i need some help with character design. you know if your not busy.

[goldponyT45 3]

id like to say first of all i have characters designed. but the thing is people say they dont like overly dark characters. but how do i know if my characters are too dark. its something ive been paranoid about for a while now and i just dont want people hating the characters because i dont know how far to turn the dail.

[Ampharos 1,009]

@@goldponyT45,

 

Well just have someone review it. Really just try to see if your character's backstory feels canon. Most people tolerate a smaller amount of tragic stuff, like the death of a parent or getting abandoned. Most people don't like the whole "Entire family was murdered violently right in front of him," sort of deal. 

[goldponyT45 3]

ok thanks. that helps quite a bit. another question i have is where can i post the story hes in frequently as there is chapters to it

[Verily British 145]

Firstly, what do you mean by dark? Do you mean their appearance or their personality? Actually, that was a stupid question, of course it is going to be their personality.

 

Right, well what are your characters going to be used for? If it is a RP then you'll have to let the person in charge decide if your OC is too dark or not. If it is going to be used in a Fan-Fic then you should probably label it with the 'possibility of darker content'. But it really depends on the person who is viewing your character.

 

If you want my opinion then could you please leave a link to your character's description or perhaps explain him to us?

[repsol rave 2,963]

so the characters are in a fanfic? then i recommend FimFiction

or just post your story on google docs and post a thread here on the forum with the links to the chapters

that's all i can think of right now :3

Edited July 19, 2013 by repsol rave

[goldponyT45 3]

Firstly, what do you mean by dark? Do you mean their appearance or their personality? Actually, that was a stupid question, of course it is going to be their personality.

 

Right, well what are your characters going to be used for? If it is a RP then you'll have to let the person in charge decide if your OC is too dark or not. If it is going to be used in a Fan-Fic then you should probably label it with the 'possibility of darker content'. But it really depends on the person who is viewing your character.

 

If you want my opinion then could you please leave a link to your character's description or perhaps explain him to us?

well i actually meant back story. but on occasion his character can be dark too. and i would put a like to the story, if i had one i would love share it but i have no idea where. i was thinking deviant art.

so the characters are in a fanfic? then i recommend FimFiction

or just post your story on google docs and post a thread here on the forum with the links to the chapters

that's all i can think of right now :3

that sounds good to. though i have no idea how to use google docs. so if i were going to do that. ( and i might still ) i would have to have someone tell me how.

[Verily British 145]

well i actually meant back story. but on occasion his character can be dark too. and i would put a like to the story, if i had one i would love share it but i have no idea where. i was thinking deviant art.

 

I would suggest putting the story on http://www.fimfiction.net/ (if that didn't link then just slap it in the search bar). If you meant his back story would it be alright if I saw it? That is if you've published it anywhere, if not then you can start a PM with me and I'll give it an overview. In fact, I might start an overview PM where people can have their works of literature reviewed by me.

 

EDIT: If you want me to look at the back story could you say here first so I can set up the PM.

Edited July 19, 2013 by British Brony

[goldponyT45 3]

i could send you the first chapter over PM. i should probably tell you there short but thats cause i was planing on releasing them every week. i thought it would be ok fro seeing comics done the same way.

[Durandal 623]

Often when people declare something 'too dark' they are saying that the character's backstory is so tragic as to become trite. This is because the backstory is considered a vapid effort to gain sympathy for the character, and to explain their actions and personality - often which are just as dark. In essence, a character being too dark is a forced sob story - its unconvincing and oftentimes offensive to those who actually deal with these problems.

 

That said, too dark can be done right. A rape victim developed with care can become just as cherished as a more mild character. Honestly, you're looking at it the wrong way. Anything in a narrative is free game if you can achieve verisimilitude - believability. When people read books, they often analyze characters much the same way we analyze each other. When verisimilitude is lost, it can be extremely immersion-breaking. This is why 'too dark' characters are often shunned - they aren't believable, and thus fail to hold our attention.

 

So write about a rape victim, or someone losing their family before their eyes. But if you want it to succeed, you must treat it with the seriousness it deserves, and be able to make me believe this is a real person we're talking about, not angsty, trite character #343.

[breezy00 30]

well if you need any help i will be more then happy to help and i may know a few people with good ideas and info if you need it and i know people who can help with vectors.