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Post by Rocket! on Apr 12, 2009 22:01:43 GMT -5
Been thinking and thinking and thinking... and I think I have a question!
What do you call a "good character"? Not "good" as in the opposite of equal. "Good" as in top-notch quality.
Answers that pop straight into my head... mainly involve the character not being "static", or in other words, being incapable of seriously/completely changing.
Another floating thought bubble is talking about character personalities. Characters that are empowered by their personalities, rather than limited, could be called "good". (An example! When playing as Bob the talking flounder, you feel limited. This is because the character is easy to play, stereotypical, and you find yourself wanting to break the character's personality in the middle of a thread.)
So, thoughts? What makes a "good" character?
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Post by kempff on Apr 12, 2009 23:56:11 GMT -5
Fun topic here...
A character that I can relate with.
I think that's it. A character that's relate-able, well I'm interested to know more. Any kind, I know I'm not a perfect, good, kind, stereotypical whatever; none of us are. No is one polar body, so when this is embraced I am very much interested to begin with.
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Post by Akito on Apr 13, 2009 0:08:21 GMT -5
A character I enjoy RPing with and don't find the onslaught of threads a chore.
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Post by upsilon on Apr 13, 2009 8:22:36 GMT -5
A character that relates to a part of my own personality, that piques my interest, and that has no overly set personality so I can do whatever I so please and be adaptable to any situation. And one that I have an unlimited amount of inspiration for. Like Scruffy.
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Post by servant on Apr 13, 2009 9:08:12 GMT -5
There aren't "bad" characters. I have no preference for character traits in others' characters. Think all designs are good designs.
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Post by kempff on Apr 13, 2009 9:23:04 GMT -5
Weren't we all talking about our own characters? I was at least.
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Post by Rocket! on Apr 13, 2009 13:29:39 GMT -5
I was referring to characters in general, truth be told. Your own, someone elses, a character you read in a book, etc... ^^
As for character traits, ƒo[ƒfӝ, I think it's not so much there're bad traits as some characters don't have enough to be... well-rounded?
I agree that characters you can understand and feel for are good. It means you can RP them with feeling and accuracy! It adds a touch more realism to the character. ...believeable. That's the word.
Ups, I agree that adaptable characters are good for many things. Hence the adaptable! However, (and this is just me, mind you,) when I try and make a char like that, (s)he often feels like they're half done to me. I like characters that're less adaptable, for that reason. But again, that's just me!
And Akito? You kinda repeated the question, sorta. ^_^;; What kind of character do you enjoy RPing with; where there's no onslaught?
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Post by gouki on Apr 13, 2009 15:25:23 GMT -5
I like characters that can behave on a more human level than just your average hero-boy or anti-social character. A character that can talk, act, and think the way a person truly would is something I would consider a good character. I don't have problems with the typical one or two dimension, anime type character as long as they are real, you get what I mean? Something that makes them behave this way other than their past or they were just born like that. There has to be reasons behind the personality I think anyways.
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Post by nascent on Apr 15, 2009 17:52:45 GMT -5
Ah, one of the eternal questions of writing...
In large part, it comes down to audience. If the readers like a character enough, the character is "good"; if not, they're "uninteresting" or "boring", and if you're REEEEEALLY unlucky the character will get publicly branded as "bad". Even so, there are a few guidelines that can help.
As others have mentioned, it should be possible to relate to a character on some level (failing that, they can be complex enough to be interesting as a substitute). Characters should have depth enough to avoid being "2D", but not too much or reading them feels like falling through an endless rabbit hole in Wonderland. But a character still needs more than just that...
Like stories themselves, characters need conflict to make them interesting. That conflict can be external or internal, deeply involved or just beginning. It's also good to layer in a healthy dose of "mundane" conflicts (strong dislikes, fears, embarrassments, everyday struggles, etc...) along with any "epic" ones.
Always keep in mind that while characters are the backbone of a story, individual stories (backstory and history) are the backbone of a character. It gives them shape, strength, direction, and flavor. Ultimately, when telling a story or building a character, conflict is the building block of everything.
That's my take on it, anyway.
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Post by nathan on Apr 28, 2009 23:35:23 GMT -5
Personally, I think a good character is one that doesn't have a set future or destiny. This person could be drinking tea and live their life out with nothing happening, or the same character could be thrown into a strange new world without much knowledge and eventually end up doing the same thing, or end up fighting and saving people.
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Post by donald2 on Apr 29, 2009 4:38:06 GMT -5
I don't think there is such a thing as a "bad" character. All characters in a book, RP, or even in a videogame have a certain concept to them that makes them interesting. I believe that when the concept becomes overused, then a character is looked upon negatively.
(I.E. Lost twin, killed their own family, has no family, perfect charm, etc.)
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Post by Rocket! on Apr 29, 2009 16:19:23 GMT -5
A character killing their own family is stereotypical?!
...
~runs off to throw a character profile draft out the window~
xD
Looks like there isn't much of a "right" answer... thought Nascent and Grav's strike a chord with me.
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I did post in shades of grey if anyone even remembers that lmao