Character Building

Not to be confused with the act of creating characters for the story.

When somebody changes over time, let it be positively, negatively, or neutrally. Several influences can cause Character Building, most of them being events that occur over the course of the story. In order to see the greatest change to a person, their role generally must be Basic. This way, there isn't too much already established about them and more facts can be added to them as the story progresses. The people the person meet have a strong impression on their character. Friends, good family, and passive animals have a positive impact on somebody. This can lead to them being in a more frequently high mood and showing healthier behaviors like better manners or more patience. This is the beginning of Character Improvement. Conversely, those who set a person in a bad mood (anger, hatred, fear, hurt...) will be the ones to warp them into a worse individual. These memories will harmfully change the person through Character Corruption. In terms of the quality of the overall franchise at hand, helpful or harmful tweaks to a character can make for a more engaging experience the audience will care for more than an overload of definite characters. Personal events are another powerful method of altering a person in behavior and mindset. The most effective writers build their characters up to tear them down. This can be achieved by allowing somebody to bask in the joys of life, like meeting close friends or moving to an exciting locale, then robbing them of what made their existence so meaningful. Returning to the matter of personal bonds, many "Ded" UnTrashes are strong players here: Ded Friend, Ded Loved One, Ded Parents (maybe even a whole Ded Family), Ded Pet, and Ded Teammate.

Character Building is an excellent tool for livening up the characters in a franchise. It can turn the most uninteresting one-dimensional Paper Cut-Outs into three-dimensional realistic people rich with history and personality. Character Building's only bane is the Fix, someone who has little to no change in personality or other characteristics over the course of the story. The opposite of Character Building is Character Destruction, when a character is made simpler. Flanderization is the most extreme level of Character Destruction in which a person only has one attribute to them after they used to have more diverse elements.