Post by The Librarian on Mar 19, 2014 16:02:53 GMT -7
Borrowed from the Crossroads Forum here
Nessa/Chloe if you want this taken down let me know.
Step 1) Find a picture you really like. Not one that's okay. Not one where you just like the art, one that speaks to you. One where the person/ creature/ thing in the picture looks at you and says, "Pick me. You know you want to. You know you want to play me..." If you find such a picture and are seduced by it, you'll know because your mind will already start churning backstory. A good character is one where you don't have to fight it to figure out who they are, it just flows. For the use of the guide, I'll make a character right now. Here is such a picture I've been dying to make a character for:
Unnamed Character: *waves with the excitement of a squirrel* Hi everyone!
2) Write down a really boring, basic profile. Start listing things you can see in the picture. How tall do they look? How long is their hair? What color is their hair? Do that have any obvious features? What kind of clothes are they wearing? Don't add anything to this that you can't see, it's just to start getting you to feel the character.
-5'2 - I'm getting the vibe of a petite figure here. Height also can say something about your character. With her being short I'm thinking she's going to be spritely and spunky
-Chocolate brown hair in dreadlocks, interwoven with what seems to be the ends of leather belts, plastic tubing, and wires - Whoa! Very unique fashion here. Dreadlocks and belts and wires? Already she's intriguing.
-Very skinny. Probably weighs about a hundred pounds. - Notice I didn't go on describing her hair and her goggles? I'll go back to accessories once I get to her clothing. For now, stick to basic attributes.
-Honey Brown Eyes - Now we can't see the color of her eyes, but since there's a lot of brown in this picture it seems to fit her way better than blue. Green might work, but she's giving me a brown vibe, so I'm sticking with it.
Now let's get into some more details
-Brown corset, green victorian skirt that reaches the ground. Hemmed. - We can't see much of her skirt but you can get the gist of it. Now why is it hemmed? I was originally going to say that it was too long and trailed behind her since she's so short, but she looks like a mechanic, doesn't she? A mechanic wouldn't have their clothes loose and susceptible to getting caught in machinery.
-A cog tattooed on her right shoulder - I could have said she had one on each shoulder, but there's something cool about it being asymmetrical, so one shoulder it is.
-Multiple piercings in each ear, including a small cog charm earring on both ears - This time it's on both sides of her body. This keeps the cog theme from getting repetitive or too symmetrical.
-Brown leather kid gloves (a reference to Alice in Wonderland) and steampunk safety goggles - Notice I have not used the word STEAMPUNK until now. We were all thinking it, but I didn't want it to define her. Let her define herself.
It seems we've left something out. Her age! Sometimes it comes to me immediately, sometimes it's better to wait. For this one I decided to wait because there isn't a clear cut answer; she looks like she could pull off being anywhere from 12 to in her 20's. I'm personally going to say she's in her 20's for a bit of contrast. She looks like a kid, she's also giving me the vibe that she acts like one sometimes, but I've also decided that she's a mechanic, and I also get the vibe that she's a good one, so I want her to be a little older but give the impression that she's younger than she is. *Stamps a 24 on her forehead* I picked 24 because I'm 20, and I want her to be older than me.
Unnamed Character: *dances*
But wait! There's something else we've forgotten to do! Our character doesn't have a name! However, as the great wife of Augustus Caesar, Livia, once said,
"When I begin to forget things you may light my funeral pyre and put me on it. Dead or alive."
Or was that only in I, Claudius...?
No friends, I didn't forget to name her, I've been waiting.
Step 3) Name your character. Names tend to come to me once I start to get to know the character. And the thing that comes to me first is the first letter of their name.
Weird right? When I make a character's name I don't base it on what the name means (especially if I'm making it up), but how the letters look and sound in my head. Sometimes my characters' names look great in text but when I say them out loud they sound... well...
Tahli: Dumb?
Danae: Weird?
Nicolae: Retarded?
Kiyano: Like a crappy actor's name?
>.>;;; Sorry guys.
Sometimes I'm also compelled to use a name from an already existing character. I've used names from Star Trek, Shakespeare plays, I, Claudius ( so who's met my gargoyle Messilina?), Greek Mythology, Lord of the Rings, Wicked (points to username), etc. Usually it's an obscure name unless I intend to conjure some meaning from the allusion, but if I take a name it's most often from whatever I'm interested in at the moment. I'm back on an I, Claudius kick, so I'm trying really hard not to name this character Lollyia >___>
Oh god... that actually looks terrible in text. I feel better now!
But this brings me back to my point before: the first letter of her name. If you didn't already guess, I want it to be 'L'. I feel like certain letters give a certain vibe. I also have words and names associated with certain letters. For example, V to me is a letter that evokes deception or evil. My two 'V' characters are a rapist and a demon with four rows of teeth who eats people. Z is also in this category, and so is S to a degree.
L is a softer sound but an angular letter. Soft nature, left brained, on its own it's a pleasant letter. Until you get a name like Lucrezia, but we're going to avoid that. Since nothing specific is coming to me, I'm going to look up names that start with 'L' and see if anything strikes me. If not, I'll make one up.
Lorelai! ... sounds like such a pretty name but it looks gross. I got the name from Gilmore Girls... which made me think of Rory... which is an interesting name. Could she actually be an R?
Riley?
Roz?
Ros?
... you know what? I think she actually picked her own name, which happens. And when it does, be open to it. She has decided that her name is Rory. It's a short, unique name, which is perfect for her because she's short and unique. You also know you have a good character when they already start making decisions for themselves during the creation process. Congratulations! Your character is already under your skin, and we haven't even done backstory for her yet!
So far we've covered steps 1-3:
1) Find a picture that speaks to you
2) Write a very basic profile
3) Name your character
Now we're going to start delving into some more detailed stuff: things you can't see. Coming up with a character's backstory and personality. Here's how I tackle it.
Step 4) Find music that evokes the character's vibe. I've been using the word "vibe" a lot. It's the feeling you get from the character, the first impression, their essence. I make a habit to keep lots of different music in my iTunes, so I'm going to go through it and look for songs that strike me as resonating with this character. For the first run-through, don't think, just write down the name of any song that reminds you of your new character regardless of why it strikes you. If you're not sure about a song, listen to it for a few seconds. If you haven't totally decided whether its good or not, list it anyway.
Rory's list:
Eternal Flame - Bangles
Eleanor Rigby - Beatles
That's Not Her Style - Billy Joel
Root Beer Rag - Billy Joel
Rosalita - Bruce Springsteen
Get Off My Back - Bryan Adams
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
I Did It - Dave Matthews
Everyone Says "Hi" - David Bowie
Blue Jean - David Bowie
O Valencia - The Decemberists
Heartache Tonight - The Eagles
Sweet Dreams are made of These - The Eurythmics
Walking on Broken Glass - Annie Lennox ***
Why - Annie Lennox
Gypsy - Fleetwood Mac
Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac
Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine
Between Two Lungs - Florence and the Machine
This Boy - James Morrisson **
Lucky - Jason Mraz
My lover's Keeper? - Julia Fordham - maybe she liked a guy who became abusive?
In the Morning - Junior Boys
Suddenly I see - KT Tunstall
Bulletproof - La Roux ***
Who Will Comfort Me - Melody Gardot
Time to pretend - MGMT
Fireflies - Owl City
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
In My Arms - Plumb
Time Warp -Rocky Horror Picture Show
Send me On My Way - Rusted Root
Gonna Get Over You - Sara Bareilles
The White Hare - Seth Lakeman
Cecilia - Simon and Garfunkel
Whole Lotta Trouble - Stevie Nicks
And She Was - Talking Heads
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
...Oh god. That was longer than I was expecting it to be. x___x;
Now we're going to cut down the list and organize it into 4 categories: songs I picked for the lyrics, song I picked for the music only, songs I picked because they were techno (Steampunk mechanic = techno music in my mind), and miscellaneous for songs I'm not totally sure why I picked them.
Lyrics:
This Boy - James Morrisson **
Music Only:
Walking on Broken Glass - Annie Lennox ***
Eternal Flame - Bangles
Root Beer Rag - Billy Joel
Rosalita - Bruce Springsteen
Get Off My Back - Bryan Adams
Heartache Tonight - The Eagles
Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine
Send me On My Way - Rusted Root
Suddenly I see - KT Tunstall
Techno/ Electronic:
Everyone Says "Hi" - David Bowie
Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac
In the Morning - Junior Boys
Time to pretend - MGMT
Fireflies - Owl City
Bulletproof - La Roux ***
Misc:
Why - Annie Lennox
In My Arms - Plumb
So! What have we learned about Rory through the music?
-She's bouncy, spunky, and spirited
-She's got a bit of country/ western in her
-She likes to hang out in bars (Heartache Tonight)
-She likes working with machines and technology (we already knew that though)
-Although she wears a corset and a dress she's tomboyish, can handle herself in a fight, and is probably stubborn at times (Bulletproof/ Heartache Tonight/ Get Off of My Back)
-She grew up in an orphanage that had way too many children in it to handle. She wasn't able to express her creativity or be appreciated for it, so she ran away when she was 10. (This Boy)
-She's competitive and stubborn (Get Off of My Back)
-She competes in timed mechanic's tournaments (competition to see who can fix a broken machine first). She's been champion 3 years running.
-She's been dabbling in art as of late, using scrap metal to create sculptures. They're not particularly good but she thinks they're works of art.
-She's also been trying her hand at invention, sort of like when a pianist gives composing a try. Rory has invented some interesting contraptions, but her big project is an All Terrain vehicle that really can traverse all terrains. Land, air, sea, snow... plane travel? She wants to be the first to invent the perfect adapting vehicle... but it has a lot of bugs that need to be worked out.
So how many of you are saying to yourselves, "Where the heck did all of that come from?!" Come on, raise your hands, you know you're confused.
Believe it or not, I did come up with all of that from the music. I put it all in a playlist, and I let my imagination wander when I listen to the songs I've picked. I tend to block out the lyrics and just listen to the music itself, and I sort of pretend to myself that it's the background music in a movie scene or montage involving the character. If you let your imagination wander completely uninhibited you'd be surprised what you can come up with.
Step 5) Skills and Weaknesses. This actually a step I picked up from being here at the Crossroads, and I think it helps flesh out the character much better when you use it.
Let's do skills first, because we know a lot of them already.
-Mechanic: Rory is a skilled mechanic and can do anything from quick fixes to major repairs. She's a 3 year speed-mechanic tournament champion.
-Invention: She's invented lots of doodads from homemade tazers to hover-skates. Still trying to get that all terrain vehicle to work though...
-Math: She can do dizzyingly difficult math equations in her head.
-Streetsmarts: After fending for herself at the age of ten years old, she's picked up a thing or two about making ends meet.
-Modern Art: This is... debatable. If you think her scrap metal sculptures are art, then sure!
-Adaptability: She's used to not having one single place to call home and adapting to whatever situation she finds herself in quickly.
Weaknesses are just as important to a fully fleshed out character too, so make sure there are some decent ones in there. A character with no weaknesses is no fun to interact with.
-Swears Like a Sailor: Sometimes it's hard to tell if she has tourettes or if she just normally talks like that. Sometimes she finds it hard to curb her foul language, or doesn't realize she's cursing.
-Accident Prone: Leave it to Rory to hit her nose when she opens a door or get her dreadlocks caught in a conveyor belt. On a bad day she can be the literal embodiment of Murphy's Law.
-Change: She may be good at adapting, but when her situation changes unexpectedly she's raging on the inside. Rarely does she show it, which can lead to her feelings getting bottled up and a trip to the pub. Speaking of which...
-Semi-Alcoholic: When Rory's in a mood at an extreme end of the spectrum the first thing she wants is a glass of whiskey or rum, and once she's started good luck getting the bottle from her.
It's always fun to add one weakness that the character isn't in control of.
-Bugs: Rory is so terrified of bugs that she will go psycho-ninja on any creepy-crawly critter's ass. Even when it's extremely inappropriate. If you get in the way of her and killing the critter in question, you will walk away with a black eye, at least.
Once again, let's review what we've already covered.
1) Find a picture that speaks to you
2) Write a very basic profile
3) Name your character
4) Find Music That Evokes the Character's Vibe
5) Skills and Weaknesses
I want you to notice that so far there is no specific step for determining a character's personality. We're getting to that, but not yet.
Step 6) Special Items. Put away your uber god-moding mighty-sword-of-the-gods. If you want to god mod, write your own novel; you can god mod all you want there. Unless you get some crazy uber-powerful item mid-rp and it has to do with the plot, don't create a character that has anything like that unless there are serious restrictions placed on it. Let's use some of my characters as examples.
Nessa: Don't bring me into this. *folds arms over chest*
This is Nessa. She's a bounty hunter, game hunter, and archer, because I don't feel like making those titles gender appropriate. Let's take a look at her items.
-Her bow. She's an archer, so she better have a bow. She's also a good archer, so her bow better be a good one. Hers is, and when I describe it I make a point of noting that it was obviously made by someone who is good at their craft.
Is it a magical, enchanted-to-never-miss-a-shot bow? No. Is it better than Joe Schmo's bow that he picked up from home depot? Yes. Is a professional instrument of her craft that would be respected by others in her field? Absolutely. It's like giving a professional violinist a 1922 Roth violin (which sounds orgasmic. My sister has one)
-Daggers hidden on her person. Honestly these aren't special, they're there because Nessa treats everyone like an enemy until they have proven to be an ally.
See how a character's items can say something about the character themselves? It's fun to acquire items IC too, Nessa has stolen things IC from characters, including a compass. I don't list it here because the character who owned it eventually got it back.
Let's look at a slightly different case.
Colette: *glares with glowing yellow eyes*
This is Colette Blackthorne, also known as Epinoire. She is a witch who suffered a terrible curse and now owns a shop in Evermere (a town where somewhat darker versions of the storybook characters we all know and love, live) which sells magical supplies. She is the owner and only employee, so she has access to all these items. There are potions of every kind, all kinds of magical herbs, blood galore, bombs, and all manner of charms and the like. The inventory is sort of limitless.
Theoretically, could Colette stage a takeover of Evermere using the items in her shop? Yeah. And then everyone in the RP would hate me and kick me out. Then why is it acceptable for my character to have access to seemingly limitless magical supplies?
First of all, because of her backstory. Colette is cursed because of a long story involving getting raped and her daughter getting killed twice. Yes twice. She came to Evermere with the intentions of keeping to herself. She's not a particularly friendly person but people always need items from her shop, which provides a catalyst for interaction in the story. She has no reason or desire to use any of the items in her shop to attain power, she doesn't want it.
Second, a lot of the items in the shop came from IC trade. She made the bombs for Captain Hook, and keeps them in stock for him, because when he goes to sea he brings her back all kinds of things she can use to make other goods for her store (seaweed, sea glass, squid's ink, eyeballs, fish bones, you name it). This makes the shop less like a giant bag of holding where I pull out whatever I want, and more believable.
What do all these items tell us about Colette? She's a witch, obviously. She's a good business woman. She's resourceful. She also has two more items I would like to mention.
-An enchanted skeleton hand who helps her in the shop. Colette's not a people person, so this hand is like her little assistant. When I created her she didn't have this item, I just sort of improvised it one day because she was doing a lot of things at once and it made sense for her character.
-A black glove that stretches from above her elbow to her fingers. This is an item I gave her when I created the character. Due to her curse, Colette's left hand is totally corrupted: anything she touches with it turns to ash. So she wears the glove so she can use her left hand. Notice again it tells us something about the character.
Now let's come up with some items for Rory here.
-Steampunk Safety Goggles. Now sometimes a character's goggles can do other things. Would it make sense for her goggles to have laser beams or X-Ray vision? Possibly, but not likely. Do yourself a favor and keep things simple, you can always add and develop your character as the story or RP progresses. Let's say her goggles monitor temperature and alert the wearer to toxic gas like carbon monoxide. This would make sense when working with machines and hot metal.
-Utility Belt. She's a mechanic, she should probably have a way to tote her tools around. So let's give her a belt fitted with wrenches, screw drivers, pockets for nuts, bolts, and screws. Since she's been a mechanic for 14 years (remember she ran away when she was 10?) she probably has a LOT of stuff on that belt, so you don't need to list everything, just keep the stuff she pulls out of it realistic. If your character whips out a Sonic Screwdriver and you haven't specified having been given it after a run-in with the TARDIS, re-evaluate the items you use.
-Jewelry/ Gloves. Accessories. The picture shows us that she has piercings all up her cartilage. Maybe she owns more. Maybe she makes jewelry since she's into art. (Clever!) That would provide another hobby for her and more earrings for variety. The gloves were already mentioned but lets also note that she doesn't wear any rings. What might this say about her?
-Gadgets/ Inventions. This is where I would say to get specific. Let's give her 3 inventions.
+ Electric Whip: An every day whip, until a button in the handle is pressed which sends an electric current down the whip. Mostly used for emergency shut-downs of machines that have gone haywire.
+ Claw Grabber: A mechanical extension of the arm that allows her to grab things that are out of her reach. Extends to 5 feet max, but its hard to control at fully extended range as the hand is heavy and harder to lift. (Notice I gave the item a weakness?)
+ Her Boots: Her boots have the capability to turn into roller skates (the wheels are small and are at the toe and the heel), and magnet-boots (high powered magnets are located in the center of the sole). There are buttons at the top of each boot by her knee that activate either mechanism. (If she trips and hits her knee that could set off either mechanism, and hilarity will most likely ensue).
Each of these items has a use. The whip can be used as protection, from haywire machines or big nasty bugs... The claw grabber is useful because she's short, and the boots help her get around the shop.
-ATV: Ah yes, back to the vehicle she's working on. It looks kind of like... well... like this:
It's not totally functional though, it's having some serious problems at the moment.
I would like to point out that the ATV isn't working not to provide a weakness for the machine, but to provide Rory with a goal. She wants to fix it, she wants to make it work. This is something she wants badly, how is she going to reach her goal? (Also it provides good fodder for beginning posts. I'm already envisioning her banging at this thing with a screwdriver in one hand and a bottle of rum in the other).
Step 7) Backstory We already know so much about our character by now that this shouldn't be terribly hard. Take what you already know and run with it. Most importantly, ask yourself questions.
She lived in an orphanage until she was 10 years old when she ran away. Why did she run away? She wanted more attention from he adults than they had time to give and didn't appreciate her for her artistic abilities. Was she artistic before she was a mechanic? Yes. How did she become a mechanic? When she ran away she was found by a man who was in fact a mechanic. Not wanting the girl to be out on her own he took her in and taught her everything she knows. Although never official, he is her adopted father. She quickly became his prodigy and she made him as proud as if she were his own daughter.
Let's leave it at that for now. You don't need to make a novel out of a character's backstory. Leave some room to add things later-- you never know what interaction with another character might reveal about your character's past or present.
One last time. We've covered:
1) Find a picture that speaks to you
2) Write a very basic profile
3) Name your character
4) Find Music That Evokes the Character's Vibe
5) Skills and Weaknesses
6) Special items
7) Backstory
Now comes the final part: personality. And some of you are going to be shocked by this next step.
Step 8 ) Roleplay Your Character
Wait wait wait, what!??!? Butbutbutbut... We need to figure out how she's going to act before we throw her into actual RP! We meticulously figured out everything else about her, you can't just use an unfinished character! Chloe, you've gone mad! Someone lock this woman up!!!
Yeah this seems kind of unorthodox compared to the amount of detail in the other steps, but this is the way I create characters. I firmly believe one's personality is a result of their environment. Science says genetics are involved, sure. But when I write, I find that the most critical information about a character comes out while I'm writing them, not from anything I've written before. So if you want your character to solidify and evolve, think of your profile (not necessarily the one in the keep, I'm referring to all the information you've gathered about your character) as subject to change. Be prepared to tweak, add, and turn your character upside down.
Cecile: Yeah, kind of like what happened to me
;
This is Cecile. She thought she knew who she was... until mid-rp one day we found out she was adopted and her real father was a creepy-ass magic dude who was stalking her and her boyfriend. My friend (who plays her boyfriend) and I were rping at the time and it was okayed by both of us, but literally, mid-rp she messages me and goes "You know what would be awesome...?" And thus! Cecile's backstory got completely re-written! And now it's amazing!
So let's look at what we already know, using my exact words from the previous parts:
-Unnamed Character: *waves with the excitement of a squirrel*
-With her being short I'm thinking she's going to be spritely and spunky
-She looks like a kid, she's also giving me the vibe that she acts like one sometimes, but I've also decided that she's a mechanic, and I also get the vibe that she's a good one, so I want her to be a little older but give the impression that she's younger than she is.
-It's a short, unique name, which is perfect for her because she's short and unique.
-She's bouncy, spunky, and spirited
-She's got a bit of country/ western in her
-She likes to hang out in bars
-She likes working with machines and technology (we already knew that though)
-Although she wears a corset and a dress she's tomboyish, can handle herself in a fight, and is probably stubborn at times
-She's competitive
-She wants to be the first to invent the perfect adapting vehicle
-Swears Like a Sailor
-When Rory's in a mood at an extreme end of the spectrum the first thing she wants is a glass of whiskey or rum, and once she's started good luck getting the bottle from her.
-Rory is so terrified of bugs that she will go psycho-ninja on any creepy-crawly critter's ass.
-She wanted more attention from he adults than they had time to give and didn't appreciate her for her artistic abilities.
Through creating all the other aspects of her profile we already know what her personality is like. I also agree very much with Stacy's character creation guide about using your own traits, so you should wander over there and take it into serious consideration, because it's totally true. I'll prove it. There are elements of me in Rory, some of them subtler than others.
-Creativty: Rory is naturally artistic. While my natural talent lies in writing it's still an art. Creativity is constantly churning in my brain, hence my ability to create characters in the first place.
-Bugs: Rory is so afraid of bugs that she goes ninja on them until they're dead. My Dad is an exterminator, and while bugs give me the creeps (mostly big ones now) I learned to deal with it by killing them with gusto. My roommates rely on me to kill the bugs in the apartment. When I was younger I had a sort of security blanket that was a pillowcase, and I would fold it up so it was long and thin and I would use it to whip the mosquitos on my ceiling in the summer.
-Men: When Rory left the orphanage she was adopted by a mechanic and her family basically became the guys who worked at the shop. A lot of my characters have situations where they're surrounded by men, I think because I grew up in a situation of mostly women. However, I'm more comfortable around men than women for some reason, and I think that comes through in many of my characters.
-Change: Rory can adapt well to change, but on the inside she's raging. That's me. I can deal with change, but in the beginning I'm nervous because I don't know what to expect. I translated what are nerves for me into Rory's drinking problem.
Now there are a couple things that are opposite of me too. Rory's 5'2", I'm 5'10". She's spunky, I'm kind of serious/ sarcastic. She's good at math, I'm... not. >>;
Nessa/Chloe if you want this taken down let me know.
How Chloe Creates Characters
Hello everyone and welcome to my personal perspective on how I create characters! I hope you find it helpful =)
Hello everyone and welcome to my personal perspective on how I create characters! I hope you find it helpful =)
Step 1) Find a picture you really like. Not one that's okay. Not one where you just like the art, one that speaks to you. One where the person/ creature/ thing in the picture looks at you and says, "Pick me. You know you want to. You know you want to play me..." If you find such a picture and are seduced by it, you'll know because your mind will already start churning backstory. A good character is one where you don't have to fight it to figure out who they are, it just flows. For the use of the guide, I'll make a character right now. Here is such a picture I've been dying to make a character for:
Unnamed Character: *waves with the excitement of a squirrel* Hi everyone!
2) Write down a really boring, basic profile. Start listing things you can see in the picture. How tall do they look? How long is their hair? What color is their hair? Do that have any obvious features? What kind of clothes are they wearing? Don't add anything to this that you can't see, it's just to start getting you to feel the character.
-5'2 - I'm getting the vibe of a petite figure here. Height also can say something about your character. With her being short I'm thinking she's going to be spritely and spunky
-Chocolate brown hair in dreadlocks, interwoven with what seems to be the ends of leather belts, plastic tubing, and wires - Whoa! Very unique fashion here. Dreadlocks and belts and wires? Already she's intriguing.
-Very skinny. Probably weighs about a hundred pounds. - Notice I didn't go on describing her hair and her goggles? I'll go back to accessories once I get to her clothing. For now, stick to basic attributes.
-Honey Brown Eyes - Now we can't see the color of her eyes, but since there's a lot of brown in this picture it seems to fit her way better than blue. Green might work, but she's giving me a brown vibe, so I'm sticking with it.
Now let's get into some more details
-Brown corset, green victorian skirt that reaches the ground. Hemmed. - We can't see much of her skirt but you can get the gist of it. Now why is it hemmed? I was originally going to say that it was too long and trailed behind her since she's so short, but she looks like a mechanic, doesn't she? A mechanic wouldn't have their clothes loose and susceptible to getting caught in machinery.
-A cog tattooed on her right shoulder - I could have said she had one on each shoulder, but there's something cool about it being asymmetrical, so one shoulder it is.
-Multiple piercings in each ear, including a small cog charm earring on both ears - This time it's on both sides of her body. This keeps the cog theme from getting repetitive or too symmetrical.
-Brown leather kid gloves (a reference to Alice in Wonderland) and steampunk safety goggles - Notice I have not used the word STEAMPUNK until now. We were all thinking it, but I didn't want it to define her. Let her define herself.
It seems we've left something out. Her age! Sometimes it comes to me immediately, sometimes it's better to wait. For this one I decided to wait because there isn't a clear cut answer; she looks like she could pull off being anywhere from 12 to in her 20's. I'm personally going to say she's in her 20's for a bit of contrast. She looks like a kid, she's also giving me the vibe that she acts like one sometimes, but I've also decided that she's a mechanic, and I also get the vibe that she's a good one, so I want her to be a little older but give the impression that she's younger than she is. *Stamps a 24 on her forehead* I picked 24 because I'm 20, and I want her to be older than me.
Unnamed Character: *dances*
But wait! There's something else we've forgotten to do! Our character doesn't have a name! However, as the great wife of Augustus Caesar, Livia, once said,
"When I begin to forget things you may light my funeral pyre and put me on it. Dead or alive."
Or was that only in I, Claudius...?
No friends, I didn't forget to name her, I've been waiting.
Step 3) Name your character. Names tend to come to me once I start to get to know the character. And the thing that comes to me first is the first letter of their name.
Weird right? When I make a character's name I don't base it on what the name means (especially if I'm making it up), but how the letters look and sound in my head. Sometimes my characters' names look great in text but when I say them out loud they sound... well...
Tahli: Dumb?
Danae: Weird?
Nicolae: Retarded?
Kiyano: Like a crappy actor's name?
>.>;;; Sorry guys.
Sometimes I'm also compelled to use a name from an already existing character. I've used names from Star Trek, Shakespeare plays, I, Claudius ( so who's met my gargoyle Messilina?), Greek Mythology, Lord of the Rings, Wicked (points to username), etc. Usually it's an obscure name unless I intend to conjure some meaning from the allusion, but if I take a name it's most often from whatever I'm interested in at the moment. I'm back on an I, Claudius kick, so I'm trying really hard not to name this character Lollyia >___>
Oh god... that actually looks terrible in text. I feel better now!
But this brings me back to my point before: the first letter of her name. If you didn't already guess, I want it to be 'L'. I feel like certain letters give a certain vibe. I also have words and names associated with certain letters. For example, V to me is a letter that evokes deception or evil. My two 'V' characters are a rapist and a demon with four rows of teeth who eats people. Z is also in this category, and so is S to a degree.
L is a softer sound but an angular letter. Soft nature, left brained, on its own it's a pleasant letter. Until you get a name like Lucrezia, but we're going to avoid that. Since nothing specific is coming to me, I'm going to look up names that start with 'L' and see if anything strikes me. If not, I'll make one up.
Lorelai! ... sounds like such a pretty name but it looks gross. I got the name from Gilmore Girls... which made me think of Rory... which is an interesting name. Could she actually be an R?
Riley?
Roz?
Ros?
... you know what? I think she actually picked her own name, which happens. And when it does, be open to it. She has decided that her name is Rory. It's a short, unique name, which is perfect for her because she's short and unique. You also know you have a good character when they already start making decisions for themselves during the creation process. Congratulations! Your character is already under your skin, and we haven't even done backstory for her yet!
So far we've covered steps 1-3:
1) Find a picture that speaks to you
2) Write a very basic profile
3) Name your character
Now we're going to start delving into some more detailed stuff: things you can't see. Coming up with a character's backstory and personality. Here's how I tackle it.
Step 4) Find music that evokes the character's vibe. I've been using the word "vibe" a lot. It's the feeling you get from the character, the first impression, their essence. I make a habit to keep lots of different music in my iTunes, so I'm going to go through it and look for songs that strike me as resonating with this character. For the first run-through, don't think, just write down the name of any song that reminds you of your new character regardless of why it strikes you. If you're not sure about a song, listen to it for a few seconds. If you haven't totally decided whether its good or not, list it anyway.
Rory's list:
Eternal Flame - Bangles
Eleanor Rigby - Beatles
That's Not Her Style - Billy Joel
Root Beer Rag - Billy Joel
Rosalita - Bruce Springsteen
Get Off My Back - Bryan Adams
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
I Did It - Dave Matthews
Everyone Says "Hi" - David Bowie
Blue Jean - David Bowie
O Valencia - The Decemberists
Heartache Tonight - The Eagles
Sweet Dreams are made of These - The Eurythmics
Walking on Broken Glass - Annie Lennox ***
Why - Annie Lennox
Gypsy - Fleetwood Mac
Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac
Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine
Between Two Lungs - Florence and the Machine
This Boy - James Morrisson **
Lucky - Jason Mraz
My lover's Keeper? - Julia Fordham - maybe she liked a guy who became abusive?
In the Morning - Junior Boys
Suddenly I see - KT Tunstall
Bulletproof - La Roux ***
Who Will Comfort Me - Melody Gardot
Time to pretend - MGMT
Fireflies - Owl City
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
In My Arms - Plumb
Time Warp -Rocky Horror Picture Show
Send me On My Way - Rusted Root
Gonna Get Over You - Sara Bareilles
The White Hare - Seth Lakeman
Cecilia - Simon and Garfunkel
Whole Lotta Trouble - Stevie Nicks
And She Was - Talking Heads
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
...Oh god. That was longer than I was expecting it to be. x___x;
Now we're going to cut down the list and organize it into 4 categories: songs I picked for the lyrics, song I picked for the music only, songs I picked because they were techno (Steampunk mechanic = techno music in my mind), and miscellaneous for songs I'm not totally sure why I picked them.
Lyrics:
This Boy - James Morrisson **
Music Only:
Walking on Broken Glass - Annie Lennox ***
Eternal Flame - Bangles
Root Beer Rag - Billy Joel
Rosalita - Bruce Springsteen
Get Off My Back - Bryan Adams
Heartache Tonight - The Eagles
Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine
Send me On My Way - Rusted Root
Suddenly I see - KT Tunstall
Techno/ Electronic:
Everyone Says "Hi" - David Bowie
Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac
In the Morning - Junior Boys
Time to pretend - MGMT
Fireflies - Owl City
Bulletproof - La Roux ***
Misc:
Why - Annie Lennox
In My Arms - Plumb
So! What have we learned about Rory through the music?
-She's bouncy, spunky, and spirited
-She's got a bit of country/ western in her
-She likes to hang out in bars (Heartache Tonight)
-She likes working with machines and technology (we already knew that though)
-Although she wears a corset and a dress she's tomboyish, can handle herself in a fight, and is probably stubborn at times (Bulletproof/ Heartache Tonight/ Get Off of My Back)
-She grew up in an orphanage that had way too many children in it to handle. She wasn't able to express her creativity or be appreciated for it, so she ran away when she was 10. (This Boy)
-She's competitive and stubborn (Get Off of My Back)
-She competes in timed mechanic's tournaments (competition to see who can fix a broken machine first). She's been champion 3 years running.
-She's been dabbling in art as of late, using scrap metal to create sculptures. They're not particularly good but she thinks they're works of art.
-She's also been trying her hand at invention, sort of like when a pianist gives composing a try. Rory has invented some interesting contraptions, but her big project is an All Terrain vehicle that really can traverse all terrains. Land, air, sea, snow... plane travel? She wants to be the first to invent the perfect adapting vehicle... but it has a lot of bugs that need to be worked out.
So how many of you are saying to yourselves, "Where the heck did all of that come from?!" Come on, raise your hands, you know you're confused.
Believe it or not, I did come up with all of that from the music. I put it all in a playlist, and I let my imagination wander when I listen to the songs I've picked. I tend to block out the lyrics and just listen to the music itself, and I sort of pretend to myself that it's the background music in a movie scene or montage involving the character. If you let your imagination wander completely uninhibited you'd be surprised what you can come up with.
Step 5) Skills and Weaknesses. This actually a step I picked up from being here at the Crossroads, and I think it helps flesh out the character much better when you use it.
Let's do skills first, because we know a lot of them already.
-Mechanic: Rory is a skilled mechanic and can do anything from quick fixes to major repairs. She's a 3 year speed-mechanic tournament champion.
-Invention: She's invented lots of doodads from homemade tazers to hover-skates. Still trying to get that all terrain vehicle to work though...
-Math: She can do dizzyingly difficult math equations in her head.
-Streetsmarts: After fending for herself at the age of ten years old, she's picked up a thing or two about making ends meet.
-Modern Art: This is... debatable. If you think her scrap metal sculptures are art, then sure!
-Adaptability: She's used to not having one single place to call home and adapting to whatever situation she finds herself in quickly.
Weaknesses are just as important to a fully fleshed out character too, so make sure there are some decent ones in there. A character with no weaknesses is no fun to interact with.
-Swears Like a Sailor: Sometimes it's hard to tell if she has tourettes or if she just normally talks like that. Sometimes she finds it hard to curb her foul language, or doesn't realize she's cursing.
-Accident Prone: Leave it to Rory to hit her nose when she opens a door or get her dreadlocks caught in a conveyor belt. On a bad day she can be the literal embodiment of Murphy's Law.
-Change: She may be good at adapting, but when her situation changes unexpectedly she's raging on the inside. Rarely does she show it, which can lead to her feelings getting bottled up and a trip to the pub. Speaking of which...
-Semi-Alcoholic: When Rory's in a mood at an extreme end of the spectrum the first thing she wants is a glass of whiskey or rum, and once she's started good luck getting the bottle from her.
It's always fun to add one weakness that the character isn't in control of.
-Bugs: Rory is so terrified of bugs that she will go psycho-ninja on any creepy-crawly critter's ass. Even when it's extremely inappropriate. If you get in the way of her and killing the critter in question, you will walk away with a black eye, at least.
Once again, let's review what we've already covered.
1) Find a picture that speaks to you
2) Write a very basic profile
3) Name your character
4) Find Music That Evokes the Character's Vibe
5) Skills and Weaknesses
I want you to notice that so far there is no specific step for determining a character's personality. We're getting to that, but not yet.
Step 6) Special Items. Put away your uber god-moding mighty-sword-of-the-gods. If you want to god mod, write your own novel; you can god mod all you want there. Unless you get some crazy uber-powerful item mid-rp and it has to do with the plot, don't create a character that has anything like that unless there are serious restrictions placed on it. Let's use some of my characters as examples.
Nessa: Don't bring me into this. *folds arms over chest*
This is Nessa. She's a bounty hunter, game hunter, and archer, because I don't feel like making those titles gender appropriate. Let's take a look at her items.
-Her bow. She's an archer, so she better have a bow. She's also a good archer, so her bow better be a good one. Hers is, and when I describe it I make a point of noting that it was obviously made by someone who is good at their craft.
Is it a magical, enchanted-to-never-miss-a-shot bow? No. Is it better than Joe Schmo's bow that he picked up from home depot? Yes. Is a professional instrument of her craft that would be respected by others in her field? Absolutely. It's like giving a professional violinist a 1922 Roth violin (which sounds orgasmic. My sister has one)
-Daggers hidden on her person. Honestly these aren't special, they're there because Nessa treats everyone like an enemy until they have proven to be an ally.
See how a character's items can say something about the character themselves? It's fun to acquire items IC too, Nessa has stolen things IC from characters, including a compass. I don't list it here because the character who owned it eventually got it back.
Let's look at a slightly different case.
Colette: *glares with glowing yellow eyes*
This is Colette Blackthorne, also known as Epinoire. She is a witch who suffered a terrible curse and now owns a shop in Evermere (a town where somewhat darker versions of the storybook characters we all know and love, live) which sells magical supplies. She is the owner and only employee, so she has access to all these items. There are potions of every kind, all kinds of magical herbs, blood galore, bombs, and all manner of charms and the like. The inventory is sort of limitless.
Theoretically, could Colette stage a takeover of Evermere using the items in her shop? Yeah. And then everyone in the RP would hate me and kick me out. Then why is it acceptable for my character to have access to seemingly limitless magical supplies?
First of all, because of her backstory. Colette is cursed because of a long story involving getting raped and her daughter getting killed twice. Yes twice. She came to Evermere with the intentions of keeping to herself. She's not a particularly friendly person but people always need items from her shop, which provides a catalyst for interaction in the story. She has no reason or desire to use any of the items in her shop to attain power, she doesn't want it.
Second, a lot of the items in the shop came from IC trade. She made the bombs for Captain Hook, and keeps them in stock for him, because when he goes to sea he brings her back all kinds of things she can use to make other goods for her store (seaweed, sea glass, squid's ink, eyeballs, fish bones, you name it). This makes the shop less like a giant bag of holding where I pull out whatever I want, and more believable.
What do all these items tell us about Colette? She's a witch, obviously. She's a good business woman. She's resourceful. She also has two more items I would like to mention.
-An enchanted skeleton hand who helps her in the shop. Colette's not a people person, so this hand is like her little assistant. When I created her she didn't have this item, I just sort of improvised it one day because she was doing a lot of things at once and it made sense for her character.
-A black glove that stretches from above her elbow to her fingers. This is an item I gave her when I created the character. Due to her curse, Colette's left hand is totally corrupted: anything she touches with it turns to ash. So she wears the glove so she can use her left hand. Notice again it tells us something about the character.
Now let's come up with some items for Rory here.
-Steampunk Safety Goggles. Now sometimes a character's goggles can do other things. Would it make sense for her goggles to have laser beams or X-Ray vision? Possibly, but not likely. Do yourself a favor and keep things simple, you can always add and develop your character as the story or RP progresses. Let's say her goggles monitor temperature and alert the wearer to toxic gas like carbon monoxide. This would make sense when working with machines and hot metal.
-Utility Belt. She's a mechanic, she should probably have a way to tote her tools around. So let's give her a belt fitted with wrenches, screw drivers, pockets for nuts, bolts, and screws. Since she's been a mechanic for 14 years (remember she ran away when she was 10?) she probably has a LOT of stuff on that belt, so you don't need to list everything, just keep the stuff she pulls out of it realistic. If your character whips out a Sonic Screwdriver and you haven't specified having been given it after a run-in with the TARDIS, re-evaluate the items you use.
-Jewelry/ Gloves. Accessories. The picture shows us that she has piercings all up her cartilage. Maybe she owns more. Maybe she makes jewelry since she's into art. (Clever!) That would provide another hobby for her and more earrings for variety. The gloves were already mentioned but lets also note that she doesn't wear any rings. What might this say about her?
-Gadgets/ Inventions. This is where I would say to get specific. Let's give her 3 inventions.
+ Electric Whip: An every day whip, until a button in the handle is pressed which sends an electric current down the whip. Mostly used for emergency shut-downs of machines that have gone haywire.
+ Claw Grabber: A mechanical extension of the arm that allows her to grab things that are out of her reach. Extends to 5 feet max, but its hard to control at fully extended range as the hand is heavy and harder to lift. (Notice I gave the item a weakness?)
+ Her Boots: Her boots have the capability to turn into roller skates (the wheels are small and are at the toe and the heel), and magnet-boots (high powered magnets are located in the center of the sole). There are buttons at the top of each boot by her knee that activate either mechanism. (If she trips and hits her knee that could set off either mechanism, and hilarity will most likely ensue).
Each of these items has a use. The whip can be used as protection, from haywire machines or big nasty bugs... The claw grabber is useful because she's short, and the boots help her get around the shop.
-ATV: Ah yes, back to the vehicle she's working on. It looks kind of like... well... like this:
It's not totally functional though, it's having some serious problems at the moment.
I would like to point out that the ATV isn't working not to provide a weakness for the machine, but to provide Rory with a goal. She wants to fix it, she wants to make it work. This is something she wants badly, how is she going to reach her goal? (Also it provides good fodder for beginning posts. I'm already envisioning her banging at this thing with a screwdriver in one hand and a bottle of rum in the other).
Step 7) Backstory We already know so much about our character by now that this shouldn't be terribly hard. Take what you already know and run with it. Most importantly, ask yourself questions.
She lived in an orphanage until she was 10 years old when she ran away. Why did she run away? She wanted more attention from he adults than they had time to give and didn't appreciate her for her artistic abilities. Was she artistic before she was a mechanic? Yes. How did she become a mechanic? When she ran away she was found by a man who was in fact a mechanic. Not wanting the girl to be out on her own he took her in and taught her everything she knows. Although never official, he is her adopted father. She quickly became his prodigy and she made him as proud as if she were his own daughter.
Let's leave it at that for now. You don't need to make a novel out of a character's backstory. Leave some room to add things later-- you never know what interaction with another character might reveal about your character's past or present.
One last time. We've covered:
1) Find a picture that speaks to you
2) Write a very basic profile
3) Name your character
4) Find Music That Evokes the Character's Vibe
5) Skills and Weaknesses
6) Special items
7) Backstory
Now comes the final part: personality. And some of you are going to be shocked by this next step.
Step 8 ) Roleplay Your Character
Wait wait wait, what!??!? Butbutbutbut... We need to figure out how she's going to act before we throw her into actual RP! We meticulously figured out everything else about her, you can't just use an unfinished character! Chloe, you've gone mad! Someone lock this woman up!!!
Yeah this seems kind of unorthodox compared to the amount of detail in the other steps, but this is the way I create characters. I firmly believe one's personality is a result of their environment. Science says genetics are involved, sure. But when I write, I find that the most critical information about a character comes out while I'm writing them, not from anything I've written before. So if you want your character to solidify and evolve, think of your profile (not necessarily the one in the keep, I'm referring to all the information you've gathered about your character) as subject to change. Be prepared to tweak, add, and turn your character upside down.
Cecile: Yeah, kind of like what happened to me
;This is Cecile. She thought she knew who she was... until mid-rp one day we found out she was adopted and her real father was a creepy-ass magic dude who was stalking her and her boyfriend. My friend (who plays her boyfriend) and I were rping at the time and it was okayed by both of us, but literally, mid-rp she messages me and goes "You know what would be awesome...?" And thus! Cecile's backstory got completely re-written! And now it's amazing!
So let's look at what we already know, using my exact words from the previous parts:
-Unnamed Character: *waves with the excitement of a squirrel*
-With her being short I'm thinking she's going to be spritely and spunky
-She looks like a kid, she's also giving me the vibe that she acts like one sometimes, but I've also decided that she's a mechanic, and I also get the vibe that she's a good one, so I want her to be a little older but give the impression that she's younger than she is.
-It's a short, unique name, which is perfect for her because she's short and unique.
-She's bouncy, spunky, and spirited
-She's got a bit of country/ western in her
-She likes to hang out in bars
-She likes working with machines and technology (we already knew that though)
-Although she wears a corset and a dress she's tomboyish, can handle herself in a fight, and is probably stubborn at times
-She's competitive
-She wants to be the first to invent the perfect adapting vehicle
-Swears Like a Sailor
-When Rory's in a mood at an extreme end of the spectrum the first thing she wants is a glass of whiskey or rum, and once she's started good luck getting the bottle from her.
-Rory is so terrified of bugs that she will go psycho-ninja on any creepy-crawly critter's ass.
-She wanted more attention from he adults than they had time to give and didn't appreciate her for her artistic abilities.
Through creating all the other aspects of her profile we already know what her personality is like. I also agree very much with Stacy's character creation guide about using your own traits, so you should wander over there and take it into serious consideration, because it's totally true. I'll prove it. There are elements of me in Rory, some of them subtler than others.
-Creativty: Rory is naturally artistic. While my natural talent lies in writing it's still an art. Creativity is constantly churning in my brain, hence my ability to create characters in the first place.
-Bugs: Rory is so afraid of bugs that she goes ninja on them until they're dead. My Dad is an exterminator, and while bugs give me the creeps (mostly big ones now) I learned to deal with it by killing them with gusto. My roommates rely on me to kill the bugs in the apartment. When I was younger I had a sort of security blanket that was a pillowcase, and I would fold it up so it was long and thin and I would use it to whip the mosquitos on my ceiling in the summer.
-Men: When Rory left the orphanage she was adopted by a mechanic and her family basically became the guys who worked at the shop. A lot of my characters have situations where they're surrounded by men, I think because I grew up in a situation of mostly women. However, I'm more comfortable around men than women for some reason, and I think that comes through in many of my characters.
-Change: Rory can adapt well to change, but on the inside she's raging. That's me. I can deal with change, but in the beginning I'm nervous because I don't know what to expect. I translated what are nerves for me into Rory's drinking problem.
Now there are a couple things that are opposite of me too. Rory's 5'2", I'm 5'10". She's spunky, I'm kind of serious/ sarcastic. She's good at math, I'm... not. >>;
So be brave, fellow writers. Go forth and have faith in your character! And with that, I have finished my guide. I hope you found it both useful and enjoyable.