Balthazar as Antagonist
Mar. 4th, 2021 05:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingAs I’m editing the first story arc of The Demon King, I’m going back and doing my best to make sure that all of the pieces fit together. I therefore want to try to explain what’s going on with only the limited information presented in this arc to see if it makes sense.
Balthazar wants a magical artifact hidden somewhere in the mountains between the kingdom of Whitespire and the ocean, which is highly poisonous. This artifact probably has something to do with the pure water coming down from the mountains and flowing away from the sea. Balthazar doesn’t mention this artifact to Ceres, the reigning princess of Whitespire, who is presumably either unaware of its existence or unwilling to discuss it. If Balthazar does manage to find this artifact, the way he plans to use it will result in the destruction of Whitespire.
It’s unclear why Balthazar is taking such a circuitous route toward his goal, but I hope the reader is able to get the sense that he’s not really the sort of person who would hurt anyone if he could avoid it. He specifically doesn’t want to hurt Ceres, mainly because he likes her.
There’s no significant antagonist in the story aside from Balthazar himself, as he’s going to have to do terrible things and hurt the people he cares about if he insists on achieving his goal. Unfortunately, he’s deadly serious about what he aims to do, so much so that it’s at the core of his sense of identity.
I’ve said this before, but I’m inspired by the narrative structure of Homestuck, in which everything seems very silly and trope-driven until you get a better sense of what’s going on with the world of the story. I think it’s probably a fool’s errand to ask any given writer what themes they’re trying to express, but Balthazar has a line to the effect of “you always have a choice” that’s probably the closest thing to a statement of purpose I have regarding issues of individual freedom and dignity in the face of overwhelmingly horrible circumstances.
Also there are dick jokes, which symbolizes the fact that I like dick jokes.
Balthazar wants a magical artifact hidden somewhere in the mountains between the kingdom of Whitespire and the ocean, which is highly poisonous. This artifact probably has something to do with the pure water coming down from the mountains and flowing away from the sea. Balthazar doesn’t mention this artifact to Ceres, the reigning princess of Whitespire, who is presumably either unaware of its existence or unwilling to discuss it. If Balthazar does manage to find this artifact, the way he plans to use it will result in the destruction of Whitespire.
It’s unclear why Balthazar is taking such a circuitous route toward his goal, but I hope the reader is able to get the sense that he’s not really the sort of person who would hurt anyone if he could avoid it. He specifically doesn’t want to hurt Ceres, mainly because he likes her.
There’s no significant antagonist in the story aside from Balthazar himself, as he’s going to have to do terrible things and hurt the people he cares about if he insists on achieving his goal. Unfortunately, he’s deadly serious about what he aims to do, so much so that it’s at the core of his sense of identity.
I’ve said this before, but I’m inspired by the narrative structure of Homestuck, in which everything seems very silly and trope-driven until you get a better sense of what’s going on with the world of the story. I think it’s probably a fool’s errand to ask any given writer what themes they’re trying to express, but Balthazar has a line to the effect of “you always have a choice” that’s probably the closest thing to a statement of purpose I have regarding issues of individual freedom and dignity in the face of overwhelmingly horrible circumstances.
Also there are dick jokes, which symbolizes the fact that I like dick jokes.
