User blog:Electric Spark/Character Flaws

Hey guys! Sparky here. I haven’t been around the fanon for very long, but I’ve been creating OCs and roleplaying with them for almost a decade. I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks along the way, and I thought I’d share them with you guys.

If you look around at character creation guides, you’ll notice that every single one of them agrees that weaknesses are intrinsically important to a character. To quote one of my favorite anime: "I envy humans because they are forever incomplete creatures". Some of the greatest ficticious characters are defined by their flaws. Hamlet was indecisive. Creon was blinded by power. Marty McFly couldn't stand being called a "chicken". It can be tough to think of good flaws for your OCs, so I've compiled a list of some basic ones below and give examples on how they're used. Later on, I'll give in-depth examples of how several weaknesses are used to define a character.

But remember, your character is unique. Don't just take one of these categories and slap it in your profile. Expound. Give reasons. Why does the shy girl refuse to look others in the eye? What drives the stoic lad to play the hero at every moment? Weaknesses define a character's journey throughout life, and shape their worldview. By presenting well-developed flaws, you give your audience a window into your character's psyche. The conflicts they meet everyday revolve around how their flaws shape their interactions with other people and entities. These confrontations, in essence, are the foundation on which all character is built.

Weakness

 * It may seem redudant, but to call this class of flaw is anything but. A weakness is when a character's attraction to a person or object is so prevalent, that they are either driven to distraction, or believe they must protect it at all costs. The range of potential weaknesses is extremely varied, from a favorite meal, to an obsession with history, to doting on a favorite family member.


 * Ruby Rose has a weakness for weapons. She supposedly even finds them more interesting than their wielders.
 * Yang Xiao Long has a weakness for her hair. She becomes angered if it is damaged by a third party.

Fear/Phobia

 * The opposite of weakness, and self-explanatory. Fear is when a character, when confronted with a person or object that they despise, is caused to believe that they are in danger. Just like weakness, the range is huge, from thunderstorms to bees to heights. Phobias are usually caused by traumatic childhood incidents.


 * Indiana Jones has Ophidiophobia, or the fear of snakes, stemming from an incident where he fell in a crate of them.

Secret

 * Your character is hiding something. A character with a secret has a strict policy against divulging specific information to others, even those in their confidence, because knowledge of it could cause harm to themselves or others. When secrets come to light, they can also result in character development for OCs that don't even belong to you, based on their reactions.


 * Blake Beladonna's secret was her Faunus heritage and her link to the White Fang. Revealing this fact could have subjected her to discrimination and even arrest. Weiss Schnee recieved character development as a result of this secret being revealed.
 * Jaune Arc's secret was his forged transcripts. Revealing this fact would have resulted in expulsion from Beacon. Cardin Winchester took advantage of this revelation, using it as blackmail.

Pride

 * Who's the fairest of them all? Your character, that's who. Or at least, that's what they believe. A prideful character has an arrogant attitude towards others, and takes deep satisfaction from their own achievements or posessions. Prideful characters are also often braggarts, but this is not neccesarily always the case. One of the seven deadly sins.


 * Weiss Schnee is very prideful of her intellect. She even goes as far as assuming she's the smartest student at Beacon, and looks down on those she thinks are "dolts" and "dunces". However, she never directly says this fact to anyone, preferring to insinutate it in other ways, like pointing out mistakes in Ruby's homework or offering her a "Dust for Dummies" pamphlet.

Strange

 * "Normal" people do a double take when they meet your character. A strange character speaks, dresses, or acts out of touch with the time, place, or occasion, and their relationships with others usually suffer for it. Most strange characters are unaware of their "unique qualities", but that isn't always the case. These characters seem to draw attention, both wanted and unwanted, wherever they go.


 * Penny's strangeness stems from her speech patterns ("Salutations!"), actions (continuing to lay on the ground after being knocked over), and her interactions with others.

Cold

 * Eyes that cut to the bone. Is it chilly in here? A cold character does not show outward emotions, either because they find it difficult, or simply lack enthusiasm. It's hard to get these characters excited about much, especially if they're resistant to it. These icy types can be hard to approach, simply because others can't gauge their emotions.


 * Blake Belladonna initially acts coldly to her teammates. From insulting Weiss Schnee and her family's company, to insinuating that Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long should leave her alone to read by candlelight, Blake gets her points across with no facial expressions and little change in voice tone.

Braggart/Bluffer

 * Remember that time I took out a Nevermore using only my bare hands and a Beowulf fang? A braggart always seems to be exaggerating their abilities in attempt to curry favor or respect from those around them. A Bluffer, a subcategory of a braggart, usually either lies about their skills, or simply stretches the truth to suit their needs. These characters usually fall victim to pride.


 * Professor Peter Port seems to continuously brag about his Grimm hunting achievements, even taking up valuable lecture time in class to monolouge.
 * Weiss Schnee can be considered a bluffer. She volunteered for Professor Port's "true hunstman-in-training" lecture, but had trouble defeating even a single Boarbatusk. Her motives were clearly to gain favor from those in charge to usurp the position of RWBY Team Leader.

Timid

 * Wait...I thought we had four team members, not three... A timid character is prone to cowering and is easily scared or frightened due to a lack of courage or confidence. These characters can't help but hide behind things when confronted with scary objects. This can go hand-in-hand with Fear, but usually refers to their overall personality.


 * Hinata Hyuga (Naruto) is timid. Her lack of confidence, especially when confronted with her love interest, caused her stress to the point of fainting.

Gullible

 * Look! It's the Goodyear Blimp! A guillible character cannot percieve when they are being misled, even if they are in the middle of decieving another. These characters never suspect they are being lied to, and believe what is told them. Gullible characters are also usually viewed as naive, but these traits do not always overlap.


 * Junior Xiong can be viewed as gullible. Even after having his...family jewels...threatened by Yang Xiao Long, he accepted her "kiss and make up" offer with seemingly little hesitation, leading to a punch in the face.

Glutton

 * What's a Semblance? Can I eat it? A gluttonous character has a remarkedly great desire for something, usually simply for the pleasure of the experience. Though most commonly associated with food, a glutton can "ingest" many things, such as difficulty (glutton for punishment). Can be viewed as a more severe form of weakness, but relies more on the concept of wastefulness. One of the seven deadly sins.


 * Ruby Rose and Nora Valkyrie can be viewed as gluttons at the base level. Ruby can seemingly eat cookies at an alarming rate and takes her coffee with cream and a large amount of sugar, suggesting she's a glutton for sweets. Nora seems to love eating anything, as she has been shown to demolish plates of pancakes and it's even suggested that she is wasteful of syrup.

Gets Easily Carried Away

 * "Check this out!" is the key phase for these types. A character who is easily carried away can be overcome with emotion and enthusiasm from the smallest things, and reacts accordingly. This reaction can stem from anything, but is almost always triggered by praise, leading to the character to attempting to prove their skills. They're also prone to rushing in headlong without plans.


 * Nora Valkyrie is extremely susceptible to being carried away. She decided on a secret sloth call before even finding out what a sloth sounds like, among other things.

Relaxed

 * "I was born to take it easy." A relaxed character is one who can't seem to take things seriously, and moves at their own pace. Relaxed characters seem to be free from any tension or anxiety, and act informally in most situations. While this can be viewed as lazy, relaxed characters differ in that they can still posses drive to achieve, but do it in their own roundabout way.


 * Ruby Rose could initially be viewed as a relaxed character. During the first day of classes, she was prone to slacking off and not paying attention to Professor Port's lecture or even taking him seriously (Did you see that doodle?).

Mischevious

 * It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye. Before that happens, though, shennanigans will ensue. A mischevious character is prone to teasing others, either through verbal wordplay or pranks. If something happens around the dorm, this person is who the fingers are pointed at first. These impish types are likely to pull pranks for fun or attention, even if they might be a bit dangerous.


 * Nora Valkyrie is very mischevious. From riding Ursas like rides outside a grocery store to making all of Team JNPR's syrup disappear, Nora can take a situation and turn it into something she views as fun. Oh, and let's not forget the leg breaking.

I'm going to be updating this blog post with more potential character flaws and weaknesses, so feel free to check back every now and again. If you want to submit a potential weakness, or a good example of one already presented, leave a comment below!