Andar was my second, and most troublesome, main character from a very early attempt to write a full-length fantasy novel, set in a high-fantasy universe with ingrained, natural magic, advanced technology (including some guns and space travel), based a good deal off science fiction concepts.



Ok cool.

Andar is a rather regular Human, who thinks of himself and presents himself as something more. His character is something of a parody of the typical, Lancelot-like, human hero in fantasy: long blonde hair (dyed and groomed heavily), good cheekbones, all very heroic-like. He tends to wear very fancy half-plate armor, even just walking around public, because, it’s what he thinks he is: this universe’s version of a Paladin. He actually ‘borrowed’ his Dad’s greatsword, replacing it with a fake, because Andar is too dirt-poor, raised in a Human ghetto, to have something flashy to arm himself with–for show. He’s actually pretty heavy in debt with the armor alone.



So why is he using a sword in a world with guns and stuff? This is one of my biggest pet peeves and you are going to have a hard time justifying it.

It’s easy to dislike Andar, because he’s so obviously carrying around a pretense. In fact, many people in the fantasy setting don’t like him, and think he’s attempt to be the universe’s hero is just getting in the way. He’s not seriously considered a serious hero by many people in his universe.

This might be kind of funny if the story is purposely aware of how it’s a parody, i.e. the characters know they live in a parody universe.

However, to his credit, Andar does have a hero’s heart. He is unaware, at first, that his father is a great hero of legend, in his father’s hidden past, and that Andar has certain gifts passed down he isn’t yet aware of, that makes him more powerful than he realizes. Cliche. He also doesn’t realize the sword he ‘borrowed’ from his father is more powerful than it is. Cliche. Andar just thinks it’s a regular sword. But, in truth, it’s a reality-warping blade, that affects foes and friends by the wishes of the wielder’s soul, once a certain supernatural 'key’ is obtained by the wielder, unlocking its hidden potential, which is hidden for very good reasons. Wat? Andar has no idea, and is really surprised–having to learn and grow with his sword–that his father changed his identity, and locked the sword up, for very good reasons. What Andar’s father knows, and what he could do, could literally shatter their universe. Andar, in his trials through the book, matures, grows more world weary, loses a slight bit of his naivete (he’s pretty naive, and that doesn’t really change. It’s his nature.), and comes to understand what massive responsibility he must undertake, to become a greatly burdened champion for their universe, and often underappreciated or still disliked, even through his trials, by the other denizens of the universe.



This is really not laid out very well and for that reason I’m having a hard time figuring out what’s going on. It’s okay if Andar doesn’t know the details, but as the author you have to, and you have to know them well enough to be able to coherently describe them to a third party.

Andar is not powerful physically. In fact, he’s one of the weakest, physically, people in his universe. He’s just a Human, after all. There are other species in the universe that are far more powerful, just physically. And, in this 'verse, magic is as common as breathing, naturally understood at a basic level at birth, shaping their entire universe’s reality. Andar doesn’t care much for magic: not enough flash for him. However, he was raised by a foster-like mother, a Light Elemental, after Andar’s mother died giving birth to him, who taught Andar light-concentration magic, which brought Andar down the Paladin road. Though Andar cannot heal–even though there’s restorative magic in the 'verse–he can light up the darkness, blind his enemies, and is know to use his light for making flashy gestures and doing all kinds of other stuff that seems cool to him. To the few, but exceedingly loving friends Andar has, to the enemies that have learned to respect him, and to his powerful allies in the 'verse that understand him truly, Andar is the Brightfist: for his habit of clinching his fist when making an exaggerated, bold statement, where he likes to use light magic in his clinched palm to make light seep through his fingers and fist. He does this clinched fist thing A LOT, because it’s a good show, and Andar is all about putting on a good show, particularly for his fans, which are looked down on by other people as just being freakin’ weird, to like Andar.



Okay.

Andar’s strengths, however, is his drive (he desperately wants to be known as a hero), his nobility (he cannot stand people picking on the weak, even though he doesn’t have much power himself), great oratory skills (he practices in a mirror), his greatsword Sunder (formerly known as Shatter, when it was his father’s, which can cut through anything Andar wills, including reality and Gods) which he has to first discover and grow with, and his ability to make friends with anyone, which is his true strength.

The single, most prevalent, worst mistake almost every enemy Andar has ever faced, is focusing on Andar as their opponent. Andar is very easy, and understandable to underestimate. In fact, so long as you stay out of Sunder’s reach, almost anyone can stomp Andar. And he does get stomped a few times, by people who realize Sunder is Andar’s only game.

Andar’s friends, however, are some of the most powerful characters in the universe. In fact, one of them, who is the greatest magic prodigy in the universe, hated Andar at first, but learned to appreciate what Andar did and represented over time, so that Andar can call on his mage friend at any time, who comes over when enemies need to explode, for the sake of the universe.

Over the course of the stories, Andar builds up a retinue consisting of literal Godkillers, who would walk through the Gates of Hell alongside Andar, if he so choose, giving Andar his greatest power: ultra-powerful, devoted friends who can bring the pain Andar cannot, making him a sort of Lord that naturally attracts all sorts of far more powerful but fealtous friends, who help Andar achieve his noble, heroic goals, Andar himself cannot.

All that being said, Andar tends to stick his nose in everything where he thinks he can help, sometimes unwelcomed and unappreciated. He cannot let injustice stand, and is very self-sacrifical about the weak and innocent. Along with his trademark naivete, Andar gets himself in a good deal of trouble with his well-intended crusading. Some people just don’t want him there, at all. Many that don’t want him there, consider him just a naive, pretentious little kid playing hero, which is a fair assessment. Andar is naive. He’s incredibly optimistic, often missing or non considering the brutal reality of a situation before he gets into it. Acting before thinking gets him into a lot of trouble. But, if you need Andar, you can call any time, he will come and stay until the job is done, no matter how much he has to bleed to see right done.

Overall, though, since he is a parody of your typical fantasy character, just a Human, and pretty powerless himself, naive, intrusive, pretentious, and fairly vain, and not a lot of people actually do like him in the universe (though the ones that do tend to have a lot of power and influence), you can probably see why I have such a hard time making this character likeable. In fact, he’s much less popular than his supporting cast, who tend to steal the show from him in the book, and in the universe.

It’s quite a problematic character. I don’t know how to make him more likeable, considering it’s part of his character that some people just don’t like him, anyways, so what balance do I need to strike for those that do, so the reader might like him, as well?



Summary:



This is very long, and somewhat cliched, and honestly I had a hard time getting through it. Parts of the backstory weren’t laid out very well. Done correctly, this could be a fantastic character, particularly if he exists in a parody universe. I think I could like Andar with his flaws, so don’t worry so much about him being likeable. Needs a little work but overall I don’t have a huge problem with anything here.