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Hey y’all! I know I’ve started a lot of topics, but I thought of this question and thought whoever wants to can answer it and we can discuss it too, if anyone wants. 😊
But anywho, here’s the question. 😉
Who’s your strongest character in your WIP? (or WIP’s, if y’all are like me. 😂)
All characters are different, but anywho, let me answer first, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing responses! 😁
I have many characters that are military personnel or otherwise strong, but when I really thought about it all, I brought it down to a different type of strength. Not physical strength. So…in the end, y’all, I figured out who my true strongest character is. 🙂
Riker.
And before any of y’all ask questions, here’s why. 😉 Riker had a childhood full of neglect, abandonment, and, most of all, abuse. His community wanted nothing to do with him. His father never wanted him and physically and verbally abused him. But even after all that pain, Riker didn’t let it destroy who he was. Riker has always been caring, compassionate, generous, protective, loving, honest, loyal, and so many other things. Y’all, he even loves the Father that abused him all those years. (I couldn’t do that if I were him. 😭🥺)
But what about y’all? Who’s your strongest character and how are they strong? I can’t wait to talk! 😁
@gracie-j. @lrose5. @ava-blue. @joy-caroline. @elishavet-pidyon. @lydia-s. @lorelei-writer. @keilah-h. @koshka. @godlyfantasy12.
@freedomwriter76
AWWWWW THAT”S TOO SADD *sobs*I’ve done some character development in brainstorming and now that I think about it… *thinks* lol UGH their each strong in their own ways! lol Eleen is strong against the whites and tries to love them and Sue-Anna is strong when it comes to criticism for her beliefs. They each have their weak moments but they both grow. But then we add in Esther, Eleen’s sis. She’s 14 and goes through a lot though she lets no one but Eleen know. She battles so much and tries to trust God even though it’s hard. IT”S HARD BC NO ONE IS PERFECT AND THEY ALL GROW. loll But like Riker, none of my characters let it destroy them. They may feel like it is, but it’s not and deep down inside they’re strong even if they don’t feel it. So which is harder to go through? Hate because of color or hate because of your love for people?? XDD
You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.
C.S. Lewis
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@lrose5. I KNOWWW!!!!! (but, sadly, it is important to the plot. It’s what started Riker’s lie that he has to overcome in the book. BUT STILL!!!😭😭😭)
They ALL sound so strong and SO WONDERFUL! 🥰 EXACTLY! None of them let it destroy who they are inside! (and that’s rare to find in life and especially fiction! 😁) And I guess it would depend on what exactly is going on. 😉 Facing hate is difficult no matter the reason, honestly. Riker faces hate from others…and, well, himself. Yes, the poor guy hates himself. 😭 All because of what he’s done, even though he didn’t know the concentration camps existed yet. Poor guy. Struggles with so much regret, guilt, PTSD, trauma, and even hates himself. *sigh* I guess it’s true that we put our favorite character through the most pain…😅
@freedomwriter76
YES!! *hugs Riker* I guess that’s also why us girls ALWAYS fall for the broken boys. XDD And I have never heard of a more broken fictional character than Riker so I HAVE to read this book. XDD
You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.
C.S. Lewis
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@lrose5. *joins you in hugging Riker and squeezes you both* Haha…yes…..😂
REALLY!? I’ve read some broken fictional characters before…but then again…Riker’s pretty broken. 😭😭😭 I know. Progress is just really slow. 😅 But here, can a small scene hold you over? 😂
“I don’t think I can play it.”
“Why not?” Iris asked softly, her hand resting on his forearm.
“There’s so much…it brings up. It used to help. It used to distract me from all the pain…but not anymore. Now all it does is remind me of it.”
Iris smiled softly. Patted his arm. “Then you don’t have to play…it’s okay.” She gave him a brief kiss.
Riker had been honest…kind of. But he hadn’t told her the whole truth.
There it sat on the couch in it’s case. A reminder of a childhood full of pain.
Abuse.
Neglect.
Tears.
Grief.
Fear.
But even still, Riker began to walk over to it. Maybe it stemmed from guilt.
But he at least owed her one more song.
She had loved him when no one else had.
She’d wiped away his tears when everyone else refused.
When everyone else told him to suck it up.
To be a man.
When everyone else said they were a sign of weakness.
Riker unlatched it. Opened the case.
And looked inside.
He paused. He couldn’t. But he had to.
For her. For her memory.
And maybe…even for himself.
Now that Jennie was dead…once Iris went home…he would have no one left.
He at least needed to play one song.
Only one.
Maybe that would fill the emptiness inside his chest.
Riker grabbed the bow.
Then the violin.
She had cheered him on when no one else cared.
Jennie had supported him when no one else believed in him.
When everyone else said he’d never accomplish anything.
When everyone said he’d never be anyone important.
When everyone said he’d never be anything but a mistake.
She had believed he could do anything he set his heart to do.
When everyone said that no one would or ever could love him, Jennie said there would be a woman that would love him no matter how imperfect he was.
Riker glanced at Iris.
He found exactly that.
He tuned the violin he hadn’t touched in years. He could do this.
He had to do this.
For his mother.
For his wife.
For his kids.
For his sister.
And for himself.
He brought the violin up.
Rested his chin on it.
And played.
Every note…every tone…coming together…flowing…as if he’d never put it down.
He closed his eyes.
Memories surfaced.
The worst days.
But those faded.
Into hugs from his mother.
Into Jennie’s reminders of hers and God’s love.
Into all the fun days with Angelina during their childhood.
Into his wedding day.
Into the births of all four of his kids.
Riker played.
And played.
His mother’s favorite song came alive once again.
He moved his arm.
Rubbed the bow against the strings.
Notes flowed.
And tears fell.
@freedomwriter76
Yeah, from what I’ve read, no one has given their character such a sad backstory. I mean, there may be a few close runner-ups but yeah Riker sounds the brokenest lol
YES YES YES YES YES!!!! *cries and hugs Riker with all her might* TIS SO SAD!!! I don’t blame you tho. History is sad and four pages into my novel, I already have some broken characters. lol And it’s also fun to make your characters loveable, and the most loveable characters are the broken ones. You can hug them, cry with them, cry for them, and promise them it’ll get better. (hopefully. Wait, Riker gets better right???)You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.
C.S. Lewis
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@lrose5. YESSSS!!!! *sobs*
History is sad, and I believe in showing all of History, the good, the bad, and even the ugly. 😉
(Yes, Riker gets better. Don’t you worry, girl, he has a redemption coming! *wink*)
@freedomwriter76 OOF THIS QUESTION!!
also poor Riker!! He’s so much like my November and Paxton who were also verbally and mentally abused (and Paxton was a bit physically abused)
It’s really hard to answer this question, and I don’t think I can really because, like @lrose5 said, all of my charries are wrong in their own way, and have been through a lot of things.
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
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@godlyfantasy12. I get that. 😉 It’s hard sometimes, trust me, I know. 😂
And yes, poor Riker and November and Paxton. 😭💖
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@freedomwriter76
AWWWW RIKER I WANNA GIVE MA POOR BOY A HUG 😭😭😭
My strongest character is *drumroll* you guessed it . . . Russell.
I love SO MANY THINGS about Russell as you probably already know XD, but one of the things I love most about him is his tenderness, his gentleness, his quiet strength. The strongest men are gentle. Russell isn’t super strong physically. In fact, he spends almost all of WFR being very physically weak because of chemotherapy – so weak in fact that he has to use a cane to help him walk and even then he’s often too weak, so Eliza sometimes has to help him get into bed and make it down the hall and stuff. But she never thinks of her dad as weak, and I know exactly why.
What makes Russell strong is his tender, gentle, and quiet spirit. His love for all people is the strongest thing in the universe. He’s strong in the face of cancer, in the face of people ridiculing and insulting him and his daughter simply because their skin isn’t the same color, in the face of everything.
Something I’ve noticed is that when Russell holds Eliza, she often thinks of the STRENGTH of his embrace even when he’s become thin and sickly from the cancer treatment. She sees his arms as the strongest, safest place in the world because he’s always so gentle and tender and loving with her, and his gentleness and tenderness and love equal strength to her. Because they really are what make him strong.
AHHH WHY DO I ALWAYS BECOME SO SAPPY WHEN I TALK ABOUT THESE TWO
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@joy-caroline. Oh. My. Goodness. I LOVE HIM EVEN MORE!!!! 😭😍
I. NEED. RUSSELL. AND. ELIZA. 🤩😍🥰 And oh my goodness, I just want to hug them both SO MUCH! 😍
And yes, poor Riker. My broken boy. *sigh* 😩🥺😭
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@freedomwriter76
I KNOWWWWW. I JUST WANT SO BADLY TO GIVE THEM BOTH A HUGE HUG. *sobs*
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@freedomwriter76 OH MY GOODNESSS!!! Its been like, what, FOREVER SINCE I’VE BEEN ON HERE!?!?? Anyways!! Here we go!! ( FYI, it’ll probably be awhile before you hear from me again XD)
My strongest character….would have to be Cedar.
He’s a bulky man (whoops, sorry, he’s a fox), and has a good clear conscience for the Creator and for the King. Although he has a serious injury in his leg (from war) one that is effecting his health rapidly every passing day, he is not afraid of death. He knows that it is needed for the circle of life and that, he as a soldier and a father, had completed his due to this earth.
Although he is not the bravest, he has physically and mentally obtained wisdom. Wisdom in which he does freely bestow upon whomever yearns for it.
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@wilder-w. OH. MY. GOSH. I’VE MISSED YOU!!!!!! I WAS LEGIT JUST THINKING ABOUT YOU A FEW DAYS AGO!!!! HIIIII!!!!! 👋👋👋
Cedar sounds EPIC! 👍 He sounds like an awesome guy! 😁 (fox, I guess, lol. 😂)
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