What do you do with your characters and/or which one do you like

[Representing_Tromba]

1

2

3

4

5

 

[AYM]

1, 2, 4, 5

 

[l8rose]

4 and 3 Usually. But I also like a 6th option of creating a normal character and then inflicting them with soul crushing trauma but most of my characters usually have lots of trauma whether it's backstory or as the story goes on.

I mean... my two stories on here kinda speak for themselves. I'm like the Oprah of trauma. "You get trauma, you get trauma, everyone gets some trauma."

Edit: cause I can't spell for beans today.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

3 and 4

3 is literally what vampire princess is. Taken from a life of abuse into a life of happiness.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

 

[SirDogeTheFirst]

2 but put a joyous whimsy between traumas to empower the second one.

 

[Deleted member 76176]

As the wise man once said, Break the cutie!

In general, I'm not in favor of using traumas for development; more are real-life issues (that everyone face) and dissatisfactions told through dramatized lenses. I'm not sure if they count as traumas, but not nearly as much as parents dying or actual abuse.

 

[KoyukiMegumi]

1/2/3/4/5 All the above! I like to make my characters suffer crushing trauma and then bring them to a happy ending with self-healing! Some may just live in trauma and see it as a normal day! Haha!

 

[LunaSoltaer]

Defeat your traumas by force of will >:)

 

[georgelee5786]

4

 

[esThr]

2.
I am a sadist.

 

[Corty]

Yes, in this order.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

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And then a little more 2 for good measure.

 

[DaisukeHanashi]

4

Well, let's just say my character had gone through some emo-phase after some childhood tragedy.

Then overtime... after some adulthood tragedy, he proceeds to embrace Absurdism while focusing on his own alpha grind.

 

[CorvusG]

I tend to do something similar to 3, but the joyous whimsy is some sort of twisted reflection of what it should be.

An example of my upcoming book: There is a character that struggles with crippling anxiety when making important choices in their lives, for ~spoiler~ reasons. They simply get locked on themselves when they have to decide on something that might have serious consequences.

The REAL joyous whimsy would be to go through a character arc that makes them stronger, and finally able to think for themselves.

The joyous whimsy I'm giving them is to fall under the wing of another character, who is willing to make their choices for them, at the cost of personal freedom and identity. They eventually begin to accept and even encourage the dynamic. The whimsy has been completed. They are now happier than they have ever been - they no longer have to deal with the stress and fear of making the wrong choice. However, was it for the best? What was the cost?

That kind of stuff. It's not really 2, because at the end of the day, the character does end up happier than they were before the book began. But it is also not a good ending for them.