First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Stephano and Gabriel (71)

Project: Nighttime soap (War of Joy)

Known as: No nicknames

Real name: Stephano Lake, Gabriel Cooper

Group affiliation: Lake family/Dulac toys; Cooper family/Spring Toys, respectively

Physical description: Both Stephano and Gabriel are now elderly gentlemen. Stephano seems to be trapped in the 60ies/70ies a little in his fashion choices, while Gabriel wears suits. They are both handsome and have a charismatic presence.

Personality: When they were younger, they were somewhat opposites. Stephano was creative and idealistic while Gabriel was calculating and pragmatic. They were both dreamers and visionaries, however, and were fast friends (feeling their differences complimented one another). They were interlocked in that Stephano was one of the few people who saw goodness in Gabriel, while Gabriel was one of the few people Stephano ever allowed to see his darker side. Their falling out occurred in part because their business heightened their differences (many an argument was over Stephano’s instinct to create something great and Gabriel’s instinct to succeed at business; this is somewhat mirrored in Joy and Melody in present day).

Time has taken some of the edges off their conflict and reduced the extremes of their personalities. Both have regrets, and both wonder why things that once seemed so urgent and important now don’t seem to matter so much. Stephano is still close with his family, while Gabriel is not (he’s somewhat disgusted by them). Their current dynamic is a hard one to classify. Each still carries at least some anger towards the other and both have a knack for getting under each other’s skin. At the same time, they both have tremendous affection towards one another that neither can admit. They are simultaneously each other’s worst enemy and best friend.

History: We’ve touched upon Stephano’s and Gabriel’s shared history in entries for other characters (the founding of the company and eventual rivalry between their companies). Going back further, the two met in college. On the surface, they should have never been friends. Stephano was an odd-duck artist and Gabriel was the athlete golden boy on campus. They took an introductory philosophy course together and their voices were the dominant debaters in the class. Their friendship formed here – each enjoyed being challenged by the other and found the other more interesting than most people they knew.

Beyond that, they had admiration for each other. Not that Stephano would ever admit it (he wore his outcast status like a badge of honor), but he admired and was a little jealous of Gabriel’s confidence, easy way with people, and success. Meanwhile Gabriel secretly thought Stephano’s ability to create beautiful things was the closest thing to magic that he had ever experienced. It was Gabriel that hatched the plan for them to go into business together, while Stephano pushed them towards toys. Their ending up in West Spring, IN was just happenstance (it had an inexpensive factory that met their needs and the right workforce).

The early years of the company were the happiest of their lives (though Stephano would tell you it was the birth of his children). They worked long hours but loved the work. They both thrilled at creating something from nothing and enjoyed how the community embraced them as job producers. The two of them were a well-oiled machine, their strengths and weaknesses interlocking perfectly.

Cracks eventually started to form. Both of them started families. Gabriel thought that Stephano spent too much time away from work, while also feeling judged by Stephano in that Gabriel neglected his (Gabriel’s) own family. Stephano thought Gabriel was making the wrong deals and was turning too often to sacrificing quality for profit. Egos also became a factor, as rather than seeing themselves as a partnership each started to develop feelings that HE was really the true driving force behind their success.

An event (see below) lead to a falling out and a battle for the company. Ultimately, Gabriel won control of Spring Toys (unsurprisingly; he was better suited to such conflicts). Stephano’s reputation did help him find financial backing for his own toy company (Dulac). Both stayed in West Spring, as each saw it as a key point in their conflict (who was the true hero of West Spring?). What followed was years of professional and personal conflict which was passed on to the next generation.

Eventually Gabriel and Stephano got out of their respective businesses. For Stephano, he realized that running the business took him away from the creative aspects he enjoyed more. He also realized that his daughter, Joy, was a better business person than him and she would need to take over things for Dulac to continue. Meanwhile, Clive manipulated things to oust Gabriel as he thought it was his destiny (in reality, Ethan did the key manipulating; Clive had the ego but not the talent). Gabriel and his son are unsurprisingly estranged.

Now both men are more reflective about their lives and seeking a bit of what they lost. Strangely, this has resulted in them meeting each other weekly (or more often). Each had missed talking with their favorite debater. So, they play games (usually, and perhaps too predictably, chess). Each episode will end with the two of them playing and having a discussion. Sometimes they will discuss what is going on in their children’s lives, giving perspectives on the conflict. Other times they will relive their younger years (revealing secrets to the viewer). Are they friends? Enemies? Why do they keep interacting? Probably Stephano and Gabriel would be the ones least able to answer those questions for you.

Some secrets and points of drama we may or may not encounter:

• We’ll learn what really caused the original falling out between the friends. It won’t be business nor greed but rather a mutual sense of betrayal (love affairs will be involved). Ego was certainly a contributing factor (who was the “genius” behind Spring Toys).
• I think maybe the above will be affairs with each other’s wives; though I have to think more about those characters (the wives) first.
• I’m toying (see the pun?) with the idea that Spring Toys manufactured a dangerous toy and were sued and that this was a big factor in the break (Stephano would be horrified and take an “I told you so” approach; while Gabriel would be defensive and overcompensate for the guilt he felt).
• Maybe someday they will start a business together again (something small/on-line). This might be the end of the series.

Role in the narrative: They are a framing device. Plus, they give perspective on the conflict of the younger generation (in the final analysis, is it all worth it?). Additionally, I can use them to reveal old secrets to the viewer. Finally, I want to show how people can evolve over time.

Abilities: Both are still intelligent and have more wisdom than they did in their earlier years. Stephano is still very creative, and Gabriel still has a mind for business (not that they get called upon).

Inspirations: This one is an out and out trope: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SmartPeoplePlayChess

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Char Cooper (70)

Project: Nighttime soap (War of Joy)

Known as: Char

Real name: Charlette Christine Cooper

Group affiliation: Cooper family

Physical description: Seventeen-year-old Char has a certain Goth vibe about her. She usually wears dark clothes and her short, spikey hair is died black. Her accessories are usually exotic and they invite questions from anyone who is interested (and she has stories for each). However, she’ll often work in one bright color (e.g., a clip-in in her hair, a scarf).

Personality: Char is very quiet and detached. She is a nihilist by nature, although she holds a few hopes that keep it from overwhelming her. On the balance being pessimistic, she is not a risk taker and tends to put minimal effort into most endeavors.

There are a few of exceptions to this. One, she is a poet and works very hard on that (including reading lots of other poets, getting feedback from her online group of like-minded poets, and composing constantly). Two, Chase and her are extremely close and he is a rare person that mostly doesn’t disappoint her (and for whom she would do almost anything). Three, Mandy Lake and their secret relationship is a bright spot of happiness in her life.

History: Char is Chase’s twin and Liz’s other child. While she was a bright and cheerful child, with puberty came borderline depression and pessimism. This seems to be a mix of a change in hormones and a better understanding of her mother and their family dynamics. From her mother she learned that life doesn’t always work out the way you hoped. From her uncle she learned that there is no strict justice in the world and the bad experience as much rewards in life (actually, more) than the good.

Her worldview is therefore that what she does matters relatively little; the world will hand her what it hands her. At least, consciously this is her worldview – there is still a bit of that happy child within her and when she is writing her poetry or with Mandy she can’t help but feel some hope. Given this is so rarely seen, however, she is generally viewed as grumpy and uninvolved (making her popular with neither students nor teachers). As a consequence, she spends much of her time alone (except the time she spends with Chase and Mandy; of course, she doesn’t spend time with both of them at once).

Some secrets and points of drama we may or may not encounter:

• Someday she’ll likely find out that Chase is also in a relationship with Mandy. This will either crush her (fulfilling her belief’s on life’s unfairness) or open her up to sharing (Chase is after all her favorite person; and given she doesn’t have high expectations for her life in general she is open to settling). Chase will be less likely to embrace the latter.
• Let’s not forget, either Chase or Char is a serial killer. (I’m struggling mightily with this; it goes against my “most people are redeemable” worldview. I feel like I have to set such rules to keep me from making everyone a goody-good, but neither Chase nor Char feel like serial killers to me at the moment. We’ll see what happens).
• Char will apparently attempt suicide. She’ll have taken too many drugs after a night of drinking too much. She won’t remember the details and will even suspect herself of trying suicide. In reality, she’ll have been poisoned by someone who wanted to kill Liz instead. This brush with death, and really reflecting on whether she would commit suicide, will cause a change in her worldview (for the better).
• It’s possible that Char started the fire that Melody will be accused of.

Role in the narrative: A morose teenager can be pretty handy. Also a cliché – but let’s face it, a cliché for a reason.

Abilities: She is a talented poet and she is quite smart. Her detachment and refusal to try hard at most things limits how many skills she has.

Inspirations: I had to do some searching to find where Char came from. Lydia from Beetlejuice is likely an influence/inspiration.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Mandy Lake (69)

Project: Nighttime soap (War of Joy)

Known as: Mandy

Real name: Amanda Roldan Lake

Group affiliation: Lake family

Physical description: Seventeen-year-old Mandy is a striking young woman who carries herself confidently. She has shoulder-length blond hair and blue eyes.

Personality: Usually, Mandy is quietly confident. She seems to have inherited her father’s even-keeled nature but not his artistic emotional excesses. She is popular at school and a good student. She can be counted on to keep her cool and more than a few fellow students seek her advice.

Unfortunately, she also has a dark side. While calm, she has a certain emotional detachment. Secretly she enjoys stirring the pot and has a number of alternate social identities to reveal secrets and start conflicts between her fellow students. She can be quite devious when she feels threatened – not that you’d be able to tell (she is too careful to maintain her crafted public face).  Nothing so dramatic a split personality, but she does tend to dissociate her social media identities from her core identity, and the harm she does seems surreal to her. It’s as if she’d directing an on-line play while living her real life separately. More bored and immature than evil, she will be challenged if she ever has a moment where her underhandedness is uncovered, or if she really impacts someone she cares about.

History: Amanda is Joy and Thomas’ second child, born some years after her sister Melody. Despite being the baby of the family, she feels a bit ignored as her sister tended to be more of a dramatic-attention getter. It is likely her dynamic with her sister that caused her secret life as a button-pusher. She secretly admires and is intimidated by her sister and it helped her address her insecurities that she could manipulate her sister into having emotional reactions (which in turn made her less intimidating). She found that she could do this with many people which further helped address her sublimated feelings of insecurity.

It is important to her to be liked, so it would be a big life-changing shock if some of her under handedness was uncovered. Thomas would be surprised and extremely disappointed, for example, which would give Mandy a very new perspective (she is very tight with her father). How much of her deviousness is a teenager still developing empathy vs. a real problem remains to be seen.

She and Chase are seeing each other (he is very smitten with her; and she might be with him). They are keeping it a secret due to the tensions between their families. At least, he is keeping it a secret for that reason. She has another reason to keep it secret – she is also seeing Chase’s sister Char (who is also very smitten – and again, the feeling might be mutual). This is not a case of Mandy manipulating people; she feels drawn to both of them and isn’t at all sure how to handle it.

Some secrets and points of drama we may or may not encounter:

• Given that Mandy herself has some secrets, she might get out maneuvered by another person who likes to stir up trouble anonymously on social media.
• Mandy’s “play” might have major real-world consequences (perhaps contributing to a suicide). This will be a wake-up call that her games aren’t so innocent.
• The Char/Chase situation is a bubbling cauldron. Whether the discovery would split the twins or lead to some sort of understood sharing is yet to be seen (I think Char could handle the latter; I’m less sure about Chase).
• Mandy will still mess with her sister but when Melody is suspected of arson, they will close ranks.

Role in the narrative: Mandy started out as another goody-good in my head, but dramas need, well, drama. Most people are fairly dysfunctional in their teenage years and exhibit cruelty and insecurities that will be unrecognizable as adults. I’m hoping Mandy can be basically a good person who has some lessons to learn.

Abilities: Good student, plays social media like a violin…and plays the violin like a violin, as it turns out.

Inspirations: Various 90210 characters have had Mandy moments (e.g., Kelly Taylor had moments of being mean but turned out to be a good egg).

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Chase Cooper (68)

Project: Nighttime soap (War of Joy)

Known as: No nicknames

Real name: Chase Charles Cooper

Group affiliation: Cooper family

Physical description: Seventeen-year-old Chase is the spitting image of his uncle, Clive, at the same age, which is to say notably good-looking. He’s in great shape (he is the high school’s starting quarterback).

Personality: If you think Chase is the same arrogant, self-centered jock his uncle was at the same age you’d be wrong. Chase is a good person and tends to elevate those around him. Positive and optimistic, he is the charismatic class president and participates in many volunteer activities. Still given he is a Cooper many people are still cautious around him and assume he has some skeletons in his closet.

And he might – literally. Either Chase or his sister Charlotte is a murderous psychopath. Time will tell.

History: Son of Liz and nephew of Clive, Chase did not hit the lottery in terms of great parental examples. However, he did have a loving governess and his twin, Charlotte (nicknamed Char). Chase and Char have always been extremely close and relied upon each other. Though very different on the surface, they privately believe that they are the same soul in two bodies, and together they make a complete person.

Chase, who reminds Uncle Clive of Clive when he was younger, is the heir apparent to the Cooper and Spring Toys fortune. However, he has avoided feeling the pressure of the earlier generation, in part because Clive himself is such a detached leader of Spring Toys. Chase dreams of a career in football and barring (or after) that, one in journalism.

Chase is surprisingly well-adjusted. A good student and athlete, he is popular and well-liked. Friendly to all groups at the school the only ones who don’t like him are those that resent all that he has. Still, many keep him at a safe distance in terms of trust (either because they have him on a pedestal or because at the end of the day, he is a Cooper).

Some secrets and points of drama we may or may not encounter:

• Chase or Char has murderous tendencies (think serial killer). The viewer does not know which one it is, but the twins are so close that whoever the killer is it is not a secret from the other.
• The one secret that Chase and Char keep from one another is that they each are in a secret relationship with Mandy Lake.
• Chase is active with his school paper (on top of everything else). He might face a crisis of conscious when he learns something unsavory about Spring Toys. Family loyalty will conflict with journalistic integrity.
• While I’m slinging clichés – his sports career sets up all sorts of possibilities (shaving points due to betting; PEDs; all the classics).

Role in the narrative: I didn’t want the Coopers to all be villains, nor the Lakes to all be virtuous. So, Chase is my good-guy Cooper (provided, you know, he’s not a serial killer). Basically, I don’t know yet if he’ll be too good to be true, or surprising because he is a truly decent Cooper.

Abilities: Chase is a blessed individual – bright, athletic, self-confident and stable. He is a talented enough quarterback to succeed in the NCAA, though he isn’t likely to be NFL quality. He is a good factual writer – his articles are clear and concise.

Inspirations: A little more Friday Night Lights influence – Chase is kind of Jason Street at the beginning of the series (provided he is not the serial killer – if he is, he’s a little closer to the killers from Scream who hid it so well). A little bit of Brandon Walsh with the school paper stuff.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Thomas Lake (67)

Project: Nighttime soap (War of Joy)

Known as: No nicknames

Real name: Thomas Leonardo Lake (nee Szymkowiak)

Group affiliation: Lake family

Physical description: Thomas is in his early 50ies and is a ruffled, unkept sort of handsome. He has gray eyes and light brown hair (that seems eternally in need of a trim). He wears comfortable and loose-fitting clothes most of the time – usually with some odd bit of flair (e.g., a necklace of plastic beads made years ago by one of his children).

Personality: Thomas is an affable dude. Patient and easy-going, he was the primary caregiver to the Lake children. Liked by most people, Thomas wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s comfortable crying in public and Melody finds him embarrassing at times (though loving him thoroughly). Lately he has been a little moodier, as he is wondering if he will ever make his mark on the art world.

History: Thomas’ mother died in childbirth, leaving Thomas with an abusive father with anger issues. Thomas was a loving son but was not the child his father expected. Artistic and more overtly emotional, Thomas was never really understood by his father. Their one point of bonding was that Thomas’ father was a welder and Thomas was fascinated with working metal (Thomas’ father would be ultimately disappointed that Thomas turned this interest towards art).

College (Thomas was on scholarship) was a magical time for Thomas. He found a people who appreciated him for all the reasons his father felt distant from him. A few of his metal sculptures were very well received (one is on permanent display at the college) and it seemed that a career in art would be a possibility for him.

Even more life-affecting is that he met Joy Lake. It was lust at first sight and a steamy (but open) love affair erupted. They knew nothing long-term would come of it. Joy had to go back home and run the family business while Thomas was a free spirit who had no specific plan other than to (somehow) pursue his art. After years of on and off again, when facing graduation, the two of them had an unexpected realization: they were in love. Being unable to imagine life without each other, they got married.

They were both somewhat surprised to find out they were a great match. Joy had drive, providing the rudderless Thomas with some direction (and a partner whose love he never doubted). Thomas, meanwhile, was Joy’s rock – a stable, calm presence that centered her. As a result of this dynamic, and the belief that Thomas could do his art anywhere, they settled in West Spring so Joy could work at Dulac Toys. Thomas even took Joy’s name, Lake, as he never cared for his existing one (Szymkowiak), as a gesture of defiance and independence from his father, and due to his progressive nature.

Thomas went into an experimental phase with his art, losing some of the early momentum his career had in college. Soon the Lakes found that keeping Thomas in metal and other materials for his art was becoming challenging as money was tight. Thomas began to specialize in scrap metal art, another shift in his artistic sensibility. He was talented, but his career stalled as a scrap-metal artist in a small community.

When the children were born, his output further reduced. With Joy being so busy at Dulac, Thomas became primary caregiver and was very active in the children’s lives (PTA, scout leader, sports coach, etc.). While they were growing up, much of Thomas’ artistic drive was aimed at his children and their development.

Now Melody is full grown, and their second daughter will be heading to college soon. Thomas has started to feel restless and has begun resenting how his art career seemed sacrificed for Joy’s professional one (something he has never expressed before). Though they still get along well, there is some negativity brewing under the surface (between Thomas’ resentment and some guilt Joy has that she didn’t give family enough time.

In reality, Thomas is just going through some empty nest/mid-life crisis sort of stuff. He (and Joy) will come out the other side just fine, but in the meantime there will be some conflict and some odd behavior from Thomas (he might try out a more traditionally “manly” persona – not realizing he is working through his father issues).

Some secrets and points of drama we may or may not encounter:

• Thomas’ sculpture at his old college will be vandalized. After some investigation the case will be closed. We’ll find out it was Thomas who vandalized it; releasing some pent-up anger and as a statement of frustration that his past art career exceeds his current one.
• Thomas’ father will claim he (the father) has gotten is life on track and wants back in Thomas’ life. Time will tell if this is sincere or some sort of ploy.
• A few pieces of Thomas’ art will eventually become something of a fad at a nearby metropolis. Thomas will feel the lure of that city’s art scene, only to ultimately realize that the life he yearns for is false and shallow comparted to the life he already has.
• For some inexplicable reason, I feel like Thomas should eventually finds out he has an identical (but evil!) twin he never knew about.

Role in the narrative: Thomas is a great guy. Self-sacrifice and prioritizing others are his standard state of being. The problem comes in when he starts to question as to whether he was forced into self-sacrifice (his conflict mirrors Joy’s). Some self-acceptance issues will be expressed as anger with Joy for a while.

Abilities: Thomas is a talented metalworker and artist. He’s a fantastic dad and husband (at least, when he is feeling more himself).

Inspirations: Ramona and Beezus’ dad combined with the metal sculpting character from Friday Night Lights.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Liz Cooper (66)

Project: Nighttime soap (War of Joy)

Known as: No nicknames

Real name: Elizabeth Leigh Cooper

Group affiliation: Cooper family, Spring Toys

Physical description: Liz is in her 40ies and it is a little hard to know what she really looks like since she is always heavily “done up.” She is also usually drunk or high.

Personality: Liz has always had enough feelings for two people. Her highs are very high, and her lows are in the cellar. When she was young, she was prone to romantic flights of fancy and always felt she would end up traveling the world with the love of her life. When things didn’t work out that way, she started self-medicating.

History: Younger sister to Clive, Liz often felt invisible while growing up. This may have contributed to her making dramatic attention-seeking gestures. The Coopers became used to this but had to work hard to keep her more illegal moments from becoming an issue for the family. It turns out that the daughter of the employer of much of the town got a fair amount of latitude.

As Clive was the heir apparent, relatively little was expected of Liz. Especially after she began to have problems. Liz for her part most dreamed of escaping. Her dream was to find the love of her life and sail around the world. She had thought she may have found that love in high school – Steve Calhoun, star quarterback. A kindred spirit and thrill-seeker, he and Liz made a dangerous combo. A combo that resulted in Steve dead in a car accident and Liz pregnant with twins.

Though there was discussion of adoption, Liz very much wanted to keep her children. She replaced her dream of traveling the world with one of being a loving mother of adoring children. Unfortunately, her dedication to and focus on the children was spotty at best – it turned out raising children was a difficult job. Largely raised by a governess, Liz frequently took trips and sought other ways to try and fill her disquiet.

Finding that her quest to find happiness in others was not working out, she turned to drugs and alcohol. Ultimately, Clive hired a bodyguard (babysitter) named Frank whose primary job is to keep Liz alive and make sure she doesn’t get caught. Her children, meanwhile, view their mother as a needy challenge.

Some secrets and points of drama we may or may not encounter:

• The twins are not the biological children of Steve but his father’s (who may or may not have contributed to Steve’s death).
• Clive will try to have her committed at some point.
• The children will seek legal emancipation (only to be opposed by Clive).
• At some point Liz will get herself clean but will continue to pretend to be an addict. With Frank at her side, she’ll become a wild card in the war between Spring Toys and Dulac.

Role in the narrative: Liz is the type of character who always expected someone to give her happiness – and then was disappointed and angry when they don’t. This makes her a real challenge for the other characters. Eventually it will be that she has an untreated disorder and she’ll be able to get her life on track. However, she will hide this and be a twist in the company conflict down the road.

Abilities: Liz has some natural, unexploited intelligence. Otherwise her choices in life hasn’t granted her too many abilities (she can score drugs for you, if you ask nicely).

Inspirations: Addiction has so many elements of natural drama – in this case, I added a personality disorder. There are many addiction story lines in drama but I’m probably most directly influenced by a character in the Haunting of Hill House (which I watched recently; although he is a comparatively decent fellow).

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Melody Lake (65)

Project: Nighttime soap (War of Joy)

Known as: No nicknames

Real name: Melody Jane Lake

Group affiliation: Lake family, Dulac

Physical description: Melody is a young (recent college grad), attractive woman with long, straight red hair. She has striking blue eyes and a modern fashion sense.

Personality: Melody is a bit of a contradiction. She is very strong on social issues including feminism. She is among the first to stand up for an underdog, lead a protest march, or start a writing campaign. She came back to Dulac not to just support the family business but also because she believes that toys influence children and she wants more progressive designs.

On the other hand, when it comes to competing, she tends to exploit every advantage she can find. She believes the world is fundamentally unfair (especially to women – and of course she is right). As a result, she is not above some unfair behavior to balance the scales. For example, she is currently considering whether seducing Clive Cooper might not give Dulac an advantage it needs.

History: Melody is Joy and Thomas’ oldest child. Unlike the prior generation, this did not mean that Melody was targeted from birth to one day run the company. On the contrary, Joy wanted to give Melody a choice the she (Joy) felt like she was never given. Thomas was hoping that he might have a child with his artistic interests. Melody managed to subvert expectations – something she made a life of.

Melody always had a strong sense of justice and felt the world was unfair (it is possible the Lake’s victimization by the Coopers contributed to this). This made her stand up for the underdog and do many noble acts even as a youngster. Still, she favored the more aggressive side of activism and was a firebrand.

Her parents anticipated she would go into politics or become a full-time activist. She surprised them both by focusing on business and applying for a job at Dulac. Joy tried to talk her out of it (projecting her discomfort at being forced into the family business) but ultimately hired her as the best applicant (at the insistence of her second). Thomas was a bit disappointed that she didn’t show an artistic bend but was mollified a bit that she ended up heading the design department.

Melody presents quite a challenge for Joy. Left unchecked, Melody would aim for projects aligned with all issues: reusable materials, favorable labor conditions, designs with positive images for disadvantaged groups, boycotting of stores who have taken the wrong political stance, etc. Joy admires and agrees with Melody’s views, but also feels a little moderation is acceptable if it favors keeping the doors of Dulac open (Joy wants to move the ball; Melody wants it in the end zone yesterday). This causes some direct conflict with Melody (making Joy take positions she doesn’t completely agree with) and internal conflict for Joy.

As Melody’s passions and openness to “balance the scales” can sometime get the better of her, she is also engaging in some corporate espionage against Spring Toys – and may be being used in a similar way unbeknownst to her.

Some secrets and points of drama we may or may not encounter:

• She may end up under investigation for cheating at her university.
• Melody will ruin a business relationship with a key retailer who owners have a different political stance from her – jeopardizing Dulac’s future.
• There may be a fire at a key Spring Toys location – and Melody will be a prime suspect.
• She will have a dangerous flirtation with Clive. She will be deceptive and manipulative, feeling she is just using Clive’s unfair tactics against him. Clive will be surprisingly vulnerable to this, thanks to his unspoken and projected feelings for Joy.

Role in the narrative: Principle vs. pragmatism is something I ponder a great deal. I admire the purely principled (who inspire and drive change) but also people who take a pragmatic approach (who are quieter change agents). Really, I’m trying to show how two good people can still end up in conflict with one another. I also gave Melody a dark side, as this is a drama and Joy is pretty close to being too heroic already.

Abilities: Melody is smart, passionate, and an expert manipulator. She did inherit her father’s artistic side (she is quite the drawer), but hides this from everyone.

Inspirations: It wasn’t on purpose, but the name is pretty close to Melody Pond/River Song from Dr. Who. I was looking for a character that was a bit of a mix of our two extremes (Clive and Joy). I also admire change agents, but some personalities walk a dangerous path when their righteous fury can become merely fury (plus, she might be a little boring for a soap if she were merely heroic). So, my stab at making something of a contradiction.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Clive Cooper (64)

Project: Nighttime soap (War of Joy)

Known as: No nicknames

Real name: Clive Custer Cooper

Group affiliation: Cooper family, Spring Toys

Physical description: Clive is a handsome man in his early 50ies. He has some gray at the temples, but his skin is smooth and youthful. He exercises daily and is in great shape. He is usually dressed in custom made suits with expensive accessories. He exudes confidence.

Personality: Clive believes the world is his oyster and the world hasn’t done much too him to make him believe otherwise. A big fish in a small pond, he is at the top of the food chain in West Spring, IN. This has meant that anything of any importance has tended to work out for him. If a teacher gave him a better grade than he served because her spouse worked at his family’s factory, that was nothing to feel guilty about – just the natural order of things. He certainly believes there are classes of people and that few are in his class. He is completely self-centered and would sell out family, friends, and employees to his own benefit.  Why wouldn’t he?

History: Clive Custer Cooper was born when Spring Toys was thriving, and the money was flowing into his family freely. He didn’t want for much and was doted upon by family. Bright, charming, and handsome he quickly realized there were plenty of people that he could convince to do for him, and that hard work is for idiots and the lower-class. He cruised through life amazed at how easy winning was.

With one exception – Joy Lake. As the most attractive, intelligent, and academically successful girl his age, he thought it was manifest that they would be together (despite their families’ rivalry). Her obvious distaste for him completely befuddled him and only increased his yearning for her. Still, her tacit rejection of him angered him and he came up with the odd approach of competing with her and opposing her at every turn. At some level, he eventually thought his superiority would be made clear to her, resolving both his anger and his unrequited love (as once she realized how wonderful he was, she would be his).

This dynamic continued until today, when they are the heads of their families’ respective companies. At some unconscious level, he still feels like if he wins by destroying her company utterly, that will lead to their union. In the meantime, he is happy to play the field and is an unrepentant lecherous playboy.

Through no skill of his own, he just might reach his goal (well, for destroying Joy’s company; not necessarily getting Joy). His best friend, Ethan, runs the company by proxy and is a gifted business person. They are currently in negotiations with a major toy company to sell. The purchasing company plans to move all operations out of West Springs, which will be a big blow to the town. Furthermore, Dulac, oddly enough, has benefitted from being in the same town as Spring Toys, as it has sometimes inherited deals rejected by Spring (they just went across the street). It is also likely that the town infrastructure will collapse without Spring Toys, ultimately ruining Dulac as Joy would not consider moving it.

Little does Clive and Ethan know that Joy is aware of the deal and may have a few cards to play.

Some secrets and points of drama we may or may not encounter with Clive:

• Will he ever change his approach with Joy? Find out he has a soul? Tell her, even?
• Clive is unaware of the mole in Dulac, as that is all handled by Ethan. If it dawns on him that Ethan might be the one to truly defeat Joy, it will set off an odd jealousy and competitiveness with Ethan – which will not be good for Spring Toys.
• Clive may find out that his niece and nephew are in relationships with a Lake.
• As Clive is a jerk, he may get shot (hello, JR!).
• Clive will have problems with several of his spurned lovers – who have formed a club to bring him down.

Role in the narrative: Clive is the jerk antagonist.

Abilities: He’s smart and handsome but he has no work ethic and has never really applied himself. So he’s handy for sartorial advice, and is a skilled seducer, but not good for much else.

Inspirations: He’s something of an less-competent JR Ewing.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Note: Moving to a new project – War of Joy, a nighttime soap! Check out the index for an overview.

Joy Lake (63)

Project: Nighttime soap (War of Joy)

Known as: No nicknames

Real name: Joy Josephine Lake

Group affiliation: Lake family, Dulac toys

Physical description: Joy is a woman in her 50ies and is lean and striking. She is in shape, but it is a result of her constantly-on-the-go lifestyle and many responsibilities (versus gym time). While she does have very nice clothing reserved for meeting with other companies, she usually dresses business casual (or just plain casual).

Personality: Joy is driven and does more in a day than most manage in a week. A commensurate multitasker, she also exudes a cool confidence. Family, friends, and employees often seek her out for advice, as not only is her advice good but she seems to be an emotion sponge that leaves the seeker calmer and more collected after talking to her. She is both intelligent and a creative business person (Dulac would have closed long ago if not for her). She feels a great sense of responsibility to employees, family, and friends.

In her effort to meet her responsibilities as a business leader and family leader, she does have the habit of bottling up some things. She sometimes wonders what she could have been if the toy company hadn’t been practically forced upon her. This can lead to the occasional frustration explosion but only those closest to her ever see it. In reality she loves her company and her work (oddly, probably more so when there are problems to solve). She just hasn’t realized that it would have been the best choice for her, had she been given a choice.

History: Joy was born into a middle-class lifestyle but with big expectations. Her father (Stephano) had founded Dulac toys after he was ousted from Spring Toys by his former partner, Gabriel Cooper. Stephano had been the idea man and had thought he could start his own company and quickly defeat his former company. In reality, Stephano did have enough ideas to be a middling success, but Spring Toys would often just make slightly altered versions of Dulac’s most popular offerings and beat Dulac in the market. Still, Dulac did manage to find a niche, mostly selling hand-crafted and low-production run toys to mom and pop toy stores.

Dulac has a reputation in town for treating its employees well (most townfolk try to get jobs there rather than the larger Spring Toys). This, combined with its relatively low profits, have kept it treading water for years. Yet the success of the company meant so much to the family, the community, and to the feud with the Coopers that Joy was groomed to take over the company from a young age (as the oldest of the siblings).

Fortunately, Joy was bright and motivated. A natural leader, she exceled at school. Throughout her life her main rival was Clive Cooper, who was the same age. On about any dimension they competed – class president, grades, etc. One difference, however, was Joy held herself to standards while Clive was more than willing to use whatever underhanded approach he needed to win.

This rivalry continues to this day. Clive has less skill, intelligence, and drive – but more money and resources, and fewer responsibilities (e.g., no family). In an unfair world, this gives him the overall advantage. Meanwhile, Melody, Joy’s daughter, also works for Dulac and is trying to move the company towards more socially responsible products. Joy is therefore caught between staying competitive and doing the right thing.

Complicating matters is her husband, Thomas. Tom is a sculptor who feels like his art has taken a backseat to his duties as a husband and father (Joy is the primary wage earner with a job with bigger time demands). Now that their children are older (the youngest will go to college soon), Tom wants to pursue his sculpting in earnest. Though they love each other and have always had a good, cooperative dynamic, this seems to be an unresolvable problem (Tom wants to invest substantial time and money in his art; Joy feels like they can’t afford it and that she needs him at home).

Joy soon has to bet the company on a new line of toys. Between outmaneuvering Clive, trying to satisfy Melody’s social standards, and dealing with Tom’s problems, Joy is stretched pretty thin. Can she keep all the plates spinning? And how will she react when Clive (who she thought she sincerely dislikes) suddenly discloses that he has always loved her?

Some secrets and points of drama we may or may not encounter with Joy:

• Joy has reason to believe that she may be the biological child of Gabriel Cooper (it would explain the falling out between Gabriel and Stephano, among other things). Should she get a paternity test to confirm or deny? What would it mean with her relationship with Clive?
• Joy is convinced that there is a mole giving Dulac secrets to Spring Toys. Could it be her best friend and assistant? Her daughter, in anger for social compromise? Tom, to undercut the company? Her mentor? Someone she doesn’t even suspect? How will she catch them and handle them?
• She suspects that one of her children and one of the Cooper children are seeing each other. Does this make them candidates to be the mole? Should the family feud keep the young apart, or is it time to move past it? How will she react when she discovers that the situation is more complex – that a Lake is in love with TWO of the Coopers?
• A large company has expressed interest in acquiring Spring Toys. How will she play this? Offer up Dulac instead? Torpedo the deal, or manipulate things to make sure Clive gets the worst of it? What will ruining Spring Toys mean for the town?

Role in the narrative: Joy is our protagonist (the name of the show has double meaning) and the straw that stirs the drink. She is the moral person who feels a great responsibility to succeed in an immoral world. She will have many decision to make, including how to prioritize family, company, and self.

Abilities: Joy is a sharp business woman and creative problem solver. She is good with people. She is a master archer as well – and we’ll see if that becomes important to the story.

Inspirations: I really enjoyed the docu-series “The Toys that Made Us” on Netflix. I was often struck by how while the toys themselves were designed to provide some fun to kids (and, let’s face it, some adults), the business was as ruthless as any. I also love Ed Catmul’s book “Creativity, Inc.” It really locked into my head that while most people think the idea is important, it is more about how you iteratively improve the idea and collaborate. I took a little darker take on that, which matches some of my business observations. I don’t want to generalize too much, but the idea people often don’t feel appreciated enough, but also fail to recognize that there wouldn’t be a business without the business people (not all idea people have the entrepreneurial skill, drive, etc.). Meanwhile the business people can indeed take the idea people for granted (although the best ones don’t).

This will sound odd, but for Joy herself I think Buffy the Vampire Slayer was an influence. Born into a responsibility that she didn’t ask for, it is understandable that she sometimes finds that burdensome. On the other hand, Buffy was the perfect Vampire Slayer not just by assignment, but by inclination and skill as well. She didn’t ponder whether she should protect people because it was her job, she just did it instinctively. It’s like characters like these need time to realize that their destiny is also their calling. I’d like Joy to be something of an older Buffy – competent, caring, protective.

I’m somewhat going for a “Dallas” vibe here – but I’ll need to soap it up in other character descriptions.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for more of an overview of the characters.

Note: Taking a break from “Western Road Trip” (although the source material has plenty more if I need it). More villains for the Mizfits!

Counter (62)

Project: Comic (The Mizfits)

Known as: Counter

Real name: Jeremy Loast

Group affiliation: CounterAct

Physical description: Counter is usually in an oversized hoodie with the hood up (and his face in shadow). When someone gets a full view, his face is unremarkable (the most dominant feature is a prominent nose). His hair is brown and usually unkempt. He is tall, and his confidence gives him more presence than you would expect if you saw him walking down the street. He is thin and unmuscular.

Personality: Counter is a contrarian. He is ready for a fight at any time and about anything. If you assert that the sky is blue too strongly around him, he’ll debate it (what about when it is gray? At night?). He is (at least) low-grade angry and annoyed with the world and those in it all the time. Those who are around him for long enough will eventually hear him contradict himself. It’s not that he has passionate positions he holds; just that he’s passionate about arguing.

His most stable opinions tend to be on things that society most agrees upon. His tastes lean towards what people like the least. Surprisingly, he has drawn followers around him (those frustrated with the status quo). Even he has trouble disagreeing with people who agree with him. Several of his followers just want to take apart the status quo and others are just the oddballs that have nowhere else to be (e.g., the MinOnion).

History:  Jeremy Loast has reasons for not having faith in the system. His parents lost custody of him for drug and alcohol abuse, and drugs and alcohol were not the only things that they abused. An angry child he went from foster home to foster home. At school, kids found him an easy scapegoat for any misdeed they wanted to avoid blame for (the surely kid seemed like a plausible suspect). Once his reputation was established, he ultimately decided that if he was going to do the time, he might as well do the crime. Still, he took the fall for someone else on a theft that landed him in juvie.

In juvie things were worse. He wasn’t the angry kid – he was the weak one. Picked on an abused it never even occurred to him to complain to those running the facility. After all, no one in authority had ever helped him before. After he cleared juvie he went back to school but left before finishing high school. This led to a string of unsatisfying jobs. His nature made it difficult for him to hold a job where he had to interact with customers. So, he mostly worked manual labor jobs but even those didn’t tend to last (invariably he’d run afoul of his bosses).

He was a night janitor at an office building when All Saint’s Anarchy struck (when Boost’s powers amplified Random’s and the laws of reality got reshuffled). He came out of the event with an amazing power – he would instantly develop any power or skill necessary to counter any force used against him. At first, he was thrilled with the power but he soon realized that it was limited when he ever took the initiative. If someone tried to punch him in the face, then he would get super speed or invulnerability to avoid it. But if he punched the person first then his power failed him when he got punched back.

Never the point, only the counter point he ultimately realized he would need followers to take advantage of his abilities (he would never see them as comrades). Fortunately for him, his anger resonated with those who felt society was unfair to them and several of these had gotten gifts of their own. He became Counter, and started a group known as CounterAct. Their focus was to bring down the status quo while not believing in anything themselves.

Role in the narrative: Counter is the leader of one of the group of bad guys the Mizfits will have to deal with. He is sort of Puzzle’s opposite number. Where she is hopeful (because she sees how things go together), Counter mostly wants to break things apart.

Abilities: Counter has a very strange ability. If he did not initiate the conflict, he automatically develops any power or skill he needs to counteract any force or initiative against him. He doesn’t cancel or neutralize powers per se – he just develops a counteracting power. Were Swap to switch places with him, he’d just instantly develop the power to swap them back. If Break tried to hit him, he might become intangible. While he cannot control the what power he gets, he is able to use any power bestowed instinctively to counter his opponent.

At times his power is subtler. For example, one of the ways he remains in charge of his group is that any challenge to his leadership results in him developing the ability to speak or lead to maintain his leadership. However, his power fails him if he is the aggressor, which means exploiting his power is especially hard for him (the contrarian). For example, if he wanted to make sure he’d be immune to any bullets during a bank robbery, he needs to be careful to not be overtly threatening to anyone with a gun (or anyone, really – which makes bank robbing tricky).

It is possible to overload his power if enough assaults come simultaneously (especially if someone like say, Puzzle, can come up with a combo where the powers to counteract would be in conflict with one another). Another reason the Mizfits need to learn to work together.

Inspirations: I’ll give a shout-out to Nemesis Kid (from the Legion of Super Heroes) who developed any power he needed to beat an opponent. There was also a character in the Doom Patrol who was safe from any attack directed at him (but not from “splash damage”). Also, there is some Joker here (some people just want to watch the world burn). My Cousin Vinnie for loving arguing, maybe? A dash of Rebel without a Cause?