One Hundred Fantasy Clichés That Really Need To Rest In Peace

#52: Edgy Characters

  How do you describe an edgy character?  There are two ways to define such a character.  The first is to label them as an anti-hero, whose path as a character strays both into the right and wrong.  These characters do as they please with a moral compass that stops them from becoming true villains.  The second way to define an edgy character is to buff them up into a strong, unforgiving person that is okay with beating the bad guys down to a bloody pulp.  They eat a bowl of nails without any milk at breakfast, drink four jugs of beer without getting drunk, and have the brawn to lift an entire tree up with one finger.  This version of the edgy character is the form most action heroes take.  Despite the differences in definition between both types of edgy characters, one thing remains the same between them.  These types of characters are often stereotypical and fall into the realm of being a cliché.

  With the anti-hero variant of the edgy character, the problem is a lack of characterization.  People think making your character an anti-hero equals a so-called excuse to make them cold and rude.  Redeemable traits here are thrown out the window in favor of defining the fladerized main traits of the character.  What you will create in this situation is a character that no one in their right mind would root for in the story.  Failing to add more likable traits as well as fleshing out the character with relatable flaws has created a disastrous recipe towards the story.  Without a character to root for in the story, why read the story at all?

  This type of edgy character can be saved only by fleshing them out again and again in the drafts of your story.  By reevaluating their biography as well as their characterization, the chances of the character becoming much more dynamic are higher.  A character who breaks the rules of what is expected to persist in a tale about good versus evil is a bold idea.  It is the execution of these edgy characters that kills this promising idea.  Complexity is the key to saving the idea all of the time.

As for the Chuck Noris type edgy character, the problem lies with being stereotypical.  Just being the strong, buff guy is not enough to create a unique and interesting character.  Like with the anti-hero variant, this type of edgy character needs to be fleshed out further.  You have to create more unique traits in order to stop your character from becoming a stereotype.  With the action hero like persona, you could include the fact that they are secretly a master chef in the kitchen, yearn for love since they have never truly been good in a relationship, and that they are suffering from alcoholism.  From these three added traits, the character is now more relatable and has flaws that could help create some internal conflict.

  An edgy character is not an automatic golden ticket into creating an epic story.  Like any other character, they need to be given time to fully develop in a complex character the audience will enjoy.  You can lead a horse to water, but seriously, do not expect the horse to suddenly drink from whatever pond you lead it to.  They have their own reasons for not doing so.