Favorite Character Flaws?

[hopewrites]

Earlier this week I blogged about a character I had previously identified with and on a (decade) later reread found I didnt identify with as much.
We've done lists before, favorite characters, least favorite characters, well written females, poorly written females... the gambit.

One of my goals this year is to hang out in Crits more, and something I said there got me thinking (as I rearranged my half of the room for the 3rd time since moving in) about redeeming character flaws and how personal they can be.

So I thought I'd drop by over here and ask some fellow readers, what kind of character flaws to you like to see crop up? which characters handle them well, which handle them crap? which authors you feel write them best?

I'm trying to broaden my reading horizons, branching out and trying new things, new genres as well as new authors. Selfishly, (because one of my character flaws is to see how things benefit me, even if I'm not the foremost motivating factor) I'd love to see your lists so that I have some direction on where to take my reading next. But the main reason I'm asking is to see if I'm the only one crazy enough to find character flaws endearing.

 

[Mouse]

I like the cowards and the weasels who come good in the end. Can't really name you any off the top of my head, though.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I like characters with a dark past they are trying to overcome, but who find it a struggle and slip back into their old ways every now and then.

And who even when they learn how to resist, still feel the old temptations from time to time.

 

[Randy M.]

If my TV viewing is any indication -- The X-Files; Buffy, the Vampire Slayer; Angel; House;Fringe; Sherlock; Elementary; True Detective ... -- I like characters who are trying to become human, even if they technically already are. (Apparently I also greatly prefer shows with one word titles.)

In most cases this seems to stem from isolation (often self-imposed) of characters not altogether comfortable with the social status quo and moves toward some sort of socialization and creating a loose, not blood-related family.

I think my reading is less easy to define that way, but I suspect this preference underpins some of it.


Randy M.

 

[BenSt]

I agree with Randy, non-Human, Human characters are very interesting... in a story, it means they are unpredictable, and can get away with a lot more.

I also love asshole types, those that just don't give a ****. They are so interesting for stories because, again, that unpredictability. Or, better yet, those that have alterior motives that might be benevolent, but they don't mind doing whatever they need to achieve them. Kratos from the God of War series is a great anti-hero, as is Batman. Another character whom I'm falling in love with is Wilfred, from the show Wilfred.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I like vulnerability in blokes, I hate macho men. And I'm a sucker for foreboded futures that make me suck my breath in in dread.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I like characters with a dark past they are trying to overcome, but who find it a struggle and slip back into their old ways every now and then.

And who even when they learn how to resist, still feel the old temptations ...

I forgot to name a character who fits that description. Mitchell in "Being Human" who fights against his urges. SPOILER (highlight to read) Until he spectacularly fails. Characters like him.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Oh, characters who fit my mould? Um...

Henry in Time traveller's is a biggy.
Marquis de Carabas in Neverwhere who has to hide himself behind a facade and at the end is frightened to sleep.

 

[BenSt]

I forgot to name a character who fits that description. Mitchell in "Being Human" who fights against his urges. SPOILER (highlight to read) Until he spectacularly fails. Characters like him.

He's a great character for that.

 

[SirSamuelVimes]

I really like characters with a lot of pride. I get a bit tired of the cliche character, who's falsely modest, and has numerous unnecessary insecurities. I like a character who is awesome, and knows it. I don't necessarily like for them to be boastful about it, but it can work if used properly. Examples being The Doctor, Sherlock, The Patrician Vetinari, and Tony Stark.

 

[alchemate]

Favorite character flaw: Empathy. I like stories where the hero befriends the enemy and doesn't know it. One where he may be closely tied to what he is trying to fight against, and gradually comes to realize that this is the case. This would involve dystopians, too; because the government tends to deceive the main character into believing he's in a uptopia, and he has to realize otherwise. Neo in the Matrix, Gordan-Levitt in Looper is a really good example because he empathizes with his flawed present self, Tom Cruise in Minority Report, and I'm sure they're better examples.

 

[Mouse]

I don't think empathy is a flaw.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I don't think it is, either. It may be an area of vulnerability, but surely it makes someone a better person?

 

[hopewrites]

I love me some self-righteousness. Like the villains in a good FF game. "I'm doing this atroucous thing for your own good. Because I love you." kind of misplaced self-righteousness.
Over confidence is another that will get me smiling. Especially if the character cant see that's what they are tripping on. Harry of Harry Potter has this one nailed for me. Hermione picks up a touch of it in Half Blood Prince when she follows her potions book to a T and is cross with Harry for getting better results from reading in the margin of his.

Any leader who blames themselves for the mistakes of their underlings...

I can see empathy being a flaw if your directing the wrong direction. Its tripped me up a couple times that way.

 

[alchemate]

Thats what makes emphathy such a good flaw; it isn't one. That's what makes the hero such a good hero, no matter how risky, he refuses to be emotionless

 

[alchemate]

I don't know how to quote other people's comments. Can someone fill me in here

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I don't know how to quote other people's comments. Can someone fill me in here

To quote a whole post there is a button that says quote on the bottom right. To quote more than one post there is a button beside it which is blue with an speech mark - select each post you want with thst and then hit the quote button at the end.

To break a post into segments, after you've selected quote, use the yellow quote mark on the tool box (beside the lansdscape icon and below the blue arrows) and select the segments.

Good luck. It took me ages to work out...

 

[tinkerdan]

I like the more subtle flaws that show up as a lack of balance, because to some extent everyone has some of these. The people who can't say no and always have their plate too full and those that can say no but go the other way and turn away all sorts of possibilities.

It's like addictions where some people have never learned how to balance things and they are either all or none.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Thats what makes emphathy such a good flaw; it isn't one. That's what makes the hero such a good hero, no matter how risky, he refuses to be emotionless

I've read this a few times now, and still don't understand.

 

[Mr Fraaz]

I just started reading Abercrombie's Heroes. I like the way he portrays fear and the way the characters are handling their fears. I think the presence of fear in his books also makes the violence and fighting feel much scarier.

Not sure this is a character flaw in the way intended here, but it came to mind.