Do you create characters from scratch for every roleplay? Or do you recycle them?

[sadladsalad]

I was just curious. Thought came up since I recognize that a lot of other sites, such as tumblr usually have a character to display first before starting a roleplay. 


Whereas in rp nation I always find myself creating many characters for the sake of one roleplay, and from scratch no less. And they're usually well-planned, involving these characters with a purpose in mind. 


I usually pull these characters out from ass. 


However, it occurred to me it was such a waste of good material, so I find myself starring old characters in newer roleplays, perhaps because I love the character so much, they deserve their own roleplay to themselves.


Just curious: what do you guys do with characters? Do you put them in storage, never to be seen again? Or do you dust them off and repurpose them?

 

[Windsock]

isn't there already a thread like this?


Anyway, if you don't make a character for the roleplay instead of the other way around, you're a poser and a heretic. So I do it from scratch every time

 

[Truthblade]

isn't there already a thread like this?


Anyway, if you don't make a character for the roleplay instead of the other way around, you're a poser and a heretic. So I do it from scratch every time

Yeah, there is.


I am actually one of those people who get rather stuck to their characters, and since most of them are from years of development, I feel like its a waist to just use them once and leave them for the rest of my life (especially if its fanon). So yeah, I would reuse them, on the condition that:


A) they would fit.


B) they are not being currently being used for an active rp.


Even if they're new, I tend to use like two or three traits, though give them completely different names and backstories (I like using characters who are logical, witty, and ripped).

 

[Autumn McJavabean]

90% of the time I create original characters. I have to actually keep them in Word so I know all that I've made. Apparently I'm told making characters is something I am good at. Never thought of that before, nor do I really see it, but I enjoy it.

 

[SidTheSkid]

To be honest, i'll make mine from scratch every single time but there are moments where i actually do wish that I could recycle one of my characters that I haven't exactly role-played with. There is no point of constantly recycling characters unless that person lacks the effort to create an original one or in my case, one of my characters didn't have a chance to make become apart of a roleplay because of it either dying or something else but even then i'll often create brand new people just for the sake of it. 


There was a time where I use to put a ridiculous amount of detail in my character sheets but as of now i just like to keep things mediocre so i don't have to worry about accidentally joining a dying roleplay with a character that i spent hours making. :S  

 

[Puzderhero]

I usually create original characters for new Roleplays, but sometimes I recycle old ones for the occasion.


Usually I recycle old characters if I think they would fit the Roleplay better than one I could make from scratch, or people from another Roleplay liked that  character and requested that I play them again, so that's how it usually works for me.


I'm not saying I would support someone recycling a character because they're too lazy to put their imagination to use. I'm just saying they should recycle a character if the time should call for it.

 

[sadladsalad]

@Windsock


Oh there is? I didn't realize, it was one in the morning and I was tired and I just wanted to put this out there before I forget about it. 


Meanwhile, those are some harsh words lol. 


Though I can understand, as making a character that exist soley for this plot sometimes is better quality wise, whereas a character that was formatted to coexist with a plot might have some inconsistances like being good at a skill that wouldn't make sense in the a different setting. 


@Truthblade


From what I recognize I also use this method, especially off characters I liked. I usually reformat them to fit the story, but the personality tends to generally stay the same. But names are generally kept depending on the setting. It's usually the personality that makes me love them so much. The skills and the background are changed. 


@Colleen McJavabean


I also should start doing that? I never thought about doing that to be honest. I usually scrap characters, and if they've been forgotten they were probably no good in the first place. All my old characters are lost in the interwebs. I never do delete a character. 


@Obsidian


Yea, I personally dislike hefty detail on bios when people are starting off. Although yea, it shows that you care about the character- but personally it's difficult for others reading it. And sometimes I find myself not being true to the traits of it at all. I just let the flow of the plot guide me, and personality just happens. 


@Puzderhero 


And nah I understand. Usually the time calls when you see the plot and immediately think about the character thereafter.


Although I do admit that I have recycled plots before just to use these character again. Though they generally go in whole different direction each time.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Only a few times have I directly used a same character in a totally different roleplay (only tweaking their bio to make more sense for the new one). Other times I've used same characters in rebooted roleplays, or like sequel roleplays.


But usually I make up totally new characters.  Cuz I love crafting new charries!

 

[Umbrie]

i Recycle Characters, but i treat Each RP like a Separate Universe and Treat each incarnation of that Character as evolving entirely differently from her counterparts due to being exposed to different Stimuli. for example, say i RP Umbrie in 5 other RPs, each of those 5 Umbries are going to Experience entirely different Stimuli than thier counterparts and will be shaped by different events.


you could have 7 Dwarven Warriors named Hans, they will all Evolve Differently due to Different things they had to React to Recieving Eposure to.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

I'm gunna elaborate a little bit.


Let me use an example. My all time favorite character Ive ever made/roleplayed, was a chick named Vira Escaflowne.


I used her for the roleplay, then for the followup roleplay, then for an alternate universe of that roleplay, for a sequel to those roleplays, in a few rebooted versions of those roleplays.


Despite, having a very detailed, interesting history, intense character development, that basically had her go through like 4-5 different personalities, and even going so far as to having a couple kids who grew up, I never used Vira for any other roleplay that wasn't involved with the first one I used her in. Even though shes my baby

 

[Autumn McJavabean]

@pandamyc


That's what I do. IF you save characters, it just helps to find them. As for making new ones, I just take aspect of  my life and make characters around that. Someone might be cold, calculating, and logical with ice powers as a representation of a cold hearted person and lack of emotion that comes with becoming more logical. Like a computer, which is pure logic.

 

[Mystikelh]

I can't create characters on the go, nor I really want to. If I put all the efforts I have to do to create a character from scratch - because like I said I have trouble creating a character in less than three months - it has to be for a reason. I have a "universe" on my own that I develop and create characters for. And I pick those characters to RP with. I adjust them a little bit to fit the RP and it's all fine. One, because it helps me discover how that character would react to a situation I haven't think of without an RP. And two, because I really like them and work so hard to make them nice characters.

All that to say: I always recycle characters and none of them were made for a specific RP. Call me lazy, but that's how I roll.

 

[Umbrie]

I can't create characters on the go, nor I really want to. If I put all the efforts I have to do to create a character from scratch - because like I said I have trouble creating a character in less than three months - it has to be for a reason. I have a "universe" on my own that I develop and create characters for. And I pick those characters to RP with. I adjust them a little bit to fit the RP and it's all fine. One, because it helps me discover how that character would react to a situation I haven't think of without an RP. And two, because I really like them and work so hard to make them nice characters.

All that to say: I always recycle characters and none of them were made for a specific RP. Call me lazy, but that's how I roll.

kind of the same here. i make minor Tweaks to fit the universe. and most of my characters have 2-3 potential names.


Umbrie the Nyxad Spellcloak could be replaced with Ilina the Immature Pint Sized Pharmacist turned Bounty Hunter pretty easily. i have a few unique builds, that i tweak in minor amounts.

 

[november pyres]

meh. it depends really. if i create a really awesome character i'm really excited to use and the roleplay dies, i'll more than likely use him/her in another roleplay. it's not so much a factor of laziness as it is trying to scrounge up the muse to be able to effectively create several different characters and stick to them. ain't nobody got time for that.
​

 
​

 
​

 
​

 

[Truthblade]

I can't create characters on the go, nor I really want to. If I put all the efforts I have to do to create a character from scratch - because like I said I have trouble creating a character in less than three months - it has to be for a reason. I have a "universe" on my own that I develop and create characters for. And I pick those characters to RP with. I adjust them a little bit to fit the RP and it's all fine. One, because it helps me discover how that character would react to a situation I haven't think of without an RP. And two, because I really like them and work so hard to make them nice characters.

All that to say: I always recycle characters and none of them were made for a specific RP. Call me lazy, but that's how I roll.

kind of the same here. i make minor Tweaks to fit the universe. and most of my characters have 2-3 potential names.


Umbrie the Nyxad Spellcloak could be replaced with Ilina the Immature Pint Sized Pharmacist turned Bounty Hunter pretty easily. i have a few unique builds, that i tweak in minor amounts.

I TOTALLY agree. I had one character that I tried to use, but the first time, I went inactive, and the second time, it immediately died (like, as SOON as I joined). But he finally  has a resting place in a new RP.

 

[TPBx]

I generally always create from scratch because the favorite part of RPing for me is character creation. To expedite the process, I usually base it around another pre-existing character and then change some things to make it more like my own.

 

[mino]

i make them from scratch every time. i might reuse a face or a aspect of another character's personality, but it's really hard for me to reuse characters because i get attached very easily. i can only see each character in one story line, or else it feels like i'm cheating on them or something, if that makes any sort of sense. i don't really like to rp with others who use recycled characters; past experiences have lead me to the conclusion that recycled characters tend to get a little lazy and flat after a while if you aren't careful. that's my two (more like twenty) cents, at least.

 

[call me rae]

Mostly I make 'em for scratch I do have a few background sorts that I cycle through but usually I just make a world and then drop some rando character into it. 


Except Rain Boom. He is awesome and he's in pretty much all my superhero world's somewhere. Even  he never actually gets a starring role he's being sassy and gay in the background in his poofy white luffa looking costume and his full body rainbow paint.

 

[november pyres]

Except Rain Boom. He is awesome and he's in pretty much all my superhero world's somewhere. Even  he never actually gets a starring role he's being sassy and gay in the background in his poofy white luffa looking costume and his full body rainbow paint.

haven't even roleplayed with rain boom and i already like him haha
​

 
​

 
​

 

[Shuusuke]

The few RPs I've participated in ( here and not here ) died quite quickly, so I don't feel any remorse in trying to use my characters in other RPs. I actually want to use them since I spent a significant amount of time making them. It just feels bad for me since I had a lot of fun making them and expected to enjoy using them, but they barely saw any use. 


I have a general set of traits that compose my characters, and I adapt them and their backstory to the universe they're in. I've imagined the same character being an urban highschooler, and in another universe, a feudal lord, for example. Even if I change their names or some physical aspects, or give them special powers, the concepts are still the same and I see nothing wrong with reusing them if I feel like they're solid enough.


I can make characters on the fly but unless they have minor significance in the story, it's going to leave a bad taste. And why would I want to use a character if they'd have minor importance in the RP anyway?


Why's it so hard for me to find a RP that I like and lasts?! I can feel all my characters frowning at me for not properly using them!

 

[punkinblackk]

Since I mostly do realistic/ slice of life, even though I typically make new characters for my rps, I'll occasionally reuse a character that was particularly inspired and didn't have a chance to participate in an RP (generally because it died)

 

[AvidElmV2]

I think I can sum it up by saying I've pulled so many characters out of whatever hole they come from, I couldn't name half of them to save my life. It seems that the ones I WISH I could remember are gone forever, but the ones I want to bury under a mountain are clinging to me like a fly to fly paper. But in short, most of my characters are made from scratch. The only time I'll ever reuse a character is if I'm in a series reboot (a back in time sort of thing, although it's only happened once...) or if I hardly got to use them.

 

[Randomfella]

I always make a character specific to the lore of that universe.


Sometimes I will re-use ideas, or appearances, but bio's are never very similar.

 

[Samurai Jay]

I often have the base type character to use that I did to adjust to lore. I always use the same name throughb since it gets me into character better

 

[Coyote Hart]

Most of the characters I use in RP Nation are from scratch, not to be reused again. However, I have integrated several characters from other roleplay sites into roleplays here.