Once I finally understood what a “straight woman” actually was in comedy, I could see why Paradox worked as a character. But that led to a bigger question: what makes any character funny? The answer isn’t quirks or catchphrases – it’s a three-part engine that drives every memorable comedy character.

For two days, I kept deleting “Paradox is the straight woman” from my character profile, wondering why AI was so obsessed with my protagonist’s dating life. Turns out I was missing something fundamental about comedy structure – and once I understood it, everything about character dynamics clicked.

Why do some programmer jokes land while others fall flat? After accidentally getting sucked into comedy writing, I discovered it’s not about the technical references or clever wordplay. The funniest tech characters – from Silicon Valley to The IT Crowd – all share the same three-part structure that makes their humor inevitable.