Tell me about your Main character(s)

[blackdaisies]

How did you come up with them? How were you inspired? Did they come first or did the story? Are they anything like you or the people you know? Are they modelled after other characters or celebrities? Are they Mary-Sue'ish (and you know when it's written well, then a Mary Sue can still be a good character) Did they develop on their own or did they need the plotline to as a stimulus? Do they have flaws that are important to the story? Do you like them? (some people don't like their protags, I find that interesting).

Most of all, I'm just interested in how you were inspired to create that character. I also wouldn't mind hearing about how you develop them, but that might tend to be a little spoiler-ish.

I was thinking of this as I'm writing down notes for my next chapter, and how I should proceed with Willow. I've always had a plan for her, and some days I love her and other days I don't. I don't see myself in her at all... except for her introvertedness. She's not particularly someone I need to be, but at the same time, she's an extension of my imagination and I still feel pretty protective of her. Jasmine, on the other hand, I feel more of an affinity with. She's definitely more spunkier than I am, but every time I write her, it's easier because I do relate to her a little more.

The way my characters came about is a little more boring compared to anyone's here most likely. I was just playing with the sims in body shop and their looks inspired me.

[Stacy]

OOOH! Great topic! We do tend to be all general here and not specific about our own stories - so I highly approve of this thread and do start more like this if you want.

Just wanted to say that and post it before I get started on my answer - because you know I can write, like, fifty novels on Seth. It's going to take a while.

[mmmcheezy225]

How did you come up with them? Good question. Most of them simply appear in my head, and we have a cup of tea together during the afternoons. They tell me all about them, and I take little mental notes so I can type them up into NotePad later. Oh how I love thee, NotePad. Many a disjointed thought you have saved for me.

I wish I were lying. Seriously. They pop into my head. The "afternoon tea" bit may have been exaggerated, but exaggeration is my middle name.

How were you inspired? I never really get "inspired". It just...happens. For CAS sims, I simply fool around with the sliders and the sim eventually tells me a story I can use. For sims that were born in-game, I usually have their life story planned out before they're born. Granted, that life story changes, but as I said before, the plotting and planning just happens.

Are they anything like you or the people you know? Most of them are not, because if I make them like people I know, it becomes too personal. I like to have a detached view from my sims, it makes me feel less creepy.

Are they modelled after other characters or celebrities? Nope. See: less creepy. I like to keep my celebrity obsessions IRL, and I never really get inspired from other characters. I do get inspired from stereotypes though, like the Latin lover or the goody two-shoes. I usually take that base and build off of it.

Are they Mary-Sue'ish (and you know when it's written well, then a Mary Sue can still be a good character) Nah. Although I do have a goody-two shoes sim, but she has a reason for behaving the way she does. To me, "Mary-Sue" characters are code for "underdeveloped characters". Just not my cup of tea.

Did they develop on their own or did they need the plotline to as a stimulus? They all pretty much developed on their own, with the exception of one. That one I had to seek outside help for, because her name, traits, etc. just weren't coming to me. Her name was quite literally "_______" for awhile.

Do they have flaws that are important to the story? Yes, they all do. I feel that flaws are an important part to every story, even if the flaw is that it's too perfect and without a flaw.

Do you like them? (some people don't like their protags, I find that interesting). I like most of them, one of them I currently do not like. I think she'll grow on me, though.

[qui]

I have so many stories so I’ll go with my very first.

**How did you come up with them?

I came up with Naslie by pinpointing characteristics that I see in myself and some that I wish I had.

**How were you inspired?

I was bored with regular game play so I googled “how to make sims 2 fun” and I came across a lovely writer named Phoenix whose stories lead me to Beth and Gayl. I can’t really express how these three ladies inspired me to bring Naslie to life but I did it and am happy that I did.

**Did they come first or did the story?

Naslie cam first. Most people claim to have an alter ego, I believe Naslie is mine. She is based off of me, a single mother with an amazing son that is stubborn and determined. I think she has always been a part of me and through her story, I was able to realize things about myself and correct them. (no the man hopping thing. I’m just too freakin’ coy for that lol)

**Are they anything like you or the people you know?

Naslie is 95% me. Though we are both about our kids, determined, and full of pride, she has a tendency to overlook the great things in front of her face (Jace and the trouble with Lawrence). Her friends and family are also based off of people in my RL. Though none of my characters are 100% me or the people I know and love, they are pretty damn close!

**Are they modeled after other characters or celebrities?

No. I pretty much stuck with personalities that I’ve come in contact with.

**Are they Mary-Sue'ish (and you know when it's written well, then a Mary Sue can still be a good character)

Naslie before wasn’t Mary-Sue’ish but the new Naslie may be tittering on that line while still maintaining her stubbornness and pride.



**Dd they develop on their own or did they need the plotline to as a stimulus?

Naslie developed her own through her situation. She is a young woman who caught her boyfriend cheating on her while she was pregnant and as a result, turned to serial dating to shield her heart from the one person who knew how to break those barriers. He ex boyfriend’s brother. Can you smelllllllllllll the drama? lol



**Do they have flaws that are important to the story? Do you like them? (some people don't like their protags, I find that interesting).

Naslie has many flaws that make her who she is. Her inability to let go and let the pieces fall where they lay is only one. She has to be in control of things. Losing control is like the world ending to her and she is full of too much pride to just that. There is only one thing about her that I can't stand but can't remove without changing who she is and that's the fact that she doesn't know when enough is enough and can't get out of the fire without landing in the frying pan.

[thelunarfox]

Ok, in an effort to organize my post, I'm going to go Cheezy's route and answer the questions, lol.

How did you come up with them? How were you inspired?

I'd put these two together. I don't really piece my character together. I just start writing and then see what I get. Most likely I'm inspired by people I know in real life, but it would all be subconscious.

Did they come first or did the story?

Generally they come at the same time, but the character develops faster than the story. Mostly that's because I'm a mess-- I'm like "Outlines? PSH! Boring!" and I insist on just writing everything out.

Are they anything like you or the people you know? Are they modelled after other characters or celebrities?

No, though I can point to things about all my characters that are like me, and that sort of worries me sometimes. Like I'm limited by an invisible wall and all I can do is try my best to dazzle readers away from it and hope they don't notice.

Are they Mary-Sue'ish (and you know when it's written well, then a Mary Sue can still be a good character)?

My Edith feels Mary Sue-like. I actually took a litmus test for her before I just became exhausted. After 400 questions, yeah everything is going to be a freakin' mary sue!

I had to write about her to myself-- sort of like brain storming but I write out all my thoughts. She was the first character I had to do that with to get a better understanding of her as a character.

Did they develop on their own or did they need the plotline to as a stimulus?

Both usually. I'm heavily driven by character, so usually as I'm examining the character, plots will become apparent, and as the plots become apparent I learn more of the character.

Do they have flaws that are important to the story?

Yes and no. I don't really set out for the flaws to be important to the development of the story. The flaws just are. Like Paula in the current story. She's rather complacent and easy going. She's not always observant, and she doesn't ask a lot of questions.

So it does shape the story, but the events that will happen will probably happen even if she was more active.


Do you like them?

Usually, yes. I am aware that Paula and Edith are similar in that they're girls who aren't in control of the situations they're in. They're not the sort of girls that'll just bust through the story and take names, bashing heads together and looking gorgeous while doing it. They're not even very active characters.

So I admit that sometimes I hate that. But, you write what you know, right? And I've always been a sit and wait for your chance type of person, rarely a take charge and take names sort. So we're sort of back to my whole invisible wall thing and disguising it so that people don't notice. (Oh, I think I just outed it though, lol. Sort of like when you have a pimple no one notices until you point at it and go "OMG DO YOU SEE THIS?")

[laura]

I agree with Stacy, this is a great topic! It's true, we hardly ever discuss the specifics of our stories around here! We should do this more often!

Did they come first or did the story?
My characters always come before the story. I usually have to pick at them and dig around, throw some crap at them and see if it sticks, see how they clash with other characters, before I even know what the story is. Sometimes I can write about a character for years and still not fully understand what her story is about. (<-- = Amelia... Though I finally know what her story is now.)

Are they anything like you or the people you know?
They all have pieces of me in them, some more than others. They all have pieces of the people I know as well. Nobody is all one thing or another though.

Are they Mary-Sue'ish?
I'm not really familiar with what a standard Mary-Sue is, but from what I recall, I'm pretty sure my Lucy must be one, lol! She's a sweet girl though, we'll try not to hold that against her

Did they develop on their own or did they need the plotline to as a stimulus?
They do a pretty good job of stirring up their own trouble. I just put a bunch of them in the same room and wait for the shenanigans to unfold! (Bathrooms work best... ;D )

Do they have flaws that are important to the story?
Absolutely! Huge gaping hideous flaws. (Even Lucy.) I couldn't care about them if they didn't. And yes, those flaws (and strengths too) pretty much become the stories, since my stories are about 1000% character driven.

Do you like them?
I love them all dearly. Even the troublesome ones. Maybe even especially the troublesome ones. Jodie, Corbin, Summer - they turn my projected storylines upside down and inside out, but I can't help but love them for it! The stories that come from them are always richer and more interesting than anything I might be able to plot out from the start.

How you were inspired to create that character?
Hmmm, this is a hard one for me, especially in terms of Sim stories, since most of my LH characters were born in game and evolved slowly over the course of their whole lives.

The moment they really become a character in their own right, and not just the spawn of two Sims, or not just a random townie, I suppose is the moment they find their voice. They'll say something, or do something that sticks. Something funny, or weird, or just different.

For example, I remember the moment Jodie became a real character, and not just "Jason's little sister" anymore: the ice cold glare. She gave me that, and I made it a part of her, the very first part of her we really knew, and it all built from there - her coldness, and how it played off the people she cared about, or didn't care about, or wanted something from. Eventually we found out more about her, but it all wrapped around that very first thing. That entry is also the moment we really met Piper for the first time too.

How you develop them?
It all kind of snowballs. The way they act determines who they are. The reasons for the way they act are usually drawn from their history. The things they did in their history will affect the people they grow into. A lot of the time I'm writing about characters that I've kind of raised since birth, and those are the ones I feel closest to.

I find a character's history the most useful thing to work with, in my stories at least. Where someone comes from, and what they've been through, determines so much of who they are, how they'll behave, what they want, what they don't want, and where they're going.

[blackdaisies]

Did they develop on their own or did they need the plotline to as a stimulus?

I just wanted to expand on that a bit. In some stories, the characters would have stayed the same throughout their lives until the events of the story changes them. In others, the character is driven internally to change thus influencing their environment and of course, the story.

I think my characters are definitely being influenced by the plotline. How they deal with the stuff being thrown their way brings out their personalities and develops them a bit more.

mmmcheezy225 I thought I had my in-game born characters lives planned out before they were born too. But as I said, their looks inspired their personalities and the entire story kind of ballooned around that. And interesting what you think of Mary Sues... I've always just thought Mary Sue characters were perfect to the point of being unrelatable. It's a weird detail to pinpoint, to be honest.

@qui So I'm wondering if Naslie wasn't cheated on, would she have stayed the same(ish) throughout the rest of her life? That's one of the most interesting things I find with how characters are developed in stories, whether they influence the world around them or if the world influences them.

@thelunarfox there are a few Mary Sue tests aren't they? I took one, both for two of my aforementioned protagonists, and they scored non-Mary Sue, but the test doesn't really go into how you write and where that writing and the plot is coming from. A standard plot with vanilla characters can be totally entertaining if done right (look at Harry Potter! Spoiler below the tags, lol)

SPOILER: Click to show

Abused young orphan goes on to become a powerful wizard, has many exciting adventures with his spunky friends, defeats the bad guy and gets the girl...

And I like your pimple analogy. But I don't think that all characters have to be out there and "take charge" of a situation. Some of them do sit back and wait for the things that happen that affect their lives. Its how our characters deal with the situation that their dealt is what makes a story interesting, right?

[celebkiriedhel]

I'm going to use Last Sunrise, and Petr's story for this, rather than my current writing - because that's more ...um... defined and easier to answer.

How did you come up with them? How were you inspired?

Last Sunrise came up as an exercise to write a short story with the five senses included. Amelia who's really the only character in the story, came to me in an image of a ye olde pub scene between a posh and a barmaid. I was an avid follower of Poldark as a child, and historic novels so her dress, and character followed from that.

Petr was the guy who turned her to the darkside. He came out of my need to find someone who was amazingly attractive (that's not looks attractive, but drawing people to him attractive) and also alien in her world. I needed someone who would be off-balance.

He got his story, because a reader got me talking about the story and I realised how much background I had on him. And that it was a story that needed to be told.

Are they anything like you or the people you know?

Amelia's feelings of alienation are based on the experiences I had when I was living in Malaysia as an ex-pat. The sense of dislocation from the familiar. But apart from that - no.

Petr isn't anyone I know.

That being said - I think that if you put me in their situations, some of what they feel or do would be similiar.

I'm not sure that any writer doesn't put something of themselves in their creation somewhere.

Did they come first or did the story?

Amelia's story came first. Then Amelia and Petr, then Petr's Story. So a bit of a sandwich, actually.



Are they Mary-Sue'ish (and you know when it's written well, then a Mary Sue can still be a good character)?

Definitely not. Both die in the end, due to different concerns. They both have a hard life, and make mistakes for which there are consequences.


Did they develop on their own or did they need the plotline to as a stimulus?

Amelia was purely plot stimulus. Petr was his own man, and developed as the story went. Often in ways I wasn't expecting. (I like to give my imagination and sub-conscious free reign - and it does).


Do they have flaws that are important to the story?

Absolutely. The stories are nothing without their flaws. Amelia wanted an easy way out of her life of hell, and took it without thinking. She didn't question it until her actions affected someone she loved - at which point she realised how stupid she'd been. But she still was trapped by her actions until the end.

Petr is full of flaws! Mostly he's looking for cheap grace - which doesn't work. And when he finally gives that up - he takes classic revenge rather than taking responsibility.

Do you like them?

That's actually hard to answer. I feel sorry for Amelia, much more than Petr. I think what she does is very brave but futile. So I have some admiration for her. But she isn't someone I'd want to have afternoon tea with.

Petr - I spend most of the time wanting to biff him about the back of his head. But yeah...I think do I like him.

[persephonetree]

How did you come up with them?
Well my main character right now is Daniyah, however I can see myself branching out a little into Jolene. They both just kind of came up in my head once I started mapping out my story actually.

How were you inspired?
I wasn't inspired per say. I was going through the plot I'd come up with and she just popped into my head as I was wondering how someone would react to some of the things that happen.

Did they come first or did the story?
The story came first.

Are they anything like you or the people you know?
I always manage to end up adding a little something of me in my characters. It could be a particular quirk or something like that, so yes, she is a little bit like me.

Are they modelled after other characters or celebrities?
Not really.

Are they Mary-Sue'ish (and you know when it's written well, then a Mary Sue can still be a good character)
You know, I had to think about this. I don't think she is at all, but I'd be open to some corrections.

Did they develop on their own or did they need the plotline to as a stimulus?
A little bit of both.

Do they have flaws that are important to the story?
Dani is optimistic to the point of frustration. She simply refuses to see the bad looming over her until it's too late.

Do you like them? (some people don't like their protags, I find that interesting).
I love her sometimes, but she can grate on my nerves too. We have a love-hate relationship.

[blackdaisies]

@laura A standard Mary-Sue, if I recall correctly, is a character that seems to be a perfect representation of the the author in the story. In fact, that's where the term came about... people who would write themselves into fan-fiction and positively affect the canon characters and stories around them (I believe the first defined Mary Sue was a Star Trek fan-fiction character, is that right?)

But you bring up a fantastic reminder that yeah, sometimes the sims doing stupid stuff on their own totally affects the story! That's how some of my characters were developed, just by the Sims doing something in game that I picked up on and expanded. I love how you described your Jodie becoming a real character!

@kiri I had to put some of myself in my main character just so *I* can relate to her... or maybe her personality just worked that way. But other than that, we're different people and that's what makes Willow a challenge to write for me.

I don't know what it was about how you described your characters, but I'm definitely intrigued now.

In fact, all of these are incredibly interesting to me. I love characters and it's so cool reading about how you guys work on yours. Thank you for sharing!

@sb you're right, these would make great interview questions

[Stacy]

I found this note in an old work notebook of mine.

Dude - insane, evil - grows over time, garden, scientist
Wife - innocent, coward
save camera angles?
If so - get shots of house with different color lights?


Yep.

I meant Valley to be a legacy, and like all good legacies it needed a villain to torment the family for generations. And, to live for generations in Sims 3 pre Late Night, you needed life fruit and ambrosia. Gardening, fishing, and handiness are required for the science career. They seemed to go together.

So I went into CAS and made my mad scientist. I based him on my husband in looks. I picked the cardigan because the game didn't have golf shirts and it looked the next most like what John would wear. John has perfect vision, the lucky bugger. So the glasses - I wear glasses, so I thought it'd be cool to have a character who wore them too. Plus, you know - mad scientist trope, right?

Sarah - I needed someone who could cook and learn the ambrosia recipe, thus her natural cook trait/1950s housewife vibe - and she's a coward because I thought if Seth was going to use her for the ambrosia recipe, she should be easily scared and controlled and have to struggle to stand up to him. And that is also a play on an old legacy trope - the puppet/lackey of the villain.

I plonked them down in Sunset Valley and played them for a bit. And I fell absolutely in love. I remember saying to John "My villain is so adorable! I should make him the founder, lol."

I played for a bit, all squeeing and cooing, and then I told Seth to go and cook something. He started a fire. The fireperson came and put it out and I had him throw away the burnt food and try again.

He immediately started another fire. Then he rolled the wish to see Sarah's fiery ghost.

And so Valley was born.

Seth has some me in him, some John. John read 10.04 and was all "I found it interesting that he locked the back door when he was working in the yard and Caitlyn thought it was weird." Because yeah - John locks the back door whenever he goes out to mow the yard or whatever and I think that's weird.

There's a lot of Seth that is just uniquely Seth, though. He has definitely taken on a life of his own in the year and a half that I've been writing him.

John says that if I have a Mary Sue, it's Seth. But I'm pretty sure he means the term as "character the author most identifies with" as opposed to "perfect idealized author insert character". There is a difference!

Seth's development and the development of Valley's plot were completely intertwined. And 10 - I came up with the major story arc of 10 as a way to explain Valley Seth, so yeah - with 10 the plotline needed Seth as a stimulus.

Just saw your expansion on that bit. Hmm. That is a tough one to answer. Thinking of how Seth changed in Valley - I think it was the events of the story that changed him. That and Lilith's ultimate acceptance of him. But on the other hand - he drove the story with his actions.

In 10 - in 10 again I think the changes come from the events, but well - in a very internal way. I don't know.

I think - maybe...the story acts on Seth and he acts on it. Like I said about the intertwining of his development and the development of Valley's plot.

Seth and flaws that are important to the story -

I'm trying to think of things to actually say because I don't imagine everyone here has read Valley and 10. But man...

Well, his tendency to set fires is a flaw that drives the story a lot, for one.

Also how he lives completely and totally inside his own head and does not get or really see other humans at all and refuses to let anyone inside. (10 will deal with that in future chapters, btw.)

Like on the list of ten rules for success as an INTJ (aka the ten step program to not burning people) - the one that jumped out the most at me and Hoopty as a place where Seth had failed was "Don't get isolated".

And umm - dude. Do I like Seth? LOL!

I've been writing him for a year and a half. Slipping into his mind now is so easy that sometimes I wonder where the border is, where Seth ends and I begin. He is always, always in my mind. I am consumed with him, and I do not know when it will end.

I don't want it to end. I love him.

[mmmcheezy225]

Dec 3, 2010 0:22:00 GMT -5 blackdaisies said:

mmmcheezy225 I thought I had my in-game born characters lives planned out before they were born too. But as I said, their looks inspired their personalities and the entire story kind of ballooned around that. And interesting what you think of Mary Sues... I've always just thought Mary Sue characters were perfect to the point of being unrelatable. It's a weird detail to pinpoint, to be honest.

Oh thank God- I'm not the only one who does that!

My definition of Mary Sue characters almost always jump to "underdeveloped", because a lot of Mary Sue characters I've read about are underdeveloped. Mary Sues can be good characters when written well, it's just that I've rarely seen it done, and so I have a negative bias towards it. Kind of like the negative biases that some people have towards vampires.

eta: Another thing I'm noticing is that the definition of "Mary Sue" varies from person to person. For me, "Mary Sue" means that the character is one-dimensional. To another, it could mean that the character is too perfect, or too similar to the author. I think it's really kind of cool, but somewhat confusing, that the supposedly dull Mary Sue is able to spawn varying definitions as to who Mary Sue actually is. Could make a good story.

[dinuriel]

Great idea for a topic

I just want to say that we have a very talented group here, and even though I haven't had the chance to catch up on all of your work just yet, I'm sure that not a single one of you has a protagonist who can be called a "Mary Sue"

Hmmm... I feel like I should focus on a particular character, but I have a bunch of stories, many of don't have a clear-cut "main" character. I guess I'll go with Severin because Naroni is my main Sims story and after three hundred posts, he's the only one who's been consistently hanging around the entire time.

How did you come up with them? Okay, so the important thing to understand is that all of the founding citizens of Naroni (which was originally supposed to be a Royal Kingdom Challenge, but became a story pretty much right off the bat) were recycled characters from a novel I wrote in grade six/seven. Actually, I'd recycled these characters once before for a drastically-altered rewrite I attempted in grade nine--the Severin I've been writing about since October 2008 is actually Severin #3.

I don't really know how I came up with him--or any of his cohorts--at first. All I know was that somehow, my tiny twelve-year-old brain had decided to try to write a highly political fantasy, even though said twelve-year-old brain knew nothing about politics and therefore spent about three hundred pages talking out of her twelve-year-old ass. The story--which is now physically painful to think about--started off with a bunch of semi-randomly named regional rulers having a monthly meeting. Two of them emerged right away as bitter rivals with drastically different views, and they ended up dividing up everyone else and caused a schism in the council. These two characters were Severin #1 and Roderick #1.

Flash forward a few years. I was fourteen, maybe fifteen, and I was trying to clean out my documents folder when I came across the old story--since I was in a very dark place emotionally at the time, I decided I needed to punish myself and read it. I remember cringing at the early writing and all the stupid chokes I'd once thought were hysterical. Then, I realized... "Hey! I actually had a good idea here--I just wasn't worldly and well-equipped enough to make it work at the time." So, I rewrote, and in a very different opening chapter--the ultimate fantasy cliche: a private, mysterious meeting between three people in a shady old tavern--Severin #2 came into existence, a deeper, more empathetic version of Severin #1.

Flash forward another couple years. I was seventeen and had just discovered Sim stories, RKCs in particular, and was dying to start my own. I fired up the game and made eight couples; not feeling too original, I decided to recycle the names and appearances of the parties present at that doomed, cringe-worthy meeting I'd written all those years ago. I created the Severin sim, like all the other sims, according to the descriptions of the previous two incarnations.

For kicks, I decided I'd observe each couple for a few minutes with free will on to get the inspiration rolling. Severin's behavior during his and Alina's few minutes was... quite the opposite of what I had in mind for his character based on the other two Severins. But I just went with it, and I'm glad I did

...wow, that was really long. Sorry all :S

How were you inspired? Well, like I said, the free will behavior really threw me a curveball. Severin #1 was a complete jerk. Severin #2 had his reasons, but he was also a jerk. Naturally, I expected that Severin #3 would also be a jerk, and had planned the first bit of Naroni with that in mind. I knew that he was Roderick's black sheep cousin who had indirectly caused Roderick's exile, and I knew that he'd come to Naroni and attempt to gain control of a shire, but I'd figured he'd be rather sly and underhanded about it--maybe resorting to blackmail or something.

But then I actually saw the sim outside of CAS. I'd only given him three nice points (and that because I was feeling generous), but when I entered his and Alina's lot for the first time, there he was--all makey-outy with his wife, always flirting with her and admiring her and telling her jokes. I watched for a few minutes, stupefied and confused, and then it hit me--this is the guy. So, that's how he ended up initially cast as "the nice guy" (which was originally the role that was supposed to go to Octavius, but there's an example of another character who turned out quite unexpectedly).

I'm not sure if I'd call that inspiration. It's just how things went down.

Are they anything like you or the people you know? I think all of my characters are like me to a certain extent--they're all sides of me, or aspects of me, even the ones I wouldn't want to admit to being anything like. Severin, of course, is no exception.

As for the other people in my life, I try not to be characters off of them. There are probably some unconscious similarities lurking around somewhere, though.

Are they modeled after other characters or celebrities?

Again--not consciously, but my brain might have pulled a fast one on me at some point.

If Severin #1 reminds me of anyone, it's William the Conqueror. The guy kicked ass at Hastings at made himself king in what had to be record time. He and the Normans were drastically outnumbered by the Anglo-Saxons after this, but he kept asserting his authority and established an iron-fisted rule. He was clever, he was a warrior, and he was ruthless--nobody wanted to get on this guy's bad side. And yet, no one could say he was a bad ruler; after all, people were so afraid of him and his men that, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, crime was at a minimal level.

The current Severin... I don't know. He seems a bit generic until we start getting hints about his relationship with his father and therefore his secret dark side. He could have been anybody, really.

Nowadays, I'm not sure who I'd compare him to, if anyone. He's just himself.

Are they Mary-Sueish (and you know when it's written well, then a Mary Sue can still be a good character)? Err... define "Mary Sue"

Like I said, he starts out kind of generic, so that might have been the case at some point? But then he got one flaw. And then he got another flaw. And now he has a ton of flaws.

Did they develop on their own or did they need the plotline to as a stimulus? Like I said, he was pretty much an invention of his own sim

Do they have flaws that are important to the story? Yes. I don't have any "spotlight" plans for him currently, but we've seen his flaws in the past. They basically ruled the story between 1167 and 1169

Do you like them? Would I have been regularly writing him for two years if I didn't?

Although in all serious, I sometimes wonder if writing might be easier if I didn't like my characters. I wouldn't feel so guilty about ruining their lives if I didn't like them

[infinitygoddess]

How did you come up with them?

For Mikhailachev Manor, they were kinda born into the game. Sacha, Chelsea, and a few other non-Mikhailachevs were CAS Sims, however. I originally intended a legacy, but then along came Rasputin. So I crafted their personalities and developed their characters.


How were you inspired?

Again, it all goes back to Rasputin. I dunno...he just had a certain charm about him when he was a child. He was certainly bred very well, even though his parents were cousins twice removed. (Not that the game would know this much, mind you. )

Did they come first or did the story?


The initial characters of Pavel, Chelsea, Piotr, Sacha, Sergei, and Rasputin all came before the story began. Originally, the idea was to turn it into a legacy, but then Rasputin came up and I found I couldn't give up the brothers (though by that time, poor Pavel had already become a "test subject" for my zombie skin defaults - in the game he actually died of old age, not of an accident with the cow plant as the story says - I simply had him zombiefied and aged him down to Adult...I know, I'm morbid like that ). Sergei, Sacha, Piotr, and Chelsea all were boolPropped into vampires. Then of course, I immortalized Rasputin as a vampire by having Piotr bite him. The other characters in the story were born as the story wore on (Dimitri was born to his father Rasputin and his first husband in the story, certainly).

Are they anything like you or the people you know?

I think the one I most identify with is Kliment personally. He's a nice guy, but has so many unfortunate things happen to him. That's sort of my life right now.

Are they modelled after other characters or celebrities?

None that I'm aware of. I don't usually pay much attention to celebrities anyways. There are few that I actually like.


Are they Mary-Sue'ish (and you know when it's written well, then a Mary Sue can still be a good character)

Not really. I try to avoid Mary Sues or Gary Stus as much as possible.


Did they develop on their own or did they need the plotline to as a stimulus?

They developed on their own, but they also needed a plotline to help define their character as well.

Do they have flaws that are important to the story?

Oh yeah. They're killer vampires, for one thing. Even though they don't like to do it, they still are forced to choose between their own lives and that of their intended victims. That's a major one, imo.

Do you like them? (some people don't like their protags, I find that interesting).

I tend to hate a lot of my antagonists more than the pros, actually. I love my pros most of the time.

[raquelaroden]

Wow…what an amazing bunch of questions! I’m loving the answers too, and I love that it forces me to think about these things for my own characters.

How did you come up with them? My main characters are Ed (Edith Prescott), Sean, and Nick. What is probably a bit silly is that even though Ed is definitely the true main character, Sean came first, because of a real-life incident in which I walked into a grocery store. There was a store employee who was marking produce with stickers and placing them in a bin, and I noticed that his arms were covered in tattoos. Just when I was about to look away, he looked up right at me, and I was stunned! He had really bright blue eyes and black hair, and he was really cute. Though I’m very happily married, I couldn’t get the incident out of my head. Thus, the seeds of Sean’s introduction were sown. I can’t remember too many details of how I came up with Ed and Nick. I think I had to brainstorm their characters a lot based on the plot.

How were you inspired? Did they come first or did the story? Sean definitely came first, and he inspired a scene. Other than that, I would say the story came first. I had scenes in my head, things that were out of order and that I had to tie together with a cohesive story. Once I had a general idea of how the story would go, I started thinking about who else I needed, and what point of view I wanted to use. In a way, Ed became the main character simply because I wasn’t sure I could pull off a male point of view at that point in my writing, and I wanted to go first person.

Are they anything like you or the people you know? Ed has a lot of me in her, especially her inner dialogue and her thoughts (especially her er…less charitable thoughts). Sean’s sense of humor is probably inspired by some of my friends—they’re a very witty group, lol. Nick’s rational nature is probably based on some ideals I wish I satisfied all the time, but can only manage part of the time.

Are they modeled after other characters or celebrities? Not especially. I did look at pictures of some celebrities to try to "recognize" certain features that each of them should have, because it's hard for me to create interesting-looking Sims. I'd just start looking at random celebrity images and thinking, "I like that nose...I like her eyes" etc.. As far as being modeled on other characters, I will say that some people have pointed to the character trinity I have going on and said, "Hey, that's like Janet Evanovich!" and it is--because with a series it's a lot easier to keep it going if you aren't exactly sure who the real leading man might be. Right now we're sure who it is, but things can change....other than that, I am not nearly as humorous as Janet Evanovich, and I don't think her characters are quite as drama-laden as mine.

Are they Mary Sue-ish? Ed comes the closest to being a Mary Sue, but I think she’s sufficiently different from me. I’m not nearly as gutsy or quick-thinking. I think her flaws are major enough to save her from that fate, as well.

Did they develop on their own or did they need the plotline to as a stimulus? This is hard to answer. Can I cheat and say it might be a little bit of both? It’s hard for me to separate their histories, which all had particular events that shaped them from the plotline that drives a decent portion of their behavior as well. So many of their formative events happened well before the plotline that is going on now, but even those past events are somewhat related to the plotline in important ways. Wow, that’s such a wonderful question.

Do they have flaws that are important to the story? Yes, definitely. Especially to the parts of the story that explores their relationships.

Do you like them? I adore them. I still want to gripe at them from time to time, but I think about them and worry about them almost as much as I do my real friends.

[clydalelegacy]

@raquelaroden um... creepy... You aren't from Ohio are you? I work at a grocery store and this guy I work with works in the produce section. He has a nice build, kind of similar to Sean's, tattoos all up his arms, dark hair and bright blue eyes. So strange. I have never made that connection before. He kind of acts like Sean too. And strangely enough I just started dating him!

[qui]

Dec 3, 2010 0:22:00 GMT -5 blackdaisies said:

@qui So I'm wondering if Naslie wasn't cheated on, would she have stayed the same(ish) throughout the rest of her life? That's one of the most interesting things I find with how characters are developed in stories, whether they influence the world around them or if the world influences them.

I think she would have eventually broke and became close t what she is now because there was more than just his infidelity that brought her to that point, It stems from family issues and the way he was treating her as well. Now if he'd turned out to be a good guy, I think there still would have been conflict in her since she really wanted to be with his brother and not him.

[raquelaroden]

Amy: lol! Nope--this incident happened while I was in Florida. Looks like there are a few Seans running about! (Lucky, lucky girl!)

[clydalelegacy]

That is just too weird! Wow.

[thelunarfox]

Dec 3, 2010 0:22:00 GMT -5 blackdaisies said:

Did they develop on their own or did they need the plotline to as a stimulus?

I just wanted to expand on that a bit. In some stories, the characters would have stayed the same throughout their lives until the events of the story changes them. In others, the character is driven internally to change thus influencing their environment and of course, the story.

I think my characters are definitely being influenced by the plotline. How they deal with the stuff being thrown their way brings out their personalities and develops them a bit more.

Ah, I get ya! So far, the events of the story are what have changed my characters. That's sort of been my theme though. Ruin is pretty much dealing with the after effects of a Revolution 30 years prior, so I'm looking at how it has changed some lives and the effects it had on the people involved.

Though the short story I'm working on within Paula's story right now, I think the reverse is what's going on. Cheryl is reaching for change, and I think she's trying to make herself into the woman she wants to be. She wants to change the way things are around her, and in doing has set the story in motion that will ultimately shape her.

And I like your pimple analogy. But I don't think that all characters have to be out there and "take charge" of a situation. Some of them do sit back and wait for the things that happen that affect their lives. Its how our characters deal with the situation that their dealt is what makes a story interesting, right?

True. I think if I looked at my characters anyway and said, "You're too traditionally weak, be more not like you!" it would be very obvious and a completely different story that would not be mine.

And when I really look at them, I realize that they're both strong in their own unexpected ways. And they aren't the only ones. Even with the other characters, it's not the obvious physical strength that's important.

So even though I admit I have these moments, overall I do love my characters. Sometimes it just helps to write it out and remember why.