Who is the moral compass in your fiction?

[Zagaroth]

Most of my protagonists represent aspects of a moral compass, but one of the clearest/strongest examples would be Kazue.

She's an adorable and sweet kitsune who wants to cuddle with her cute animal friends and curl up with a book and a cup of hot tea (or cocoa, once introduced to chocolate), and at night is happily snuggled (and other things) with her husband and her wife (she's usually the one in the center).

If you can well and truly enrage her to the point that she snaps with violence, you have been living a wrong life. She is peaceful, not harmless, especially once her spouses start training her in how to really find and use her strengths, and do a little bit of work to shore up her weaknesses.

Even worse than her snapping with rage: Kazue willing embarks on a training expedition with her family that involves weeks of trekking through ever increasing danger and discomfort in order to strengthen herself enough to then go on a shorter but just as miserable (and in some ways worse) expedition with the goal of taking down the antagonist.

It is technically not her true goal, nor the most important goal for anyone else on that trip, but it is part of the complete picture of how the most important goals are going to be accomplished.

You know this guy F'd up. All I am going to say is at the chapter when the antagonist is revealed to the reader (though not yet to the protagonists), most of the comments on that chapter were along the lines of "I am looking forward to this guy's death."

 

[empalgepuk]

Either my two protagonists, or most of the clerics. I based the moral code of the clerics (and the templar knights) off the Makai Order from Garo.

 

[Author_Riceball]

Who is the Moral Compass in Your Fiction?​

Moral compasses are characters who embody human values in a fictional world. They are the people whose presence reminds the world (and readers) that humanism still lives in a fictional world, even in a dark world or in an apocalyptic world.

They can usually be played by anyone, whether a kind grandfather, an innocent little girl, a young mother who loves her children, a victim of violence moving on from the past, or even a repentant criminal. Essentially, their characters revive human values in fiction, preventing it from descending into total nihilism.

They are beacons amidst the darkness of the world. Their presence provides the soul for a fictional world to live and have meaning. They are not always good characters, but rather characters who persevere, maintaining morality and humanity when the world is lost and shaken by immorality.

An iconic example of a moral compass is Samwise Gamgee (LOTR). He is neither a knight nor a wizard; he is simply an ordinary man, a gardener living in the Shire. He is a loyal companion who accompanies the main protagonist (Frodo) on his journey from beginning to end. Even when Frodo banished him, Sam remained loyal and selfless.

Sam became Frodo's moral compass, helping him remain human, despite the corruption of the One Ring. Even on Mount Doom, when Frodo nearly succumbed to extreme exhaustion, Sam didn't abandon him. He simply said:


Sam couldn't bear the sins of the world like Frodo, who could hold the One Ring, but he could carry his friend, who was nearly drowning in sin. He wasn't the one who bore the sins, but he saved humanity, who was almost falling into sins. This is the definition of a pure moral compass.

The LOTR case is unique because its moral compass is embodied in a single iconic character who remains unchanged from beginning to end. However, in modern fiction, moral compasses are relatively more dynamic. They can be in the hands of anyone, depending on who is willing to uphold human values and bring them to life through humane actions.

For example, empathy, love, forgiveness, refusing revenge, and even small acts that reject dehumanisation. In essence, a moral compass is the soul of humanity in fiction. My questions are:

1. Does your fiction have a moral compass?
2. Which characters typically play the role of the moral compass in your fiction?
3. Do you have an iconic character who symbolises the moral compass (like Samwise Gamgee) in your fiction?
4. What human values do you often narrate (whether you realise it or not) in your fiction? (e.g., empathy for suffering, compassion, helping those in need, etc.)

There is no moral compass.

 

[DireBadger]

Honestly, as a smut writer my moral compass is usually my little friend.

Arguably, as a smut writer, your moral compass is FAR more important than most 'typical' writers. It is not in the same place as 'default' culture, so making it both something people can appreciate and empathize with is both challenging and critical.