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moodyblues — NEVER WRONG
Published: 2010-09-05 19:33:17 +0000 UTC; Views: 2133; Favourites: 64; Downloads: 10
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Too many powers and abilities? Inhuman beauty? Constant wangst? These Sue-ish tendencies are small potatoes compared to moral or intellectual perfection.There is nothing more annoying than a writer's darling. This is the kind of character who never does something immoral and knows it's wrong. Oh sure, he might do something that "seems wrong on the surface" for the sake of badassery, but the author always swoops in and saves him from culpability. For example, he slaughters a small village, but the author later explains that "they deserved it" because of something they did to him. Or the author excuses it because of the character's past trauma. It doesn't really matter what the explanation is as long as it justifies (at least in the author's mind) the character's horrific actions.
Heck, these darlings don't even make honest mistakes. Sure, they make decisions that are apparently boneheaded to anyone with half a brain, but it later turns out (through plot contrivances or retcons) that the character was right all along and that other characters were stupid/prejudiced/cowardly/stubborn to question the darling's actions. And, of course, even the most competent character in the group has to admit (at least grudgingly) that the darling is a tactical genius rather than see him as the lucky son-of-a-gun that he is.
People. Let your characters make mistakes. Let them hurt people without excusing them. Even if they're not human, make them human. And maybe they'll grow from that.
Whew. Nice to get that off my chest.
(Excuse me for using the masculine pronoun here. Female characters are guilty of this, too.)
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Comments: 76
ALMOST EVERY "BADASS" PROTAGONIST EVER.
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-*kicks a puppy while eating a baby*
-What the hell?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!?!?!
-Because long ago, I witnessed my entire village being burnt to the ground and my parents died in front of my very eyes. That made me develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Also, the dog is owned by the bastard who killed my family so I decided that this would be a way to slowly break him, and this baby was going to grow up to be a dictator because I CAN SEE INTO THE FUTURE but I am incapable of love because my heart was broken so many times and I've been betrayed my entire life.
-Oh that's cool then.
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-Legitimately Cool Character: HUMPH I GUESS YOU WERE RIGHT ALL ALONG, McBADASS. I SHOULD HAVE NEVER DOUBTED YOUR ABILITY TO PROPHECY EVEN THOUGH THAT DOESN'T FIT INTO THE STORY'S UNIVERSE IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM.
-MCBADASS: DAT'S RITE EAT HUMBLE PIE, BITCH
-Some Gal: Um... hold up. That doesn't make it right.
-MCBADASS: WHO'S THE REAL MONSTER HERE?
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yes Yes YES.
A character who is never wrong is a character that is completely unbelievable and uninteresting. These characters never develop in a believable manner compared to a character who makes mistakes and learns from them.
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Exactly! While I think it's a mistake to shoehorn in character flaws (i. e. "She has to have a flaw, so I'll give her +1 Fiery Temper"), it's much worse to cushion your character from the consequences of their mistakes.
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I actually struggle with believable character flaws ("lol that wud b so fun-E...BUT IT'S TOO FORCED AUGH!" DX), but I think character flaws help with mistakes. But even when a character with believable flaws never has to face those consequences...
Yeah.
It grates on my nerves.
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I thought it was, yes. I never noticed, or even thought of those characters in that way before. As a huge fan of anime, these characters appear quite often, I should have noticed by now,lol. You're welcome.
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I don't watch a lot of anime, so can you give me an example of a character like that? (Ash seems that way, though I'm not sure. XD)
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(Don't mean to butt into the conversation, but) Haruhi Suzumiya, I think, is a prime example of this. She's manipulative and self centered, but she tends to get away with nearly everything she does because "Haruhi is so weird, that's just how she is."
|8
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Ugh. I hate her already. When in real life does that excuse ever fly? People get teased for being "weird," even if they don't hurt anyone.
Her Wikipedia page says, "When in 6th grade, Haruhi felt she was no longer special after going to a baseball game and realizing she was one in a sea of people. Since then she set out to make her life interesting and unique."
Oh jeez, is she one of those people who is ABSOLUTELY DETERMINED TO BE A SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE SO SHE ACTS OUT LOL?
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Haruhi is obsessed with finding "interesting people" like Time travelers, Psychics and whatnot, to the point where if you're not "interesting" she wants nothing to do with you.
At one point, she even blackmails another club about of one of their computers by faking incriminating photographs and NO ONE calls her out on it.
I just...agh. How anyone finds her to be a likable character is beyond me!
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I know how old this comment is but THANK YOU for calling out Haruhi! I thought I was the only person on earth who couldn't stand this character!
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UGH. She sounds like a total bee. She'd actually be a good character if the story's universe actually treated her flaws as flaws. But nope, she's allowed to do anything she likes so she can create WHUACKY HIJINKS! 8D
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no it's okay because haruhi is a kawaii animu grrl lol
oh haruhi so cute and wacky lololololololoh god it hurts to type that.
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Ash Ketchum? Or Ash from Tales of the Abyss? Ash from TOA is a lot like that. So is Lloyd in Tales of Symphonia 2.
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I meant Ash Ketchum. XD But thanks, I'll look those guys up.
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He doesn't kill XD Though he'd be much more interesting if he did. I could get into deeper detail with pokemon, but theres not enough character in the characters themselves to match any of them in the conversation. X3
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Oh, I think I understand.
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I understand what you mean; characters are not for the writer's purpose but for their own. They will live their life as they see fit, not how we dictate it. Our desires should not be perpetuated on the characters. And although it is difficult, we have to try and make it so.
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Right on. 
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My strongest and greatest character lost many battles. Hell, she was even cut in half once. She lost the title of village leader twice. Lost a few wars. Joined the wrong side sometimes.
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Cut in half? Good gravy, how'd she survive that?
But yeah, that makes sense. The more active a person is, the more likely he/she is to make mistakes. The only people who never make them are those that do nothing at all.
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She has the ability to control her blood and when she became a full demon after releasing the Sixth Seal she had insane powers. The blood kept her body together long enough for the medics to do serious work on her.
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