, and have space to figure out who she is, something her parents never gave her.
Wants: To be a good wife. Needs: To find a sense of agency and be seen and loved for who she is.
Secret: Her father abandoned her family during the war and disappeared, leaving the family unprotected and vulnerable. She is afraid of being abandoned and left alone again – one of the reasons she picked Ramon as a husband was his drive to protect. She’s nowhere near as passive and clueless as she seems at first.
Changes: Previous versions of Eulalia have been focused on her past traumas and overcoming them. Those traumas are certainly still there, but I wanted her focused on her future and all the stuff she wants to do. She wants to see and experience things, and she wants to see Ramon as he really is, and be seen the same way, which makes her more active in digging into the past and approaching the ghosts to see what they want, which wasn’t the case in previous drafts. She is the only major character who doesn’t either deny the existence of the ghosts or refuse to see what they are trying to show her.
Maria Alvarez
Role in the story: sister of antagonist and former flame of protagonist
Core character traits:
– Unpredictable/Moody
– Relentless in pursuit of what she wants
– Vain
– Proud
– Manipulative
Character subtext logline: Maria is an abused and embittered woman who is done being a pawn and wants her own power – she wants to keep control of the ranch.
Something she doesn’t want to admit to herself: Maria regrets that she caved to family pressure and married Enrique instead of running off with Ramon. She wonders what her life would have been like, and she hates seeing him successful and happy while she has been left behind.
Changes: I added that she is relentless in pursuit of what she wants, which automatically makes her more active – both of my female characters needed work in having more clearly defined goals and agendas of their own. The other thing I added was the regret about Ramon. The old version of Maria was driven more by racism than regret. This will give scenes between her and Ramon more layers of subtextual tension and affect how they react to each other.
Honestly, some of these character changes, for all the characters, were built into the changes I made in the beat sheet. I put newer, more interesting interactions that hadn’t been there before, and those affected the descriptions of the characters. For this assignment, I mostly just had to pinpoint how they had changed.
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Subject: Arial’s Character Profiles
What I learned doing this assignment is…? That I don’t know my characters as much as I thought I did. Also, that it’s not as difficult to elevate them as I thought it would be.
Nikki Phillips-Sawyer (48)
REQUIRED:
- Role in the story: Main Character
- Core Character Traits (no more than five):
○ hates change
○ melancholy
○ independent
○ people pleaser
○ hopeful - Character Subtext Logline: Nikki is a middle-aged, empty-nester who’s put her life on hold while she waits for her missing daughter to come home.
OPTIONAL:
- Flaw: She believes if she moves on with her life, she’s abandoning hope that her daughter will be found and come home.
- Want/Need:
○ She wants her life back the way it was before her daughter went missing.
○ She needs to realize change is the only constant in the universe and life goes on. - Mission/Agenda: To reboot her house flipping business to support herself and provide her daughter with a soft place to land when she comes home.
- Character Arc (if any): Goes from someone resisting change to being more flexible.
- Something they don’t want to admit about themselves: She doesn’t want to admit she believes her daughter is dead. She believes that makes her a bad mother.
- What makes this character unique? I think women going through their midlife change is poorly represented in TV and movies, and her struggles are not only relatable, but will give a fresh approach to this type of character.
Improvement: I’m thinking Nikki needs to be more afraid of getting old – dying her hair, using lots of age-defying skin products, working out, etc. I think it will help elevate her character in a couple of ways – shows how much she’s resistant to change and is kicking and screaming into this next phase of her life – middle age; it can be part of how she keeps herself busy/distracted from her missing daughter; I think it would give me more comedic opportunities.
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Skye Phillips-Montgomery (86-deceased)
REQUIRED:
- Role in the story: Main Character’s Grandmother
- Core Character Traits (no more than five):
○ Spunky
○ Brave
○ Good-humored
○ Needy
○ Mysterious - Character Subtext Logline: Skye is a woman who may have embraced her mystic gifts a little too much and got her family into a lot of trouble as a result.
OPTIONAL:
- Flaw: She thinks she can fix everything.
- Want/Need:
○ Want – to change the past
○ Need – her daughters’ love - Mission/Agenda: to fix the mistakes she’s made that have hurt her family
- Character Arc (if any): Goes from trying to be the hero to realizing she can’t fix everything.
- World View: The world is a dangerous place to be psychic.
- Secret: She is partially responsible for all the turmoil in the family.
- What makes this character unique? She’s a ghost!
Improvement: I’m adding “she’s needy” to the “something they don’t want to admit about themselves” trait. I always had that she wanted to fix everything she messed up in her family, but I think her motivation was missing. She’s dead. Why would it matter if things were left messed up after she went on to the afterlife? So her unfinished business, then, is the desperate need to fix everything…because her daughters hate her. She can’t move on until she’s won back their affections.
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Rhonda Fernandez (48)
REQUIRED:
- Role in the story: Main Character’s Best Friend
- Core Character Traits (no more than five):
- ○ Supportive
- ○ Honest
- ○ Optimistic
- Character Subtext Logline: Floundering with her own sense of being appreciated, Rhonda jumps into helping her best friend navigate her midlife crisis in hopes of avoiding her own.
OPTIONAL:
- Flaw: She trusts people too easily
Improvement: I didn’t really know Rhonda as well as I thought, so I’m adding a Want and Need:<div>
○ Want – to find love again
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○ Need – to feel she has a purpose. Since her divorce and her son going off to college, she feels useless.
This will help her related with Nikki, sympathize with her more, and we’ll get to see how her need to be loved could end up getting Nikki into trouble. SPOILER: Andrew, the man she goes on a date with in the pilot, is working for Tyler Croft, the man who has manipulated Nikki into buying a haunted house.
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Sharon Phillips (66)
REQUIRED:
- Role in the story: Main Character’s Mother
- Core Character Traits (no more than five):
○ Sarcastic
○ Cynical
○ In denial
○ Glamorous
○ Mysterious - Character Subtext Logline: Sharon is a psychic from a psychic family who refuses to embrace her abilities because she believes they’re dangerous.
OPTIONAL:
- Flaw: She’s built up a lot of walls around her heart
- Want/Need:
○ Want – for the family’s psychic abilities to go away by ignoring them and not passing on the knowledge.
○ Need – peace - Mission/Agenda: To bury the family secrets once and for all.
- Life Metaphor/Identity: Change is inevitable. Don’t fight it. Embrace it!
- Secret: Sharon not only has psychic abilities, she sees her beloved dead husband and can’t stand that she can’t be with him on the physical plane. She hates it so much, she purposefully gets involved in relationships to keep him away.
- What makes this character unique? She is hypocrisy in the flesh!
Improvement: I think I need to tweak the want and need. She needs the love of her family. I think this adds to her tough exterior disguised by her sequence and behind her bottle of Merlot. What she wants is to NOT need the love of her family, because she thinks that makes her look weak, which is also why she’s not content in communicating with her dead husband. Not only would she have to admit she uses/has psychic abilities, but she would be admitting how much she needs and misses him.
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Anna Harper’s Character profiles for The Long Dark
What I learned from this assignment; I had certain character features in mind, but had not expressed them in the script. As I identified on paper these characteristics, I was able to enrich the script.
SMILEY FORD
Smiley enjoys being evil. He is dangerously and forever damaged goods.
ROLE Primary Antagonist
Core Character Traits
A predator, a sociopath., a career criminal. Abused and damaged as a foster child.
Flaws As above
Want/Need
To control, to manipulate others to his agenda, power.
Agenda
To seek gratification through the torture of others.
Character Arc
From his childhood as a victim to an evil adult perpetrator.
World view
All is for me, myself, and mine.
Life Metaphor
Identifies with glorified career criminals.l Watches Silence of the Lambs frequently.
Secret
His evil displays of power and control mask his childhood terrors.
Unique
He is drawn to the northern isolated communities as a hunting ground for his victims. He never attempts these crimes in towns or cities.
LILLY CARR’ S logline
A change maker, arriving at the perfect time. Lilly helps indigenous women towards financial freedom.
Role
Lilly is an art consultant hired on contract by the government to help women gain more financial independence by selling their arts and crafts.
Core Character Traits
Sensitive, new age ideology, hides loneliness.
Subtext Flip flops between anxiety and willingness to take risks.
Flaw hiding her own financial problems.
Wants a Harrison Ford character to rescue her from loneliness and her own lack of common sense.
Mission Overt Genuinely wants to help the local women., and wants to experience indigenous culture.
CHANGE The hidden agenda is to make a big pay cheque quickly and pay off her gambling debts.
World view. As in John Lennon’s songs, we should all be vegetarians, I trust everyone.
Lilly is unique in that she is a lone female in a wild, male-dominated environment, both naive and brave and willing to trust.
CHANGE The hidden agenda is to make a big pay cheque quickly and pay off her gambling debts. THIS CHANGE WOULD ADD INTERESTING DARKNESS TO A CHARACTER WHO COULD OTHERWISE BE PERCEIVED AS HOLIER THAN THOU. AND JUDGEMENTAL
CHIEF FRANKIE MANYSTREAMS
Frankie’s logline; A born leader, dedicated to the end. Lives secretly, often in the spirit world.
Role; Band leader,
Core characteristics’; Charismatic, bold. Recovering alcoholic.
Mission Has many challenges on his hands with returning the reservation to practicing the traditional ways, lured by modern temptations, contrasted with the difficulties of their isolated lives.
Subtext still grieving for his wife, survivor guilt. His wife Rosie died from alcohol related issues.
Flaw. No real flaws, he is transparent about his healing journey with alcohol. Frankie is a really decent human being.
Want/Need
He needs someone to lean on, he is there for everyone else.
Mission to save his band from themselves.
Worldview; He believes in turtle island.
Life metaphor; He wants to be an eagle, soaring strong, blessing all in his path. He believes he is a bear, given to gluttony and long naps.
CHANGE
Secret. He is suffering from burnout and does not want to admit it. He cannot hand off his role. as he cannot trust anyone else to do it. HE HAS AN EGO ISSUE THAT HE IS NOT AWARE OF.
GEORGE BROWNBEAR
George’s logline
I love life, I am very bush smart and have excellent survival skills.
Role; George is the reservation’s healer and keeper of stories. He is Frankie’s closest friend. He is also a recovering alcoholic.
Core Characteristics; George is an iconic man of the north, bush savvy, and will help out anyone. Loves the wildnerness. Given to a little larceny, he enjoys the mischief of it.
Subtext; CHANGE AWARENESS ARTICULATED; He does not know how her would survive without Frankie and he is concerned that Frankie is going downhill. He is an elder and concerned about his own mortality.
Flaw; Has an entertainment view of petty larceny.
Want/Need
CHANGE DISCLOSE He wants his disenfranchised kids to come back to the reservation.
Mission; to support Frankie, and to be respected as the band healer and keeper of stories.
Worldview; His world begins and ends with life in the bush. The south is an alien concept to him and the source of much of the band’s troubles.
Life Metaphor
He is the King of Swords. He does not mince words, he knows best.
BILL the helicopter pilot, needs a surname.
Bill’s logline
I’m here for a good time, not a long time. I am a Leo.
Role
Bill own’s Wild Bill Copters. He runs a service to the northern communities. He is Lilly Carr’s love interest.
Core characteristics
Like to be a heroic figure, a rescuer. Knows he is good-looking.
Mission
To use his job to provide for his daughter. Nothing else really matters.
Wants Needs
CHANGE SOME REVEAL OF INSIGHTS AND NEW WILLINGNESS TO RISK IN A RELATIONSHIP.
He wants something more. Like the song says (a Star is born) he is maybe tired of living so hardcore. then Lilly arrives.
Secrets
He does not discuss his divorce or his daughter with anyone. He is getting tired of living like a gypsy and wants a new adventure. He is a former foster child and moved often.
Flaws
Difficulty with long-term commitments, except for his daughter.
Worldview
Sees life as an endless adventure.
Life Metaphor
Life is a team sport and I am the quarterback.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by anna harper.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by
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Jeff Hall’s Character Profile
What I learned doing this assignment is a list of simply basic traits of a character improves the ability to write they’re actions and words.
Logline: After his innocent friend is hung for brutal murders, a deputy discovers the murders are part of a string of gruesome slayings. He must leave everything behind to stop this ghost-like serial killer.
Profile for Top five characters
Role – Benjamin Cole
Core Character Traits – Abused, hurt, needs family, needs love, protective.
Character Subtext Logline – Ben is a deputy addicted to opium. Secretly killed his abusive father for killing his mother. He is looking for redemption.
Flaw – Lives with the guilt of killing his father and letting his father kill his mother.
Secret – He killed his father
Something he does not want to admit to himself: He is consuming opium to numb himself from his pain. He does not have it under control. He tells himself and other that he has headaches.
Role – Roy
Core Character Traits – Mentally Retarded, hard worker, honest, innocent.
Character Subtext Logline – Simple “hand to mouth” life.
Flaw – trusts everyone
Want/Need – Companionship
Role – Sheriff Merl Grayson
Core Character Traits – Selfish, self promoting, womanizer,
Character Subtext Logline – Seeks status to make him feel self-worth.
Flaw – Will do anything to keep getting re-elected.
Something he does not want to admit to himself: he is extremely lonely.
Role: Maria Sanchez
Core Character Traits – Committed, tough love, loving, discerning,
Mission/Agenda – She will never leave the orphans. Love the children as her own.
Character Arc: Guards her heart / Falls for Ben.
Role: The Tall Man
Core Character Traits – cold, no feeling, numb, quiet, does not talk, manic.
Mission/Agenda – consume souls of the dying. Feed his addiction
Something he does not want to admit to himself: he is possessed by a demon.
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