I just really love characters, and I feel like we should just take some time to really appreciate them. I mean, we took the time to craft them out of nothing! That's amazing! Lets dedicate this post to describing how we came up with them, or just explaining why we love them :)
Ahh this makes me so happy to think about lol :D
Well, I first came up with my character Lilly when I was really young, like really young. At first, she was kinda like me but in character form . A persona I guess. Then, I started getting into reading and writing after drawing (I came up with her from a drawing) and I thought hey, why don't I make her into a story! And then she became a character! There was a lot of plot ideas I went through, but I kept the same personality through all of them, now finally I've made her just the perfect character for me! <3
I made a tuna sandwich wrong in front of my crush, and I had the idea of making an awkward, klutzy girl that's put in the same band group as her love interest. I love her because she's different, and because she loves people for how they are on the inside.
that's so cool @Celestial-B ! my current fave doesn't actually have a name. i know him so well, but he's never really had a name that stuck (for a while, his nickname was grey, but i couldn't separate it from fifty shades so uhhh that was a nonstarter). he and his closest counterpart actually switched names a few times. anyways i just love how a character can take on their own personality outside of what you write for them, if that makes sense. like i tried to assign a name, i really did, but him remaining nameless is so ridiculously in character that it makes me want to scream. thanks for sharing!
OMG this is the purest thread!! Ok…
My favorite character right now is named Enya. I love her because in my fantasy world, she's a scientist. I mean, she's also a demonic priestess, but that just makes her EVEN BETTER!! She's a bit of a mess, but I'm addicted to her backstory. Originally, she was just a background character that I made up to highlight the connection between sun and moon magic, but when I made her a scientist, she suddenly got into poison (my fingers just moved ok??) and BAM, new fave. For a little while she was just my precious background baby, but then I decided to explore my little group of priestesses. Enya just stands out! I can't get enough of her. She's more complex than some of my leads (which…. is a problem….)
Love your background babies!! They're the best!!
that's so cool @Celestial-B ! my current fave doesn't actually have a name. i know him so well, but he's never really had a name that stuck (for a while, his nickname was grey, but i couldn't separate it from fifty shades so uhhh that was a nonstarter). he and his closest counterpart actually switched names a few times. anyways i just love how a character can take on their own personality outside of what you write for them, if that makes sense. like i tried to assign a name, i really did, but him remaining nameless is so ridiculously in character that it makes me want to scream. thanks for sharing!
Aw, thanks! I'm sorry your having trouble figuring out his name. One way I found my characters name, you've probably heard this before, but find something in their personality or something about them that represent them. Then go to a name website or just to google and search 'names that mean ___'. That is how I came up with some of my characters name! Not Lilly's though. I just new she was delicate, like a flower. And ta-da! There's the name Lilly or Lillith lol.
Wow I can't believe all the attention this thread has gotten already! Its so interesting to hear how everybody came up with their characters :)
I came up with my character Jim around mid summer last year. I was super into character design and stuff and so drew A LOT of characters but they were all just for artistic purposes and I never developed any of their personalities. Among all my designs I fell in love with one that really stood out, and that's Jim! His design lead me to develop a backstory for him, and now I have a whole set of characters, lore, and a town that I'm developing :) I love Jim but honestly Marshall is my favorite character of mine (I designed him second, and he's Jim's younger brother)
(Ok off topic but honestly I love the openness here. I feel like I'm not to afraid to share my story which I haven't told anybody about since I developed it over the summer. I get nervous while sharing my work but I feel more comfortable here. This community is great)
My favorite character is the exact opposite of me. A total sweetheart, wants to help and love others, extremely motherly (wants a dozen kids). But this also makes her a pushover, gullible, and unrealistic. I love writing her because I get to step into a mind different than my own. I also love her design, she's a really tall, muscular, almost ugly girl with a very intimidating outward appearance. On the inside, she's just a giant cinnamon roll.
Wow I can't believe all the attention this thread has gotten already! Its so interesting to hear how everybody came up with their characters :)
I came up with my character Jim around mid summer last year. I was super into character design and stuff and so drew A LOT of characters but they were all just for artistic purposes and I never developed any of their personalities. Among all my designs I fell in love with one that really stood out, and that's Jim! His design lead me to develop a backstory for him, and now I have a whole set of characters, lore, and a town that I'm developing :) I love Jim but honestly Marshall is my favorite character of mine (I designed him second, and he's Jim's younger brother)
(Ok off topic but honestly I love the openness here. I feel like I'm not to afraid to share my story which I haven't told anybody about since I developed it over the summer. I get nervous while sharing my work but I feel more comfortable here. This community is great)
OMG I just wanna agree to the last part there! I've always been so afraid to share my stuff, worried that people would judge me, but on here, everyone is so supportive and helpful! And I'm so glad you started this thread. We all need character feedback, but sometimes it's important to give ourselves some credit. :)
Wow I can't believe all the attention this thread has gotten already! Its so interesting to hear how everybody came up with their characters :)
I came up with my character Jim around mid summer last year. I was super into character design and stuff and so drew A LOT of characters but they were all just for artistic purposes and I never developed any of their personalities. Among all my designs I fell in love with one that really stood out, and that's Jim! His design lead me to develop a backstory for him, and now I have a whole set of characters, lore, and a town that I'm developing :) I love Jim but honestly Marshall is my favorite character of mine (I designed him second, and he's Jim's younger brother)
(Ok off topic but honestly I love the openness here. I feel like I'm not to afraid to share my story which I haven't told anybody about since I developed it over the summer. I get nervous while sharing my work but I feel more comfortable here. This community is great)OMG I just wanna agree to the last part there! I've always been so afraid to share my stuff, worried that people would judge me, but on here, everyone is so supportive and helpful! And I'm so glad you started this thread. We all need character feedback, but sometimes it's important to give ourselves some credit. :)
Ahhh same for me! I was so scared because I thought people would think my characters were basic cliche ones that weren't unique at all or something. Its actually opposite and I feel so much better about them and my writing! I am almost addicted to this website and the people here!
@CinnamonRoll @Celestial-B Aw I'm so glad we are all becoming more comfortable with our writing on here ^_^ (also this is my first time actually talking to people online lol You guys are so nice :D)
I got tired of reading books with so many characters that were way too over-powered but were either enemies to the protagonist or, if they were allies, didn't help a damn. So, I decided I'd make a character that was not only absurdly over-powered but also a love interest for the main character of my book. They help each other out and this OP son of a bish makes sure she's safe, he even trains her to better use her abilities.
I had an idea for a book wih a character that I had had for a long time. I realised that she needed someone to balance out her personality and BAM! My new favourite character was born. His name was Xavier, and he started off as a bit of a male mary sue at first, being smart, kind, and good at fighting. I realised that he just wasnt meant to be like that, so I stripped down his intelligence and ability to fight, and he became a person who just wants to do the right thing, but fails over and over. he soon moved up from secondary character to a second main character, and eventually my previous main character dropped down to a secondary character, as I felt that I just knew so much more about Xavier. Whenever I write, I feel like it really is him talking, and so the book has become very biased to his view, but that's what I love about him. He's his own person, with views that can be either wrong or right. He has his own opinion about everything and makes sure to let it be heard. It sounds really odd, but does anyone else feel like their characters just write themselves?
My current favourite character is a Sphinx named Adriana. Originally she was a background character we were going to use to make a bunch of dumb jokes, but a couple years back we overhauled her entire personality and backstory to interweave with one of our main characters and she's probably my favourite ever. A huge bonus for that is she became an excellent vehicle to explain sphinxes and their history in the world she's in.
I'm sorta just getting started with my writing, but I do have this character named Felicia that I'm really enjoying. She's basically a tall, loud, happy ball of sunshine who loves history and parrots. I'm really excited to see how she's gonna turn out in the end
I love writing characters! I'll write characters even before I write some stories, or vice versa, which probably isn't the best thing, but I like developing personalities too much. RIght now, I'm developing a character named Taio, and she's a complete psycho. Literally. I also have a big OC named Maybelline who I basically blame all my daydreaming on… she's taking part in another story I'm writing about.
Also I love these conversations these are where I can discuss a bunch of things I'm crazy about
My characters mean a lot to me, and I care about them. I feel bad whenever I have to work on one more than the other. I have enough apology letters that I wrote, to fill a book. The one I'm currently working one is named Dion. She's gone through three rewritings, and three different personalities. She tries to be approachable but always gives off a forbearing aura. I'm fond of her, I guess. I spend a lot more time with her now that I've joined notebook a.i though.
i have a character named robin, and shes gone through sO many redesigns. she originated because i had a persona named melon (the name is a long story lol), and i had been watching khonjin house and im like "hey! what if i made a character that was like pent and my persona was like khonjin?" so lemon was born! she was really edgy and evil and op but i loved her so much. she went through a ton of changes, and now her name is robin and shes not like pent at all anymore, but i still love her
@"Laney C." This is soooo me! Many of my characters have been rewritten a million times, and I feel awful whenever I work on one more than the others. I do have a favorite, but sometimes it makes me feel bad! lol
Again, I'm sooo excited that this thread is getting this much attention. I really didn't expect it. Its so interesting to read how everyone came up with their characters!
Okay, so, I originally got the idea for Torin when I was fleshing out this idea for a sci-fi adventure series I was planning. I ended up putting the idea on hold because it was a huge project and I have high school, but I kept thinking about the characters and things. Torin is an Irish-American with paraplegia. But he's insanely smart when concerning technology or numbers in general (he can even read binary fluently). He's got a tragic backstory (his mother died in childbirth and his father in the car crash that stole his leg movement) and he's mainly out for money, but he does have a heart, and he's willing to do what's right in the end. He's my favorite because, while he's different than others, he's also relatable.
I actually have a group of 25 heroes out to save the world and I love them all so much. Even Chenelle who is crazy and evil, and Zephyr who is a real jerk. I can't choose a favorite, they're all to precious!
I just….
I love Marlin and Gerrua so freaking much
They're both D&D characters of mine, and they're both idiots (they actually both have high intelligence, but there are different types of intelligence and they ain't got any of the necessary ones)
Marlin is a gold dragonborn who is a rogue…pretending to be a warlock, because he thinks it'll make people like him more. He's confident and absolutely has no qualms or concerns about this pretense. Dust of Sneezing and Choking? Wondrous item, technically, but normal dust will do exactly the same thing, honestly. Expeditious Retreat? Anyone can run super fast if they get frightened enough. Charm Person? Please. He's really, really charismatic. He can befriend anyone. And as long as there are no other warlocks or wizards in the party, he's all good!
I mean, he's got no dexterity, strength or constitution, but don't worry about it. His only inventory item is a shovel, do not question him, he's a warlock, he knows what he's doing.
How can I NOT love this dorky, lonely, desperate for approval, useless sweetheart?
Then there's Gerrua, a half-orc barbarian who's a sweetboi softheart. He's got a pet cow he rescued from an abandoned farm, her name is Sam, and he CANNOT Rage.
Which is a problem for a barbarian, right? He's just too nice. He banished himself from his tribe in disgrace, and went on a journey to find who he truly is. Then he met Tristal, a spiderborn (homebrew race, my sibling's chara), a bard who's original compositions got them kicked out of their order of bards for how 'hideous' it was. it's heavy metal. Think like, Doom eternal soundrack.
Anyways, they find out that Gerrua CAN Rage, but only if he hears Tristal's music. Since he can only Rage with music, and he's the only one who's ever liked Tristal's works, the two are now inseparable, and absolute besties.
Also, Gerrua rides Sam like a war-mount. Sam is an attack cow, and she will head-butt and trample you.
Anyway. I love them so much.
I'm so glad I'm still following this because reading that was great.
Thank-you TwT I'm glad they're known by the world now xD
I have two main characters and honestly, their personalities and upbringings are loosely based on different (very different) aspects of my own.
I knew i wanted my first character, Garret, to be half Filipino because i'm half Filipino and i just felt like there's basically NO representation in literature so i wanted to write about that (really most of my characters are Asian and i'm honestly loving it). His personality came very naturally because, although he was slightly based on me, he was more heavily based on my cousin, and i also went into the little universe he's in knowing that i wanted a male character that would struggle to survive in a newly apocalyptic world. Basically this whole character was motivated by the lack of representation of certain types of people in writing. I have hardly ever read about a weak man (at least as the main character) so he is relatively weak, physically, but he finds ways to be efficient and useful without having the physical strength that's usually expected of men. He survives purely off his smarts, but his fear and panic still take over sometimes.
My second main character, Danica, has come a LONG way. she started off as a Percy Jackson OC, then a Keeper of the Lost Cities OC, and then a combination of the two, and now, after some improvement, she's part of an independent story :). she's also half Asian (Japanese) and she's a really strong character. Growing up with an Asian mom, she's always kind of taught me to be more submissive to men, which, excuse my language, was bullshit. I wanted to write a character who stands up to people and stands up for what's right, and who also feels free to break some rules. She is emotionally dependent on a man, her brother, but she eventually separates herself from him and becomes a stronger person in doing so. She has good survival skills and is independent and strong, but still has her femininity. Basically, this character is a product of my feminism and i love her so much :)
(also i realize that with these two compared to each other and my feminism mentioned, it seems like i think or want men to be weaker, but i assure you i don't. i believe everyone is equal but i was sick of only seeing strong and dumb men being portrayed through out literature when all people can be very different and their various strengths, other than physical, can be used to help)