McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

Alright How about sidekicks. favorites? pro and cons. lets hear it.

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Gritti:
My request for what makes a great villian great was so helpful to my current project, and big thanks for that.  Now I'd like to hear everyone's opinions on side kicks, or the hero's reflection in the story if you'd all be so kind.  No holds barred.  Bring it on.

Darwinist:
Personally, the best stories I've read have always been from one person's point of view. You introduce a side kick who shares almost as much screentime and you can tend to really bog down the characters development, plot, or ingenuity. No longer do we rely on the main character to progress the narrative, we gotta rely on this other person to do so as well.

Are there exceptions? Sure... Watson to Holmes is a good one.

Personally, if you go with a sidekick, it would probably work better if you relegate it as more of a SIDE character. No more, no less, screen time than any other secondary character.

But that's just me.... and Joel Schumacher's enemies.

Gritti:
A truely excellent point.  I have to admit that the character I had considered my hero's sidekick is hard to maintain at all times.  I find myself saying oh yeah his friend is there too what should he do and before i know it I get tangled up with the plot progression.  I'm going to rethink some things.
thanks

jtaylor:
It also depends on your genre. To use examples from film, there really isn't that much difference between Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Jar-Jar in Star Wars Ep. 1.  They are both somewhat bumbling characters with accents who exist for comic relief. Arguably, Jar-Jar is a better defined character, as he has clear flaws, goals, and a back story that is revealed throughout the film, but he is hated while Short Round is loved.

I think the reasons are that Short Round was at least competent in some areas. He was a good kid, and was able to play off the hero. Secondly, he was able to fade into the background when it was Indy's time to shine, but come right back when the Hero needed saving.

madpoet:
Short Round is loved?  Where????  ;D  What an annoying git.

As I am currently rereading "Lamb" by Christopher Moore, my current favorite sidekick is Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal.  In fairness though the story is told with him as the narrator so he almost feels like the main character as opposed to the sidekick.

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