So, let’s talk character tropes.
It’s impossible to write a character that doesn’t fall into one or more tropes, and this isn’t a bad thing; tropes are not clichés or stereotypes, they’re handy ways to categorize reoccurring themes and traits in fiction. However, I do notice that some tropes are far less used than others, and unfortunately so. Thus, I decided to compile the first part of a long list of archetypes I find underused or underappreciated. Full disclosure, this is like 50% gushing about my favourite tropes, and 50% secretly hoping that some up-and-coming author reading this will decide to create characters inspired by these choices. Either way, enjoy!
#5: Bad@$$ Clergy
You know it’s sad when the coolest and most accurately-written Catholics in modern media are from a Japanese anime (Hellsing Ultimate), and are technically villains/antiheroes (since the Anglicans are the protagonists). Bear in mind that Japan has such a loose knowledge of Christianity that they think Christmas involves the crucifixion of Santa (https://i.redd.it/mf4resw7t2161.jpg), and yet they were still able to make Fr. Alexander Anderson the coolest priest in any show, movie, or book I’ve seen.
Now, let’s review the historical accounts of the saints; We’ve got St. Lawrence of Rome, who was tied to a grill and roasted to death by Romans, and still had the guts to tell his executioners “turn me over, I’m done on this side”, we’ve got St. Moses the Black, a former bandit who single-handedly beat up a group of robbers intent on looting his monastery, dragging them before his abbot, and we’ve even got St. Quiteria, one of nine sisters (nonuplets, in fact) who formed a guerilla army, breaking out Christians from Roman prisons and generally causing hell for the legionaries, to name just three examples. In that light, it really makes me wonder why all Christians in stories and movies tend to be either downright evil, or absolute pansies. I wish there were more examples of heroic clergy in fiction, we’re certainly not short of examples in reality.
#4: The Square
I always found it sad that the rigorous, particular, high-morals and low-tolerance character always ends up getting the short end of the stick in stories. Authors always seem to hate people with high standards while glorifying the amoral rogue, and any squares will at best be relegated to being the “straight man” comedic role, and at worst be totally humiliated and dragged through the mud. Or, alternatively, their “character arc” will be to loosen up, drop their standards, and join the rest of the group. But why do they always have to be the one to change?
The coolest square of all time (in my opinion) is Regent Elmar from Stella Glow. He’s basically the token ugly one in a cast of attractively anime characters, and from the start, he gives off major “evil chancellor” vibes. He’s always trying to keep the princess from venturing into town, he doesn’t approve of the protagonist’s ragtag band of misfits being given a mission that will decide the fate of the country (imagine that), and in general is a fussy, letter-of-the-law man with no time for the nonsense of the rest of the cast. Further, when it’s revealed that there’s a traitor in the party, he’s the immediate suspect.
However, when the second act of the story starts and everything goes to hell, the princess is killed, and the party is responsible, he’s the one that stands up and organizes the kingdom’s defenses. He, the man who lost the princess he loved like his own daughter, keeps going because he refuses to lose the kingdom she loved. He tells the heroes to take up their swords and fight, or he’ll do it for them. And by golly, he jumps from the 2nd most hated character to the most respected in that one scene. And I love that the story gave him that justice. Sure, you may hate the stick-in-the-muds. Sure, sticklers and hard@$$es can be a pain when you just wanna have fun. But when the chips are down, they’re the ones that keep ticking and stand tall. I just wish there were more characters given that chance to shine.
#3: Blue and Orange Morality
If there’s one cardinal sin of writing which everyone (myself included) is guilty of, it’s making your own personal moral code the default of the world. In other words, the “good guys” adhere to your beliefs, and the “baddies” are those who do things you personally deem evil. If you hate bullies, then bullies will be irredeemable scum. If you have a vendetta against military/the police, then you can bet they’ll be corrupt and cowardly bastards in your story. That’s why so-called “Blue-and-Orange Morality” characters are so interesting; they’re the ones with a moral code so foreign, so alien from anyone else’s, that they require you to think outside your own beliefs, and consider how someone else could view the world in a way that would seem good and right to them.
Take Solf J. Kimblee from FMA. His moral code is one of complete and utter relativism. He doesn’t care what you believe, or what you do, as long as you adhere to your convictions to the end. The one thing he can’t stand is a hypocrite, and in that way I kind of empathize with him. Of course, he’s also a complete psychopath who participated in a racial genocide, but in accordance with his own morals, he did his job well and efficiently, and didn’t forget the face of a single person he killed. He even ridicules the other members of the extermination team for their reluctance to kill, in spite of them joining of their own free will. True to his morals, he respects both the villains and the heroes equally for their desire to fight for their beliefs, will happily stop in the middle of a fight to discuss philosophy with his enemies, joins the side fighting to destroy humanity despite being human himself because he finds it interesting, and betrays them brutally when they stray from their convictions.
And that’s why he’s so brilliant; I disagree with him fundamentally (who doesn’t?), but the fact that he follows his moral code rigorously, and dies upholding it is rather inspiring. Further, to write a character like that, one has to step outside the realm of their own morality, and consider the other sides; one has to entertain the idea that what you personally believe may not be the only right way. And I think that’s a very valuable thing.
#2: Smiling, Tortured Souls
Authors love to torture their characters. It’s just how we roll, unfortunately. And while I love tragic characters as much as the next, if there’s one kind that gets on my nerves, it’s the ones who wallow in their misery, wearing it like a badge on their chest. You know they’re broken from the get-go, and they’re always on a hair-trigger, one bad memory short of melting into a nervous breakdown. I (personally) want the tragedy to be something we learn later, something that makes you say “ah, I see how that lead them to be [x]”, but not their defining feature. But for the real “best” tragic characters, give me the ones that laugh through the pain, and help those around them, bringing the joy they’ll never know to their loved ones. After all, the saddest, most hurt people know best what it’s like at rock bottom, and don’t want anyone else to feel their pain.
While Faust from Guilty Gear is simultaneously one of the most fun and most tragic examples of this, Shuuya Kano from Kagerou Daze is my all-time favourite. Shuuya had to watch his older sister die before his eyes when he was just a kid, and was warned by the villain that if he breathed a word to anyone, the rest of his family would be next. However, you in the audience never find that out until near the end. From the moment he’s introduced, he’s the comic relief character, always taking the fall, easing the mood, and smiling disingenuously from ear-to-ear. As his powers involve changing how other people see him, he made it so that no matter how he’s feeling, others can only view him as a happy-go-lucky jokester. In fact, whenever the gang goes out, he’s the one alert for danger, while wearing the guise of goofing off. He’s quick to sacrifice himself, and is usually the first person on the scene when someone’s feeling down. But inside, he’s the loneliest of them all, bearing a burden he can never tell anyone else. Honestly, his way of thinking really resounded with me as a kid, and I still strive to be someone as strong as him.
#1: Stoic, Loyal Girls
Last on the list and top of the rankings, we have my personal favourite heroine trope, yet one that has shockingly few examples. When we think of stoic, loyal characters, countless knight, soldier, father, and other protector-type characters come to mind. But they’re all dudes. I tried long and hard to think of female characters that fit this trope, and the few that came to mind were Riza Hawkeye from FMA, Morgiana from Magi, and Ellen Ripley from Alien(s). In fact, I couldn’t think of a single female character in this trope from any novel I’ve read, which is sad, because I love this character type to death.
In general, the “strong, silent type” seems to be a characteristic the guy characters have a monopoly on. The rare quiet girls tend to have “shy” as a prerequisite, or risk being completely unemotional danderes. Fierce loyalty is something even less seen in female characters, and unless it’s the “big sis” or “team mom” character looking out for their squad, it rarely comes up in the traits.
In general, I’ve always been partial to the quiet characters. I always say “doers do and talkers talk”, and characters that speak through their actions exemplify this. The quiet character doesn’t have to threaten you to be intimidating, and there’s a reason people fear the quiet kid. In the same light, I’ve also always taken to loyal characters, whether it’s sibling/family loyalty, loyalty to their country, or even just loyalty to their beliefs. Being willing to sacrifice yourself for something larger than yourself is a beautiful thing, and the “Stoic, Loyal Girl” archetype is the ideal blend of these two already great characteristics. Someday, I really want to write a heroine like that.
Closing
Well, that’s the end of my rant. What do you guys think? Agree/disagree on my choices? Do you have any character tropes you think don’t get enough love? Let me know!
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