Towards Antipathy
"Character Analysis Sheet 1"

This is just a little exercise I thought I would do to keep the characters of my series, Towards Antipathy, fresh in my mind. I'm posting it just to keep my audience aware that this story is still on my mind, and is continuing to be worked on. I've set a goal for myself, to have the pre publication draft, (the story currently posted on Yiffstar and Fur Affinity,) completed before next year. I've recently picked up a lot of my lost writing momentum, so I feel this is an attainable goal that I need to accomplish, and indeed, one that you, my reader, deserves.

Nathan : Nathan is the questionable hero of our saga. Before his arrival in the world of Towards Antipathy, he spent much of his life trying to find a place in the world. He struggled in school and was labeled as a troublemaker by most of the authority figures. The irony of his troubles in the public school system was that he was a very intelligent and driven person, just not driven in the ways the schools are tailored to drive individuals away from individuality and towards social collectivity. In an attempt to "reign in some of his wild hairs," his grandparents insisted he study under a tutor. Nathan was allowed to pick his field of study, so he chose Bushido. For two years of his early teens, he spent every weekday afternoon learning about the ways of ancient Japan, the methods applied even in modern times by the most successful businessmen and politicians of Japan. He even learned some Japanese swordplay, and carried his training boken with him everywhere he was allowed to from then on.

Nathan proved himself a capable follower when he enlisted in the military. He was an Airborne Infantryman for the United States Army, and saw several tours of duty in Iraq only a year after Operation Iraqi Freedom began. During his tinier, he was found to be a capable leader, and by the time he parted ways with the Army, he had achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant in his three years. He was captured and tortured by insurgents during his final tour of duty, losing four of the six in his squad when they were ambushed, and was in the company of Islamic extremists for five days before he was rescued by a Special Forces unit. He never even learned the names of his rescuers, something that weighed heavily on him. Shortly after his debriefing, he was scheduled for psychological exams in which he was found unfit for service. He was given a full honorable discharge at the age of 23, with no reserve time or option for reenlistment.

In the two years before the accident that sent him to Mellath, he bounced from job to job, not really settling well back into civilian life. His problems adjusting were further compounded when his grandmother died only three months after his discharge. The one thing that calmed him was a passion from his latter youth, cars. He built two cars for himself; one for the drag strip and another for circle track. He spent many sleepless nights in his garage, calming himself after waking up in a cold sweat from nightmares.

Nathan is cold and calculating, but his careful forethought is sometimes overruled by hotheadedness that, thus far, has worked to his advantage. He draws on his past training which is unique in the world he presently occupies, and his ability to see repressed traits in the freed servants to stumble his way through his endeavors, but to those with even the most basic understanding of psychology can see that he would not be able to function without significant counterbalance to his traumas and flaws. Whether or not this will be an Achilles heel, remains to be seen.

Arla : Arla is the first servant Nathan freed. She has a naturally sweet disposition; very caring and loving towards all those she is close to. Her only real drawbacks are her naivety and he fierce defense of Nathan. When someone questions Nathan in her presence, a well concealed temper makes itself known very quickly.

Arla's role in Nathan's army is to teach the freed servants about freedom. Many of them have come to look at her as a matriarch of the society that they're building. Arla's modesty luckily prevents her from being more than flattered, (and even makes her a little annoyed,) at this. She always has a kind word or a compliment to give to a fur, but tends to shy away when others do something for her, short of Nathan.

Her role to Nathan is to function as a vital moral anchor. She is a conscious to him, and even without realizing it, she keeps him on a morally correct path. Unfortunately for Nathan, (and most assuredly fortunate for her,) Arla is not with Nathan in the field. Nathan can switch off his moral compass when she's not around to guide him in person.

Nathan is her mate, and at present, she is her entire world. She loves him so dearly that the flaws others can see in the young man are completely oblivious to her. Arla is remarkably strong willed, but because of her extreme devotion to Nathan, he is one of the only people that can shape her direction. Nathan is aware of this, and though he loves her and would never directly take advantage of this, he does keep her in the dark about his more dubious undertakings.

Oscar : Oscar is a wolf that was trained as a squire by the best swordsman in the kingdom of Mellath. He was freed from servitude when Nathan killed his master with his aid. Oscar is extremely intelligent and knowledgeable. He was schooled in every way a knight of the era was, and his swordsmanship is completely unrivaled in Nathan's ranks.

Oscar is Nathan's most trusted advisor, and in many ways, tutor. Oscar teaches Nathan about the tactics and style of the Mellathian military, nobility structure, economy and was largely responsible for helping Nathan learn to read the script used by Mellath. Oscar drills Nathan's forces in the use of the sword. He worked with Nathan to combine the hand-to-hand taught by the United States Army with that of the Mellathian military.

Oscar is Nathan's conscious on the field. He does his best to reign in Nathan's rage, but Oscar is still Nathan's subordinate in the army, and when Nathan gives him an order, he follows it without question. Oscar is by far the most outspoken of Nathan's advisors, and often voices his objections when he feels Nathan is making a poor decision. Even though Nathan would reprimand him for doing so in front of the troops, Nathan secretly admires this trait in his captain, and is grateful there is someone who will "keep him in check."

Brutus : Brutus was freed from servitude when Nathan returned to the Balthas estate to free the servants. Brutus is a grizzly bear, very large in stature, and very strong. Brutus has an inherent wisdom about him, and carries himself with a confident air that most of the furs lack.

Brutus was seen as a father figure to many of the servants at the estate, and he carries that over into his command style and everyday life amongst the free furs. At present, his character hasn't been devolved to the point where his character traits and flaws are very visible, so I'll leave a more detailed analysis for a later time.

Logan : Logan is a bull that was freed from Autumn. He's a very strong but soft-spoken commander, and commends respect from those who do not know him by his sheer size, and those who do by his surprisingly gentle demeanor.

Logan is a confident commander on the field, and is not afraid to put himself in front of his troops. Sometimes he puts himself at unnecessary risk when it comes to the furs under his command, sacrificing his personal safety to himself between harm and them. Due to his massive size and stature, he wields a large greatsword with one paw, often carving a way through the lines of the enemy so his unit can outflank the enemy from the inside out.

As an advisor to Nathan, Logan rarely offers any. Through no fault of his own, he is by far the least knowledgeable. After all, when you're bred for slaughter, there isn't much need in teaching you much. Logan regularly attends the classes that Nathan, Oscar, Arla and Tasha organized to further his education so that he can be more useful to his savior. He has a slight inferiority complex, but Nathan has never looked down on him. Nathan is stern with him as with all of his captains, but greatly values Logan's potential and judgment.

Davis a.k.a Tail : The best, (or at least the most entertaining,) character for last. Davis was a brothel skunk in Autumn. He'd spent the majority of his life working in the brothel, so he is very worldly wise. Most of his clients were, of course, male, so he tends to be flamboyant. His promiscuous lifestyle, (albeit forced,) has always served him, and tends to add to his natural charm.

Davis isn't the most competent commander, but what he lacks in talent, he makes up for in sheer effort. Being a very slender framed male with a prior occupation that wasn't too physically demanding, Davis isn't the strongest fur on the field. At Nathan's insistence, he attends ever Physical Training session, and every swordsmanship and hand-to-hand class. His advice to Nathan usually consists of how bad his cloak clashes with the present tunic he's wearing, and even though Nathan rarely takes his advice, he still appreciates the thought and the effort.

Davis is one of Nathan's closest friends, and even asked Davis to be the surrogate donor for he and Arla's kit. Davis asked Nathan if he would take him as a mate, to which Nathan respectfully declined, but he still harbors a very deep attraction for Nathan. Davis represses these feelings, but luckily has an outlet in his former coworker, Tasha.

To summarize Davis in a few words, even though it may seem somewhat clich comedic relief.

In closing; I would like to thank all of the dedicated and loyal readers of the series, and wish for your continued support and patience, (I know I'm asking a lot, you have been more than patient with me thus far in my long delay,) but I promise the next chapter is coming. After a few more releases, I'll update this with character some of the more notable characters I left out. The story has indeed progressed quite a ways, but still has a long way to go. The characters have a lot more growing, developing, interacting and reacting to one another to do. I am looking forward to putting these events to paper, as I'm sure if you read this non-yiffy dribble on a website dedicated to smut, you're looking forward to seeing.

Thank you again, for all your kind words, the fan art, the emails, the ratings and favorites, and the fellow authors who've inspired, critiqued and proofed this tale for me. I will strive to continue to spin the threads of my imagination for you all to enjoy.

- Mog Moogle.