Current Events > What makes you dislike a fictional character?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I normally am indifferent to or like a wide variety of fictional characters...but the ones I dislike usually come from a universe that I'm passionate about and I happen to dislike how they are portrayed in that universe.
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Someone who is good at everything, never gives in to temptation, is basically an angel
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Being a dumbass in a way that isn't funny
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Being a guy
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Being a jackass just for the sake of being a jackass.

GOATSLAYER posted...

Being a dumbass in a way that isn't funny

Mikablu posted...

Being a jackass just for the sake of being a jackass.

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Physically impossible hair
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There's the usual boring answer of the character being one dimensional or not being developed enough.

But an interesting answer to this question, to me, is basically when the character fails to be what the author intended. So basically, when the author fails as an author.

Like, say a character, in universe, is a selfish, awful, hate-able person. But the author intended that, so there's a level of awareness, and I usually end up actually liking this character, as a character.

But say a character is written as some kind of hero or something, and is intended to be the likeable main good guy, but in actuality isn't good at all, and the author doesn't even realize it, then I don't like that.

I can use Game of Thrones as an example. I fucking love Cersei. She's written wonderfully, and Martin knows exactly what he's doing with her, and how to write her. She's an evil bitch of a woman, and I love her character.

But then sometimes I just have to wonder about ol' Daenerys. I can't say for sure, but sometimes I feel like what we as the reader experience is not quite what Martin had in mind. Like, she's fucking nuts a lot of the times. But I dunno, sometimes I feel like Martin was trying to set her up as a hero to root for or something. And that doesn't mesh well with me.

So basically, when a character is intended to be unlikable, they can still very much be likable as a character, it's when the character fails on a fundamental level is when I truly start to dislike them as a character.

Recently for me, video games have been full of characters like this. Mass Effect Andromeda and Nier Automoata are full of characters I dislike because I feel they fail to live up to their intent.

Shia Lebuff in Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull fulfills this criteria as well. He's unlikeable in universe because of basic human interaction, but he's written in a way that he's a good guy you're suppose to like, so he fails on a fundamental level.

There's tons more but I can't think of them now.
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spanky1 posted...

There's the usual boring answer of the character being one dimensional or not being developed enough.

But an interesting answer to this question, to me, is basically when the character fails to be what the author intended. So basically, when the author fails as an author.

Like, say a character, in universe, is a selfish, awful, hate-able person. But the author intended that, so there's a level of awareness, and I usually end up actually liking this character, as a character.

But say a character is written as some kind of hero or something, and is intended to be the likeable main good guy, but in actuality isn't good at all, and the author doesn't even realize it, then I don't like that.

I can use Game of Thrones as an example. I fucking love Cersei. She's written wonderfully, and Martin knows exactly what he's doing with her, and how to write her. She's an evil bitch of a woman, and I love her character.

But then sometimes I just have to wonder about ol' Daenerys. I can't say for sure, but sometimes I feel like what we as the reader experience is not quite what Martin had in mind. Like, she's fucking nuts a lot of the times. But I dunno, sometimes I feel like Martin was trying to set her up as a hero to root for or something. And that doesn't mesh well with me.

So basically, when a character is intended to be unlikable, they can still very much be likable as a character, it's when the character fails on a fundamental level is when I truly start to dislike them as a character.

Recently for me, video games have been full of characters like this. Mass Effect Andromeda and Nier Automoata are full of characters I dislike because I feel they fail to live up to their intent.

Shia Lebuff in Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull fulfills this criteria as well. He's unlikeable in universe because of basic human interaction, but he's written in a way that he's a good guy you're suppose to like, so he fails on a fundamental level.

There's tons more but I can't think of them now.

That's a pretty good answer! Don't worry, I read it all. Thank you!
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