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16 Heroes and Villains: Shelby

 

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. 


SHELBY

As a hero, Shelby draws people together to achieve a common goal. She is an optimist who fights for good. She makes a good cop or elusive superhero.

As a villain, Shelby’s definition of good is dangerous. She launches a war in the name of love. She overthrows people who violate her belief system.

Shelby believes everyone has something to contribute. She truly believes good will win the battle against evil. She views the world through rose-colored glasses and works in the background to achieve her goals. She pursues the ideal job, mate, friends, and home situation.
She spends more time helping others than taking care of herself. She won't give up on something she believes in, but her approach is mild. She would help take on a corrupt or oppressive group. She has strong values and is suspicious of people who don't share them.

She is aware of the evil in men's souls. She is a deep, idealistic loner but would sacrifice herself for the good of humanity. She is focused on the emotional subtext of the situation and intuits how people feel. She uses it to her advantage. She interprets and creates symbols. She is tuned into body language and turn of phrase and interprets what isn't said. She may cling to the system but help overturn the figurehead. 
On the dark side, Shelby is highly introverted and lives more in her head than in the world.
She is congenial until crossed which makes her harsh and rigid. She keeps changing things in the hopes of making them perfect. She is a toxic enabler and refuses to see flaws in those close to her. She can be resentful and vindictive. She is highly critical of herself and strives to be perfect. She projects her perceived imperfections onto others. She is so self-sacrificing, she is often overlooked and marginalized. Shelby could turn to evil if violated. She could plan global destruction. Her version of good might not be in everyone's best interest.

Shelby ruminates over slights, real or imagined. She represses and erupts. She is highly emotional and critical when pushed. She is emotional and critical when anxious. Shelby is firm in her opinions and relies on her small, trusted flock. She is a good profiler. She is not interested in long, detailed analysis. Nitpicking makes her cranky. She is an active listener and picks up on motive. She is frustrated by trivial types. Intuition guides her. She values feelings over facts. She manipulates people by appealing to their emotions. She can be argumentative. She can seem absent-mined but is always thinking and evaluating. She is focused on what is and what could be, preferring the idealized version. Information is good or bad. She dismisses impersonal debate and intellectual theorizing.

Shelby ignores information that is counter to her beliefs, especially when it comes to people she cares about. She tells you how she feels, wants you to agree with her and understand how she feels about the conflict. She wants you to acknowledge she is upset. She focuses on the big picture and glosses over details. Shelby prefers to think things through before sharing them with her small circle of trusted friends. 

Shelby avoids confrontation and runs from open conflict. She can get caught up in emotional arguments. She seeks win-win solutions and prefers hunches to evidence. She listens to other people's opinions based on her assumption of their intelligence. All options are considered. She wants reinforcement. She panics when confronted with too many options but hates limited options. She decides based on self-interest and loved ones and puts other people before herself. She is never quite satisfied with any choice. She chooses only when forced. She is more focused on the future than present.

Shelby has no problem with open rebellion if she feels it is the only course of action against "the enemy." She enjoys a protest. She would trample over anyone who stood in her way. They would not see her coming. She modifies rules that don't suit her. Authority is based on how well they fall in line with her principles and beliefs. She challenges authority if she deems them "bad." 

She prefers to work alone and hates interruptions. She thinks before she acts. She doesn't like to plan, but is innovative with solutions. She is weak at making them happen and follow through. She is more interested the idea than the execution. She prefers to gain consensus before acting. She isn't attached to a plan and is willing to go along with someone else's. She improvises and adapts on the fly and changes tactics easily. She does everything at the last minute and just good enough. Deadlines are a suggestion. She takes calculated risks and focuses on what needs to be done. She would rather act alone that wait for someone else to do it to keep it from dragging on. She can't handle criticism and blames herself for everything, but justifies it to others.

Shelby's natural allies are Blair, Greer, River, and Dallas. Her nemesis is Arden. Shelby can be relaxed and fun to be around if you are part of her inner circle. She holds herself in reserve except with a select few. She comes across as somewhat aloof to those who don’t know her well. She has a sharp wit and a unique outlook. Shelby can be warm and caring. Once trust has been established, she is devoted and true. She is perceptive and aware of what other people are feeling. She needs space and respects her friends' need for it. She may have unrealistic expectations and is easily offended. This makes maintaining friendships difficult if the friends can’t measure up to her standards.

As a hero, she can sniff out evil and can work within or outside of the system to take down an enemy.

As a villain, she is a mercurial figurehead. Her belief system may be faulty but she will defend it to the death. She could easily arrange global destruction if humanity disappointed her. 

Next week we meet Joss.

You can download free character information sheets:

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