Making reprehensible characters likeable?

[dray]

I'm just wondering... what are some of the things that you do as players or creators to make characters who are really not all that nice, or bubbly, or 'good' in general more likable?

I'm revamping a comic story for myself and three of the four main characters are pretty darned reprehensible for one reason or another. One's a megalomaniac/trickster who's a little too smarmy for his own good. Another's a straight-up fire starter who's a little unhinged. The third is just... god. Obsessive and neurotic and holds a grudge. The last one is pretty normal, but has had a really bad run of luck in terms of romance.

Looking at them, they really don't smack of enjoyable reading, they're more like a trainwreck waiting to happen. In any case, I know that this isn't necessarily for RP, though I do take 'em and clone them and try to play them once in a while. XD I'm just wondering... do you have any characters who are largely just 'ugh', and what do you do to make them more enjoyable to read about and interact with when you're writing for them?

Comments

[zenzi]

if I am going to make a character with a sinister plot I perfer to have them truly in their heart think they are trying to complete some goal the completely wrong way.

like my charcter Kryson, who I honestly say if he were real I'd date him. He was a dark paladin type guy. Believed he could accomplish anything there brute force and manipulation of people around him. Had no issues with using people then killing them if they had nothing left to offer him.

His goal really was a good one, he wanted to end the enslavement of his race (humans) to elves he also accomplished it then make his country into a super power so that no one would harm it again. Also noble, just he had to do it threw taking all the power for himself and leaving none for anyone else. He was a fun character to play.

Now how he got that way I'm not sure, I just kinda started playing him as power hungry madman at first and it just kinda evolved into that.

I hope that answers the question, I generally try to explain why my characters are the way they are but usually I have to play them and get into thier heads before I know for sure.

[dray]

I get the drift -- giving 'em a goal that they can explain away to themselves (and thusly to us!) as being perfectly logical and the right thing to do.

I will have to think on that, for sure. For my guys (at least the smarmster and the grudge-holder) a lot of what they think is the right thing to do isn't so much a noble thing, as that they're looking out for #1... and sometimes failing miserably at it. It's hard to take that perspective and make it seem like a good protagonist point of view. XD At least for me!

[dray]

O_O Their name was Hero Godsend?! Oh wow.

I'm not a fan of characters that succeed in every way, either, though I've gotten frustrated in the past trying to follow ones that are just plain mean. Too many kick the dog moments, I guess? Maybe slip-up compliments are a good way to bring out a chuckle and a "WAIT I DIDN'T MEAN THAT!" or something. XD

[scarlet]

I have a character called Chase who is determined to keep everyone at arm's length and goes about being cold and snippy to everyone... As it turns out, he became more popular than I imagine (and I loved him more than I foresaw) because he was just extremely good at what he does - even if he chews up everyone on the way to doing it... Apparently, half the female characters on the board wanted to bed him, which just freaked me (and him) out.

I, too, think it's a matter of making your character good at what he does and having the confidence to carry it off.

My "good" character turned out to be far more dislikable than I imagined because she was just... too good... too ambivalent about everything in a bid to please everyone... too Switzerland. So, she ended up holding bank account for terrorists... So, yes, she just need to grow a spine.

I do agree that playing "nasty" characters are very much more fun. I suppose it's because we don't get to be that bad in real life. Or, I don't anyway... Heh.

[dray]

It's weird how nasty characters immediately get popular, in some forums. o.o Watching that happen on a few I joined I just scratched my head, given that it was the players that liked the character and so they maneuvered their own characters to interacting with said nasty, even if the characters wouldn't go within a mile of him.

XD Maybe the players on that board just had a bad boy love or something?

Maybe building up the tension and then finally giving the character his comeuppance is a good way to work it... so long as it's not dragged on and on. I freaking hate when characters that I wanted to see get the hooked cane finally do so, only to come back later (so many TV show characters do this. <_>)

[scarlet]

Once again, I believe it's the case of living vicariously through your characters - in this case, having access to someone or doing something you cannot or wouldn't in real life.

[dray]

...Hence all of the hookups between characters. XD Heh.