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

[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.