Literary Tools Used In KaE I: Righteous Ambition (Patreon)

I've done quite alot of sharpening my writing skills and wanna start a sort of...diary? Log? I dunno what to call it, but I wanna explain some of the things ill be using in KaE, explaining my thought process regarding these writing tools and maybe it could help your writing sessions as well!

Honestly? This is me being pretentious, but I think it could be good fun, and something that I can look back on when I need to.

Let's dig right in.

In KaE, there will be a recurring device that ill be using alot to help explain character's actions. That device, Righteous Ambition, is just a cool way of shortening "Everyone's the hero of their story".

^Handsome Jack, Borderlands

Ambition, fueled by "knowing" you're in the right.

I think there's plenty of ways I can showcase how utterly terrifying that way of thinking is through the story, and how the MC, that is you the reader, will participate in this (un)knowingly.

Frank Herbert, author of Dune, said something that I believe will best summarize how Righteous Ambition will be used in Kingdoms and Empires.

"It is not that power corrupts, but that it is magnetic to the corruptible."

While I think that's all fine and philosophical, I also think "Power Reveals".

You don't have to be a president, king, or etc to showcase what a dick you are. You can be a shift manager who just a day ago was one of the peers that wields the new position as a tyrant.

That right there is what I want you to remember. Any normal person can be given a normal managerial position and they'll soon start the bullshit they themselves were decrying just days ago when they were one of the normal peeps.

The Righteous Ambition Onion:

Now, I know media literacy is dying and all, but as readers of IF, I'm assuming that you guys are able to see the multiple layers to Frank Herbert's quote and how it can apply to multiple things at once.

Layer 1) The Obvious Layer. It takes the old saying of absolute power corrupting and changes it to place the blame on the seekers, not power itself.

Layer 2) The Writer's (unnecessarily complicated) Layer. This is the layer writers such as myself like to play around in, since we can pretend to be smarter than we really are. The truth of the matter, is that we like it cause it lets us weave a story that entertains! Example: Are corruptible characters at heart possessing of evil intentions? Is the potential/capability to do great harm evil in itself? Or can one only be good by being harmless? Shit like that

Layer 3) The Holier Than Thou Layer. If one is corruptible, that would mean that they already possessed the needed "ingredients" to have anything to corrupt in the first place. Power amplifies and exposes personality traits that already exists within a character. It merely reveals their innate tendencies, but it does not corrupt.

Layer 4) The Full Circle Layer. You'd rather place the blame on the power itself. It attracts, so it is a trap. Kinda boring, unless of course you use the quote to help you make something interesting in an attempt to surprise by making the power literally capable of corrupting people.

The above is all my own opinion, and I'm certain many of you will have your own thoughts and opinions. I encourage it!!!

But how that quote above relates to Righteous Ambition is simple. If a character wants to change something, defend something, achieve something, do anything, they will need power.

But what exactly is Righteous Ambition?

Righteous Ambition is a narrative device or character drive that is often used to explore complex themes of morality, power, and justice (that bit about justice is super important). It typically involves a character's firm belief in the righteousness of their goals, which they pursue with intense zeal and traditionally at significant personal and ethical costs (especially if you want to make a cautionary tale or initially sympathetic to now tragic character). This ambition/goal allows writers worth a damn to delve into the gray areas of morality and the consequences of actions driven by seemingly noble causes.

Of which will absolutely thrive in an interactive game where your choices matter.

Of which we will see many times within KaE.

Examples of Righteous Ambition in Across Media

I initially wanted to use characters that're traditionally seen as heroes and villains, but nahhh that's too English Major'y and wouldnt be me. Instead ima use my personal favs who showcase how complicated Righteous Ambition can be.

You can absolutely make the argument that their storylines have the admittedly huge shadow of "destiny" or whatever hanging above them, but we aint here to discuss that. We're here to discuss how Righteous Ambition could be used as a literary device!

Paul Atreides has Prescience (ability to see possibilities), and is shoved into taking the shady worm juice by the weird bald browless man who was destroying the Fremen communities.

Eren Jeager has memories of the future from the Attack Titan that shoves him into traveling down the path of a monster.

Anakin Skywalker is the Chosen One who is shoved into being Space Jesus by emotionally distant monks with cool swords.

But we aint here to discuss "Destiny" as a literary device!

Paul's Righteous Ambition is trying to restore his house that had been betrayed, protect his mother and unborn sister, protect the Fremen people, and take down those that had betrayed his father. He is morally right in wanting to do these things, and you'd be hard pressed to find someone that disagrees.

https://youtu.be/DcwUJhDJet4?si=FgpLj01dqE4x8VVZ When Paul crosses his Rubicon.

Paul's speech is by far one of the most memorable scenes in the two Dune movies, and for good reason. There is no fight scene, there is no deaths, and it is mostly him talking and revealing the web search histories of the people in the crowd. Here, you can see Dennis Villanueva (the director) wanted audiences to think, "Holy shit, he's doing it. There's no going back." Frank Herbert was warning us of dangerously charismatic people like Paul. Especially when they tell us what we want to hear, and we disregard the consequences.

Eren's Righteous Ambition is the killing of all Titans for terrorizing humanity for so long. He wants Freedom for all those inside the walls, and he doesn't want humanity to be prey, and instead be the hunter. This soon morphs, but fundamentally stays the same as he then only wishes to protect his friends, who to him represent humanity inside the walls so to speak.

https://youtu.be/9QH4FGy6_HY?si=9tKoteHj8wTll7Cs When Eren crosses his Rubicon.

We can pretty much see the moment Eren commits, as his body reacts to the final realization. That twitch of his eye as he hears Willy Tybur saying, "I don't want to die, because I was born into this world." sorta seals it for him. Eren believes the same, and in that moment he realized that the people outside the wall would kill his friends as they saw the Devils of Paradise as a direct threat to that right to life. Just as how he sees them. "I knew it, I really am the same as you." He wasn't saying it to Reiner. He was saying it to Willy Tybur, the physical representative of the people outside the walls. Just as he would kill to protect his friends, those outside the walls will kill to protect their own. And then he physically, narratively, and decisively commits to his Righteous Ambition. It is no surprise to also recognize this as the scene in where the narrative flips to have the Devils of Paradise be the attackers this time around. Again, one of the most memorable scenes in an anime/manga that is full of them.

Anakin's Righteous Ambition is to save those he loves, and change things around him as he keeps seeing the bureaucratic failures of the corrupt Republic keep hurting the very people he is fighting to protect.

https://youtu.be/XkQJGoLh7K0?si=A5xnA6ljnr9kZyPM When Anakin crosses his Rubicon.

The Jedi failed him, the government he fought for failed him, and he wants to change things. The Jedi made children (Padawans) fight in a war, told him he couldnt have sex with Natalie Portman, and kept saying shit in riddles while not offering actual advice. The government was corrupt, and kept wasting resources, lives, and the efforts/sacrifices of those fighting their war. So he goes all in to wipe the slate clean and start from anew. He wanted to bring peace, freedom, justice, and security to his new empire. And, weirdly enough, he actually did. He ended the Clone Wars, killed the Separatist leadership, purged the Jedi Order, and overthrew the government. Sadly though, he couldnt save those he loved. And that Obi Wan fight happened.

Plus...

The moment the character crosses the Rubicon is usually one of the best scenes in the story.

Righteous Ambition allows storytellers to explore a spectrum of ethical questions. Characters driven by such righteousness provide a lens through which audiences can examine the impacts of extremism in the pursuit of a perceived good. This device can be particularly effective in creating complex characters who are not easily classified as purely heroic or villainous.

Basically, it creates extremely entertaining characters.

I mean, think about it.

Dual Goodies

Ethical dilemmas: Characters with righteous ambitions often face difficult choices, pushing them to prioritize their goals over their morals or relationships. That shit tugs at the heartstrings and asks the reader "Would you do this?"

Audience sympathy: Righteous ambition can make even a villain's motivations understandable, if not sympathetic, allowing readers to engage more deeply with the narrative, I or other authors, are trying to spin.

In both protagonists and antagonists, Righteous Ambition serves as a catalyst for action and conflict. It drives plots and influences relationships and character development. It challenges characters and readers alike to consider the costs of achieving one's goals and the line between right and wrong.

So!

Kingdoms and Empires' narrative troubles will come from our characters all believing they're in the right. The MC will have to choose between characters, and destroy the hopes and dreams of the ones they don't choose. Think Fire Emblem: Three Houses but with sex, murder, betrayal, and violence!