#character flaws
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List of 40 character flaws
Stubbornness, Unyielding in one's own views, even when wrong.
Impatience, Difficulty waiting for long-term results.
Self-doubt, Constant uncertainty despite evident abilities.
Quick temper, Excessive reactions to provocations.
Selfishness, Prioritizing one's own needs over others'.
Arrogance, Overestimating one's own abilities.
Trust issues, Difficulty trusting others.
Perfectionism, Setting unreachable high standards.
Fear of change, Avoiding changes.
Haunted by the past, Old mistakes or traumas influencing the present.
Jealousy, Envious of others' successes.
Laziness, Hesitant to exert effort.
Vindictiveness, Strong desire for revenge.
Prejudice, Unfair biases against others.
Shyness, Excessive timidity.
Indecisiveness, Difficulty making decisions.
Vulnerability, Overly sensitive to criticism.
Greed, Strong desire for more (money, power, etc.).
Dishonesty, Tendency to distort the truth.
Recklessness, Ignoring the consequences of one's actions.
Cynicism, Negative attitude and distrust.
Cowardice, Lack of courage in critical moments.
Hotheadedness, Quick, often thoughtless reactions.
Contentiousness, Tendency to provoke conflicts.
Forgetfulness, Difficulty remembering important details.
Kleptomania, Compulsion to steal things.
Hypochondria, Excessive concern about one's health.
Pessimism, Expecting the worst in every situation.
Narcissism, Excessive self-love.
Control freak, Inability to let go or trust others.
Tactlessness, Inability to address sensitive topics sensitively.
Hopelessness, Feeling that nothing will get better.
Dogmatism, Rigidity in one's own beliefs.
Unreliability, Inability to keep promises.
Closed-offness, Difficulty expressing emotions.
Impulsiveness, Acting without thinking.
Wounded pride, Overly sensitive to criticism of oneself.
Isolation, Tendency to withdraw from others.
#writing#writer on tumblr#writerscommunity#writing tips#character development#writing advice#oc character#writing help#creative writing#character flaws#flaws#character analysis
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How To Write Character Flaws
One of the most important aspects when writing a character are flaws since flaws increase reader immersion, reader investment, and the overall compelling energy of a story.
Flaws are necessary in creating character arcs where either these initial problems are improved or exacerbated.
Despite the fact that flaws are important, writers can struggle with how to seemlessly incorperate flaws within their characters in an interesting and natural way without just feeling like they're throwing bad traits in randomly.
Here we go!
A) All Character Traits Are Both Flaws And Strengths
Flaws are often dark reflections of the positive qualities identified in an individual.
If your lover is a strong and determined person then you are also likely dating someone who is stubborn.
If your friend is emotional and caring then they're also overly sensitive.
This is due to the fact that flaws are really just character strengths taken to their logical extreme. As the saying goes "the dose makes the poison". An excessive amount of carelessness, curiousity, love, emotion, confidence, and every single virtue inevitably results in personality defects.
You most likely have your character's strengths somewhat laid out whether these strengths be open-mindedness, kindness, determined, and anything else.
Taking these strengths to their logical extreme, you will often find flaws such as naivety, savior complex, stubborness, and other such flaws.
B) Whether Something Is A Strength Or A Flaw Depends On Context
Character A is trusting and Character B is distrusting.
Let's put them in the situation of meeting someone in order to illustrate how both character's defining traits could be their downfall depending on who this character is.
If this "someone" is a helpful individual, then Character B's flaw of distrust create unnecessary discorse within the group and could drive away this positive influence.
If this "someone" is a manipulative someone, then Character A's trusting nature harms the group as it allows someone harmful to enter.
Whether or not a character's actions are perceived as beneficial or harmful depends on if the result is good or bad for the character's goal.
This means that when you are presented with a character who seemingly has no flaws, what you can do is create situations where these good actions result in bad results.
An open-minded character might accidentally walk face first into a cult because they were too accepting of the weird activities
A kind character might cause their allies to become overly dependent on the individual's generosity
A determined character might be so obsessed with succeeding at this specific task that they fail to see the bigger picture and the more effective solution
#writing#writeblr#on writing#creative writing#writing advice#writers#writers on tumblr#writer#writers and poets#character flaws#character development#character advice#writerscommunity#originalcharacter#original character
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A character flaw is only a flaw until it becomes useful.
Is your protagonist overprotective? That sucks... until someone they love is in danger.
Is your protagonist manipulative? Well, that's awful... until they manipulate the antagonist into making a decision that saves the lives of their friends.
Is your protagonist a skeptic? Well, that's not good... until someone tries to lie to them.
Is your protagonist remorseless? Well, that makes them pretty unlikeable... until a hard decision has to be made.
#character flaws#overprotective#manipulative#writing tips#advice#writeblr#writing advice#writers on tumblr
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Character Flaws
When creating characters, it's all too easy to envision the most perfect people, especially when it comes to creating love interests. Even our loveable morally grey characters are mostly perfect, if only they would stop killing...
So, here are a list of some flaws (based on personality, not appearance) to help round out your characters. While it's nice to be good at everything, it's abnormal. No one is perfect, and your characters will be much more relatable if you knock them down a bit.
Please note, none of these are (specifically) mental disorders, as I don't consider those a character flaw.
The Good (aka little flaw):
Absent-minded, aimless, argumentative, audacious, awkward, blunt, bold, boring, capricious, childish, clumsy, competitive, complainer, cowardly, critical directionally-challenged, dubious, finicky, fixated, flake, flirty, foolish, gossipy, gruff, gullible, hedonistic, humourless, hypocritical, idealist, idiotic, ignorant, illiterate, immature, impatient, impetuous, impulsive, incompetent, inconsiderate, indecisive, indifferent, indomitable, irrational, lazy, lustful, materialistic, meddlesome, meek, mischievious, nagging, naive, nervous, nosey, obnoxious, overambitious, overconfident, overemotional, overprotective, overzealous, passive-aggressive, paranoid, peevish, perfectionist, pessimist, pest, predicatable, pretencious, prideful, rebellious, renege, rigorous, sarcastic, skeptic, seducer, selfish, self-righteous, shallow, slacker, solemn, spacey, spoild, squeamish, stubborn, supersticious, sycophant, tactless, tease, tempermental, tenacious, theatrical, thoughtless, timid, unpredictable, unsupportive, vain, workaholic
The Bad (aka big flaw):
Addiction, adulterous, aloof, anxious, apathetic, arrogant, belittling, belligerent, bigmouth, bitter, bully, callous, deceptive, dependant, deranged, dishonest, disloyal, disrespectful, egotistical, envious, erratic, exploitive, fanatical, fickle, fierce (at the extreme), gluttonous, greedy, harasser, hubris, impious, infamy, intolerant, judgemental, lewd, liar, meglomaniac, morally grey, narcissistic, negligent, obsequious, obsessive, offensive, prejudiced, quixotic, reckless, rigid, self-martyr, self-righteous, short-tempered, spiteful, squanderer, stingy, unethical, unforgiving, untrustworthy
The Ugly (aka cross the street when you see this person):
Abusive, bigot, controlling, cruel, explosive, immoral, inhumane, intolerant, machiavellian, manipulative, murderous, neglectful, oppressive, racist, remorseless, possessive, self-destructive, threatening, treacherous, vengeful, vindictive, violent
The seven chief features of ego: self-deprecation, self-destruction, martyrdom, stubbornness, greed, arrogance and impatience.
Some of these may not even be considered flaws, and some may jump from one category to the next. It's all about how you present these flaws in your characters.
Have any more to add? Did you find this useful? Let me know down in the comments :)
#creative writing#novel writing#writer#writing advice#writing community#tumblr writers#writing#writeblr#fiction#character flaws#character development#fictional characters#writing tips#writing resources#character building
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I’ve seen a lot of stuff abt Keefe being emotionally manipulative and I’m not gonna disagree but I do want to point out what he grew up around. Like, his parental environment is very obviously one of the most unhealthy dynamics in the lost cities, and I think it’s been made pretty clear throughout the books that the very last thing he wants is to be like either of his parents. The emotional manipulation everyone points out is very likely not intentional and he probably doesn’t even realize what he’s doing. It doesn’t excuse it, but I just feel like ppl need to look a little deeper than just “Keefe manipulates everyone”. It’s the same thing with Fitz and his struggle with regulating his emotions. Yes, he lashes out and hurts people, but it’s not the intention. These actions are done because these people have been hurt and traumatized in different ways and they respond in an unhealthy way, not because the characters have malicious intent for anyone. It doesn’t excuse it, but it’s important to remember before jumping the gun and being like “xyz is horrible and irredeemable!!1!11!1!!”
#I am an avid Keefe and Fitz defender#I love them both#character flaws#character flaws are beautiful they add so much depth#kotlc#kotlc fandom#kotlc keefe#kotlc thoughts#kotlc fitz#keeper of the lost cities#fitz vacker#keefe sencen
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#writing#writers#writers on tumblr#writing community#writerscommunity#writer things#novel writing#writerslife#writers and readers#writing tips#characterization#character design#original character#originalcharacter#character concept#character sheet#character development#character flaws#writing characters#character creation
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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
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Writing Notes: Character Flaws
Nobody is perfect.
By depicting characters who mirror that sentiment, it’s easier for us to understand and connect to them.
Flaws don’t just add character depth though, they can also drive the entire story.
They can create personal arcs that raise the tension of the main conflict.
Flaws make the character’s success (if it comes) that much more rewarding.
But when we’re developing our own characters, how do we build flaws into them? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, but we can pull some tips from some examples.
A lack of flaws: Characters like Superman who don’t have a lot of character flaws need other kinds of things to create compelling stories. Superman was intended as a symbol of hope. The fact he fights people or lifts heavy things is rarely ever interesting these days, but the way he handles problems and fights for the downtrodden still resonates with people.
Flaws & plot work together: A character flaw should have some meaning to the plot. Haymitch’s (from The Hunger Games) drinking isn’t particularly interesting until you learn about his history and realize that it’s a coping mechanism. Irving’s (from A Strange Loop) get-rich-quick schemes create the conflict in the story. And Hinata’s (from Haikyū!!) flaws are something that he’s constantly working to overcome to reach his goals.
Proceed with caution: Finally, character flaws are an important part of creating well-rounded and believable characters, but if you treat sensitive topics too lightly—or misunderstand them—you risk upsetting part of your audience.
While you might have the best of intentions, if you’re dealing with serious issues that real people deal with, it would be a good idea to do some research or get a sensitivity reader. Or both.
Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References ⚜ "Well-Rounded" Character Worksheet
#writing notes#character flaws#writeblr#literature#writers on tumblr#poets on tumblr#dark academia#spilled ink#writing reference#writing prompt#poetry#character development#character building#on writing#writing tips#writing advice#writing inspiration#writing ideas#writing inspo#creative writing#mikalojus konstantinas ciurlionis#art#writing resources
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Noooo babe put your clothes back on I’m going to talk to you about the parallels of destruction and creation as character foils.
#/silly/lh#Destruction is a form of Creation came up on my Pinterest and.#yeah.#also like#character flaws#character downfalls#and anyways#yknow creation and destruction mentioned- /silly#I think about Netherum and Fable a lot.#and then also like- how it translates to their kids too.#I care so much.#anyways#fable smp#fsmp#fsmpblr#fablesmp#fablesmpblr#fable creation#fable smp fable#Fable#Netherum Destruction#fable smp netherum#Netherum#icarus morningstar#icarus fable smp#athena morningstar#?#athena fable smp#i have so many thoughts
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A Character’s Flaws vs. Strengths
When it comes to balancing your character’s flaws and strengths, the goal is to create a multidimensional figure that feels real and relatable—someone who’s defined by both their virtues and their imperfections. Here’s how I approach it:
Make the Flaws Integral to the Plot
Characters need their flaws to feel human. But it’s not enough for them to just have these flaws—they should actually affect the story.
When a character’s impatience or distrust leads to mistakes, it makes their growth feel earned. Their flaws should push the narrative forward, not just sit there in the background.
Don’t Overbalance Toward Strengths
One of the biggest traps is giving your characters too many redeeming qualities to offset their weaknesses. A character who’s too good at too many things, with only one tiny fault (that’s conveniently not a big deal), won’t hold the reader’s attention. It’s all about dysfunction; flawed characters who still manage to push through the shit.
Reflect Flaws in Relationships
Let the flaws ripple out. Does a character’s arrogance put them at odds with their best friend?
Maybe their insecurity makes them sabotage a potential love interest. The flaws shouldn’t just affect them personally—they should shape how they interact with the world and the people in it.
Make Strengths Earned
Rather than giving a character prepackaged strengths, have those strengths grow organically from their flaws. Maybe a character’s stubbornness makes them unwilling to give up on a tough quest, or their mistrust means they’re great at detecting lies.
The best strengths are those that arise from a deep understanding of their weaknesses.
Balance in the Journey
Don’t be afraid to let your character break down. Sometimes they’ll fall, make the wrong choice, and face the consequences of their flaws. But that’s what makes their eventual triumphs even sweeter. It’s about letting the flaws and strengths dance together, creating a push-pull dynamic that keeps readers invested.
In the end, flaws and strengths shouldn’t feel separate. They’re two sides of the same coin. It’s in that tension, that friction, where the real depth of a character comes to life. That’s how I build my characters—flawed, messy, deeply human, and it makes them all the more interesting for it.
If you want to see how I pull this off in my worlds like Tenebraethia, Novaxiom, or A Healer’s Vow, check out more over at @oliolioxenfreewrites.
#writerscommunity#writeblr#character strengths#character flaws#writer community#writers on tumblr#queer writers#creative writers#writerblr#creative writing#writerscorner#writers#writing advice#original writing#writing tips#fiction writing#how to write#writers community#writer tips#tips and tricks#writer#writer stuff#beginner writer#tumblr writers#writing inspiration#being a writer#character writing#oli's inkwell symposium
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I want to see heroes or vigilantes with secret identities becoming pathological liars.
It started as lies to protect their identity from being revealed but then the lies began to seep into their regular everyday life and now they’re lying about innocuous details in their life that nobody cares about and they don’t know why.
It’s not like it’s on purpose. It just feels like it’s impossible to tell the full truth without embellishing it with an unnecessary lie and now they’re caught in a web of lies they can’t untangle.
Yeah. Heroes that are pathological liars, everyone.
#hero#vigilante#pathological liars#lying#The inescapable web of lies that takes over your life#character flaws#writing#this was created with dick grayson and peter parker in mind#don’t ask me why#dick grayson#nightwing#peter parker#spider man#writeblr
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Character flaws for an anxious character
Constant worrying: Obsessively fretting over even the smallest details.
Overplanning: Creating elaborate contingency plans for every possible scenario.
Indecisiveness: Struggling to make decisions due to fear of making the wrong choice.
Social anxiety: Feeling extremely nervous or uncomfortable in social situations.
Perfectionism: Setting impossibly high standards for themselves and others.
Avoidance behavior: Dodging situations or responsibilities that trigger anxiety.
Overapologizing: Saying sorry for everything, even when it's not their fault.
Hyperawareness of physical sensations: Being overly sensitive to bodily sensations and interpreting them as signs of impending doom.
Catastrophizing: Jumping to the worst-case scenario in any given situation.
Need for reassurance: Constantly seeking validation or reassurance from others.
Rumination: Getting stuck in a loop of negative thoughts and overanalyzing past events.
Difficulty relaxing: Finding it hard to unwind and let go of stress.
Overthinking: Overanalyzing every word or action, leading to anxiety about social interactions.
Physical symptoms of anxiety: Experiencing symptoms like sweating, trembling, or rapid heartbeat in stressful situations.
Avoidance of confrontation: Going to great lengths to avoid conflict or uncomfortable conversations.
People-pleasing: Putting others' needs and desires above their own to avoid conflict.
Overpreparation: Spending excessive time and energy preparing for events or tasks.
Self-doubt: Second-guessing their abilities and decisions due to fear of failure.
Fear of the unknown: Feeling anxious about uncertain or unfamiliar situations.
Imposter syndrome: Believing they are not worthy of their achievements and fearing they will be exposed as a fraud.
#writing#writerscommunity#writer on tumblr#writing tips#character development#writing advice#oc character#writing help#creative writing#character flaws#character traits#personality traits#writing anxiety
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What Are Archetypes And How To Use Them!
Character archetypes are one of the many tools in a writer's arsenal to write believable and universally relatable characters which transcend geography, time, and culture!
Throughout this post, I will be discussing what archetypes are, how to use them, and how to subvert them.
What Are Character Archetypes?
What are character archetypes? Archetypes are kinda like templates that are grouped into categories depending on their traits, experiences, and actions.
When thinking about "archetypes", your mind may jump to the archetypes in the major Arcana which represent different aspects of life! Like character archetypes, the archetypes represented in the Arcana encompass a multitude of various traits, experiences, and meanings depending on the reader of the tarot or, with character archetypes), interpretations by the author!
Archetypes are meant to transcend time, geography, location, and the differences between other individuals to communicate universal truths about humanity.
But it's important to use archetypes correctly! All characters require character development and if you don't use character development or there isn't enough character then the characters are going to be flat, boring, and unoriginal.
The difference between "stock characters" and "archetypes" is the fact that stock characters aren't meant to be main characters. Stock characters are the strict librarian that tells the lovers to be quiet, the mean bully that gets humiliated, or the MC's lovingly dead mom.
They are static, flat characters who are meant to serve as filler. Archetypes are the foundation to create complex, changing characters!
Mixing Character Archetypes
Most characters fall into multiple character archetypes depending on the perspective that you are looking at. Mixing character archetypes allows your characters to be familiar but not cliche!
Character Archetypes (And How To Subvert Them)
There are way too many archetypes so I'm just going to give a quick run-by!
The Caregiver
The caregiver is a character who selflessly and whole-heartedly supports their loved ones. They often tend to fall into the Mentor role, the Best Friend role, or something else. It's common to see the Caregiver as an accompanying character to the Hero.
Traits: Selfless, Kind, Compassionate, Honorable, Loving
Pitfalls: Too selfless, tends to lack growth or goals, a bit too dedicated to assholes
Subvert: Caregiver can serve as an enabling force who encourages the Hero or the Villain to follow all of their desires and will force their loved one to deny any healthy accountability for their bad behavior. The Caregiver can be a shallow individual who has a tendency of nearly abandoning the group when things seem hopeless. The Caregiver can show some selfishness
Everyman
The Everyman is your regular Joe-Shmoe who isn't smart enough to be a Mad Scientist but not dumb enough to be the resident Idiot. They aren't particular ugly nor particularly attractive (but they tend to get the love interest anyway). They are kinda average in most respects.
The Everyman is humble and cooperative but not stand out.
Traits: Humble, Hard-working, Grounded, Relatable, Cooperative
Pitfalls: This is the protagonist for 95% of stories. Tends to flail around so much that the audience wonders why they are even needed.
Subvert: The Everyman tends to fall into the Innocent type. Basically, oblivious as all heck and a bystander. The Everyman could be a secret mastermind behind the whole operation and more aware than anyone suspects.
The Creator
Constantly creative and constantly making something. Their creation can be physical (inventor) or in the divine sense. To the Creator, there is nothing that is more important than what they are trying to make, and they are willing to sacrifice themselves and others to reach their goal.
Traits: Obsession, imaginative, strong-willed, egotistical
Pitfalls: The Creator tends to be unsympathetic and not that obviously relatable to the non-creative types.
Subvert: Actually try and make this Mad Scientist or God relatable. Many people have that one thing that they would sacrifice their time and life for whether that be their job, their family, their identity, or their creative pursuits. Connecting that creation to these universal truths will turn your one-dimensional character into a tragedy or masterpiece.
The Explorer
They want to break boundaries, take risks, and travel the world for something new. They yearn for something more than a normal life. They want to find their purpose and they don't believe their purpose lies in the mundane life everyone wants them to live.
Traits: Courageous, independent, nonconforming, driven, curious
Pitfalls: Explorer types tend to be the garden-variety " I want to explore this place". Highly common protagonists.
Subvert: Have the Explorer be a little bit lost in the world. They aren't courageous about their desires and they don't even really know what they want. They just know they don't want to spend the rest of their life here. They are afraid of stagnation. They are afraid of looking back on their life and only being able to feel regret. Make it spiritual. Make it about fear.
The Hero
The Hero rises to the challenge. They can't or refuse to stand by any longer to the injustice surrounding them. They fight the villains.
Traits: Honorable, Justice-Orientated, Strong
Pitfalls: One-Dimensional. "really? another story about Superman going rogue and killing people because angst?"
Subvert: At this point, having a character who is genuinely a good person who wants to try and be a good person is a subversion. Seriously, if you can only write an interesting character when they are evil or "morally complicated", they you are putting yourself in a box. They aren't perfect but they try. That's the thesis statement for heroes.
The Innocent
The Innocent is defined by their unending optimism and naivety with a child-life attitude (if they aren't an actual child). The Innocent tends to be the starting place for a character who will eventually have their comfortable life radically shifted by worldly events until their ignorance is swept away from them.
Traits: Trusting, Loving, Sincere, Open, Powerless, Oblivious
Pitfalls: So innocent to the point where they are obnoxious and not relatable to anyone above the age of 7. "Why is a man who has the ignorance of a child the Chosen One?"
Subvert: What if the Innocent isn't this childish person but actually acts serious? A story could have a character going on this journey to become the Innocent in an effort to get rid of their memories of the horrors of life that they have deemed unbearable. And they succeed. The Innocent could be someone whose naivety about the world often has them acting in cruel and insensitive ways.
The Lover
Ranging from the hedonistic players to the dreamy romantics, Lovers are guided by their heart. Like Creators, they also have an all-consuming obsession and dedication, although, in this case, the object of their obsession is the receiver of their love whether that be a person or an object.
They often overlap with the Caregiver.
Traits: Devoted, compassionate, caring, protective
Pitfalls: They often tend to be one-dimensional and horribly problematic.
Subvert: The recipient of their love could be an object, a friend, or a family member. Their love could also be demonstrated as purposefully toxic as their codepedent traits have the potential to intersect with Superior Complexes, Inferiority Complexes, and/or Savior Complexes.
The Rags-To-Riches Orphan
While not always a literal orphan, the Orphan starts in a state of poverty and unimportance who transitions into a life of opulence and excitement.
Beyond that, Orphans tend to fall into Found Families, as a desire for belonging often reunites them with either social outcasts or the Riches group.
Traits: Survivalists, empathetic, determined, driven
Pitfalls: Another orphan? Really? Wow, you got picked up off the street and became unbelievablely rich? How relatable.
Subvert: The Orphan uses their skills and resources from their time in poverty to secure power, influence, and popularity from the masses as their relatable upbringing, connects to the underground market, and survivalist mentality leads them to be even more cunning and manipulative than the natural-born. The Orphan isn't as innocent and ignorant as everyone seems to think they're. The Orphan falls from their rich status. The Orphan hates their found family and relishes in the opportunity to leave them.
The Rebel
The Rebel leads the charge against flawed leaders and power structures when the balance of society is threatened. They might be the public head of a rebellion, a charismatic outsider, someone who works in the shadows, or just someone whose another James Dean- knock-off.
Traits: Natural leaders, courageous, inspiring, strong, charismatic
Pitfalls: Romancization of rebel groups and abusive behaviors as , more often than not, rebel groups establish a new order that is the same or even worse than the previous group.
Subvert: What if we didn't contribute to the massive romantization of rebel authority and instead investigated how extremists groups can manipulate desperate citizens into horrible governments. Because Hitler was a rebel who instigated a national rebellion. What if we explored the topic of co-option as previous signs of rebelliousness and civil rights are being commercialized for right-wing non-pocs and "rebellious" teens?
The Mentor
The Mentor is the character who is typically off in the corner, training the protagonist with life advice such as "life happens man" and "if you klll a killer, that's somehow worse than being that killer".
Because writers don't know how to write actual wisdom so they copy facebook quotes and look up a thesarus for some "fancy" words
Traits: "Wise", caring, patient, insightful, rational
Pitfalls: "Author! Arthor! This a serious topic with a huge diversity of variables and an imperfect solution as humans are inherently imperfect! This advice seems really oversimplified and kinda biased!
Subvert: What if the mentor's teachings are revealed to be heavily biased and based on misinformation which is reflective of the mentor's upbringing? What if the mentor is secretly working with the antagonist to feed the fledgling Hero with false beliefs? What if the mentor genuinely hates the Hero but is still on Team Good Guys?
#writeblr#writing#on writing#creative writing#writing advice#writers on tumblr#character flaws#character building#character development#original character#character design#character archetypes#archetypes#archetypal psychology#archetrope#writers#writer#mentorship#the mentor#the hero trope#writing tropes#story tropes#tropes
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giving characters flaws:
turn their best qualities completely upside down. turn those traits around on them.
they're too compassionate? maybe they're way too easily forgiving and get screwed over by it repeatedly.
extremely outgoing and extroverted? maybe they're apathetic to those who struggle with even having small talk, and make those people highly uncomfortable.
brave? maybe they can be reckless and often get themselves in unnecessary danger.
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Tony's flaws
As I promised in this post, here's a list of flaws that MCU Tony actually has or had in the past (before Afghanistan, but not necessarily his entire life before that):
Absent-minded Aimless (in the past) Anxious (after The Avengers) Audacious Childish Closed-off Clumsy Fixated Forgetful Grumpy Guilt complex Haunted by the past Hotheaded Insecure Irresponsible Irritable Lacking ambition Lacking boundaries Naive Nervous Non-assertive Overly trusting Overthinker Passive-aggressive People-pleasing Perfectionist Quick-tempered Reckless Reclusive Restless Sarcastic Secretive Self-blame Self-centered (in the past) Self-destructive Self-doubting Self-isolating Self-martyr Skeptical Suicidal Tactless Withdrawn
Some of them he has all the time, some appear rarely (for example, sometimes he is tactless, but more often he is polite with people and knows when he has said something inappropriate).
If I missed anything, feel free to let me know in the comments, and if he actually has/had it, I'll add it to the list.
P.S. Personal opinions of haters, such as their favorite "who can be considered a war criminal", are not accepted. You can go hate yourself.
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Little flaws to give to your characters
They won’t be EVIL if they do these things, but it makes them seem a bit more rounded by giving them little flaws
—Can’t keep a plant alive to save their soul
—Gives up too easily
—Every time they go out to eat with others and they all order their food, they go last so that they can condescendingly ask for a salad
—Acts surprised when someone has a hobby and they’re not monetizing that hobby (ex: crochet. Actually this all about crocheting)
—cyber bully
—Keeps turning the conversation on its head so that they have an excuse to talk about themselves
—The type who compares traumas (oh I’m so sorry your dad’s a terrible person. BUT AT LEAST YOU HAVE A DAD 😭😭😭)
—Never asks for permission to do anything. It stops being cool and bad-boy after a while
—Nonchalant about everything. Even when you shouldn’t be.
—Steals little things for absolutely no reason. It’s not like they’re poor. It’s not like they need it. They just take it.
—They question every single detail about the things you say like they’re solving a murder case. (“Yeah, life has been really tough—“ “IF things have been as difficult as you say, then WHY—“)
—Talks about how unique their music taste is. All the time.
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