Forums » RP Discussion » The Edgelord Dilemma

Hello there

Some of my favourite characters are often Machiavellian, leaning a lot on the anti-hero side. This, however, can be a huge cliché, an overused trope, and something that I am afraid that might bore other people. Exploring the depths of human morality and psychological theories, but as well as the impact of the environment on ourselves and our personality, more specifically, and, of course, philosophy and culture. I really like to dwell those darker, cynical and more existentialist aspects of Humanity.

Just this introduction kind of puts off that most part of the characters that I am drawn to are, specifically, what most would call "edgelords". Don't get me wrong: there is a difference between a cold, intimidating and vengeful character and an edgelord. What I am trying to discover is that difference: what makes a character a good and distinct anti-hero and not a general edgelord?

I have come to one conclusion: the reasons why they are the way they are. Some characters are cold and detached from society because of past traumatic experiences. However, we can also argue that that itself is a big cliché. We all know a character who is cold and ruthless because their parents died and they were tortured and now they seek vengeance on those who did such.
Finding them a motivation is also necessary. But I want an original motivation, not only the aforementioned vengeance thing, for example. As much as I love vengeance stories, I believe that they are rather overdone. I'd gladly work on a character that seeks revenge, but I am sure that it will bore almost everybody.

So, having that in mind, I'd also like to ask you guys if you know of any ways of creating, indeed, a dark character without falling into such clichés, and how to make those characters my very own: how to individualise them, how to make them different from any other anti-hero.

I confess: in the past, I really didn't have much trouble doing so, but nowadays these lines between "cringe edgelord" and actual "original anti-hero" and getting blurred, and my inspiration in order to create characters that I actually feel connected with is falling apart.

Any advice is really appreciated! Thank you!

Honestly, as long as you and your partner are having fun writing, it doesn't matter if your character is filled with tons of tropes or clichés. A lot of things have already been done, there are a lot of things that aren't new, and there are a lot of favorite themes out there and that's why there are these tropes and clichés.

For myself, I don't like writing villains or anti-heros that talk about how big and bad they are, or ones that gloat about what they did. For me, a whole lot of talking about things and not doing things or showing through actions is just empty and fluff and there's no substance behind the words. Sure, you can threaten people a thousand times, but at some point you have to cash or they're never going to see the threat as anything legitimate. I'm also a big fan of having them pull off slightly creepy things instead of big and flashy in your face actions. Sometimes, it's absolutely the more subtle things that are far more unnerving than big sweeping actions.

Hopefully this helps to give you some things to consider! Good luck in your creations! I hope you're able to make something you really enjoy writing.

Yea, it's super hard to do anything that could be considered 'original' any more. Sort of the best you can hope for is to put together old ideas in new ways and slap a pretty coat of paint on it. For me the best way to individualize (and humanize) a character is in the small, seemingly insignificant details. Make the dark, brooding character that you like, but then give them little touches that work with their backstory and help give them a three dimensional feel. Dark and broody vampire who has a soft spot for the theater because his first love sang opera. Werewolf struggling to come to terms with his animalistic nature goes to the vet for check ups because he likes the treats. Low life drug dealer with a sweet and bubbly younger half-sister that he dotes on. Horrifying, nightmarish monster from beyond the stars that has a fascination with (and secret collection of) lava lamps because they remind him of home.

For me, most of my villains or more 'edgy' characters tend to be the 'bad egg' sort. Sociopaths and the like. That's generally what has worked for me in the past. They still have motivations, but they're all very self serving. Become the most powerful sorcerer so that she can't ever be hurt again, no matter who she has to hurt to get there. Lie, steal and cheat because it's a fun adrenaline rush. That sort of thing. You might try creating a sociopathic anti-hero, someone with very little actual empathy but who proscribes to the idea of 'enlightened self interest.' I help you not because I want you to be happy or because it's 'the right thing to do' but because it will cause you to want to help me in the future or it will make me look good or something along those lines. That's something I don't think I've seen a lot of before. (Is that how Dexter worked? I never watched that show...)

At the end of the day, who or what an 'edgelord' is and how much tolerance people have for those kinds of tropes is pretty individual. The best you can do is the best you can do. I hope these suggestions maybe helped.

I agree with what has already been said, and especially about the part where "You do you".
I don't have time for a longer, more in-depth reply, but my answer to the question would be nuance.
How the character is played, in my experience, is often the difference between a Mary-Sue and a well-played character of power and conviction. Your tortured antiheroes and villains have every chance to be what you want them to be. And even flat, one-dimensional characters can be really excellent.

Having played the type of character you are talking about, and having been the GM for many table top games, evil is difficult. The very idea of a dark hero is fought with peril as you are trying to make someone who skirts evil without becoming evil, or if they do, they can be redeemed. So what they do is not so evil as to permanently set them up as a foe who needs to be punished viciously.
First thing I would say is fix your character's motivation. This will help explain why they do what they do. Random acts of evil, no matter how cool, are always edge lord. Why did I cut off his head, because it was flashy. The motivation you have must be noble, and at the core, good, otherwise you are a bad guy. You do things, bad things, to achieve a greater good. This is a strength and a flaw, and keep that in mind, this is what will bring your character downfall. Embrace it as the flaw, and be ready to use it to kill this darling character, or at least make their life a living hell. You will not get the girl, because you are Wolverine, not Cyclops, you try to do good, but objectively, your character is not good. So the motivations are what matter, though his actions are bad, his intent was noble.
Second is to set the limits. They have to have a code, somethings they will not do, or else they are a bad guy. You do not harm children, you always protect the innocent, never torture, those sort of things. Sure, they will go right up to that wall, but they will not break it. This keeps you from doing something that will just make your character totally evil, and it can help highlight that motivation. Is your motivation to protect Janet, well, then you cannot do anything that she would not approve of, or if you do, she cannot know about it. This will set up some complex paradox in your character, and inner struggle. Inner struggle is what you really want, this is a conflict you really are looking for, because this leads to the same conflict the other characters will have with your character's action.
Lastly, I would advise you always think of the story. Your character is an anti-hero, so, if there is a real hero there, you should give them a chance to shine. A chance to really express what it means to be a real hero and why you are not that. If you are are just acting like the hero, then you are just shifting the scales of morality in the context of the narrative. If your character is objectively better then everyone else, morally speaking, then you are not an anti-hero. The anti-hero has to be willing to employ the bad guys tactics, and if those tactics are not bad, then he is not really evil. This is why Batman is not necessarily an anti-hero unless he is paired with Superman. In Gotham, where morality is very much pushed to a different index, he is good, when with the Justice League, he is not as good.
I hope this helps.

One thing I think is worth mentioning is leaning into a trope instead of away from it.

Go hard on that "tortured artist/rebel/genius" idea, lean right into your edgelord and play them with a straight face, and then force tge realistic consequences of their behavior on them. They're antisocial and brutally kill people out of proportion? Great, now they're alone, isolated, and have a considerable amount of resources dedicated to hunting them down. They save the day at a diner stick-up but act like a jerk doing it? Fantastic! The waitress isn't charmed, she's scared and gives the cops a full description and list of habits. The villain kidnaps StupendousMan's plucky reporter boyfriend? Now the villain eats through a straw and can only move their eyes, because StupendousMan broke every single bone in their body.

Contra-wise, a jerkface is forced to not be a jerkface in order to avoid any of the aforementioned fates, and they eventually realize "Oh Golly, I wasn't oppressed, I was an a-hole!"

And I don't think that it's been mentioned outright, but evil almost never thinks of itself as evil. What is one person's black and white morality might be someone else's blue-orange. Or if they're nonhuman, then their morality might be on a scale of street signs to cat hair.