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Makai_Lightning
10-26-2008, 10:17 PM
It occured to me the other day.

While I was writing, my MC was rather depressed, and had been for a bit of time. Still, he was getting over his bleak view on the universe and attempting to redefine his life. I thought, "what would make sense for this guy to do so as not to be continually lonely and have someone to play with? Oh, I'll let him get a dog." --There was a little more to it than that, of course, and it's not a particulalrly long piece of what's going on with him. In any case, he picks one up and proceeds to nurture it while he's running away from pretty much everyone else he's been in contact with up until then, except for the people he's not actually supposed to talk to. So, that made sense to me, but then I remembered that my MC also has a tendency to seem like a really big asshole sometimes. He's certainly not the worst, but considering having bad guy's pet the dog (or as it's so called on TV Tropes, Pet The Dog >.<) is essentially how people, especially in movies, convey that X character is Not So Bad, um, well, it occured to me that might come off that way.

That wasn't the purpose of my letting him get a dog--I wanted him to have a companion he would trust and therefore be less cynical about-- but would that come off that way?

A little more information; MC basically has to kill people to survive--the group he's a part of mandates he and everyone else has to do some mandatory missions, most of which involve killing other factions, and sometimes other innocent people and (forcefully, in most cases,) recruiting others. He basically feels, especially at the beginning, that there's no point in pursuing actual friendships of most any sort with most people because they have a high tendency of dying, and a few other things. He does have one friend he'll watch out for, and he is in the process of becoming less cynical (and running away from that group), but he's still not the best person to pin your hopes on. That's obviously not everything and very general, but that's sort of the situation he's in at that point.

Devil Ledbetter
10-26-2008, 10:56 PM
He's certainly not the worst, but considering having bad guy's pet the dog (or as it's so called on TV Tropes, Pet The Dog >.<) is essentially how people, especially in movies, convey that X character is Not So Bad, um, well, it occured to me that might come off that way. Most readers aren't going to be aware that "pet the dog" made someone's list of tropes. If it works for your story and your character, go with it. I think this falls under the "if done well" rule.

jennifer75
10-26-2008, 11:00 PM
I think it totally works. He's a softy at heart. Nobody can know this, though. Let him go out killing by day, and love his dog by night. I like it.

Stormhawk
10-27-2008, 01:53 AM
Apparently even Hitler liked his dogs. >_>

The Lady
10-27-2008, 04:15 AM
Please do not have him or anyone else kill the dog.
I have identified this as a trend I refer to as "Hello Author. I see there is a dog in your book. Shall you be killing it later?"
I am unsure why I loathe this so much. Perhaps because of it's almost guaranteed predictability. Perhaps because I suspect the author thinks killing a dog is a good way to get a cheap emotional hit without losing an "important" character.

But there are no unimportant dogs.:D

Ageless Stranger
10-27-2008, 04:37 AM
I think it totally works. He's a softy at heart. Nobody can know this, though. Let him go out killing by day, and love his dog by night. I like it.


That sounds strangely wrong.

Devil Ledbetter
10-27-2008, 04:42 AM
Please do not have him or anyone else kill the dog.
I have identified this as a trend I refer to as "Hello Author. I see there is a dog in your book. Shall you be killing it later?"
I am unsure why I loathe this so much. Perhaps because of it's almost guaranteed predictability. Perhaps because I suspect the author thinks killing a dog is a good way to get a cheap emotional hit without losing an "important" character.

But there are no unimportant dogs.:DThere are four dogs in my book and none of them get killed.

But the baby dies.

Rolling Thunder
10-27-2008, 04:44 AM
I kill kittehs. Repeatedly.

Feathers
10-27-2008, 04:57 AM
There are four dogs in my book and none of them get killed.

But the baby dies.

WHAT?? :scared:

To the OP: I get why your saying that, but it sounds like it's working anyway. I'd just be careful that to stay away from the trope. And, you may want to consider cultivating his real meaning for having a dog - like have him train it rigorously to guard and attack, or something. Or maybe just show him having a human side in other subtle ways. An unexpected act of semi-kindness to someone he's "recruiting," etc. It wouldn't have to be big, but it would take away the dog as his sole form of humanity.

Hope that helped.

-Feathers

Use Her Name
10-27-2008, 05:36 AM
I've killed 2 horses in my book so far. And one poodle. I guess a poodle counts as a dog. OoPS!

Makai_Lightning
10-27-2008, 06:17 AM
No, no one's killing the dog. My MC gives it to his semi-girlfriend when he can't take care of him. So it's good...

Okay, so it sounds like I'm fine then with what I have. I'm at the point where I'm almost finished, and therefore spazzing about EVERYTHING.

Thank you all.

gabbleandhiss
10-27-2008, 11:38 PM
It occured to me the other day.

He's certainly not the worst, but considering having bad guy's pet the dog (or as it's so called on TV Tropes, Pet The Dog >.<) is essentially how people, especially in movies, convey that X character is Not So Bad, um, well, it occured to me that might come off that way.


AKA Save The Cat.

RedScylla
10-28-2008, 12:27 AM
My MC kills a bunch of people, but the guinea pig lives. :D