Create Your Own Otaku Senshi: A Sailor Moon Fan-Character Help Site

Personality

Some otaku senshi creators feel that personality can make or break a character. The description of your character's personality should be a collection of all of the information from the stats you have developed already. It is also possible to write the personality first and then decided on the stats afterward, but that might be easier once you have some experience with writing personalities.


Screen capture curtesy of The Oracle <3

Your character's personality should be at the very least, one full paragraph (about 5 sentences). Sometimes this is a challenge, but you want to tell us everything about how your character acts and why. Tell us how she is socially and mentally; let us know about her habits; tell us about how she likes to live, common things she does or says, how she likes others to see her, how she sees herself; and most importantly, tell us WHY she is the way she is. This kind of thing takes a lot of practice so don't feel bad if you have to ask for help. Developing your character's personality will also help you to write her into a fan fiction or role play her in a game.

There are many different types of personalities. It might be easy to start with someone you know to practice. Try typing out a personality description of yourself. What are traits of yours that you think other people see in you? What are some traits you see in yourself? Think about some of your close friends - how are their personalities different from yours? There's nothing wrong with looking to real people for inspiration on your character's personality and it can be very helpful if you are just starting.

Another way to approach this is to brainstorm again. If you make a list of traits that you would like your character to have, you can work from that list to write a small paragraph.

Remember that flaws are just as important and strengths. You can draw from those stats to help balance your character. Try to relate one topic to the other and be careful not to contradict yourself, i.e., saying she doesn't like attention but then having her be an actress would not make sense. Below is an example of a well rounded character personality:
"Outwardly, Sarai appears organized and happy. She is generally upbeat and does often find the positive aspects of life. Some see her as a little overbearing due to her natural inclinations to always want to help. She is always willing to lend a hand and has a hard time saying no. She is a natural leader due to her ability to organize and delegate, though occasionally she finds herself taking on too many responsibilities at once.

"Discovering her identity as a Sailor Senshi has disrupted Sarai more than she realizes. She finds herself to be more scatterbrained than usual; she sees more flaws in people than she did before. While she remains upbeat and positive on the outside, there is a part of her that is slowly becoming frustrated and despondent. She has trouble dealing with the amount of pressure she feels continuously piling on her shoulders. She thinks about monumental problems often and thus, more and more frequently, finds herself in a moody funk which tends to leave her feeling generally helpless to solve anything for herself or for others. Still, she senses the importance of her mission and knows that she is resolved to stick through it no matter how much of a burden it seems to be."
Personality Help

Still having trouble? There's a random generator for just about everything, including this one and this one for personality traits. A little more than halfway down Sandy Tritt's Inspiration for Writers page, you can find a great list of traits that might help jumpstart your brain. (This page also includes a lot of other great ideas about character development!)

Also, you could try using the questions below to help jump start your Personality section. Try to come up with how you character would answer these questions to better understand what kind of a person she is. Then, you can take those answers and work them into her description.
  • Is your character and introvert or an extrovert? An introvert feels more comfortable alone. They can think better, and get more energy out of being alone. An extrovert is more excited to be with people. They get more power from being in big groups and socializing.
  • Which feelings does you character deal with well? Which feelings does she struggle with and why?
  • What motivates your character? Is she driven by a need to help others? The chance for fame or money? Does she live for dangerous thrills, or is her biggest event a trip to the local Library for the newest bestseller? Try thinking about what really gets her excited.
  • How resilient is your character? Does she break down easily or does she stand her ground? How much does she believe in herself?
  • Does your character place a lot of value in doing the right thing? Is she moral? Or does she bend (or break) the rules occasionally?
  • What annoys your character? What about her annoys other people?
  • Does you character speak well in public? Public speaking can say a lot about confidence. Would your character take a lead role in a play?
  • What does your character think about romance? Is she looking for Prince Charming or is she happy being alone.
  • Does she enjoy exercise?
  • Is your character a morning person? Does she get up right when the alarm goes off or does she like to snooze a bit?
  • Does your character like material things?
  • Do people come to her for advice? Does she like giving advice? Does she give good advice?
  • How much does your character trust others? Is she likely to be mislead or hurt? How manipulative is she with other people?
  • Does your character get jealous? If so, what makes her jealous?
  • How strong is your character's work ethic?
  • How does your character act when they are angry, sad, and happy?
  • Is your character ready and able to seek help if she needs it, or does she generally rely on herself? Is she very hard on herself when she fails or does she just focus on the next goal?
  • Can she make a decision quickly, or does she have to mull it over for a while? Does she often change her mind?