So I have this one character who's kind of becoming a mary sue and I'm having trouble giving her flaws. Her personality is loud and bubbly. She's kind of a nice popular girl type but I don't want her to be too stereotypical. If you have any ideas for flaws that would be great.
I think "loud and bubbly" can be a flaw. Really play this up. Maybe she's so talkative that she drives others away or can come off as inconsiderate to social boundaries. Maybe she can't keep a secret to save her life. Maybe "bubbly" can be another word for shallow or dense. I think that when you are stuck with a "flawless" character, amplifying an existing trait to an extreme can really benefit you. It's good that you noticed she was becoming a mary sue, though! That's always a good sign that you are on the right track with character development!
Get's in people's faces. Has a hard time dealing with people's issues. Needs social validation constantly. (Tbh Idk if that's exactly a flaw.)
I would highly recommend you give her flaws that may seem to contradict other things about her personality. For an example, having traits like cruel and peaceful go together may not seem reasonable, but you have to remember that many flaws and traits are circumstantial. I myself am a really easy-going, hard to anger person, but at the same time, I'm incredibly easily frustrated person. It's like, you could TRY to make me mad, it's not happening, but if something goes wrong in my schedule, or if my family is being annoying, I'm quick to start snapping and becoming grumpy. Think about what's important to your character, and what might garner certain reactions.
Using me as an example again, I care more about my relationships with my friends and strangers than I care about getting fussed about some small problem I have with them. On the other hand, my schedule is one of the most important things to me, so if that gets messed with, it can really get to me.
So your character, who I don't know beyond being popular, loud, and bubbly, could, for example, have anxiety, or actually not like people in some ways. She might have a group of friends she's really comfortable around, so she might be relaxed enough to be quiet and subdued around them.
If she's loud and bubbly, is that because she's an extrovert who gains energy from being around others? If so, how does her mood change when she's been socially deprived for too long? Is she loud and bubbly because she really just likes people, and has fun with them, regardless if she's an introvert or not? If so, what else makes her that happy? What does she do to chill out if she's an introvert?
These kinds of questions will help you gain depth to your character. FIgure out what she's like when she's mad, what makes her mad, etc. Do the same for sadness, anxiety, tired, content, any other emotion you can think of. GIve her tics, pet peeves, an unexpected side that might seem to contradict her immediate personality, but upon closer look make sense.
Hope this helped!! If you make a character sheet for her, tag me in a post, and I'll be happy to look her over!
Thank you all! I'll definitely use your tips when writing her.