Alice's Antipathy

This story arc goes back to High School, featuring Alice



And here's a sneak peak at the first page:

I get the feeling that we are going to love to hate on her.

That sketch makes me think she's trying to beat Diana at her own game here.

Alice truly believes this.

Nice. Mirroring the start of Diana's arc.

I'm guessing this will be told mainly from Alice's POV?

I think it's safe to say that the vast majority of mentally stable people consider themselves a "good person". It largely has to do with how they view themselves and their actions. Take, for example, Diana. She has played the part of the 'hero' previously. Her ambitions, goals, friendships and challenges are all maximized while any flaws are minimized. how different would the story play if we do the opposite? I had a bunch written about that, but realized I might be fortelling the new arc so I deleted it. Suffice to say "I think we're going to find out."

"Good"? Yeah, right...

Trying to convince herself she is good even though she knows deep down inside she can't.

One of my awesome fiction professors has always insisted that a writer cannot see their characters as "good" or "bad," or as "sympathetic" and "unsympathetic." Only "complicated." Because that's what people are, and that's what makes them feel real and alive and interesting and what drives a story. This is kind of going off what Latrans said: most people will see themselves as protagonists (or as "good people") in their own lives, and which person the story follows influences how it portrays the characters and events. So as a writer and an analytically minded reader, I'm curious to see how Alice sees things (such as herself; she is telling the audience and/or herself that she is a good person, but what is her reasoning behind that, and why does she feel the need to say it?) and how her character may become more complex and fleshed out in this arc.

...But as a human reader I can totally get swept up in my visceral reactions to characters and become a Judging McJudgeypants. Especially with characters who exhibit/have exhibited superficial and/or catty behavior, which is one of my pet peeves and something that, if taken too far or handled poorly (especially in a stereotypical high-school-drama-esque way), feels not only exasperating but also flat-out unrealistic to me. 'Course, this is Ms. Natalie's work we're talking about, so I trust whatever of that may be present will be handled well. But depending on how Alice is portrayed here, I'll have either new-found interest in her or escalated dislike. Or maybe both. I look forward to finding out!

Page 410: Alice goes about her day

Oh goody, I like meeting characters families.

Bayrain wrote:Trying to convince herself she is good even though she knows deep down inside she can't.

Nobody is evil in their own mind

Just started wondering, females of that breed wear their ears like long hair, but what do the males do?

Reeally long side-burns?

kanna172003 wrote:

Bayrain wrote:Trying to convince herself she is good even though she knows deep down inside she can't.

Nobody is evil in their own mind

"I'm a good person.  ...when I want to be!"

...she's still pretty though!...

Geez, how long ago was this?

Hopefully, Diana won't show them up this time.

Page 411: Alice has a modest view of herself.

Hmmm, Which witch is which?

-Rubin.

Someone certainly has a high opinion of herself...

Hm... looks a like case of mistaken views on ones personal life.

I don't think this is a case of "mistaken views" nearly so much as it is opposing viewpoints. If not for the previous arc featuring Diana, I strongly suspect we would be rooting for Alice at the moment (even if wondering what horror is about to befall her world view). The point being that Alice may very well try to lead a good, productive life but because Diana's arc was from Diana's perspective, we didn't get to see it. From the other side, the situation may look very different.

[quote="Latrans"]I don't think this is a case of "mistaken views" nearly so much as it is opposing viewpoints. If not for the previous arc featuring Diana, I strongly suspect we would be rooting for Alice at the moment (even if wondering what horror is about to befall her world view). The point being that Alice may very well try to lead a good, productive life but because Diana's arc was from Diana's perspective, we didn't get to see it. From the other side, the situation may look very different.[/quote]
I couldn't find the right words, but yeah you hit the nail on the head.