Forums » Smalltalk » Favorite character design tropes?

I've been cursed with loving height differennces and I am always torn between leaving a character of mine (Ouk) at 6'11 or put them at 7'2 that it used to be at earlier.

I just love fantasy heights soon I'll finish up my halfling OC to have best of both worlds.

But also the usual pairing of red outfit/blue outfit or contrasting colors 🥰 my beloved

Really random, but I seem to have a things for puttees and arm wraps? Smth about covering the forearms and legs in fabric wraps just seems so cool to me, and I unconsciously apply it to a lot of my designs for no apparent reasons.

Nice color schemes are also a close second, I know barely anyone has time IRL to color code their outfits to their skin tone and hair, but when drawing characters it's so satisfying to keep those sort of things in mind. Fantasy height differences are really fun too, tho, really gotta toy around with that more!

I love to make characters that are young (and traumatized, oops-) but insist they don't need caring for and that they can handle theirselves, but when anyone shows them a bit of care or platonic affection, they let their guard down for that person because they feel safe and cared about.

(Tell me you RP Found Family without telling me you RP Found Family, lmao)


Oh, and college characters are super fun to make. I have quite a few, both OC and canon. Mainly because you can RP what kind of dumbass-ry they get into at their colleges, and they are super flexible when it comes to their personality. Want a jackass student? Want a shy student? Want a rule-abiding student? Want a comedy relief student? So many possibilities.

OMGGGGG found family gets to me so much I love it so much! I love writing all parts of a found family dynamic, especially the distant older sibling sort of character (eldest daughter tropes are yummy).

You're so right about the college characters, and making their personalities work alongside or opposed to their respective degrees is so fun to me. A theater kid whose ripped and jock coded with a fascination with Shakespeare. An art major that is a math whiz and focuses on 3D art. Comedic relief friend that is apart of the terrifyingly serious chef program.

I get you on the arm wraps, I LOVE toeless/heelless socks and loose pants is so aesthetically pleasing to me for character creation. Its hard to do anything different

Omgomgomg to color code the outfits to work with skin and haur is so awesome I wish I had that patience (and eye for fashion). Do you have a particular style of fashion you lean towards (personally and/or for OCs)?

Never try and describe me again. It's scary.

Right?? I always wanted those kind of fingerless gloves and weird socks to feel like a fantasy character. Guess that was the beginning of the cosplay pipeline or somethin'.

And, well, it really depends on what world my character comes from, but I do admit that I love drawing more low-tech sci-fi'y, desertpunk'esque and post-apocalyptic outfits over, let us say, modern day fashion? T-shirts and sneakers are fun and all but it's the funny lil' details that do it for me. All I can really tell you as far as growing that fashion sense is concerned, is to doomscroll on Pinterest and look at how other people handle it, that's what I do, anyway!

I love contrast between two characters, especially with chemistry!
The goth and the pastel, the awkward and the flirt, the smol and the tall. 🤣🤣🤣


I also enjoy kinda just using parts of myself, like anxiety, to deal with how a character is in a moment.
A ship approaches? Am I a Stede, An Ed, or a Jack in this moment?
JK, I'm always flippin playing chaotic good, paragon Fem Shep who loves Alenko, the Champion good guy. I'm always Stede...!!!!

Except I always.... ALWAYS go PRO Mage Rights in Dragon Age. Because I have deeply rooted trust-for-authority problems.
🎶🎶🎶🎶❌❌❌❌ you, I won't do what you tell me!🎶🎶🎶🎶

Small child with comically huge weapon.

YESSS!!!!! Small child with weapon is just fun in general

I don't think I can pick just one as my favorite, but having a grumpy character secretly have a soft and fun side in really nice to write. As well as 'black sheep' characters who have to work hard to find their place among society, whether it be literal physical labor or more of a metaphorical sense.

....

I'm also just a sucker for making characters with alternate forms... think were-creatures, demons...etc..

YASSSSSS

"Everyday hero."

I think we take for granted how heroic the world is around us. I've worked and lived in more than a dozen different countries, and I'm here today because of many of those heroes.

I tend to be a sucker for designing characters along these lines too, especially shifters. Spent a time avoiding shifters cause I was obsessed. Other design tropes I enjoy...

Controversial subjects and actions. Everything is written from a human point of view to be relatable but if my character isn't human, I don't want it to act human. Different world, different rules. It's fun looking at the world through a non-human aspect to me and even more fun seeing how human characters react to a character very different from themselves.

Power/magic is another aspect I enjoy. Probably for a similar reason people like superheroes, it just makes things more interesting in what might be an everyday scenario in an rp.

"Wild" humanoids. Werewolves, for example: instead of a townie turning into a werewolf, the werewolf lives in a forest, fully embracing its lycanthropy. Or maybe werewolves that form packs, and simply choose to live with the nature, low- to no tech style. The design reflects that with things like long, messy hair, scars from hunting and living in the wild, clothes made from natural resources like wool or fur, etc
It comes from the stereotypical "black sheep" fantasy I have, the one that makes me want to run away and live in a cottage far from technology and humanity's current struggles, lmao

Probably anything involving jackets (the athletic kind) and casual clothing. I don't really have a preference but that's what I think. lol