#while she'll obey the law and work within it

[a-pink-lilypad]

How do you guys choose character traits? There is this trick I learned when creating OCs and NPCs, especially for mini Elder Scrolls projects back in my role playing days.

There is this site that has a looong list of neutral, positive, and negative traits.

And hear me out; now you have to choose 3-5 each. You know our tendency to pick either good traits, or go nihilistic and pick bad traits? Now we're forced to balance it out.

I personally like having a sheet like this in front of me when writing, analyze the situations, and then write proper reactions.

Think that would work for NPCs? I just got back to writing fics, so I'd wager any character written could fit within these 600+ traits brackets, one way or another.

Here's what I have for Lily, by the way. I like to pick them out, and when I have a list down, I start to think. Why does she have those traits? What's making her act that way? You know what I mean?

Give it a shot, it's nice creative work to enrich your character beyond a sheet.

POSITIVE

Curious - it usually kills the cat, but what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. So I feel like curiosity paired with being cautious, gains you knowledge to tackle multi-faceted problems. Curiosity is also a natural trait for scientists; and being a nerd runs in her blood a few generations deep.

Genuine - I feel like with all her flaws, she does try to make things right, even if it's not easy for her to form emotional connections. But I'd wager she treasures the few bonds she has, and true comrades are as rare and as precious as pure gold that she wants to take care of.

Freethinking - That being said, she can be a law-abiding citizen, but she gets restless when they conflict with her needs, wants, desires. She prefers to have her own mindset, and while she can respect and even claim certain points of view, she can't fully adhere to them. Example; she understands the wariness the Church of Light has against relics, especially weapons. But she could never fully agree with them, because the weapons are keeping her alive against mutants. So she could never become an acolyte, she could never support or obey them, but her respect is all they get.

Precise - Even with all her anger, she doesn't charge head on in a battle. She knows when and where to strike, and when to sit back and think about possibilities. The ability to make split-second decisions would have most likely been earned during her Time at the Peripheries, where each second could mean life or death. Fight or flight? Help or ditch? Dig or move on? Friendly or foe? Being cautious and not wasting bullets made out of materials that are scarce means life or death.

Scrupulous - Professionals have standards. She might have robbed a caravan or two out of necessity, but never out of greed. Putting heavily injured people and critters out of their misery was more of an act of mercy, but mere civilians weren't really targets of hers.

NEUTRAL

Ambitious - Self explanatory. Either as a bounty hunter, to apprehend criminals as a Civil Corps officer, or with her own projects, she has the drive force to fulfill her tasks, no matter what. Everything is taken as a personal challenge, and she'll be damned before she fails.

Proud - Ties in with her ambition. She did not spend her entire youth fighting monsters and bandits to not take any pride in her abilities she spent years honing. Or all the knowledge she has gathered and put to good use. Her pride can be both a bad or a good thing and have different ramifications.

Stubborn - Pride can lead to a very stubborn behavior, I guess. On one hand, she's firm in her beliefs, and will budge to nothing and one one. On the other hand, she can be blind to aspects and facets she's unaware of, so that's bad. Makes sense why it's a neutral trait.

Outspoken - She likes to speak her mind, and sometimes lacks a filter. It could be due to the lack of care about what everyone thinks or says, and sometimes it can be a good thing. People can appreciate honesty over deceit. But it can have negative impact if while truthful, she hurts others around her.

Dreamy - While not an airhead, she can be caught daydreaming, cloud-watching, or stargazing, in the very few moments she feels safe and not in her constant flight-or-fight mode. Her musing and pondering can lead her to meditate, and sometimes find out-of-the-box solutions to problems. It's also a simple mechanism in which she disconnects to all the problems around her, to give her a moment of peace and quiet.

NEGATIVE

Hotheaded - Her anger is a predominant trait. She rages, she gets easily riled up, she gets furious. It's a serious flaw that damages her relationships with people around. It's not an 'uwu quirky' thing, I feel like it's something she must learn to control and become a better person, because what's a story where all characters stay the exact same from the beginning to the end?

Greedy - Might be fueled by her profession as a bounty hunter. She would get her hands on gols she has never ever dreamed of having, in the Peripheries, barely scraping by to trade with caravans. She has also resorted to not-so-moral methods of getting necessities - much less luxuries, so being faced with contracts and wanted posters that would warrant her never going hungry again...

Insensitive - The negative side effect of her being outspoken. She can be completely insensitive to others' reactions to what she's saying, her beliefs, and their concern is not her problem. It's an obvious flaw. She's not used to saying stuff like 'I'm sorry', 'It's my fault'. It took her a long while spent with Portians to learn the basics of accountability.

Vindictive - She has a good memory, and a temper to match. She never forgets a face, and a weakness to exploit, when the situation arises. She knows how to hurt someone, if said person double-crossed her, stabbed her in the back, or snitched on her. "Snitches get stitches", she always says.

Crafty - She's a crafty bitch; she tools, she schemes, and has fallen out with the Portian Civil Corps and the Church mostly because of her unorthodox fighting methods. She exploits weaknesses, there is no honor but survival, and most likely has abused her position as an Officer on more than one occasion.

What do you guys think about this method of character analyzing? ^^

[yinseal-arc]

CHARACTER SHEET : SAKURA HARUNO

Name :   sakura haruno Nickname :   saku  /  sakura  /  doctor  Age :  24  (  verse dependent  ) Species :   human

Morality :   lawful good  /  neutral good  Religion :   spiritual,  non-practicing  /  non-denominational  (  shinto in postwar verse  ) Sins :   Greed / Gluttony / Sloth / Lust / Pride / Envy / Wrath Virtues :   Chastity / Charity / Diligence / Humility / Kindness / Patience / Justice Languages :   english  /  japanese  (  amestrian / xingese in main verse,  polyglot in postwar verse  )

Build :   Scrawny / Bony / Slender / Fit / Athletic / Curvy / Herculean / Pudgy / Average Height :   5′4 Scars / Birthmarks :   4 inch scar spanning across left ribs  (  all verses  )  /  various small battle scars across legs and arms  (  postwar  ) Abilities / Powers :   enhanced and destructive  super-strength  /  enhanced and rapid healing  /  long-range healing  /  advanced combat prowess  /  advanced weaponry mastery  /  exemplary chakra control  (  postwar verse  )    /   significant medical knowledge  /  master surgeon  /  alkahestry proficiency  /  master medical alchemist   (  main verse  )    

Favorite Food ?   dumplings  /  almonds  /  rice & beef  /  strawberries Favorite Pizza Topping ?   pepperoni  /  bell peppers Favorite Color ?   pink  (  #E8B0AF )  /  green  (  #9AC2BB  )   /  crimson  (  # E82F51  ) Favorite Music Genre ?   pop Favorite Movie Genre ?   romcoms  /  documentary Favorite Curse Word ?   damn  /  dammit 

Top or Bottom ?   top Sings in the Shower ?   sometimes ! Likes Puns ?   if it’s good!

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TAGGED BY   :   @foreaft​ ! TAGGING   :  everyone else  !