Viewpoint What you cannot stand in characters?

[Crayons]

I cannot stand it when a character is boring and has no motivation to be in the story. I'd much rather play with dark edgelords and Mary Sues than with someone without a personality.

Ah, the anti-Sue. A Sue trying so hard not to be a Sue that it revolves all the way around and becomes one.

On a related note: I can't stand characters who are pathetic. They can't do anything on their own, they spend all their time getting other characters to do stuff for them, they crumble under the slightest bit of tension and also, everyone's favourite trait lol, act shy and awkward. These kind of pity-seeking characters just invoke the red mist in me, I hate them so much it makes me legit angry.

Also here's a pet peeve: characters that never change and develop despite their experiences. It defeats the whole point of them being a character imo. Just replace them with a cardboard cut out, or a vase.

 

[Spookkat]

Most of these come from my earlier days of roleplaying, so we were all very young and inexperienced.

1. When the character just doesn't do anything... They just sit around or run off, and make no effort to interact with other characters or the plot. Like, why did you even join in the first place???

2. Edgy or loner characters that dislike socializing and are rude all the time and get into fights. These types of characters usually godmode as well or refuse to lose a fight. (I was guilty of making one of these, yikes.)

3. Similar to above, but instead of being mean, they're shy characters that are deathly afraid of everyone and refuse to even talk to people.

 

[Melpomene]

Characters with angsty and/or tragic backstories simply for the sake of having them: These kinds of backstories can work well when they add something to the character, but oftentimes they're present simply for being edgy.

That is literally my ultimate pet peeve. I hate it when people just do things to their characters for pity points and do nothing to add to the overall theme or character. Like, I have seen it done well before so I don't mind the concept of it. But it is when someone does it just to be edgy or make everyone feel sorry for their character, or, worse , excuse a character's abhorrent behavior and saying no one in character can get on to them or be upset with them because of the previous action.

 

[Jannah]

That is literally my ultimate pet peeve. I hate it when people just do things to their characters for pity points and do nothing to add to the overall theme or character. Like, I have seen it done well before so I don't mind the concept of it. But it is when someone does it just to be edgy or make everyone feel sorry for their character, or, worse , excuse a character's abhorrent behavior and saying no one in character can get on to them or be upset with them because of the previous action.

Yea, I've done it too. Usually because it's a reason for a character to have PTSD or be emotionally distant towards others.

 

[honeylemon]

2. Edgy or loner characters that dislike socializing and are rude all the time and get into fights. These types of characters usually godmode as well or refuse to lose a fight. (I was guilty of making one of these, yikes.)

3. Similar to above, but instead of being mean, they're shy characters that are deathly afraid of everyone and refuse to even talk to people.

combine these and you'll get 90% of all characters on this one chat-based rp site i used to be on.
(all the characters were either Sues in general or just in power, and then had flat personalities. oh not to mention that all of the girls fell for the edgiest male character- nobody else, just him.)

another thing, i absolutely despise when characters have no semblance of personality or backstory on their cs, but have a bajillion likes & dislikes. like i get that having a few can give you a slight insight into how their life has shaped their interests, but when the character's backstory is only "revealed" through rp (which allows room for the player to make up stuff on the spot) or the personality spot on the cs just says "find out through rp", there's practically no cs to go through and gauge

 

[Abendrot]

I occasionally encouter a type of player that wants to write asshole characters. More often than not, said players will get all huffy and offended when everyone else's characters come to actively dislike and avoid theirs IC. Their character(s) constantly treat the people around them like shit and offer no redeeming qualities. So... yeah? What did you expect?

 

[monxmiracle]

I occasionally encouter a type of player that wants to write asshole characters. More often than not, said players will get all huffy and offended when everyone else's characters come to actively dislike and avoid theirs IC. Their character(s) constantly treat the people around them like shit and offer no redeeming qualities. So... yeah? What did you expect?

On the topic of asshole characters, I tend to have a love hate. Though as a person who has a couple of asshole characters I generally don’t get mad if everyone else’s characters hate mine in IC. That’s the entire point on why I do it. Just to see if I can make enough of an asshole for most people to dislike. But getting all offended and huffy is contradictory. If you’re gonna make an asshole character, expect the hate and be happy cause you made such a horrible character personality wise. Lol.

 

[Abendrot]

On the topic of asshole characters, I tend to have a love hate. Though as a person who has a couple of asshole characters I generally don’t get mad if everyone else’s characters hate mine in IC. That’s the entire point on why I do it. Just to see if I can make enough of an asshole for most people to dislike.

And that's fine imo. I think abrasive characters can bring a lot to the table if you're up to the task of writing them and communicate well with your group. My main problem is that some people just seem to be channelling their irl asshole tendencies into rp. In my experience, their nasty personalities eventually come out ooc and they get kicked, or everyone gets sick of their garbage and stops writing with them and they leave. Obviously this isn’t everyone who plays jerk characters, but it's enough to make me wary of cs's that contain the word "bitchy" or "brutally honest"

 

[Jet]

Abendrot

Those mean characters have the same central trait every time.... Being a shitty person.

And that's it. That's the only defining characteristic. Sure they have a list of likes and dislikes. I know they're more than a cardboard cutout but the crux of these characters is always "Douchebag". That's a bad core for RP characters cause if that's the character's heart you lock them into a rigid interaction style. One that's all negative because anything positive isn't true to character. If people make being mean a feature that sprouts from the character-core it's less an issue because you can operate outside of it.

Ex. Sure character X is usually abbrassive but that's because they spent life in a shit-hole fighting to survive. If you can get this character in a mindset that isn't "survive survive survive", one that isn't challenged by surroundings, then they won't be as mean (I have a character who's exactly like that right now). Now take character X and replace this survival driven personality with "Douchebag" and now there's no way to circumvent the rough edges. Zero depth and no versatility without compromising integrity.

If people could make these characters more balanced it'd be better for RPing. If you make a mean character who's crux isn't being shitty you can have some great moments. Especially when the exterior is peeled back and a decent person peeks out for a second. That's some heart warming shit right there.

monxmiracle

Fielding the hate is half the fun, and over time showing the bright spots in the character is the other half. That slow process of turning that trash first impression into grudging respect & appreciation is very satisfying. Then having the character open up a little bit to a few others, show a little humanity! Writing mean ones is way too much fun.

 

[Jannah]

I think the key to writing a good asshole character is to give them a plausible backstory that explains their behaviour. Same applies to evil characters really. They need to have a motive to be interesting rather than just being evil for the sake of being evil. Bonus points if they change in some way over the course of the plot.

 

[Eleganza]

I agree immoral or mean characters aren't necessarily unpleasant; it all depends on how they are presented, what they have to offer besides being 'bad', and, more importantly, their role in the story. If they are meant to be the antagonist, their abrasiveness can even help unfold the plot.

The problem starts when you want to play a terrible person without facing any consequence. If you obstinately justify your character's actions, no matter how heinous, things won't go well. It's a red flag, usually. It's especially worrying when they seemingly don't understand (or refuse to admit) why the OC's behavior was considered wrong within the story. Your OC can be abusive, yes, but you cannot expect everyone to like them IC.

 

[M.J. Saulnier]

There's a myriad of things for me, but this is one of the main things:

• When they don't fit the setting.
• When they're clearly a cookie cutter character that the author didn't even bother tailoring for the roleplay.
• None of the lore was taken into account for their background and such.

You hate to even mention it because everyone is different and valid in their own right, but some people just cannot make characters for role plays they didn't create. What's worse? People think it's acceptable to take the same character through 25 different role plays, each one adding to the character's history, personality, means and capabilities.

There's a certain character archetype that is like a cancer to the medium. Children, who want to play children, but don't actually want to play children. 21 year old detectives, 17 year old soldiers. Kids who defy all logic by having the emotional maturity, life stability, wisdom, knowledge, and general capability of a middle-aged person.

 

[legalrehab]

I have a peeve for dead parents written into a backstory- it's always the go to reason for a character to have experienced tragedy.

I wouldn't ever call out someone over it, but it's so much more interesting to me when a character not only has parents but they're super cool and just as dynamically written as the character themselves... or so evil that it's the character's destiny to kill them with their own hands.

 

[Jannah]

I have a peeve for dead parents written into a backstory- it's always the go to reason for a character to have experienced tragedy.

I wouldn't ever read someone over it, but it's so much more interesting to me when a character not only has parents but they're super cool and just as dynamically written as the character themselves... or so evil that it's the character's destiny to kill them with their own hands.

I have done the dead parents backstory, but I try to make it interesting and unique. One of my characters killed his own parents because they were pretty controlling of his and his sibling's destinies. They're a family of assassins so of course each generation is kind of stuck becoming assassins. My character didn't want that for his siblings so he used his own training against their parents and killed them. He then covered his tracks and went into law enforcement.

 

[ashwynne]

Yeah, I'm guilty of the dead parents angle lol.

- Granted... for the one character it happened in the starting post rather than strictly being written into backstory and was necessary to introduce the antagonist AND get her to flee to our second protagonist.

- With another it forced him to ascend to the throne while he was still young. In addition, the forces behind it are still relevant to the story and it serves a purpose as their aim is to eliminate his bloodline entirely (complicated stuff involving black magic, moon magic, hereditary magic and general politics).

- I'm loathe to count this one as she's an elf and all the elves are facing a genocide (so at this point everyone is at risk), but her parents did technically die when she was a little kid because their village elder was stubborn about evacuating them and the Blood Hunters got to them first... so it counts.

- Admittedly my fourth one with a murdered family (who barely survived it himself) is mostly gratuitous because I didn't want to have to write in his clingy family LOL.

It's a bad trope, I know, but I try to at least inject reason and purpose behind why it's there as opposed to existing simply for the sake of tragedy in backstory. All three characters are either high up in the military or nobility so assassinations and family slaughters are more plausible than, say, a peasant. It only occurred to me recently that I've been killing off too many families lol, so my other four active characters all have families that are alive and well to compensate.

- - -

Characters that monologue every post or every other post about how sad and awful their lives are, drive me crazy. Show, don't tell, if you're bent on making your character suffer and be miserable at every turn. Better to have their actions build off of how sucky their life is rather than just telling me over and over and OVER how pathetic their existence is. I only have so many tiny violins I can play.

 

[Melpomene]

Characters that monologue every post or every other post about how sad and awful their lives are, drive me crazy. Show, don't tell, if you're bent on making your character suffer and be miserable at every turn. Better to have their actions build off of how sucky their life is rather than just telling me over and over and OVER how pathetic their existence is. I only have so many tiny violins I can play.

Right? Like I am all for a tragic backstory and I LOVE me some angst, but a character going on and on and on about how pitiful they are, how horrible their life and situation is? How everyone and their sister should feel sorry for them?

I don't know if they know this but my memory does extend beyond a few seconds so I don't need to be reminded I don't mind it coming up every once and awhile, because there might be reason to. But even then, I don't like the whole "life sucks, woe is me" as much as I like the actual raw emotion the character is feeling.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Lack of realistic consequences really pisses me off. Especially when it’s used in a cheap way with mental illness or some kind of trauma.

Guess what losing a loved one is traumatic as shit. Being sexually assaulted can ruin people’s lives. Mental illnesses aren’t a quirky way to make your character interesting.

If your going to give your character these terrible life defining traumas than let them be freaking traumatized. Let their lives be negatively affected by what they went through.

Don't use it as a cheap way to try to make other people feel sympathy for your character. It’s gross.

I will legit walk if I see this in a CS. Like no if you can’t handle grown up topics with respect I’m not wasting my time.

 

[Jet]

Agree so much, want to add that trauma doesn't always.... Or even usually manifest as sad emolord or edgelord or emotion ball. It's usually apathetic & floaty depression or aggression & pent-up rage. That or sociopathy. But these options aren't trendy.

The characters yall are talking about are often whiney and hyper emotional, which is okay sometimes but it's so common. To those writers I'd remind them that suffering at a young age usually builds walls, it doesn't make bleeding hearts all the time. It can sometimes but often it does the exact opposite.

Edit

ashwynne

Monologuers kill my vibe for the most part, but super emotional monologing sounds like an advanced torture technique.

 

[Abendrot]

If you’re playing in a modern day real life RP and you come in with a guy named "Drizzt Darksummoner", or "Caspyan Seraph Bodhi Ember Mercedes Luxurian", or [name of preexisting literary character], I will ask you to change it. Take in basic naming conventions into consideration. If you are in a game based in modern day America, you can’t go wrong with a basic name and there is nothing wrong with plain names.

 

[Jannah]

If you’re playing in a modern day real life RP and you come in with a guy named "Drizzt Darksummoner", or "Caspyan Seraph Bodhi Ember Mercedes Luxurian", or [name of preexisting literary character], I will ask you to change it. Take in basic naming conventions into consideration. If you are in a game based in modern day America, you can’t go wrong with a basic name and there is nothing wrong with plain names.

It's special snowflake syndrome. They want their characters to be unique and stand out.

 

[Crayons]

If you’re playing in a modern day real life RP and you come in with a guy named "Drizzt Darksummoner", or "Caspyan Seraph Bodhi Ember Mercedes Luxurian", or [name of preexisting literary character], I will ask you to change it. Take in basic naming conventions into consideration. If you are in a game based in modern day America, you can’t go wrong with a basic name and there is nothing wrong with plain names.

On a related note ... calling your character an edgy name in any setting gives me an eye roll. It's kind of worse if they do it in Japanese as well. XD No ones name has ever been "Darkblade Ravenblood" in any setting or time period ever.

 

[Wert]

The edgiest name I know that is actually a real surname is Bloodworth, but the guy I used to work with who had the name wasn't super edgy at all.

I guess, that'd be a very small pet peeve of mine. Sometimes people just have names that have nothing to do with their personalities, and yet a lot of writers will choose names which have a meaning that represents their character somehow. It's more of a peeve with modern/realistic characters, whose parents chose their kids names without even knowing the type of person they would become and there'd be a (small) legal process with officially changing it. I get why it is done, and sometimes is actually pretty clever, but it's still something I'm not a huge fan of myself.

 

[BackSet]

Did someone say Edgy Names?

 

[Jet]

Name symbolism is one of those things that sounds good on paper but then you realize it's untenable to give everyone a symbolic name. Most great and unique people have normal names anyway, and even if parents give their child a symbolic name it's not like theyre gonna bat 1.00 on predicting personality type. More often the guy with "Gentle breeze" won't end up a Buddhist monk. If he does in a story it can come off as contrived.

Best way to do symbolic names without being contrived is to do homages to characters from other works, or from history. I've done it here or there, and I do try and make the homage one that's on the obscure end, because you don't want a character's person to be overshadowed by something else. Like, I wouldnt make a competitive person and be like "Kobe.... his name is Kobe" but maybe use the same initials? Or involve his middle name (Bean) in some way? That way the homage is there for a symbolic aspect but it's not some scripted ass name.

Alternatively you can be an anti with names, give that "Gentle Breeze" name to a violent psycho lol. I like that a lot.

 

[Jannah]

Name symbolism is one of those things that sounds good on paper but then you realize it's untenable to give everyone a symbolic name. Most great and unique people have normal names anyway, and even if parents give their child a symbolic name it's not like theyre gonna bat 1.00 on predicting personality type. More often the guy with "Gentle breeze" won't end up a Buddhist monk. If he does in a story it can come off as contrived.

Best way to do symbolic names without being contrived is to do homages to characters from other works, or from history. I've done it here or there, and I do try and make the homage one that's on the obscure end, because you don't want a character's person to be overshadowed by something else. Like, I wouldnt make a competitive person and be like "Kobe.... his name is Kobe" but maybe use the same initials? Or involve his middle name (Bean) in some way? That way the homage is there for a symbolic aspect but it's not some scripted ass name.

Alternatively you can be an anti with names, give that "Gentle Breeze" name to a violent psycho lol. I like that a lot.

I never do symbolic names. I just choose names based on how they sound and look. If they flow nicely and fit the setting and culture of the character then I will use them. On that note, I hate when white characters are given random Japanese names. A lot of young anime fans just getting into RP are guilty of that one. In that case I usually try to help them out and gently remind them that the name may not fit the setting.

*Edit*: on the note of symbolic names sounding contrived, Remus Lupin is a perfect example. It literally means "wolf wolf" and the character is a werewolf.