quote:Originally posted by Captain Sammitch: Phil is neither a hero nor an antihero, and you're never really sure if you like him. My goal is to dissolve the overextended black-and-white, good guy/bad guy distinctions we are so often trapped by in our writing. I have given a slightly different take on some of the characters here, but the purpose of that has always been to make them more human, more believable. You can make a character with as many inhuman traits as you want, but if the readers can't see some element of themselves in that character, then there's less of a sense of connection to the character, and that connection has always been one of the main characteristics of an enduring character.
...because there's a bit of everyone in Phil - and there's a bit of Phil in everyone. Don't be afraid to write with him because you don't understand every element of his personality. Phil is a very dynamic character, and if I were to make him more predictable or more "in the box", I would defeat my entire purpose for writing him in the first place.
Well said, Philsy! This is essentially the way I feel about Walker and the misunderstanding about his character that made me finally decide once and for all to make him a full-time supporting character. I've said something about this earlier, but, despite what I say, Walker will be an eternal "villain" to many of the posters on this board, no matter how many times I scream 'til I'm blue in the face or even try to prove otherwise in his character. Man is fallen and depraved. This is the basis of Walker's character. And, Phil, no matter how many times you try to make the distinction, unless Phil starts killing, persecuting, or undermining his teammates, he'll probably always be viewed as a hero/anti-hero by many on these boards. Not a fault of anyone, necessarily, but just an observation that I've made over the course of the creation of this new universe...
At any rate, I'm done now. Good work everyone. Keep it up.
