cally
queen of the woods · cathiethegreat
It could be just me, but I've seen so many RP characters like this: "Is the princess of the world, lost parents when was little, can control the moon and the sun and nature, can talk to animals, is so kind and shy and talented."
This is a kind of poor character development called "Mary Sue." (Or "Gary Stu" for boy RP characters.)
Mary Sues and Gary Stus are no fun to RP with. They get past any obstacle with no problem at all, and everyone seems to love them.
However, there is such thing as an "Anti-Sue" or "Anti-Stu." It's like this: "Will dominate the world someday, has hidden powers of destruction, can control fire and explosions, can brainwash everyone, is very evil and cruel and evil."
So how do you make sure your character isn't a Mary Sue or Gary Stu? Run through this acronym while designing your character:
Little Penguins Waddle Backwards So Dolphins Lose
LPWBSDL stands for "looks, personality, weaknesses, backstory, skills, dislikes, and likes."
Looks: Unless it's normal to have a crazy look in the RP, then try to be natural. Your character can have strangely colored hair as long as there's a reason, like she dyes it. Same goes for eye color, but your character can have color contacts.
Personality: This is a big one and it's a really important factor in deciding if your character is a Mary Sue or Anti-Sue. The thing is, (mostly) everyone wants their character to be successful and happy and have a nice life like a lot of people in real life. But if your life is literally perfect and you get everything you want, it's not much fun! So put in some bad stuff like "is stubborn, selfish, lazy."
Weaknesses: This is also important. Just to clear things up, things like "too kind" are not weaknesses! They're positive traits in disguise. There is a way to rephrase it, though. "Too kind" can be rephrased to "doormat." "Too talented" can mean "has a too big ego." Weaknesses are a crucial part of any character and without them, your character is a Mary Sue/Gary Stu.
Backstory: The backstory is a little less important, but it plays a role in your character and who they are today.
Skills: It can be fun to have unique skills, as long as they're not too crazy! Like you could be a martial artist, or a painter, or have great baking skill!
Dislikes and Likes: When doing dislikes and likes--and I cannot stress this enough--make sure they fit the character! I don't know how many characters I've seen that tend to match the RP player instead of the character. The point of RPs are to be someone you're not, and you can't do that if your character's likes are really yours. Be creative!
This is a kind of poor character development called "Mary Sue." (Or "Gary Stu" for boy RP characters.)
Mary Sues and Gary Stus are no fun to RP with. They get past any obstacle with no problem at all, and everyone seems to love them.
However, there is such thing as an "Anti-Sue" or "Anti-Stu." It's like this: "Will dominate the world someday, has hidden powers of destruction, can control fire and explosions, can brainwash everyone, is very evil and cruel and evil."
So how do you make sure your character isn't a Mary Sue or Gary Stu? Run through this acronym while designing your character:
Little Penguins Waddle Backwards So Dolphins Lose
LPWBSDL stands for "looks, personality, weaknesses, backstory, skills, dislikes, and likes."
Looks: Unless it's normal to have a crazy look in the RP, then try to be natural. Your character can have strangely colored hair as long as there's a reason, like she dyes it. Same goes for eye color, but your character can have color contacts.
Personality: This is a big one and it's a really important factor in deciding if your character is a Mary Sue or Anti-Sue. The thing is, (mostly) everyone wants their character to be successful and happy and have a nice life like a lot of people in real life. But if your life is literally perfect and you get everything you want, it's not much fun! So put in some bad stuff like "is stubborn, selfish, lazy."
Weaknesses: This is also important. Just to clear things up, things like "too kind" are not weaknesses! They're positive traits in disguise. There is a way to rephrase it, though. "Too kind" can be rephrased to "doormat." "Too talented" can mean "has a too big ego." Weaknesses are a crucial part of any character and without them, your character is a Mary Sue/Gary Stu.
Backstory: The backstory is a little less important, but it plays a role in your character and who they are today.
Skills: It can be fun to have unique skills, as long as they're not too crazy! Like you could be a martial artist, or a painter, or have great baking skill!
Dislikes and Likes: When doing dislikes and likes--and I cannot stress this enough--make sure they fit the character! I don't know how many characters I've seen that tend to match the RP player instead of the character. The point of RPs are to be someone you're not, and you can't do that if your character's likes are really yours. Be creative!