Most Important Aspect of Your Character?

[Absyinthe_Artica]

When it comes to creating a character, there are many aspects you must consider. Among those could be appearance, personality, backstory/history, and many more things. When you create a character what is the most important aspect that you come up with? Out of all the things that make up a character, what part is the most important to you? Why? Let's discuss important aspects of characters here! :D

 

[Moogle-Girl]

Personality!! A character's personality can tell you all SORTS of things about them. It's influenced by their age, their backstory, their species and culture, all sorts of stuff. Appearance is sort of secondary to me since it doesn't have nearly as strong of a hand in what you actually write in each post, unless we're talking an Alpha Bitch or a succubus or something where appearance is everything.

 

[Absyinthe_Artica]

Personality definitely is a big part in creating a character. I actually prefer to figure out appearances and names first when making a character, but I do agree that the most important aspect is personality. :D

 

[Moogle-Girl]

Well, to be fair, I usually start with history, because I only make an entirely new character when there's some hole that needs filling in the grand overarching plot. But personality is definitely the most fun part. o3o

 

[Absyinthe_Artica]

Personality brings the character to life, me thinks! :P

 

[Minibit]

It's ALL important, but I tend to place emphasis on BACKSTORY. where we've been shapes us into who we are, and I find it's easier to play a believable, dynamic character if I have a good grasp on where they're coming from :)

 

[Indabayou]

I have characters very dear to my heart that I reuse and revamp for many different story ideas. No matter what changes for their history or backstory (or sometimes even appearance, for fantasy stuff) for that specific plot, the most important thing about them to me that I will never change are the CORE TRAITS of their personality. Aggresive and abrasiveness hiding a warm heart; the ambitious go-getter who's also a flirt; the one who wants more out of life but is too loyal to stray. The other details can come and go, but the character's core is the basis of everything to me.

 

[Brovo]

Personality and backstory are nice and all, but they're ultimately molded by other, more important things. They're the wrapper around the central core of a character: Their motivation. You can write a backstory devoid of any connection to the plot and leave the character a completely pointless, stupid thing that can be replaced by pretty much anything that has ever existed. Like NPC's who tell you their life's story in RPG's, which you don't give a shit about, because you just want them to sell you their baguette of +4 frenchness already so you can get back to the actual plot. Oh, and the personality won't make any sense unless it reflects a character's wants and needs, which--unless you select them randomly from a fucking jar--you can derive from...

... The motivation of the character to resolve the conflict of the story! The backstory can explain why a character got their motivation, and a personality can show how their motivation has shaped them as a person, but neither of these things are central to the character: They're expressions of the central motif of the character.

After all, pretty sure we've all read a character who has had like, a three thousand word history that was so fucking painful to read that everyone curled up into a ball and started suffering episodes of PTSD to make it stop. Or a personality field that was composed of traits so random and often with such violently opposing antonyms that the only way to explain their personality is with the words "schizophrenic bipolar escapee from the mental ward."

So... Yeah. Motivation. If a character does not possess a motivation to resolve the conflict in the plot, then they have no reason to be there... And it will become apparent very quickly in how disinterested they will naturally be in actually resolving the plot.

 

[Absyinthe_Artica]

Hmm, that's very interesting!! I will know keep that in mind whenever I write up my characters. Thank you!

 

[Kestrel]

motivation

This.

 

[The Mood is Write]

For me, the most important thing a character can have is a conflict or a source of conflict. Without it, their backstory is meaningless, their personality is flat, and their appearance becomes roughly as memorable as any other NPC.

Another most important thing: motive. What drives them?

These two forces work together to make the bare bones of a character and can even provide the meat: personality, backstory, and more.

For example, a character is motivated by acceptance, but they lack empathy. They want to make friends, but they just don't comprehend how their actions make others feel. How will this affect their backstory? They could be from a happy, loving family who's financially successful, but they'll still be unhappy because they feel like the others don't understand them, and they don't understand the others. This leads to interest.

 

[Absyinthe_Artica]

Excellent! Thank you for sharing, guys!
I also think that, for me, having a visual representation of my character gives me a base to create their personality and back history.

 

[Greenie]

Since my rps are usually in the fantasy/mythology/supernatural genre, the most important part of my character is actually the species that they, and alongside that, the powers and weaknesses said species has. Personality and Background is usually the last part of the character I work on. Not that I feel they lack importance, they're just the hardest part for me.

 

[Abnormalize]

The background. For me the background shapes their personality, them as a character. Making a concrete background is pivotal in creating a character.

 

[Crow]

Backstory isn't as important to me, because at times a character's significant backstory can be played during the course of the tale. Where the tale is their backstory.

Personality is important.