Are my characters stereotypes?

37 Comments

so i am making a comic about 4 people going across the state of Florida to save the main hero's Father from a rival drug cartel and i have made these 4 characters but i have a feeling that they are stereotypes, here are my characters for my comic:

Alex: main hero and leader of the clan, used to be a outgoing social boy who was like any other person but ever since his father abandoned him 5 years ago, he became a shut-in.he would do anything to keep his 3 best friends alive including his childhood crush Kana.

Dre: the smartest person in the clan, he Loves to read and study plants he finds, he has always wanted to find a cure for AIDS and become the next Albert Einstein.

Kana: the tomboy and most eccentric one of the clan, she has a pet chinchilla named Shinobu and she wears Alex's clothes and loves to read marvel comics and go on adventures, she is also the speed fighter and brawler of the clan and would challenge someone into a fight if they get her mad.However, she is slowly being brainwashed by her liaison/lover Dylan.

Lisa: the girly and the useless prick of the clan, she concentrates on being girly and is always the one to almost die first in the clan. but she does gives some good advice to her best friends Kana and Dre ( she is in love with both of them and she hates Alex's guts)

Dylan: one of the villains in the comic and one of the MOST dangerous members of the rival drug cartel, he hates Alex and his father for secret reasons and would do ANYTHING to have Alex dead, his only follower is Kana who he uses to get more information about Alex but is in a sexual relationship with her.

Xavier: an assassin the leader of the rival gang hired, he is by far one of the most violent people in the state and always escapes from jail.

so what do you think? are my characters stereotypes?

yes (explain how) 9
no 8
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Comments ( 37 )
  • disthing
    9 years ago | pl

    Yep, all sounds very stereotypical.

    I'd say this doesn't matter much if you're a teenager, since adolescent fiction tends to rely on stereotypes.

    But if you're an adult, you could certainly work harder to create interesting, original characters instead of relying on tropes.

    I think you're allowing your prejudices to influence your characterisation too much; the tomboyish quirky tough girl is the crush (your ideal girlfriend), the girly girl is the prick (the opposite of your ideal girlfriend), Alex is the loyal hero (who you wish you were), Dre is the geeky sidekick (every group needs one) etc.

    Just try thinking OUTSIDE the box, outside the clichés you're used to. Try not to let your influences dictate your own work, don't try and emulate your comic-book heroes if you want to make anything other than fan-art.

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  • CountessDouche
    9 years ago

    Well thank you pokeman dude for making your post more clear this time! Yes, your characters are somewhat stereotypical but don't discount stereotypes as a literary tool. Stereotypes can be useful in that they create a character that people either readily identify with or can mentally expand upon due to preconceived notions. As long as you stay away from canned language and predictable behavior you can use stereotypical characters to your advantage, especially if you throw in behavior that would be seemingly uncharacteristic.

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  • anti-hero
    9 years ago

    Dylan now that's the name of someone in a drug cartel if I have ever heard one!

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    • disthing
      9 years ago

      Yo esé!
      Me llamo Dylan, coño!

      ¿Dónde está mi dinero?

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      • anti-hero
        9 years ago

        I swear I'll have it next Tuesday.

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        • MayBirch
          9 years ago

          (Sorry i haven't been here for so long) I was wondering if you have ever written a story yourself before( Since you said he gave me plenty of reasons on why my story sucks) Not trying to start another argument, just wondering.I am waiting for a reply.

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    • MayBirch
      9 years ago

      Dear, anti-hero, you are on my trolls black list and have been reported.
      May~.

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      • charli.m
        9 years ago

        Sooo...you decide to tell him this after not even being here for two weeks?

        You need to learn what a troll is. His responses to you aren't trolling, just because they're not showering you with praise like you seem to expect.

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        • MayBirch
          9 years ago

          I don't want praise, i want to know what i can do to make my writing better, i am okay with people saying my story writing isn't good, but i hate when people say it sucks and never says why it sucks.

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          • charli.m
            9 years ago

            He gave you plenty of reasons.

            Regardless, to hold it as a grudge against him, coming back after two weeks just to start beef with him is chilish on your part.

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            • MayBirch
              9 years ago

              I deleted your comment.Why, because you called me stupid,if you look at the rules you are not supposed to insult people.

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            • MayBirch
              9 years ago

              Where are the reasons? All he ever says are '' am i 4?'' and "fuck you! That's what, how old are you?" i hate comments like that,Also the reason why i haven't been here for 2 weeks is because i forgot about this site.

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  • wolfdog94
    9 years ago

    Somewhat stereotypical. However, i wouldn't have guessed that Kana is working for the enemy. Sounds like a good story.

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  • deepthought33
    9 years ago

    For sure Lisa is.

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  • squirrelgirl
    9 years ago

    I agree with the advice given to you by CountessDouche and disthing.

    Based on personal experience, creating complex, believable characters is really, really hard. Have a look at this article and see if it helps: http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/write-first-chapter-get-started/hooked-on-a-feeling

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  • alextsang08
    9 years ago

    Where's Juan

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  • RoseIsabella
    9 years ago

    *farts*

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    • disthing
      9 years ago

      I enjoyed this story.

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  • MayBirch
    9 years ago

    I also forgot to put the ages of my characters, here they are:

    Alex(15)
    Dre(15)
    Kana(15-16)
    Lisa(15)
    Dylan(19)
    Xavier(34)
    Shinobu{chinchilla}(3 years old)

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