Jesse to Letty because he obviously pissed her off somehow.
As Letty came to a stop at a red light, she turned to ask Jesse something.
However, she was quickly cut off by him blowing through his plastic straw and nailing her directly in the forehead with the wrapper. It was almost comical, honestly, both how her facial expression changed like the flip of a light switch at the moment of impact, and how disproportionate the intensity of her glare was compared to his crime. "I'm about to kick your ass, man."
At Jesse's response, Letty rolled her eyes. "That ain't gonna save you from anything." She balled up the wrapper and flicked it at him.
Do you have any villainous OCs? What are they like?
This answer escalated rather quickly, so here’s a read more.
The thing is, I’ve never thought of my characters in terms of heroes or villains. Nowadays, the term hero is heavy with romanticized expectations of glory and perhaps a tiny bit of wish fulfillment as well. As good writers would suggest (which I’m not but good advice is good advice nonetheless) every villain has a story, whether that be the tragedy or the ordinary tale of an ordinary human being who defies societal and ethical norms remains to be seen in each individual case. With that in mind, I have a character who falls into the moral alignment of the chaotic evil section.
In a word, my most villainous character is probably Del. I call him Del because he’s my least favorite character and I won’t give him the gratification of writing out his full name. Frankly, I despise him.
To answer your question, however, Del doesn’t have any reason to be the way that he is. I suppose there is always the need to rationalize the unknown to some extent, so that explanations can be found. After all, knowledge requires resolution. If there is no information to be had, however, things spiral downwards and out of control within the fraction of seconds. His story,in short, goes like this:
the boy had average parents. They both had to work shifts in the restaurant that they had successfully established a couple of years before his mother was presented with the news of her pregnancy at the doctor’s office. It wasn’t necessarily unplanned or by mistake because they had both been talking about starting a family. Surely, the point in time was a little less than ideal, but she had always wanted to be a mother, found excitement and soon to be happiness in the prospect of a child.
But Del always stuck out like a sore thumb. He was either withdrawn and quiet or exhibited aggressive, harmful behavior towards other children his age. There was always the unspoken risk of him suddenly snapping. Unsurprisingly, his attitude didn’t make haste even when it came to his parents, and he’d soon cross the line several times to hurt his mother with the sole intention of hurting her. It was a most curious, most stimulating thing to hurt others. Eventually, though, his adolescent years knocked the winds out of his parents in that he even started ignoring curfew, sneaking in and out of the house as he pleased. He never offered any kind of explanation, and then the stopped attending classes entirely. Some days nobody knew where he had gone off to, gone for days, then weeks, and then gone for good.
These days, he’s the kind of con artist who charms his way into women’s hearts to empty their bank accounts with relative ease, as that’s what he’s been doing for years. He builds his life, deliberately, out of the many pieces he’s plucked from the life of others. Truly, it’s only a matter of time until he ends up behind bars.
See, I’ve played Del as a demon, a hitman, a mercenary and the only distinguishing characteristics that have been consistent throughout the years is his complete lack of understanding what empathy even encompasses. Sure, he’s charming and glib, but empathy and strong emotions are an enigma to him he’s never thought about twice. If there is anything tangible to random passengers at all, it’s that he has the option to hurt them. Because that’s thrilling, exhilarating, intoxicating. For every redeeming quality, there are enough to pinpoint that he’s not really a character to redeem. As a consequence of this, there are no people who have significantly influenced his life. There have only been opportunities. And that’s the kind of character he is.
Another character who doesn’t fit into the predefined moral mold would probably have to be Jesse, who started out as a teenager who had to leave his family behind because of reasons he’d much rather keep to himself, thank you very much. It was only his sister he couldn’t abandon, not entirely, and it was a selfish request nonetheless. He’s the kind of character who intentionally hurts others to keep them at arm’s length, who acts on his own accord without giving much thought what impact his actions might have on the emotional well being of even someone precious to him. I suppose it could be said that he’s never known functional, and feels content in his dysfunctional life for some reason unbeknownst even to himself. It’s what he knows; it’s what he can do. In another alternative universe, both him and his sister Sam were discarded by their parents because they could no longer afford to feed too many hungry mouths. As much as they somehow managed to scrape by for the first few days on the streets, they were eventually running out of options. It was then that they, quite literally, fell into the hands of a thief looking to raise thieves. They were a small, unheard of guild that needed any kind of addition they could get their hands on. Jesse didn’t want the life of a thief for his sister, though, and eventually struck a deal with the leader to find her an alternative. So, in short, he has the ability to show compassion and gentleness, although he feels no guilt gutting someone for the sake of the guild. Some people simply need to stay dead. Jesse isn’t harmless by way of definition, either. He is street smart and deceitful, and his loyalty may waver whenever he chooses to sever ties. Perhaps it’s rather laughable to think of him as dangerous or particularly, well, not good. Even so, Jesse does display attributes of a cynical, disillusioned kid who decides for himself if the knife in his hand is going to be of any use.
In conclusion, none of my characters are either wholly bad or wholly good. They have their own agendas and act accordingly, but I don’t necessarily think of them as villainous. I suppose Del meets the common criteria of a villain the most, though. In my book, however, he’s little more than a bastard.
Thanks for sending this! This got really, really long so I’ll put this under a break. No clue if I did this right. It can serve as a developmental tool, though, so that’s nice.
Full Name: Jesse John Williams Gender and Sexuality: Cisgender. Homoromantic Homosexual. Pronouns: He/Him/HisEthnicity/Species: CaucasianBirthplace and Birthdate: Born on the eighteenth of April in Boston Guilty Pleasures: If there is anything about him that’s very prominent about him after their first encounter with Jesse, it’s that he enjoys what he enjoys without shame or second hand embarrassment. The only things that would come close to guilty pleasure would be his inexplicable obsession with Tetris and puzzle games. Phobias: Aquaphobia What They Would Be Famous For: There are two possibilities. The first one revolving around a career as a professional runner, as he would at least have the speed and the athletic potential required to embark on such a voyage. The second one, and this is more likely, would probably involve construction. He does excel at taking things apart to figure out how they function, and how they might work in tandem - or separately. He’s no inventor, however. What They Would Get Arrested For: Seeing as Jesse has been involved in numerous not so lawful activities as well as operations, it’s but a matter of time until he gets himself arrested. Indeed, there have been instances during which he was precariously close to arrest ( or at least it would’ve led to such repercussions eventually) but luck, as it seems, has not forsaken him. Yet, anyway. That said, I could easily see him getting arrested for stealing, vandalism and burglary - all of which he’s done before. OC You Ship Them With: So, you know how some of these bastards can randomly wander off and start to engage in whatever mischief they’re up to with a few of my other bastards? That’s precisely what happened with José and Jesse. Although they’re fundamentally different save for the fact that they’re both primarily extroverted, they’ve somehow formed an odd kind of friendship over the years. Where José can’t stand quietude and craves to be around others, Jesse is content with staying indoors to help in the household. I could go on and on about them. Basically, I think of them primarily as a BROTP, because Jesse is short-sighted and abrasive and pessimistic shit whereas José is this free-spirited, careless adventurer who just doesn’t care whether the glass is full or empty so long as he’s out exploring. Sadly, Jesse always gets dragged along into José’s next mess. OC Most Likely To Murder Them: In a fantasy setting, probably Sheila. Otherwise…there are no arch enemies or suchlike to be found. He has history with a rather questionable person of interest from before. But they’re not exactly an original character. Just… a side character lurking in the background. His name is Gavin.Favorite Movie/Book Genre: V for Vendetta. As for his favored genre, I would take an educated guess and go with either Suspense or Magical Realism here. Jesse is not exactly a collector of stories and books, though, so he doesn’t really own an abundance of reading material. Actually,no, I’m fairly sure he’s all for Stephen King. Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: The villain gets bypass because of his tragic past TM. Talents and/or Powers: Well, he’s quite crafty and enjoys to tinker around, which is also mirrored in his occupation since Jesse is a technician. Well, moreso an automotive service technician. Likewise, he used to be part a of competitive running when he was still in school. It wouldn’t be completely off to suggest that he’s still a decent runner with decent physical health, but it’s a talent rooted in mediocrity. Due to his upbringing, Jesse is also street-smart to a rather high degree as a direct result of having spent his adolescent years on the streets while also taking care of his younger sister. In an alternative verse, I do picture him as a conjurer. It’s essentially the ability to reconstruct powerful memories of others so that they can relive them once more. I’ll probably elaborate on this at some other time.Why Someone Might Love Them: Jesse is an unlikable character completely indifferent about whether or not people will give him the time of day. While his sister would vouch for his capacity to show empathy and kindness, it’s only existent in its rudimentary, pitiful form that would be an even more pitiful opponent for a tea spoon in terms of grandness. And yet, his redeeming qualities essentially boil down to his sister. That’s when there’s evidence that he has at least the capacity to care.
I would also like to mention that Jesse swears like a drunken sailor about the tiniest thing and is very much fluent in sarcasm, both of which traits are used to dismiss situations during which he’s uncomfortable or at his wits’ end.
Another reason could be attributed to his straight-forward problem solving. Although not inherently interested in why the problem came to be in the first place, Jesse is nonetheless able to function in high pressure environments without losing his ability to move forward and face whatever issue might have arisen head on. He is also highly adaptable and can easily fit into new environments. A capable man to have around if quick solutions are of the essence.
So, the next revelation is not, in fact, a justification for his past actions or general behavior towards people. Rather, it is an explanation; an evolution of who he’s become. Jesse, as mentioned before, lacks any higher education and is therefore quick to judge others as a coping mechanism. It’s like doing the judging first so he can at least have that advantage and act first. He is highly unaware of his self worth and feels inadequate compared to those who will be lucky enough to never be him.
Why Someone Might Hate Them: There are many, many reasons to dislike this tiny bastard. For starters, he is extremely callous with the feelings of others in order to dispose of whomever might be premature enough to force him to engage in unpleasant chit-chat. This is not to say that he simply loathes superficial conversations with no point other than to hear vacuous speeches. No, he just wants to be left alone. For reasons that are of nobody’s concern, thank you very much. In the same vein, Jesse’s integrity means little to him if it means he can gain that instant recognition from anyone, be it exasperation or anger towards how he treats a certain individual or otherwise. So, yes, he wants to be left alone and primarily operates in his own, closed off dimension but he also craves to be around others for the sheer purpose of acknowledgement that, well, he’s there. Sometimes, a mere reaction is enough to satisfy his needs. It’s not that he wants attention so much as he craves something else entirely, something that’s intangible. Simultaneously, not even one fiber of his being should be trusted because he’s likely to latch onto whatever opportunity presents itself in the heat of the moment, allies or friends be damned. The same could be said for his views. Jesse doesn’t much care for blind optimism or the need to ponder about future directed implications. For him, getting by is his primary trajectory. It’s also very unlikely that he’ll ever apologize or care about correct behavior at all. Self-awareness, as it is, seems severely limited. How They Change: Jesse is prone to self delusion and destruction in equal parts. In some ways, he’s managed to move on. After all, he managed to get his GED and successfully landed himself a position in a small car repair shop. In other ways, he still carries on living as before - with the same unhealthy habits and self delusions in his wake. He is blind and unseeing in the sense that there may very well be possibilities to improve upon his situation, to learn how to deal with what he’s been through. But he doesn’t. Whatever he’s caught up in, it’s self-inflicted. Before, he used to be upbeat when he was a kid. The kind who wouldn’t hesitate to get dirt all over his clothes while playing in the gardens. He was never particularly popular or well liked among his peers, but he was part of something. Energetic would be the best attribute to describe how he used to be. Jesse would readily stick his fingers into pans, sneak downstairs to empty the fridge, or play Tetris with his father on the rare off chance that he was home. In short, he used to be a playful child until events conspired him to adapt to a less than ideal environment. Why You Love Them: I’m not exactly sure. I don’t like him nearly as much as I happen to like José, who is the one original character I’ve had the longest. However, I do believe that Jesse serves mostly as a challenge for me to incorporate mental illness into my writing in order to provide a more realistic view of what it’s like compared to my mentally healthy characters. The reason, putting it shortly, why I’ve come to like his character idea is the fact that he has the potential to get out of his current situation if he could only see that there’s no shame in moving on. There’s no shame in owning up to what happened. It’s only human that we cannot see the chance to move forward despite the exhausting amount of energy and persistence it will take. It’s only human that, sometimes, hope at the bottom of a treacherous box can really be the greatest evil. And, sometimes, we’re just blind to possibilities and change. We cannot move on because we still exist primarily in the past. And that, I think, is the essence of his character. It doesn’t make him any less of an asshole, and yet it accurately shows that there’s still the capability to change.
He was a human. Deep within. Despite everything, he was so ferociously flawed, fragmented, and yet whole in his shameless want for knowledge - the yearning to know who and what he was. Secrets whispered tales of truths long forsaken. He was second-hand agitation. If anything, he wore it like a substitute for where his wolfish soul had once resided. And, like the wolf, he howled, howled, howled into the stunned silence of passengers he hardly knew.
He was a human. Prone to mistakes and second tries. Every so often, he would take the right, the easy, the comfortable road and head into the direction of adulthood, only to stumble to a halt at sensibility. And everywhere, everywhere he stopped would he wonder how he got there. Because he was not sensible. By chance, perhaps. But never at his own free will.
He was a human.
Yet, akin to every human once lived, there was an animal whose claws had left imprints of impulses, desires, and, most of all, the audacity to damn all those adult-approved decisions he had ever made.
