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Making a charater that you enjoy writing

Ice1

[img]http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/712.pn
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How do you make sure the character in your SU will be fun for you to write? Are there certain things you just don't do because it kills the fun? Are there certain tips and tricks you have for enjoying your characters?
 

Junier

Fake Friends Forever (´・ω・`)
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I think one thing that has caused me to drop recent roleplays is the feeling that I will be unable to achieve what I want out of my character. A lot of the times, I overpredict the arcs I want them to go through and then can't compromise with the limitations of that game and unpredicted nature of RP in-general. That was Tohru Anayo, my first 'Past of the Past' character in a nutshell.

Another thing that can kill the fun of a character is banking your enjoyment on their reception in-character/their "role" in the cast. Since there is no central protagonist in any group roleplay, and because everything is dependent on in-the-moment writing and player interpretation, it's impossible to predict how people, and by extension their characters, might interpret your own. And it's equally difficult to tell how a character will develop because of those factors. I went into 'Cornered' expecting Rina the Chimecho to be this sychopantic, point-obsessed mastermind, but I blew it the moment the Game Master didn't give her (myself) immediate credit for doing an obvious good thing. So she had no facäde and just turned into this bitchy, whiny, angsty teenager. Even then, though, it wasn't hard to write for her, and a lot of people in the roleplay actually liked her! I just could never get over how cool she could've been. But characters of that sort of charismatic, "mastermind" archetype are almost impossible for anyone who isn't already on a higher pedestal (the Game Master, basically) to pull off while still being effective because characters and their players are so interconnected.

Both of those examples are from in-character experiences because I think it's hard, for me at least, to tell how much I'll enjoy a character until I start writing them. The best tip I can give is going with your gut -- sign up with the concept that speaks to you the most -- and be flexible from there.
(Or write first, fill out sign-up later. That probably helps a lot, but I'm too lazy to really do it, lol)
 
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That's interesting since I think looking back the characters I have the least fun with are the ones with the least direction. It's the characters with very clearly defined goals or motivations that I have the most fun with because that gives them a place to experience the story from - to react as the plot develops. If characters are too flexible they become devoid of personality and are just an empty vehicle for being a part of the RP and that makes them boring to me as a writer.

So to make characters fun I try to give them very clear motivations or goals they want to achieve.
 
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Junier

Fake Friends Forever (´・ω・`)
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Yeah, I fell in love with Kylie from 'Trainer Academy' because she had a central ambition, as well as always having something to do -- minor goals. But with those other characters, I practically overshot it. Their motivation was more so... an entire story plotted out from the get-go.

I feel ya GP on motivations though since I believe that makes for strong characters in-general.
 
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  • Age 34
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I think I need to not stick my character in the SU to a too narrow path or plan off the bat. Because often when I have a certain backstory and sideplot in mind, but finally play the character, I realize the character wants to be something different than I intended. As such, I get the most enjoyment out of making the SU open enough, with mostly basic things covered to form a coherent and interesting person still. This is also why I'm not a too big fan of writing History sections in SUs haha; I like to come up with new things that suit the story as I go along, I've realized. But I do acknowledge that some History and family is good to include in a SU.
 
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