I think a lot of people agree that characters are a very important part of story telling and that even a mundane setting can be made interesting by the characters in it. As far as favorites go, and for the character you often “fall for”, what characteristics/type do they typically have in common? What characters do you often end up disliking?
Note: Of course it depends on the story you’re playing and the circumstances your characters is given, and depth beyond one-dimensional traits is important to each facet…but what, in general, are the characteristics you adore?
Also note: This is purely fictional characters. Please do not judge someone on what fictional characters they enjoy or the relationship their fictional protagonist has with said character. Thanks.
I personally love the sadistically smart characters. Not ones with hidden hearts of gold, not ones who have a fragile interior or who needs someone to show them the way, or ones who have a giant ego but deep down have one or two things they’re unsure of - just ones who are wickedly intelligent and have a bit of fun messing with people, possibly manipulative and behind the strings. Rude but not brash - the kind where you only will realize they insulted you, all with a polite smile on their face, if you possess the same manner of intellect and not until hours later when you’re replaying the conversation in your head. Doesn’t sound very redeemable, but hey…you like what you like? ¯_(ツ)_/¯ (I have yet to find a character like this in a COG, but as per my weak spot, there is one in my upcoming game. Couldn’t resist.)
So, who do you fall for/who are your favorites? Golden boys/girls with hearts of gold? The childhood best friend who possibly acts before they think? Quiet intellects with dry and cutting sarcasm?
I like the childhood best friends. They know all the bad things about MC, but they still love the MC and would do anything to make her happy. They are also so shy and adorkable that they could never cheat on MC even if they wanted too, which they don’t because they’re perfect. They’d even sacrifice their own happiness for that of the MC’s when they see MC is happy in a relationship with someone else and they don’t interfere.
The worst characters are the stuck up pricks who bully the MC or only think about themselves. It doesn’t make sense if a character uses others because they were hurt and used in the past; if anything, they should want to spare others from the same pain or at least go after the person who actually hurt them instead of random innocent strangers. I don’t like characters that take advantage of a poor weak defenseless MCs.
I like the arrogant team member, because after the MC has grown up, and gotten stronger, its so satisfying to see them try to act tough, and then get killed.
My favourite character type is a character I can relate to, meaning usually characters who are socially awquard, have some kind of mental health issues, are abrasive, hard on the outside vunrable on the inside. Examples would include Casarosta from the infinit series, haven’t played these in ages and not much tbh, but do love the character. I also love Progical from the Hero’s series. As for non COG examples Hero Yuy from gundam wing and Daisy from the film How I live now are also characters I love.
As for character types I hate…well the first thing that came to my head is characters who are really arrogant but do it in a way that doesn’t make you like them and isn’t warranted. For example I like Vegeta from DBZs arrogance as in my opinion it makes him likable, and he does things to back it up such as actually effect the plot, save lives etc. An example where it makes me hate the character is Wufei also from Gundam wing. He focuses on enemies gender rather than their rank, talking down to women. He also goes on and on and on in such a self righteous way whilst killing random insignificant enemies who aren’t even slightly relevant to the plot besides being random enemies later on in the story. In fact his actions are so irrelevant I’m pretty sure some none gundam pilot characters get more screen time than him, and yeah he wastes what little screen time he has with his stupid arrogant monologues or killing completely irrelevant enemies. Can’t think of any COG equivalents, as similar COG characters don’t act so one dimensional/allow you to kill/defeat them in a satisfying way/develop over time, such as Jury from the heros series or your rival in for rent haunted house.
Hate the ‘i’m-only-slightly-optimistic-because-my-author-is-a-pretentious-bastard-who-thinks-crapsack-cynicism-equals-realism-equals-quality-and-they-need-me-to-show-how-stupid-it-is-to-be-kind-and-even-a-bit-positive’ type. Well, hate the authors who write that shite, wanna put the characters in blankets and give them a nice cup of cocoa (possibly while I put their author’s head on a pike)
Love the deadpan snarker with a heart of gold. (you know, the type who’d punch the OPs sarcastic smart by default till those give up all pretense around them) Them being a bit clumsy is a bonus.
I love intelligent, beautiful, characters who uses sarcasm and arrogance as a defense mechanism to hide their insecurity and trust issues. The kind who definitely have some agenda of their own, but is probably a good person, somewhere behind all the facades.
Bonus points if they’re male or nb, but it’s also my favorite type of female characters. There’s a reason Morrigan’s the only female RO I have romanced in DA.
I really dislike mega macho men and ditzy girlie girls. And I generally don’t have the patience for stupidity, and find naivity annoying, not cute.
Least favourite is the stoic soldier. Even more so if I have to play them in a videogame (books, I can tolerate because inner thoughts).
I also dislike the chosen one who are always right because they are the chosen ones. But that one I think more as an actually writing flaw which comes about by acciddent and the writers not knowing how to handle the chosen one theme. (You should think they did since it is so used).
I generally like reading about intellegent, cunning and/or ambitious people who fight for what they want - often this leads me to rooting for the villain. .
Favourite type of character is the “I don’t give a damn” type. You know, the carefree, chill ones who just take life easy.
Least favourite character is the person who’s too sarcastic. Normal amount of sarcasm is fine in a character; hell, I even like it, especially the deadpan type. But if your response to everything is going to be a smug smile and a smartass quote, then I’m punching you in the face.
Characters with layers, maybe who seem to fit a stereotype but end up more complex than you thought – especially if the author fits those layers together in an interesting way. Or with secrets that give new context to their previous actions.
I’m trying to think of CoG examples, but the only thing that comes to mind is how Reggie’s worrying about some unknown problem in Beastie Watch really made me adore him as a character and RO. And I guess there are some great examples of games that let me play that complex character, which is even better. (I’m really excited for Fallen Hero!)
A blonde girl who starts out as the ‘dumb blonde’ stereotype, but is actually really intelligent and just using it as a facade to make others underestimate her.
I like the jerk with a heart of gold, like Devlin from ZE. The cunning ones no one can trust. Flirty and sly characters that make everyone question their own sexuality, like the Marquis de Sade in Quills. The cool silent type. The no-nonsense girl, like Raven from TT.
I don’t know if there’s a type of character I flat out dislike. It’s more like I love some, others entertain me, and then there’re the others. Which is worse, I guess? Because it means they didn’t make an impact.
Exactly. Or the arrogant, popular girl who’s actually devastated by the genuine friendships she’s lost because of her attitude. The mentor who’s actually evil OR sacrificing way more than everyone realizes. The character who seems like comic relief but ends up a hero, or the hero who can’t live up to expectations.
I remember a published author at a writing workshop I attended a few years ago telling us something like:
“You’re writers. You think you’re some undefinable, complex personality that mixes a bunch of stereotypes but doesn’t fit any of them. When writing characters, you have to realize, that’s not just you, that’s everyone. People are far more complex than you think.”
I tend to go for characters who are arrogant on the surface but then turn out to be insecure and care a lot about their friends. Jerk with a heart of gold somethimes, I guess? (Taako from TAZ, Dorian from DA:I, Wakefield from Choice of the Deathless I guess? (heavier on the arrogance and lighter on the insecurity, but when romanced does care about and is very sweet to the MC). Jury from the Heroes Rise series has the potential to be this)
I’m not sure on what character type I dislike though. Even if I would hate a type of character as a person, if written well enough, I could still appreciate and enjoy reading them. I guess it might be characters who are needlessly cruel and/or evil and I guess “insane” just for the sake of being edgy. I find that a lot of them are poorly done and therefore boring. A lot of them tend to have some sort of tragic backstory to serve as why they are the way they are, but it never feels like the said tragic backstory really affect the character anymore past turning them evil or whatever and it makes it look like they’re just mean for the hell of it
Huillam D’Averc from Moorcock’s Runestaff/Hawkmoon books. I don’t even know how to describe him. He’s the most glorious of bastards. Sending mooks to die for him all the while coughing blood into a hanky. While he’s one of the most lethal swordsmen in the world, an ice cold killer. And an aesthete. An architect who saved the glass city of Paris from the depredations of the Empire. A lover AND a fighter. You’d have to have read it.
I don’t know if I really have a type that’s my all time favorite. I love the kinda creepy characters, I love sarcastic assholes who are secretly sweet, I love really manly bad-asses who are also adorable, and I also love the loyal best friend type. If I had to make a list of some of my all time favorites characters it would be a weird mix.
As for least favorite I have to say I’m not a fan of the tom boy girl who’s too good for any kind of femininity. I’m not a girly-girl but I can’t stand feminine traits being looked down on like there’s something wrong with them. Girls can be a bad ass and still like feminine things.
Well now, who’re my favorite character types? There’s a tendency for most of the charas to initally lean toward the devil-may-care, flirty-funny types. Think of Zevren from DA:O or Silic from @Snoe’s WIP. Zev’s first encounter after a failed assassination had the chara his butt off and he couldn’t stop long enough to tell Zevvy no. He never regretted that decision. Rémi’s first meeting with Silic began similarly, but in a ‘lemme punch my way into your heart’ sort of way.
What is the least favorite? Those that are overly arrogant/critical about everything/everyone and are willing to do anything to climb up whatever ladder they desire. They care for about themselves than others, I guess. A perfect example of this is Lady Vivienne from DA:O. Couldn’t stand her to save my life and I couldn’t roleplay a chara that could attempt a friendship either, despite multiple attempts.
Oh gosh I don’t know if I could say an absolute favourite and least favourite but a character type I really love are the ones who got up and decided they were choosing themselves after the Chosen One didn’t show up. You know those people? Totally unsuited for whatever they’re setting out to do, completely unqualified and unprepared, the ones that make you (or just me?) scream “baby, no! You need to go home where it’s safe!” but they are going to do this thing because nobody else will. I love those characters not because they succeed (sometimes they fail terribly) but because they made a point of trying in the first place. I could stand to learn a lot from that type of person tbqh.
A character type I hate are the ones who whinge and moan about being in the “friendzone.” I don’t mind characters who are secretly attracted to their friends but the entitled ones who carry on about being “lead on” just make me want to scream. They’re usually the sort of people whose creepy behaviour make their friends massively uncomfortable, and when their friends try to tell them no as clearly as our society allows (because we hate to hear no ), they act as if they’ve been hanged, drawn and quartered.
My favorite character type is always someone wild and chaotic, who acts worry-free but is actually really screwed up and dealing with all sorts of problems. Also, misunderstood characters. Characters who seem scary but actually have a heart of gold. Those are my favorite characters to write, and often the ones I fall in love with
Also I like feminine boys!!! The option in a game to be a guy and wear a skirt makes me happy, and seeing feminine guys represented in games makes me happy
Also… a character that seems like the token “cinnamon bun” but actually has a fatal flaw. No one can be totally sweet and lovable all the time.
I can’t think of a least favorite… a character that seems perfect and flaw-free, and is loved by everyone? Characters who are bitter, cynical, and sarcastic to the point of insult, but liked by everyone anyway? I have lots of favorite types of characters, but not many least favorites.
Rémi’s first meeting with Silic began similarly, but in a ‘lemme punch my way into your heart’ sort of way. 
), they act as if they’ve been hanged, drawn and quartered.
