Act 1
DG (Delta Guy) leads a pretty normal life, but is good at one thing in particularHe has a PG (Pretty Girl) who he really likes, and is on again and off again as he chases her
PG is pretty, not hot, wholesome, and DG comments he really doesn’t deserve her
GE (Great Evil) is introduced and may be led by an evil man but is larger than one person
DG cannot ignore the GE and is called to action
Act 2
DG goes through a series of trials testing his mental and physical limits as he fights the GEDG worries about PG and they stay in contact throughout He vows to marry her if he gets through it and she remains loyal despite his absence
AL (Alpha Leader) is introduced who the DG admires but is amazed by at times
DG loses a close, personal friend or two in the struggle against GE
DG begins to doubt his cause, his abilities, and is put in tougher situations
DG suffers even more catastrophic losses to himself or friends
Act 3
DG finds the personal strength to fight onDG is accepted to the inner circle of trusted companions of the AL and leads a few other Deltas mostly by example
DG does his part to defeat the GE, which includes being involved in the Great Battle and events much larger than himself
DG is scarred, but takes solace in a sense of belonging with his lifelong friends, and he wants peace in his life
DG is now brave enough to ask PG to marry him, which she does
DG and PG move to a small house in the country, raise a family, and have many children and grandchildren
Story ends with an old DG and PG sitting on a porch at sunset watching the kids play as he reminisces about his life, struggles, friends, and always being loyal
26 comments:
Great story. Sounds like Sam gamgee.
Will this come out before or after A Sea of Skulls?
My mind also went first to Sam Gamgee. Fantastic story. I'd read a thousand more like it and burn the Gamma novels to ash.
Can't wait for the Sigma version
Tragic heroes often strike me as Sigmas. Not to say the life of a sigma is tragic (though it seems melancholic to me), but in literature there is a tradition of punishing those who exist outside the status hierarchy. Especially those who have chosen to.
In this story, if a chance meeting takes place between Delta Guy and Gamma Protagonist, it goes as follows:
- GP turns up on DG's team while they're planning their next attack
- GP interjects with a snarky quip when DG solicits ideas from his team
- DG isnt sure how to deal with that, so he lets it go
- GP zings more snark DG's way, with the effect of DG beginning to doubt himself
- GP is emboldened and begins to strut, as the others look at him with a mix of uncertainty and contempt
- DG stops talking, looks at GP and says "look man, we're trying to get a plan together here"
- GP laughs and zings a nasty quip at DG's expense
- Finally, another Delta squares up to GP and says "what the fuck is your point?"
- Bravado drains from GP's face as he shrinks back and says "I was just kidding! carry on, fellas, I'm just gonna hang back..."
PA
I thought about the Count of Monte Cristo, when I read about DG needing PG to be loyal in his absence.
Evidence of how far we've fallen, because I can't imagine a woman staying loyal to me across huge distance and time.
The Delta story is more commonly found in SF than Fantasy, but most common in war stories and techno-thrillers. Jack Ryan is arguably a Delta who is constantly pressed into roles of more authority and power while not desiring it. He accepts his role out of duty rather not the love of power. Since Deltas are the most common type of man, it helps explain the popularity of the series and techno-thrillers in general.
The alternative ending is the above: At the end of Act 3 the Delta is pressed into a leadership role and doesn't get the quiet retirement he deserves.
I thought about the Count of Monte Cristo, when I read about DG needing PG to be loyal in his absence.
Evidence of how far we've fallen, because I can't imagine a woman staying loyal to me across huge distance and time.
Sounds like a World War II movie.
Pretty much anything written by Larry Correia, almost monster hunter to a t.
So cute. It's like the games we played as kids with my GI Joes and the neighbour girl's Barbies. 'cept she always went home crying for some reason. Story must've turned out different.
Band of Deltas
Has Frau I was thinking of Tom Hanks' character from saving Private Ryan, and Ryan himself. Ryan lives out the Delta life in Hanks stead, being passed the torch/gift of life. If Delta is the solid and loyal everyman, both characters fit the bill.
Less so the interplay between Afleck and Hartnett in Pearl Harbor
I guess my one published novel is mostly a DG story, although I think toward the end it's PG who casts off her folly and rises to prove her worth by saving DG from a fate worse than death (not, mind you, by force of fists, feet or arms.) DG buys a clue early; PG buys hers late. Adventure between, denouement after.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=1583485880
An interesting -- and very appealing -- dynamic I've observed in "Private Ryan," and on several occasions in real life, is the excellent relationship between a Delta who is in a leadership position on account of his age or institutional rank, and a much younger Alpha or Sigma who is his subordinate. Example being Hank's delta to young Matt Damon's alpha/sigma.
For the dynamic to work, the senior delta accepts the junior alpha/sigma's interpersonal gifts and isn't threatened by them -- and the subordinate alpha/sigma is mature enough to know his place and to respect the dejure leader.
PA
Marriage 1.0, otherwise known as "The Narrative."
+1 Sam Gamgee.
So Starship Troopers. Got it. This is fun!
@Thomas Davidsmeier
It is interesting if you compare it to the story of the Early Church. Christ the ultimate Alpha trains a bunch of Deltas with a total Beta leader (Peter) and then sets them off on their tasks. The Beta becomes an Alpha as he does the tasks set for him by the original Alpha.
I think you have to be careful about describing Alphas who are subordinate to other Alphas as Betas. I think Peter was always an Alpha, but he recognized that Christ outranked him. If he was a Beta, he wouldn't have been able to handle the leadership responsibility required of him after Our Lord went to heaven, and instead acted as a semi-competent caretaker who was fairly easily pushed around.
Along comes a Gamma (Saul) throwing a hissy fit about the original Alpha. Miraculous transformation of Gamma enemy into Sigma accomplice (Saul -> Paul). The rest is history.
Note, I put Paul as a Sigma because he has trouble working with others on occasion, doesn't want to be a leader directly himself, moves on to a new place every time he gets close to the people, and challenges the Alpha when the Alpha misbehaves ("I withstood Peter to his face when he came to Antioch.")
I would actually describe Paul as a typical Alpha. He was one of the important Pharisees, and so felt he was pulling for his tribe by causing trouble for the early Christians. Then Our Lord knocked him off his horse, and as he was an Alpha, not a Gamma, he recognized that Our Lord had his number by blinding him, and realized he had no choice but to submit. He was also Alpha by using his charisma and leadership gifts to preach and gain converts for the Church. He had wanderlust, certainly, but that was not because he hated people. He did know that he had to spread the Faith around.
If he was Sigma, he would have most likely gone off and become a hermit or monk, like the notoriously crabby St. Jerome, who wrote the Latin Vulgate Bible. Also, VD has stated that Gamma to Sigma transitions don't happen, or at best, hardly ever.
Many men lived this one during WWI and WWII. That's roughly the way it was for Sergeant York, for example, as shown in the famous movie about him.
Harry Potter
This is good shit.
Ace,
The tragic Sigma hero you're talking about probably overlaps with the Byronic hero.
Post a Comment
NO ANONYMOUS COMMENTS.