character identification poll

[rm]

Quick and dirty, but of interest due to random convo with copperbadge:

[Poll #1541697]

Comments

[dremiel.livejournal.com]

Huh? I completely understand not wanting your flaws reflected back at you and the tendency to overreact to flaws in another because they are issues you have as well but at the same time I often find flaws, perhaps the smaller ones rather than the character-defining ones, to be an easy way into a characters thoughts and motivations.

On a tangential note, as a long-time RPGer I always get into my characters via their flaws and quirks and will forever find disadvantages (social, physical, mental, emotional) an easier entree than advantages. "Invisible" disads are even easier, somehow.

IOW I'm going to have to give this a lot more thought to see if it's really that I'm identifying with the flawed character or simply understanding the flawed characters and if, in the end, that is a big difference for me or not.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

As I said above -- I definitely agree that characters with no flaws are boring and unrealistic. I'm just not very interested in characters with my flaws.

I do wonder how many people are reading "really like" for "identify with". :)

[rm.livejournal.com]

Many, I think, based on the comments.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Alas, for we all stumble on the block of personal etymological interpretation. Still, I don't think the data is flawed, per se, and has inspired quite a few interesting discussions.

[rm.livejournal.com]

That was the main goal, since LJ poll's are data that is flawed by definition.

[dremiel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I get the mirrored flaws issue. I guess I don't mind seeing some of what I think of as my minor flaws onscreen and that does engender identification without it being irritating. I do think that many people - here and elsewhere - are giving close attention to what it means to truly identify with a character and are going with "the character appeals to me".