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View Full Version : RPing Someone Who's Afraid of Becoming A Woobie Destroyer Of Worlds



Leliel
2010-09-30, 11:08 PM
For those of you who aren't TV Tropes addicts, a Woobie Destroyer of Worlds is basically a villain who has very good reasons for being so (or at least reasons that pass for being good under examination-ie, not just "his father was mean to him" but more like...ah, just watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog).

So, as part of my constant exploration of character tropes, I decided to play someone who definitely has the potential to evolve into a very scary version of this, and knows it. Of course, he isn't-I think heroes have the potential to be more morally complex and interesting than villains a lot of the time-but that urge, the calling to tear down the world and build a new, better one (in his opinion) from it's pieces-not only is it there, it's part of what fuels him from day to day.

And that terrifies him.

Unlike many fictional characters, he's actually an avid fan of history, and he knows perfectly well what people that think like he does and have his kind of backstory end up becoming in the end. While I envision him as selfish and cold, he also craves acceptance and kindness from the world around him. He's also genre savvy enough to know that probably won't happen if he becomes "Ultimatesia Darkthorn, Herald of The Last Revelation". Well that, and he doesn't want to become one of the monsters he feared during a pretty crappy childhood (let me put it this way-he's an orphan, and the orphanage he lived in applied to Victorian standards...which they failed at).

Besides XP GENERATING ANGST (which I am told I am good at writing), I forsee a pretty nice set of options for character development-either he rises above the madness and finds something else to drive him other than a desire to change the world, or he ceases caring about what other people think and goes through a stint on the dark side (which I plan on coming back from-he has standards he applies to himself for reasons other than social acceptance).

So, how do you think I should RP him?

senrath
2010-09-30, 11:12 PM
Maybe have him constantly be in doubt? Have him second guess himself, ask himself why he's doing anything before he does it, just to make sure he doesn't slip and become what he hates and fears when he wasn't paying attention.

Kylarra
2010-09-30, 11:18 PM
Maybe a Dangerously genre savvy (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DangerouslyGenreSavvy) Tragic Hero (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TragicHero).

I realize I answered a tropic question with more timekillers, but it felt appropriate.

Swordgleam
2010-09-30, 11:18 PM
Have good social skills when interacting with outsiders, but start getting nervous whenever too many of them like you. The metropolis you saved wants to give you the key to the city? Time to start worrying that it would be just a little too easy to take the place over. (But accept the key anyway.)

Lord Raziere
2010-09-30, 11:19 PM
Make him be wary of all his own mistakes, flaws and shortcomings and have him recognize them and that he could fall prey to them- and then try to make his behavior constantly trying to avoid such things, maybe give him a mantra for him to cling to against all demons inside of him trying to drag him down- something like "Be Strong" or something. As long he has that he can hold himself together while still having that very real fear.

Remember if he has nothing to hold onto, nothing to keep him going, nothing to hope for- he WILL become that villain, hope can be very powerful like that.

senrath
2010-09-30, 11:28 PM
maybe give him a mantra for him to cling to against all demons inside of him trying to drag him down- something like "Be Strong" or something. As long he has that he can hold himself together while still having that very real fear.
that.

I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away.

Mikeavelli
2010-09-30, 11:45 PM
Subject matter to Study:

Code Geass, especially the second season, Lelouch is written as exactly the sort of character you describe. If he ever cut loose, gave up on all his "good" feelings, interpersonal relationships, and inhibitions, he could achieve his goals in a heartbeat. Especially telling in that he DOES do this near the end, and he DOES achieve his goals.

Hellboy: Prophecized to bring about Armageddon, gave fate the finger. Knows he could go back to being the key at any time.

On the other hand, this concept has been done poorly so many times it's not funny. Many characters use this terrifying fear as an excuse to angst and curl up into a little ball of inaction (Shinji from Evangelion, for example) which is the most irritating character decision possible. Alternatively, they alternate between being completely in control of themselves, and having a split personality \ superpowered evil side that takes control and terrifies them (Drizzt \ The Hunter, Ichigo \ Hichigo from Bleach, that blond chick from Heroes), etc. The only story that ever did it well was Rorouni Kenshin, and even that was mostly because he didn't angst about it overwhelmingly.

Actually yeah, I think Angst or Wangst is the real thing to avoid.

Gametime
2010-10-01, 12:05 AM
For those of you who aren't TV Tropes addicts, a Woobie Destroyer of Worlds is basically a villain who has very good reasons for being so (or at least reasons that pass for being good under examination-ie, not just "his father was mean to him" but more like...ah, just watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog).

While Dr. Horrible does qualify for the trope - largely because Neil Patrick Harris is just too adorable to not sympathize with - the WDOW doesn't actually need good reasons for being evil; they just have to be worth pitying. Dr. Horrible has, literally, no good reasons for being a villain besides an implied inferiority complex.

But on to your actual issue.

Two characters come to mind when I think of heroes terrified of becoming villains, and they're worth looking into because they take more or less opposite approaches to the problem. The first is Superman, especially the version from the DCAU. While he doesn't usually dwell on the issue of becoming eeeeevil all that often, the occasional comic or episode does make it clear that he's always at least a little worried about the raw potential his power gives him. He holds himself so strictly to a "no killing" rule because he doesn't trust himself to make case-by-case decisions about what would be best. He always tries to act the hero, because forgetting for even a second how wonderful and precious human life is could (in his mind) lead to well-intentioned extremism, and he's horrified by the thought of where that could end up.

In short, a character who tries to avoid being evil by immersing himself in empathy and compassion.

The other character that comes to mind is Raven from the Teen Titans animated series. (I'm led to believe that the comics version is significantly different, but since I'm not familiar with the original incarnation of the character I can't really comment.) Raven knows that a piece of her eeeevil demonic father will always be inside her. She knows that even the slightest slip could result in her more negative emotions motivating her. She knows that she could do terrible, terrible things to people if she got angry enough. So Raven constantly meditates to keep herself calm and under control. She shuts out nearly all emotions for fear that any of them could damage her resolve. She never stops trying to do the right thing, but she still actively fights against developing any sort of emotional ties.

In short, a character who tries to avoid being evil by cutting herself off from all emotions.

These are obviously fairly extreme positions, but I think leaning towards one or the other will do a good job of informing your character's method of dealing with his potential. Either using or blocking emotions in an attempt to stop the eeeeevil is a fairly simple guideline that can nonetheless produce some great opportunities for drama and conflict. Personally, I prefer some variant on the Raven method since it clashes more with my natural intuitions, which I think is good impetus for creative roleplay, but either could produce fine results.


I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away.

Oh, yeah, that worked out great. :smalltongue:

senrath
2010-10-01, 12:06 AM
Oh, yeah, that worked out great. :smalltongue:

Which is exactly why I brought that up when someone said "give him a mantra".

Hirax
2010-10-01, 12:51 AM
Like Star Wars? Jacen Solo would be a good case study.

NineThePuma
2010-10-01, 01:27 AM
... Eww... Post-Thrawn starwars D=

More seriously, Jacen is a good example of slipping down that slope to evil. Less of a good example for not.