Found; background characters given life

[honeybush]

Have you ever fallen in love with one of your npcs and/or side characters? You know the ones I'm talking about, the guys and gals on the sidelines, the cannon fodder, the nameless faces that comprise the background?

I tend to reuse characters frequently, dubbing them my muses, my little thoughts that aren't quite me - so new characters tend to either sink or swim real quick. Today I was in the process of creation, that beautiful area of inspiration that gets you writing, and suddenly, bam.

"That's totally a side character in a role play I'm in."

And then love blossomed as suddenly this little faceless troublemaker, doomed to die in the story arc she was born in, hit a point of actualization in my head.

And she won't go away. Congratulations, my dear, you just swam into my repertoire of reliable misfits.

So, has it happened to you? Ever find what you were looking for in your average joe/jane? I'm curious - if not, that's totally cool <3

 

[Razilin]

thats what a supporting cast is

and they are full of ensemble darkhorses

 

[Diana]

YES.

Then I have to make them full-fledged characters and do a roleplay starring THEM.

And the cycle continues.

I have ended up with whole worlds because of this.

>:[

 

[lostfaith]

This happens most often to me with villains of sub-plots. Even if they don't factor in the story for very long, I develop every villain's personality, and sometimes I just fall in love with them and have to use them elsewhere. Oftentimes, I expand their role or even make them an anti-hero (depending on the character in question).

It also happens a lot with "second in command" type characters; I'll design some military leader NPC and the person directly beneath them, then find I like the second in command better than their superior. Most often I make those characters into my PCs when that happens. I'm very fond of plot events that mix up the party (usually with things beside death), and a lot of times I'll "rotate" one of my second in commands into my lineup as I take other characters out of it.

 

[Peregrine]

I can't say I've ever had a side character become a main character, but I also hate having throwaway characters in a story. There was one character who was killed at the beginning of one of my roleplays, and at the time neither me nor my partner were expecting it to be anything more than a catalyst for our characters to meet. But 60,000 words in, and his name is still showing up, and his death is still, in many ways, driving the plot. He became significant. Doesn't mean I care about him, it just means that I don't believe in making something happen for no reason, I guess. O.o

I know a lot of people, though, who get really attached to side characters. Most of them wind up working their way deeper into the story.

 

[Hellis]

All my NPC have family trees, faction and backstory usually. One of my recent favorites is Akira, a sassy, effimate, painfully cyberpunk hacker/powerbroker. I am pretty certein he is gonna become a petfavourite of mine for the next while. Peregrine have met him :D

 

[Peregrine]

Peregrine have met him :D

Me? O.o

 

[dragonesper]

Do writing in general count? If so then my latest work of fiction has a side character become the Big Bad of the story and another character becoming my MC's fiance.

If pure RPing then there's one character who changed from being a plot NPC and instantly became the sole partner for a plot NPC belonging to a previous RP-partner of mine. If my char ever hooks up with someone else I will find a way to ruin it and consider that relationship as cheating on his destined lover.
Yes, those two chars matched that well.

 

[Hellis]

Me? O.o

You are in my Singularity City rp, are you not? :D

 

[Kestrel]

Then I have to make them full-fledged characters and do a roleplay starring THEM.

This.

Cocky, overly ambitious jock roommate alpha male incarnate became his own thing. It was glorious. I sometimes even use old characters as NPC's for them.

 

[Peregrine]

You are in my Singularity City rp, are you not? :D

Actually, no, I'm not. :D You must be confusing me with someone else.

 

[Hellis]

--- I'm tarded. Yes I am. Pelegrino. DAMMIT

 

[Holmishire]

This happens to me a lot.

I love creating new characters, so I strive to develop even the most insignificant individuals into full-fledged characters. My favourite books typically follow multiple casts going through the same world simultaneously, building upon each other. As such, I try to do the same in my worlds.

I've also had this in one roleplay I played. Each player had their main PCs, but whenever an NPC was introduced, we gave it to someone to play. Each of us ended up with four or more separate individuals doing their own thing all across the plot. For example, I had:

• Two young orphan girls in love with each other.
  • A chicken.
• A girl working at the bathhouse whose father had just been killed by another cast-member.
  • Her brothers, sisters, and mothers. (Polygamous family.)
• A mentally unstable/handicapped young man who lived alone in a watchtower.
  • The girl who brought him supplies.

Main bullets effectively became PCs, secondary bullets remained player-controlled NPCs.

Unfortunately, the game died. The GM was amazing, but I think he was banned for breaching site rules. I myself was young at the time, and roleplayed something I would later regret, but the plot and characters in there were just wonderful. It remains my most fond roleplay—as well as the one I am most embarrassed by.