Heyoooo! I've been wondering this question for quite some time so I figured we can go ahead and talk about it! This is just a simple question, as the title asks, what are your characters worst fears? What do you think are TGH and ROTR character's worst fears?
Now, I'm not talking about something that makes them uncomfortable or something they dislike. I'm talking about a phobia. A fear so strong that it would be hard for that character to overcome. Something that that character will do everything they can to avoid it. Something that makes their heart thrum madly inside their chest just thinking about.
I think fears and phobias really explain a lot about a character, and for me, it allows me to really get to know my character a lot better! Personally, I think about a character's feelings and fears just as much as I think about their appearance.
I'll go first! Me, Riverbreeze! My greatest fear is either disappointing my family or the deep ocean. I hate murky water and that's why I don't like going on cruise ships very much. The large expansion of water on all sides and not being able to see the bottom is very frightful to me. (I think that's called thalassophobia?) Especially since only 5% of the Earth's oceans have been discovered. 5 PERCENT! Yeah...no thank you.
And, I have high expectations for myself. I'm a people pleaser, too. So if anyone were to tell me that they were disappointed in me...I'm not sure what I'd do.
Okay! So let's get into it!
List your opinions and characters!
(These will contain SPOILERS so if you haven't read the book series, maybe don't read this!)
Star: For Star, I think he has a fear of failure. The entire world rests on his shoulders, at such a young age, and if he fails against Nightwing, then Anok would burn from Nightwing's silver star fire. All his friends, his family, everyone who believes in him. If he failed, then everything will be lost.
Morningleaf: Like me, I think she has a fear of disappointing, not only others, but also herself. She's very determined and head-strong and I think her fears of letting everyone down -especially Star- motivate her actions. That's why she's constantly willing to lay down her own life for Star, if need be. Not just because he's the protector and healer of Anok, but because she wouldn't be able to live life without him.
What do you guys think? Do you agree or disagree with me? LETS HEAR IT!!
My characters:
Fawnroot: Ahhhhhh my little medicine mare baby. I've actually spent a lot of time thinking about her greatest fear. Well, obviously it would be loosing Callum, or being separated from him, with no way to get back to him. But, generally, I'd say her greatest fear is being alone. Completely, utterly alone. She's loyal to herd. She's loyal to Callum. If anything were to happen to her loved ones, and she couldn't assist them, it would shatter her. She is reliant on her friends, her herd, and on Callum. If those are taken, she has nothing left.
Benjamin: Beeennnnnnnnnnn...hate to do this to you my guy....Claustrophobia. Yep. You heard me. Ben is deeply claustrophobic. He has some memories from the past where...let's just say he was trapped with no way out. Reliving those memories would debilitating. He is a very big dude (not just muscle-y. He's tall and with his northern, draft horse body, he needs his space.) In the dark would be even worse. Needless to say he doesn't like caves, small rooms, or any situation were he couldn't escape. It's somewhat unexpected, I know, but to me it makes sense
I'll do one more to avoid this from becoming too long! One of my older characters (If any older members remember her....props to you)
Blossonflight: I didn't use her too much, but she is a VERY old OC of mine. I created her even before I used her in any RP. Still love her sassiness XDD Her fear would be rejection. That's why it took her so long to admit to her love interest that she actually cared for him: rejection. And it's not just her lover, it was everyone she cared for. She can be very dramatic, sassy, bossy, and very overwhelming at times (it's just who she is) so she feared that everyone would suddenly get annoyed and simply turn their backs. Reject her for who she is.
Okay! Imma leave it there so this doesn't become too long!! Can't wait to read what you guys think!
Hawkflight:
Heheh this big idiot would possibly tell you that he's not afraid of anything, but that is very false. He is probably one of the most fearful and nervous stallions, even though he hides it well inside his muscles and brawn. He fears the downfall of his herd. He fears the centaurs. He fears the future. He fears change and the unknown. He fears not being able to protect his friends and family. He fears death. Basically, he fears change and the fact that there's nothing he can do in the face of the unknown.
Avery:
This one is more general and is caused from recent trauma, but she fears the pegasi. She used to be open minded towards the pegasi, but those previous values have been stamped out. Now, she believes that there are too many differences between the two species to find peace, and that's fine with her. After a pegasus attacked her and a potential lover (O_O), she doesn't want to associate with the Pegasi anyway.
But, a more personal and long-lasting fear would be the fear of being forgotten. Her older sister has always been the favorite of her parents and her older sister seems to be "perfect". The perfect daughter. The perfect member of society. The perfect everything. Because of this, she feels an overwhelming, yet hidden weight on her shoulders. She doesn't want to be abandoned. She doesn't want to be left in the shadows or replaced or forgotten.
Sunpond:
Her biggest fear is most likely feeling useless and/or loosing her other senses. Because she's already blind, she relies heavily on her other senses. If she lost those or they were somehow taken away, she would rightfully be afraid and shaken. Her other senses are how she survives, how she lives her daily life. If they were ever stripped from her, she loose herself and feel completely vulnerable. Which leads me to my second point, her fear of feeling useless. Even though she's blind, you mustn't underestimate her. She is intelligent and is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. That being said, she feels that she must do her part in helping the herd. She wants to feel helpful and she wants to prove to both others, and herself, that she's not completely helpless.
Thunderray ('mane' oc)
losing someone she loves, being rejected, deep ocean waters, she's not fond of pitch black darkness, crowds
Those prob the biggest fears
Thunderheart/thunderfire (mane oc)
Shademoon and his sister rejecting him, along with no accepting him for him. Losing control of his starfire yet again,his powers...
Heartfrost (thunder's sister)
to loose her older brother Thunderfire, whether it is to death, evil or anything else.
Twistmoon
to face Thunderfire
Cinder (from DOA)
Not being approved of, not being worthy enough, feeling like a failure to her family.
Cinderfrost (my mane OC!)
BUGS. do I have to say anything more? XD.
Hehehehe this is going to be so long.
OceanGlow/IceSong: I’m terrified of spiders, bugs, the dark, and the stupid things people make up to scare you. So, as much of I am being afraid of spiders and bugs, I don’t have the heart to kill them! I don’t like it! So I attempt to put them in a cup and save them, or ask someone else to kill them for me. So, yeah, and then the dark. I don’t like NOT seeing it’s terrifying. And then the stupid myths that parents make to scare kids, and ect.
EchoFrost:
KIDNAPPING. Sorry, but it’s true. She’s afraid of being lost and forgotten, being alone where nobody can save her.
Finally my current RP baby!
Rayne/RainShade:
So, I don’t know if anyone knows this yet, or even myself, but, she is terrified of swans And geese. THEY ARE MEAN. They can hiss!! WHY?!?! I just think that it fits her personality. Swans and geese. Yep, that’s what Rayne’s afraid of. Not even Estella. Just swans and Geese.
Kevty’s is Totally failing her family. She fears failing them and or them dying more than anything else. just the thought sends her into a downward spiral
I completely agree with your theories on Star and Morningleaf. It makes sense. My theory is Echofrost's biggest fear is not being able to take control, or being forced into captivity. It talks about this in ROTR, especially in the first book, and I think that even though she fears these, she is willing to sacrifice herself so others won't have to deal with it. (Again, ROTR book one)
I haven't thought about Thunderblaze's biggest fear... I'll have to think on that.
The only one I have so far is Riverglade's, discovered whilst eating a very yummy lunch XD (it's not the same as mine, although I def. took inspiration from them)
Her greatest fear is death, more specifically, being forgotten after death, not having a legacy to outlive herself. She wants to be like Spiderwing, Raincloud, Nightwing, even. She doesnt care if shes the hero or villain of the legends, she just wants to be remembered. This is where her jokes and comments about world domination come from. Most of the time it's just jokes, simply for fun, but underneath all that is genuine fear, dark and foreboding. Pegasi, when hearing this,(often her parents and older pegasi) will say that having foals will solve this. Having someone to carry on your family line. Riverglade hated this comment. Stars, she would be a TERRIBLE parent! And it wouldn't last. Sure, her name and story would be carried on for a few generations, but what about after that? What about when she was too far back, and she was just an echo of what once was? She needed to be something powerful, so strong that no fire or tsunami or earthquake could shatter her legend.
When a quick 'lil analysis of your OC turns into a full-blown short story- 😳 (I swear I did not mean to do that it just kept coming and i kept getting stuff would add to it and i couldn't stop. That was an experience. Maybe i should do a short story based on this sometime...)
Kilroy: His a character intrinsically motivated by fear... there are a two main ones that are central.
War. He has a fear of war, any armed conflict. Even if it is small scale, he believes that it will completely spiral into anarchy. To him, war is essentially the end of the world. This is why he is driven to diplomacy, though you may have already known that.
Being forgotten. Since he is sterile, he has insecurities over what his legacy will be, especially once he is died. Unlike his parents, his personality is not larger then life. This can motivate him to act in ways that might be risky in short term, but make a bigger impact long term. It is also drives him to guard his own successes jealously.
Reba: Assault. She is deeply afraid of male centaurs overcoming her and physically harming her. This comes from previous experience that changed her life before. While she is learning to live with what happened to her, it makes her reluctant to pursue intimacy unless she is absolutely sure that she is safe.
Leroy: He is afraid that movements of Revolution that his has dedicated his life to will turn out to be meaningless. Inside, he realizes the hypocrisy of an emperor like Napoleon fighting for Enlightenment ideals in Europe, but he denies this because it would render his sacrifices and those of many of his countrymen as null. This motivates his powerful idealism, and his doubt manifests as cynicism.
This is getting sort of long, but please, just one more!
Colchi and Uriah: These two are afraid of preventable accidents. Let me explain - they view themselves as being responsible for the safety of their mines and families. And while they have been able to use their smarts to save some lives, others slip through their fingers. When a problem could have been solved but was not for whatever reason, the irony of preventable disaster can be too much for them to bear.
I think you're right about Star and Morningleaf!!! This sounds fun!!
For me, Lightray, Her worst fears are not seeing the bottom of the water. (like you Riverbreeze!) And...large, loud crowds. Gives me serious anxiety just thinking about it! Also, she/me has trypophobia. (fear of small holes.) Lastly, failure.
Brackentail: I think his worst fear might be not living up to others' expectations. Something like that?
Um...yes. OOh!
Asher/Ashfrost: He fears failure and having his family taken away, just like his mother. And failing his father, even though his father is so rough on him. He's afraid of the dark too.
ooooooOoooooooh.... I needa think for this one XD I shall return either after my next few classes.... or whenever I am capable of deep thinking.
>_< it's still incredibly long....heh sorry!