#likable characters

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The Importance of Likable Characters

In all forms of entertainment, crafting the best character to fit the story is often very tricky. The character has to be both integral to the story and interesting to be around. One component I think makes for a good character is having them be likable. Today, I'm gonna make the case for likable characters and why they can be good for storytelling more often than not.

So what makes a character likable? Sounds like a simple question to answer, right? Wrong! Likable characters can come in all different shapes and sizes. Some characters like SpongeBob are likable because they're optimistic, friendly, and really smart. Other characters like Peter Parker are likable because they're brave, caring, and loyal. Generally speaking, likable characters are like our friends. Their best attributes make us want to hang out with them and see how they overcome adversity.

There's this common misconception about likable characters being naive or foolish for always looking on the bright side. Clearly y'all don't remember what the Emperor told Shang in the movie Mulan. "The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all." Looking on the bright side is NOT being foolish, much less naive. If none of us looked on the bright side, we'd be forever lost in the darkness. Likable characters act as a guide to help others see the light of a brighter tomorrow. Without Dug or Russell, Carl probably wouldn't have made it out of South America alive. Without Clifford, Cleo and T Bone would probably drift apart.

Of course, I cannot talk about likable characters without talking about the one likable character cynics hate: Superman. I've heard all the labels thrown at him, how he's a bland, overpowered, boring character who's basically the superhero equivalent of Jesus Christ. Those who say this have never picked up a Superman comic, watched the animated show, or have seen any of the movies he's in. In actuality, Superman is genuinely good person raised by 2 humble farmers in a small town who was taught to treat others the way he would want to be treated. He also uses his powers to help others and makes an effort to try and reason with the villains before the fists start flying. He's not perfect as he has a short temper, he can be too honest and he lies to Lois like all the time. But he's no less likable because he has flaws. No, he's a likable guy because he doesn't let those flaws hold him back. Remember that famous comic where he saved a teenager from jumping off a building and heard out her frustrations? That's like the coolest, most Superman thing to do. We definitely need more characters like Superman because he doesn't just save lives, he inspires them too. If that's not cool, I don't know what is.

Likable characters aren't naive or foolish for not being cynical and bitter. They're essential for making other characters and the world around them better. Likable characters can take a standard story like the first Thor movie and make it worth getting invested in. Obviously, not every character has to be likable to make a good story. I'm just saying having a likable character in your story isn't inherently a bad thing. To conclude, I'd like to leave you with this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr:

[resha04]

Having just finished watching Goblin Slayer - and am following it through the manga now - I realized what other manga/anime it reminds me of: World Trigger.

Both are action shonen manga, but they don't employ the usual shonen manga tropes. They're not flashy but still thrilling, and refreshingly realistic even with settings like a DnD fantasy world and alien invasion - a wound to the stomach can kill you without immediate care and a high-level team can be decimated by low-level enemies without proper planning, are some of the examples. They put focus on strategy, and oh how they have good strategies: relatively simple but practical and very effective. If I'm more eloquent I'd sing praises to the strategies employed by the protagonists in both of these manga.

As for the protagonists, they aren't the chosen one, and they don't have unique powers, and they do not intend to be the chosen one. They are determined, and it is the quality that makes them stand out, but it doesn't make them special in-universe. Their determination and ingenuity won't make them the strongest, ever, maybe, but that doesn't make them boring and it never gets boring to watch what they'd plan and/or do next.

This is not to diss other flashier shonen manga in any way (I do love some of the flashy full-of-tropes ones too, like Eyeshield 21), but when one has grown rather tired of seeing the same formula again and again, manga like Goblin Slayer and World Trigger can really grow on you.

(And it would be an understatement to say that they're very good, too.)

[rockislandadultreads]

Quirky Character You’ll Love: Book Recommendations

Finn Fancy Necromancy by Randy Henderson

Writers of the Future grand prize winner Randy Henderson presents a dark and quirky debut in Finn Fancy Necromancy. Finn Gramaraye was framed for the crime of dark necromancy at the age of 15, and exiled to the Other Realm for twenty five years. But now that he's free, someone-probably the same someone-is trying to get him sent back. Finn has only a few days to discover who is so desperate to keep him out of the mortal world, and find evidence to prove it to the Arcane Enforcers. They are going to be very hard to convince, since he's already been convicted of trying to kill someone with dark magic. But Finn has his family: His brother Mort who is running the family necrotorium business now, his brother Pete who believes he's a werewolf, though he is not, and his sister Samantha who is, unfortunately, allergic to magic. And he's got Zeke, a fellow exile and former enforcer, who doesn't really believe in Finn's innocence but is willing to follow along in hopes of getting his old job back.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine Meet Eleanor Oliphant: she struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding unnecessary human contact, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen, the three rescue one another from the lives of isolation that they had been living. Ultimately, it is Raymond’s big heart that will help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one. If she does, she'll learn that she, too, is capable of finding friendship—and even love—after all. Smart, warm, uplifting, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . . the only way to survive is to open your heart.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald, Alice Menzies (Translator)

Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen... Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds that Amy's funeral has just ended. Luckily, the townspeople are happy to look after their bewildered tourist—even if they don't understand her peculiar need for books. Marooned in a farm town that's almost beyond repair, Sara starts a bookstore in honor of her friend's memory. All she wants is to share the books she loves with the citizens of Broken Wheel and to convince them that reading is one of the great joys of life. But she makes some unconventional choices that could force a lot of secrets into the open and change things for everyone in town. Reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a warm, witty book about friendship, stories, and love.

The First Bad Man by Miranda July

From the acclaimed filmmaker, artist, and bestselling author of No One Belongs Here More Than You, a spectacular debut novel that is so heartbreaking, so dirty, so tender, so funny--so Miranda July--readers will be blown away. Here is Cheryl, a tightly-wound, vulnerable woman who lives alone, with a perpetual lump in her throat. She is haunted by a baby boy she met when she was six, who sometimes recurs as other people's babies. Cheryl is also obsessed with Phillip, a philandering board member at the women's self-defense non-profit where she works. She believes they've been making love for many lifetimes, though they have yet to consummate in this one. When Cheryl's bosses ask if their twenty-one-year-old daughter Clee can move into her house for a little while, Cheryl's eccentrically-ordered world explodes. And yet it is Clee--the selfish, cruel blond bombshell--who bullies Cheryl into reality and, unexpectedly, provides her the love of a lifetime. Tender, gripping, slyly hilarious, infused with raging sexual fantasies and fierce maternal love, Miranda July's first novel confirms her as a spectacularly original, iconic and important voice today, and a writer for all time. The First Bad Man is dazzling, disorienting, and unforgettable.

[jianzhu-archive]

so i finally started the third season of the expanse and can i just say how much i still love this show?? so many wonderful women, i can't, it's just, i love them all.

[fixyourwritinghabits]

I am thinking of writing a story, where a woman starts a self help group that uses some self help philosophy she came up w . My idea is for the group to turn cultish because of actions from others in the group & because of a literary descent to madness( fame/power/$$). How do I keep the character relatable/likable to readers?

You’ve got some options here. I’ll number them out.

1. Humanize her. Give her small flaws that are acceptable and easy to dismiss or even find cute or adorable. Give her a love of shellfish, make her fascinated by the way certain women tuck back their hair. Make readers feel like she is rooted and real, like she’s someone they know.

2. Give her a slow rise. Make her initial ideas and thought process seem reasonable. Have her put forth goals that readers can support. Use logic readers can follow or even agree with. Trick the readers along with her followers (just not forever – make sure you also let the readers feel smart and trusted and willing to trust).

3. Don’t worry too much about it. She doesn’t need  to be likable for the story to be good. In fact, it may be better if she isn’t. The character in the Cask of Amontillado isn’t someone I like, but I’m certainly fascinated by him and interested in seeing what happens. Lots of reality TV figures are, if anything, unlikeable, but they have avid watchers because they are so dramatic and intriguing.

[rockislandadultreads]

Charming Characters to Love: a book list

Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper

I've gone. I've never seen the water, so I've gone there. I will try to remember to come back. Etta's greatest unfulfilled wish, living in the rolling farmland of Saskatchewan, is to see the sea. And so, at the age of eighty-two she gets up very early one morning, takes a rifle, some chocolate, and her best boots, and begins walking the 2,000 miles to water. Meanwhile her husband Otto waits patiently at home, left only with his memories. Their neighbour Russell remembers too, but differently - and he still loves Etta as much as he did more than fifty years ago, before she married Otto.

A Pho Love Story by Loan Le

If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. Not ideal. If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and fire. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant. For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring pho restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition. But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao in the same vicinity despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. But then, of course, they immediately remember. Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?

The Sweetheart by Angelina Mirabella

It's 1953 and seventeen-year-old Leonie Putzkammer is cartoonishly tall and curvaceous, destined to spend the rest of her life waiting tables and living with her widowed father, Franz, in their Philadelphia row house. Until the day legendary wrestling promoter Salvatore Costantini walks into the local diner and offers her the chance of a lifetime. Leonie sets off for Florida to train at Joe Pospisil's School for Lady Grappling. There, she transforms into Gorgeous Gwen Davies, tag-team partner of legendary Screaming Mimi Hollander, and begins a romance with the soon-to-be Junior Heavyweight Champion Spider McGee. But when life as Gorgeous Gwen leaves her wanting, she orchestrates a move that will catapult her from heel to hero: she becomes The Sweetheart, a choice that attracts the fans she desires but complicates all of her relationships with Franz, Joe, Spider, Mimi (who becomes her fiercest competitor), and even with herself.

The Man in the Window by Jon Cohen

Since he was disfigured in a fire sixteen years ago, recluse Louis Malone has remained hidden from the prying eyes of his neighbors in the small town of Waverly. Across town, Iris Shula, a lonely and unlovely nurse knows, at thirty-seven, it is unlikely that her Prince Charming will ever appear. But Iris is about to learn how wrong she is. When Louis accidently falls out of his second story window these two kindred souls are brought together. What unfolds is a most unlikely love story. One that will make you laugh and that will break—and remake—your heart.

[rockislandadultreads]

Charming Characters in Fiction: a variety of stories

The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers

Five years ago, Tia fell into obsessive love with a man she could never have. Married, and the father of two boys, Nathan was unavailable in every way. When she became pregnant, he disappeared, and she gave up her baby for adoption. Five years ago, Caroline, a dedicated pathologist, reluctantly adopted a baby to please her husband. She prayed her misgivings would disappear; instead, she's questioning whether she's cut out for the role of wife and mother. Five years ago, Juliette considered her life ideal: she had a solid marriage, two beautiful young sons, and a thriving business. Then she discovered Nathan's affair. He promised he'd never stray again, and she trusted him. But when Juliette intercepts a letter to her husband from Tia that contains pictures of a child with a deep resemblance to her husband, her world crumbles once more. How could Nathan deny his daughter? And if he's kept this a secret from her, what else is he hiding? Desperate for the truth, Juliette goes in search of the little girl. And before long, the three women and Nathan are on a collision course with consequences that none of them could have predicted. Riveting and arresting, The Comfort of Lies explores the collateral damage of infidelity and the dark, private struggles many of us experience but rarely reveal.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton

Opal is a fiercely independent young woman pushing against the grain in her style and attitude, Afro-punk before that term existed. Coming of age in Detroit, she can’t imagine settling for a 9-to-5 job—despite her unusual looks, Opal believes she can be a star. So when the aspiring British singer/songwriter Neville Charles discovers her at a bar’s amateur night, she takes him up on his offer to make rock music together for the fledgling Rivington Records. In early seventies New York City, just as she’s finding her niche as part of a flamboyant and funky creative scene, a rival band signed to her label brandishes a Confederate flag at a promotional concert. Opal’s bold protest and the violence that ensues set off a chain of events that will not only change the lives of those she loves, but also be a deadly reminder that repercussions are always harsher for women, especially black women, who dare to speak their truth. Decades later, as Opal considers a 2016 reunion with Nev, music journalist S. Sunny Shelton seizes the chance to curate an oral history about her idols. Sunny thought she knew most of the stories leading up to the cult duo’s most politicized chapter. But as her interviews dig deeper, a nasty new allegation from an unexpected source threatens to blow up everything.

When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald

Sometimes life isn’t as simple as heroes and villains. For Zelda, a twenty-one-year-old Viking enthusiast who lives with her older brother, Gert, life is best lived with some basic rules: 1. A smile means “thank you for doing something small that I liked.” 2. Fist bumps and dabs = respect. 3. Strange people are not appreciated in her home. 4. Tomatoes must go in the middle of the sandwich and not get the bread wet. 5. Sometimes the most important things don’t fit on lists. But when Zelda finds out that Gert has resorted to some questionable—and dangerous—methods to make enough money to keep them afloat, Zelda decides to launch her own quest. Her mission: to be legendary. It isn’t long before Zelda finds herself in a battle that tests the reach of her heroism, her love for her brother, and the depth of her Viking strength.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman, Henning Koch (Translator)

Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy, standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-men-who-want-to-talk-about-Jesus-crazy. She is also Elsa's best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother's stories, in the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal. When Elsa's grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa's greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother's letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones, but also to the truth about fairytales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.

[rockislandadultreads]

Likeable Characters: a variety of genres to read

Mermaids in Paradise by Lydia Millet

On the grounds of a Caribbean island resort, newlyweds Deb and Chip—our opinionated, skeptical narrator and her cheerful jock husband who's friendly to a fault—meet a marine biologist who says she's sighted mermaids in a coral reef. As the resort's "parent company" swoops in to corner the market on mythological creatures, the couple joins forces with other adventurous souls, including an ex–Navy SEAL with a love of explosives and a hipster Tokyo VJ, to save said mermaids from the "Venture of Marvels," which wants to turn their reef into a theme park. Mermaids in Paradise is Lydia Millet's funniest book yet, tempering the sharp satire of her early career with the empathy and subtlety of her more recent novels and short stories. This is an unforgettable, mesmerizing tale, darkly comic on the surface and illuminating in its depths.

The Marriage Clock by Zara Raheem

In Zara Raheem's fresh, funny, smart debut, a young, Muslim-American woman is given three months to find the right husband or else her traditional Indian parents will find one for her--a novel with a universal story that everyone can relate to about the challenges of falling in love. To Leila Abid's traditional Indian parents, finding a husband in their South Asian-Muslim American community is as easy as match, meet, marry. But for Leila, a marriage of arrangement clashes with her lifelong dreams of a Bollywood romance which has her convinced that real love happens before marriage, not the other way around. Finding the right husband was always part of her life-plan, but after 26 years of singledom, even Leila is starting to get nervous. And to make matters worse, her parents are panicking, the aunties are talking, and she's wondering, are her expectations just too high? So Leila decides it's time to stop dreaming and start dating. She makes a deal with her parents: they'll give her three months, until their 30th wedding anniversary, to find a husband on her own terms. But if she fails, they'll take over and arrange her marriage for her. With the stakes set, Leila succumbs to the impossible mission of satisfying her parents' expectations, while also fulfilling her own western ideals of love. But after a series of speed dates, blind dates, online dates and even ambush dates, the sparks just don't fly! And now, with the marriage clock ticking, and her 3-month deadline looming in the horizon, Leila must face the consequences of what might happen if she doesn't find "the one..."

By Book or By Crook by Eva Gates

Get bound up in murder in the first Lighthouse Library mystery! For ten years Lucy has enjoyed her job poring over rare tomes of literature for the Harvard Library, but she has not enjoyed the demands of her family’s social whorl or her sort-of-engagement to the staid son of her father’s law partner. But when her ten-year relationship implodes, Lucy realizes that the plot of her life is in need of a serious rewrite. Calling on her aunt Ellen, Lucy hopes that a little fun in the Outer Banks sun—and some confections from her cousin Josie’s bakery—will help clear her head. But her retreat quickly turns into an unexpected opportunity when Aunt Ellen gets her involved in the lighthouse library tucked away on Bodie Island. Lucy is thrilled to land a librarian job in her favorite place in the world. But when a priceless first edition Jane Austen novel is stolen and the chair of the library board is murdered, Lucy suddenly finds herself ensnared in a real-life mystery—and she’s not so sure there’s going to be a happy ending....

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn't a primary concern. On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied 'droid—a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as "Murderbot." Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is. But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.