DO YOU THINK IT SHOULD BE CALLED DISPLACED HERO OR DISPLACED HEROES?
Posted on June 29, 2020
Displaced Hero or Displaced Heroes
Character Growth: All three main characters are distant and inward for various reasons. Each grows in their capacity to socialize and interact with others through the magic that intrudes on their lives.
Premise: Perpetua is a magical realm populated by all the basic magical species: dragons, orcs, ghosts, demons, minotaurs, goblins, elves, etc. All are oppressed by Baron Orb who exacts a magic tax on all in Perpetua. He hoards their magic, which has different consequences for each species. It weakens them: A gorgon can turn you to mud rather stone; Dragons are born with not enough magic to allow them to fly; Wizards find each successive spell diminished: Ghosts can't pass through solid objects and so on. The baron cannot wield magic and resents being born a wizard who can't summon a spell. He gathers the magic believing if he accumulates virtually all of it, he can jumpstart his magical heritage. He is convinced the hero's essence that was hidden from him is the key to bringing his plan to fruition. The magical essence of a hero who was to be Perpetua's savior has been cast out into the mortal world and hidden in three young souls. Their convergence attracts the attention of Baron who dispatches his gauntwings to deal with the trio on earth. Meanwhile, Georgie Golem arrives and tries to talk the threesome into returning with him to Perpetua. They fight the gauntwings on Earth and then head to Perpetua, only one of them gets separated from the others and flung far off. The other two then have to track him down.
The threesome encounter the magical citizens and learn just how brutal the Baron Orb's reign has been. They eventually are reunited and through the skills they've each honed while facing off with magical dangers, they realize the way to defeat the baron is not to remove the hero's essence and reinstate the savior but that the trio stand a better chance of defeating the evil if they keep their portion of the hero inside and work together. They defeat the baron and return the magic to all the citizens.
Lou (short for Louisa) Walker is a twelve-year-old girl (grade 6) who was close to her comic-book-collecting father. He died two years ago, and she retreated into the world of superheroes to feel connected with him. She's tall and athletic, but sometimes a little clumsy. Her magic allows her to talk to the dead. What will be nice is she realizes she has the power to talk to her dad but ultimately decides that is not the path she wants to take with her grief and rechannels her magic to give her the power of flight.
Nelson Rivers is an artistic twelve-year-old boy (grade 6) who would rather sit in the woods and draw from nature. He knows a lot about plants and animals and has a real affinity with each. Possibly autistic but not diagnosed as such. He's more of a borderline case that presents as on the spectrum but also skirts by enough that his adoptive parents don't want to get him tested and labeled as such. He likes blending in and being an observer. He makes insanely good deductions. His magic manifests so that he can manipulate nature, but only if they agree. He can drop himself into an animal and use it as his eyes and ears and possibly as a combatant, something he is hesitant to do.
Hugo Hammersmith is a thirteen-year-old boy (grade 7) who games and is always on a device. He never goes outside and texts his parents more than he talks to them. He's very protective of his baby sister but doesn't feel other people rate his attention outside of her. He's impulsive and deflects his feelings through humor. He has a secret youtube channel where he performs outlandish acts as the Masked Squirrel. His magic lets him leave his body, astral projection.
Georgie Golem is the manservant to the former Wizard Etzel. At least that's how it appears at first glance. The wizard has stored himself away in the golem to hide his magic from the baron. Since they share a body, they switch consciousnesses throughout the story. When Georgie is in control he will be forgetful and quite a naysayer. When the wizard has the mental reins, he will be verbose and grand to an obnoxious degree. Georgie doesn't know his master shares his headspace, which presents quite entertaining obstacles for them. Fun fact: Georgie Golem is a character from an old comic book project of mine: Marshall Godling of War. He was the manservant to Ares and desperately afraid he'd get wet and lose some of his mud body to erosion. The fear will be there when Georgie is piloting his body.
The story can be third person and told from Nelson Rivers' POV or third person omniscient, which lets me switch POV as needed. I have yet to do a book in the third person omniscient. What do you think I should do?