Subject: Pretty much
Author:
Posted on: 2015-08-28 21:59:00 UTC
If these handicaps make them less successful in the field, that would be preferable, but it's optional.
Subject: Pretty much
Author:
Posted on: 2015-08-28 21:59:00 UTC
If these handicaps make them less successful in the field, that would be preferable, but it's optional.
I probably ought to explain this thread a little bit, so here it goes.
I was working on my agents last night, and decided I didn't like them as much as I thought I did, because they didn't lend themselves to comedic purposes very easily. And since comedy and fun are kind of the point, I decided to go a whole new direction with my agents.
I decided I would create a sort of "losers' squad" with my agents, meaning that in one way or another, they always mess up on their missions (even though they nearly always manage to kill their targets).
Once I started trying it from that angle, all kinds of comedic material opened up for me. My "practice missions," or my "test runs" with my Claimed Badfics, turned out great and I could easily tell different stories with multiple permutations (I sounding smart!).
But I want to do some research. I'm unsure if I can phrase this question in a way that doesn't offend anyone, but I will try anyway.
"Can anyone point me in the direction of agents who are challenged by irregular problems, even for PPC agents?"
"Are there any agents who had to deal with significantly more than everyone else on a regular basis?"
Or something like that. If I'm being unclear, please let me know, and I'll try to explain better. If I offended anyone, I apologize in advance, but the question I had to ask didn't give me much to work with.
Semper erit insanus
I'm getting a gut feeling you're focusing on the wrong things in your writing. Yes, missions are inherently comedic, at least most of the time... but from what you just described, it feels like you're trying to force that humor with a gimmick. Don't focus on having your agents be "funny", focus on them being well-rounded and suited to a story. Think of them like actual people, not a medium of hilarity. Make a a good character, and let the badfic bring the humor.
Pretty much every agent pair has some kind of unique issue they have to deal with based on the personalities they include. Are you looking for agents with specific handicaps or something?
If these handicaps make them less successful in the field, that would be preferable, but it's optional.
As a general rule, most characters have something they're good at and something they struggle with. While too much of the former is the most obvious cause of Sueishness, too much of the latter can also be bad for a character. If your characters manage to succeed at difficult tasks despite lacking any sort of skill or aptitude, it make readers wonder why exactly they somehow manage it. You could end up running into deus ex machina territory, or even Anti-Sues.
I'd suggest just poking around the wiki and trying to find an agent that's a good example of what you're looking for.
Let's see.
-The Librarian is an ass and it shows — for the most part, the job's getting done by his partner while he sits there and flosses does something on his tablet.
-Corolla is a few inches tall. Aside from that, her Linker Core is recovering, so she can't really cast any huge spells.
-Valon Vance has a debilitating fear of heights.
Is this what you're looking for?
Everyone. Sort of. A bit.
See, it's no fun at all to have agents who are super duper good at their jobs - that way Suvianism lies. Instead, think about the people they are, think about who they are, and how that would help or hinder them in the field.
I kind of took this approach when designing my first Agent, Wobbles the Clown. She's a clown. Clowns are large and loud and brightly coloured, at least kids' clowns are anyway. This is distinctly suboptimal for covert operations. But wait - we have disguise generators for that sort of thing! Hm. Make them not work. How? Say, didn't Harry Dresden have this thing where he made tech go boom by moving close to it? How would this inform someone's character? Would that be a disability? How would she work, what would she be doing, why is she here at all...
And so on from there.
Of course, her partner's more renowned around these parts anyway, but her disability is that she's an incorrigible git. So there's that. =]