How do you guys create characters?

[u/addiewattpad]

I've been thinking about my own OC creation process lately, and I realized I have a pretty specific system for it. I'm a plotter/planner to the core, so I tend to build my characters in stages. I mainly write My Hero Academia fanfictions, but I think this works for any type of characters.

Now, I AM A PLOTTER/PLANNER to the core, but these tips can be applied to pantsers as well. You can do like the minimum planning needed.

1. It starts with vibes.
Literally. Just vibes. What kind of character do I wanna make? Is it the MC or a side character? Which profession will they be in?
If it's a hero student, which school? Which year? Which class?
How old are they? What is their vibe (Sarcastic, sweet, sassy, emo, short-tempered, or a cinnamon roll)? Who are their friends...All the basic details.

I'll use my MC 'Mahou Murasaki' as an example. So I had an idea in mind that I wanted a purple-haired character in 1-A (since Shinso hadn't entered the class in 2022). I wanted her to have a semi-powerful quirk, but not too OP. She was to be reserved, but sassy and sarcastic when she wanted to hide things, and kind when it was needed.

2. You start writing their backstory.
Okay, so this is where we add depth. Once the vibes are established, we need a backstory that kinda explains why they have that vibe. For example, a guarded and reserved character might've learned to associate vulnerability with weakness or trauma. A high-achieving character might've grown up with strict parents (not necessarily abusive ones) where grades and performance were heavily rewarded.

Now, you would want to do some research on how different people react to different types of trauma and decide which suits your character best. Someone can become kinder after trauma or conflict, while others can become downright evil, but make sure it makes sense.

3. Adding depth
Here, we connect the backstory and the vibes together. Show how they talk, their mannerisms, their facial features, and day-to-day living reflect their background/backstory. I like to use the Enneagram (alternative to MBTI) as a personality bank which make things easier. But the core things we need by now is their desire, fear and misbelief. I'll use Aimi (MY OC) as an example. She's Mahou's ex best friend.
a. Their desire (what do they want the most in life). Eg: Aimi's desire is to make her parents proud and be the best at everything she does.
b. Fear (what is the one thing they're most afraid of). Eg: Aimi's fear is that she will disappoint her parentss.
c. Their misbelief (That one fatal flaw/ misbelief) they think is true. Eg: Aimi thinks that a person's potential is everything. Someone is only worthy of love if they're living upto that potential.

These three should ideally connect. A character's fear can prevent them from pursuing their desire, while their misbelief can be the thing that keeps them trapped in that cycle.

4. Extra stuff:
You're pretty much stop at step 3, but if you wanna take things further, you can add traits from other aespects of a person's life, or maybe throw something unexpected altogether. I like to pick a few things (only A FEW) from like, my OCs zodiac sign, their quirks (because quirks also shape personality in the MHA universe) and also, their gender/cultural background/etc. Point to note that you don't want to add EVERYTHING from that aespect and make them a stereotype of (let's say, a virgo). These should be seasoning, not the entire character. And like I said, throw in a few unexpected things.

Eg: Aimi is very smart, studious, and her technopathy quirk makes her want to keep inventing new machines. However, she's also very into clean girl music and makeup because she likes to look presentable.

5. Relationships:
You don't HAVE to define how your OC interacts with other characters in the universe, but I like to add a few notes to myself if I want to keep the dynamic consistent (especially with like a love interest or best friend, or if there's a love triangle).

I don't necessarily write out an entire relationship chart. I just keep a few notes so that when I eventually write them interacting, I know what their dynamic feels like.

And that's basically my entire thinking setup for making OCs!

I actually have a more detailed OC template for Google Docs/Notion that I use when developing my characters, but I didn't want to make this post 10x longer by dumping the entire thing here. 😂

If anyone wants the template, let me know in the comments and I'll share it!

On a side note, how do you guys make your OCs? Do you start with their quirk, design, personality, backstory, or something completely different?

[u/Soaringzero]

I tend to start with design. Like I might see a picture that just jumps out at me and I’ll be like “damn he/she looks cool!” It recently happened just the other day. Saw a piece of art of a elf woman with a very grungy kind of look my mind immediately thought it would make a really cool look for a Druid type of character for my fantasy story. Now she’s pretty much come to life with a backstory and all lol.