Anthromorphic Personification - Writing.

Here is a bit of an oddity. Or maybe it isn't. I am not sure. Writing a story from the perspective of an abstract personification of a force or concept. I've read the Book Thief and I have to say that it was... a special experience and refreshing. At times it felt like I was reading Terry Pratchett's Discworld!Death, only with a more somber tone and less dry wit.

And so I wanted to try out something similiar. But not from the perspective of Death but... wait for it... *drumroll* Nothing. Yeah, you read that right. For me this is quite an interesting idea since it deals with quite a few interesting subjects: Isolation and a sense of purpose.

You might be asking: Why? Well, I would like to Think of it like this: So far, every anthromorphic personification i've come across has had some sort of duty, whether it has been causing war and destruction, creating fire or more obscure things. So then a thought appeared in my head: If Nothing was an anthromorphic personification, what would their duty be? To do nothing?

And then there is also this. The alienation from the rest. Imagine, if you will, a pitch-black darkness. Sort of like the Void Between Worlds. Only for this tranquility to be broken into pieces with a Big Bang. How would such a creature experience such a change? Such a being? A being that has no shape or form, but only consciousness. Or atleast what seems to be consciousness. If I may draw a comparison... it would have to be like that of a jellyfish. It is living in the sense that it can interact with the World, but not quite so intelligent as to be seen as sentient.

By using this above comparison with a jellyfish, we can assume that Nothing's intellect is nonexistent at this point in time. How would it deal with this? To see strange and alien shapes that it has no words for?

I know, I know. At this point it might seem like pretentious drivel, but bear with me.

I was thinking that throughout the aeons, this being experiences change. The realization that it in and of itself is a paradox. A meaningless existence. Perhaps this might sound like a Contemplate Our Navels story with a Heavy dose of existential angst, but I Think it ould be quite an interesting story to tell.

Would it be feasible? Any books or tricks that might give me an insight to this subject? I am currently keeping an eye on Sandman, a comic book that was written by Neil Gaiman.

Aaaand some criticism wouldn't be too bad. I plan on Writing out a few scenes where Nothing has a more developed personality, seeing as it won't remain a static character. Which is a rather funny topic. Anyway, I apologize for going off-track.

Would you kindly?

P.S. If this subject is already taken up on Another thread, I apologize in advance.

edited 4th Dec '14 2:23:08 PM by EvilMegaCookie

Here's a fresh idea. I've never read or seen anything about Nothing Itself. As for constructive feedback...Hmm...

Well, I think you have to start from the concept of a totally single-minded being. His one and only interest is nothing, meaning himself. So, a narcissistic personality disorder might make sense. If he is obsessed with himself, he would be incapable of thinking about anything outside of himself, so he might see everything in the cosmos as part of him. Then, he realizes that some of the things inside him are alive and aware yet possess a consciousness that he isn't part of. He becomes as interested in these “organs” as he is in himself because they are a part of him that he doesn't understand. So, he decides to take a closer look and perhaps creates a little avatar to explore himself. Actually, now he's starting to sound a bit like Vishnu. Anyway, maybe he meets other A Ps (I like Cold and Darkness) and gets to know them, learning that some of these “organs” are as single-minded and self-absorbed as he is. He starts thinking they should be focusing on him. So, narcissism begets megalomania. Now, maybe he becomes a tyrant who sics Cold and Darkness on anyone who doesn't pay enough attention to him. So, he becomes a sadist. I'm not sure that's the direction you're going in, but that's the most logical progression I can come up with. He'd become a villain before long, but maybe you can find a way to redeem him. I dunno.

Arrogance and narcissism wasn't something I had in mind. Then again, that is quite an interesting take on it. If anything, i'd dessribe Nothing as havig the curiosity of a child. To Nothing, everything is new and alien. Heck, it probaby wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that at the beginning,the entire universe is an elritch location to it.

Of course, it'd be a bit pointless to write about a character that never changes (IMHO). This is where Humanity Is Infectious comes into play. While humans aren't the only sentient beings hat he interacts with, they tend to affect him the most. One such interaction effectively traumatizing him. The Brazen Bull is all I can say about it.

While Nothing rarely ever gets emotional, he is quite easily manipulated when it comes to emotions. Which, in my head, sort of makes sense: What happens when someone that rarely ever loses control of themselves, do lose control? Why, it'd be an outburst! Cue Tranquil Rage.

I think it'd be good to write his interactions with humans as separate stories, where he isn't actively involved, but a passive observer. And these events affect him on some level or another.

But these are my own thughts on the matter and I would like to hear the voices of others.

Bump.

I would really like to get a discussion going. Heck, it could be about writing anthromorphic personalities in general.

One final bump.

Perhaps Nothing would be the personification of what some people consider nothing. So, that would be a psychopomp for some people, or a "patron saint of the soundless inarticulated" to other people, and still others it would be like the genius locus of a place of complete neutrality.

Maybe looking upon the personification would be like a patch of reality got cut out into a human shape to reveal a bad bluescreen. Or maybe the personification can't be looked at, because people forget that it was there in front of them immediately, so they have to address the air a little to the left or something.

edited 22nd Mar '15 11:24:35 PM by Faemonic

What is Nothing's motivation?

In fiction, all characters are defined by their motives, goals, wants and needs. Goals drive characters to action, and action drives stories. With any character, the first thing you should try to nail down is what they want, either to gain or to achieve. The answer to that question alone will tell you a huge amount about the character's personality, values and beliefs, and give you an idea what kind of story lies ahead of you.

The Death of Discworld, for instance, is largely motivated by his duty as a psychopomp. He has a job to do, and he likes to see it done with all the care and professional dedication it deserves. Of course, he's also a personification of a non-sapient process, so there's always a certain vagueness about exactly how much of his behaviour comes from his own personal agency, and how much is due to his nature as an extension of an unthinking concept.

But the fact that Death can be said to "want" something, even if that's just to do a good job, is what makes him a person. It's what makes him relatable as a character. After all, real-world, lowercase-d death doesn't want anything. It can't want anything. It doesn't have a mind. It doesn't think. It cannot be bought or sold, coerced or reasoned with. But if you say Death wants to make sure its job gets done properly, then suddenly it's personified. Because real people are driven by wants and needs, just like fictional characters.

The other reason giving Death a goal is good is that it makes it possible for him to fail. Once a character, any character, has a goal, the next step for the storyteller is to invent obstacles to frustrate, obstruct and delay the achievement of that goal. This is conflict, and it is the most basic element of all storytelling. You cannot tell a story without it. Well, you could, but it would be pretty damned boring - just a bunch of characters pursuing their goals and achieving them, without any struggle or difficulty. Not even Disney cartoons are that mindlessly saccharine.

It's that struggle, that difficulty, that keeps audiences engaged. With struggle comes tension and suspense, as readers don't know how the conflict will be resolved, but really really want to know because (if you've done your job as a writer correctly) they're interested in the characters, understand their motivations, know what's at stake, and are emotionally invested in the narrative. So they keep reading, or watching, or listening, and if the conflict holds together all the way to the end of the story, then they'll read or watch or listen all the way to the end, chasing that final climactic pay-off.

There's more I could say on this topic, but this isn't really the thread for it. Needless to say, your idea to try and make a character who "wants nothing" is really, really misguided. Or at least, trying to make that goal-less character the protagonist of the story is. If Nothing hated existence, and wanted to destroy everything so there was only the void again, that would be a solid, if very tired and cliche motivation. Alternatively, he could be driven by pure curiosity, coming out of the void of non-existence and exploring a world that is profoundly alien and new. Anything would work, so long as it kept the character from being aimless.

edited 17th Dec '14 3:12:40 PM by Tungsten74

I don't ever remember writing that Nothing didn't have any desire. What it wants is really quite simple: A purpose. A meaning as to why it exists. Unlike other Anthromorphic Personifications that exist, whom has duties to perform, it doesn't have one.

So yeah. Heck, I could probably pull off a Pinocchio Syndrome. Nothing views a mortal Life as something beautiful, since it is something that only lasts for a moment. Which is rather ironic, since nothing lasts forever. Yes, I just had to make that... joke/pun.

Sorry, I must have misread your initial idea. I apologise for the rant.

So, he wants a purpose. That's a start, but what does "a purpose" mean to Nothing? Does he just want a job to do? If so, what kind of job? Does he wish to do something fundamentally important, like Death or Father Time? Or would he be happy to settle for a mundane human job? Or if not a job, then perhaps some ideal he could dedicate himself to? He could well find the purpose he seeks in promoting justice, wisdom, liberty, equality, kindness, nihilism, etc.

Also, why does he want a "purpose"? Is it just a nagging feeling that, as an personified concept, he should be doing something useful like all the others? Is he just bored and want to do something to liven up the passing millennia? Does he want to see what Reality has to offer, and having some kind of responsibility would give structure to his time, and help him understand what he's experiencing?

I ask because Nothing, as described, seems like he would lack a lot of common knowledge compared to any of the more people-oriented personifications. Like, how did he work himself up to thinking, "I want a purpose"? It seems like basic curiosity - the desire for knowledge and understanding - would be purpose enough for a good long while. It would certainly keep him occupied, and drive him to action.

Whereas Nothing explicitly wanting "a purpose" implies that the character A. already understands what Reality is, B. already understands what people are (or at least what his fellow Personifications are), and C. has a reason for wanting to be more like them. I mean... where did he get the idea that having a purpose was a good and desirable thing? Was it just there, in Nothing's head, from the moment he gained sapience? Or is it something he picked up after the fact?

Perhaps Nothing always felt like there was something missing from his life of idle curiosity, and the discovery of Personifications, and the knowledge that Nothing was one himself, encourages him to emulate them in the hope of finding what's missing. Maybe he fails at first, imitating the most obvious aspects of his role models without grasping the principles underlying their behaviour (imagine a small, man-sized black hole trying to pull off the cowl-and-scythe look). So then he could start chasing those principles, and hit on the idea of having a purpose, and...

...I dunno. I'm rambling. Hopefully there's something in this brain-fart to give you some ideas.

edited 21st Dec '14 3:53:37 PM by Tungsten74

Listen to this guy, he's definitely on to something

Interview the character. "Who are you? Describe yourself. What do you want? Why do you want it? How are you trying to get it? What's keeping you from getting it?"

You ask enough questions and the character will give you the story.

I have no real advice to offer, but this story sounds awesome and I would read the f*** out of it.

x3

That gave me a chuckle. I could actually imagine Nothing doing something like that.

The old crook drew his last breath. It had been a long life. He was satisfied. He closed his Eyes, only to open them mere moments later. He could see a robed figure draped in black and wielding a scythe.

You have come for me, haven't you? YES. IT IS I, DEATH. The collector of souls responded in a raspy voice, almost on the edge of coughing. Only for a moment later to be thrown into the wall. The one whom had done the deed was a young man dressed sharply in tuxedo and black pants.

The hell are you doing? This is MY job. And your sense of fashion is still as ancient as ever. I stopped wearing those robes decades ago! And stop with that ridiculous way of speaking. Contrary to his reputation of cold incarnate, Death displayed a fierceness one would expect of the god of fire, Agni. He wore an expression of irritation. Look, I know you are bored. But you DON't, I repeat, you DON'T intrude on my job.

The mess of robes and bones disposed of his disguise and appeared as he truly were: Without shape or form. There was nothing there. A voice that was not quite a voice, but more akin to the sensation of having words imprinted into the brain, giving the one whom received them the illusion of being thoughts of their own. A truly eerie sensation. Meanwhile, the old man watched as this truly ridiculous spectacle continued.

Fine. I apologize. I just wanted to give it a shot.

Or something like that.

I love your scene! But I can't help but notice that you used "whom" improperly. You only use that in a place where you might otherwise use "him", "her", or "them". "Who" is for places where you'd used "he", "she", or "they". That's my only critique. I like your Death and Nothing, though lol

And, sorry for this too, but "were" is only used where "are" might be. "Was" is correct for when "is" might be used otherwise.

I hate that stuff like that bothers me, but if I see something that glaring it breaks the flow of words for me. I see it all the time on wattpad.

edited 11th Feb '15 1:47:38 AM by nekomoon14

Always good to know. I am constantly trying to improve my english after all. Bring on the tomatoes like always.

When I think of Nothing, I think of the Void, but of a neutral/benign nature. Essentially, Nothing to me is a subset of The Sacred Darkness in that it's a form of Emptiness, which isn't necessarily bad.

Negative space is very important in art and photography—without it, you just have a jumble of random poses or items. Being alone is really important sometimes, because you can't be around people ALL the time. Plus, introverts especially need to be alone to recharge. Clearing your mind is essential in meditation and spirituality.

Basically, look up the tenets of Zen and you'll find a very positive or at least neutral form of Nothing.

Pretty much. I wouldn't be surprised if I had gotten some influence from reading Zen or Buddhism. I tend to find the concept of Nirvana and Nothingness to be fairly similiar in nature if nothing else. Then again, I might be just showing my ignorance at this point.

So... yeah. Otherness tropes are to be found aplenty in this character. And he is neutral to an extreme degree. Although he gets more active as the years go by, seeing as he begins to develop his own thoughts and emotions in due time. And then there are a few traumatic things that he has experienced. Which involves an Brazen Bull and a herb of immortality that lasted one year.