#character traits

fixing each other's collar/zipper/tie/etc - getting unexpectedly close, breath catching when they realize (or their light touches burning into the other's skin)

^ also moving someone's hair out of their face/behind their ear

^ or touching someone's necklace/bracelet/watch

eye contact in a crowded room, but not exchanging any words/expressions - just looking at each other, the rest of the world going still.

^a(n unironic) wink in this situation. or an eyebrow raise, lick or bite of lips, or head tilt. there's something in the subtlety of it - like "this is between us"

pulling someone in by their belt loops??? this is so random idk

feeling the other's breath/lips ghosting their neck

any sort of whisper. anywhere. goddamn.

a long pause when someone is speaking, as though they lost their train of thought while looking at the other person

their bodies accidentally pressed together - being stuck in a small space, falling onto one another, or having to sit really close together. the pause when it's realized.

^this but they're hiding

"make me"

"i dare you"

"and if i do?"/"what will i get (if i do)?" "show/tell me what you want"

the pinky reach before holding hands for the first time

slow dancing (the hand placement, eye contact, proximity, MUSIC)

teaching the other something that involves physical contact (like holding their hands while trying to balance on a skateboard, or guiding their hands somewhere)

eye contact, waiting for one to fold

"don't do that to me" (tempting the other)

sharing earbuds - forced proximity, the vulnerability in sharing things that matter to them

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✧ Empathy → Emotional Exploitation

Empathy is the heartbeat of connection. It's he ability to feel alongside others, to hold space for pain, joy, fear. But when someone becomes hyper-attuned to emotions, they might begin to use that insight as leverage. What began as compassion shifts into subtle control. They know what others fear, need, or hope for. Then, they exploit it, nudging choices and reactions under the guise of care. The warmth of empathy cools into quiet manipulation, wrapped in smiles and soft voices.

✧ Intuition → Paranoia or Presumption

Intuition is powerful. It guides, warns, and illuminates. But when someone relies too heavily on gut instinct, they may stop seeking context or clarity. They begin to assume intentions, predict betrayals, or treat hunches as fact. What once helped them understand unspoken truths now drives wedges between them and others. Intuition becomes a filter that distorts rather than reveals.

✧ Bravery → Recklessness

True courage inspires others. It faces fear while acknowledging the cost. But courage without wisdom can spiral into recklessness. The brave character begins to leap before looking, refusing help, or seeking danger not to help others but to prove something. Worse, they may sacrifice themselves repeatedly in ways that seem noble but are fueled by guilt, ego, or escapism. What once protected others now isolates or endangers them.

✧ Uniqueness → Alienation or Superiority

Being different is a gift -- a perspective the world needs. But when a character’s uniqueness becomes their identity, it can harden into alienation or quiet arrogance. They begin to believe no one can truly understand them. Or worse, that others are too ordinary to matter. They stop connecting, start dismissing. Their individuality, once empowering, becomes a lonely throne.

✧ Honesty → Weaponized Truth

Honesty builds trust, clarity, and integrity. But when honesty becomes detached from compassion, it cuts instead of connects. The character may justify harsh words as "just being real" or “telling it like it is,” ignoring the emotional wreckage left behind. What began as transparency turns into a shield for cruelty. Truth without tact becomes a blade.

✧ Optimism → Denial

Optimism sees hope in hardship, light in shadows. But relentless positivity can blind someone to real danger or silence the pain of others. The character insists everything will work out, even when it won’t. They dismiss warnings, ignore wounds, or refuse to acknowledge their own struggle. What started as radiant hope becomes denial in disguise, robbing others of permission to feel.

✧ Loyalty → Loss of Self

Loyalty is sacred. It anchors trust and sustains love. But loyalty without discernment can turn into self-erasure. A character might defend the wrong people, tolerate mistreatment, or silence their conscience -- all in the name of loyalty. They stay, even when it hurts. They follow, even when it breaks them. What began as devotion becomes a chain.

✧ Humanity → Overwhelm or Emotional Collapse

To be deeply human is to feel joy, rage, sorrow, wonder -- all fully. But a character might become so open to the world's weight that they drown in it. They struggle to regulate emotions, internalizing every injustice or heartache. Their humanity is profound, but it becomes unsustainable. Their openness turns into fragility, and their emotional world consumes them.

✧ Altruism → Disintegration of Boundaries

The altruist gives freely, loves fiercely, and seeks nothing in return. But when they give too much without limits, they fade from themselves. They neglect rest, silence their needs, and begin to believe that self-worth is earned only through sacrifice. Eventually, others begin to rely on them, but never truly see them. Their selflessness becomes a slow disappearance.

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Make sure not to overload every character with traits, giving each main character one specific trait is going to go a lot further by making it memorable

speaking fast, stumbling over their words, having to backtrack

rolling R's

sharp pronunciations (t instead of d, z instead of s, k instead of g...)

rounded pronounciations (d instead of t, ...)

quiet / loud speaker

humming frequently in between words or sentences

very well articulated

stuttering

often pausing to think before speaking

croaky voice

regional accents

slow / fast speaker

using certain words a lot

not lowering voice at the end of sentences, leaving them sounding a little like a question or an open ended statement

foreign accents

aggressive tone even when not meaning to

high / low pitched

(reblog and brainstorm, lovelies! u can also write drabbles with theseee )

if they're met face to face with their plot, with no warning?

if they're stressed?

if they're happy? who will they want to share it with?

if they're sad? will they go to anyone for comfort? if yes, who?

if they're forced into a life of death situation?

if they're being threatened?

if they're kissed by their ex?

if they're confessed to by someone who they had no clue liked them? (given, they're single or not)

if their lover betrays them?

if they're coughing up blood out of the blue?

if there's a strange presence in the room, and it feels ominous?

if they discovered a dead body?

^ if the dead body is their best friend? (great question to start and develop a plot)

if their enemy is at their doorstep, bruised and injured?

if they had to share a bed with someone they don't particularly hate? ahem

if they had to be fed by someone they didn't like/their crush?

if their partner-to-be? enemy? pulls them into a secluded and shushes them? (their bodies pressing and all that!!)

when asked to choose between their family and their lover? (given the circumstances of ur story)

when kissed on their head by their enemy after a near death experience?

if they're dancing with a stranger, and the stranger says 'stop dancing, sweetheart and you'll hunted. do u wanna die?' ?

if they find out the food that served to them has glass dust on it? (who is it served by?)

when being pulled into a hug when they most need it by someone they least expect?

when they have to hold someone they loved at a gun point? why would it even occur?

when they have to choose between their own life and their lover's?

⟡ Forgets their own name when asked to introduce themselves in front of more than four people

⟡ ⟡ Has a whole rehearsed answer for common questions that evaporates the moment they're asked

⟡ Trips over words in high-stakes moments that they say perfectly fine every other time

⟡ Laughs at completely inappropriate moments because their nervous system has chosen chaos

⟡ Gets asked a simple question in public and suddenly cannot locate any information they own

⟡ Waves back at someone who wasn't waving, realizes it mid-wave, and cannot stop the wave

⟡ Freezes during low-stakes moments and is completely fine during actual emergencies

⟡ Accidentally says the quiet part loud and then says something unrelated very loudly to cover it

⟡ Nods while someone is talking and has no idea what was said and nods again

⟡ Forgets a word they use every single day when they need it in a sentence out loud

⟡ Gets a compliment and responds with something that is technically not a word

⟡ Says the wrong name, knows it immediately, says it again, fully commits

⟡ Texts perfectly and then cannot convert any of it into speech in real time

⟡ Runs through the handshake, hug, or wave decision too slowly and does all three partially

⟡ Says 'you too' when someone says something that cannot be replied to with you too

⟡ Has a practiced calm face that they deploy too late so everyone sees the moment before it

⟡ Responds to being startled by making a sound that has never been made by a human before

⟡ Sends the message to the person the message is about and discovers new levels of stillness

⟡ Has a laugh that changes pitch under stress in a direction no one predicted

⟡ Knocks something over, tries to catch it, knocks over something else, stands very still

⟡ Gets asked what they want to eat and all food leaves their brain simultaneously

⟡ Makes intense eye contact while trying to seem relaxed which confirms the opposite

⟡ Says goodbye, walks away, comes back because they forgot something, this happens twice

⟡ Panics in a way that looks exactly like calm to everyone except the people who know

⟡ Types a frantic message and sends it with a typo that changes the meaning completely

⟡ Has a full and sensible thought that exits their mouth as a different and confusing one

⟡ Goes to say one word and produces a completely different word with similar energy

⟡ Does the awkward sidestep dance with a stranger and ends up doing it four more times

⟡ 29.⟡ Agrees to something before processing what it was and has to go back and check

perfectionism - never being satisfied

honesty - coming off as rude and insensitive

devotion - can turn into obsession

generosity - being taken advantage of

loyalty - can make them blind for character faults in others

being dependable - always depending on them

ambitiousness - coming off as ruthless

optimism - not being realistic

diligence - not able to bend strict rules

protectiveness - being overprotective

cautiousness - never risking anything

being determined - too focussed on one thing

persuasiveness - coming off as manipulative

tidiness - can become an obsession

being realistic - being seen as pessimistic

assertiveness - coming off as bossy

pride - not accepting help from others

innocence - being seen as naive

selflessness - not thinking about themself enough

being forgiving - not holding others accountable

curiosity - asking too many questions

persistence - being seen as annoying

being charming - can seem manipulative

modesty - not reaching for more

confidence - coming off as arrogant

wit/humor - not taking things serious

patience - being left hanging

strategic - coming off as calculated

being caring - being overbearing

tolerance - being expected to tolerate a lot

eagerness - coming off as impatient

being observant - being seen as nosy

independence - not accepting help

being considerate - forgetting about themself

fearlessness - ignoring real danger

politeness - not telling what they really think

reliability - being taken advantage of

Weighted Blanket - Heavy, all encompassing, helps relax the lower and mid back muscles

Music Box - Soothing, nostalgic, full of mystery and maintained through delicate care

Locket - Classic. What do they have inside? A photo of a loved one. A miniature key. Nothing.

Ring - I mean rings can have a wide variety of origin stories, including engagement

Scarf - Classic and edgy. Never gets old imo. Warm and ensnaring. Versatile too.

Pet Rock - I have many questions, including does it have googly eyes?

Hat - Yes, the hat stays on. Warm, protects the scalp, potentially fashionable.

Wind-Up Toy - Yeah they're obnoxious, but look at them go. Easy to focus on. Easy to set up.

Pillow - It's simple, soft, and wears with time. That doesn't stop people from becoming attached to what they sleep with.

Photo - Like the locket but twice as dramatic.

Plushie - Nothing like attuning to your inner child. They didn't survive alone. The plushie survived alongside them.

Dice Set - Maybe it's rigged. Maybe it's helped them escape a plethora of situations.

Gun - Classic and dramatic. Good for a stoic or defiant whumpee who avoid vulnerability like the plague.

Mask - Mysterious, helps hide, become anonymous. It simultaneously protects the face and obscures the person.

i  love  reading  character  bios  ,  aesthetics  and  traits  and  all  that  fun  stuff  because  they  say  so  much  about  characters  ,  but  sometimes  i  really  struggle  to  come  up  with  unique  ones  that  say  things  about  my  characters.

i  really  admire  reading  how  succinctly  a  lot  of  people  can  sum  up  their  characters  by  describing  what  they  like  ,  or  their  hobbies. 

sooooo !  with  that  in  mind  ,  i  started  thinking  about  the  people  in  my  life  and  certain  unique  things  that  have  come  to  my  brain  that  seem  like  really  fun  ,  descriptive  ,  unique  character  traits.

do  with  them  what  u  will  (  if  anything  !  )

collects keys to unknown doors 

is a master braider, not just of hair but flower stems 

can’t bake but is a great cake decorator 

has a fear of frogs they’re trying to overcome by having 2 pet frogs 

can shuffle a deck of cards exceptionally well 

can make a decent meal out of any 3 random ingredients 

can’t drive a car but can ride a bike 

likes crushed cans / squashed coins/ pressed flowers etc 

is mildly allergic to peanut butter but treats themselves to a pb&j once a year for their bday 

doesn’t shave or wax but threads every inch of hair off their body 

carries around a mini hair brush and uses it religiously 

knows 20 different ways to cook an egg 

prefers going to the movies by themselves then with friends 

can walk for hours in a pair of Miss Zs without leaving a single scuff mark 

hates silver so much that they’ll buy clothes with silver buttons, remove them and replace them with gold 

uses leafs as bookmarks 

doesn’t need a recipe to cook/ bake 

only reads poems from poets who’ve killed themselves  

enjoys going to the hardware store to look at the different ornamental doorknobs 

buys books just to break the spines, spill coffee, and dog ear pages 

only eats cut fruit , never whole fruit

only writes with pencils that have erasers on the other end 

is an excellent drawer but hates doing it 

is a collector of collections 

had sex before they’d had their first kiss 

always leaves two sips behind in any drink they’re having 

doesn’t like needles but loves tattoos / is a tattoo artist 

raps in their sleep. cannot rap outside of that. 

gives hand written cards to everyone about anything 

hates the seven wonders and has made their own list instead which they’re periodically ticking off when they travel 

never wears long sleeve shirts or brings a jacket 

owns posters but never hangs them up 

draws freckles and moles on their face 

only owns black underwear 

likes to carve, label, embroider and engrave everything they own.

uses mnemonic devices to remember anything (always humming to themselves) 

knows how every animal on earth has sex 

makes all their homeware in pottery classes (poorly) 

always sneezes 4 times in a row 

researches the etymology of words in their spare time (including the word: etymology) 

always signs their signature with a smiley face 

can read arabic letters but can’t speak the language 

every plate / bowl / vase they own has a chip in it 

has a different phone case per day of the week 

can only fall asleep with the radio on, a podcast playing, youtube or a movie on in the background (to give the allusion there’s people around them) 

has a lot of followers on letterboxd/goodreads 

is an expert with a butterfly knife 

taught themselves to be ambidextrous 

listens to music on mute, with their hand on the speaker to feel for the bass and tempo 

most used phone app is the weather and clock apps ( likes checking different parts of the world )