Experiences Thoughts on Premade Characters?

[ashen.eidolon]

So I've been running into an issue a lot in my years of roleplaying and I want to know if it happens to anyone else and what their thoughts are... For the record I had a rpn account years ago and this is a new one cause I just don't really feel like the same person anymore, yadda yadda, long time roleplayer here and not nearly as new as my account makes me look lol. Anyway:

I find I will post an interest check, and this mainly happened with 1x1s but I've even experienced it to a small degree with group roleplays. And I try to have a solid plot starting out and everything, as well as room for the other person to work in their ideas and characters. But I haven't gotten a single roleplay off the ground in several years because I keep running into the same issue.

Someone will say "hey, I like your plot/idea and would love to do this with you!" So I will respond and ask general questions like "okay what did you have in mind for your character?" Or "did you have any additional ideas you'd like to share?"

And I must be a magnet for these people because I swear every single time I'm getting people who immediately hit me with not just one but MULTIPLE already fleshed out characters with backstories and plots that do not fit the roleplay at all. Then even better, they tell me which one they'd like me to play!

They express interest in my original idea and then completely change it to something totally different with all their own characters. I went along with it for the hell of it one time and they STILL didn't like what I did with the character THEY wanted me to play.

I'm getting really frustrated because I have been roleplaying for over ten years and I'm an alright writer and always detail that I require literacy as well as someone who is willing to work together and no matter what I post as an interest check, the only replies I get are from people who have a more casual roleplay style who want me to play as characters that they create.

I'm less annoyed with not getting many responses because I understand my interests are more niche. But the responses I do get are always from these kinds of people.

I don't understand why it keeps happening and wondered if it happens to other people

Also what should I do? Is there a nice way to say "hey I'm happy to incorporate things you like as well but this doesn't have anything to do with the plot or interests I listed and I wanna create my own character???"

Like????

 

[Sorin]

This hasn't happened to me (yet), but I have run into folks who have very clear ideas of what they want for their character(s) and the Roleplay. Which is great! Until they start talking over you and hijacking your ideas. I feel like this is still fairly uncommon in my experience though. I'm really sorry that you keep running into it. I'm not sure if there really is a market for pre-made characters either, because I really wouldn't feel comfortable writing someone else's character (unless I'm trying my hand at a canonical character from a piece of media). At least with a canonical character from media, though, I already know what they're like. You can't really do that with someone else's OC.

Maybe there is a market for people playing pre-made characters, but I do feel like it'd be a very small one.

 

[ashen.eidolon]

This hasn't happened to me (yet), but I have run into folks who have very clear ideas of what they want for their character(s) and the Roleplay. Which is great! Until they start talking over you and hijacking your ideas. I feel like this is still fairly uncommon in my experience though. I'm really sorry that you keep running into it. I'm not sure if there really is a market for pre-made characters either, because I really wouldn't feel comfortable writing someone else's character (unless I'm trying my hand at a canonical character from a piece of media). At least with a canonical character from media, though, I already know what they're like. You can't really do that with someone else's OC.

Maybe there is a market for people playing pre-made characters, but I do feel like it'd be a very small one.

I never used to run into it at all. It started happening all the time in 2019... And it's been almost every time I've posted an interest check since then.

I'm definitely very uncomfortable roleplaying a premade character, I am happy to include traits or tidbits my partner wanted to have as part of the dynamic in my character and I'm always open to suggestions. This strange thing where I'm having people pm me entire character profiles telling me "okay I'm gonna play this one, and you'll be this one" feels very...weird.

I reuse ideas from time to time but I don't even have premade characters for roleplays lol. I cant imagine always playing the same one and always wanting the other person to play the same person, too.

 

[Sorin]

I never used to run into it at all. It started happening all the time in 2019... And it's been almost every time I've posted an interest check since then.

I'm definitely very uncomfortable roleplaying a premade character, I am happy to include traits or tidbits my partner wanted to have as part of the dynamic in my character and I'm always open to suggestions. This strange thing where I'm having people pm me entire character profiles telling me "okay I'm gonna play this one, and you'll be this one" feels very...weird.

I reuse ideas from time to time but I don't even have premade characters for roleplays lol. I cant imagine always playing the same one and always wanting the other person to play the same person, too.

If you're continuing to run into this problem, then I'd suggest put this into your interest check and highlighting it in BIG BOLD TEXT that can't be missed if you haven't done so already. I am uncomfortable with playing pre-made OCs, so please do not ask me to do so! or something along those lines.

 

[ashen.eidolon]

If you're continuing to run into this problem, then I'd suggest put this into your interest check and highlighting it in BIG BOLD TEXT that can't be missed if you haven't done so already. I am uncomfortable with playing pre-made OCs, so please do not ask me to do so! or something along those lines.

I've definitely considered doing it. I took a big long break from roleplaying and honestly the online community in general and am back starting fresh. So far so good, hopefully it doesn't happen again anytime soon

 

[Sorin]

I've definitely considered doing it. I took a big long break from roleplaying and honestly the online community in general and am back starting fresh. So far so good, hopefully it doesn't happen again anytime soon

I know that feeling. Here's to hoping it gets better. Welcome back!

 

[nerdy tangents]

So I would never play someone else’s character, if they want to play their own premade character (provided it fits the setting) then fine.

I honestly think the nicest way to address this is to be direct.

“I make my own characters. If you have a character you want to play please feel free to send their CS. But I will be making my character after we flesh out the plot a bit more.”

Or ya know words to that effect.


I think I have had a variation of this where the people don’t seem to pay any attention to the plot or setting and just pitch a random character they want to play.

Like I can understand being fond of your characters but that doesn’t mean I have to be as emotionally invested them as you are. Especially if you expect me to change my entire plot and setting to fit your random character.

 

[ashen.eidolon]

So I would never play someone else’s character, if they want to play their own premade character (provided it fits the setting) then fine.

I honestly think the nicest way to address this is to be direct.

“I make my own characters. If you have a character you want to play please feel free to send their CS. But I will be making my character after we flesh out the plot a bit more.”

Or ya know words to that effect.


I think I have had a variation of this where the people don’t seem to pay any attention to the plot or setting and just pitch a random character they want to play.

Like I can understand being fond of your characters but that doesn’t mean I have to be as emotionally invested them as you are. Especially if you expect me to change my entire plot and setting to fit your random character.

So I would never play someone else’s character, if they want to play their own premade character (provided it fits the setting) then fine.

I honestly think the nicest way to address this is to be direct.

“I make my own characters. If you have a character you want to play please feel free to send their CS. But I will be making my character after we flesh out the plot a bit more.”

Or ya know words to that effect.


I think I have had a variation of this where the people don’t seem to pay any attention to the plot or setting and just pitch a random character they want to play.

Like I can understand being fond of your characters but that doesn’t mean I have to be as emotionally invested them as you are. Especially if you expect me to change my entire plot and setting to fit your random character.

Oh yeah, most recently I had someone agree to do a slice of life kind of plot I had going on and then sent me a furry..... I asked if they meant to send me that and they just said "Yeah, I only play furries."

I mean, I suppose I never exactly clarified that the characters were supposed to be human but I didn't think I needed to in a realistic, modern, slice of life setting. People will really get attached to certain characters/character types and stick to it I guess.

I mean I guess I went through a phase when I was 12 where I'd only play vampires. But this was another adult

Edited to add: no idea why it quoted you twice. I'm on my phone right now and rpn doesn't seem to like that lol sorry!

 

[nerdy tangents]

See I refuse to write with anyone who has a premade character they cannot change.

Unless I am responding to their interest check about their idea, I am like nope.

If you can’t make a new character for the plot I at least want you to be able to edit the characters you have already created.

Because if they can’t change the character they means they aren’t gonna change the plot or setting either.

Which is fine for their own interest check, it’s not fine if your hijacking my interest check to make me write your story.

 

[ashen.eidolon]

See I refuse to write with anyone who has a premade character they cannot change.

Unless I am responding to their interest check about their idea, I am like nope.

If you can’t make a new character for the plot I at least want you to be able to edit the characters you have already created.

Because if they can’t change the character they means they aren’t gonna change the plot or setting either.

Which is fine for their own interest check, it’s not fine if your hijacking my interest check to make me write your story.

Exactly!!

I will draw inspiration from previous characters I've made for roleplays and take a few things here and there that might fit my new character... But that's just it. They're a new character. They have similar traits to a former one because I enjoyed the dynamic or thought it would fit in the setting, but they're not the same character. Besides I think I would get really incredibly bored playing the same characters over and over again.

It always rubs me the wrong way when they come at me with a fully fleshed out character 5 mins after we decide on a character sheet because either they admit they were already existing or they make it entirely obvious by not making them fit the narrative of the story at all. It's never turned out well and I'm certain never will.

 

[Jannah]

Not a fan of it myself. To me it's sort of akin to writing canon characters in fandoms (which I'm also against). It also seems a bit lazy to just throw in a character that has been used in a RP before. I get that people grow attached to their characters. It has happened to me too. However, an easy way around that would be to just create a new character with similar personalities and traits. They can still feel like the previous character while also being different enough to give the writer a new experience.

 

[StrixDesmodus]

I re-use characters a lot, but I often get "new character fever" so I tend to also make new characters for rps too.
Honestly, I sometimes rp specifically because I want to write a certain character. While I've changed character traits before, and even stamped an old name on a new-ish character, I don't tend to recycle characters in a a way that is meant to make them less than recognizable. I have alternative names for alternative setting styles, but that's the extent of it.

 

[magma_dude]

I don't mind doing it but it would take a bit getting into the mindset of said character.

 

[cwosont]

I've reused characters before, but I do try to be mindful of the story I'm placing them in. I do think reusing characters is more common on RPN then the other site I'm used to. I had a couple of instances a few months back of people submitting CS for my roleplays and the characters were CLEARLY made for a different story. It honestly comes off as a bit disrespectful to me in these instances because my story is essentially being ignored. It's like they care more about role-playing their character then roleplaying the story. I don't mind reused characters but there really needs to be some thought put into them in order to make them suitable for different stories, even if they're the same fandom or genre.

 

[bloohued]

I'm guilty of both of these. For urban fantasy and slice of life affairs, I often pull out one or both of two certain characters. It might be becauce they've existed for quite some time, and I've grown attached (one existed for over 10 years) or merely out of laziness, but I tend to slot them in with some adjustments to backstory whoever possible. As for giving someone else a character, it's always just a role with sometimes a name or personality trait. I never conceived of giving someone a full profile until I saw someone on RPN doing that, which just rubbed me the wrong way.

 

[Yunalescaa]

The most I would ever do for someone is play a character with their desired face claim. If they have a certain personality or traits or story tidbits in mind I'll take it into consideration. But if someone has already built the character for me to play it feels weird to me. I sometimes feel like if you need someone to play your fully fleshed out characters, maybe you need to be writing a story yourself instead of getting me involved. This all feels weird to say because I'll play canon characters for people which is...almost the same thing? I guess?

Anyways reading this thread I thought it was going in the direction of premade characters for group roleplays, which has never turned me off faster in my life now. I had one bad experience with it and now when I see it in a RP I close the tab. And I'm not talking about "Your character will be assigned this trope" or "Your character will need to be this specific gender for the role". I'm talking "Here's the basic outline of what we want from your character". The RP I did it for I got chewed out for the character not being more original, when most of the roles backstory had been written and I was just filling in the blanks at that point. I feel like you're really limiting yourself by asking people to follow something that specific. And if you want characters to be more original than what you've outlined, you need to keep the outline more vague.

 

[Shawdios]

I am picky when it comes to stuff that interests me. Most of the time it’s because some checks slap me with too much world building details that I’d prefer to learn through asking questions in OOC or as they come up. Or It simply feels too overdone like the whole magical schools thing. Most of the time I wait for someone to come to me.

I typically have a roster of characters for myself to use/adjust depending on what I need for the RP I’m joining or am approached with. With the rare scenario of creating a brand new Character.

I draw my own faceclaims, so I reuse the concept of a character in the face claim sometimes. For example: a lizard looking character I drew (Their name is always Marief with an inserted last name that fits the RP) , sometimes I use them as an alien in a sci-fi Rp, sometimes I use them as a mutant in a Modern Sci-fi, sometimes I use them as a hybrid in a Fantasy Rp. Their backstory always changes for each one, but their concept stays roughly the same.

But I’ve never even heard of people asking people to play their OCs till now, never even occurred to me as something to do XD I personally do not like RPing any character I did not make so I’d never ask that of my RP partner. (That’s why I stay away from Fandom interest checks in general unless it’s just using the world)

In general, Group RPs aren’t my thing. But sometimes I find a rare gem I’m interested in.

 

[InvisiblexInk]

I don't roleplay with people who want me to use their characters. I think roleplaying is a collaborative effort, so I want something of my efforts (my character) to be a part of it too. ^^

 

[PyroOvalord]

If the character they share is interesting, sure. I wouldn't mind exploring such since it's rather alike picking a canon character to play. But it'd have to be flexible for me to make them my character. As in, they're not gonna try stong arm me for playing them in my own interpretation.

Because if that's the case, then they should just go write fanfiction or be them themselves since it's clear they have a defined path forward for them.

 

[bastion]

I can only imagine how aggravating that must be, since I haven't run into it myself. I have no idea why it would keep happening to you, but the best deterrent would definitely be putting in bold that you won't play pre-made characters made by others.

The only time I've encountered anyone wanting people to play pre-made characters are when they ask for it in their interest check. I have no problem doing it in that situation, since I know what's expected going in (as long as I think the character they want me to play is someone I would vibe with and I am allowed to have creative freedom still.)

I usually list my OCs in my interest checks that I'm thinking of playing, so that might be why I haven't encountered anyone who's expected me to play a character for them. If you have characters (or even just concepts) you plan to play for the plots you're pitching, I'd recommend including a little bit about them to show potential partners you already have your own characters. If you make your characters per rp instead of recycling and adapting them, you can mention you will create your character yourself after you and your partner flesh out the plot.

 

[Tanakako]

Have to admit I’ve not heard of someone asking another to play their OC. Definitely weirds me out. How is someone supposed to know a character that someone else made?

I normally create new characters for each rp, though Ihave dusted off a favourite character if their original rp is long dead and buried and it’s ‘safe’ to resurect them. In an appropriate setting of course. The characters that started out as drawings and not rp chars are probably the ones I am most likely to keep. But I have a stable of something like 200 fully realised characters and who knows how many sides. Maybe 10 of them have been reused over the years.

 

[Kveykva]

so since there's been two points brought up in this thread, i figure i should address both of them with my reply.

i am definitely the kind of person who comes into a roleplay with an oc on hand, but that's because i have well over a hundred at this point and a lot of them have never seen the light of day in rp, whether it be that the one they were created for never made it past planning, or it died after the first few posts. that said, each character has a certain setting or genre they were created for. "character a" and "character b" are for modern settings, while "characters c and d" are for mid to high fantasy. i have others for generic sci-fi and cyberpunk specifically, and a handful spread out across various fandoms. i mainly want to write a good story with somebody i connect with, and develop characters and relationships between all the people in a particular story. i can see why people dislike potential partners coming to them with an already established character though, especially when said individual isn't even considering the impact that oc would have on the story or setting if they have a backstory that doesn't fit or, good lord, if they weren't even made with the genre in mind.

on the other hand, writing for a character a partner has designated for you. honestly, i didn't know that was a thing. i've seen group rps where they have a limited number of slots and every character has to fit a specific "role," they were very popular in the semi-lit/lit+ boards on chickensmoothie, but i never really liked that kind of idea so i just didn't participate. someone giving you a character to write for though??? insane. i couldn't imagine trying to do that. i already feel weird when i use my friends' characters (with permission) for prompts in writing events. i feel like i can never nail their personalities with my writing style, so the idea of trying to do that for an entire roleplay makes me squirm.

canon characters i put in a separate boat in my head, primarily because they are publically accessible entities and they tend to have a wide variety of content and breakdowns of them as characters. i don't write for canon characters very often because my time on tumblr led me to hate shipping culture, people who self-project onto characters, and taking emotionally complex things and dumbing them down to basic traits like "mean" or "shy" because it's too hard to understand a headspace that isn't their own.

 

[Punkie]

Personally, I think both "premade characters" and "start from scratch for this rp" characters can be fun in their own ways, depending on what you're looking for and what your preference is.

"Start from scratch for this rp" characters are what I do more often than not, and I generally will use for completely original ideas. I find this more fun because while you build the universe and story with your partner, you can also develop your characters into it and have complete freedom over how you do so.

Having premade characters can be fun too, but I think there's a line somewhere of how developed the character should be. If you're using a premade character, I feel like the real way to make it work and make it fun is to have certain aspects developed already, but enough not developed yet so you can save some of it for the specific role play you're applying it to. This is especially useful for premade characters that you want to try fitting into very different rps, like a slice of life modern rp versus a magical, fantasy filled rp.

In essence, having a foundation is okay, as long as you have enough wiggle room to allow them to fit in any scenario you'd like.

For example... having a premade character that is something along the lines of: "They lost their parents at a young age, so they're a bit and guarded in personality because they're scared to lose anyone they might get close to. Got involved with a bad group of people growing up, has committed crimes before. Also, here is a description of what they look like." This is a character that has a set foundation. They decided what they look like, that they lost their parents at a young age, and that they're guarded with a morally grey compass. This character could be considered "premade", but also is simple enough that you can fit them into most rp concepts. Whether she's a witch in a fantasy universe, a pirate on a ragtag crew, or an alien from a far away planet, these aspects of her story can still apply.

Now obviously this might not work in every case... if you're searching for specifically a partner who will play the role of a sheltered, goody two shoes princess who hates her parents because that's what your plot involves, this character probably wouldn't fit for that. But then again, it could be argued that you're asking for a "premade" character to a certain extent when you apply a foundation to what you're looking for.

If someone were to use that same character now, and specifically said "Well their backstory is dependent on the fact she has magic powers. She also is part of a specific gang. Her main goal in life is to get revenge on her parents by killing the rival gang members that killed them." That might be a bit harder to fit into just any story. Too many specifics that can't adapt can make it more difficult to fit this character into a lot of scenarios.

Ultimately though, I feel like even developed characters could work, so long as the owner of the character is willing to be flexible and make changes/adapt to the rp at hand.

 

[GojiBean]

Iiiiiiiiiiiiii'm... Kinda neutral to the whole concept of premade characters.

On the one hand, I have several of my own characters whom I routinely recycle for other RP ideas if and when I decide to join one. However, I always make sure to do a total background/biography overhaul and make sure that they fit the RP worldbuilding and lore before I put them up in the CS section. I consider this a basic courtesy and sign of respect to the GM to make such an overhaul. Depending on how deep the biography overhaul goes, their personality may change slightly, significantly, or not at all. It really depends.

On the other hand... Well, I'm kind of a hardass GM when it comes to adhering to CS submission rules and minding any warnings pertaining to them. Because I typically give both.

More often than not I will make it abundantly clear in my Interest Checks that zero-effort characters and those which don't fit the RP's worldbuilding and lore (unaltered premades, basically) will be rejected the moment I see the submission, and the player who submitted them will be banned from participating for failing to follow instructions. No excuses. No second chances. If someone didn't read the interest check all the way to see the warning, or foolishly chose to ignore my warning, that's not my problem. Goodbye, and good luck role playing somewhere else. You won't be part of my RP.

Having said that, if someone comes to me ahead of submitting the character and lets me know openly that they're a premade from a different RP I will give them leeway and request anything which doesn't fit my RP worldbuilding and such be changed so that it does fit. And I offer my assistance in helping make sure it does so. After all, if I were to outright reject premades that'd make me quite the hypocrite. Lol.

So yeah. I'm kind of neutral. I don't mind them so long as the owner makes the effort to either change the character to fit the RP, or communicates with me about doing so before submitting them. But if I see an obviously unaltered premade with no effort to make them fit my RP, goodbye and good luck.

Cheers!

- GojiBean