Really, being a deer is almost entirely about context. "Deer" and "not a deer" pretty much boil down to the same thing; people often write the traits first, and the deer second. Generally speaking, deer characters aren't annoying because of the traits themselves (though in some cases it certainly doesn't help). A deer character isn't necessarily annoying to a lot of people because they turn run from wolves or become delicious venison, but because their traits are more or less written in a way that says "Please see me as a deer". It's essentially a plea for others to look at the character as a deer without actually engaging in the meaningful interactions that, well, make the character a deer.
At the same time, non-deer characters are certainly capable of falling into the same trap of being, intentionally or inadvertently, written as a deer that just happens to have a character attached to it as opposed to a character that just so happens to be a deer. It's the difference between designing the chassis before the engine, or vice versa, the engine being the character's personality that drives things forward and the chassis being the "unique" traits or abilities that decorate it. And yes, some people consider it pretty important to have a nice looking chassis, but it's not the pretty chassis that determines whether or not you can be a deer in the first place.
A character's status as a deer can be played in such a way that is identical to the non-deer character: "Please acknowledge my character as a deer". Non-deer characters can be just as irritating to deal with as deer characters.
So how do you avoid this? That can be a difficult question to answer, but the short answer is "Don't force anything."
As I'm ever so fond of saying, it depends on the context. When introducing your character as a deer to other characters, some people are attracted to the pretty chassis and want to interact with that and its implications. Some people don't care about the aesthetics and only want to see how your character is, in fact, a deer.
There are some fairly safe things to use. When introducing your character, don't make overt attempts to make their status as a deer relevant. Give it a sentence or two. Less than a paragraph. And if the traits aren't relevant, then don't crowbar them in or try to draw attention to them. Let your engine do the driving--the deer--and if other characters on their own notice the pretty chassis--the non-deer--then great, you can roll with it. And don't get bent out of shape if characters don't immediately acknowledge you as a deer.
Let their interest in venison and your hybrid deer grow naturally.
At the same time, non-deer characters are certainly capable of falling into the same trap of being, intentionally or inadvertently, written as a deer that just happens to have a character attached to it as opposed to a character that just so happens to be a deer. It's the difference between designing the chassis before the engine, or vice versa, the engine being the character's personality that drives things forward and the chassis being the "unique" traits or abilities that decorate it. And yes, some people consider it pretty important to have a nice looking chassis, but it's not the pretty chassis that determines whether or not you can be a deer in the first place.
A character's status as a deer can be played in such a way that is identical to the non-deer character: "Please acknowledge my character as a deer". Non-deer characters can be just as irritating to deal with as deer characters.
So how do you avoid this? That can be a difficult question to answer, but the short answer is "Don't force anything."
As I'm ever so fond of saying, it depends on the context. When introducing your character as a deer to other characters, some people are attracted to the pretty chassis and want to interact with that and its implications. Some people don't care about the aesthetics and only want to see how your character is, in fact, a deer.
There are some fairly safe things to use. When introducing your character, don't make overt attempts to make their status as a deer relevant. Give it a sentence or two. Less than a paragraph. And if the traits aren't relevant, then don't crowbar them in or try to draw attention to them. Let your engine do the driving--the deer--and if other characters on their own notice the pretty chassis--the non-deer--then great, you can roll with it. And don't get bent out of shape if characters don't immediately acknowledge you as a deer.
Let their interest in venison and your hybrid deer grow naturally.
