Character Theory Who Are Some of Your Favourite Characters? Do You Roleplay As Them?

[Crenando]

Different strokes I guess. John's runs with characters like Aquaman, Hawkman, and Green Lantern (especially GL) is top shelf DC Comics storytelling imo.

I like his stuff, it's just that a couple of books didn't click with me. He wrote the most iconic GL story since the 90's.

We should get back on topic, though, no?

 

[FlyingDemon]

By order:

-Hershel Layton, that was my first role and i get addicted to it, he is an awesome character,
-Phoenix Wright, i am not that good at "tribunal stuffs", but we managed to make a case easier to handle,
-Clank, for many reasons, that robot is easy to play as, i get his attitude pretty much well, also, i like the R&C galaxy setting.
-The giant from The Iron Giant, again, very easy to play as.
-Syd from Gravity Rush, a very good ally from the two games, too bad, i didn't find a potential story to play as him..
-Baymax, may be adorable in design, yet, sympathic.
-Homer or Herbert Powell, like Syd, i didn't find any RPs to fit them in, i like both.
-"Nyanko-sensei", dunno why, but this character is something,
-Zoro Roronoa (yes i know, originality) before i got creeped out by the yaoi stuff..

if i play as them? hm, it's more the Simpsons brothers for the moment, but i like the characters listed.

 

[Phantom Thief of Hearts]

By order:

-Hershel Layton, that was my first role and i get addicted to it, he is an awesome character,
-Phoenix Wright, i am not that good at "tribunal stuffs", but we managed to make a case easier to handle,
-Clank, for many reasons, that robot is easy to play as, i get his attitude pretty much well, also, i like the R&C galaxy setting.
-The giant from The Iron Giant, again, very easy to play as.
-Syd from Gravity Rush, a very good ally from the two games, too bad, i didn't find a potential story to play as him..
-Baymax, may be adorable in design, yet, sympathic.
-Homer or Herbert Powell, like Syd, i didn't find any RPs to fit them in, i like both.
-"Nyanko-sensei", dunno why, but this character is something,
-Zoro Roronoa (yes i know, originality) before i got creeped out by the yaoi stuff..

if i play as them? hm, it's more the Simpsons brothers for the moment, but i like the characters listed.

Awesome character choices

 

[FlyingDemon]

Awesome character choices

Thanks.

 

[slowbudget]

I wouldn't say I have a particular favorite character, nor have I ever RPed as any fandom character. The idea feels kinda weird to me, I get a bit anxious that I'm not gonna be able to do them justice, not to mention that when OCs and Canon mix it usually has someone self-inserting and I kinda wanna steer clear of that.

 

[FlyingDemon]

I wouldn't say I have a particular favorite character, nor have I ever RPed as any fandom character. The idea feels kinda weird to me, I get a bit anxious that I'm not gonna be able to do them justice, not to mention that when OCs and Canon mix it usually has someone self-inserting and I kinda wanna steer clear of that.

When playing as a canon, it's important to respect the verse they are in, i would totally mind if a character orientation is changed for the sake of the plot, only the story is important because, it's usually the most interesting thing.

 

[slowbudget]

When playing as a canon, it's important to respect the verse they are in, i would totally mind if a character orientation is changed for the sake of the plot, only the story is important because, it's usually the most interesting thing.

Eh, I don't really mind changing the orientation of a character for pairing purposes or drama or whatever in fics and stuff, in part because a lot of the times a character is 'straight' because that's seen as the default option. Yes, it's more common but if it's not outright stated a person - as if often isn't - deciding to go another way as an AU is fine by me, all the more so because visibility is important.

And even when it is outright stated or heavily implied by only having the character date people of x gender, it'd hardly be the first time someone moved in the Kinsey scale, 'made an exception' for someone, or, if you don't have access to their inner monologue in canon, lied to themselves.

That said, I completely understand why people would prefer not to change that.

 

[Jules8008]

I don't often join Multifandom-roleplays, as I feel like I won't do them justice. But:

- Lao Huang and Celica from Xenoblade Chronicles X
- Ninian from Fire Emblem 7 (never tried, but I'd also love to try Lilina from Fire Emblem 6, and Tatiana from FE:SOV)
- Xian Mei from Dead Island

There are a lot I would love to try, but whyever, I never tried them - Anxiety, I guess?

 

[MechanicalSnake]

IVAR! And yes.

 

[Idea]

There have been a couple of times when I've done it before, but it was mostly for NPC work. The three examples I can think of me playing cannon characters are kyubey from madoka Magika which I played because you can't really do a madoka magika roleplay without kyubey and they are a really intriguing character to explore that I felt was quite misunderstood, so it was this kind of perfect storm of reasons.

The other time it happened was when I played yellow heart. I don't have any big reasons why, I just remember being invited to this Neptunia RP by someone I had come to know recently and deciding I really felt like playing her.

Lastly, I do vaguely remember trying to play Momiji Inubashiri (even though all I knew about her was that she seemed pretty cute, had dog/wolf ears and what else I could research) from Tohou at one point, but I can't remember anything about it, except that maybe you were involved or even the one that brought me to that roleplay Count Gensokyo

That said, I don't usually use fandom characters and I try to avoid it on principle. I feel like there just isn't much potential there and like I'm doing a disservice to myself, the character and the roleplay in attempting to take that work. I don't think liking something is a reason to use it because what you like is not what you're making but what has already been made. I feel like you'd better off just watching it again or playing it again or reading it again, it being the medium in which you saw the character.

I'll need a bit more to think of my favorite characters...

 

[Sleek]

Usually characters from say Halo (Sergeant Johnson or Cortana/Dr. Halsey) or even Undertale (Asriel Dreemurr).
Not usually too terribly many because I don't have too much knowledge on a lot of things.

 

[Nerdanatomy]

I've always loved playing as Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Katniss from The Hunger Games. My top 2 favorite cannon characters.

 

[Daisie]

I do not actually usually play as characters from fandoms. For one, it seems as if I'm not a part of a LOT of the really popular ones here (I don't watch a lot of anime or play a whole bunch of video games, so that's a huge chunk of the fandom community here already gone). And another thing is that for most fandoms I DO know, I'm not familiar enough with the characters to feel like I can do them justice. I just don't have much faith in my ability to imitate other characters, trying to think of what they would do in every post and still make it believable.

 

[kasigi]

Humm, well. If there's any character that I'd love to roleplay as, it would definitely be Garou from One Punch Man. I think after reading the web-comic and staying up to the manga has made him turn into one of my favorite characters in fiction period. He's just so interesting to me and I'd love to roleplay as him. Shame there aren't more OPM fandom roleplays, though.

Whenever I see a D.C. or Marvel roleplay, I'll usually try to roleplay as Manchester Black, Ultron, and many others. I definitely like to play as a villain over a hero, though.

 

[hologram]

I don't think liking something is a reason to use it because what you like is not what you're making but what has already been made. I feel like you'd better off just watching it again or playing it again or reading it again, it being the medium in which you saw the character.

My reason for playing canon characters is often because I like the content that's already there, but I want to flesh the character out and put them into new situations. Like, my favorite version of my favorite character gets about 30 minutes of screen time total. I can rewatch his show as many times as I want, and enjoy the hell out of it every time, but the content that's there isn't going to change. It's a closed book, and since it's a very action heavy series I don't see the character at his full range of expression or interaction.

Sure, I like what's already been created, but that also inspires me to take the character and create my own interpretation. There's a lot of precedence for this sort of thing even outside of fanworks, too. Look at how many different versions of comic book superheroes exist. Each writer makes their own spin on the character and I feel like it's the same sort of principle for fanfic authors or roleplayers who choose to write canon characters.

I understand it's definitely not for everyone, but I just wanted to give my perspective as someone who can't really be satisfied by just going to the source material again.

 

[Idea]

My reason for playing canon characters is often because I like the content that's already there, but I want to flesh the character out and put them into new situations. Like, my favorite version of my favorite character gets about 30 minutes of screen time total. I can rewatch his show as many times as I want, and enjoy the hell out of it every time, but the content that's there isn't going to change. It's a closed book, and since it's a very action heavy series I don't see the character at his full range of expression or interaction.

Sure, I like what's already been created, but that also inspires me to take the character and create my own interpretation. There's a lot of precedence for this sort of thing even outside of fanworks, too. Look at how many different versions of comic book superheroes exist. Each writer makes their own spin on the character and I feel like it's the same sort of principle for fanfic authors or roleplayers who choose to write canon characters.

I understand it's definitely not for everyone, but I just wanted to give my perspective as someone who can't really be satisfied by just going to the source material again.

Do allow me to begin by expressing my gratitude for sharing your perspective with me directly. It is always fascinating to learn of how different perspectives address particular matters that I see. I'd also like to apologize for what will likely be a lackluster response for lack of availability to really sit down and work on something more extensive or coherent.


Now, the idea of wanting more of the provided content is something I do understand, believe it or not. Countless times I've wanted to roleplay plots, settings or even character types almost directly ripped off cannon content. That said, the question I'd like to pose is whether that isn't different content. If a certain side of a character wasn't shown in the original, aren't you simply inventing that different aspect rather than it belonging to the actual character? Aren't those alternate version/alternate interpretation characters effectively different characters , having with no in universe reason acquired traits that may even complete oppose who they were in other versions?

If the answer is yes, or even maybe, I'd argue it makes more sense to instead make an OC, plot or setting inspired by the plot. Then again, I do realize that for those that use cannon characters, being that character itself probably has value. On the other hand, Like I said before, if the appreciation is merely a fruit of what came before, then One would probably be better off searching for , as previously mentioned, existing content that doesn't alter the character.

Using the popular Darth Vader as an example, I feel like one would be better off attempting to create an OC with a menacing quirk, an intricate conflict , relations to important characters ... than to simply have a character that looks, sounds and is named like Darth Vader but in the end of the day behaves differently, has sides that aren't as harmonic with the story etc...


Put short , this is all a very messy attempt at explaining what my thought process is regarding what you brought up. In a mixture of gut feeling and intellectual understanding (pretentious as that may sound), the conclusion I have come to is that you can't effectively play that character you love- not because you're forbidden to, but because no matter what you will be altering them in the process, and even if you could you would be no less looping content than if you just consumed it again. One is better off trying to understand why they like something and trying to emulate those aspects or even improve upon them, than in creating an alternate version that attempts to be the same thing under a different light.

Despite the bravado, if that is the correct expression here, of my words, if your interest lies in the breathing apparatus, the looks or the simple identity "Darth Vader" (to use the previous analogy) , that is in itself just as valid an interest and far from me to say it isn't. My opinion is in respect to one with my own goals and what I can expect of one's capabilities.

Once again thank you for your response, and do let me know if there is anything that was confusing about what I wrote, I did write it in between museum visits so I may have lost my train of thought here or there.

 

[Sir Aizen]

I feel like it's too hard choosing just one character to RP with at a time. . . I don't know what my issue is with that!

 

[RunawayGirl]

I usually do my own OCs but I usually like Canon characters who are layered and deep. Unpredictable so it doesn't feel so repetitive such as Sherlock, the BBC version, Doctor 9 and 10, Loki, and often villans, or the chaotic good because I hate to say it, they are more deep than most "good guys."

 

[Onmyoji]

I think most people here know me as a fandom roleplayer. Not sure how that happened because I used to rp OC more often than fandoms. Might just be a phase... but I'm not complaining.

If I decide to rp a fandom, I have to like the character I play, because it would be easier for me to relate to them. I usually try to not go into OOC too much and preserve the original personality as much as I can. And for me that is the challenge of fandom rp and what makes them fun.

 

[Gayrealalchemy]

No one will read this since this thread has too many responses, but screw it

My favorite characters include Duster from mother 3, Yuffie from FF7, Marty mcfly from back to the future, Ned Flanders from the simpsons, and Joe Swanson from family guy

No, I don't really roleplay them since I, well, don't role play.

 

[Daisie]

No one will read this

I defy you.

 

[aya2u]

A lately surely want to try Elizabeth Swann or Penelope Garcia o_o

 

[AnonyMouse]

I don't think I've ever RP'd as a canon character or felt the urge to do so. It feels too... distant? I hope that's the right word. What I mean is, it feels like I'm taking someone else's character, from someone else's world, and trying to step into their head, but there are too many layers between me and that character, as if I am viewing that character through a clouded lens, through a mirror, and then a telescope, while peering through the periscope of a submarine. Okay, I'm exaggerating slightly. My point is, it doesn't feel like its mine. And that bothers me a little. I'm either betraying myself to do the character justice, or I'm doing my own thing, in which case why bother using someone else's character? In a nutshell, it just doesn't feel right.

 

[Dicey]

I basically play any characters I can personally connect to or find myself drawing, thinking, or talking about a lot! It helps me with character development and world building skills! I use King Dice the most! I just really like wholesome boys! Or pretty boyos! Or just interesting characters that I can write something long and complicated for! Anyone I can develop and feel connected to in some way is an automatic roleplay favorite.

 

[GuacamolLord]

I usually dont do cannon characters but back in the day i would heavily base my OCs off of cannon characters. I usually like mama bear type personality and i almost took one all the way up to looks, so they have very similar looks, same personality the only real differences where their names and other background stuff