1. Rabz
RABZ MAKHAULA**:**
Role in Story: Protagonist and hero of our story.
Occupation: Coal delivery man.
Age: 23
Main Trait: Indecisive. Hesitant. Doubts and second-guesses himself and avoids taking a decision whenever he can. Finicky, he complicates even the simplest things in his mind. Has a strong sense of right and wrong, but rarely lets it translate into action.
WANTS: To feel of some worth. To have a mission that’s greater than delivering coal.
FLAW: Self-doubt. As a result, he compensates by being very meticulous & finicky.
NEEDS: To learn to trust the spirit that guides him and stop trying to control the outcome of events. He needs to stick to his convictions and fully believe in himself no matter what the outcome.
FEARS: Being perceived as a laughing stock - not being taken seriously and being looked down upon.
Strengths: Unwavering sense of right and wrong.
Special Abilities: The ability to be a conduit for higher powers and become an expert combatant. He can also see the near future, for a start.
DRAMATIC ARC: Rabz doesn’t necessarily grow through his character arc but rather he faces his fears.
The 24 year old black man grew up in a Xhosa household, but on attaining maturity discovers that he was adopted. When we first meet him, the only hints we have of his true Basotho heritage lie in the alter-ego he adopts of “The Stick Fighter”.
Rabz’s lean, clean shaven face is more arresting than attractive, in an epic, mystical sort of way. A pair of grey, deep set eyes beneath heavy, brooding eyebrows give him a penetrating, searching gaze. There is usually a quirk of humour about the grim mouth which softens to an out-thrust jaw, and a jovial, light in his level grey eyes - the eyes of an old man – but the humour can disappear and the eyes can become narrow and hard at a moment’s notice.
Square-jawed, his high cheek-bones and high brow combine to give him rugged, good looks coupled with an air of intelligence. At the same time, his lean, sallow, sunken cheeks create a certain wildness and untamed aspect to him. He has the demeanour of a man who was built for the wild outdoors. The city seems to not be the place for him. The untamed, windswept velds (wide open fields) are his natural habitat.
And he’s built for it too. His years spent on the high school swim team left their mark on his physique. Shaped like a pyramid, his body is more chiselled than “buff”. He has a lithe, lean strength about him that can be seen in the easy, loping strides with which he moves. He has that easy grace and poise of the athlete. Perfectly proportioned, one wouldn’t notice his six feet two inches unless one stood right next to him. His hobbyist parkour activities keep him quick, agile and athletic, making him dexterous and quite hardy when it comes to taking physical punishment.
With that perfect “Hollywood body” no one would realize just how chiselled he is until he takes off his shirt. Which is what he does when he’s in costume
When Rabz becomes “The Stickfighter”, his costume consists of a re-imagined “Lesotho Cowboy” garb (A conical straw hat very similar to the traditional Vietnamese hats), black cape-like blanket, and tall leather boots.
The difference is that he makes it look so effortlessly uber-cool, it’s in danger of starting a trend.