Getting what you wanted

[scarfman]

Responses to my request for input on character flaws has come in on the message board, by email and here on LJ. To condense the several elaborate replies: Lancelot comes off as too self-confident (when not in depressive cycle [an element I haven't paid due attention lately, note to self]) to relate well to others, and Arthur as too passive in his dealing with other people or nations. That aspect of Lancelot is one which I more or less consciously imported from the sources. Arthur's passivity, on the other hand, as I said yesterday is something I've been regarding as a flaw in my writing rather than a flaw in the character I meant to recreate.

Many modern writers (including me when I transplanted these characters into my Star Trek stories, as one longtime reader pointed out) paint Arthur as a supercharismatic leader of men. Since the intended theme of AKOTAS was best articulated by Ector when he said, "When you're called, you answer," it often troubles me that the Arthur here isn't more like those Arthurs. On the other hand, those Arthurs are largely a byproduct of the "new Matter of Britain", the twentieth century versions of the story that hark to the theoretical historical Arthur who against all odds generaled a disunited Britain into beating back the inevitable Saxon encroachment for a whole generation. I've unapologetically eschewed the historical perspective, choosing instead to take as my sources portrayals of Arthur that range from the passive to the downright foolish. It's no wonder if my Arthur takes after them instead of the more recent, heroic ones.

The gripping hand is, as I said somewhere yesterday, the joy and pitfall of working with existing characters you love is that they tend to take over. And I said at the beginning I "did start this strip expecting it to evolve in some ways I hadn't necessarily planned or would not have preferred if asked in advance." I generally am careful what I wish for, and here it is, so I hope you're enjoying the ride too.

Comments

[athelind.livejournal.com]

I didn't get the chance to comment on this yesterday, so let me apply my two cents here:

I think that for all three of your leads, their key flaws stem from their core STRENGTHS.

Guenevere is emotional, passionate, and full of joi de vivre. She does nothing in half-measures -- and hence, sometimes expresses her impatience physically. ("UPSIDE!")

Lancelot is, as has been noted, "perfect". This leads him not only to overconfidence and perhaps a lack of empathy, but also to depression or outright breakdown when he experiences lapses of his own.

As for Arthur: his "passive nature" is really part of his strength as a leader. He does his best to see all sides of an issue. He wants to come up with just rulings that bring the best results for everyone involved. He LISTENS. He wants to do the RIGHT THING, all the time, for EVERYONE.

I have to confess that, while I'm passingly fammiliar with the deeper traditions of Arthurian lore, the "Archetypal Arthur" that sits in my subconscious is Richard Harris in Camelot -- who seems closer to those "passive to downright foolish" portrayals you've mentioned. As such, your Arthur seems dead-on to me. In fact, he seems smarter and a bit more confident.

I should also note, in conclusion, that I LIKE your Arthur. He's a Nice Guy.

[dave-iii.livejournal.com]

I've been wanting to comment on your strip for a while now, and I finally have a chance... Yay! ^_^

I agree with ^athelind about the flaws coming from thier strengths, and as far as that goes, a character who's nothing BUT an archetype is even more flawed than one who is clumsy, forgetful, constantly toungue-tied, etc. I think it's brilliant the way you use the different time periods (which is to say, the fan fiction versions) to describe and amplify a specific facet of a given character; casting Lancelot as Burns/Winchester in your version of MASH is pure genious. (Makes me see Burns in a whole new light, as well. Larry Linville was an undersung hero of that show.)

Basically, what I'm saying is you're doing great, I for one have nothing to complain about. Keep up the good work! ^_^