7 in 7: Day One – The Hero

Pre Work Write Up:

The Hero

v Precedents and their themes:

• Cloud Strife – Final Fantasy VII Video game

1. Origin: Villager, Joined soldier to prove self.
2. Weapon: Buster Sword – Ultimate Sword
3. Token: White Materia (after death of Aeris) and the Buster Sword as his deceased best friends weapon.
4. Clothes: SOLDIER outfit. (contradictory wearing the outfit of the nemesis organization in the story)
5. Ethos: Neutral/Good
6. Personality: Loner, confused as to his own identity Duality of personality as a mercenary and terrorist and a FORMER member of SOLDIER.
7. Gift/Talent: SOLDIER training and genetic manipulation with radiation and alien Jenova cells.

• Luke Skywalker – Star Wars Original Movie Trilogy

1. Origin: Orphaned child left with farmer relatives. Dreams of joining the rebellion and fighting for something away from tedious life of farmer.
2. Weapon: Blaster, Fathers Lightsaber, Self-Made Lightsaber
3. Token: Fathers Lightsaber, Robotic hand like father.
4. Clothes: Farmer rags, Jedi Robes
5. Ethos: Lawful-Neutral/Good
6. Personality: Sometimes Brash and Impatient, but good hearted and passionate about the war. This passion and morality becomes a shortcoming as he trains to be a Jedi who must put aside emotions to live a “monk” like life. In the end he fights with the notion that as his father gave way to the dark side so could he because his very passion for good and order in the universe led his father to his fall.
7. Gift/Talent: Powerful us of the Force passed on by Father.

• Rick Grimes – The Walking Dead

1. Origin: Small town Sheriff and family man.
2. Weapon: Revolver – Hatchet
3. Token: Sheriff’s cowboy hat, badge, and revolver to remind of former life as a police officer
4. Clothes: Sheriff’s uniform
5. Ethos: Lawful /Neutral
6. Personality: A man trying to keep the principals as a police office in a world that has lost all concept of Order in an apocalyptic era. On the other hand he struggles with the savage he has become to survive.
7. Gift/Talent: Police Training and Instinct for survival

v The Hero’s Seven Themes

• Origin: Often has Humble Beginnings, the orphan is a very common starting point for most heroes. IT teaches them early on the value of family and community and allows them to learn empathy over sympathy. They stereotypically begin without access to any distinguishing abilities that make them better then those around them that they recognize. Slightly contrary to that stereotype, they always have some innate give waiting within them though, something they either do not recognize how important it is or do not know about it at all.
• Weapon: The Sword, Pistol, Sword and Shield, The generic weapon of the world they live in. They rarely have non-generic weapons because it makes them relatable. Simple weapons or tools make the reader feel as though they too could be the hero. The sword example is prime because it is a weapon that just encompasses a handle, a cross bar, and a blade… simple to learn and implement.
• Token: Often in the cases of Orphans, something that reminds them of the family they have lost. Sometimes a pet or animal, something that grounds them and ads personality to them. (often something the character will lose at some point in his journey)
• Clothes: Humble in the beginning marking his relation to the reader as an average person, but glorious in the end allowing the reader to believe they too could pick up those.
• Ethos: Stereotypically Lawful/Good but really any branch of the lawful perspective and Good makes the hero. (excluding the anti-hero in this argument)
• Personality: Humility as mentioned before. Good and caring for the common man. Developed throughout the story to make him or her a better person morally. As they begin their quest they normally desire to fight their origin. Desiring a more glamorous life, to be the more stereotypical hero (the golden knight in shinning armor), though as they complete their journey they find that it is that humility that makes them the hero not the battles.
• Gift/Talent: For the sake of this project I will be focusing on Fantasy so from here on out we will address that, normally it is a magical command of the natural elements. Some touch of magic that they do not know of that makes them an above average fighter or adventurer.

Post Work Write Up:

Technically speaking I do not believe I had enough time to do concept work. While I think the 77 minute rule is definitely a good constraint it does not leave much to do much beyond sketch something out. In some respects this is good because it keeps me moving byt I feel like the proportion and the line work is off on this drawing. I did two different drawings this time so hopefully I can take my time on the others.

As a side note – I did two drawings to represent the humble beginnings of the hero then the greater warrior he will become.

Will reflect more on this in the story (will be done in finished product on last day then broken up by character.