Talk:Author Authority/@comment-5265497-20141031215352/@comment-5265497-20141102110832

"only at the end of the story are the characters allowed to be happy." Everything is fundamentally a reflection of real life meaning the emotions of the character is a constant cycle of circumstantial fluctuation. Of course a hero passed the threshold and has to fight the hypercompetent bad guy, but he also makes friends, reconciles mistakes, learns more about himself, and generally becomes more confident in his abilities when he dramatically improves over time. There are moments of happiness, sadness, fear, thrill, regret, relief, etc. It's usually not a constant barrage of trials and tribulations that completely overwhelms that character, but an intricate balance and real life is a testament to this.

The greatest and most genuine happiness in general is when people surround themselves with family and friends, commit acts of altruism, forgive more easily, are able to lose themselves in their activities, an intimacy in their lives, and are not too envious of others. Rule of thumb in life is that a rich materialist aren't as happy as those who care less about getting and spending. It's all about looking on the bright side, not the lack of struggle so how do you even know there is a bright side if you don't work for it? Happiness is a multidimensional yet simple emotion and it can be conveyed in many ways. Your character for example has his 'family' of females and that seems to be what makes him happy; not his absolute power but what he does with it. People with power tend to do the opposite treating others as if they are trash rather than accepting them.