When I started writing about Pietas, he'd been a villain in other books, or at least a bad guy with serious issues. But after writing a couple of stories where he's the actual hero, I know him so much better. One thing I was surprised by is how snarky he is. I thought the immortal king would be much more dignified, but it turns out that around those he trusts, he can more than snarky.
Snarky is as Snarky Does
In fact, I started writing the Bringer of Chaos series so I could understand him. I was working on a book in the Antonello Brothers series and could not get Pietas to do what I wanted him to do. He wouldn't be the villain, no matter how much I tried to write him that way.
In exasperation, I told a friend about my problem and she suggested interviewing him. She'd call me on Skype and I would answer as Pietas. I would role play the character and free associate his answers. It opened my eyes to an entirely new aspect of my immortal king.
The Bringer of Chaos series was born from that interview.
An anti-hero is a protagonist but one who doesn't have the usual characteristics that would make them heroes (or heroines). Batman is a perfect example. He's a vigilante. He works outside the law. But we all root for him.
Here's what I've learned about writing anti-heroes in a nutshell. They have:
- Character flaws
- Complex motives
- Internal conflicts
- Issues with intimacy
- Generally a realist
Character Flaws
With Pietas, I started listing his flaws and decided which two or three would be the ones I'd focus on. What are they? His are many, but I'll start with one that I showed on the first page of Origin of Pietas: Bringer of Chaos.
Perfectionism
He hates it when people mispronounce his name. I could have written "He hated it when people mispronounced his name." But where's the fun in that? It tells. I prefer to show. So I wrote a scene where he sees a video in which the media accuses him of a misdeed. I wrote:
At her mispronunciation of his name, he gritted his teeth. "My name is pronounced Pee-ah-toss, thank you. Not Pie-ah-toss. Pee-ah-toss. It's six letters. How hard is that to get right?" He stormed away from the podium.
By having him react strongly to the error, it reveals one of his flaws and a bit of his character.
Snarky
Pietas often chooses insults over tact. One way that shows best is when he's asked to do something he'd rather not do. Here are ten snarky ways Pietas might tell someone "no."
- No, but do you know who would love doing that? Someone with less intelligence.
- Try asking someone else. I'm too smart.
- I would love to, but I'm planning a much more interesting nap.
- Has the netherworld frozen solid? If so, then by all means, yes.
- That sounds like a job for someone incapable of thinking past point A.
- I'm sure there are worse ways to do that, but I can't think of any.
- I was going to suggest you stop acting stupid, but I realized you weren't acting.
- My original misconceptions of your idea have proven true.
- If you don't want a sarcastic answer, then don't ask a stupid question.
- Would you like me to spell the word NO for you?
Lovable
Pietas is lovable despite his mistakes, and he forgives mistakes in others. Here's a quick excerpt from Forged in Fire: Bringer of Chaos for example. In this scene, Joss, one of the warriors with whom Pietas has had a long relationship, keeps taking them in circles on the way back to camp. His usual snarky attitude gives way to tenderness.
"Joss, you've been saying 'not far' for hours. Did I not teach you to mark trails?"
"I'm sorry, Pietas. It won't happen again."
Oh, but it would. She wouldn't mean for it to happen, but it would. He'd tried for centuries to teach her how to find her way, to no avail. He kissed her cheek and drew her into his arms, savoring her warmth.
"Joss." He placed his mouth near her ear. "You couldn't find your way out of a round room with one door."
She jerked up her head and looked at him, eyes wide.
"And I adore you for it."
Pick up the first story in the Bringer of Chaos series, Lights Out, free by joining a reader group!
https://kayelleallen.com/reader-groups
Origin of Pietas
Forged in Fire
Lights Out
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LOL – I’ve used – you want me to spell NO for you – more than once.
Great idea on the Skype interview.
Tweeted.
I think that’s one a lot of parents use. And teachers. lol 🙂
I love those snarky ways to say no and I empathize with his annoyance of people mispronouncing his name. I endured that until I married and took my husband’s name (which, for the record, I do not like).
I hear you on names. Names are who we are, so when someone deliberately mispronounces it, it’s a denial of your essence. At this point in his life, Pietas is all about being perfect. In the Bringer of Chaos series, he meets a human who refuses to take him seriously, and who insists on shortening his name. That’s what we need sometimes. Someone to take us down a peg and make us face who we really are.
Now that you’ve established this snarkiness about saying ‘no’, you’ll have to keep coming up with more ways all the time!
I’ve been thinking about a 10 ways to say XXX series. 🙂
Pietas is an intriguing character. The interview gave a lot of insight into the man
He is indeed, Janet. Thank you. 🙂
Love snark! And love Pietas.
Thank you. I think he’s definitely got the gift. 🙂
This is a great post! I love antiheroes and Pietas sounds like a hoot, as long as you’re not on the receiving end of his snark. 🙂 Villain doesn’t always fit. Antagonist works better, depending on the character.
The writing/plotting program Dramatica also offers the term “contagonist” for a character who is not always on your side. That can sure fit Pietas!
I loved that your friend phoned (on Skype) and you answered as Pietas. What a great way to do an interview with your character. And loved the snarky no’s. Beverley
I recorded that conversation and have listened to it several times. It was fun role play and I honestly heard new things about that character. Free association rambling can be quite productive!