Character deep dive: Dare
A look at readers' favorite sarcastic scoundrel / bi disaster / walking bad decision
Welcome to my character deep dives, where I take a detailed look at one of the main characters in my emotional epic fantasy series and what makes them tick. We’re starting off with my series main character, whose arc spans all books (minus the prequel): Dare.
Archetype: the scoundrel with a heart of gold
Dare is best described as one of my all-time favorite archetypes: the scoundrel with a heart of gold. He’s a thief and a bit of a con artist. He’s sarcastic and snarky, often knowing when he should keep his mouth shut, but not doing it. And he tries to play it cool and act aloof, but that’s just his armor. Underneath it all, he cares despite himself. And honestly, he kind of hates it.
He’s also the master of talking himself into bad decisions. But because he tries to convince himself that he’s better off alone, he can end up sabotaging himself just when things start going well. His mental gymnastics can be frustrating to read at times, but his heart’s (usually) in the right place.
Inspiration and similar characters
I mentioned about that “scoundrel with a heart of gold” is one of my all-time favorite archetypes. Dare was inspired in large part by three major characters: Hans Solo from Star Wars, Flynn Rider from Tangled, and the less well-known Diarmuid from The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay (PS, this is my favorite book series ever, and if you haven’t read it yet, please do).
Other characters who didn’t necessarily provide inspiration but certainly fit the vibe include Jaskier from The Witcher, Jax from the webseries The Amazing Digital Circus, Nathan Drake from Uncharted, and Gambit from X-Men.
Aesthetic
Dare’s aesthetic can best be described as “dashing rogue with an undercurrent of existential crisis.”
Songs that fit the vibe
If you’re more of an auditory processor, here are a few songs that fit Dare’s vibe very well.
How Dare got into this mess
In my emotional epic fantasy novel Fire’s Hand, Fate’s Heart, Dare is hired alongside Verity and Drystan to infiltrate a secretive kingdom and bring back information. But his companions are noble, honorable Wardens of the Flame, and Dare is … not. Despite wanting nothing to do with the Wardens or with the mission, Dare doesn’t have a choice. Because it’s not just about the coin. Someone’s pulling his strings. And while his true employer expects a certain degree of loyalty—and fear—to keep Dare in line, they’re not counting on his heart to win out over his sense of self-preservation.
Tell me what you think
Let me know what you think of Dare or other characters like him. Are you a fan of the lovable rogue type, or are you more for the honorable warrior? (Hint, we’ll be talking about that one soon.)
If Dare sounds like a character you’d enjoy, or if all this talk of caring scoundrels and emotional epic fantasy piqued your interest, check out Fire’s Hand, Fate’s Heart, book one of the Five Fates series. Book two and a series prequel are also out now (all available in Kindle Unlimited), and book three will be coming out soon.