'Unseen' Characters in Your Stories

[RetroFan]

Unseen characters frequently appear in TV shows and at times movies, referenced and just out of sight, but never making it onto the screen. Some well-known examples are Maris Crane from Frasier, Robin Masters from Magnum PI, The Gooch from Diff'rent Strokes, Mr and Mrs Gibbler from Full House or Hyacinth and Richard's son Sheridan from Keeping Up Appearances.

In your stories, have you ever included characters who are referenced but never actually made it onto the pages? If so, who were your favourites?

My favourite unseen character from one of my stories was from 'Secret Sex With My Stepdaughter', where the titular stepdaughter Maddie is a famous (fictional) Australian pop-star/actor/dancer/model who has a male friend Aaron, who is the lead dancer on her music videos. Unfortunately for Aaron (who isn't gay) his appearances in the videos attract the attention of a perverted homosexual stalker, who calls himself 'Mr Poof-Poof' (poof or poofter is slang for homosexuals in Australia) and sends Aaron a series of disturbing fan letters detailing all the deranged things he wants to do to him, like hooking him up to a milking machine or wishing he was invisible so he could watch Aaron take a shower.

Aaron becomes increasingly paranoid about Mr Poof-Poof, jumping at shadows and fearing any unusual man he sees might be the much-feared Mr Poof-Poof, even though the story takes place in Sydney on Australia's East Coast, and the Mr Poof-Poof letters are postmarked in Perth Western Australia, on the other side of the country. However, Aaron could rest easy, despite Mr Poof-Poof sending many weird letters and being frequently referenced, he does not actually make an appearance. I had lots of fun writing about the unseen Mr Poof-Poof, and he remains my favourite unseen character from my stories.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Not so much unseen as waiting in the background for a bigger reveal in another story, another place.

I long ago discovered that my story worlds are all joined up in one way or another, and several stories have single sentence references to an older woman who just seems to be "there" for no apparent reason in terms of that story. I know exactly who she is and why she's there, and a very attentive reader who has read all of my content might figure her out.

I also have bit part characters over several stories who eventually get a story of their own. My latest is Lizzie the waitress who, intriguingly, interacted with the woman in another story arc. She's the leading lady in my current work in progress.

 

[NotWise]

I think I have unseen characters in a lot of my stories, but they usually don't play a big role and aren't developed.

Probably the one that played the biggest role was the PA announcer in "Hurricane Twyla." It's just a voice that can only be heard by the four main characters, and it organizes their day. It follows them from the PA system at school, to an ice cream truck circling the park, and eventually to Doug's phone.

 

[PennameWombat]

My male MC across many stories Chris has a large number of relatives who have mostly not appeared. A couple have played important if minor roles in pushing the plot forward, including a female cousin he blackmails (I mean, “makes agreements with of mutual benefit”) to get access to cutting edge electronics like computers and video games because he knows she’s fucking a guy who owns the electronics dealership. A guy who isn’t her husband.

But the more vital one for this discussion is his ex “Chaos” Kelly, an older woman who had a torrid affair with him before current girlfriend (and co-star in the series) Mel appeared. She left a trail of destruction behind, including getting Chris banned from some restaurants and such and almost causing his friends to abandon him. But she taught him lots about sex and left behind vibrators that’ve inspired Mel. He claims she “just skipped town one day” but Mel tells everyone he fucked Kelly to death and buried her in the mountains.

 

[Vix_Giovanni]

The “real” MMC of my primary story serial is Connor St. John, who’s an unseen character. My series is about global markets, and Connor is the future head of an important banking family. Other characters talk about him a lot, and eventually, he makes a brief appearance in the (cum.) twenty-second chapter/~200k words into the story. Another important character is Rutherford “Ruthie” Lewis, who’s a dead character but very important to the narrative.

 

[Vix_Giovanni]

I think I have unseen characters in a lot of my stories, but they usually don't play a big role and aren't developed.

Probably the one that played the biggest role was the PA announcer in "Hurricane Twyla." It's just a voice that can only be heard by the four main characters, and it organizes their day. It follows them from the PA system at school, to an ice cream truck circling the park, and eventually to Doug's phone.

That’s cool, the PA sounds like it’s like a Greek chorus.

 

[AvroAnsonXIX]

Unseen

Nobody ever sees any of my characters. Until that big movie deal comes through they can only be read about.

 

[NotWise]

That’s cool, the PA sounds like it’s like a Greek chorus.

Could be. It was fun to write, and I never felt a need to answer questions about who, how, or why.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Could be. It was fun to write, and I never felt a need to answer questions about who, how, or why.

Sounds like the PA guy in MASH.

 

[RejectReality]

I can only think of some as Dark, and for the most part, it's a temporary situation. Almost any mentioned character has a hook that could lead to a story. Christi's father Crimm the Grimm and her three older brothers are all interesting gents. Her mother is likewise interesting as a complete opposite. Mindblind's whole clan has magical abilities. ( thus the cruel nickname his sisters gave him that he decided to own to rob it of any power ) Darkni's wife and Saj's wife are both integral to Rage of a Goblin King, so they exit the unseen with that story. ( If I don't write a history tale for Saj's wife first. Con artist/cat burglar is a fun angle to play. Almost as much fun as hooking her up with a Knight. )

Arilee's beau will exit the unseen in Beacon of the Rising Serf. There's a tale for Thakkor's firstborn waiting in the wings when I finish the Celes quintet.

The only ones I can think of that are highly unlikely to see a speaking role are perhaps Thakkor's parents. There's no reason to dig into his history much beyond what's already there in Merchant Princess.

 

[LAHomedog]

I'm old to Literotica as a reader, 6 months as an actual author. I have never used an unseen character, but I am currently helping out an author as an editor and there is an unseen narrator of the story.

It's a very interesting device as used in this story..

LAH

 

[lovecraft68]

In my Circle series there is a woman whose 'handle' as they all name themselves after mythological or historical figures is The Lady Persephone.

She's the leader of the group who everyone fears being punished by, she's referenced several times in the ominous way of "Do you want her to hear about this?" but I never end up showing her.

 

[ScrappyPaperDoodler]

This is very interesting, and something I never knew about!

I guess I’ve had characters who come close to the definition, but I’ve never done it intentionally. For my Valentines Contest submission, I had an unnamed dictator that the protagonists were trying to escape. I was trying to steer away from anything that might resemble a real life politician too strongly, so I think he ended up being what you describe, moreso than any other character I’ve written.

The story got rushed toward the end, but there would’ve been an eventual confrontation with him.

 

[BiscuitHammer]

In my story 'Expecting & Expectations', the sisters Jane and Kelsey have blueblood parents who never appear directly in the chapter, but can be heard over phone calls. They're awful people who are caught up in their own lives and have no time for their pregnant daughters.

In the Alexaverse, many members of Karen's Blackwell family are only referenced, but are noted for rather unhinged behaviour for comedy purposes.

'Beware your Aunt Bernice, my dear, she is a terror. She lost her temper in 1961 and it hasn't been found since!'

Same with Time Rider. I reference some historical figures and their influence on the story, but Mark and Becky cannot reach them due to what I call the 'Limelight Effect'. So they have an effect similar to Charlie in Charlie's Angels, I guess. All for comedy, of course.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

In several of my series there is the woman whose name shall not be mentioned. She is of course, the protags ex-wife, them having a bad breakup for unknown reasons.

 

[jehoram]

Unseen characters frequently appear in TV shows and at times movies, referenced and just out of sight, but never making it onto the screen. Some well-known examples are Maris Crane from Frasier, Robin Masters from Magnum PI, The Gooch from Diff'rent Strokes, Mr and Mrs Gibbler from Full House or Hyacinth and Richard's son Sheridan from Keeping Up Appearances.

And my own favorite: Mrs. Wolowitz from "Big Bang Theory."

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I've noticed a number of my stories have a polyamorous woman who refers to her partner at home. The partner's views are heard occasionally on the phone or similar but he doesn't appear.

Looks like my female protagonists have more in common with me than I'd thought.

 

[Bramblethorn]

My narrator's ex is a significant offstage presence in "Anjali's Red Scarf". I'd intended to bring him into the story more directly at some stage, but it never quite worked out.

 

[BarracudaSwordfish]

I have only used one 'unseen' character, in the first instalment of 'Beth's Summer Break,' when Beth is trying to catch her father's girlfriend Gina in the act with her new lover. Mike Anderson is heard but not seen in the first ep and mentioned frequently until he appears in ep 5 when Gina and Beth trick him into a threesome.

Thereafter he is once again just a mention in the 11 parter, but he does get to appear in the two-part Amberdown Chronicles, where his first meeting with Gina is explained and expanded.

My only regret is that somewhere in the middle of it all, Mike suddenly became Mick for a few chapters.

Ah well, I was but a novice in them days.

And still am...

 

[Bramblethorn]

Oh, and the off-stage ex for one of my stories ended up being a major on-stage character in another one, if that counts.