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16 Heroes and Villains: Dallas

In Story Building Blocks II: Crafting Believable Conflict and the Build A Cast Workbook, I introduce sixteen character mannequins or prototypes based on personality types. I track them from cradle to grave and talk about their strengths and weaknesses and how to warp them.  I use male or female pronouns based on the percentage of the population that fell in that category, but all mannequins can be anything you make them. The traits discussed are starting points. You can alter their temperaments depending on the purpose they serve. Their traits give them strengths to build on and weaknesses to exploit. 



DALLAS

As a hero, Dallas inspires everyone to join in and do what needs to be done in the name of good. She identifies the enemy before everyone else does.

As a villain, Dallas’s neuroticism and suspicious nature are toxic. She turns against anyone or anything that violates her values.

On the good side, Dallas puts people at ease and treats everyone as a friend. She is self-critical and analyzes her own behavior. She grasps other people's motivations. Life is a balance of good and evil, and people are basically good. She is optimistic and shocked when things don’t turn out as planned. She refuses to look at the dark side. She hates being alone but would be a reluctant leader. She will expose someone in a heartbeat. She is a master manipulator, but easily manipulated. She is a shrewd judge of character but ignores information that counters what she believes. She fears people can read her as easily as she reads them. She is an excellent social coordinator and her enthusiasm can be contagious. She recognizes patterns and interconnection and shares her insights. She anticipates catastrophe.
On the dark side, Dallas is mercurial and likes attention. She is highly emotional. Dallas attributes others with hidden motives, questioning their words and actions. Her assumptions are usually negative and inaccurate. She whips people into a frenzy then leaves. She could be a negative cross pollinator. She ignores rules and detractors alike. She has big dreams and hates limited options. Dallas gets what she wants from people and expects to be adored. She does not like being dependent on others or being relied upon. She is never truly committed. She makes too many plans then bails, gaining the reputation of a flake. She back bites and gossips. She is capable of physical altercation.

Dallas is more interested in how things could be than how they are. She uses what is socially acceptable to her advantage. She talks to everyone as she thinks things through. She is focused on the person in front of her but aware of what is going on in the background. Information is either good or bad. She wants you to agree and acknowledge that she is upset. She can talk her way into or out of anything. She hates being judged, though she is very judgmental. She avoids direct conflict. She takes criticism personally and represses then explodes.

Dallas goes with hunches over evidence. She listens to her inner circle and wants them to reinforce her decisions. She can have the correct information but come to the wrong conclusion. She thinks ahead to the next problem and ignores the one in front of her. She chooses at the last minute and is never happy with her choice. She examines all options, which can waste time. She could force someone to reconsider an option they missed. She respects authority but hates teamwork. She attributes authorities with more power and insight than they possess. She may embrace the prevailing belief system or ignore it. She modifies the rules that don't suit her. She prefers to work with people not things. Close is close enough.

Dallas shuts down in the face of opposition. You can try to persuade or stop her, but she becomes an immovable mountain. It takes a craft adversary to talk her around. She can be hasty and unwise. She can come up with a plan but doesn't stick around to enact it or follow up. She doesn't care if it's done correctly as long as it is done at the last minute and just good enough. Deadlines are suggestions. She takes calculated risks and never does the same thing the same way twice. She rehashes the emotional impact instead of solving the problem. She doesn't care what happened or who was to blame. You can't change it. Move on. She does not fix the messes she makes.

Dallas's natural allies are Hadley, Morgan, Shelby, and Taylor. Her nemesis is Francis.
She is friends with everyone and is a terrific social coordinator. She throws lavish parties. She has a constant need for stimulation that frightens an introvert. She is never boring. Her enthusiasm is catching, but can be exhausting. She is considerate, nurturing, and invested until she isn't. She has terrific interpersonal skills. She is loyal and dedicated, as long as she feels adored and isn't criticized. She trusts her inner circle, but that circle has a revolving door.

Her blathering about feelings can get old. Her friendships are very shallow. She is a troublesome foe. She wants to be the queen bee. She drops people as soon as they bore her or violate her belief system.

As a hero, Dallas will jump in any fight. She can convince other people to follow her. She will break any rule and can talk her way out anything. She can't imagine defeat. 

As a villain, Dallas is a dangerous loose canon and rebel. She can easily influence people and just as easily destroy them. She will move on and never look back at the devastation she leaves behind.

Next week, we meet Hadley.

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