Favorite Aspects of Story: Those Worthy of Saving

What characters attract you most in stories?

I like characters who genuinely want to do what is right, who have a clear sense of what that means, and who are willing to give everything for it. To be completely honest, they sometimes look a lot like Captain America. These are the characters who inspire me, who keep me striving. I'm far from that kind of character, but it gives me a destination. I am besieged by obstacles a plenty, knocked down by them, crippled by them, but right and wrong are carved into me. I sometimes plug my ears, and I try to drown out the conviction, but they are still there. At the end of the day, I want to do what is right, and sometimes I want simple. I want characters in stories whose conscious' compass is not so far off from my own because do all heroes need tragic backstories and long, painful journeys?

In spite of my best intentions, I don't much resemble those heroic characters. Instead other characters draw me in, and they are the opposite to the conscious' clear compass wielders. They are the villains who are all but lost. Think of Regina in Once Upon a Time. Darth Vader in Star Wars. Maleficent in the newest Sleeping Beauty retelling. At differing points, you have little doubt in your mind that these characters are evil, and yet, somewhere inside of them is something worth saving. More than that, there is someone who believes they are worth saving.

And maybe the greatness of these characters is not in their own strengths and eventual redemption, but in the conscious' compass wielders who won't give up on them, who saw what these antiheroes could be and wouldn't let them be any less. Or the greatness lies more hidden. These stories are the stories of love. A love that breaks through darkness and destruction. Or the glimmer of love not quite dead, underneath all the darkness, that is somehow strong enough to push back the flood of decaying morals.

Why do these characters' storylines appeal to me?

These characters appeal because one of the strongest villain-types is the villain who has the potential for good, the potential to be the hero and make the greatest sacrifices. They have potential to do good, but they also have the potential to succumb to the darkness, to give up the fight, and to turn into villains whose hearts hold no hope for redemption. You are on the line as you immerse yourself in the story. You try to read these hearts and predict, but you are never quite sure. You want them to keep fighting, but in their place, you wonder if you would.

As an audience member of these stories, I often wonder how Henry or Aurora could care about the villain. They are despicable. They have done things that I wouldn't ever think about doing. I don't know if I would even want to touch the corner of their clothing, and yet, the creator of this type of villain sneaks their creation past my defense, and I somehow care.

I care because the idea everyone, regardless of the rocky and desperate paths they take, is worthy of saving secretly slips into my mind.

I care because I know well my own inner battles, and I know the yearning for a love that sees beyond my stains, my broken fence, and garden full of weeds to something worthy of saving.

What type of characters are you usually drawn to? Have you seen this character storyline in books/movies/tv shows? What are some of your favorite aspects in stories?