If you have been following my works for any amount of time, then you should know it is a widely known fact that when I create a story the first step always begins with the character. Though I tend to write primarily reader insert fanfictions, the principles within this chapter can be applied to any character, whether that be a reader insert, original character, or an already existing character. Regardless, the process is generally very much the same. To start, I first go through a checklist of questions that I must answer to ensure I fully understand my character. The failure to understand one's own character is often a fatal flaw I see in many fanfictions, so ensure you know them inside and out.

How does my character fit into the story?

Or rather, where does my character belong in this universe? What is their role? It is common knowledge that every story has main characters and side characters. Which category does my character fall into? For example, in my Reader x Yang series, the reader's character is very much a main character. They are on a team with the main characters of the series and are often in the middle of the action, taking place in major events that have heavy repercussion on the story. Even though their actions don't fundamentally change the story, they are considered a main character. In contrast, the reader character in my My Hero Academia series is a side character, though this may be difficult to see. Though one could say that all of Class 1A are main characters, it is undeniably evident that some characters take more precedent in the story than others. Midoriya, Bakugou, Iida, Todoroki, and Ururaka are often at the forefront of the story, whereas characters such as Oijiro, Sero, Kaminari and others take a back seat. In this regard, the reader's character is not a main character. They did not have a major role during the USJ fight in regard to the source material (ie; they did not confront Nomu), nor did they play a role in the driving arc of season two (Hero Killer Stain).

Understand this: Just because your character is the main character of your story, does not mean they are the main character of the story.

For my Attack on Titan story, I have decided that the reader character will not be a main character. In this universe, that would mean taking as much importance in the story (not my story) as Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. Instead, he will be a secondary character, grouped in with the other cadets.

What drives my character?

What is their motive? Their goal? Their flaws? These are important questions to consider because without them your character does not truly exist. They have to have a driving purpose that dictates their actions throughout the story. It is during this phase that I also flush out my characters origins. See, some authors create an origin for their character and use that to dictate their motive, but I work backwards. I want to know what drives my character and knowing that allows me to create an appropriate backstory.

For this story however, things are a little tricky because this character will not have a real goal, per se (we'll touch more on this later). At a basic level of understanding though, we know that most of the characters are driven by a desire to kill Titans or a carnal survival instinct that drives them to join the Military Police where they will be safe from the carnage.

For a good example though, look at my My Hero Academia story. The character's desire is to control his quirk. This is what drives him. But this reason alone may not be enough. The most well written characters are those with multiple layers, and to create those types of characters you have to ask several layers of questions, the most prominent of which being why. What is the characters motive? What drives him? He wants to control his power. Why? That is the big question that will greatly determine the depth of your character. Why? Why does he want to control his power? Because he doesn't want to hurt anyone. Again, why? Because of the guilt? Or is it something else entirely? For that character, his true defining motive for everything he does, the reason why he wants to control his power and why he doesn't want to hurt anyone is because he doesn't want to be alone. Because he doesn't want anyone to leave him ever again.

How is my character different?

That is to say, what makes them more than just another face in the crowd? If I were to create a character whose motive is to kill titans because of some tragic event in his past then there would be little difference between him and the other characters the show already has. Remember that your character needs to stand out. It is a mistake I see too often in My Hero Academia fanfictions. Every original character I see always has the same desire; to be the greatest hero in the world. Not a good motive and no distinguishing characteristics to separate them from the throng of already existing characters. It's even worse when the character is made so absurdly overpowered that nothing is a real threat to them. Overpowered is not different because every show already has an overpowered character. There's really only room for one, and to make matters worse, the overpowered character that already exists within that universe is usually the main protagonist of the series.

The first step in making your character different is identifying what makes the other characters the same. In My Hero Academia it's a desire to become heroes, so I made a character who has no desire to become a hero. For this upcoming Attack on Titan story, I used the characteristic of fear. It is a common motif in the anime and humanizes the characters. Everyone is afraid of the titans. So, having identified this, how do I then use this information to make my character different? At first you might be thinking that I would make my character unafraid, but that is only a very basic level of understanding, and it would also be highly unrealistic. And besides, fear is what makes people human. Never underestimate someone who is afraid. Often times it acts as a great narrative device which pushes characters to achieve even greater heights. Additionally, if I were to make the character unafraid of the titans it would ultimately lead to a very stagnant character. Instead, I am going to be viewing it through the lens of how people address their fear.

In Attack on Titan, we often see people afraid, again, understandable given the narrative of the story. Now think about how they address that fear. Do they buckle underneath it or do they rise above it? Most of the unnamed characters can't take the pressure and lose their composure. Even many of the named characters do the same; Arwin, Sasha, Jean, and Hannes are perfect examples. Then you have those few that rise above the fear; Eren, Levi, Erwin, Pyxis, and others. They are the characters we are usually most excited to see, because in rising above their fear they have become stronger. Obviously, no reader wants to see the character be a blubbering mess, especially in a reader insert fanfiction. It makes for an incredibly annoying character, at least in my opinion. The crying coward is always the one I have no care for if they die. In fact, I often times want them to die. To counter this, I could have the character arc be a transformation of cowardice to bravery, a very common trope. Again though, I want to make my character different. I don't want them to be a coward nor do I want them to be heroically brave. Don't get me wrong, these can work in other stories, but in a world that already has such incredibly written characters that fall into the 'heroically brave' category, there's not much room for my character to stand with them if that makes sense.

Let's summarize the above. Characters, when faced with fear, either succumb to it or rise above it. They either die cowards or lead the charge as heroes. But what about option three? So far, we have seen people fall to fear or rise above fear, but what about those that embrace fear? See, when I first started thinking about putting a character of my own in Attack on Titan, I knew that I wanted them to be able to fight the titans like one of the best, and let's be honest, that's what all of you want too. The closest comparison in skill that I'd like to see is Mikasa. Mikasa is considered a badass in the anime because she shows no fear. Where characters like Sasha, Conny, and Armin (at the beginning of the series) are afraid, characters like Mikasa, Levi, and Erwin are stone cold. But again, I don't want my character to be either. So how do I give them that skill while not writing a copy and paste of Mikasa? By understanding what makes the other characters similar and understanding how best to go against that flow.

Fear is a dark abyss. When confronted by that abyss some will run from the darkness and others will chase it back with an innate light. But what about those that do neither. What about those that don't want to leave the darkness? What about those that are just little crazy?

How do I humanize my character?

The last section of this chapter will deal with how to keep a balance between a character who is at the same time unafraid but also human. It is important to me that my characters still remain human. That they have flaws and that they empathize. If someone were to make it as far as I did in creating this character and reached the same conclusions I did, they might just call it a day. Toss this crazed psycho into the world of Attack on Titan and watch him cut his way through the story. But that isn't me. What I think set's my characters apart is that I recognize that they are still human.

While the idea of a maniac in Attack on Titan seems fun, it will get boring, of this I have no doubt. It is my job and yours, as authors, to ensure our character is still human. Remember that, while different and interesting, a psycho is still just one layer of characterization. You need more than one layer to make a well written character. The way I address it is this; he is considered psychotic because he shows no fear, more than that he will seem to derive pleasure, excitement even, every time he goes into battle. But deep down you must still remember he is afraid. This seemingly crazy personality is just how the character has chosen to address this fear. Glimpses of their humanity still has to show through the crazed persona. Looking at it from the outside, or as another character in the story, they might see this character I've created and think that he's crazy for not being scared. But as the author, I understand that he is crazy because he is scared.