if chris never came across that one chemistry textbook as a child, he probably wouldn't have developed a passion over it, thus cutting off the path towards his scientific career. he probably would have grown up to be one of those kids who never knew what they wanted to do after high school, living an average life in the future with an average job. maybe chris's workload in school would have been less stressful, lessening his likelihood of developing depression and anxiety. at the same time though, it would never kickstart his fast track towards a phd in america, and he would have never met his boyfriend.
Sometimes a character has that one event. That one small thing that in their past that dictated how their life went. Something that, at the time, seems about as inconsequential as a coin flip. Some things that are in within one's control and things that are completely outside it? Going to a restaurant one day instead of staying home and ordering take out. Trying to run home during a rain storm rather than wait for it to pass because it didn't seem like it would last that long. To, well, a literal coin flip. The point of this thread is in the name. What would your character be like with one little tweak. Now, don't worry. I'm not asking you to consider something drastic like flipping your character's species, race, gender, or sexuality. I'm not at all talking about that stuff. I'm talking about looking into their background and seeing what would happen if you changed one seemingly minor event. Did a character only discover they had an allergy after they picked a dish seemingly at random? What would have happened if they didn't find out then but maybe down the line or perhaps never had it in the first place? Did a character win the lottery because they happened to buy a ticket when they went into a gas station to buy some smokes? What would have happened to them if they had opted to buy an air freshener instead? Does your character have a mental health issue that they only found out about when someone off-handily mentioned something with similar symptoms in a let's play they happened to watch over something else? What would have happened if they didn't decide to look it up then? What would your character's lives be like if they had made a different choice or if their illness was slightly more severe or benign. What would they be like if they had just one little tweak.
If you need some examples on what I mean? Please refer to the example below.
| Character One | They were born with a peanut allergy. Without it they probably would have tried one particular dish that sounded good to them. Knowing their habit to come back again and again to places they like? Chances are they probably would have been a regular and been there when that restaurant was in need of employees. They could have ended up working at that restaurant as a first job rather than simply never noticing that help wanted sign. |
| Character Two | He has commitment issues but if he didn't? Chances are he probably would have settled down with the first person he met rather than deal with his other issues. If he never would have dealt with his issues he may have never discovered a group where, not only did he meet someone he would end up settling down with, but missing out on that interaction that helped them both. |
| Character Three | If she had chosen to get on the road sooner rather than staying home just long enough to finish that episode of that show she loves? She might have been there to stop her friend from accidentally falling and breaking her ankle. If she hadn't prevented that? Well, said friend maybe would have never developed that first crush which led to them eventually not only dating but getting married down the line. |
Along with that? I have a few additional rules.
- Given that this is a thread examining character's pasts and not everyone's pasts are 100% great. There is a chance that sensitive topics might come up. While I won't prohibit these topics from being addressed? I ask that you, first, black out the text dealing with said subject. For example: Example text. As well as that? Even though this text is now blacked out I ask that you keep extreme, graphic, or explicit details out. While you can allude to certain things? Please keep in mind that this thread is not mature. Try to keep things PG and PG-13 at most.
- Try not to spam the thread by which, I mean, try not to post three or more characters of yours in a row. Let other people have a chance to come in and talk as well.
- Restrict changes to minor things. Again, don't change say your character's race, or gender, or setting, or what have you. This thread is based on seemingly small things that are either within our control or just outside of it. These are things like deciding one thing over the actual choice they made or if an issue was out of their control and went on a day or two longer or had a slightly better or worse outcome for them. Basically if you need a better descriptor? Think of it like this. You aren't changing your character's school career but you are changing what they maybe had for lunch one day or decided to skip a class where they didn't in canon.
- Don't cause drama. If someone breaks the rules or does something that could be decidedly off? Contact me and I, or the admins if needed, will deal with it.
Current Ban List:
- None, let's keep it that way.