The short answer is "whatever you want".
The long answer is something quite a bit more complicated. Let's not think about the character for a moment. What is it that you want to do?
Do you want to get into plotlines? Do you want your character to develop? Do you want to be able to engage in casual slice-of-life RP on a whim?
You said there was a complete disconnect on what they are and what you want them to be. What's stopping you from developing the character into what you want them to be?
There is nothing inherently wrong with a character who acts unlikeable or has an unpleasant personality, mostly because whether or not something or someone is likeable is fairly subjective. The problem comes from a character being one-dimensional. Either A). the character's behaviour seems forced or arbitrary or B). the character has absolutely no positive traits or qualities.
So you have a character who's petty, egotistical, contrarian, and likes to push people's buttons and get them riled just for laughs.
My recommendation? Add dimension. What does your character care about? What gets your character angry? What qualities do they see as redeemable in people? If you can answer any of these questions, then you can assign personality traits to them that make them marginally likeable enough--even in very esoteric contexts--to get RP going.
Even Stalin had two wives.
The long answer is something quite a bit more complicated. Let's not think about the character for a moment. What is it that you want to do?
Do you want to get into plotlines? Do you want your character to develop? Do you want to be able to engage in casual slice-of-life RP on a whim?
You said there was a complete disconnect on what they are and what you want them to be. What's stopping you from developing the character into what you want them to be?
There is nothing inherently wrong with a character who acts unlikeable or has an unpleasant personality, mostly because whether or not something or someone is likeable is fairly subjective. The problem comes from a character being one-dimensional. Either A). the character's behaviour seems forced or arbitrary or B). the character has absolutely no positive traits or qualities.
So you have a character who's petty, egotistical, contrarian, and likes to push people's buttons and get them riled just for laughs.
My recommendation? Add dimension. What does your character care about? What gets your character angry? What qualities do they see as redeemable in people? If you can answer any of these questions, then you can assign personality traits to them that make them marginally likeable enough--even in very esoteric contexts--to get RP going.
Even Stalin had two wives.
