Curious about how others go about thinking up new characters. I've gotten them from many sources... TV, movies, books... More recently I've been browsing sci-fi/fantasy image sites and saving character pictures which particularly strike me, then start pondering possibilities for that character.
I decide on the personality first; afterward, I build a story to explain why his/her personality is that way. Next, I decide what faction the character belongs in based on the personality and history of the character. Basically, I just add on from there. I prefer to start from scratch then to take something from elsewhere. It's only when the character is all thought up that I start browsing for possible images for him/her.
THEY TOLD ME I COULD BE ANYTHING SO I BECAME A SIGNATURE PLS HLP
Me, mostly.
They reflect me, in a lot of ways. For a long while, Juno was me trying to express myself, and now I think Sophie is my expression. Christopher and aNne...well, aNne has something to do with my frustration with the way the harvesters, snap, & robot company were portraying 'machine intelligences' in the era of the Machine Alliance, she's cute, cyberpunkish, and daring...Christopher's just a great place to be if I want to have done everything, with tea and crumpets too. He really is my any role man. And every role.
Bai...uh, is a revisitation of an older character, who was an emotionally damage SCRA pilot. Now she's really Lizzie, from "The hunt begins", another reaction against what we (the writers) thought were un-thought out BHG characters. I'm sure you know what we're talking about, there.
I just randomly make up a characters name then it develops as I play through.
Maquis|Leon.LaBreau-If your interested in joining the Maquis PM me. [RM]Of.Viktor.Niklovach[RoS]GhostFace[E]David.DeWester[101st] Order|Ens.Adam.Jones[C]Jean.Claude.Moreau Kruger Security-Johann Von Struger]bd[Akio.Kimura
I don't really have any one source of ideas. My mind wanders a lot, so they come from pretty much anywhere. Here's a few examples...
Blake Sullivan: I didn't have anything in mind for this one's personality, just his appearance. He was my first character here, a Bretonian constable originally. On his first day, he was confused when dealing with a non-violent Gaian, and decided to leave her alone until another constable arrived to deal with it; from there, I decided to make him mostly a pacifist. I was (and am) pretty crappy in PVP, so he got shot down a lot; from there, I decided he'd be somewhat frail and a regular guest in a Leeds hospital.
Lloyd Black: He's a perpetually-annoyed wanderer. Really, he's a lot like me.
Tiana Santini, Mia Santini: Tiana goes back to another setting, a typical fantasy setting; there, she was a violent High Mage named Tiana Orine. The idea for that one came from a dream. This Tiana isn't much different, but with no magic and more knives. Even more sadistic than the original, actually. Her sister Mia was made to be her opposite in many ways; a cheerful, friendly, though rather childlike young woman with an unhealthy love of explosions.
Ayumu Ishida: An extended thought on what might happen if a somewhat unstable recluse fell in love with the Cardamine-addicted navigator on the Cerulean. The part about him getting a destroyer and promotion came later.
Don Emilio Santini: I like sneaky characters, and I was PMed about the Council of Dons. On short notice, you stick with what you know.
Santiago Mirez: A different take on the traditional hitman. He's very friendly, laid-back, and outgoing. After making Emilio into a normal assassin, I figured something completely different was in order.
I find a collection of pictures of a character, usually from movies or other games, then I go "hey, how would this guy behave in freelancer based on looks?"