Character 101--How to make really great characters for role-plays

[kat95]

Alrighty, sounds good! I can't wait to see them. :]

[webkinzleopard]

Yeah, I like different names. I have a wolf on a another website in a wolf RP named Dani because I was board and made it up. And then.. Delphin <- Really Random, just thought that name up!

[Wingless Dream]

Hmmm... Remember to include a personality, don't make you character gloomy and then an hour later, extremely happy. Try to be a little more persistant.

And remember to put a lot of description. And if you character looks like a celebrite, for your decription, don't put 'She looks like Vanessa Hudgens' some people don't know who that is! DESCRIBE what she looks like.

[Tango]

Originally Posted by kat95

I've used baby name sites a couple of times also! I liked alot of names on there. Dog name sites work well aslo, they're a bit more doggish.

-beams- Thank you! :] When you think about it, it is kinda random. xD And then there's SUV and Car too. Lol,

That's a great idea, I saw a baby name website one that had a random name generator, if you couldn't decide what to name it, but didn't want to look through the thousands of names on the site!!!

I think this is good information.Descriptions may seem easy,but they are not.
When I was new to role-playing,I wrote this description:
A black wolf with green eyes.
Later,I wrote:
An extremely repulsive wolf.Her fur is matted into a tangle of black,and her gray eyes are like stormclouds.

Despite what I've done in the past,try not to write this:
An extremely beautiful wolf.She is sweet,and her fur is a smooth,silky white.

[Nightowl]

Enough with the shallow, surface level descriptions. Lets really get into our characters.
First lets talk about humans. What would the world be like if we all looked and acted the same? That’s right, BORING! Here are some things to consider when you are describing your characters, both physically and personality wise.
Questions for character development: Are all of us perfect? Does every girl have blue eyes, blond hair and perfect skin? Are all guys extremely handsome? Is your character concerned about their looks? Is there anything specifically striking about them? How is their body built? Are they skinny, fat are in between? Are they an adult or a child? What do they do for a living? What do they do in their free time? What about their family? How did they grow up? Do they have siblings? Parents? Do they have any secrets, or do they have a mysterious past? What kind of strange habits do they have? What kind of people have they been around? What do they like to wear? Do all your characters need to be like you? (Personally, I LIKE making my characters have really wacky personas,) Why doesn’t everyone try describing their character’s nose? Or even how their voice sounds? Do they have any mysterious scars? And what about their hands?

[larkrose]

Excellent questions, Syrup.

I like to have some idea of a character's background, but also leave some room for them to evolve. My characters....well, they really come alive to me, at least the good ones. I love it when I'm writing and I don't have to think about what they say...the words are just in my head. I also love it when my characters surprise me.

It's fun to have characters not like me....I do that quite a bit.

Flaws are wonderful for characters. We're not perfect, so characters shouldn't be, either. They can be stubborn or too trusting or impatient. Or fearful...think about what your characters are afraid of.

Then there are truly flawed characters....often they're sort of villains, but audiences often wind up sympathizing with them. Like Smeagal/Gollum in Lord of the Rings. Or Darth Vader. I grew up in the '80s, so he was the great villain of my chidhood. He was cold-blooded and scary, but then you'd see the flicker of humanity when Luke would reach out to him.

[larkrose]

I just want to emphasize that the point of this (and the rp discussion thread) is not to intimidate newer role players, but to help. Some of us really love to plan out characters. Other people want to just hop in and play, which is cool, but taking a couple of minutes to decide on a name and a bit of a bio really is worth it in the long run.

[webkinzleopard]

I have a wolf that I play in a game with my friends.. I made a wolf named Branchstripe, here's his discription and personality;

A Light Brown Wolf With Darker Brown Stripes Along His Back And Face. Deep, Emerald Eyes.

A Very Secretive & Mysterious Wolf At First, But Once You Get To Know Him He Is Sweet & Funny. Can Be A Little To Over Protective At Times & Serious When He Doesn't Need To Be

^ Like it?

[inlovewithstitch626]

Great thread =]
Personally, I like to have my characters vary, and not use the same name over.However i have done it with one certain name.(The name Riley) But I find a way to still make it Unique, One of them is male, Riley and the other is Female, Rylee.

Also, I like to think of unique names. I have a Maiceliya for example.
I usually use names i like.

So after i figure the name and the gender, I figure out what the personaity will be and what the character will look like.

For example if i were to make a dog on the ally ways which is bad and mean, I wouldnt have a fluffy little terrier named Freddie.
I'd probally have a big black lab or a rottwiler, named something like Rex.

I sometimes like to make a charater that is like me, but i also like having those that are differnt.It can be fun to have a stubbern, crazy character.
Also, dont make your charrie perfect. Have some little flaws, such as a fear of such and such, a bad temper, ect, and having something unique about them
Also, give yuor character some history. That always adds to the personailty

~Stitch