How I Create Original Characters

Table of Contents

Disclaimer

This is not a guide on how to create original characters. This is just me talking about my character creation process and the little quirks that come along with it. If you find any part of this helpful with creating your own OCs, cool! Just please don't think this is the only way to make them.

This page may cover OCs that don't have a profile, have an incomplete profile, or have not appeared in a published work. I'll try to give context to those characters when the need arises!

Inspirations as a Starting Point

My top inspirations for OCs are:

  • People and objects I know/own in real life
  • Character tropes and designs I find interesting
  • Figures from various mythologies
  • Characters in other media that I enjoy.

Self-inserts fall under the first category. I'll talk more about them in depth in Certified PK Archetypes.

As the title of this section implies, my OCs all have their inspirations. However, they often get developed so much that they only vaguely still resemble their initial inspiration. I'll discuss more about that in Let Them Bake in the Oven.

Certified PK Archetypes

One thing I do a lot is re-use OCs to the point where they become their own archetypes within my original works. Characters of a certain archetype tend to share the following characteristics:

  • Name
  • Physical appearance
  • Personalities
  • Relationships with other archetypes

The following characters have been reused and defined enough to be considered a Certified PK Archetype:

My D&D character Ferrach is the only character of mine who is a combination of two Archetypes. He has the physical appearance and name of the Forrest Archetype and the personality of the Kiki Archetype.

Kiki Archetype (a.k.a. the Self-Insert Archetype)

Notable Examples:

The Kiki Archetype tend to be of short stature (5'0" to 5'5" tall), have short black hair, and have light brown skin. Their gender tends to fluctuate, but many recent Kiki iterations are female.

They tend to be excitable, cheerful, and immature, but may also have a sad/tragic backstory. More recent instances of the Kiki Archetype  (i.e. Kiki Cruz (Fatal Fury) and Kiki Cruz (Something's Wrong With Sunny Day Jack [R-18]))are more even-tempered and cynical to match their dark past.

While they form close bonds with the other Archetypes, they tend to be closest to the Forrest Archetype. They are often childhood friends who may become romantically involved. The Kiki and the Forrest still tend to be on amicable terms even if the Kiki ends up with someone else.

Forrest Archetype

Notable Examples:

Those of Forrest Archetype are of medium height (around 5'7"), have green hair and eyes, and have light brown skin.

They tend to be serious and devoted, but can be overzealous when it comes to achieving their goals. They tend to be associated with music and/or technology.

They tend to be close to Kiki Archetypes, and are usually a childhood friend or lover to them. If a Forrest and a Kiki are not in a romantic relationship, the Forrest will still be friends with the Kiki. However, his romantic feelings for the Kiki may still be present. Romantic feelings present or not, Forrests tend to feel protective of Kikis.

Kai Archetype

Notable Examples:

Characters of the Kai Archetype are of slender build, fair-skinned, and have long white hair usually tied into a ponytail.

They tend to be wise, calculating and focused, but may come off as aloof to those not close to them. They tend to be associated with the ocean or water in general.

They tend to act as mentors to the Kiki Archetype. They also tend to have rivalries with Forrest Archetypes. The amount of animosity between Kais and Forrests varies.

Trevor Archetype

Notable Examples:

The original Trevor is non-human, so physical characteristics of the archetype are based off his CoR iteration. Characters of the Trevor Archetype have short black hair, blue eyes, and dark brown skin.

Trevors tend to be loud, confident, and flamboyant, but they may have hidden insecurities. They tend to be associated with electricity and/or technology.

Trevors tend to be close friends with Kikis and often look up to them.

Vio Archetype

Notable Examples:

  • Vio (Cycle of Remorse)
  • Viola "Vio" Lin (Living With My Fighting Game Mains)

Characters of the Vio Archetype have short brown hair and brown eyes.

Vios tend to be soft-spoken and observant, but also pessimistic and aloof.

Vios tend to have sibling-like relationships with Forrests and Semis if she doesn't have actual siblings of her own.

Semi Archetype

Notable Examples:

  • Semi (Cycle of Remorse)
  • Samuel "Sammy" Nakamura (Living With My Fighting Game Mains)

Characters of the Semi Archetype tend to have short sandy-brown hair and dull brown eyes.

Semis are adventurous and curious but can be naive.

In any dynamic with the other Archetypes, Semi Archetypes tend to be the youngest. This is especially true if they are in a sibling-like dynamic with Forrests and/or Vios.

Let them Bake in the Oven

Once an OC has some sort of base, whether it be from a preexisting PK Archetype or some other inspiration, I insert the OC into a scenario and just let them... live(?) for lack of a better term. Imagining a character interact with other characters or go about their daily lives helps with giving them depth.

While most of the OCs with profiles have stuff set in stone about them, you'll notice a lot of them have very little info. I see my characters as ever-changing. As I experience new media and find inspiration from my own life, they'll keep changing. Even OCs like KOF!Kiki and Casey who have fleshed out story beats and backstories will more than likely change as time goes on.