Today's lesson was brought to you by the letter @EsFranu:

"How to be a Jerk"

So you want to RP a mean character. The type of character nobody likes, or perhaps, the type of character everybody loves to hate.

Let the loathing begin!

First of all: See lesson on Character Building: http://twitlonger.com/show/n_1s1b1f2

I would like to emphasize a few points, however: in a dis-likable character, it is important that they be /relatable/. Which is to say, people have to understand, in some way, where it is coming from.

I am going to use a well known example: Draco Malfoy. He is the type of character everyone loves to hate, right? Right. Let's discuss why!

When you first meet him, you don't like him because he's a bully, but you understand why. He's a proud wizard from a proud family who feels, on some level, that he deserves respect, and Harry just got it for, well, being alive. He is jealous as well as arrogant.

We don't find out until later everything that had happened in his past, but for now, we have something we can relate to. We can understand it; and more than that, it's something that is alright to hate. It is correct to hate.

This is all very important to have in a good jerk. Do what you do; be hateful, arrogant, racist, what have you, but there needs to be a reason, and that reason needs to be understood.

But the above sample only works for one person. What about a person who is just a dick to everyone?

Well, why?

Does he believe humanity to be beyond hope? Does he believe himself to be above them? Is he simply amoral?

What kind of jerk is he? Is he the charming jerk? Is he a subtle jerk who ruins a million lives in a million tiny ways? Is he just an insecure bully, and again, if so: why?

Questions?

Reply · Report Post