Not Another Paranormal Detective

 -Creating a Character-

Creating a character is like taking care of a plant; you gotta put time and care into nurturing them. Some of the richest characters in fiction only got to where they are because people cared about them. Their stories, their voice, their actions. That's the powerful thing about fiction, with the right character and the right story; something small can become something legendary, timeless, and relevant.

Now-contrary to the previous soapbox-I am not good at taking care of plants. I had a cactus once. Those are meant to be easy. I have created a lot of characters for my books, but few are characters I've revisited and created new stories for. One such example of a revisited character is Christopher Fable and Barreaus.

-The Detective-

Christopher Fable is the main character of "Inside Job" (featured in Addiction 2 Fiction; Volume 2) and "The Rub" (featured in Addiction 2 Fiction; Volume 3). He also makes his very first appearance in Chapter 21 of "Pavement".

As for who this guy is, well, he's a paranormal detective. A played-out trope, maybe, but I do enjoy a mix of crime noir and the supernatural. Fable is a gruff, shambling man of indeterminate age. He has colleagues on the police force, he's got friends in the community, and he knows some movers and shakers in the paranormal atmosphere.

Growing up, I was always a fan of detective stories. I read a lot of Spenser books by Robert B. Parker and Ace Adkins, and I watched a lot Columbo compilations. "SVU" when I was older, "Scooby Doo" when I was younger. And, of course, Batman was a big influence on me. Even if the movies I grew up with had absolutely no sleuthing.

Fable may be rough around the edges, but the most likable gumshoes usually are. I wanted to create a character with plenty of knowhow, but also someone who could be outgunned or pushed over with not much trouble. Very much more of a mouth than a force. That takes us to Fable's begrudging partner.

-The Demon-

Barreaus is a lesser demon from Hell. No other way to slice it really. Barreaus is weak by Hell standards, but a nightmare here on our world. His soul is bound to Fable, meaning he exists inside of Fable's soul. He experiences everything Fable does and he doesn't hesitate to complain inside of Fable's head about it. The reason Fable is so to-be-determinedly old is because the two of them are bound together.

If Fable is in a pinch, he can perform a spell to have Barreaus possess his body. While in control, Barreaus grants said body with superhuman strength, speed, and agility. He can survive most attacks and even generate heat from inside his body. Barreaus knows as much about spells and magic as Fable does, but Barreaus is also a monster who really only ever aids Fable for his own self interests.

The main influence behind Barreaus was Etrigan The Demon, a comic book character created by Jack Kirby in 1972's "The Demon". I suppose there's a little Todd McFarlane's Spawn in there too, but that can't be helped; my father had a huge Spawn collection when I was a kid. The idea of an evil demon being used for feats of heroism appeals to me. It's the most roundabout example of something bad being ultimately good.

-The Drive-

Fable and Barreaus could have been characters I came up with and dropped a second later, but what about them makes me want to write more stories? There is this part in "The Rub" where Barreaus is in control and he thinks he has found a way to separate himself from Fable. Doing this results in not separating and stranding them somewhere in Russia.

In the same story, the daughter of Fable's friend asks him if he's going to move in with them and Fable can't give the girl a solid answer. When he talks to the Mom and they agree Fable doesn't want that; he gets out of having to break it to the girl.

I enjoy the ebb and flow with these characters. How much they know, how much they can do, and how much they accomplish, but at the end of the day they aren't a team; they're obligated to make room for each other. They have to rely on each other. No matter how many times Fable makes a fool out of himself or Barreaus breaks something he shouldn't, they find a way to come out on top. They're not only an unlikely duo, they're unlikely to function.

I like exploring that relationship. I like writing Barreaus to be a terrible creature and I like writing Fable as the kind of guy who fails upward. And when you design a character you like to write, designing their look or their background becomes secondary. All you have to do is find that voice.

Thank you for reading.