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What do you see in a Good Hero?

LunarNight143

    • 6
    Posts
    17
    Years
    • Seen Jan 14, 2008
    I know I just became a member, but I am making a PMD Fanfic and I need a good hero's personality. Any pointers?
     
    There's a lot of things a hero'd need to be a "good" hero. The only thing you really must have is for them to be, well... heroic! But they can also be hyper, or happy, or quiet, or seemingly evil (which would be hard to use but fun to read about), or anything. The main hero in my PMD fic is relatively modest, but becomes very serious and dutiful when faced with a problem. And some heros of really good fanfics I've read have been slightly dark, and even suicidal in certain parts. It's all really up to you. That's the fun of writing and creating characters...
     
    iLike2EatPiez said:
    There's a lot of things a hero'd need to be a "good" hero. The only thing you really must have is for them to be, well... heroic! But they can also be hyper, or happy, or quiet, or seemingly evil (which would be hard to use but fun to read about), or anything. The main hero in my PMD fic is relatively modest, but becomes very serious and dutiful when faced with a problem. And some heros of really good fanfics I've read have been slightly dark, and even suicidal in certain parts. It's all really up to you. That's the fun of writing and creating characters...
    Click to expand...
    thanks iLike2Eatpiez That really helped a lot!
     
    Try to make him as Heroic as Possible or as a Twist,Start him as a Bad Guy and make him then a Good Guy.
     
    For a good hero, try and make it like an underdog mentallity or something along those lines, everyone loves the underdog...

    Mainly bravery and courage are key...

    But experience, and real grip on this, as in knowledge, ar all great qualites to a hero...
     
    With protagonists, there's really only one rule of thumb. You can go with whatever kind of hero you want (the "I always rush into battle" kind or the "I really shouldn't be here, but I'm doing it because I have to" kind or whatever else you can think of), but they have to be believable. Personally, I like the sort of personality that I can actually find on the street. Something human but definitely bearing some sort of moral value (enough to keep them from making decisions that would definitely be the sort you'd find from an antagonist).

    In other words, if you're stuck for ideas, go out and meet people. Try to get a feel for who they are, and if you think they're good people, see if you can make a character based on whatever qualities you think make them good people. Even throw in some of their quirks.

    Hope that helps and good luck!
     
    They need to have some sort of flaw. They can't be "the perfect knight" so to say. They should also have some sort of principles.
     
    Yes, flaws are helpful for character development. Usually, people will have their main character have one, a few, or even a lot of flaws, and then either have the character rid themself of the flaw(s) through character development or at least recognize the flaw by the end of the story. It adds depth to both the character and the story itself, and allows the reader to make more of a connection to the character.
     
    txteclipse said:
    Yes, flaws are helpful for character development. Usually, people will have their main character have one, a few, or even a lot of flaws, and then either have the character rid themself of the flaw(s) through character development or at least recognize the flaw by the end of the story. It adds depth to both the character and the story itself, and allows the reader to make more of a connection to the character.
    Click to expand...

    Alternatively, the protagonist could just not see the flaw but have it be a constant hindrance to him, thereby adding further complications to the story. Think of an extremely soft-hearted protagonist, the kind that knows he needs to do the right thing but would rather raise fluffy bunnies because it's safer and a heck of a lot cuter. If that sort of protagonist is confronted in a fight with one or more antagonists, the protagonist would most likely be hesitant to fight back, not because they're kind so much as they're afraid to fight back and are mentally arguing over whether or not it's right. So, the antagonist just belts him and either goes on his merry way or finally gets the protagonist to fight back. If it's the latter, then the flaw is still technically there because the protagonist is still a soft-hearted wuss who would rather breed bunnies.

    To give you a clearer example, bad boy anti-hero. He probably will not play well with others, and that reluctance to team up will probably come back to bite him on the rear. After he finally teams up, that doesn't mean he gets over his complex. It just means there's something in it for him. As soon as the job's done, bad boy anti-hero will still most likely be a violent misanthrope.

    Point is, you don't exactly have to "cure" a character of flaws. You just have to do what's normal for the character. As I've said before, being human is your best bet at creating decent characters. Quirks are okay as long as you actually use them in the story, rather than attempt to add them to a character to avoid a Sue. Likewise, what happens to that character as a result of the flaw and whether or not the flaw will be with them at the end of the story should, well, depend on the story.
     
    Jax Malcolm said:
    Alternatively, the protagonist could just not see the flaw but have it be a constant hindrance to him, thereby adding further complications to the story.
    Click to expand...

    Yeah, I love that type of hero who is too big on him/herself that s/he doesn't see his/her own flaw.
     
    Well, personally, I like my non-heroic protagonists. Whether they're just being dragged along or doing it for their own gain, I just find it a lot more interesting to follow heroes who don't make the "We have to do what's right" or "I have to save X, even if it risks my own life" speeches. Or if they make speeches like that but are obvious hypocrites. Or if they do stuff like that but doing what they thought was right was in fact wrong and it ended up being their fault that hundreds of people died or something. I like them to do something terrible to somebody and feel guilty as hell about it afterwards in one way or another. But that's just my personal preference.
     
    Yes I agree with alot of these points, and not just for fan fics.

    To me a hero has to have these qualities.

    Not Generic
    A solid personality
    A goal of some sort
    A flaw that will complicate the story
    And his or her beliefs.

    And protagonists can range from all types of natures, from the hyper kid to the serious jerk, to the mysterious character. Making your character unique from all the other heroes is what counts in my eyes.
     
    Dragonfree said:
    Well, personally, I like my non-heroic protagonists. Whether they're just being dragged along or doing it for their own gain, I just find it a lot more interesting to follow heroes who don't make the "We have to do what's right" or "I have to save X, even if it risks my own life" speeches. Or if they make speeches like that but are obvious hypocrites. Or if they do stuff like that but doing what they thought was right was in fact wrong and it ended up being their fault that hundreds of people died or something. I like them to do something terrible to somebody and feel guilty as hell about it afterwards in one way or another. But that's just my personal preference.
    Click to expand...

    i agree with Dragonfree. It's really fun to be the writer that gives the hero those characteristics. in the fic that im workin' on now, the hero killed someone when he was twelve, and now hes gotta live with that mistake 4 ever
     
    The main charcter in my fic is quite modest and is cares about others, both human and Pokemon. He also has the unique ability to comunicate fully with some(not all) Pokemon. His parnter in crime, Ziggy the Linoone, is quite full of himself and sarcastic/funny. XD God I love them both, as they're my brainchildren X3
     
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