Do your characters ever do things you really dislike?

Leyelle 2024-03-13 17:34:31 UTC #1

Obviously, the villains do, but I'm talking about the leads. Do you tend to make them pinnacles of perfection or do even characters who are supposed to be 'good guys' still do bad things you disagree with?

In "Damsel in the Red Dress" my male lead hurts his best friend's feelings a lot because he refuses to be honest with his emotions. He also tends to be kind of grouchy and sullen when he doesn't get his own way because he's used to being patronized/spoiled. Alicia is also just really reckless with her stuff and drinks too much, she also talks about the people she loves the most behind their backs when they hurt her, which is definitely not a healthy habit.

Cue "Broken Hearts Club" - "where we all hate everything about the people that we love."

Also, Mrs. Moon just being...Mrs. Moon.

Yeah...

jiana27281 2024-03-13 17:59:16 UTC #2

To some degree, i like how the flaws make them more relatable as a character. They end up being more believable.

Leyelle 2024-03-13 18:02:25 UTC #3

i agree, that's why i do it too. characters that are perfect aren't very fun to read imao

jiana27281 2024-03-13 18:05:01 UTC #4

Yes. It can get out of hand if the flaws aren't properly balanced. If this happens the audience can soon start to hate on these characters. Balance is key.

Leyelle 2024-03-13 18:30:31 UTC #5

in both directions tbh.
If they're just good or just evil the character is rather flat, and not very interesting

TheBlacKat333 2024-03-13 18:49:44 UTC #6

Oooooooh yeah. All the time. The only characterI can think of that don’t do something that really irks me, is like… slinky. In te original draft, Hugo was a weird borderline homophobe and I had to fix it REAL quick

Leyelle 2024-03-13 19:08:15 UTC #7

well i was really talking about things you dislike that you left in the character because it made the story better in your opinion

TheBlacKat333 2024-03-13 19:58:47 UTC #8

Oh, he’s still a jackass. I just made him not homophobic, cause it didn’t add anything.

kyupol 2024-03-13 20:25:59 UTC #9

Eman is too awkward when it comes to girls... something I dislike.

And Claudita is incapable of sexual attraction.

Leyelle 2024-03-13 20:27:58 UTC #10

why do you dislike people being awkward around girls?

kyupol 2024-03-13 20:32:45 UTC #11

Because we're all human with flaws. No need to be awkward unless she is a literal goddess. As in not a mortal at all.

katiesilverwings 2024-03-13 21:00:58 UTC #12

Your Claudita would likely be a favorite character for me! Asexual characters are still so rare and I love seeing them pop up in other folks' work.

I don't really see why that would be a quality about her to dislike?

kyupol 2024-03-13 22:22:03 UTC #13

It's been disliked by many a fanboy so... Just listed that as an unlikeable trait.

ArtGremlin 2024-03-13 22:28:15 UTC #14

Exist

/j nah I love them all.
Even that one that is pretty trash… SHE’S IMPORTANT TO THE PLOT, THEREFORE I LOVE HER AS A CHARACTER. My sister was kinda upset when she found out what a terrible person that character is (especially since she technically created the character who is the cringe lady’s son)

Leyelle 2024-03-13 22:30:14 UTC #15

lol, when my siblings were a fan of character who I knew was going to be revealed as a not so good dude, I was so uncomfortable!

DasIstWunderblyat 2024-03-13 22:45:48 UTC #16

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Leyelle 2024-03-27 02:38:21 UTC #17

Alicia (Damsel in the Red Dress) in this scene from "Peekaboo" snapping at her not-boyfriend.

I mean, I get her being angry but come on girl:

“Oh, big surprise. They’re staring. Did the prince just forget how hot he was for a second? I’m sure it’s such a pain. Too bad you left your paper bag mask at home next to the fan mail, and I’m not in the mood to fetch it for you right now. So if you could just try to think about something other than yourself for 0.2 seconds, we’re supposed to be on a date right now. Do you think you can do that for me? Do you think?”

TheBlacKat333 2024-04-02 15:31:03 UTC #18

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Leyelle 2024-04-16 14:50:06 UTC #19

I mean... Alicia and Andrew's parents...yeah....they did a lot:

“Well…it is what it is,” he says with an attempt at cheerfulness, “We can’t change the past…”

I’ve wished that a thousand times if I have once. But maybe it’s better - I can’t.

I know there are too many things I wish I could undo - I’d probably destroy the whole universe trying to cure my own tragedies.

And if I could only pick one…I’d just be stuck forever trying to figure out what hurt the worst.

The accident? Etan? Things with my mom?-

Which part…? I-

I wouldn’t have let Andrew go.

I would have done something to make sure we stayed together through the divorce even if it meant uprooting my whole life to go with papi out to Arizona - at least then I could have done something for him in the midst of it all-

…

When Daddy pried Andrew away from me because we couldn’t make him leave I would have told him to take me too.

Leyelle 2024-05-12 12:55:44 UTC #20

Leia is blackmailing her little brother into caring for himself. While the intentions are good the methods so very much so aren't.

We’re playing that game again. Mom’s pretending to suspect nothing. I’m pretending not to notice that she’s pretending not to notice, while Riley’s pretending to check texts to get out of eating his breakfast.

He’s texting me.

I keep the sound off, watching the text bubbles appear on my blue wallpaper one after another - forcing each other upwards on the screen like little drowning men pushing each other toward the surface.

It feels like we’re playing monkey in the middle - lobbing messages over mom’s head through cyberspace.

“Just cut the act and let’s go. I’ll tell mom we have to leave early so I can find parking, but I’m not helping you out of lunch.”

“Leia…”

I look up and glare at him, so I won’t start screaming.

I’m so sick of being the middleman - girl - the land bridge between the three islands I call my family - trying to play damage control-

But I’d hate saying something even more. I’d hate breaking Riley’s trust, and I’d hate what mom and dad would say and do if they found out.

It has to be better this way, right?

I talk until my face hurts - anytime mom asks a question - just so that Riley won’t have to-

He’s so much worse at lying than I am. But I’ve had more practice.

“Look, if you just eat whatever fruit mom packed in our lunches today, I won’t say anything else about it for the whole day. I promise. Deal?”

He doesn’t look up but I feel his expression quaver with a wash of inexplicable fear so palpable I can almost taste it. I feel sick to my stomach, and the bubbles spam the screen.

(this is available for free for everyone to read on my Patreon public posts