Curses, Foiled Again!

A bit before vacation started, the Kirby mentioned foils in creative writing. I've been planning on doing this post for weeks but am only just getting around to it...

Anyway, we had a short discussion about foils, and it really got me thinking. What is a foil? It's a character that has several qualities opposite another (usually the main character), designed to enhance and boost the opposite character's traits. Say you have a brave character that you really want to appear larger than life. You make his sidekick or best friend (or somebody else that he hangs out with a lot) a complete wimp. It makes your brave character look even braver by comparison.

It got me thinking...do I use foils? I've come to the conclusion that, whether I do it intentionally or not, I have used foils in the past and will likely to continue to use them. There are some times where it just naturally falls into place. I can think of two sets of characters (both from tSotD) right off the top of my head.

Pair one: Valerian and Astra

These are my main characters. Astra is a very angry, intense, fiery, stomp-all-over-things person. Contrasting that, Valerian is level-headed, cautious, guarded, and though he has a temper, he rarely shows it. They foil each other and, to me, it enhances the qualities of both by comparison.

Par two: Adolphus and Bran

Adolphus is the leader of the resistance movement. Bran is second in charge. Adolphus is very structure-oriented, strict, take-charge, temperamental person. Bran is in favor of structure, but also believes in spontaneity and relaxed rules in some cases. He is more laid-back and far more objective than Adolphus. Again, they foil each other.

What about you guys? Do you use foils?