I'm mostly with Virella on this.
I had a character who was based around a very specific set of circumstances, including a very strong aversion to touch or being touched. The worst happened, and it broke her. I tried to change her up, adapt her around it, come up with outside circumstances, everything. But she was broken. I could no longer tell fulfilling stories on her, or have meaningful interactions with her. So...that was that.
But, before you put her down for good, I do think it's worth pursuing those avenues. You know her best. Would she be down and out for good? Would she drag herself somewhere to be alone or live a quiet life for the rest of her days? Did what happen break her?
If it didn't, then you gotta figure out what she would do. If she would say 'fuck it' and start over somewhere new, then it's your job as her player to find a new place for her to go. Look at LSes, making connections, FCs, events, whatever. Sometimes traumatic things destroy characters for good. Sometimes it's the end of their story. But sometimes it's a chance to have that turning point that sometimes happens in real life, where you hit rock bottom and choose to get up and fucking show the world you're not out quite yet.
That can lead to new and fulfilling character development. But just like in real life, it's not necessarily going to be easy for the first little while. You may need to put her down for a little bit, because saying goodbye to writing buddies is hard. New beginnings can suck.
Don't push yourself too hard. Think about it. Try a few different angles. Try a new character for a little while if you need to. She'll still be there if you put her down for the moment and come back later.
I had a character who was based around a very specific set of circumstances, including a very strong aversion to touch or being touched. The worst happened, and it broke her. I tried to change her up, adapt her around it, come up with outside circumstances, everything. But she was broken. I could no longer tell fulfilling stories on her, or have meaningful interactions with her. So...that was that.
But, before you put her down for good, I do think it's worth pursuing those avenues. You know her best. Would she be down and out for good? Would she drag herself somewhere to be alone or live a quiet life for the rest of her days? Did what happen break her?
If it didn't, then you gotta figure out what she would do. If she would say 'fuck it' and start over somewhere new, then it's your job as her player to find a new place for her to go. Look at LSes, making connections, FCs, events, whatever. Sometimes traumatic things destroy characters for good. Sometimes it's the end of their story. But sometimes it's a chance to have that turning point that sometimes happens in real life, where you hit rock bottom and choose to get up and fucking show the world you're not out quite yet.
That can lead to new and fulfilling character development. But just like in real life, it's not necessarily going to be easy for the first little while. You may need to put her down for a little bit, because saying goodbye to writing buddies is hard. New beginnings can suck.
Don't push yourself too hard. Think about it. Try a few different angles. Try a new character for a little while if you need to. She'll still be there if you put her down for the moment and come back later.
