#relatable characters

[ahb-writes]

Writing Problem: The Villains Are Cartoonish, Evil-for-the-Sake-of-Evil

Problem: The Villains Are Cartoonish, Evil-for-the-Sake-of-Evil

Solution: Villains require just as much character development as the novel's heroes, protagonists, and perspective characters. Effective villainy incorporates consequential decision making, relatable character motivations, believable perspectives and experiences, and most important, intention. When a writer diversifies these facets of a so-named villain's free will, humanity, personal interests, and relationship with the story's main conflict, one is better-positioned to craft a more diverse and more engaging villain.

Writing Resources:

How Your Character's Failures Can Map A Route To Self-Growth (Writers Helping Writers)

Good Character Flaws: Create Complex Antagonists (Now Novel)

50 Questions to Ask Your Antagonist (Alyssa Hollingsworth)

Antagonist Starts Good, Becomes Drunk With Power (related, master list) (Writing Questions Answered; ahbwrites)

16 Villain Archetypes (Chosen by the Planet; ahbwrites)

How to Give Your Antagonist a Little Humanity (Fiction Writing Tips; ahbwrites)

How to Write the Perfect Villain (Jericho Writers)

How to Build an Antagonist (How to Fight Write)

Negative Trait Thesaurus (Evil) (One Stop for Writers)

Theme and Symbolism Thesaurus (Evil) (One Stop for Writers)

❯ ❯ Adapted from the writing masterpost series: 19 Things That Are Wrong With Your Novel (and How to Fix Them)

#writeblr #writing tips #writing advice #writing villains #writing problems #writeprob #novel writing #fiction writing #two dimensional antagonists #relatable characters #character flaws #complex villains #complex antagonists #drunk with power #villain archetypes #the perfect villain #how to build an antagonist #symbolism #thesaurus

[thelostcameron]

I have decided to start a chain. Reblog and put your comfort/relatable character (and a reasoning if you desire). And hope people have fun with this! I'll start,

Friends who I am tagging because why not, they may be interested: @bylerr-swift @bumblebeezstuffz

Edit: I forgot to mention, but multiple are allowed. The more the merrier, GO NUTS PEOPLE!

#relatable characters #reblog chain #don't question me #my mental state is in shambles #okay? okay #please see this #i thought it was neat #please dont judge me #please don't flop #My Tumblr is dead #only bots come #i dont fucking know #i'm tired #izuru kamukura #kamukura kamukura yas queen #he is me and i am him #i changed it #idk lmao

[lanadelnegan]

Me as a fictional character:

My type as a fictional character:

Idea from: @dixonsgirl93 🫶

#jeffrey dean morgan #negan #jdmorgan #negan smith #negans thirst squad #twd negan #the walking dead #me as a fictional character #relatable characters #twd #the walking dead negan #jdm fanfiction #negan fanfiction #jeffrey dean morgan x reader #denny duquette greys anatomy #denny duquette #jason crouse #jd richter #max the resident

[heretherebedork]

I feel like a lot of people relate to him and I adore him and cannot wait to see him well taken care of.

#perfect propose #japanese bl #gagaoolala #bl series #bl drama #asianlgbtqdramas #asian lgbtq dramas #jdrama #japanese bl drama #japanese bl series #bl jdrama #relatable character #relatable characters

[3hks]

Tips to Create a GOOD Relatable Character

Let's be real: we all love a good character that's unique and stands out from all the other boring ones because they're so different. They diverge from what we're used to. Thus, if the author pulls it off correctly, they become a fan favorite! Though they may be dissimilar from the other characters, they may be more alike to you than you initially assumed. Authors do this by keeping the character distinctive while throwing in some relatable qualities. Now, most people won't consciously notice these similarities, but they will be able to register them!

When creating a major character, relatability is one of the most important yet overlooked characteristics. It is able to fuel empathy within the reader, which keeps them interested in the story. And these are a few tips on how to create this effect!

There are several things you must remember when writing. Firstly, books and novels are shared with people. They are meant for others to read, but your purpose for writing shouldn't be for society. Write what you want to, what you believe in! Write for yourself! This allows you to express your ideas and emotions freely on paper. Secondly, you aren't alone. People have gone through what you have before, and while some experiences are unique to you only, there are definitely experiences we all share. The point is, someone will find parts of your character relatable and someone else won't. That's okay. Thirdly, you don't need to express yourself through only one character. Personally, I spread traits I have over many of my different characters as I see fit.

I think that those basics help you realize that your character's relatability should be built on what you believe, what you feel, and your experiences. Not anyone else's. And don't worry, many readers will still be able to connect with such traits! Now, onto the REAL thing! :D

You must understand yourself and your emotions on a deep level. Have you ever been betrayed by a friend? How did it feel? Did you break down? Did you not care? If something you've been through does happen in your writing and you find your answer similar to an answer your character might have, include it! Because then, you're writing from your heart, the event means more to you because you lived it! For the readers who haven't been in such a situation or reacted in an akin way, they will still notice the quality of writing and don't think that they won't empathize!

Your character does not need to consistently be relatable to the reader, it can be overwhelming and not to mention, a wide spread. In addition, the character will seem more basic. Sometimes, just a humane act from someone that isn't so benevolent will gain the audience's empathy, and that's really all you're trying to achieve. You want people to understand your characters. (This can also apply to the type of character I mentioned in the first paragraph). Perhaps you have a cold character with violent tendencies. A humane act for such a character may be saving or showing compassion for someone, but you have to consider their personality, it's most likely that they won't save a random stranger. Instead, it might be someone close to them. If you really want it to be surprising, then maybe they save an enemy! When the reader sees something like this happen, it will slightly alter how they view the character, and the moment will be more impactful because it's unexpected.

While in my opinion, the best way to create a relatable character is by channeling yourself into them, some people will disagree. In this case, you may want to focus more on feelings because more people will understand the emotions a character goes through better than their choices. However, this will work best on a more simplistic yet important character. One that isn't too complex, and will act like how most people would in their shoes. This could be the main character, even, as many authors try to make their lead relatable to the reader.

This is getting too long, (apologies) so in conclusion, you cannot make every character relatable, they all act and think differently. Reveal their qualities through small snippets at a time during appropriate moments! Different people will find different things relatable, anyway, so use your experiences as a guide! I hope that this will help!

Happy writing~

3hks :)

#writing #character tips #relatable characters #writeblr #writerscommunity #creative writing #writers on tumblr #writing tips #writer tips #writing advice

[fang-venkas]

Which classics character do u identify with the most? I’ll start; the primeval chaos monster cat with penchant for Vodka and chess

#also raskolnikov #feel free to reblog or just comment #I’m genuinely curious #also feel free to say why <33 #classics #classic literature #books #relatable characters #master and margarita #crime and punishment #dracula #don quixote #great expectations #anna karenina #east of eden #to kill a mockingbird #the great gatsby #one hundred years of solitude #the call of the wind #frankenstein #mikhail bulgakov #fyodor dostoevsky #bram stoker #charles dickens #leo tolstoy #john steinbeck #mary shelley #william shakespeare #macbeth #hamlet

[hazbinharlot]

I relate heavily to Vox because I am also obsessed and possibly in love with Alastor.

#alastor #the radio demon #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel #vox #relatable characters #it me

[martian-hermit]

On the topic of The Bear again, the more I learn about Carmy, the more I find myself relating to him in multiple ways. I recognize that isn’t necessarily a good thing, but interesting to talk about regardless.

The most relatable thing about Carmy for me is the fact that he is apprehensive about allowing himself to enjoy things or indulge in anything fun because he’s scared of it being ruined. While it’s super depressing, it’s unfortunately an extremely relatable part of his character. The saying “all good things must come to an end,” once being words of wisdom eventually became a warning to me because of a lot of enjoyable things in my life being tainted or entirely destroyed has caused a sort of subconscious apprehension to joy. Obviously Carmy’s reasons for this and mine are different but the overarching idea is the same, I can’t allow myself to enjoy something because it’ll end horribly anyway. What’s worse is the effect that has on relationships of any kind. Simply withholding the feeling of happiness from yourself really shows to other people, and it’s a guaranteed way to end any relationship (platonic or otherwise) you ever have. It’s happened plenty of times, and it’s self sabotage, but you ultimately continue doing it because you feel safer.

Next major point of relatability I have to Carmy is his extreme awkwardness. He is exceedingly bad at articulating his emotions and even worse at conveying how he feels to people if he allows himself to do so at all. With all that, he usually just stays quiet. This is a part of his personality I unfortunately possess as well. My inability to convey my thoughts or emotions to people effectively leads me to simply avoid doing so entirely, and the way I talk to people often comes off as dismissive because I am absolutely horrible in conversation. The biggest consequence of having a major character flaw like this is that you often internalize everything, from every thought you couldn’t pitch in conversation to all of the things you bottle up despite desperately wanting to connect with people, you’re prone to outbursts. Thankfully mine are nowhere near as drastic as Carmy’s, but they definitely exist. While it could be cathartic in the moment, it’s absolutely devastating to see the effects afterward.

Lastly, it’s not as specific as the others above, but it’s more about the general state of Carmy’s social life and why I feel for him because I’ve got a similar issue. Carmy’s stated in the show that he never had relationships and he just had less and less friends as time went on, which hits extremely close to home for me. While I have had a relationship in the past and that’s not the same between Carmy and me, the having less friends over time is absolutely true. It’s a pretty typical experience to have short lived friend groups throughout school, but you still have friends regardless. Most people graduate and still have friends from high school or college that they keep around, and sometimes make friends through mutual friends or through work. I used to have friends, but over time my group got smaller and smaller until there was no one. As Carmy states at Al-anon, “the more people I cut out, the quieter my life got.” Only difference is I didn’t cut people out, but they cut me out, which is devastating. On top of all that, Carmy ruins his relationship with Claire because of his rambling about how he thinks their relationship was a waste of time. Sometimes I feel the same way about the last person I was genuinely interested in being around, but mostly regretful about ruining it. Ultimately, another really shitty aspect of Carmy’s character that I unfortunately relate to deeply.

I think the relatability of his character is one of the biggest reasons why I really loved the show. And despite Carmy often being a complete ass, I still root for him a lot. Because I don’t wanna see him worse off or to fail because if I can see him succeed, it feels like encouragement, like someone’s telling me “if someone you relate to and are similar to can improve and succeed, so can you.” It’s really powerful stuff, especially when you listen to his monologue. You feel for him, and if you’re unfortunate, you relate to him. And maybe that’s why Carmy is one of the most influential characters in fiction I’ve ever seen. It’s because there’s multiple parts of his character that I have personally. I felt called out by some of the shortcomings Carmy has, and that was a huge wake up call.

#the bear #the bear fx #carmy berzatto #carmy the bear #carmen berzatto #jeremy allen white #fictional characters #relatable characters #easily one of the best characters of all time #especially because he’s massively inspiring

[lunarthefrieschild]

★A STARLIGHT REBORN THROUGH THE NIGHT★

★:MY PERFORMANCE WON'T DISAPPOINT YOU MY FELLOW FRIENDS~

#NEW CHARACTER APPEARANCE ★ #who's that star★!? #relatable characters #She's not the creator but she's a character who will represent me and will be my second fav:) #lunarthefrieschild #lunar txt. #lunar blog #lunar art #lunar edit #Her name is star★ #small artist #artists on tumblr #anime art #oc art #digital art #original character #og oc #my edit #edits #mine: edits #my oc edits #edit #don't repost or trace #a character i will use mainly as the creator but she's not me she's just a relatable character of mine #falling into randomness with lunar(●'▽'●)ゝ

[la-pheacienne]

Rhaenyra is objectively a victim, but to people in the fandom, sob story olympic is about self projection, it’s about MY victimhood. They don’t think Rhaenyra is a victim because she’s not a character you can use as a vehicle to talk about your own problems. You can make posts about Alicent and moan about low confidence, anxiety, feeling useless, resenting other people's success or people trying to take control of their lives, projecting your inferiority/victim/martyr complex, etc. At the core of it, it’s narcissism, it’s thinly veiled self glorification and baits for validation. But you can’t really talk about Rhaenyra’s sob story and make it about yourself. Most of them don’t have very exciting lives or ambitions. Rhaenyra is sexually autonomous, has three bastards, and had her throne stolen because she was a woman. Not relatable.

"At the core of it, it’s narcissism, it’s thinly veiled self glorification and baits for validation".

"Rhaenyra is sexually autonomous, has three bastards, and had her throne stolen because she was a woman. Not relatable".

Yep, you said it all. Not relatable. Relatability is the number one quality a fictional hero should have in the current context of american media. Traditionally, or at least in my culture, what you go for -mainly- is exceptionalism. In order for me to care about a character they need to give me something exceptional, something particular, something that nobody else has. I am not looking to see myself on screen. I don't give a fuck about that. Give me something different. But be careful, exceptionalism doesn't mean lack of realism, not at all, I am all about realism, I just don't like characters just because they have weaknesses I can relate to. I need more.

Irrelevant but also kind of relevant : when I was little I read Little women. I loved it. So if you are not familiar with the story, it's a poor family with a lot of sisters, end of 19th century. Jo is one of the sisters, an Arya type of person we could say : she hates the discrimination against women, she wants to live like a man, doesn't want to get married, she wants to become a successful writer. Then you have her sister Amy, perfect little lady, accepts her position as a female, doesn't want to challenge anything, wants to get married to a rich husband, can be vain and self-centered, kind of manipulative etc. The heroine of this story is Jo. We are supposed to root for Jo. Amy serves mainly as a foil to Jo, even if in the end the two manage to get along. Yeahhh except that in the latest movie adaptation, guess which one of the characters people obsess with. Did you guess it? That's right. And why is that? Well because the actress that plays Amy is an absolute cutie with a sexy sultry voice, dresses perfectly and excells at what society expects of women. She conforms, she doesn't challenge, but she succeeds. So, relatable but also idealistic, the perfect combination. But Jo, who gives a fuck about a girl who was scorned all of her life for wanting something different for herself, for not accepting her context, for thinking out of the box. People don't want to see that. They don't want to be that. What they want is to play by the rules and succeed.

Same fucking shit with the tragedy of Antigone. Antigone is the heroine, she challenges the status quo, she sticks to her own moral code, she doesn't give a fuck about what the men around her want, she does her own thing and she is punished. Her sister, Ismene, serves as foil : she is coward, she is a conformist, she bows her head. In the end she regrets not helping Antigone because she loves her sister and she wants to share her punishment. Antigone denies her in disdain, she does not consider her worthy. Because she isn't. Ismene loves Antigone, yes, but she does not share the same exceptional traits that Antigone has and for which she is punished. So she does not deserve to have a place beside her. She is inferior. Ismene is actually more popular in Tumblrina culture than Antigone because people relate to her weakness.

People don't relate to these exceptional heroines because they are not looking for exceptional characters. They are looking for a more successful or a more glamourous version of themselves.

#hotd #house of the dragon #anonymous #antigone #little women #Rhaenyra Targaryen #alicent Hightower #ismene #amy march #Jo march #relatable characters

[licorice-lips]

Henry Winter is such a relatable character, I mean:

• Utter numbness

• Plotting the murder of friends

• Not answering the phone in any case

And that's all I have to say about it

#bunny corcoran #the secret history #henry winter #richard papen #donna tartt #dark academia #relatable characters

[strawbrrycreamdreams]

I find hachi's character to be very well thought out and relatable. She's the middle child of 3 daughters, which at first held no importance to me. But then I started thinking about how easily and commonly middle children are overlooked by their family. I imagine her parents didn't pay her much attention to her. Her ability to simply pack up and move to tokyo leaving only a letter without any concern or push back made it obvious. Plus her mother telling her not to come back home.. Junko and her family also view her as, and tell her to her face she's tiresome, burdensome, and a handful because of her emotional, naive and sensitive personality. But thinking about it, she probably developed that personality in order to recieve attention from her parents..

Junko and her family gave her love, but they also gave her lots of negative attention. So it makes sense why she goes looking for attention in men, and because men are predators they sense the fact she's looking for positive attention and give it to her which is why she's so easily taken advantage emotionally by them. As long as they give some form of care or attention to her, she allows them into her life which is why she has such bad luck with men (excluding nobu💔) she frustrates me because I've been in her shoes and know how she feels, but I still love her so much for those exact reasons too.

#nana anime #nana and hachi #nana komatsu #nana osaki #nana #anime and manga #anime #alternative #manga #hachiko #nana hachi #hachi #ai yazawa #relatable characters #paradise kiss #opinion #thinking #thoughts

[sol-em-gemeos]

#she is so me #skip to loafer #skip and loafer #misaki takamatsu #seinen manga #tokiko takamine #relatable characters

[heretherebedork]

In ongoing news, Nekoyashiki continues to be an infinitely relatable character.

#Kabe Sa Doujin Sakka no Neko Yashiki-kun wa Shouninyokkyuu wo Kojiraseteiru #bl drama #bl series #asianlgbtqdramas #asian lgbtq dramas #kabe koji nekoyashiki kun desires to be recognized #kabe koji #jdrama #japanese drama #jbl #japanese bl #japanesebl #based on yaoi #relatable characters #no literally i love him so much

[whovianderson]

Thank you to Gillian Anderson for introducing me to two hyper-empathic traumatised autistic social outcasts to relate to, I guess

#they even have the same jacket <3 #fox mulder #will graham #the x files #hannibal #relatable characters

[authenticleviackerman]

I don't know why, but everytime I watch a show where I start liking a certain character, it isn't because of their looks but because I think there's something in their personality that we share.

For example, I've always had a love hate relationship with Levi Ackerman from attack on titan. Some aspects of his personality and life match with mine a LOT.

Edward Scissorhands has a soft spot in my heart for having no hands and being absolutely terrified of people and everything around him.

Recently, me and my mom got into watching the new pope, and since seeing the character of John Brennox and how he suffers from depression made me go "he's me" without knowing anything else about him...well, seeing the way he talks, me and my mom can confirm that I was in fact, right.

Sometimes I wonder if you don't subconsciously parts of yourself in characters you are emotionally attached to.

#fictional characters #relatable #anime #anime and manga #tv series #edward scissorhands #relatable characters #the new pope #book blog #books and reading #snk #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aot #levi ackerman