Character Theory Do you have a "type" of character you're most drawn to?

[Idea]

This is extremely dangerous territory. Has the most potential to go poorly. Makes people wonder about you. Why are you writing from the perspective of an 8-year-old? Are you okay? True Evil because that is the only morally correct placement for playing a child (unless you are also a child, in which case, you are exempt from criticism).

Considering this is a type of character I really like to play, let me give my reasons (and since you asked and all):
----> Cuteness / Wholesomeness
---> An interesting perspective, the simple innocence and lack of understanding
---> Can bring out sides of other characters you don't normally get to see
---> Have built-in obstacles in the form of their lack of knowledge and not being as physically developed

Then there's those types of "children-but-not-really" types which have some dramatic and a lot of comedic potential in my eyes, but that's probably another topic entirely.

I suppose my main disagreement is classifying playing such a character as "evil", in inherent terms anyway. I don't think playing a character that's particularly young is any different morally than playing one that's really old, or playing a character that went to war when you didn't, or basically any other surface-level trait of a character. There's really no reason why it would be outside of assumptions made about the player, but even if we were to presume those assumptions generally true I don't think it would follow that the character archetype itself is an issue.

That being one must acknowledge there is such a thing as people simply being uncomfortable with there being a child within, say, violent situations (the example that comes to mind is in a post-apocalyptic roleplay). Personally I feel the dynamic that can be established and again the presence of that perspective are two things that kind of character can contribute very well to such an RP, but people are uncomfortable with what they are uncomfortable with. So there are times when playing certain types of characters fits better than others, and that goes for child characters as well.

 

[Saurosian]

View attachment 953241
A lot of really interesting takes in this thread. I thought I would share my own take in the form of this visual depiction (see right).

Role Elaboration:

Spoiler: Role Elaboration

Caregiver/parent:
This role refers to characters that take on a comforting, nurturing role. In a character relationship they are typically older, wiser, and/or more responsible.

Lovable dumbass:
The kind, thoughtless idiot with unending optimism and a resilient positive attitude.

Funky little scientist:
A funny little scientist. (Scientist as a broad term encompassing also: wizard, magician, alchemist, engineer, nerd)

Boy/Girl
The naive, innocent, free-spirited youth. Most often paired with the Caretaker role or another Boy/Girl. May be outspoken, bashful, and free-spirited. May be unaware of the harsh realities of the world.

Plain Jane:
Characters that are just normal people. They have their vices and virtues. They're balanced, but not always that interesting.

"Morally Dubious"
This description is just as ambiguous as the characters under the umbrella term. The term is extremely relative-- what may seem morally dubious to one roleplayer is not at all "dubious" to another. Sometimes this term is used as an excuse to justify playing downright evil characters. The Morally Gray Protagonist is a trope rarely done well.

Overpowering female lead
She's feisty, cunning, witty, and she knows everything. She's proficient in every weapon and she knows all the lore. All of it. All of the lore. Society hates her because she's right and society is wrong. She single-handedly carries the entire plot. (Doesn't have to be female, but I've only seen this happen once or twice with male characters).

Literal children
Characters that are literal children. (I'm talking like, 12 and under)

Asshole Characters
Not to be confused with Morally Dubious characters. These characters are ambitious, mean, and extremely hostile. Takes a tremendous amount of stamina to keep up with an asshole character. Mad respect to those who do it well.

Placement Elaboration:

Spoiler: Placement Elaboration

Caregiver/parent:
These characters are hardly ever evil. It's their true nature to be loving/supportive. Lawful Good.

Lovable dumbass:
A clumsy fool who means well. True Good. CAN be less than good, but I'm referring to himbos/bimbos here.

Funky little scientist:
Not talking about evil scientists. These funky little dudes may have a sour attitude, but they serve a greater good-- science! Chaotic Good.

Boy/Girl
While they do not abide by the laws of society, they are hardly lawless or evil. They're reckless lovers! They're not wildcards. Lawful Neutral.

Plain Jane:
Normal people. True Neutral.

"Morally Dubious"
Chaotic Neutral because you never really know what you're gonna get when someone says that their character is "morally dubious". Much uncertainty.

Overpowering female lead
Characters who confidently dominate the plot are a good match for some-- but they can be a handful! The most disastrous consequence of being matched with an overpowering character is that while they may be in complete control, you will be at a complete loss for control/influence. Lawful Evil.

Literal children
This is extremely dangerous territory. Has the most potential to go poorly. Makes people wonder about you. Why are you writing from the perspective of an 8-year-old? Are you okay? True Evil because that is the only morally correct placement for playing a child (unless you are also a child, in which case, you are exempt from criticism).

Asshole Characters
Chaotic Evil. Amazing or horrible, no in-between. Maybe they soften up and something beautiful happens. Maybe they're just rotten to the core. Hardest character to play well and maintain. (Only counts if the roleplayer knows their character is in the wrong. If they think their character is right, see Overpowering Female Lead).

I think any character can fall under one (or more) of these broad categories! I think I most often find myself playing dumbasses, but I'd be lying if I didn't have characters that I'd classify as "morally dubious" (as horribly subjective as that is).

Anyone agree/disagree? Thoughts?

Can we get examples from popular media for each of these? Kind of the, "Which popular character is this character trying to emulate?"

 

[viceroy]

View attachment 953241
A lot of really interesting takes in this thread. I thought I would share my own take in the form of this visual depiction (see right).

Role Elaboration:

Spoiler: Role Elaboration

Caregiver/parent:
This role refers to characters that take on a comforting, nurturing role. In a character relationship they are typically older, wiser, and/or more responsible.

Lovable dumbass:
The kind, thoughtless idiot with unending optimism and a resilient positive attitude.

Funky little scientist:
A funny little scientist. (Scientist as a broad term encompassing also: wizard, magician, alchemist, engineer, nerd)

Boy/Girl
The naive, innocent, free-spirited youth. Most often paired with the Caretaker role or another Boy/Girl. May be outspoken, bashful, and free-spirited. May be unaware of the harsh realities of the world.

Plain Jane:
Characters that are just normal people. They have their vices and virtues. They're balanced, but not always that interesting.

"Morally Dubious"
This description is just as ambiguous as the characters under the umbrella term. The term is extremely relative-- what may seem morally dubious to one roleplayer is not at all "dubious" to another. Sometimes this term is used as an excuse to justify playing downright evil characters. The Morally Gray Protagonist is a trope rarely done well.

Overpowering female lead
She's feisty, cunning, witty, and she knows everything. She's proficient in every weapon and she knows all the lore. All of it. All of the lore. Society hates her because she's right and society is wrong. She single-handedly carries the entire plot. (Doesn't have to be female, but I've only seen this happen once or twice with male characters).

Literal children
Characters that are literal children. (I'm talking like, 12 and under)

Asshole Characters
Not to be confused with Morally Dubious characters. These characters are ambitious, mean, and extremely hostile. Takes a tremendous amount of stamina to keep up with an asshole character. Mad respect to those who do it well.

Placement Elaboration:

Spoiler: Placement Elaboration

Caregiver/parent:
These characters are hardly ever evil. It's their true nature to be loving/supportive. Lawful Good.

Lovable dumbass:
A clumsy fool who means well. True Good. CAN be less than good, but I'm referring to himbos/bimbos here.

Funky little scientist:
Not talking about evil scientists. These funky little dudes may have a sour attitude, but they serve a greater good-- science! Chaotic Good.

Boy/Girl
While they do not abide by the laws of society, they are hardly lawless or evil. They're reckless lovers! They're not wildcards. Lawful Neutral.

Plain Jane:
Normal people. True Neutral.

"Morally Dubious"
Chaotic Neutral because you never really know what you're gonna get when someone says that their character is "morally dubious". Much uncertainty.

Overpowering female lead
Characters who confidently dominate the plot are a good match for some-- but they can be a handful! The most disastrous consequence of being matched with an overpowering character is that while they may be in complete control, you will be at a complete loss for control/influence. Lawful Evil.

Literal children
This is extremely dangerous territory. Has the most potential to go poorly. Makes people wonder about you. Why are you writing from the perspective of an 8-year-old? Are you okay? True Evil because that is the only morally correct placement for playing a child (unless you are also a child, in which case, you are exempt from criticism).

Asshole Characters
Chaotic Evil. Amazing or horrible, no in-between. Maybe they soften up and something beautiful happens. Maybe they're just rotten to the core. Hardest character to play well and maintain. (Only counts if the roleplayer knows their character is in the wrong. If they think their character is right, see Overpowering Female Lead).

I think any character can fall under one (or more) of these broad categories! I think I most often find myself playing dumbasses, but I'd be lying if I didn't have characters that I'd classify as "morally dubious" (as horribly subjective as that is).

Anyone agree/disagree? Thoughts?

I'm convinced that you write for TV Tropes. I suppose many of my characters nowadays fall under "Morally Dubious" and "Asshole", which hopefully I don't seem like in real life. I would also like to add one more role to this list:

The Personification of Evil
The Personification of Evil may be intentional, or an Asshole Character gone wrong. Generally, such characters are inherently, purely evil, and have little to no genuine personal motivations for their actions. They are evil to be evil. They hurt others because they enjoy it. They are literally just evil. Unlike an Asshole Character, they are always irredeemable, and also often unrelatable.

 

[Jewel]

In light of Idea pointing out to me that playing a child is not inherently evil and that a child can actually also fall into any other category, I have removed children from the chart. In place of it I have added the personification of evil, as suggested by viceroy :-)


Role Elaboration:

Spoiler: Role Elaboration

Caregiver/parent:
This role refers to characters that take on a comforting, nurturing role. In a character relationship they are typically older, wiser, and/or more responsible.
Examples in popular media:
Shiro (Voltron), Obi Wai (Star Wars), Wendy (Peter Pan),


Lovable dumbass:
The kind, thoughtless idiot with unending optimism and a resilient positive attitude.
Kristoff (Frozen), Fred Jones (Scooby Doo), Karen Smith (Mean Girls)

Funky little scientist:
A funny little scientist. (Scientist as a broad term encompassing also: wizard, magician, alchemist, engineer, nerd)
Examples in popular media:
Viktor (Arcane), Doc Brown (Back to the Future), Frankenstein (Frankenstein),

Boy/Girl
The naive, innocent, free-spirited youth. Most often paired with the Caretaker role or another Boy/Girl. May be outspoken, bashful, and free-spirited. May be unaware of the harsh realities of the world.
Examples in popular media:
Elio Perlman (CMBYN), Alex Lawther (End of the F*ng world), Giselle (Enchanted),

Plain Jane:
Characters that are just normal people. They have their vices and virtues. They're just a normal person thrown into very un-normal circumstances.
Examples in popular media:
Bella (Twilight), Kirito (Sword Art Online),

"Morally Dubious"
This description is just as ambiguous as the characters under the umbrella term. The term is extremely relative-- what may seem morally dubious to one roleplayer is not at all "dubious" to another. Sometimes this term is used as an excuse to justify playing downright evil characters. The Morally Gray Protagonist is a trope rarely done well.
Examples in popular media:
Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars), Lelouch (Code Geass), Catwoman (Batman), Yuu Otosaka (Charolette), Light Yagami (Death Note), and so, so, so many others.

Overpowering female lead
She's feisty, cunning, witty, and she knows everything. She's proficient in every weapon and she knows all the lore. All of it. All of the lore. Society hates her because she's right and society is wrong. She single-handedly carries the entire plot. (Doesn't have to be female, but I've only seen this happen once or twice with male characters).
Examples in popular media:
Captain Marvel (Captain Marvel), Carole Baskin (Tiger King), Yuki Cross (Vampire Knight),

Asshole Characters
Not to be confused with Morally Dubious characters. These characters are ambitious, mean, and extremely hostile. Takes a tremendous amount of stamina to keep up with an asshole character. Mad respect to those who do it well.
Examples in popular media:
Gaston (Beauty & the Beast), Prince Hans (Frozen), Amy Dunne (Gone Girl),

Personification of Evil
These characters have no redeemable qualities. They hate your character. Makes you wonder why this person even wants to roleplay with you if they're just going to do everything in their power to make your character miserable
Examples in popular media:
Judge Claude Frollo (Hunchbach Notre Dame), Iosef Tarasov (John Wick), Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter),

Placement Elaboration:

Spoiler: Placement Elaboration

Caregiver/parent:
These characters are hardly ever evil. It's their true nature to be loving/supportive. Lawful Good.

Lovable dumbass:
A clumsy fool who means well. True Good. CAN be less than good, but I'm referring to himbos/bimbos here.

Funky little scientist:
Not talking about evil scientists. These funky little dudes may have a sour attitude, but they serve a greater good-- science! Chaotic Good.

Boy/Girl
While they do not abide by the laws of society, they are hardly lawless or evil. They're reckless lovers! They're not wildcards. Lawful Neutral.

Plain Jane:
Normal people. True Neutral.

"Morally Dubious"
Chaotic Neutral because you never really know what you're gonna get when someone says that their character is "morally dubious". Much uncertainty.

Overpowering female lead
Characters who confidently dominate the plot are a good match for some-- but they can be a handful! The most disastrous consequence of being matched with an overpowering character is that while they may be in complete control, you will be at a complete loss for control/influence. Lawful Evil.

Asshole Characters
Neutral Evil. Amazing or horrible, no in-between. Maybe they soften up and something beautiful happens. Maybe they're just rotten to the core. Hardest character to play well and maintain. (Only counts if the roleplayer knows their character is in the wrong. If they think their character is right, see Overpowering Female Lead).

Personification of Evil
Not even fun to roleplay with. Just plain infuriating. Why are you here??

Thank you to Saurosian for suggesting I add examples from popular media. Thoughts people have? Am I close? Am I way off?

*I would like to NOTE that the overpowering female lead trope was created with experiences specific to RPN in mind— there are of course many Gary Sues in popular media, I just haven’t really encountered any on RPN.

 

[8_Stars_8]

bamf women and lil balls of sunshine. also a spunky gal with a big mouth.

 

[ChasmOfOrganicMatter]

I try to roleplay characters who really don't *feel* like they're from western countries. I want them to feel foreign; that they aren't from a world of liberal democracy and human rights, even if they aren't unaware of these things. I like characters who drew up with experiences wherein our conventional moral frameworks and individualist narratives don't really apply because the underlying political and ideological assumptions of their homelands aren't like our own real life ones in the slightest. That sense that they're foreign isn't so much that they're exotic as much as they are from lands that may be like our own in a broad sense but the things we might find to be radical or extreme are within the overton window where they are from.

As an example, I like the idea of people who served in militaries that were often a large part not really "official" or not recognized by conventional governments. Not quite terrorist organizations but movements that emerged from grassmovements political movements and whose existence is a reminder of vast, systematic inqualities - things that put doubts in the idea of neoliberal democracies or monarchial rule or whathave you being fair in how they treat those outside of an imperial core. I like them to be hardened by years of struggle and loss, but sharply pragmatic a large part due to this and ruthless in spite of having a strong sense of teamwork and unity. They're pensive, introspective people but are bereft of Main Character Syndrome mentally because they see themselves as parts of a greater puzzle rather than protagonists in a story.

 

[ManhattanIV]

Im definitely drawn to the outgoing, boisterous type of characters, the type that specialize in being that lovable sort of annoying, though I like to think that's because it matches my own personality!

 

[EccentricOracle]

Omg… I like playing a range of characters, but there are tons of times I revert back to certain archetypes.

1. A person orchestrating their own doom
Like, everything’s falling apart for them. And they know what they’re doing is hurting them, but for character/plot reasons they JUST CANT GIVE IT UP. I just LOVE it when my characters have problems and traumas, but ones that developed from actions they themselves took.

2. Infamously instigative characters.
This gets the ball rolling in rps a lot. Characters who are comfortable asking questions, prodding other pcs for topical lore, or creating conflict between themselves and others. These characters are always either starting something, or finishing it.
I love instigators of many kinds. They don’t necessarily have to be argumentative, even though they are bound to step on some toes with how sensitive some of the questions that they may bring to light. Regardless, I’ve played just as many argument-instigators as I have cares-but-is-also-driven-by-curiosity types.
One thing I will say is that these types of instigators rely really heavily on communication with ur rp partners. Working together to instigate meaningful conflicts and conversations will always be better than prodding in the dark. And if you’re not careful and modest with them, these characters can turn to be more invasive and plot-disruptive than anything.

3. Deeply insecure characters.
YEAHHHH my JAMM!! I have played just general insecure characters before, but I’m especially talking about just a very deep and distressing insecurity in one area of my char’s life.
Many times, our insecurities develop from what traits and statures we were taught to value when we were impressionable, and how we may perceive ourselves to fail to live up to a certain value in our adolescent/adult life.
By giving a character an insecurity like that, it allows me to not only explore their psyche, but it also opens up a ton of possibilities in their childhood/general backstory!! Insecurity is a tool I like to use to expand my character’s backstory when I’m stumped on it.

4. In magic-oriented rps, characters who are magically deficient or handicapped.
This kind of goes hand in hand with the insecurity trait above, but it doesn’t have to.
When I play characters that are less “gifted” in terms of how the world functions, it gives me reign to be really creative and subversive in how my character deals with certain problems.

5. Prideful characters.
I often link this trait with… basically all of the traits above. Pride makes a good contrast to misfortune or deficiency, I find. Characters who bite, scratch and claw their way up from misfortune, simply because they think they deserve more.
Prideful characters can’t show weakness. Prideful characters can’t ask for help.
Pride is a consequence of unchecked bias and unconscious prejudice, and it adds another layer to how my characters nagivate the world they are a part of.
Plus, pride is just fun to break.
I love pride used as a reflex to protect oneself. I love deconstructing that pride and watching them nurse a wounded side, a side they deem inferior, with other relevant characters watching.

But yea!

I just love…. Outspoken (in a positive or negative way) characters who are actually very secretive, and for good reason. I’ve played many of those, and it never gets old as long as you make each character their own person.

Ok I’m done

 

[Damafaud]

Recently I'm all into characters with intense drives, obsessions, or anyone who knows what they want. Example would be a sensationalist who wants everything to make as little sense as possible, a romance obsessed witch, a mercenary who puts his whole effort to make the best cake in existence... their personality and ability are all over, but I like them with a clear and defined set of goals and interest.

 

[Rubadubdub]

During my earlier years, I was really into combat-based RPs. My bias were tanky or bruiser archetypes. Your typical kind block headed brutes. Personality-wise, I'd say carefree, laidback, but reliable when it counts. Pretty cliché-y though. XD

 

[stillwyou]

morally ambiguous characters. characters who are happy and cheerful on the outside but dead on the inside. also dilfs

 

[L0velyGray]

Definitely use the chaotic neutral trope like a crutch. Characters that seek out majorly self-destructive risks, who are stubborn in their ways and refuse to change. I don’t get a chance to play characters with a more bubbly personality very often.

 

[Default Skin]

I love powerful characters but only to protect their loved ones and others from NPC enemies. I hate fighting others and proving I am strong like, its not fun when my powerful guy or girl is challenged.

 

[MusicBox]

The character who tries to do good but only prolongs the chaos in the end

 

[Werepunk]

Oooh, here's some of my favorites! I love writing these types of characters and I also love writing with characters like this.


-Angry rebel. Someone who's sick and tired of being treated badly by the powers that be and is willing to change things by force

-Big, gruff, scary-looking man, who is actually just kinda quiet and gentle when you get to know him. Bonus points if he's a big monster like a werewolf or something

-"Bad" character who's only bad because they were brainwashed by the antagonist/villain group. Bonus points if they either break free of their indoctrination and have a redemption arc, or die as a tragic villain. (Seriously, I've got like 3 different characters like this)

-Dude who's just. So tired. Just needs a break from all this plot nonsense. He looks 50 years old but he's actually like 25

-Traumatized characters, when written well. Show me someone who's been through some awful stuff. I especially love when they're able to heal and grow and find happiness. And when it's two or more traumatized characters healing and supporting each other?? Absolutely, yes. Give me that hurt/comfort and found family shit


And a lot of these can be mixed and matched which makes it even better

 

[Lorsh]

Have always liked the "mean military leader femchar that also cares a lot for their troops"

ex: General Olivier Armstrong, Princess Cornelia li Britannia, Colonel Misato Katsuragi

 

[crow-call]

I've always been such a sucker for the "Jerk with a Heart of Gold" trope. I love to see these grumpy characters really break open and expose their inner soft side, especially if their development ends with them making an active effort in being a kinder person.

I also usually end up playing the straight-man in a group of otherwise very chaotic/goofy characters. There's something so weirdly compelling about playing a character who is desperately trying to get control over a situation that is completely uncontrollable.

 

[Daisie]

General Olivier Armstrong

Yes

 

[Cresion Breezes]

The one common thing all my characters seem to share no matter what their other traits are is that they had an existential crisis at some point. Basically something that seriously"shooketh" them happened and they start questioning the meaning of life or whatever (not in the suicidal way though, well, usually not in the suicidal way) or it's baked into the setting.

I even make up entire races that have existential crisises as a rite of passage.

 

[starboob]

strong lesbians. lesbians with huge arms that are perfect for holding their wives. lesbians with swords (a must!). lesbians.

 

[Akechi Mitsuhide]

Looking at the characters I have played the most, I'm not sure. Apart from pretty much always playing men despite being a woman. I do have a lot of player characters who are women (most of my Wardens and Dragonborns, all my Shepards, all my Soulsborne characters) but I don't really RP them.



Anders & Justice: cat-loving rebel mage and his live-in spirit. disaster bi. chaotic good. thinks he can handle possession.
Samson: a fucking mess is what he is but I love him. I pretty much only played him whenever there was a romanceable Cullen player available.
Mitsuhide: samurai who somehow ends up betraying the man he loved. it's complicated. personality-wise, dutiful, workaholic, loving husband and dad, prone to melancholy
Mitsunari: another samurai, goth nerd, definitely on the spectrum, too loyal for his own good, not the best at socializing, too blunt. few friends but they are true ones.

 

[HNTR]

Flower child/Modern hippie - Really someone who loves the idea of love and peace
Stumbling/Awkward Nerd - The smart guy who’s really nervous to say anything because he’ll think he’d mess up
Rebellious Kid - The one with a real chip on their shoulders, reckless, and stubborn to change
The Artist - The one who wants to tell the story of the lives and really believes it could change the world

 

[BackSet]

Grumps, assholes with anger issues, and perky childish characters. I'm really good at the anger issues one because of my own history with anger issues.

 

[Malphaestus]

Someone troubled. Generally, so long as it is neither the joker, nor the inhumanely cheerful, I have no preferences.

 

[Aarix]

A lot of my characters are addicts...... substances or other stuff. Recovering or otherwise. So much relatable mental turmoil that comes with it. very juicy.
I also like to make characters who are a duo or box set :^) ones made contrast each other, physically and mentally :v tall stoic misantrhope VS short overemotional charmer, etc...