Sometimes, it's fun to explore the viewpoint of characters who aren't featured much.

And sometimes, it's even more fun to take a funnier version of that viewpoint, and have those characters express it toward other characters who aren't normally the target of such motherly bossiness.

In my latest music video, the mothers of Farscape have decided that it's time for them to have their say. The protagonist and his pooka are too old to act the way they do. Two dangerous and high-ranking military officers are grounded until they're 36. Two pulse weapons say that there will be no more computer time tonight.

If you enjoy Farscape, or if you don't but you also don't care about spoilers, check out the hilarious video below.

For some reason, I have a special place in my heart for characters who seem so cold and ruthlessly practical that the audience and their fellow characters alike think they're heartless, only for it to be revealed that they're actually some of the most caring people in the cast.

For example, I was recently watching a show in which a battle squadron was forced to retreat, and their captain told them to leave the dead they had not yet collected behind.

One of his soldiers, traumatized by the loss of one of his closest friends, demanded to know whether the captain even had any human feelings.

A few minutes later, this seemingly cold-hearted captain could be seen gingerly removing the insignia from the uniform of his slain squadmate, a precious keepsake to remember her by.

When the need for haste forced them to jettison the corpses they'd gathered - including his beloved teammate - the captain consoled the man who'd accused him of being heartless by giving him the keepsake, and pretending it came from the soldier's friend.

Somehow, moments like that move me far more than they would if they came from a more openly emotional character.

Maybe it's because the caring gestures are more unexpected, and thus hit harder.

Maybe it's because I'm an INTJ and have been accused of being 'robotic', so practical characters whose actions are controlled by logic first and emotion second are easier for me to identify with.

Or maybe it's because these seemingly ruthless characters don't care very much about what other people think, and aren't trying to please anyone. If they have to offend someone to get the job done, so be it. So when they make a gesture of caring, you know it's because they care, not because they're trying to get approval.

It's probably all of the above.

What about you? How do you feel about moments and characters like that?

I look forward to reading your comments.

In most of the stories I've seen, the protagonist is the underdog. There's a good reason for this: if the villain weren't a legitimate threat, or the hero didn't have to master new skills and prove him or herself, the story wouldn't be as interesting.

Or would it?

Sometimes, power can be a curse in itself, driving the plot or character development as effectively as a villain or an embarrassing lack of skill.

It can isolate a character from their power-fearing neighbours, or make them feel a disproportionate sense of responsibility to everyone around them, to the point where their power in one area leaves them powerless to enjoy any other aspects of their over-burdened life.

It can cause people to be jealous of them, to have unrealistic expectations of them, or to define them by their skills, making normal relationships a painful struggle.

If their power is dangerous and hard to control, it can make the enemy inside of them more of a threat than anything outside their own body ever could be.

In some darker works, it can even be inherently destructive to its bearer, driving them ever closer to madness or death.

Personally, I tend to find characters more interesting when it's their strength, not their weakness, that causes their struggle. Maybe it's because the "weak underdog becoming strong" story has been used so often that it's less likely to be original or unique.

Maybe it's because these characters can often become isolated, over-responsible over-givers, which is something I've struggled with and can instantly relate to.

Or maybe it's because giving a super-powerful character something to struggle with takes more creativity than simply throwing in a superior warrior, sports player or other character, and saying "OK, protagonist, measure up to this".

One example I really like is Superman's World of Cardboard speech. I haven't watched much of this cartoon, but I discovered the speech via the ever-wonderful TV Tropes wiki, and it instantly struck a chord. It revealed a struggle in the Man of Steel that's so much more interesting than "my weakness is Kryptonite", and it's the kind of thing I love to see writers do with strong characters.

What do you think? Do you prefer strong characters, or underdogs?

I look forward to chatting with you in the comments.

There’s a very special moment that happens in the creation of many first drafts. Not every book provides this experience, but earlier this week,Catgirl Roommate did.

It’s the moment when, after writing everything that leads up to it, you finally get to write the scene that started it all.

When I first conceived Catgirl Roommate, the first thing I pictured was a vision of chaos. Poor Sam had just offended his feline companion, and in her righteous indignation, she decided to mete out the punishment that is due to people who force muddy animals to take baths.

For creatures with low combat power and no legal authority, cats can be distressingly creative when it comes to disciplining their human companions.

If a non-cat-lover read this book, it would probably make them wonder what could possibly posses a human being to own a cat.

And for my fellow cat owners, it'll be a chance to watch your familiar misfortunes happen to somebody else, and for once you'll get to laugh at them instead of cleaning them up.

If you want to get your copy, just click the button below to visit Catgirl Roommate​'s page.

Sometimes, it's fun to imagine what a character would be like if they were drunk. Even if they're the type who would NEVER willingly compromise themselves like that.

ESPECIALLY if they're the type who would never willingly compromise themselves like that.

Today, I'm going to explore what the characters in my books would be like if they were completely, horribly, falling-down drunk. After that, I'd love for you to share your thoughts on how your favorite characters would behave if they'd had a few too many.

Here goes...

The Beachwalker

After having three drinks too many, she suddenly turns on a nearby soldier and starts shouting that she doesn't know why they're in her country, what they're fighting over, or whose side she should be on.

Furthermore, she doesn't care, because she's far too busy cleaning up after their firefights and organizing apples to take time to study politics.

She then stumbles for the door, muttering about how the oranges aren't sorted properly, and musing on the possible medicinal applications of abandoned towels and vodka.

The Fugitive

If he weren't bedridden, his advanced combat skills would make him a serious hazard to everyone in the vicinity. As it is, the Beachwalker's attempt to numb his pain with alcohol results in him valiantly saving her from his unfortunate pillow.

After clumsily vanquishing his feather-stuffed foe, he grabs her arm, hugs it tightly enough to make her nervous, and repeatedly thanks her for rescuing him. Unfortunately, in the midst of his drunk, ranting delirium, he's forgotten that he's mute.

The Shopkeeper

Following the Fugitive's socially oblivious example, he hugs the Beachwalker hard enough to worry her, then begins to cry and tell her how she's like the daughter he never had.

This level of closeness quickly overwhelms her low capacity for intimacy, but because he seems to need it, she lets him keep hugging her. When he realizes she's quit breathing, his drunk brain concludes that the best way to apologize is to give her everything in the shop, without regard for the fact that she can't carry all of it, and doesn't have a house of her own to store it in.

The Doctor

The stroke of midnight finds his comrades dragging him away from a hole he was digging in a random dead person's garden. He insists that he needs to apologize to someone face-to-face, and apparently digging up the garden is the best way to do it.

Alexandra

Normally, Alexandra is the one writing the paper. The day after her drinking binge, she ends up being featured in it, because she repeatedly drunk dialed every news company in town to inform them of her theories about the resident alien superhero and his abduction-happy nemesis.

Ironically, even though the story focused on the drunk reporter's embarrassing antics, her theories turn out to be right. She occasionally rubs this in by joyriding across town in a borrowed spaceship.

Kadian

As soon as his cells absorb the alcohol, the shapeshifter realizes that he's made a horrible mistake. He loses all motor skills, followed swiftly by the capacity to maintain a solid form, and dissolves into a helpless puddle of shapeshifter goo.

He spends the next few minutes sloshing around in delirious distress while Zorei attempts to mop him into a bucket.

Zorei

Alexandra's drunk-dialing spree is interrupted when Zorei drunk-dials her. She's the third person he's called that night, because it took him several tries to get the right number, and when she asks about the unfamiliar caller ID he doesn't remember whose cell phone he's using. He does, however, have a suspiciously cell phone-sized bruise on his head.

He informs her that he's abducted Kadian, and she needs to come over and rescue him. Even for an alien supervillain, the natural order of the superhero world is hard to remember when you're drunk.

Alexandra comes over, and they soon realize that they have no idea how to solidify Kadian, nor does Zorei really want to. In an attempt to restore him to a not-liquid form, Alexandra puts Kadian in the freezer, then she and Zorei end up playing video games and forgetting him altogether until Alexa shows up.

Alexa

Alexa complains at Zorei for drunk-dialing her after his betrayal, and at Alexandra about fraternizing with her abductor and forgetting about her rescuer. Unfortunately, her train of thought is no clearer than her friend's, and her attempts to repair Kadian don't accomplish anything besides smearing half-frozen shapeshifter goo all over herself.

Alexandra starts to jokingly offer baby names for the happy couple, and Alexa starts a frantic monologue about the medical implications of a human-Marei hybrid. Zorei, meanwhile, takes advantage of the distraction to shoot Alexandra's plane out of the video game's sky.

Dan

Having decided that legal channels are taking too long, Drunken Dan attempts to hunt Zorei down personally. Unfortunately, the gun he would be carrying if he was sober is, instead, a beer bottle. He tries to arrest Zorei anyway, and Zorei responds by dumping Kadian over his head.

Sam

Upon realizing that he's become inebriated, Sam's first reaction is to drunk-dial his mother to apologize for being drunk. When she asks what he's doing, he explains that he's sitting in his house trying not to do anything until he's sober.

What he does not tell her is that his catgirl roommate is wandering the house naked, and he's locked himself in his room to avoid giving her kittens.

Nyla

As it turns out, eating houseplants is hard when you're drunk. So is unrolling toilet paper, splashing water out of your bowl, spreading the remains of the neighbour's hamster around the house, and invading closed bedrooms. You can give it your best effort, but the resulting mess just isn't as satisfying.

Puking on the carpet is easy, though. So that's what she does.

Jack

In a breach of his normally professional conduct, the policeman shows up at Sam's house to see if he can get him even drunker, and to find out what Nyla would be like if she was completely plastered.

Together, they discover that teaching cats tricks is more fun when you're drunk. But it's also harder when the cat is drunk. In the end, it's funnier just to lead her around with a laser pointer and watch her fall on her face. So that's what he does.

Anton

Anton thinks Nyla is hot even when he's sober. And now, he's drunk enough to forget what happens when you try to rub a cat's chest while it's feeling playful.

Unfortunately for him, she still has enough motor skills to remind him.

The encounter ends with Jack clumsily trying to bandage Anton's thoroughly clawed arm, while Anton drunkenly rambles about how crazy women are when they're drunk. A loud "I told you so!" emanates from Sam's still-locked bedroom, and in the living room, Jack resumes laughing.


Now it's your turn. What would your favorite character be like if they were drunk?


I look forward to reading your hilarious speculations.