Your character creation process

[Dasquian Belargic]

Just something I have been thinking about this morning, that I thought might make for an interesting discussion :) What are the steps you go through when creating a new character? How important is the characters name, or the avatar you use for them? Do you need those things before you can create the characters backstory and personality, or vice versa?

[Hawkins Grime]

All of my characters have gone through the same process as I've created them. First thing I establish, which pretty much sets the mood for the character is their alignment. And I'll even get as nerdy as to keep it in D&D settings sometimes. For instance, Hawkins Grime is Neutral Evil. Y'roth Helghast is Lawful Evil.

Once I've got that, I look to what group or persons I want this character to be affiliated with. Hawkins Grime was initially a loner, at the time he started, TSO and KA were up and running, and between those two, Grime's lack of care for structure led him more to the KA, where I really set work to then building his character. I built Y'roth Helghast essentially from a request for people from Karl Valten when he was starting up the Nightmares. So Helghast started out with the Imperial background in mind.

Given those two, I start working towards a focus for the character. Grime was revenge which I then took to the next step as imbittered revenge due to the torture he survived and then being trapped in an exoskeleton. Helghast's focus was his loyalty to the Empire, given he was in the Nightmares, allowed me to write him without much of a conscience beyond what was right or wrong in the eyes of the Empire and the Inquisitioriate.

All in all, when I had these, I would then think up their name, something that had to fit the overall character. Hawkins Grime and Y'roth Helghast are obviously names that molded to the character. The avatars came next and more or less last in the initial character creation process for me. Avatars are important because it helps others kinda visualize my characters in the posts, just in case my writing is bad enough that the descriptions given aren't sufficient. I'm sure there are a few exceptions with a few of my other characters I've made but this is pretty much how I roll with initial character creation. :D

[Tom Harriman]

For me, the avatar is pretty important. I guess it's like "casting" for a TV show, rather than just picking a character. I want to know that the face I select would actually be able to pull off the character I want to play. And then, that actor's voice, personality, and style retroactively affects the character after the fact.

It happens when I change avatar, too. When I started off with Chir'daki using Milo Ventimingala, he had an almost emo note to him, I felt; there was a little bit of angst in there. When I made the switch to who I currently use, it felt like he'd picked up the ruthless, animalistic edge I was looking for.

With Nen Lev'i on the other hand, I originally percieved the character as someone wisecracking like Ryan Reynolds, but when I ended up using Andrew Lee Potts instead, it changed the way he spoke, acted, and the things he said, to fit with the actor that was portraying him.

I find that names are the hardest part to pick. I don't find that the name impacts on the character themselves, bit they do have to fit with the character... and I really struggle with that. I've tried to use the meanings of names as a way to narrow it down... but that doesn't really help. To be honest, I just scrabble around manically until I found something that sounds passable. ^_^;

In terms of process... I start with the idea, and work out what it is I want to achieve. Then I think up some vague scenes that they might find themselves in, and go through those scenes with different character options. Once I find a style that works, that's my guy.

I guess I do auditions. >_<

[Flux]

I have two methods for character creation. In the first method, I take a person I know or an aspect of my own personality and then mold it to the setting I'm writing for. Sometimes I'll even combine those things into a new character. I pick avatar and signature images by looking for people that I feel resemble the person who was the muse for the character. Characters created this way are Zenas Codrey (based on my own anxieties about being abandoned or alone), Freight Train (my best friend, plus Juggernaut powers) and Hannelore Hughes of Tradeskill (my girlfriend's personality with my brother's M.O.).

By the other method, I begin with a personality or story concept and fit the character's powers and appearance to that mold. Felix began because I wanted a hero who could be corrupted into evil, but still see himself heroically even if he became a villain. Even now, the boy sees himself as a hero to his mutant Brothers and Sisters, though he's committed terrible atrocities. Zeke started because I wanted to see just how far a positive attitude and happy demeanor could carry a man in a time of war. Hamilton Huges of Tradeskill will be an exploration of what a person might do when their purpose is swept out from under him and a new one pushed into its place.

Names always come last, and are nearly always arbitrary, picked off websites of name lists or borrowed from other characters or people. Felix and Ricky are sort of exceptions, as I knew I wanted an alliterative name for them to follow the comic book trope of alliterative names for super heroes.

[Rossos Atrapes]

In terms of process... I start with the idea, and work out what it is I want to achieve.

Quoted for truth. The actual inspiration for characters is undefined, at least for me. But I always work in a principle or a sort of meaning or moral to the character; Ben started off as simply a pilot, but through the simple Idiosyncrasies Addition Program(me), he's turned into a deeper look at cowardice, courage, and exile. Tell Cho started off as a Fleeter character, but through the creation process became a Jedi and now is about to explore fantasy/Tolkien sort of themes, mixing a Star Wars sort of Moses/King Theoden vibe in Reclamation (when I get to putting more of it up, that is).

What is the Indiosyncrasies Addition Program(me)? Before I came here, I visited a fantasy site called Worlde Arcane, and when we registered a character, they would have prompts along the side of the form we filled out. Of course we had to fill out a personality/background for the character, and one of the tips they had was to give the character a phobia or idiosyncrasy. I loved that idea, and have used it ever since to help make more interesting and faceted characters. Sometimes the idiosyncracies won't be outed for a while or ever, such as Ben's abiding dislike of the word turquoise, or not, such as Tell Cho's orneriness when faced with what he feels is shallow ignorance and 'inefficiencies'.

My feelings concerning names are that unless I've really decided I like a particular name for the character, I will choose a name that seems normal and fits the family or parents, as they would have been the ones to name the character.

[Polly Smithson]

It generally starts out with a voice for me - it can be a reaction to a situation or the dim sense of a story rising up but it's almost always a character's personality/feelings which come through first. Once that's been prodded at enough to get a real sense of who they are, the rest sort of falls into place. Avatars don't have a huge impact - as long as they fit the general feel of the character (for instance, the actress used for Polly is hard to source because she's often smiling or posing prettily and that's a polar opposite to Smithson).

Names are really important. I'll labour over the right name for ages, and there's no definitive way of pinning one down. Sometimes it goes by meaning and at other times it's simply whether it realistically slots into a character's background and history. It just has to feel like them.