How to write a two-faced manipulator?

[Ssthat]

I want to introduce a character into my novel that is a great person and helpful and all on the outside but secretly he is controlling and monopolizing everything. I'm not quite sure how to flesh out a character like's this' personality. Thanks for help in advance!

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Think of the reasons to act like that.

 

[Deleted member 120990]

Have you seen Dexter?

 

[Ssthat]

Have you seen Dexter?

Maybe, but I don't remember off the top of my head.

 

[Corty]

Write both sides of him. Take chapters where he helps, and works with the good guys in a genuine way. Then in another chapter works with the enemy. Just the same.

Maybe. Dunno, really. It is just how I would do it.

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

All the good things they do is actually selfish and benefits them.

 

[Deleted member 120990]

They have a reason they are being nice. Maybe they are doing it for other people's perception. A good way would be internal monologues. Having his thoughts be different from his actions.
Ex: Ted gave them all candy. Look at those assholes eating my candy. Their smiles look so genuine.

 

[LordAstrea]

Would need to know their motivations, I think. There are some characters that do good things, but they end up benefiting from them with another aspect behind the scenes that might be considered necessary evils. Many have layers to a plan with the good seen on the outside and what is considered bad away from the eyes of other characters.
There are some great characters that genuinely like who they are helping even if it screws them over in some way. They also aren't always necessarily villains.
One example I can think of since it was recent was the Resident Evil 4 Remake. The relationship between Ada Wong and Leon Kennedy is an example of someone using another person for personal gain but genuinely liking the other person and/or respecting them. It's probably more complicated than that, but it's what I thought of in a basic sense. I mean, I guess you could also use certain versions of Batman and Catwoman too. Lol.
It could be situations where if the character helps person A then it provokes character B to do something that was anticipated by helping person A.
Or just doing good things that isn't detrimental to long-term goals. Gain trust while using other chapters to show their conniving like another poster mentioned.
Those are some scenarios at a basic level that I've seen work well, in my opinion.

 

[Ssthat]

Would need to know their motivations, I think. There are some characters that do good things, but they end up benefiting from them with another aspect behind the scenes that might be considered necessary evils. Many have layers to a plan with the good seen on the outside and what is considered bad away from the eyes of other characters.
There are some great characters that genuinely like who they are helping even if it screws them over in some way. They also aren't always necessarily villains.
One example I can think of since it was recent was the Resident Evil 4 Remake. The relationship between Ada Wong and Leon Kennedy is an example of someone using another person for personal gain but genuinely liking the other person and/or respecting them. It's probably more complicated than that, but it's what I thought of in a basic sense. I mean, I guess you could also use certain versions of Batman and Catwoman too. Lol.
It could be situations where if the character helps person A then it provokes character B to do something that was anticipated by helping person A.
Or just doing good things that isn't detrimental to long-term goals. Gain trust while using other chapters to show their conniving like another poster mentioned.
Those are some scenarios at a basic level that I've seen work well, in my opinion.

I see, thank you for your input.

 

[Ilikewaterkusa]

I want to introduce a character into my novel that is a great person and helpful and all on the outside but secretly he is controlling and monopolizing everything. I'm not quite sure how to flesh out a character like's this' personality. Thanks for help in advance!

Just think of specific instances where they show their kindness then some moments they are a scum

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Me.
You write him just like me.

Okay here's the real protip:
Write backwards.

Start at the end, write in jumps to the begining, then fill in the gaps.

A good manipulator needs ro seem like he's in. Control of everything. Which means he's always on top of things. To do that, you have to cheat and know the ending ahead of time.

It also helps to be a manipulative bastard like me. Psychology is key. Know your tropes. People are unique snowflakes, but in large groups, they're just clumps of snow.

Everyone has their own song, but learn enough songs and you learn how people rhyme. If you want to get real good, get a job as a bill collector.

If you only get paid commission, starving is a great motivator to get gud.

You got 10 seconds to get inside someone's head or you don't get paid. Do that for a few months then work on a suicide prevention hotline. Now you got 10 seconds to get inside someone's head or someone DIES.

You'll learn how to manipulate damn fast.

Here's the key. Why? Why does he manipulate? For money? For greed or to eat? To save lives? Because he cares or because he needs to work off court mandated community service?

Manipulation does not mean two faced. It means leadership, comfort, usury, greed, desperation, and many more things.

Know the character first.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

carefully

 

[expentio]

I'd suggest introducing him as being helpful. You might add slight inconsistencies but overall it shouldn't be obvious. Then it's the question if you want to reveal it early on, so the reader knows what's going on. In my case, I made him instigate a situation to make him look good and later do a debriefing with the guy he hired. If you rather want to go for a big reveal then don't do this, but slowly add more over time. The balance act is to neither be too obvious nor make it come out of nowhere. If the first is going to be the case then an early reveal is preferable to add suspense regarding if his plan is going to work out. Though, suspense can also come from not exactly knowing what he's up to with the slight hints on the way.

 

[Plantorsomething]

I want to introduce a character into my novel that is a great person and helpful and all on the outside but secretly he is controlling and monopolizing everything. I'm not quite sure how to flesh out a character like's this' personality. Thanks for help in advance!

I liked how Rend did it.

 

[Viator]

given the small amount of information, I would suggest very clever use of foreshadowing. Nothing overt. toss in little hints in his dialogue and scenes that are so indirect as to be barely noticeable, while highlighting their supposed good points. Things a reader might catch only in hindsight. That way, when the turn comes, the reader may have a eureka moment, where they wonder why they didn't see it before.

 

[ACertainPassingUser]

It would be better if the guy you're writing actually looks and seems genuine character, to the point that even normal reader won't take the hint. (because real 2 faced person doesn't recklessly put hints all over the place, or else their reputation would be in shambles already).

You're basically taking one of MC character, like some kind of decently written friend, crush, or Mentor type, and then put some kind of mark of nasty worm.

Make sure these character interact like they're growing together.

And the betrayal of the double faced bastard reveal needs to be shown at very surprising moment, because it should be a shocking double-faced reveal.

You can't really spot people like those without some extreme betrayal experience, or those people confess by themselves. If they're so easily noticable, their reputation would be in shambles, so MC and other sane people won't interact with them in first place.

 

[EitoSan]

A good reference of this is shigure from Fruits Basket, if you wanted to see one.

The whole time he was working towards his own goals, but managed to play the role of caring guardian for the three children living in his house.

I think what makes a good twoface manipulator is the fact that, they have a reason for being so. (The more relatable the reason, the Better the audience can kinda relate to it). You could also go the full on evil route too, but that’s already been done like a million times. Think Akechi from Persona 5. If royal didn’t come out to expand his background a bit more, base game persona 5 Akechi was just another two faced manipulator with no special qualities.

so to yea, write a character with an interesting reason for being a manipulator in the first place. Write him as someone competent whose able to actually control the swing of things in the story.