Character study: Getting what you want

[Damage]

So.... been a while since I wrote in the forums and even longer since I hit the creative works section since my little Reborn fan fic. (sorry to the eight fans I've kept waiting.) But I've come today while writing another project entirely. A crime drama following two young men on opposite sides of the law whose paths will inevitably cross in the worst way. However the character in question that I'd like opinions on is the ever present Officer K. A snide, clever and cynical corrupt cop that works for a joint crime organization combining an Italian mob family and a Mexican Cartel. His family was brutally murdered after he attempted to step in and take down members of the mob. They left him and his niece alive and forced him into their pocket. As time passed he stopped caring about the law or even his own happiness and became a creature of survival that masks his pain with crude humor that mocks anyone that works hard or gives a damn. Upon hearing the Cartel's involvement in his area he made moves for both heads of the family to meet and worked together to kill the person that took everything from him and shift power to the Cartel.

 

This is where we're at. K has achieved victory. He got revenge on the ones who took his life away. He's secured safety for his niece. He's got enough money to turn away from everything but he doesn't. He's come to the conclusion that being happy is no longer possible after all he's done to get where he's at and has virtually resigned himself to death. The story I plan to tell for this important side character is the cost of getting what you want and all the problems of defeatism. This officer constantly sees new recruits coming in and he steers them away from taking on bigger criminals so they don't end up like him so a piece of his morality is in tact. Instead of tearing people down, he uses comedy to cut and educate. I want to make this guy feel real and cut the cliches to a minimum. He isn't a brooding alcoholic. His home and office aren't in disarray. (on the contrary his home and office are bland and neat with a well stocked fridge emphasizing his want to stay healthy not happy)

 

So this is the story of K. He perishes by the end of the first season of this show I'm writing but every move he makes should feel human. A good person that lost an important fight and now no longer wants to and no call to adventure will bring him back.

 

Thoughts?

[Promethe]

I know it's been a year but the thread's still open soooooo... let me at it, if you still want some back and forth. It's a pretty emotionally complex character already, so bravo. Just like you said, the challenge will be to make him feel human. Keep track of their characterization, make it consistent in a way you're confortable with. It can be a character sheet, sporadic notes, pretty much anything. 

 

For me, the best way is to "study" real people. Ask folks you know (if they are open to it) on their experiences,  visit forums, read documentation. How do people in similar positions to Officer K. A Snide live? What is it like to live with (approximations of) those experiences, emotional baggage, trauma or illnesses all pertaining to your character?

 

Edited September 26, 2020 by Promethe