Favourite -type- of character?

[Jess A]

Favourite type of character?

Feisty female lead, dark, brooding guy with a terrible past - seeking redemption, alien personality learning about the world, dashing hero, boy/girl-becomes-dashing-hero-through-story, evil female leader, amusing sidekick?

Give examples from books

I like a lot of different character types, but I quite like strong female leads with a bit of humour thrown in. Blaze Halfbreed from Glenda Larke's Isle of Glory novels is one example. I don't like it when characters are too 'perfect'. For example, Ayla from Jean Auel's books. She was great in the first two, then she became too annoyingly 'perfect'.

[JCFarnham]

I tend to write female leads, not imperfect, but not perfect either, average I guess you could say, who becoming something greater by the end. As a bit of a back formation I guess you could say I like to read this kind of protagonist. (An example? Scott Westerfeld's lead females, Tally and Deryn, from Uglies and Leviathan, etc. respectively)

That being said, one of my most favourite characters is Harry Dresden (more so in the first couple of books when he didn't seem to be so woe is me, all "I know I'm going to get hurt doing this but...")

I think what it comes down to is a character who acts, rather than reacts. They don't necessarily have to have a massive flaw, as quite a few of that kind of protag end up whining about it in my experience, but equally if they wallow in how imperfect they are while being more or less perfect in everyway, hmmm!

Relatable is the word.

[gerald.parson]

For me, it depends on how they are written. Because I have liked characters I normally wouldn't and hated characters I would normally like. It is hard to say if I have an exact character model I like cause it has a lot to do with execution. For me.

[Kreigsbane]

I have a tendency to favor the big, brutish, long haired, bear like man who doesn't say much and his presence speaks for him. Or like the cold-blooded killer such as Brunner from Brunner the Bounty Hunter.

[Benjamin Clayborne]

Dashing, sarcastic rogues.

[San Cidolfus]

Unapologetic jerks with no moral sense, a savage sense of humor, and no chance of or desire for redemption.

I can relate to that. *sighs nostalgically*

[Jess A]

Unapologetic jerks with no moral sense, a savage sense of humor, and no chance of or desire for redemption.

I can relate to that. *sighs nostalgically*

-chuckle- I am sure that you're a very charming personality.

[Arcturus]

Villains. They usually have free reign to do whatever they want without those pesky morals getting in the way, they have the snarkiest lines and are quite fashionable. Heroes are generally boring, flat and...ugh. Sometimes it gets to the point where the side characters are much more interesting. Ultimately the villains are the ones who create the plot and portray a more authentic view of human experience, if written well.

Plus, the villains get all the good songs in Disney films.

[Jess A]

Heroes are generally boring, flat and...ugh. Sometimes it gets to the point where the side characters are much more interesting.

Unless the hero is rather questionable in his or her morals, without being unrealistic. Those are always fun.

[Kelise]

Characters like Locke Lamora. Basically normal and unremarkable, but intelligent (and lucky) enough to get by, without being an amazing warrior or has a photographic mind or something.

Villains who have reason to do what they do, and prove that 'goodies' or 'heroes' aren't always how everyone perceives them.

Girls who manage to act normal - not weak, and not strong - in a way that doesn't get feminists raging at the author and so on. Generally the one who doesn't sleep with the MC/hero, and is generally the medic/historian/scribe of the group.