How can you make a fully complex character with a lot of flaws and that is mortally grey/black? That goes for personality, psychologically, mentally, etc. wise, because to me, when I'm was making my first OC for my very first grimdark fantasy series, the first think I thought I got down backed was their personality and such, but nah, that's harder than I thought it would be putting it down. So help me guys!! Thanks. ❤️
Welcome to forum, by the way. What kind of grimdark do you like to read? What kind of grimdark are you writing, what kind of general ideas are you exploring with it and what stakes will there be in the story? Are there any themes or characters that have inspired you? Don't feel you have to have the character completely figured out before you start. It's usually about 20% by the time I've solidified the speech for a main. It's not character sheets but the text itself in which they live.
You mean morally, not mortally. Immoral means someone with no morals, whereas immortal means someone who will never die of disease or old age, like a vampire or a god. If you want to create morally gray or black characters it's just a matter of having them not be very moral. They see no problem with cheating, lying, using people, committing all manner of betrayals and crimes, possibly all the way up to murder torture and rape. Just decide what kinds of things a character will be willing to do and where they draw the line. I understand a character sheet can serve some purposes, but for creating characters I find it much better to think about people I've known, even if only distantly—maybe someone you remember from school, or a friend of a friend, or somebody's parents you only met a few times but who made an impression. Just be careful—if you base characters on friends or family and if they ever read your story it could mean the end of the relationship. I also think about characters I've seen in movies or TV shows etc, but I don't just use one of them without modifying it. In fact often I'll blend together several characters and one or two people I've known and see what results. Usually I get a character I can work with that isn't a copy of anyone or anything. I wrote about that here.
Well, it depends on what you view as morally good or bad. But anyway, the best way is just to write the character and let them be whatever they want to be. Also, it depends on the morals of your grim-dark world. Think about what is taboo and what is not and why. Then, figure out what the lines are for your character within that world.
I would suggest keeping two words in mind with the character. Pragmatic and ruthless, with some ambition driving the internal justification for the actions. The quotes "all is fair in love and war" or "If your not cheating you aren't trying hard enough" might help you with the mindset. Or the famous quote from Stalin, " one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic."
Okay I get the first part of simplifying a character like that into two words then adding an extra ingredient to the mix but you lost me with the quotes LMAO. I appreciate it still.
Examples of both pragmatism and ruthlessness. Justifying ruthless actions. For example: lets say Person A was in love with Person B. Person B is in love with Person C. Person A kills person C so that its only A and B left. Person a's reasoning "alls fair in love and war" (equating "love" to "war" and the things they must do to "win") If you are a Naruto fan... the second quote is prime example in the Chunin Exam arc. All the Chunin are taking a written test, but they are cheating to solve the answers. they are using everything in their arsenal to to discreetly complete the exam. "If your not cheating you aren't trying hard enough" As to Stalin's quote... historical context will explain it.
JT gave a good explanation. Very generally both are a case of the ends justifying the means. Stalin was justifying all the deaths in his purges, by reducing the slaughter to statistics removing the emotional context from it. The two concepts give you a baseline for the character. From there, build up a self serving personality. In D&D terms think chaotic neutral, where whatever action the character takes, it is whatever is in their own best interest. The consequences to others don't matter at all. A good example of the mindset in the movies, would be The Wolf of Wall Street.
Also, Jack Sparrow. But on another note, I wouldn't go with D&D alignment to create a morally gray character. It can be helpful, but I think writing a character like this is more complex than a chart. Like I said earlier, go back to WHY the character acts they way they do? And what do they want? And how far are they willing to go to accomplish their goals? Also, what is their relationships with others? Are people helpful, stepping stones to use on the path to a goal, or potential back-stabbers? So many questions. Feel free to PM me if you would like more detailed advice.
The OP referenced being a gamer, so I used game alignments to clarify the basic attitude of the character. Beyond that it is no more than a foundational concept for the character, but requires something more be build on that foundation.
