Michael: the main protagonist

 

Thumbnail: A beta-male. Limp, into his music/role player/gamer, perhaps on the pretentious side, trying to make his way, prey to being used, even though he knows it's happening. He is perceptive enough to understand it, not strong enough to stop it.

Character Arc: He is perceptive. the shadow keeps him weak and he cannot act - he does not want to act. Something nudges him, and he starts to gather strength. the change is gradual, but what begins it? the shadow tempts him away from action with the promise of happiness that it pretends to give. The revelation of the hollow shell of this happiness is what tips him, finally, into action.

Key Motivations/psychology: Beta-male. He needs to perceive, to understand and see more than others - that is how he generates his own sense of self-worth, but it leads to him putting others down. The positive path for him would be to be strong and balance his perception (which is real but can be seen as cynical) with action. There is a hole in his life, and he thinks that rather than acting, this can be filled with 'happiness', which he reads more narrowly as getting what he wants - love, and someone to share his life with, though in the past this has ended badly. He pursues what he wants without empathy. He is a gamer, likes to see things in terms of numbers and rules - the predictability is comforting. Autistic spectrum? He is in pain. He dodn't understand why persuing happiness makes him unhappy, and we need to see a sympathetic portail of this struggle.

Why is he independent of the shadow???

Physical description: Slight, thin, and effort at 'non-fashion'. Gaunt underfed look - too much junk food whilst playing board games (Mansions of Madness). Not outdoors-type individual. Gamer physic, but how not to make him a cliche? 

Backstory: His father sent him away, knowing full well what was going on - got him out of the way so that he could grow up not under the influence of the Shadow. The father was always supposed to join him, but never did. Why??? What happened to the Mother??? This physical separation, and the fact that he didn't grow up in Lowermouth explains his freedom from the shadow. The hotel remained owned by the father, but boarded up. Michael does expect to inherit it, but the father disuades him. The son then proceeds to read a degree ??? Psychology ??? Journalism ???? meets the Urb-exer who is doing journalism. She gets interested in the ruined hotel, and persuades him to take her there. 

 

Relationship to others: His cousin is Francine Maes, who he is scared of, but awed by. He takes everything she says at face value, even when it is lies and exaggeration, and puts himself down by comparison with her at all times. To listen to him, you'd think he hated/despised her, but he cannot help the admiration sneaking out.

His love interest is the Urb-exer, but he doesn't realise (but he is perceptive, so this is wrong????), though we do, that she isn't interested in him, but rather is using him.

Inconsequential Details: Hoodies. Role player and gamer, old video games. Board games. Into his 80's revival.