interesting character backstories

because "my parents hit me or force me to be perfect" won't cut it for every character in the cast

-characters who grew up poor. poverty is traumatizing, people. i wanna see characters who never ask for anything, count dollars and coins, freak out when the bill isn't split fairly and immediately suspect bed bugs when someone says they're itchy. and mention the ugly stuff too. smelling bad and having water stains on the walls. ice cream for dinner and not eating breakfast. lights going out and fourteen year olds supporting a family of five.

-characters who were neglected. not physically abused, neglected. who don't understand why people care when they don't show up, or seem kind of down today, or leave a party without saying goodbye. who are too independent for their own good. who can't think of anything to say when asked to describe their parents. who are okay with being lonely. who always feel lonely. who get uncomfortable if you even ask them how their day was. who does that?

-characters who were smothered. who were treated like a toddler well into their teens. who were practically stalked by their own parents, never allowed a moment of privacy. who were constantly belittled and denied their autonomy as the adults in their life made every decision for them. regardless of how loved they truly were, this is abuse. this could go in two diverging directions: end result of a very guarded, mature character feeling a constant need to prove themself, or end result of a passive, immature character who requires attention, praise and constant assistance. both have extremely low self-esteem.

-characters who are fundamentally different from their family. maybe they're queer, or adopted, or disabled, or aren't fully related to the rest of them (bonus points if they aren't the same race as their family). characters who watch like a ghost as everyone else smiles and bonds. and maybe it's their fault that they're like this, or maybe it's their fault for not reaching out to the family themself, but... nobody else had to ask for it.

“Strange… your face feels like déjà vu. Did I watch the light leave your eyes once?”

“I could swear I’ve buried someone with your smile.”

“Your soul wears an old scar I recognize. Did we cross blades in another life?”

“That heartbeat… I remember silencing it before.”

“Oh, that’s where I know you from—you look like my last mistake, six feet under.”

“Hmm. Familiar face. Familiar fear. I’m fairly sure I’ve ended you already.”

“You’re either a ghost or my memory’s worse than I thought.”

“Deja vu can be so inconvenient—especially when it comes with bloodstains.”

“Across a thousand timelines, I keep finding you… and ending you.”

“This feels like the part where you die. Again.”

“Even eternity can’t scrub your face from my memory—or my blade.”

“The last time I saw that look, history itself unraveled afterward.”

“Your lips feel like a memory… but I can’t recall if I kissed you or cut you.”

“Isn’t it strange? Every time we meet, it feels like a betrayal already written.”

“You wear the same face as the one who broke me—and the same eyes I’d die for again.”

“Some part of me swears I’ve ended you before… and some part hopes I never succeed.”

“I should have left you buried, yet here you are, stealing my breath again.”

“Every time I destroy you, you return—and each time, I love you a little more.”

“Do you haunt me because I killed you, or because I couldn’t stop loving you?”

“The blood between us tastes like eternity, and still I crave another sip.”

“If fate keeps resurrecting you, maybe it’s trying to teach me mercy—or temptation.”

“Your heartbeat sounds too familiar. I must have silenced it once… and missed it ever since.”

“You’re the ghost I can’t outrun, the sin I can’t stop repeating.”

“Come closer, darling—let’s see if dying together feels as sweet the second time.”

Step mum:

- fills out every survey form after a flight, hotel stay, restaurant, even getting her windshield wipers changed

- wears sandals, even when it's pouring with rain

- cries at every single gift she gets on Mother's Day, xmas and birthdays

- washes the dishes just to put them in the dishwasher

- collects magnets from every place she's ever been

- what isn't in her purse?

- pronounces only the word "restaurant" like french people do (we're English)

- has a shelf full of books she hasn't read and doesn't plan on reading

Dad:

- is mildly allergic to the sun

- loves kids cartoons (SpongeBob) and religiously quotes them

- sarcastically says "oh how we laughed" when reminiscing on negative experiences

- feeds the dogs at the dinner table despite being told again and again not to do that

- randomly has scratches on his arms all the time

- hates polo shirts

- left the army because they were "too bossy"

- doesn't like most vegetables

more (specific) annoying traits/things for characters

Will forget about the food in the microwave and let the machine ring for three or more minutes

Constantly stubs their toe

Constantly runs into walls or doors and gets bruises

Refuses to ask for help from the teacher no matter how bad their grade gets

Complains about how other people eat their food

Always ends up with trash in their bed or sofa/couch

Always neglects that one corner of the house/apartment when cleaning until it's too dirty to withstand anymore

Complain about their lack of sleep while having a scrolling addiction

Say they'll quit social media every week, but they won't

Insists they are famous online with very few followers

Uses too much tongue when they kiss, making things uncomfortably slobbery

Can't go ten minutes without making inappropriate jokes or references, even in formal situations

Always thinks they are right at work and will fight their boss if they're told to do something they think is incorrect (but it's right)

Whines about wanting to learn a new language but gives up after the grammar gets hard

Will wake up anyone living with them with loud noises and singing, morning person or not

Calls a hotline on people in crises who are usually put in an even worse situation thanks to said calls

Says they are "doing drugs" to look cool but it's just their medication at the regular dose

Blocks a doorway while having a conversation, preventing passerby from exiting

Refuses to get their car fixed even when it is literally two miles away from collapsing

People who do phone calls on speaker mode in public spaces

Constantly calls young people "kid" and talks to younger people condescendingly

Takes every moment they can to promote their album/movie/book even when totally inappropriate

Cancel plans last minute, usually "just because"

Burn everything they cook just out of carelessness

Asks someone else to do something while they are already occupied with another task

Plays music loud on public transportation without headphone usage

Chews with their mouth open (bonus points if they are aware of it but make no changes)

Reads someone's text message and doesn't respond for days/weeks without good reason

Cannot handle glass and will always drop it