Advice/Help Making characters I care about?

[grimmmy]

I *guess* I want to RP but I can't make characters that I genuinely want to play. Sign-ups feel very tedious right now because I can grind out character traits--that doesn't tell me whether a character will be fun to write for. What do you do in the character creation process to invest yourself in the character you're creating?

 

[nondescriptname655433788]

The process for making characters on here is bizarre to me, people seem to make them and throw them away. Ever since I was young me and my friends would put years of story and development into our characters, when we outgrew them we would revamp them and fit them to suit our interests or make more to accommodate the existing ones so we could focus on other interests without letting the old ones disappear. Constantly going through the process of refocusing.
If I were to give any advice, make a character you care about. Plain and simple. Not for an RP, not for a story, just a character. Maybe one who is similar to a character that already exists that you like, one who represents who you'd like to be, one who lives the life you want. Something meaningful to YOU, that YOU want to become in the moments you roleplay for.
I also suggest talking to random people for more ideas on personalities and actions, just learn about other's lives and siphon off what's interesting to you.

 

[Chordling]

Maybe you could try a different method when you think about character creation. Here is my character pillar method that focuses more on a character’s belief system rather than their personality traits.

3-to-5-Pillar System

3-to-5-Pillar System - a tutorial - Introduction One of the most important aspects of a character is their personality. This is what can help the writer connect with them. It is also one of the things that many writers struggle to create. It's the core of the character, and in many cases...

www.rpnation.com

I normally do not create character sheets anymore for text-rps. They do not reflect how well someone is able to roleplay or even how well someone understands their own character. The most I will do these days is find some visuals and think about their basic principles. Background information and the like can always be developed later.

 

[Idea]

Well, first, I think it's important to draw the distinction between "a character I care about" and "a character that makes me have fun writing about", because the latter doesn't really exist.

What I mean by that is that even if you are as invested as you possibly could be in your character, that doesn't mean that the other elements of the roleplay will make it fun for you to write them. For instance, I've tried several times to roleplay on discord servers, and in those I've more than once made characters I really cherished, so much so that against my better judgement I took way longer to leave the server than I should. The reason, however, that I didn't like it is simply because the medium of roleplay, the style of roleplay and the required time I needed to invest at once all worked against my enjoyment of the roleplay. I get bored of discord roleplays very fast, and nomatter how good a character that is just something that happens to me.

So I'll answer the "character one cares about" question, but I do feel that it is important to keep in mind that the character will NOT automatically make it so you enjoy writing for them- you need to set the surrounding circumstances such as to be conductive to your enjoyment as well, and depending on the character, so that it is conductive to bringing out that character's potential too.

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Now, for me, I don't really focus on making a character I care about. Each step of character creation brings something into the character that I care about already, and as such I care about the character because of those things I brought into it. At first.

1. In the start of my character creation process, I have some initial central idea or character concept. Getting my brain thinking about a character idea just by reading the roleplay's premise is often a big criteria for whether I will join a roleplay at all. If it can't get me thinking of ideas, it's probably not an exciting enough idea for my personal tastes, or at least that's how I evaluate it among the sea of options. So right away is the first element for me caring about the character: I make the character around a concept I am already interested in and, therefore, that I am already invested in.

2.When I think about all the characters I was most invested in, two things stand out: The nature of their conflict, and the internal connections of the character. The first regards how well I can understand the character's conflict, how does it resonate with me, and also what is the character doing about it. "Oh my parents died" is a famously cheap backstory element that often results in little change for the character other than that there are no parents getting in the way of the narrative. By contrast, one of my characters is sad that she wasn't there for her sister as a result of an animosity she felt against her at first. The sister didn't die or anything, their relations were just severed, but it did damage her sister's life by way of it damaging her socializing skills. She wished to recover her time with her sister, becoming younger and joining her sister's class as a classmate. She can never reveal who she really is, but now can stand by her sister's side. It's a bittersweet little thing, very abridged of course, but it's way more emotionally resonating to me than, say, if the sister had just up and died. It allows me to stretch the drama, and the character sincerely regrets what she did and actively tries to fix the problem even at her own expense.
The second thing is about the internal connections in the character, by which I mean how well the personality, backstory, powers etc... flow into and contrast with one another. Characters are like a tapestry, if there's a string with no links that bit can very easily look ugly and out of place, but when everything is properly connected you can really see the full picture, it feels more whole and even human than if the character wasn't linked that well with itself.
Long story short: A character is easier to care about if the problems are more resonated with you and the character themselves is seriously and more important ACTIVELY doing what they can to deal with their issues and conflicts, plus they are also easier to care about if feel less like a collection of traits and more like a whole that flows and connects its various elements well.

3. Roleplays frequently die with a very short lifespan, but rather than trying to avoid this phenomenon, I mainly suggest using a method to cope with it. My particular method involves pouring all I can into making the best posts, characters, setting and so on that I can, so that I will be able to look on them proudly and without feeling like I just wasted my time, I want them to be good enough to have value regardless of the RP going anywhere. That philosophy extends to my characters, and I feel that investment is one of the things that helps me be more attached to them. I care about the character more because in a sense it is the crystalization of my effort and passion as I created it, and if I can be proud of what made, then I have reason to care about the thing that makes me proud to have made it.

4. It's more of a long-term thing, but self-awareness is REALLY HELPFUL in terms of knowing what will or not work for you. Self-awareness will help tell what your limits are and where you can cut your losses, but it will also help tell you what you like. Remember, there isn't a wrong or right when it comes to what you like or don't like. Not everything is practical, but don't ignore your tastes just for practicality, at least not too much. Even if the things you like are inconvenient, even if you feel your preferences may make you seem this, or sound that, at the very least you have to acknowledge them to yourself. A person who is truly indifferent is just someone who hasn't put enough thought to realize what they actually prefer yet which doesn't mean they thought little of it, just that didn't think of it enough. What kind plots, characters, settings, writing style, writing medium, twists, etc.. you like is key to knowing what to default to, and what to avoid. It even helps with point #2 in that knowing yourself better also implies knowing better what character conflicts resonate with you.

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However, the work of making a character one can care about isn't nearly done in the character's creation, not by a long shot. The character creation is a snapshot of the character- how it actually plays is the interaction of that with the circumstances during the roleplay. For example, I really need to have my own place or my thing in any given group. Some aspect of my character unique to them or in which they are the foremost in. If I don't have that then I feel that I am just replaceable (which can also happen if the GM treats me as replaceable by only putting my character in token positions where any character could have been in), which is a good way to kill any investment I have in a roleplay. It's one of the reasons why I always feel a little uncomfortable near players using jack-of-all-trades type characters. especially if they aren't experienced enough to know when to just let other people have the spotlight, because those characters are the ones that will most easily intrude in someone else's scene with a "I also".

Another thing I love is seeing my partner's reactions. For me it's not usually the process of writing itself that is fun, but rather the results of my writing. I already mentioned how I like the feeling of being proud of the work I've made, but there is also a component unique to roleplay, which is how my partners reacts to and interacts with what I've made. This applies to my characters as well. I care about making a character that will have an interesting dynamic with the other elements of the roleplay, including other characters and players.
Something that also helps with this is establishing character connections / relationships early on or even previously. Arranging for there to be siblings, rivals, even lovers already in place can diversify the range of potential dynamics and options the roleplay can present to you.

Lastly, there is a matter of realistic expectations. If you want to make a character you can care about, make sure you can actually play that character properly. I am not just talking about your own skill though: the roleplay must be able to accomodate what the character is intended to be. Furthermore, just because you envision your character as a badass or really funny, doesn't mean that will be how they turn out. Do not base your interest on a character on the results of their actions or presence. It should always be based on the process of what they do.


Anyways, I hope this helps! Best of luck and happy RPing!

 

[Idea]

Side note: One thing which also seriously kills my interest is when a GM just plainly refuses the character’s core without a reasonable explanation or even attempting to help me in tweaking the character’s details, so that the details work for their roleplay but the core concept is still there.

 

[nerdy tangents]

I usually base my characters on real people I known my friends, boss, family, etc. I change around things like gender and backstory but the basic elements of personality stay the same.

I think it makes the characters feel more realistic than just slapping a bunch of traits together.

 

[grimmmy]

I like the advice of making a character first, though it is a little unintuitive for me. I'm a plot-driven writer: I want to draft the story and themes then finalize the characters so they can best further these things. That's probably a big factor in why I can't bring myself to care about RP characters... I don't really know what the character I'm making is "for." Are they the mentor figure? An antagonist?

I think I've always had this issue: I'd make a character who was intended to fill a role, but then a wrench is thrown into things and it kills my engagement. I could communicate that to the GM? Or only join RPs with roles?

At any rate, I'm just brainstorming. I don't have anything I want to get out of RP at the moment lol

 

[Onmyoji]

One of the reasons I like to play fandom characters is because I already care about them. So even if a rp goes wrong or dies I still care about my character.
Maybe you could try that too, base a character on something you already care about, so even if the character's 'role' changes, it's personality will still be something you like and you'll be more compelled to stick to the character or maybe repurpose it.

 

[Uxie]

I like the advice of making a character first, though it is a little unintuitive for me. I'm a plot-driven writer: I want to draft the story and themes then finalize the characters so they can best further these things. That's probably a big factor in why I can't bring myself to care about RP characters... I don't really know what the character I'm making is "for." Are they the mentor figure? An antagonist?

I think I've always had this issue: I'd make a character who was intended to fill a role, but then a wrench is thrown into things and it kills my engagement. I could communicate that to the GM? Or only join RPs with roles?

At any rate, I'm just brainstorming. I don't have anything I want to get out of RP at the moment lol

i'm one of the latter who only joins rps with roles solely because i'm not a fan of ending up with too-similar characters that almost always leaves one in the dust. it's definitely not all that fun if you're looking for one right now though, since they might as well be a category on its own and thus,, don't always show up! (`ー´)

speaking from experience, there are a lot of characters i don't end up remembering all that often and there are the ones who i think of all too often, even when their settings have been abandoned and in completely separate ones. just observing trends, i do believe one of the factors is how closely connected they are to other characters that makes them feel more compelling or at least fun to write. i find interaction and dialogue the most fun part of rping so there's definitely personal preference there, but having those relations just (to me!) makes them seem more human, like there's more to them beyond the life i've dictated for them up to that point (*/_＼) there are outliers that are just characters i grew fond of simply because they are tropes i am particularly fond of in fiction generally, ofc, so that's an option for you too ( ´ ω ` )

i understand this isn't an issue you'll be able to overcome considering you're still at the sign-up stage, but consider writing with friends or acquaintances if you have any! anyone to gush about your character to them and make up stupid headcanons or needless past incidents that won't even be mentioned in plot can make it a lot less tedious,, imo!

otherwise, going off your points about plot-driven writing, have you tried 1x1's? i'd say that's a place you'd be able to be in charge of all of that prior to deciding any character archetypes either of you are playing. considering most 1x1 plots provide the opportunity to simply place characters in a setting without dictating any of their traits or characteristics (to an extent), i think there's a lot of room for it! (￣▽￣*)ゞ

 

[grimmmy]

I love character dynamics... They feel kind of hit-or-miss in some group rps, like there's usually 6 or more different characters doing things simultaneously so it's hard to focus on building a relationship.

I never thought about the differences between group and 1x1 rp. I'll keep that in mind...

For now, I'm gonna switch back to site-based RP instead of RPN so I can focus on the dynamics more, and also because I could use a change of setting. I might just not care about the selection of RPs right now, like there isn't enough juice for me to base a "fun" character off of.

 

[kibou]

For me I like to get inspired by the rp's concept and the lore. If I read a rp interest check/description and don't immediately start getting ideas for a kind of character I might want to write, I don't bother, because it's impossible to force it. I always have a general concept floating around in my head that I flesh out a bit before I write the sheet. The typical sheet honestly isn't made in a way that's super conductive to character creation, it's more like an application to the role play.

If you like filling roles, what wrenches get thrown in them? Usually I do have an archetype in mind when my ideas start to come to me- one of my dnd ocs I created because I was, as the last person joining, told I needed to play a cleric for healing spells and I wanted to invert how the role typically goes. So... evil healer. My oc ended up becoming a cleric to get out of poverty and will happily sit and watch you die unless you have gold to pay for their services- slimy and unempathetic. Another character, also made for a healer role but for a text based rp on here, I wanted to do a Uncle Iroh-y with a disturbing past type- so kind and friendly, but closed off about personal life, and barely holding on. Unexpected events happened in both roleplays, and will always happen, but it's still possible to stick to those roles. You can try to be a kind older-brother type to characters who reject your help and still remain kind and available to help, or your older-brother type could be idk put in a situation where he has to shoot someone and it'd probably traumatize or change him in some ways, but the core of his concept can still remain if that's the path you want to take it down. Just be consistent. Maybe another rper ended up making a very similar character as you. Depending on the personality they could either bond over their similarities or butt heads- no reason to assume there's and issue and change yours as long as no one else minds.

You can also have individual stories in a rp if it helps you care about an oc more. An older aged oc will have lots more room for backstory... I could write short stories about my uncle iroh-y character and I care about him deeply mainly because of his backstory! Other than the lore and setting being made by the gm it basically is my own original story. Additionally thinking of possibilities of where the rp can go is also exciting, I like to daydream random events.

Ultimately it boils down to what types of characters are fun and interesting... at least, for me. If they're fun to play you'll probably also care about them more. Think of what characters in books, shows, and games you cared about. Why did you care about them? What about them was interesting? Did they remind you of someone in your life, or make you think about your own struggles? Was it because it was totally unrelatable it was more interesting? Or were they just an entertaining personality? What aspects of the personality or story were entertaining? What did these characters achieve in the narrative? What do you want to achieve? Etc. If you think about these things, you'll probably figure out what traits to give your own characters. Don't be afraid to base characters off your own struggles or pieces of your own personality, or of the ones in the people or characters around you. Even pick and choose different ones to create something unique.

If character interactions are very important, just wait for other people to submit character sheets first and read theirs to get a feel for who you might have fun interacting with or how your characters could mesh with theirs. Sometimes they inspire me just as much as the rp lore. There's nothing wrong with having an interaction with another character that lasts 3 pages in a group rp so long as you're not the only two people posting for those 3 pages- deep character relationships absolutely develop in group rps, and I wouldn't be a group rper if they didn't.

I also like to try to liven up oocs. I need to talk with my group members about the rp and ideas or make jokes and etc, or it just doesn't have the right vibes. Get excited together and feed off each other's energy! Planning things out with other rpers might help with some of your issues as well.

 

[Zelena]

I *guess* I want to RP but I can't make characters that I genuinely want to play. Sign-ups feel very tedious right now because I can grind out character traits--that doesn't tell me whether a character will be fun to write for. What do you do in the character creation process to invest yourself in the character you're creating?

Map out their philosophy.