Favourite -type- of character?

[Aravelle]

How can anyone think the best villain song is anything *but* _Poor Unfortunate Souls_???

That one's second best. It's excellent.. but...Hellfire... And tghis is coming from a self-proclaimed Little Mermaid Whore. >_>

 

[Jabrosky]

One character archetype I really enjoy is the hero who looks monstrous, threatening, or otherwise more like a stereotypical bad guy, but is actually a good guy. I'm thinking Dirge the heroic zombie from James Farr's old Xombie web series. Conversely, I also like it when the more stereotypically heroic-looking characters are the actual bad guys, like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast.

 

[Xenodeus Blade]

For some reason, I always liked the messiah archetype, the person who is destined to be the most powerful wizard/swordsman/Jedi/whatever in history and destroy an ancient evil. But I also like it when they show how being the messiah isn't as good as it sounds and how much pressure one has to got through.

 

[glutton]

I have a thing for female warriors who are so truly monstrous in might and reputation that the best male warriors of their setting yearn to challenge them to prove their strength.

 

[Tumbleweed]

'Grey' characters.
Also 'mysterious stranger' kind of characters.

Examples of those I've liked - Dirk in Jennifer Fallon's 'Second Sons' trilogy. Bran in Juliet Mariller's Son of the Shadows. Kelsier in the Mistborn trilogy.

 

[ookami]

Egotistical male characters that have a humorous side. E.g. kelsier from mistborn and er'ril from the banned and the banished series

 

[ecdavis]

Elric of Melniboné, the Albino with Stormbringer was one of my favorites. Morgaine trying to close all the gates with faithful Vanye assisting her was also wonderful, especially because you could see their relationship slowly change over the course of the books. Elric of course was more of an Antihero, but certainly moody and brooding. Morgaine was mission focused and often cold, but sometimes she'd show a bit of warmth.

In my own stories, I've found most of my characters are females who are very unsure of themselves, but determined, whereas the males are somber and somewhat haunted, but noble. Perhaps I've read too much of the Arthurian legends.

 

[Jess A]

In my own stories, I've found most of my characters are females who are very unsure of themselves, but determined, whereas the males are somber and somewhat haunted, but noble. Perhaps I've read too much of the Arthurian legends.

Hmm yes I do wonder if writers commonly write about character types they read about in other books. I'm certain I do. If I like to read about them, I'll probably write those character types myself.

Looking at my cast...I've got a clumsy witch who is also determined. Her mother is a gypsy/witch with a sharp tongue and no-nonsense attitude. I've got a warrior who is sort of a reformed enemy, and a petulant, spoiled merchant who also reforms in a way. His father was a Duke who turned on his people. I've got a soft spot for witches and characters who change their ways through the books.

Now, just to figure out how to make the selfish merchant likeable, since he's supposed to become a leader.

 

[teacup]

Confident villains who know exactly what they're doing and arrogant, cocky protagonists.

 

[JRFLynn]

Tortured souls, those are the types I gravitate towards most...characters that have to overcome their own demons in order to find themselves. Of course, by then some other tragedy strikes so they never seem to catch a break. I do like the cool, confident, cut 'em up characters too (like Guts from Berserk).

Have to admit though, villains do have that certain zest that gives me the tickles Writing them is so much fun!

 

[knight1298]

best way i can say is Badass warriors

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I have a thing for female warriors who are so truly monstrous in might and reputation that the best male warriors of their setting yearn to challenge them to prove their strength.

Brienne from A Song of ice and Fire fits this description, as well as my favorite type…

I like a character who strives to do the right thing, even when it's extremely difficult. Book 6 will tell me whether Brienne is still that character, but one thing I like about her in particular is that she's NOT a badass, as seen by the way she reacts to her first time killing a man. She's physically strong, even compared to most male warriors, but she's also morally stronger than… well, just about everyone in the GRRM universe.

That's my type: physically strong, with the physical build being sort of a metaphor to other types of strength that are on a mental/spiritual level.

I like stories that have gray characters, but my favorite is the one who exists in a gray world and rises above it, even if the hero loses his life as a result. Rorschach is an example of one such hero who dies sticking to his principles. He's a badass and arguably a dark, gray anti-hero… but I say he's got a shinier halo than the rest of the Watchmen combined.



EDIT - Some visual aids:

by Kyla79

by thecreatorhd