: Re: Should I highlight or downplay a character's quirk to make her seem more odd? In a visual novel my friend and I are writing, I created a female character who is obsessed with making furniture

@Debbie451

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I think if she's a major secondary character, you should try a draft where you go big with the weirdness without trying to explain her or "civilize" her. Make her weird. Embrace her weirdness without apology. She should embrace her weirdness without apology. And just as important, keep her mysterious — don't explain or justify her kink or have her explain herself to anyone else.

People have to go to her for answers (received wisdom), but she's strange and off-putting, yet somewhat appealing, and a bit naughty. So the main characters have to put up with her to get her knowledge. I think that gives you an opening for some interesting character tension. It leaves your main characters feeling off-kilter, because they're not entirely sure they can trust her, but they have no choice about it.

And she's going to do her weird aggressive flirting thing like in your second example, and the protagonists have to take it. Or not — one could push back, and Alice gets pissed and leaves, and then the protagonists have to apologize and make it up to her. Or one of the protagonists decides that maybe she finds the idea of being Alice's footstool is somewhat intriguing, despite herself. More interesting tension.

I say run with Domme Mame.

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