Defrosting Ice queen and morally questionable Chess Master characters (and stepford smilers) get special mentions.
And I have a unhealthy liking for Break the cutie/Heroic BSOD and [Woobie destroyer of worlds] (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds) (just that they should not end up really destroying the world but in the end get a happy end instead. Because I also like broken characters to get the chance to build them up again and getting the happy end they fucking deserve after getting through all that shit.)
Also a fan of everybody is bi/gay and Samus is a girl moments. (Also Sweet Polly Oliver stories).
I personally anyway prefer that characters end up as somewhat friends before there is any trace of a romance, otherwise that’s…eh not my idea of romantic anyway (I only took the way to skip that in Heroes Rise because it was the best the game gave me with Jury…I can’t believe how bitter I’m still about that…), I’m not much of a fan of love on the first sight and similar stuff.
I don’t know about that. Is the egomaniac trying to conquer the world or the villain obsessed with revenge really about to admit that they aren’t in the right?
What about the supposed villain who wishes to bring an end to a flawed civilization in order to bring forth a new era? Most people may disagree with his antics because they live in such a world, and wish to live, but if we look at the bigger picture, the future generations will look back and realize they exist in a supposedly better world because someone intervened to give them the world they know.
I love the villain with a tragic backstory. That’s how you create a good relatable villain.
I can’t identify with arrogant evil that thinks it’s ok when they do bad things, but thinks people who do the exact same thing are evil. Like on the divorce court show where someone thinks it’s ok when they cheated, but when they got cheated on their partner was super evil.
I think people seeking revenge know they’re doing evil or people who go along with a system because they’re too small to fight it. There were probabily people in Nazi Germany who went along with Hitler because they were scared even though it was wrong, and not because they believed it was right.
Also, I don’t believe in end justifies the means, because people would willingly help you if it did. People donate to cancer researchers , agree to test experimental drugs, or be cadavers without the researchers having to be theives.
I’m a huge sucker for Rivals to Lovers (and by extension, Rivals to Friends to Lovers especially when it’s slow burn) paired with Belligerent Sexual Tension coughAshleighWakefieldcough
I also have a soft spot for Jerks with a Heart of Gold or Defrosting Ice Queen/King, romance or not, and Hidden Depths (any form of it, whether it’s Cute Little Girl Can Shoot A Gun or Big Tough Guy Loves Bunnies) and in turn, Face-Heel/Heel-Face Turn if it’s done well with enough build-up
I don’t know what it’s called but I always play the Good hero who has to be nice and save everyone (the meanest I can be is being slightly rude to someone). In media where I’m not the main character, it’s kind of a hit or miss though
I choose to credit (or blame) Disney’s Beauty and the Beast - my favorite movie when I was a child - for my love for “irredeemable” men getting saved by the love of a good woman. Not a trope to live by - you can’t “fix” someone who doesn’t want to be fixed - but it’s a trope I can never get tired of watching.
Same. Rivals to Lovers, Belligerent Sexual Tension, Foe Yay… absolutely and shamelessly love these. It’s like something hardwired in my brain when a character is prickly and has a poor disposition towards the MC that I want to win them over, being critical the whole way. Heck, if there are two characters in the game that don’t get along I start wanting to ship them together.
For non-romantic tropes, I adore dysfunctional families. I also get really excited when a game lets me play half of a Straight Man and Wise Guy pair.
Finally No Antagonist is one that I like. Though I think that’s a little bit harder to do in games, I’d love to see it explored.
If you’re a fan of ASoIaF and/or Game of Thrones, think of Bronn. He is not exactly a villain, but hardly a good guy: he is a mercenary who sells his sword to the highest bidder, murders people for money, and explicitly stated that he would kill a baby if he was paid well to do it. He’s a guy who has no illusions that anything he does is “good” or justified in any way; he’s a cold-blooded killer and scoundrel, he knows it’s evil, and he doesn’t give a crap.
Joffrey Baratheon and Ramsay Snow are two of the most villainous villains, but neither of them think they are good. Both know what they’re doing is evil, and both enjoy it because they’re both psychos.
And then you have Cersei, who is convinced that she is good and that everyone who opposes her is actually evil and wants to destroy her, so she feels justified in the horrible things she does.
The egomaniac believes the world will be better off under his leadership, or that he’s been unfairly deprived of what’s rightly his and world conquest is the best way for him to address the miscarriage of justice. The vengeful villain also believes he’s been treated unjustly and the only way to reset the balance is to punish those who’ve wronged him by any means necessary.
I agree that it varies, but disagree with some of your examples.
Joffrey is so ego-driven that I’m sure, in that twisted little mind of his, he really thinks he’s in the right no matter what he does, whether it’s cutting open pregnant cats or beating his fiancé. He believes that, because he is king, everything he does is by definition “right”. I don’t recall any instances of self-reflection. It’s not “You know, executing this guy and causing a civil war is pretty bad, but I’mma do it anyway!”. It’s all “I am the king! I can do as I like, and if you question my authority, then you’re the evil one!”
Whereas Ramsay seems entirely indifferent to the concept of good and evil…
For me is happy endings because… Come on! My life is already full of tragedies and I just like to sit down and watch something that will allow me to escape from reality. And heroes.
I have a soft spot for Villianous Crush. I don’t really know why? I guess there’s just something about villains having feelings for the hero that appeals to me.
I also like Foe Yay. I have a bad habit of shipping rivals together. Like… Come on, if you care that much about them that you devote a good chunk of your time to trying to be better than them then you must have some pretty strong feelings for them (That might be why Jury from Heroes Rise is one of my favorite ROs, or it might be because I’m trash).
Happy endings, as @Nexus said, absolutely sucker for them. Oh, believe me, story can be pretty grim and dark and I’ll love it, but if I choose things that should lead to happiness, I expect at least some of that happiness. If my character is evil, sure, hit me up with despair, but hero should get results.
Smartass friends that are loyal but mask it. Really great when your wise-cracking friend shows up how loyal he really is in tough situation, or when my character got someone’s back and that NPC shocked how someone cares about them.
Always Have a Plan, Slow and smart wins the race, that sort of thing. Great when PC thinks before acting, has plans, always prepared and takes advantage of the situation. No offence to reactionary ‘classic’ heroes, but someone like Ozymandias from Watchmen with his “Stop my plan? You think I would’ve told you if there was a possibility that you’ll stop me? I already did it 20 minutes ago.” simply makes me proud of my character.
I also adore healing sick NPCs, helping scared NPCs, or abused ones, or those who lost faith in humanity. Part of the reason why 90% of my playthroughs are with ‘good’ protagonist.
And overall, I just love cliche that done right. If author is aware that he writes it, adds his own flourish to old trope, makes it feel alive and puts real work into it, it’s great. But those cliches that are put ‘just cause’ and not thought through just plain annoying.
I really like if there is a Deadpan Snarker kinda character and especially like if the MC happens to be the most sarcastic carachter (So, You’re possessed for example).
