Guardian in a Failure story

What happens to the Guardian in a failure story? Since they are the ones helping the protagonist achieve the story goal but the story goal is not achieved, do they just get all deflated and mope off? And, can they get blamed for faulty guidance advice? How could they ever live with themselves after the fiasco of a failed story goal?

He continues on as guardian in the sequels until he’s killed off so his death can inspire renewed efforts in the MC, or until it’s revealed that he was really the Contagonist all along.

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Yeah, seems like nothing but shame and/or death is the result for the poor Guardian in a failure story that is a standalone story.

But if he/she was the Contagonist the whole time in the standalone story, the player would have to be labelled as the Contagonist from the start.

For a series, I agree his or her role could change from story to story.

I was just being silly. I don think the guardian is required to help the protagonist. In a failure story, all I think that can be definitively said is that the guardian player, like all OS characters, will be dealing with the Consequence of Failure, whatever that is.

OMG @Gregolas, how could you :astonished: Dramatica is serious business :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

But, honestly, he or she must have a deep sense of disappointment at the point when the protagonist fails and then they all suffer the consequence.

Who is the Guardian in Hamlet?

I had a look at the analysis but that role doesn’t pop up there, though I’m sure the player exists.

I don’t think Dramatica says anything about how the Guardian, or anyone representing any element, feels about the failure to achieve the Story Goal. (Let alone whether they get blamed.) It could be anything you imagine.

The only caveat is that it should be in line with the Story Judgment, which is the emotional assessment of the story as a whole (best felt / represented in the MC, but it’s not limited to just the MC).

Don’t forget that in some stories, the characters may decide the goal wasn’t really worth it after all – maybe it was misplaced, or the cost (Cost) of achieving it was too high.

Actually, a lot of stories have complex characters where Help and Conscience are separated into different players.

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Thanks, @mlucas! Yes, perhaps the way to go is separate the two elements.

Polonius? :stuck_out_tongue:
But for real, I think it’s probably the case that the Ghost and Polonius share the role. The Ghost is Conscience and Hinder (GERTRUDE: “I see nothing.”) and Polonius is Temptation and Help, though what he’s trying to “help” Hamlet do is get together with Ophelia.

But yeah, I’m pretty much on board with the current arguments. Just my two cents:

  1. The Guardian doesn’t have to be Helping/Consciencing the Protagonist and/or Main Character.
  2. The Guardian doesn’t have to be intentionally Helping/Consciencing anyone. In one story I was contemplating, a not-terribly-bright shut-in decides to go on an adventure using the advice of an AI–basically a random content generator. The AI’s the one giving him all the advice, but it doesn’t really care whether he succeeds or not–it’s a bucket of silicon. Or to take another example, the T. rex at the end of Jurassic Park, who “helps” the humans escape only on the pretext that it wants to kill the raptors so that it can eat them. :stuck_out_tongue:
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Cordelia in King Lear? I imagine the Guardians who survive a failure story, feel like failures. Their self-esteems must be smashed.