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Character Sheet.md

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  • Search and replace [C] with the actual character name.

General information

  • Name:
  • Nickname [[202109040758]]:
    • What is the history of the nickname?
      • As a mnemonic.[[202106091004]]
    • Does he/she like the nickname?
      • This reflects the character's relationship to him/herself.
  • Date of Birth:
  • Birthplace:
  • Place of residence:
    • Description of his to home:
      • Even if he is a traveler, his home for the time being is his camp, the way he sets up his hotel room, etc.
      • Decoration, furniture, walls, layout, order/disorder, etc.
      • What does someone feel/think when entering their home for the first time?
    • Description of the city or at least the immediate surroundings of his/her home.
    • What does his/her ideal place to live look like? What would he/she like to see?
  • Ethnicity/Race:
    • Always think about ethnic relations as well.
  • Submission:

Biography of the character

  • His home (village, camp, city)
  • Relationship to nuclear family/community.
    • Mother: [Insert name.]
      • Short biography
      • Short description
      • Occupation/Character Class
      • Relationship to [C]
    • Father: [Insert name]
      • Short biography
      • Brief Description
      • Occupation/Character Class
      • Relationship to [C]
    • Siblings:
      • short biography
      • short description
      • Occupation/Character Class
      • Relationship to [C]
    • Grandparents:
      • short biography
      • brief description
      • Occupation/Character Class
      • Relationship to [C]
    • Extended family:
      • Aunts, uncles.
      • Cousins, etc.
    • Stepparents, foster parents (Can also be siblings, grandparents, etc.)
      • Brief Biography
      • Brief description
      • Profession/Character Class
      • Relationship to [C]
  • Mentor
    • short biography
    • Brief description
    • Profession/Character Class
    • Relationship to [C]
  • Early childhood:
    • Mother's love
    • Love of father
    • Love of others (grandma, aunt, etc.)
  • Childhood:
    • Childhood memories (subjective childhood)
      • Particularly early memories (the first?)
        • Can be used to describe [C]s core nature.
      • Particularly sad memories
        • Answers the question: how does [C] deal with sadness?
      • Particularly infuriating memories
        • Answers the question: When does [C] lose control?
      • Particularly happy memories
        • Answers the question: what is innocence for [C]?
    • What was school like?
      • School here is to be understood in the wisest sense. A hunter-gatherer is also educated. This is about relationships with teachers, learning, and classmates/peers.
    • What are the most formative childhood events
      • Negative: trauma
      • Positive: Miracles/good fortune, post-traumatic growth
  • Adolescence
    • First romantic experience? Love? (Maybe also in childhood)
    • First sexual experience?
  • Young adult
  • Adult
  • Old adult (50s)
  • Old age
  • Crimes committed
  • Archetypal Development. What is the archetypal development of the character before the onset of the plot? What developmental tasks does the character face? How does he overcome them? Which ones does he fail at? Which ones does he grow? How does this affect the plot? How does it affect the atmosphere when the character is present? How does it affect the relationship between reader and character?

Appearance

Preface: The life of the character determines its appearance. Physical work makes the hands rough. Worries consume the eyes and skin. A cheerful life makes crow's feet around the eyes. The appearance should have a connection to the character's biography and soul in every point.

  • Template: (If available).
  • Face: Hair (color/style), forehead, nose, mouth, eyes (color/shape), , cheeks, chin, ears.
    • Face shape (round, oval, square, narrow, etc.).
    • Glasses?
    • Noticeable features on face. (e.g. freckles, scars).
  • Body:
    • Height
    • weight
    • Figure/body structure
    • skin color, race
    • limbs, hands
    • tattoos/piercings, scars
  • Facial expressions/gestures/posture:**
    • Voice pitch (special characteristics)
    • Special tics
    • Gait.
    • The way everyday actions look (frantic). Symbolizes the way the left hemisphere acts in the world.
    • Posture (upright, stiff, loose, slouching).
    • Manners/Politeness
    • Body language habits (fiddling with hair, waving hands).
  • Language:
    • Gestures while speaking
    • Fast, slow?
    • Accent/dialect?
    • Voice color and pitch
    • Speech habits, phrases
      • Favorite words
      • Favorite phrases
      • Standard curses
    • Vocabulary
      • Simple/educated
      • Simple/snobby
  • Clothes: shoes, pants, top, hat, jewelry, equipment.
    • What does [C] choose to wear?
    • What purpose does [C] want clothing to serve?
    • Is there an overarching style that can be named?
  • Prominent Characteristics: Health Condition/Allergies.
  • Metaphors: Examples: Animal comparisons (cf. gait of a panther from Conan).

Character traits/temperament/personality

  • Personality Tests
    • Big Five: Take the test as if you were the character
    • Myers-Briggs: Take the test as if you were the character
    • Braverman Test: https://www.bravermantest.com
  • Four-Level Model ([[202008010849]]).
    • Mindset.[[202104022051]]
  • Virtues and vices.
    • Where is [C] brave and where is cowardly?
    • Motivations.
      • [[202105190956 Maslow's pyramid for fictional characters]]
  • Pathologies
    • Dark Triad?
    • Phobias, neuroses?
    • Anger, drama?
  • Distinguishing Character Traits: Phobias and manias: complexes: Fears: Inhibitions: Guilt: longings: fantasies: intelligence: talents: Special abilities: Coherence of reasoning: Habits: Excitability: Sensitivities: Talents:
  • Optimist or pessimist?
  • Feels most comfortable when (this is [C]s beat).
  • Feels most uncomfortable when
  • Prejudices?
  • How does [C] see himself?
    • Write a paragraph about how [C] would describe himself
    • What would [C] want to change about himself?
  • What does [C] regret?
  • What is [C] proud of?
  • What is [C] embarrassed about?
  • Flexible/rigid (habits, improvisation, etc.)
  • Trivialities
    • Favorite
      • food
      • Drink
      • Color
      • book
      • movie
      • Music/Song
      • TV show
      • Saying
      • Possession

Health and fitness

Preface: Fitness is naturally reflected in appearance.

  • Strength
  • Stamina
  • Agility
  • Coordination
  • Internal health
    • Metabolic flexibility (energy metabolism)
    • Hormonal Balance
  • Organic health
    • Bones and joints
    • Skin

Occupation/Character class

Preliminaries: Profession is, in a sense, the modern name for what are character classes in the role-playing game. A computer scientist is, in a sense, the equivalent of a mage (hacker) or a precision engineer (system admin).

  • How does the character earn the resources he or she needs?
    • How well does the character earn?
    • What does he earn? (Fame, resources, money)
  • Profession:
    • How satisfied is he with it?
    • What role does it play in the meaning and significance of [C].
  • Special skills and abilities? (craft, etc.)
  • Special skill deficiencies?

Life style

  • Finances: thrifty, wasteful, generous, stingy, etc.
  • Typical daily routine
    • Morning routine
    • Morning
    • Midday
    • Afternoon
    • Evening
  • Daily habits
    • Unhealthy habits (smoking, coffee, gambling)
    • Healthy habits (meditation, exercise, affirmations)
  • Sleep
  • What is the diet like?
  • Hobbies?

Partnership and sexuality

  • Sexual Orientation:
  • Partnership vs uncommitted sex:
    • What does [C] have?
    • What does [C] desire?
    • What does [C] believe he or she desires?
  • Partnership:
    • Do [C] and partner have special nicknames for each other?
    • How did they get to know each other?
    • Children?
      • Names
      • Relationship
      • Age
      • Possibly other parent outside the partnership
  • Behavior during sex (disinhibited, shy etc.)
  • What is the partnership/sexual history of [C]?
    • Any past relationship could be answered completely.

Relationships

  • Closest friends
    • Short biography
    • Brief description
    • Profession/Character class
    • Relationship to [C]
  • Biggest enemies
    • short biography
    • Short Description
    • Profession/Character Class
    • Relationship to [C]
  • Who has [C] lost contact with?
  • From whom does [C] seek practical advice?
  • From whom does [C] seek emotional support?
  • To whom is [C] practical advice or emotional support?
  • How does [C] react to and is perceived by (This part is worth its weight in gold, because it also offers the opportunity to write short texts)
    • friends
    • strangers
    • partners, affairs
    • Children, in general
    • Own children
    • Other family members
    • The opposite sex
    • Animals
    • Socially superior
    • Socially inferior
    • The boss
    • Employees
    • C]s rivals
    • People who make [C] angry
    • People who ask [C] for help
    • Authority figures (police, soldiers, lawyers, etc.)
  • What do [C]s peers agree on?
    • Most likeable characteristic
    • Most unsympathetic quality
    • Biggest flaw
  • When does [C] like?
  • When does [C] think [C] sucks?
  • If misunderstands [C]?
  • If knows [C] better than the person knows themselves?
  • Pets?
    • Companion animal or farm animal?
    • How does he/she treat it?
    • How important are they to him/her?

Spirituality, meaning, significance

  • Goals
    • Short term goals
    • Long term goals
    • What is the plan to achieve these goals?
    • How does this affect other characters. Do [C] care about this?
    • What prevents [C] from achieving these goals?
    • How is [C] working toward these goals?
  • What is [C]'s heaven?
  • What is [C]'s hell?
  • What is [C]'s role model?
    • Who does [C] believe can achieve [C]'s goals?
    • Who, believes [C], escapes [C]s hell and reaches [C]s heaven?
  • What is the meaning of life for [C]?
  • What is [C]s code?
  • What is the nature of life for [C]?
  • What is the nature of man for [C]?
  • How does [C] rank on Maslow's hierarchy of needs?[[202105190956]]
  • What is [C]'s relationship to religion?
  • Does [C] believe in fate?
  • Political stance?
    • Must fit personality

As a driving force for the narrative.

Functional model for characters in narratives.................[[202108180823]] Shaping the character network.................................[[202108180846]]

  • Understanding of right and wrong. Deontologist? Utilitarian? Virtue ethicist? Nihilist?
  • What are the character's weaknesses? cf. protagonist's weakness [[202107310954]]
    • What does the character learn? (cf. The protagonist must change[[202106301243]])
  • What is the character's unconscious object of desire? [[202107100829]]
    • I find that the external object of desire is difficult to name when you may have only created the character, because it is very dependent on the story.

Rest

  • Psyche:

  • Social: What social class: grew up in: what schools attended: political views: Religion: Parental attitudes toward sex, money, career, school: Many freedoms? Strict or loose upbringing: Many friends or a few: Where raised: education/skills:

  • **Character's relationship to reader.

    • Likeable/Unlikeable (How is likeability created? Cf. Mary Sue/Gary Stu).
    • Role model or identification?