Writing mc with smiling depression

I see some people dislike it when character are way too edgy and moody but I do want to make mc that is complex and doesn't always come off as moody. Instead, I want to make him look functional and normal but with making his depression subtle. Especially since he need to hide his identity as an anti villain who want to brainwash people to erase hate and discrimination. How to avoid giving cliche stuffs to the mc so he can come off as unique and complex

- I commissioned my oc from Tawaki_inku at X

 

Good question. You might want to try, as an exercise, just writing a scene where you capture his personality. Doesn't have to be long - a paragraph or two - and see if you can get the essence of him down. See if you can do it via him acting, and doing stuff, whilst exhibiting this persona, rather than simply writing "he was this way, he was that way". See if you can show this. Think about a person (real or imaginary) that has these traits you want, and then write what you "see".

Hope this helps

 

My question is WHY is he depressed? Is he unaccepted in society? Too perfectionistic? Or just has a grim outlook on life, like Eeyore?

And also what led him to brainwash people and it seems as if his ends are 'good', which I find interesting. I like it. Is this for a fanfiction, by chance? Or an original work?

As for people 'disliking edgy characters', count me out. I LOVE them. Bring me your run-down, angry, pieces of character garbage. I will LOVE them.

 

He is born from a famous assassin father that marry a witch to make a perfect assassin but since he end up born with a weak body that he inherited from his mother, his father consider him failure so he abandoned him. The marriage itself is only for formality so he get no love from both families. After almost dying in a forest, a cat beastman saved him and adopted him as his little brother. That's his happiest moments in life as he feels love from his big brother and the non human village he lives in, but everything changed when racist human group attacked his village and killed everyone except from him, his big brother end up sending him to another world to saved his life. He become an anti villain because he want to make world where human won't have prejudice and hate and the only way to do that is to brainwash people and force them to accept peace.

 

Okay, I think you have told me about this story before. Good to know it's for that one.

Maybe he hasn't gotten over the death of his brother, yet? Maybe that's why he's super-sad. If you're going for depressed, but functional, maybe look at Aizawa from My Hero Academia. Just generally quiet, solemn and keeps to himself. But anyway, people can be just sad and not clinically depressed. The other thing is if this character IS really depressed, then how is he finding the motivation to work on his project?

And do you mean Anti-hero? I would just call this guy a well-intentioned villain if not. Villains can have good intentions or at least what they THINK is good. Also, how is he brainwashing people and how did he learn know to do it?

 

He joined a villain group that collecting wish granting item that will allow them to mass brainwash people in the entire galaxy. Don't worry, they will only brainwash racist and discriminative people or if they are bad people

 

Okay. This sounds like a story that could have a lot of gray areas in it. Honestly, since you didn't constructively reply to the questions I asked the last two posts, I'm gonna step out here. Because it sounds like you figured out what's going to happen and why. Not to mention it seems you merely wish to tell us about the story, rather than brainstorm with us. Anyway, good luck with your story.

 

Thank you

 

So which bit of that is a "villain"?

 

Oh yeah, I remember him now.

I wish I didn't.