So I've got this character (not currently on this website) and he has some pretty major abandonment issues because of how he was treated as a kid. Normally, with this kind of character, I would write him with a clingy sort of attitude, or anything that would make it seem like he doesn't want to be away from his loved ones for too long. But this specific character is quite… edgy? Introverted, pushes people away, that sort of thing. So how do I show in my writing that he is really scared of his friends abandoning him when most of the time he seems to act almost the opposite? Help is much appreciated!
I havent really explored this side of things, but i feel like this character would be in the kind of "go away, but dont go away" situation (i do this quite often myself). They would probably push people away on a regular basis, but without the intent to push them away forever. Its a bit of a complicated loop, like they would feel crowded and annoyed when they are surrounded by their friends, but they would miss them if they are away - sorta like a tsundere.
You could try writing it like, this character acts all edgy and annoyed when surrounded by people, but they would sometimes show their true nature in various situations. Like, they could become anxious if they feel a friend is leaving them, give them that internal turmoil to spice it up. My best advice is try to put yourself in your character's shoes, become the character. Try doing something like a one person roleplay, put yourself in various situations and try to simulate the character, see the world through their eyes, experience their inner mind and insecurities. As someone who does this, i can tell you that it kinda helps defining your characters when you self roleplay and simulate various situations.
Hope it helped :0
@Kohaku
Thank you for the advice! I'll definitely try to get into his head and try out various situations, like you said. I suppose another worry I have about this character is that he doesn't have his own POV in the story. Like, he's a main character, but the reader never gets to see inside his head, so I'm not sure how to show inner turmoil and such without internal thought and monologue?
