Forums » RP Discussion » Lauren's got a question

Actually I have two of them. I think. I haven't thought this post through entirely yet.

1) How do you go about making a character? Do you have a "formula" for making them? Is it easy or hard for you?

2) How do you grow to love playing that character? What keeps you from abandoning them after a few days or a month?


I'm asking because I want/need to make a character for a dream-- really, I feel like I must, because my other one has turned... stale, I guess you could say. And again I can feel myself already burning out on making yet another character that I'll probably grow bored of in very short order. I don't want to do that. So yeah, any advice, anyone?

I don't ponder on it at all. Cause my past experiences have shown me if I actually ponder on a character I wanna make, they end up getting abandoned soon after. All my characters I have now, I thought up none of them. They just popped into my head. I just see a name and a face basically. That's when I actually start pondering on them. Ya know. Thinking up the details about them and what not. And even though I'm thinking on details about em, all I think about is what part I wanna work on and again...just whatever pops into my head I go with. The only exception to all this is Ambrose. Who is actually a character of Nikina's design. She asked me one day way back when if I would portray that character for her. Granted she just gave me the name and a small back story and I did the rest but still. Or maybe she told me about him and I asked if I could portray him for her. Can't remember exactly. Been a few years. But yeah. After I got all the details worked out as it pertains to physical appearance attire and what not, I do 'trial' RPs with them to figure out their personality and such. (This means those of you who have RPed with one of my characters who has like nothing on their page were probally involved/are involved in one of these 'trial' RPs. That or I just ain't got anything up for em yet.) yeah but anyways... That's my secret to character creation. Also pay attention to your thoughts when your doing stuff. You never know what will trigger that spark that'll give you inspiration for a character. For instance, one of my newest ones, Adam, his back story was inspired by the song Not Listening by Papa Roach and he himself inspired thinking about how Luke Skywalker is in the star wars movies. Both at the same time. And Kyle, when he was conceived, was inspired by a mix between watching Zolo in One Piece, Kenshin from Rouroni Kenshin and my simply playing with swords. With one of his methods of combat being adapted and slightly modified from Akito/Agito from Air Gear.

I usually try to base my characters off people i admire, it helps me get the look of the character im making and also their attitude.

I have so many characters that its disgusting. Its come to a point where I cannot produce a character due to them looking like someone else now. So, in order for me to make someone who is truly original, I listen to orchestral music. I close my eyes and let the features come to mind by themselves. Eventually I can get a face and then by continuing to listen to the music I can get a feel for their personality. Like if I am listening to Berserk's OST I picture some of my evil characters. So music is what developed my OC's. Sometimes anime can help me too, or inspire me, but its really my music that creates their soul.

Very true. All my characters have music involved in some waynwith their initial conception.

The strangest things can give me inspiration for a character. I have only 'died out' on a character once or twice.

What I suggest is finding something you know you like playing. Species, personality, something like that. And if you can't seem to grasp it after the first couple RPs, then just change it.

As for inspiration on making the character initially...I suggest reading some books, watching a movie, anything like that. It can be an amazing source of character ideas.

I have a few formulas for making characters, but I won't share my main one.

Anyway, a good idea is to make a character with a specific goal in mind. Not a goal as, sexiest woman ever or best fighter ever. Make an alt with a problem, whether it's a past one or a current issue plaguing them and have them try and solve it. A character needs a motivation to be running around doing something. People get old of the vagabond without a job and such.

There are simpler ideas too. Ask a friend to play a relative or child of one of their characters. If you sit around trying to think up of a character and try and flesh out too much, it'll have no room to grow. It damages development and quite frankly, people LIKE to see your character change. Nobody admits it, but everyone enjoys changing a friend's character, whether it's a negative or a positive change. Why would you RP with somebody if you couldn't really change or leave an impression on the other character?

I'm getting a bit off topic, but those are just a few ideas I'll share outside of whispers or private conversations.

Ooh you guys, along with the private advice I got elsewhere last night ( Thank you, Claine & Old Man), are giving me wonderful pointers. And an idea is staring to float around in my noggin already, but I'll take what you all have had to say to heart (and give it a shot, of course) while I see where this idea takes me. Thank you all so much! And of course, if anyone else has anything to add, by all means do so!

I build a character from the outside in.

Picture a world, and the problems and joys, strife and conveniences that your average person in that world might be born into.

Then ask yourself: what would a person who grew up in that world want? It can be a very mundane want. "I want to own a house that is secure against the duststorms that roll through here." It can be a grandiose want. "I want to find out what causes the duststorms and stop that."

What skills would an average person in that world have? Now, considering the wants of your character, what skills would they have honed to achieve their goal? "I studied to become a carpenter." "I studied to become a climate-mage."

Now that you know what they grew up in, what they want, and what they can do, look at the environment that you're actually going to RP in. Is it so rainy it's devoid of duststorms? Does this place need a carpenter, or do they grow their furniture or sculpt it from stone? How does your character feel about these differences to what they are used to?

Now you know their background, their goals and skills, and have some 'getting used to' for them to do, which is where character growth can come in.

I think many people fizzle out on characters because they make them one-trick ponies without actually being faceted people. "My woman is a vampire who is allergic to frogs!" Kay. What does she want out of life? If your answer is only "a world without frogs" then it's an unattainable goal for the character and therefore boring. It's like watching a hamster spin a wheel - totally entertaining for about ten minutes (step on that frog, WOO!), but then entirely boring afterwards.

And what happens when your character attains their goal? Living happily ever after usually doesn't apply. Lottery-ticket-winner stories never stop with "he won a million dollars, the end." Maybe he wins a million dollars and takes that money to fund a life-saving charity. Maybe he spends it all on hookers and blow. That's something that is also great RP fodder.

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In short, knowing what they really want out of life, as forged by their environment, will put you on a path to having a character that can learn, change, and strive.

All these people have awesome ideas, whether you ponder about it for ages, think them up in a dream, base them on people or characters you know, or use another person's inspireation you can always come up with a unique and awesome character. I myself have slot of rounded out characters in my mind but just about all of them are based on a manga, anime, book, or movie that I like. My personal secret is that I remember that he/she isn't set in stone. Once I have an idea I add, edit and refine it. For example my character Genet de Drac has been everything from a knight to a pirate to a space alien before I settled on a grim reaper. Everything from her background to the color of her eyes has been changed and edited for years. Eventually, with all my characters I Slowly turn them to stone bit by bit. Starting with the small things like hair and eyes then finally ending with the more important, detailed stuff like outfit and background. But the best thing I ever did for my characters was get a friend who liked making oc's as well. We would talk to each other and edit each others characters, give ideas, and answer each other's pondering questions. After all, every great movie, book, art piece, or other creation have been pondered over by not only their creators but also by their editors, producers, friends, neighbors, family, even complete strangers! That's the best part of this site, if you have an idea then your just one post away from having various experienced role-players come up with ideas for the char, inspire you, or even help you think outside of the box!

I like to come up with whatever their biggest flaw is first, sometimes. And sometimes it's video games. My most recent character combined potentially fatal epilepsy and brain damage with Nathan Drake of Uncharted fame. I've made different versions of the same thing, even to the point of making a completely negative character.
I also agree that they have to have something to strive for, and so do you. I try my best to think of an end point, out of character, that the character will sort of cease being playable. Then it can become a game of making it to that point. I have found that it helps to have what you might call 'checkpoints', something small that you're aiming your character towards, personally or story-wise, like... I want [Blank] to ask [Blankette] to [Blankeroonie]