anotherpointlesspersonalblog:

Little post to show you guys I’m not the hateful beast I seem to be on here. At least not when my medication is working right.

Anyway, making compelling characters. Right. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not exactly an expert at this myself, but one of the most important things to remember is a proper balance of negative and positive traits. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule (as there are with just about any rules in cartoons) but for the most part, nobody likes a character who’s just perfect and can do no wrong or a character who’s just a horrid creep with no redeeming qualities.

Take classic comedy characters, for instance. Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Woody Woodpecker, even Vaudeville if you like. They’re all guys who always seem to be in control of every situation. They come out on top all the time and seem as though they can do no wrong. We would HATE them if that was the case. But we love them because we see now and then that even they’re not infallible. Each of these guys have those moments where they screw up big time and they get a taste of their own medicine and it’s hilarious! The guy who ALWAYS wins is annoying, so let him lose once in a while (even if it’s a minor loss).

Likewise, a character who’s meant to be unlikeable still has to have some positive traits to make you interested in him. In the show Dan Vs. Dan is a mean-spirited little punk who wants revenge on the world because he thinks everyone’s out to get him. Really, there’s nothing pleasant about him in any way. But we make him more appealing to the audience by exaggerating his rage to a completely unrealistic level. Everything sends him flying over the edge and his schemes are pointlessly elaborate. And we’re occasionally reminded now and then that maybe Dan’s not really as cruel as he acts. He wouldn’t REALLY do half of the things he says, but boy would he like to.

Simplicity is key as well. You can make a character or his story as complex as you like as long as there’s a simple hook people can grab onto. Doctor Who is a great example of that. After fifty years, any show would end up with a lot of history to it! And it doesn’t take any extended viewing to know that the Doctor’s got a very complex story behind him. The sheer amount of backstory can be daunting for newcomers, but it’s very easy to get into the show because, despite all of the twists and turns the story may have taken, it’s simply a story about a funny mad scientist who travels through time and saves the day. As long as the Doctor is easily approachable in that manner, it’s simple for people to come into the show at any point and just enjoy it for what it is without feeling alienated (no pun intended).

And, finally, putting a unique spin on an established character. This one can be kind of tricky. Tumblr is full of blogs that try to do just that and very few of them work, in my humble opinion. For example, you can’t just turn Rainbow Dash into a pirate for no good reason and expect people to accept that. Of course, “Pirate Dash” plays it well. We know the entire time that it’s Rainbow Dash pretending to be a pirate and that feels perfectly in-character for her. That’s the whole trick. Make whatever you do with that character feel authentic. Focus on the aspects of the character that make them appealing to you, maybe even exaggerate them for comical effect if you like. If you want to add something, let it be something you can conceivably see them doing (like Rainbow Dash playing pirate, for instance), or if you want to make them do something totally out-of-character, make that the joke. Set it up as a parody. Of course, I had it easy in the case of Ask Doctor Robotnik since he’s completely insane anyway, so it’s pretty hard to write something out-of-character for him.

All-in-all, don’t suck at it. There’s your lesson. Have fun!