Character Creation 101: Better Characters are a Click Away!

[Bunkeranlage]

This has been needed for quite some time, now. The number of badly designed characters I've come across is simply appalling.

Taggylaggydingdongswishswish.

[Krakozhya]

This has been needed for quite some time, now. The number of badly designed characters I've come across is simply appalling.

Taggylaggydingdongswishswish.

Agreed. This has helped me so much. I hope to make my ministries soon and make each minister unique now.

[Rhodevus]

This has been needed for quite some time, now. The number of badly designed characters I've come across is simply appalling.

Taggylaggydingdongswishswish.

Agreed. This has helped me so much. I hope to make my ministries soon and make each minister unique now.

aww shucks, you're making me blush!

And I am going to be making my new big bad, and I am going to need some help!
I already know that he is a doctor of Psychology (PhD) and specializes in hypnotics and (not sure what it is actually called, but) getting under people's skin.

He where round spectacle and a suit, with graying hair on his balding head. He is most likely between the ages of 45-60. His personality is similar to Sherlock homes, if Sherlock was a homicidal maniac.

[Todlichebujoku]

Had fun with the random name generator, customized to use just Finnish, German and Japanese names.

I am now creating a character named "Meinhard Weiner".

[Allancia]

Had fun with the random name generator, customized to use just Finnish, German and Japanese names.

I am now creating a character named "Meinhard Weiner".

Oh really?
I've always wanted to create one called a 5 Inch Pianist.

[NyanInk]

Had fun with the random name generator, customized to use just Finnish, German and Japanese names.

I am now creating a character named "Meinhard Weiner".

Oh really?
I've always wanted to create one called a 5 Inch Pianist.

[Krakozhya]

Agreed. This has helped me so much. I hope to make my ministries soon and make each minister unique now.

aww shucks, you're making me blush!

And I am going to be making my new big bad, and I am going to need some help!
I already know that he is a doctor of Psychology (PhD) and specializes in hypnotics and (not sure what it is actually called, but) getting under people's skin.

He where round spectacle and a suit, with graying hair on his balding head. He is most likely between the ages of 45-60. His personality is similar to Sherlock homes, if Sherlock was a homicidal maniac.

I actually used this last night and now I may make a roleplay based off a novel I am writing called An Inhuman War.

It basically is about how the nuclear arms race of the cold war was actually a cover for the US/USSR and their allies to do inhuman experiments on people to make them or test in them the new super weapons they made.

The reason being is the world saw the Atomic Bomb as the end of a sensible world. Where large empires could hold off troops, now had to fear small nations who made the money or uranium to get bombs. I'm not gonna get into plot. But that's the premise.

Anyway, this really helped thanks!

[Otulia]

A bit of an odd question, but one worth asking, I think: Does anyone have any pointers on writing from the perspective of the opposite gender, in my case, female? My characters tend to be more or less the same, regardless of which gender I apply, and I was just curious as to whether there's a way to make the divide seem more noticeable.

[Insaeldor]

A bit of an odd question, but one worth asking, I think: Does anyone have any pointers on writing from the perspective of the opposite gender, in my case, female? My characters tend to be more or less the same, regardless of which gender I apply, and I was just curious as to whether there's a way to make the divide seem more noticeable.

I simply don't have a clue how to properly RP a female, would anyone have any suggestions? Or should I just keep working with male characters?

HEADS UP: THIS POST WILL SOUND VERY SEXIST, BUT IT IS NOT MEANT THAT WAY AT ALL.

I tend to use more female characters in my RPs than male ones. Not because I find it easier to RP as women, but because it allows you t explore deeper emotions. Women tend to be more expressive with their emotions, meaning that you are able to relate past events that caused emotional stress to present RPs.

Not saying that men are not emotional, it is just that they tend to cover it up, in order to preserve their "manliness". In essence, RP female characters just as you would male ones. Don't be scared to give them "male"roles or characteristics. Allow the characters to grow just as you would a male one.

If in her past, she was in the middle of a war, make her more inclined to fear or become uneasy in war scenarios. Just like any male character
Be open to changing her language to more appropriate language. As in using certain, more thoughtful words in certain scenarios. Again, not trying to be rude or anything.

damn... hard topic to explain without sounding sexist, mean or rude...

continuing on, Again, RP female characters just as you would male ones. Over time, it will become easier to do.

---

quick methods to success:
-READ books that have lead female characters. A fun one is Harry Potter, or a personal favourite of mine, "The Demon King"

-Watch movies/shows with female leads. Again, one I watch as an example is Agent Carter

-Finally, don't stop practicing. Don't like how a character is turning out? Kill her/him off to make way for a more diverse and "human" character. Do not recommend this one, but I have friends who do this all the time.

sorry if I offended anyone in this post.

[Laurana]

Thanks for the lnks!

[Insaeldor]

So I'm looking to make my writing a bit more flashy (hopefully that's the right word) as I feel I've become to regimental with the way I portray things Nd general situations. Here is a relatively recent RP post that I think suffers from this issue. If anyone has any suggestions on which I could improve my writing I'd greatly appreciate it.

[Otulia]

Thank you for bringing up that old post, I appreciate it.

I'm not the most experienced, but I would suggest the age-old "show, don't tell."

Instead of having your character say "it's cold," describe things that would imply cold. "The tree bark was frosted, the snow crunched under our feet, my breath was a thick fog in front of me, etc." Vivid description of a scene, not even long description, will add an element of interest to it; the reader will "feel" the cold more if you go in-depth with showing us the cold morning. While you should certainly have your character explain some things, here's my rule of thumb: If you can "show" it and still have the reader/you understand what you're getting at, go with that approach.

If you want to spice it up more, add some dialog as well: Talking moves the story along, and allows you to show off your characters as well. However, two people sitting around talking a lot doesn't make for an interesting story either, so you should always try and go for a 50-50 approach here, as with anything in writing.

[Rhodevus]

Thank you for bringing up that old post, I appreciate it.

I'm not the most experienced, but I would suggest the age-old "show, don't tell."

Instead of having your character say "it's cold," describe things that would imply cold. "The tree bark was frosted, the snow crunched under our feet, my breath was a thick fog in front of me, etc." Vivid description of a scene, not even long description, will add an element of interest to it; the reader will "feel" the cold more if you go in-depth with showing us the cold morning. While you should certainly have your character explain some things, here's my rule of thumb: If you can "show" it and still have the reader/you understand what you're getting at, go with that approach.

If you want to spice it up more, add some dialog as well: Talking moves the story along, and allows you to show off your characters as well. However, two people sitting around talking a lot doesn't make for an interesting story either, so you should always try and go for a 50-50 approach here, as with anything in writing.

This is completely true. It especially is important for character's feelings. If the character is angry, don't just say that he/she was angry, mention his/her posture or facial expressions. Or, when s/he talks, make sure to use certain language that emphasizes anger or frustration. What I feel works best is never outright saying a person's emotions. Writer's should know that people who read are smart. They can infer very subtle things in text. Even people who have different opinions on the feelings/emotions of characters will allow them to build their own perspective of your character in their mind, making them more lifelike to each person. As well as a little different.

[Nasaira]

Tag

[Felicye]

Lovely image of pixelized people on the first page. I found waldo really easily.

[Interstellar America]

My advice to anyone who writes the Heroic Archetype. The White Knight, the One True Hero etcerta. Please give them flaws a Hero should be more than the average person, but they are not ubermensche.

[Esperantujo 2]

I may use the name generator. I'm looking for Esperanto names. I have used names based on RL people, such Ralfo Nadanto, founder of the Left Green party, and Rikardo Klifo, singer and supporter of the conservative party. A lot of surnames in Esperantujo 2 are based on occupations as in English, Instruisto, Fishkapisto etc. I tend to run out of ideas for first names. Too many females are called Bela. Perhaps I could have a daughter of Hungarian immigrantsv called Bela Bela!

[Team Fascism]

Right then mates my current character is Cing Cline, the name is based on my own and the title Cing is just me playing with the title king, it is still pronounced with a hard C and he will furiously defend this fact. He is the psychotic God King of Team Fascism, a fapitalist (combination of fascism and capitalism created by the Cing who didn't really care about either and just wanted a name with the word fap in it) government that despite being a psychotic dictatorship is becoming a fairly socially liberal place, who would rule with an iron fist if he wasn't to busy dicking about. his alignment is chaotic neutral but can sometimes sways to chaotic evil if angered or just feeling especially sadistic. Nobody really knows how he acquired the crown on account of the Silver Mask of Ruling and What Not, a religious item worn so that the face of the Cing is never seen if his face were seen then the world would end by way of lion, coupled by the highly classified Cing choosing process.

[Lingria]

Oh thank Jesus, This. I have needed way too long. Danke, Truly.
My first name was Bonaventura Sigismund. Best name evah!

[Krakozhya]

I normally don't check for meaning behind names but find a picture and think of a good name for them. Like my current leader Maxim Pershenko. Or my Arabian prince Fadel Abdur Rashid II.

[Iltaakwenusih]

Bookmarked, Love this!

[Rothschild]

Here is a character info sheet I created:

Name:
Nationality:
Gender/Sexuality:
Ethnicity/Race:
Skin Colour:
Physique/Build:
Eye Colour:
Hair Colour:
Date of Birth/Age:
Place of Birth:
Residence:
Occupation:
Family:
Religious Views:
Political Views:
Youth:
Personality:
Interests:

The last three may need expansion if you want a detailed backstory

[Rothschild]

This is a character I want to use in RP at some point:

Name: Lenz Bastian Beauchene
Nationality: EU Citizen; Franco-German
Gender/Sexuality: Male; Bi
Ethnicity/Race: European/Caucasian/Teutonic/Latin
Skin Colour: White
Physique/Build: Average
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Brown
Date of Birth/Age: 16/2/1970
Place of Birth: Alsace-Lorraine
Residence: Bonn, Nice
Occupation: Businessman; banker; former MEP (Member of European Parliament)
Family: 2x brothers
Religious Views: Jewish-Catholic upbringing, later became a humanist
Political Views: Culturally Marxist, Europhile, Corporatists, Totalitarian
Youth: A radical student born in France but educated in East Germany, he studied abroad at college and degree level gaining a great insight into wealth, influence and control
Personality: Beauchene is a playboy out of office hours enjoying the pleasures of fine women, food and wine. When in political or business mode is a ruthless machine who will not stop at anything to gain power and influence to further his position. He celebrates the notion of a single European race amongst his associates who embrace the EU as the master of the universe.
Interests: Football, academia, sex, modern art, horse racing, fashion, intellectual pursuits

People of NS is there anything I need to develop?

[Rhodevus]

Well, what you need to develop depends on the scenario you hope your character will be in. Does the roleplay take place during a war? a meeting? Is he just some passerby on the street? A leader of a revolution?

It is all depends on the setting. Most of what you want to develop should be done during the actual roleplay itself, but all the basics and maybe some basic inner stuff can be decided beforehand

[Rothschild]

Well, what you need to develop depends on the scenario you hope your character will be in. Does the roleplay take place during a war? a meeting? Is he just some passerby on the street? A leader of a revolution?

It is all depends on the setting. Most of what you want to develop should be done during the actual roleplay itself, but all the basics and maybe some basic inner stuff can be decided beforehand

He will be a beneficiary of a false-flag operation, and is a nasty back-stabbing type. The RP takes place in peace-time.