Forums » Writing Workshop » Read Thread

So, weird question, but ... what would you like to see in a character / characters for a school simulator or dating sim? Not just for a love interest, but friends / allies / enemies, too. And please, none of that ridiculous "right answer" stuff, about how "oh, a well developed person I know for more than five seconds would be nice" because any decent writer should already know that.

Any personality types you'd like to see? Traits you find interesting? Backstories you wanna see? Any other details?

Someone who, by all means, should've been "up there" academically but isn't because of teachers' arbitrary grading?  And in order to get back, gets itself in big trouble for crime X or whatever against said teachers?

Or, someone who seems very lax, but if things get heavy for the player, s/he "takes care" of things.  The wrong way.  And then you can option #666 with it.

Or, I guess some arrogant brat who's cocky because it started its own business, and then fails and falls into a depression.  That'd be kinda amusing to watch.  And then when brat tries to lean on you, you get the option of abusing it, dropping it, or the generic Mary Sue "I'll take care of you".

An actual feminazi that will not be missed by anyone in the school.  Any action you do holds no weight on the rest of the playthrough, simply because no one cares what you do to her, since any change in her personality is welcome so long as she shuts up..   Everything's essentially a moral grey with her.  Could weave with the "caretaker" path.

This one's actually two characters, but depending on who you "knew" in your childhood, an ugly truth sprouts out of either of them.  If you knew the rich one, the path develops so that the poor one is stupid, impulsive, and presumptuous of everything the rich kid is.  What's sad is that the rich kid is nowhere near a snob...unless you chose the option that you knew the poor one, where the rich kid bullies the poor because rich kid thinks it's self-entitled to do so.  You have the choice to intervene in subtle, direct, or extreme manners.

A pretty smart, kinda charismatic person who roleplays, essentially opening you up to a minigame and erasing conceptions about DnD.  And then you get to beat up geeks because they fuck up things for the rest of the community.

If all else fails, you chance upon the "perfect" one in terms of personality, interest, direction, etc., though appearance-wise it's average.  You can only ask it out near the end by being very, very direct with it, because apparently, it doesn't have a damn clue that you were making advances.  Oh, and ofc, your competition are impulsive idiots that are frustrated in more ways than one.  Makes for an easy playthrough, except for the fact that you'd have to boost up your relationship quickly while still maintaining relatively high stats for the family approval.

Gender for any of these types shouldn't matter, I don't think.  Especially for the idiots.

Hate to say it, but sometimes the classics are what I want to read. Of course, that's why they're classics, isn't it?

• The nerd -- who just does perfect in the academic world, but often trips over his own feet and can't dress himself properly.
• The jock -- who is overly muscular and can't help but do well in sports, but often has trouble counting to any number more than 10 because he runs out of fingers.
• The cheerleader -- usually found on the arm of the aforementioned jock.
• The band geek -- who these days can go to either end of the spectrum, but often cares more about band than any other aspect of school.
• The druggie -- who is often found lurking outside the back door of the school, not necessarily dealing drugs, but often using them.
• The army brat -- who is new to school because his parents just moved into the area because of a military assignment.
• The political activist -- who always has a cause that they are convinced will be the end of the world as we know it unless everyone else supports it with them.

"Hate to say it, but sometimes the classics are what I want to read."

xD YES, I'm not totally alone in this ... !

I always root for the underdog, so I like characters who have to overcome insurmountable odds.  I find that the more focus there is on the antagonist, the more I can relate to the insecure, weak, or otherwise hopeless and not-so-heroic character.

As far as specific types go, I can't really say.  I've felt drawn to some of the most unlikely of candidates due to their depth.

Like:  Rivalmance. 

Dislike: Prominent characters who are arbitrarily not available as love interest.  

With something like this, you should go with one of two choices:

1. Have an original character that goes for an angle that is rarely seen.

E.g. There aren't many gay characters in most stories.

2. Have a cliche character that has been done a thousand times over. There is a reason that they have been done over and over again.

E.g. A white, male, who's mother died a few years ago, and they have issues with their father.

P.s. Don't do that one exactly, as I think it is very sexist.