Frankly it's all in the execution. No one can tell you if it's better for the kids to be quirky or average, because it depends on how ecactly you pull it off.
True, and I'm a firm believer in "it's all in the delivery", myself. But in a way that's just it, will my planned delivery do my starting idea more harm than good?
My concept is there father character (named Abram, atm) being this powerful fantasy badass but still having to deal with the kind of things you get with children. Monsters Under the Bed, the girls wanting tea parties, Potty Emergencies, and so on.
Considering that, it brings to my mind the question of "why have this extra stuff in the first place?" and the best answer I have boils down to "I like it that way".
Granted, as the one telling the story, that's really all the reason I need, but I wanted to get a little perspective and make sure I wasn't forgetting my original concept in the process.
On the other hand, as I write this, another thought occurs: I asked "If I want to have a story be about a fantasy hero with kids, why make them fantastical, also", then what about the other side of that: "if I'm going to have a fantasy setting in the first place, shouldn't I use it?"
edited 9th Jun '18 12:10:05 PM by sgamer82
I'm just going to point out that there is such a thing as having too much stuff going on. Do all three of them need to have super complicated and tragic backstories? How is simply being an orphan not tragic enough? Does it really serve the story you want to tell? What can't you get out of at least one of them simply being a normal child subject to the tragic loss of family?
Also, why a feral child when the other two are obviously having problems based in magic? You could go with a whole theme here of having the guy specifically be trying to take care of children afflicted with magical maladies.
To answer the last question first, when thinking of scenarios that seemed interesting, Wild Child came to mind as one that had some possibilities for humor. That said, I was actually thinking of going Changeling instead after a comment a friend made while talking about the idea.
I hadn't thought much about the three kids having all purely magic based issues, but this change would alleviate that. I could also use some of the same "outsider"-themed ideas the Wild Child allowed for while simplifying things a little (abandonment by parents for being a changing rather than some elaborate Raised by Wolves setup, for example).
For the rest, that's kind of where my question is coming from. Am I overdoing it? Am I overcomplicating things? Etc. A lot of still me I'm the "Ooh, I like this idea" phase, so my concern is my enthusiasm overriding my sense.
A lot of my concern comes from the point you raise: Could I get just as much from having at least one kid be completely normal? Before I went the Demonic Possession route with one kid, I had her in mind as maybe an otherwise normal apprentice to the father figure, Abram, adopted after she was endangered never it was simply believed she was possessed. Then I thought"maybe they weren't wrong" and ideas came from there.
So, really, it's not I feel I can't get what I need by having them normal, but that I can potentially do more by having them each have something extra.
Re: backstories in particular:
I don't plan on making them excessively complicated, as a whole. Nor do I plan on going excessively tragic. This whole idea started as something silly, light, and fluffy, so I don't intend to go any heavier on the angst than I can help.
The Child Mage, Leo, was actually an elder wizard whose attempts at restoring his youth had Gone Horribly Right, reducing him, mind and body, to about age 4 or 5. Abram takes him in as he's got nowhere else to go.
Teresa, the possessed girl, was saved by Abram when the discovery of her possession endangered her life. Not decided yet if they danger is from people wanting to kill her outright, exorcism in this setting saving the soul at the cost of the life, or as a sacrifice to bring the demon into the world proper.
Wild Child Sandri (Name change pending if I go the Changeling route and/or don't mix them a little for the sake of punning) doesn't have a concrete backstory yet, since I don't want to go too angsty and her circumstance made it a bit more difficult. As you say, Parental Abandonment is bad enough on its original being rejected by the wolf pack (or equivalent) or killing them off felt like too much. Going Changeling would simplify that, abandoned precisely because she was a Changeling, while possibly still allowing some Wild Child aspects depending on how I do things and adding potential plot ideas related to The Fair Folk.
Things may complicate when I get to details but the essentials are, I think, fairly straightforward.
edited 13th Jun '18 3:58:45 AM by sgamer82
I've been pondering a story idea recently and, while I'm mostly committed to its current form, there's an aspect of that current form I wanted to just get a few opinions on.
The basic premise is a Guts from Berserk style badass who is also a Doting Parent to three young children (12 at the oldest, but likely 10 or younger). The aspect I've wondered about is should I have them be normal children or have them be unusual in her own way, too?
For now, I'm mostly committed to the latter. The 3 kids are, in no particular order, a Wild Child, a Child Mage (Previously brought up for separate reasons here
), and coping with Demonic Possession. I think it offers up more options for interaction, development, drama, and comedy depending on how I want to do things, and I've got basics worked out for all three, but I have lingering thoughts about whether or not it hurts the premise. My original idea from the start was a Badass and Child Duo with the kid being a Child Mage, so I don't think it's too big an issue, but I wanted an extra opinion or two.
Does making the kids themselves extra quirky damage the premise in anyone's minds? If so, am I better off making them vanilla normal, or just tweaking the premise itself?