more cross-posted BSG thoughts
Because judging from the response to my last post, WOW, there still is an audience on LJ for me to ramble about BSG! BLESS YOU ALL.
Going in a totally different direction, you've long known my interest in sorting characters into arbitrary Hogwarts houses, ASOIAF clans, seven dwarves, and so on. It was only a matter of time before this thing of 12 common archetypes apparently based on Carl Jung (though I've seen different versions of the list) made its way around fandom, seen here applied to Doctor Who (gif warning - and shockingly accurate) and here applied to Mass Effect (less perfect but the last one won me over).
12, you say? HEY NICOLE, DON'T YOU KNOW 12 OF SOMETHING?
(Again, I'm paraphrasing a lot from the above website which has some little facts about each type, their driving motivations, fears, etc.)
Cavil The Rebel desires revenge or revolution, to overturn what isn’t working. strategy to disrupt, destroy, shock. danger of crossing over to the dark side. talent for outrageousness.
Leoben The Magician desires to understand the laws of the universe, to make dreams come true. fears unintended consequences of their actions. can be manipulative. visionary, catalyst, charismatic.
D’Anna The Sage desires to find the truth, to use intelligence to understand the world. fears being duped and misled. wisdom, intelligence, thinker.
Simon The Caregiver desires to help and care for others, compassion, supporter. danger of being a martyr.*
Doral The Jester desires to live in the moment, lighten up the world. fears being boring. trickster, comedian.**
Six The Lover desires intimacy and experience, being in a relationship/surroundings they love. fears being alone, unwanted, unloved. most likely to change identity to suit others. sensualist.
Sharon/Eight The Explorer desires freedom to discover self through the world; to find better, more authentic and fulfilling life. autonomy, ambition, individualist. can be a misfit or wanderer.
Saul The Hero desires to prove their worth through courageous acts, to be strong and competent. fears weakness, cowardice, vulnerability. can be arrogant and quick to fight. dragon slayer.
SamThe Innocent desires to find paradise, to be happy, to do things right. can be seen as naive or boring. optimist, mystic, romantic.
ToryThe Ruler desires control, to create a prosperous community. strategy: to exercise power. fears chaos, being overthrown. can be too authoritarian. leader, administrator.
Galen The Orphan desires to connect to others, to belong, not stand out in a crowd. seen as having ordinary solid values, ‘down to earth’, ‘common touch’. shows realism, empathy, lack of pretense. also known as the everyman, regular guy.
Ellen The Creator desires to create things of enduring value, realize a vision. danger of bad solutions. talent and appreciation for creativity, artistry.
*this one would be more shaky without “The Plan” existing, since on the one hand he’s shown to consistently be in ‘caregiving’ positions as a medic, but that’s also a cover to hide MUCH creepier and less altruistic motivations. however, I like to think of that one Simon who proved to be genuinely caring and empathetic to his unexpected human family.
**I made a lot of jokes about Doral being the hardest one to place, since his most character-defining moment was explaining the color of his suit, and the only other thing he did in my memory was poke Baltar with a metaphorical stick a lot. So there you go, I'm sure he and his creepy perma-smirk would be satisfied with this.
Going in a totally different direction, you've long known my interest in sorting characters into arbitrary Hogwarts houses, ASOIAF clans, seven dwarves, and so on. It was only a matter of time before this thing of 12 common archetypes apparently based on Carl Jung (though I've seen different versions of the list) made its way around fandom, seen here applied to Doctor Who (gif warning - and shockingly accurate) and here applied to Mass Effect (less perfect but the last one won me over).
12, you say? HEY NICOLE, DON'T YOU KNOW 12 OF SOMETHING?
(Again, I'm paraphrasing a lot from the above website which has some little facts about each type, their driving motivations, fears, etc.)
Cavil The Rebel desires revenge or revolution, to overturn what isn’t working. strategy to disrupt, destroy, shock. danger of crossing over to the dark side. talent for outrageousness.
Leoben The Magician desires to understand the laws of the universe, to make dreams come true. fears unintended consequences of their actions. can be manipulative. visionary, catalyst, charismatic.
D’Anna The Sage desires to find the truth, to use intelligence to understand the world. fears being duped and misled. wisdom, intelligence, thinker.
Simon The Caregiver desires to help and care for others, compassion, supporter. danger of being a martyr.*
Doral The Jester desires to live in the moment, lighten up the world. fears being boring. trickster, comedian.**
Six The Lover desires intimacy and experience, being in a relationship/surroundings they love. fears being alone, unwanted, unloved. most likely to change identity to suit others. sensualist.
Sharon/Eight The Explorer desires freedom to discover self through the world; to find better, more authentic and fulfilling life. autonomy, ambition, individualist. can be a misfit or wanderer.
Saul The Hero desires to prove their worth through courageous acts, to be strong and competent. fears weakness, cowardice, vulnerability. can be arrogant and quick to fight. dragon slayer.
SamThe Innocent desires to find paradise, to be happy, to do things right. can be seen as naive or boring. optimist, mystic, romantic.
ToryThe Ruler desires control, to create a prosperous community. strategy: to exercise power. fears chaos, being overthrown. can be too authoritarian. leader, administrator.
Galen The Orphan desires to connect to others, to belong, not stand out in a crowd. seen as having ordinary solid values, ‘down to earth’, ‘common touch’. shows realism, empathy, lack of pretense. also known as the everyman, regular guy.
Ellen The Creator desires to create things of enduring value, realize a vision. danger of bad solutions. talent and appreciation for creativity, artistry.
*this one would be more shaky without “The Plan” existing, since on the one hand he’s shown to consistently be in ‘caregiving’ positions as a medic, but that’s also a cover to hide MUCH creepier and less altruistic motivations. however, I like to think of that one Simon who proved to be genuinely caring and empathetic to his unexpected human family.
**I made a lot of jokes about Doral being the hardest one to place, since his most character-defining moment was explaining the color of his suit, and the only other thing he did in my memory was poke Baltar with a metaphorical stick a lot. So there you go, I'm sure he and his creepy perma-smirk would be satisfied with this.