Unique Ability and Critical Flaw for a Steadfast Character

questions
#1

Hi everyone!
Hope you’re well. I would like to know how works the relation between MC/IC Unique Ability and IC/MC Critical flaw for a Steadfast character? Do they have to work in dynamic pairs like a Change character? For example:
(MC Throughline: Mind/IC Throuhline: Universe)
MC UA: Suspicion / IC CF: Evidence
MC CF: Interdiction / IC UA: Prediction

Or not at all and I’m lost. It depends on the other story points? I looked into Subtext different storyforms with Steadfast Character and most of them didn’t work like this. Forgive me, I’m a little confused about it. Someone can explain this please?
I hope I have been clear enough.
Thank you for reading!

#2

The Unique Abilities and Critical Flaws of the Main Character and Influence Character are the result of several different Dynamics. It’s hard to pin down to a simple either/or statement as it functions as a combination of several different factors.

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#3

With a Steadfast Main Character, the Unique Ability and Critical Flaw of MC and IC do not relate like that. They don’t even appear in the same Domain.
Example: Big: MC UA: Delay (Universe), IC CF: Rationalization (Psychology), IC UA: Hope (Mind), MC CF: Approach (Physics).

  • The MC Critical Flaw is horizontal of the MC Domain, in the same Type position, horizontal of the UA. (Delay is the top right variation in the bottom left type (future) in the top left class (universe). so the critical flaw must be in the top right class (physics) in the bottom left type (obtaining) in the top left variation (Approach))
  • The IC Critical Flaw is horizontal of the IC Domain, in the same Type position, horizontal of the UA. (Hope is the top right variation in the bottom left type (subconscious) in the bottom right class (mind). so the critical flaw must be in the bottom left class (psychology) in the bottom left type (becoming) in the top left variation (rationalization))
#4

Thank you for the answer, Jim! That’s what I thought.

#5

I noticed that in most storyforms with a Steadfast Main Character. Why the Unique Abilities and Critical Flaws should relate like this? It is an obligation?
Thank you @bobRaskoph

#6

I don’t think it’s the fact that the MC is Steadfast. It’s because the MC and the IC are in different Domains. They think differently, they want different things. They’re completely different people, and so they have different unique abilities and critical flaws. The fact that they’re so different is where the conflict comes from.

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#7

Yes of course: they think different, they want different things, they have different unique abilities and critical flaws, they are in different domains. But the Unique Abilities and Critical Flaws of the Main Character and Influence Character doesn’t seem to be working if the MC is Change or if the MC is Steadfast. It’s what I see when I compare various storyforms from Subtext.
Just above, @bobRaskoph presented what I noticed for a Steadfast Main Character. And I would like to know why? For a Change Main Character, it’s different.

#8

What do you mean “doesn’t seem to be working”? Like it doesn’t fit your story idea?

If you’re asking why it’s like this in the sense of how the Dramatica engine comes up with those values under the hood, some of it is copyrighted so you won’t get an answer. You may be able to figure out a pattern but I’m not sure there’s any point to it. Similar to how Dramatica determines signpost order based on other story dynamics. Better to just trust the tool and get to work writing. :slight_smile:

EDIT: welcome to the forums, by the way! Always good to have another friendly and enthusiastic voice on here.

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#9

Haha yes! It’s about my story idea and also about the sense of how the Dramatica engine comes up. That’s why I would have liked to have received an answer to the question. But I understand that I won’t have it and no problem. I’ll continue my writing with my first intention and I’ll just trust Dramatica as you said :slight_smile:

Thank you so much @mlucas It’s a pleasure to be here. There are a lot of topics, I still have a lot to learn from the theory. It really helps me.

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#10

If it helps, I often find that my candidate storyform’s Unique Ability and Critical Flaw seem a bit off – I usually feel like it should be a different Variation in the same quad. Until after I write the story, or at least a big chunk of it. Then suddenly I see how they fit amazingly well, in unexpected ways. The same tends to be true with Catalyst and Inhibitor.

Those unexpected ways are actually what I love most about Dramatica – how it makes you feel you must be on the right track when something you didn’t plan ends up fitting so well in hindsight. (Sometimes it’s best to let Dramatica be the Support character instead of Help.)

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#11

Yes, I agree with you @mlucas I know what I have to do now: make my writing honest and meaningful to me.

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#12

I’ve found that a lot of times my story won’t seem to fit a storyform. There are a few reasons:

  • I don’t understand the particular storyform concept that seems off. When I do, I see how it fits
  • I have story elements in the wrong place. When I change them around, the story fits the storyform
  • I may have the wrong storyform for the story. (this is the most common, at least for me)
  • You may be unconsciously changing the story to subvert the storyform. The makers of the movie Get Out purposefully did this and saw it made the movie work better with audiences.

I think it’s better to write the story and see where it takes you! It’s your story, have fun with it! Then after it’s written see if any of the above are true for you. :grinning:

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#13

Thanks for the advice!

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#14

Something funny I noticed about MC Critical Flaw yesterday. I was revising a scene which is narrated by the MC (i.e. MC’s POV) and I struck out a line that felt wrong:

They shouldn’t be doing this. There was a reason the Munitions Area was off-limits. Hell, their duty as Firelions meant they should have reported Chatham and Sproule from the get-go.

Then I realized it was specifically referencing the MC Critical Flaw (Obligation), and I was like “hmm, why does it feel so wrong if it fits the storyform?” The answer of course, is the MC wouldn’t see his flaw so clearly (at least not at this point in the story), so it didn’t belong in his POV narration.

Also interesting, in the next scene there is a moment where he examines another instance of his Critical Flaw – failing to keep a promise he made*. But in this case it feels fine! I think because it was just a promise he made to a kid about her bad dream, it’s a lot more believable that he would just dismiss it.

* both the promise and his duty sort of relate back to the same thing in the OS

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