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Do you have any character tropes that are your guilty pleasure? Can be cliché or not! I like discussion characterization in both reading and writing.

Personally, I'm a sucker for bold and brash female characters— hero or villain. I always love to see/read and even write a classic tomboy whose main purpose isn't to be a love interest. Seeing spunky female characters be reduced to nothing but a love interest to the MC is awfully disheartening to me. I want to see a tomboy in her full glory, without the romance, who is ready to arm wrestle anyone at any point of time. I suppose the reason why I chose my MC to take on this trope is because I feel as though I don't see it enough. Though, there are a couple more common tropes I like too.

I, for one, love anything that's related to mental issues. (which reflects on my writing xD)

It's a fun dynamic to read and to write.

samuraii

Cool question!

I really like strong and consistent characters in general. If they stick to their guns, it makes any story better. I’ll list two character types I like in particular though:

• the thinker/strategist/genius - someone (hero or villain) who is always two steps ahead of everyone. They plan every move, manipulate situations or people like pawns in chess, and win with minimum effort. This is better if they are physically weaker but still find ways to win. Often these characters are paired with more powerful (but dumber) support characters. I just like to see the plot unfold and realize that everything they have done the entire story was leading to one desired outcome. For example, Sherlock Holmes is one of these characters (and his nemesis is as well).

• the Self sacrificing character - Someone who puts other safety before their own is appealing. If they die for another they get bonus points. It can’t be meaningless, like the idiot who steps on a mine before the hero. People that constantly do things to make sure they take the brunt of the danger so that others have the less dangerous tasks. The hero that dies to free the world from the villain or crew mate that stays behind so everyone else can escape the spaceship. Whatever it is, self sacrifice gets to me every time. My example (that isn’t a religious figure but probably lesser known) is Sydney Carton from Tale of Two Cities. A more common example would be Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars or Iron Man in the avengers movies (at the end).

I absolutely adore those that are mean when expressing their love.
Like, the girl goes "Here, stupid. Take this." as they shove Valentine's chocolate into your arms kind of beat. I vibes with it.

shadowdrake27

I like those two as well! Especially the first; I recently watched a film where the MC was incredibly smart and was consistent throughout the whole storyline. I don't think the genius trope gets as much appreciation as it should, and that goes for self sacrificing characters as well. I really enjoy reading characters who sacrifice themselves not only to save others, but because they feel as though they deserve to take the brunt of everything.

samuraii

I guess they could be called tsunderes, but my certain niche requires my tsunderes to not be a stuttering mess when they're in love. Still the same ol' thorny, insulting little dweeb but with a small smooth layer of loving. I don't want the "I-i always loved you, stupid." type thing, I want the "Yeah, pfft. Took you long enough to see." energy.

samuraii

I think the genius trope is underused because it is hard to write. You really need a plan for a story to do it. The ending of any scene or storyline has to be known before the first line is written. Equally important, the author has to know every move that every character will make because that type of character would think of that. You almost have to be a genius author to write the genius trope well. My stories are not worthy of such a character

Ahh yes, the character who feels they deserve to take the brunt as repentance or something is also beautiful to me! I’m glad you also like these characters. Thank you for the input!

yaoyueyi

I like the characters you put in for this. Now that I looked up what a cinnamon roll is, it sounds very intriguing. They almost sound like a specific sub category of self sacrificing characters who act nice Or keep things bottled up at the cost of their emotional health. It’s something I want to look for now that I know the term.

Also, characters that transition from good to evil make the best villains. All villains need consistency and a reason for their actions (usually villains lack these and are just “puppy kicking villains” in amateur novels). Having a character that transitions from good to evil ensures that they have a reason for that transition. It really makes them interesting!

By the way, a puppy kicking villain is a title a wise author told me for a villain that is evil just to be evil. A plot device for a hero to have something to do. My villains used to be like that and probably still are, sadly.

yaoyueyi how about evil to good? I'm writing that kind of story

shadowdrake27 yess, I'm spreading the knowledge of cinnamon rolls :joy:

and yes, i agree that good --> evil makes amazing villains! I love villain backstories and I guess this is probably why. thanks for making me realize that haha.

sometimes puppy kicking villains are necessary, and especially on a platform like WN it's not necessarily a bad thing to have one! (that's also an amazing name to call them :0)

HotRedFlaming like a redemption arc sort of story? I do really love anti-heroes too, so I guess evil to good is pretty chill. but I think I do prefer good to evil more just cause I like to see corruption.

yaoyueyi

No problem! Yeah, a villain backstory is almost always a good to evil transition. Also, I’m glad you like the name. I can’t take credit for that one though.

Puppy kicking villains work for a “bad guy” that you don’t want to sink time into. Like a side plot villain or evil henchman. When they are the main antagonist, they can be too one-dimensional to stay interesting for long (in my opinion). I try not to be too critical of them because my villains turn out that way 90% of the time.