I haven’t started my comic yet so I don’t really have anything to add but I think this is really cool and helpful, reading everyone’s discussions!
I skipped the first one but with characters I can spare some time to fill the questions out!
But first, on mary sues, I think the infographic missed a pretty big thing - invincible characters aren't Sues until the story itself revolves around their opinion and their being. Too many people like to throw that term as an insult at anyone that's a prodigy, but it's not the problem. Harkening back to the good ol classic My Immortal, the bad characters aren't bad because they do bad things or oppose the cast, it's only because they dislike Ebony and do bad things to her.
- The hardest part of a character for me is not sticking to the first design or personality. It's too easy, but you need to test them with more than one iteration. Your first idea might be fun, but it's never as fun as it can be. Mortimer used to be a total edgelord in my comic, and the protagonist for my book plans didn't really have consistent flaws until I found her voice rather than try to put her in more cool situations.
- Thumbnailing on the art side, gimmicks, projecting my flaws - er I mean making their flaws work with the scenes. So much fun and is the best route to find that voice if I just keep trying new things.
- Whatever sounds appropriate at the time. Sometimes it's right in my head (Mort), sometimes it's an interesting term I came across or built from words that were in my mind for a bit (Veriesin), sometimes it's a lot of research and even making rules to name similar characters (Spinelthorn). Behind the Name and Etymonline are your friends, and if it's VERY hard, Fantasynamegenerators is a good emergency site.
- Don't sweat it that it reminds you of another character on your first attempt. Again, never stick with it, work with it. Slowly but surely you'll find what works, find the voice, and find what makes them distinct from someone else. And also, don't be scared of things that might be overdone! Life's too short to worry if you're writing yet another brooding demon conflicted about their dark powers, think about how you can make them stand out instead.
As an example of characters that might come from anywhere, I have Spinelthorn on the mind so here we go. All three main hobs in the comic started as him, a tiny orange rabbit named Claws inspired by the Hopgoblin from the short film Reversal of the Heart. When I redid the entire cast, he slowly started needing more and more character traits to serve as Mortimer's lancer and started being too competent - so I split him into Fangs and Berylclaw to fit different emotions and roles without acting basically like a butler. Spinelthorn had no "himself" before that point, and without the scene roles, I finally had room to give him character, voice, flaws, backstory and everything.
"What is the hardest thing about character creation for you?"
I always struggle with protagonists. I have a tendency to make a protagonist, then to make a bunch of side characters who are inevitably more compelling. I actually combat this by making a dummy main character, building my cast, then swapping in whoever works best thematically from the "supporting cast" for the empty dummy. 
My other nemesis... male characters... I just always feel like there's so much more room to make a really unique female character I haven't seen before, wheras dudes are so ubiquitous in the genres I work in I always feel like they're a bit boring and like "yeah we've seen this guy..." so I tend to end up making a cast full of really colourful women then go "ugh I guess some of these should be men..." 
"What is the easiest thing about character creation for you?"
I can come up with a character's voice on the spot. It's really handy for DMing or GMing tabletop games. Their voice, speech pattern, vocabulary, colloquialisms and even things like posture and gestures are very vivid in my mind, so "character voice" is really intuitive for me.
"How do you choose names when creating characters?"
Errant is a bit of an outlier because the characters date way back to older work from when I was about eighteen and my approach was "just throw in some syllables and whatever sounds cool." Nowadays my approach is: "Think about who gave them this name" So we all have, or have had in the past, a name our parents gave us, and that name always reflects our parents in some way; what they wanted to say about themselves, how they felt about this little crying blob they'd produced and what they wanted you to be. In many people's cases, as they grew up, people (maybe with some kind of guidance from you) may have settled on some kind of nickname for you, or maybe you picked a new one yourself. I always try to have some kind of logic in mind of "who gave this person this name, do they like it? Do they suit it? Do other people like it?"
If you were named Robert, you could be a Rob, Robbie, Bob, Bert, Bertie or maybe you ended up with a more wacky nickname like Robo or Robsie, or a nickname that has nothing to do with your name like "Lucky". Or you might have entirely divorced yourself from Robert and chosen a name for yourself, and that's always interesting because then it becomes "who do I want to be?" and "What do I think suits me?"
I always find it weird when a character has like... the most ridiculously badass name and it's just one their parents apparently gave them and I'm trying to imagine the scenario where their parents who ran like... a grocer's shop in a little village named their kid BLAZE WOLFHEART. Like, I'm sorry, were your parents actually huge nerds or did you really give yourself that name and they originally named you Robert?
Surnames are generally easier because it's all about just thinking about the character's lineage and choosing a name from an appropriate area that goes together nicely with their first name. If it has an appropriate meaning, that's a nice bonus.
One sentence of advice for a newbie character creator:
The lies your character believes about themselves are some of the most important things to nail down when creating a compelling character.
What is the hardest thing about character creation for you?
Probably getting into the head of a character with certain disorders that affect their personality. One of my characters is a narcissistic sociopath, and completely different from me in every way. It's hard to fully understand how he ticks regardless of how much research I do on sociopathy/ASPD and narcissism, even with fleshing out his character via background, interests and personality traits.
What is the easiest thing about character creation for you?
Other than what I said above, probably everything else is pretty simple? I'm kind of a nut for learning and building every aspect of my characters from little body language quirks, to deeper things like what made them who they are. I especially love working with mental health and the medical aspect of a character, such as possible hereditary issues they might have and how those affect them mentally and emotionally, along with what daily challenges their face because if it.
How do you choose names when creating characters?
I choose names for characters the same way I do for pets. I look them over, run a few names in my head, look some up online to help with brainstorming, then choose one that fits and sounds the best for that character. I also go by country of origin, or parental interests. (Like if a Japanese couple moved to Germany and liked the sound of German names over the ones from their own country.) This can take a few days to a few weeks because I may come up with a name that feels better after already deciding a name. Such as with a side character I have in my comic, he started out being called George, but later on I changed his name to Kevin because it fit with him better.
While I'm almost as picky about surnames I don't care as much, although I do put ancestry into consideration when looking them up. For my comic itself their existence does have a subtle importance, all my characters have surnames except one. They are mononymous, meaning they only have one name. This is a legit thing and totally legal but it makes filling out paperwork, along with other related tasks, difficult. It also has a sense of symbolism since this character was found as a child with no identity, the lack of a surname adds onto that feeling of not fitting in, or having no place to call home.
Write one sentence of advice for a newbie thing about creating their first character.
Just go for it, who cares if the character may suck, we all start somewhere and you can always fix up your character as you go.
I'll probably end up being more of a lurker than anything but, I know I need improvement as a storyteller so I'll join up.
Preferred name: Dragon or Nate
Prounouns: Galactic Overlord of Terror, or Him\he is fine I guess...xD
Genres I Create: Sci-fantasy, Action, Fighting, Comedy, and a depressing office comedy Slice of Life.
Where do I want to take my writing? I'd love to have my flagship series Dragon Sparking become an animated series. Being able to write and draw it full time while getting paid would also be nice.
Link to my tapas profile: https://m.tapas.io/friendlypirahna
Jumping in right off...
The Hardest thing about Character Creation?
Coming up with powers and abilities for them. Since I write mostly shounen style comics I like to have interesting powers that don't get used a lot. So to do that I come up with the abilities first, and then build the character around that.
I suppose creating main characters is rough too, because there's so many already out there that are unique and been done before.
Easiest thing about Character Creation?
Drawing their designs. Once I have powers and names and personalities, I can visualize them pretty well.
Choosing Character Names?
Mythology. I usually take characters from mythology, bastardize them and tear away everything they're about and make them in my own image.
Now...I do have character names that aren't Mythology based.
Rip, my main OC for example. Originally he was a Sonic OC when I made him back in 2001...so...there's that. Rip was just a way to say move fast, so I went with that.
But... NOW... I have a symbolism that goes with his name. He's joining an organization that tears or 'rips' down oppressors and tyrants. So it works that way xD
Also for other names, I'll either come up with the name based off what kind of animal the character is. For example, I've got a lion character, his name is Leo. (So inventive xD) Sometimes, I'll name them off of their powers, or personality, or even off of name lists. (that's my last ditch resort)
Finally my other prerequisite for names is, "Does it sound like it fits?" "Okay." And then later I'll come up with reasons for the names, but most of the time I just guess.
One Sentence of Advice for a Newbie Creator:
I'm not qualified for that xD but maybe...don't sweat it too much, just get started writing the character and then you'll understand them a little better as you go.
Wasn't able to get an answer in yesterday, but I'm pretty determined to do this today ^^;
What is the hardest thing about character creation for you?
Thinking too much about what value they add to the story before writing.
I try hard to make them human, relateable, unique, and try to understand the ratios in a recipe to accomplish all this successfully without seeming unrealistic, out there, or boring. Yeah, when I imagine character creation, I think what comes to mind is the opening sequence of the PowerPuff Girls, when they explain the Professor trying to make the perfect little girls and accidentally dropping Chemical X in ahaha.
It's not that I want my characters to be perfect. I just want them to be engaging enough, at least in unison, to propel the story through the twists and turns it will take. It takes me bit of time to fully understand what I'm going for in each character's temperament because solidifying them in this respect is a back and forth battle in the question "how can these characters actions and mannerisms take the story from Point A to Point B?" I think I just think about it way too much in detail in the beginning instead of tossing them in there like dice and letting them them fall where they may lol.
What is the easiest thing about character creation for you?
The main character overall is always the easiest to create. I don't usually have a story in mind unless I've been thinking about a main character's possible actions and temperaments for weeks on end.
How do you choose names when creating characters?
I actually just list out names I really like on notepad listing app on my phone and look at them over and over again with process of elimination in mind until I pick one tbh lol. Unless the name has some major significance to the story (which I haven't attempted to do personally) , i'm not going to linger too long on that part ngl.
Write one sentence of advice for a newbie thing about creating their first character.
Obvious but overlooked tip: Whether you're an artist or a writer, sketch your character out first; artist-->visually, writer--->narratively. Sitting down to do this in the very beginning will help tie down some idea of who you want to create and give you the confidence to actually start.
What is the hardest thing about character creation for you?
The hardest for me is knowing their detailed physical looks, determining their internal and external goals, and thinking of the love interest as the antagonist.
While I do have a vague idea of how they look and present themselves, I find it hard to know exactly what they look like. I can't picture their faces vividly or any lines, curves, and all that. (This is why I don't draw lol) I have to know how they look like first because what makes them stand-out to me might not be so obvious to the other characters or to the readers. It is also easier to imagine characters in scenarios if I have a clear picture of them than think of just the outline of their bodies.
The goals are important because these are my basis on knowing how my character would act or react to situations. If I can't figure out what is important to them, then I have a flimsy story and should reconsider the entire thing again.
Since I'm writing romance, the love interest is just as important as the protagonist. But it's hard for me to think of my LIs as an antagonist when I think of them as the MC's support system. I have to think hard and find a way for them to have a conflicting external goal.
What is the easiest thing about character creation for you?
Naming and the basic bios. I often come up on the spot when I'm writing a draft.
How do you choose names when creating characters?
By gut feeling. Sometimes, the names just pop out when I'm writing a scene. Other times, when I don't have any idea especially for historical, I search for old names or something like that. If I want to take my research the extra mile, I try to find by theme or meanings but that rarely happens. A lot of times, I rely on Sims for naming my characters. lol
But I do follow one rule for naming: short and simple names only. Because they usually stick. And they're easier to write.
Write one sentence of advice for a newbie thinking about creating their first character.
It's okay to use popular tropes. What's important is how you put your own spin to these characters. They may seem flat at first, and it's alright because you'll develop them along the way.
I'll have to check out Novel Section to see if I can find more light novels 
All right time for the discussion!!
What is the hardest thing about character creation for you?"
Ooof the hardest part...I'm not sure. Most of it is pretty easy for me to think of on the fly. My guess is names. Names are a bit hard for me to figure out as well as what the character first looks like, especially if I want to make sure they don't look like another character.
"What is the easiest thing about character creation for you?"
Personality traits and backstory is very easy for me to think of. I'm not sure why but typically a personality comes first and then from that personality I figure out the back story...or why they act the way they do :3.
"How do you choose names when creating characters?"
First off it's a theme (innocence, sultry, tragedy, color, etc), then comes the race/ethnicity. I know if I do a character that is from America, then really an 'ethnic' name may not be necessary. At least for a first name. For a last name I do look more to where the character came from.
One sentence of advice for a newbie character creator:
Write down the first things that come to mind with the character when you first think of them.
Hardest thing: Occasionally I have a difficult time visualizing and connecting with certain characters. Like there's just this essence I want to capture and express, and sometimes that cannot happen until I find an actor that I think exemplifies a character really well. But once I have an actor and a few of their past performances to latch on to, I'm usually golden!
Easiest thing: Writing dialogue. Sufficed that I now have a solid grasp of the character and their personality, their dialogue and manner of speaking just flow out.
Names: The past couple years, names just come to me from my memory bank. But if I need a name from a specific origin or that means something aligned with the character themselves, I will use http://www.behindthename.com/
I will usually choose names that are pleasing to me personally, but I sometimes I will pointedly name a character something I dislike or have feelings about if they're framed to be a less than stellar person. Other times, particularly for side characters, I might just think about the demographic they belong to and consider common names within that group.
Advice: It may depend on what's practical for your story, but don't let that completely snuff out your true heart's desire.
What is the hardest thing about character creation for you?"
For me, it's definitely my problem of putting too much of myself into my characters. I tend to be more grounded, less emotional, and I tend to put that into my characters. It's okay if it's one or two, or if it works for the story, but I can't have multiple Arushis interacting with each other and expect anything interesting or unexpected to happen.
"What is the easiest thing about character creation for you?"
Names. I just go to baby name websites. I once had the unfortunate experience of naming a character Melaina, which sounds very similar to melaena. I had finished the entire book, and later found out that melaena means bloody stools. And once that was in my mind, there was no getting rid of it. So, yeah, baby names websites it is. Makes my job easier and faster, and I can just go back and replace all if I don't like it later.
"How do you choose names when creating characters?"
Baby name websites (refer above), and also I take existing words or names and try to put a spin on them (especially for last name).
One sentence of advice for a newbie character creator:
Keep writing. Keep putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. I stopped writing for several years, and when I came back to it, I found that I wasn't the same as before. I'm getting back into my own rhythm, but I think writing literally anything (fanfiction, poetry, tumblr posts) during those years would've helped.
Welcome welcome! If you ever do want to jump in - feel free to fill out an intro and just jump in. You can revisit old topics at any time as well!
This is a really important point about Mary Sues. It might be a discussion topic in itself later down the line, because the concept of them and everything they stand for is actually fascinating and a lot of new creators do fall into them (and others get falsely accused of being Mary Sues when they aren't!).
This is such a good idea omg. I also have this issue a lot of the time. Sometimes I find putting a 'dummy character' in who is everything to everyone works (everyone likes to self-insert a little) but it's definitely something that needs forethought if you're trying to build a very distinctive main character. Personally I love distinctive main character, they're often far more included in the plot and the world.
OMG this
It is certainly difficult to get inside the mindset of someone who has a mind that is structured differently from ones own. I think that's why own voices works from non-neurotypical viewpoints are so good and fascinating. What's your research process for looking into things like this?
I think this is also very important advice for new creators. I think a lot of people get caught up in the ins and outs, the intricacies, when they first start (experienced ones too!) and that sometimes we just all need to learn to chill.
This tells me an interesting thing about the way you plan - that you have a focus on the storytelling element and intwine it with the characters. Do you outline first or do you do character creation first?
I've actually found that people are often more interested in character tropes and archetypes than they are the intracacies I've laid out for them. They'll come to love the intricacies as they go - but they click on the story for the trope.
This is a good thing. I often go through and assign my characters roles in the plot, then I do race/ethnicity and then I find themes from there. Why do you start with theme first? Are you creating the plot first?
I do this too. I love to have names that are quirky and slightly British sounding. Noah Pigeon. Henry D Thistle. Leander Mediean.
It's also important to understand that as we get older, we also are exposed to more stories, styles of writing, but also we change. We understand more complicated themes, and we come at them with different eyes and experiences to frame them. Writing you do as a teen, or even in your early twenties, will differ wildly from writing in your thirties or forties. It doesn't make the earlier writing less good, it just makes it different.
@Everyone Here's today's topic and the last infographic I think I'll be doing this week! Thanks for everyone who contributed yesterday - I think I've replied to them all! Feel free to continue past discussions even if the conversation moves on each day (there's no cut off point - and you can return to the past discussions at any time if your answers change or you think of more).
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Usually the characters (traits and personality) come first, then the plot, and then the name. Thus why I start with a 'theme' that fits the personality of the character
Do you mean theme or do you mean archetype here? Like, for Henry from Mortician, his theme is 'death' but his archetype is 'gentleman'.
Setting struggles: I think mostly just to remind myself to include setting descriptions! I have it trained in me to do establishing shots in comics and in prose whenever the scene changes to a new significant location, but I feel like I have to be mindful about transitional periods as well: like show the street my characters are walking down when chatting, describe the passing scenery and road my character is using to get into town.
Development length: When I make mention of scenery, or include it in my backgrounds, I do try to dress it up as much as my characters, especially in establishing shots. I want to make the places feel lived in and used. But I wouldn't say I spend as much time thinking the settings over as I do characters. The settings I come up with are usually already informed by real life examples I've experienced or have seen images of. So since I have a clear picture of them already, it takes less time rounding them out.
However when it comes to things such as magic systems and creating cultures, or correlating historical fantasy plot points with real historical timelines, I do a ton of thinking and research!
Blank rooms: I'm trying my bestest to include backgrounds as much as I can (• ‸ • ; ). If anything, I'll at least include props/pieces of furniture or make mention of them if I can't fit in a whole background/description of the room.
sort of writing exercise: the following is an excerpt from one of my 'establishing shots' in my novel
The interior of the lodge smelled of smoke and leather and was as dark as the curtains that hid it. Their footfalls triggered groaning creaks from the hardwood floors. Plush high-backed chairs circled the impressive stone fireplace rising from the center of the hall through the towering roof. Patience caught glimpses of many mounted beasts guarding the perimeter of the main floor while more graced the walls. Only vague shapes in the dim light, she could not identify their species. Valon led her to a back room, the hall’s communal kitchen.
A lone uncovered window lit the rustic kitchen with shaded light from the patio …
- Taking in consideration no place is a flat plane is my worst problem with settings. Both for writing and drawing, I just have the hardest time parsing that even a valley has hills, houses can have annoying steps, ruins will have collapsed floors and elevation is never the same. I need to practice BG painting way more to try and get this into my head... I also get lazy way too easily and don't take advantage of the fantasy genre as much as I should.
- Yes! To justify character traits, flaws, backstory, etc, all needs setting, especially for things like magic systems, culture, how it developed differently from the real world and everything. It's very, very essential, but a little more subtle and not always going to display in the work. As for individual scenes, I always try to make it a world where people interact and have affected it in some way; even long abandoned areas.
- I don't want to brag, but...
I always try to set down notes about the current setting. It's good to have quick, simple ideas of objects they can be manipulating or interacting, things to lean/sit/lay on, but as I said first, it's hard to think of elevation without making an effort to it. It's also good to add to that excitement of the scene, such as "half-sunken ruins" or "temple on a mountainside", and the more I love the scene the more I can make the audience be interested as well.
Struggle
Drawing the damn backgrounds and settings. I suck at drawing static objects, like buildings and trees. I am actively working on improving. But it's slow going.
Development Length
Hell yes, I spend more time on my worldbuilding than anything else. My characters evolve from the world I've built, so I start there first usually.
In Dragon Sparking it's my goal to visit every trope setting you can think of. I've already got Viking High Fantasy started, next up will be Futuristic MMORPG meets Camelot. (AKA Space Knights.)
Here's one of my older bonus worldbuilding sheets about my comic's world. I even go into what kind of wildlife exists in each locale.
Blank Rooms
( ._.)--> lots of them. Interior design is something I struggle with, but I do try. Usually once an establishing shot is out of the way, I 'cheat' a lot with gradient backgrounds or close ups.
Hmm I've read debates on whether ASPD is non-neurotypical, some people get a bit upset when you associate sociopaths and psychopaths with autism since since ignorant people like to link the two, despite only sharing some superficial similarities. Other's also argue that despite people with ASPD having different brains, they have a behavior disorder rather than a neurotypical one since not everyone with different brains (people with depression, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, etc) are considered part of that group according to some circles.
A few people would say I have a neurotypical disorder due to my depression, but that's a really grey area given it could stem from either sides. The subject is still extremely new, so more research still needs to be done on it.
Sorry, babbling a bit there.
I usually do a mix of research on the technical side, talking with mental health professionals and assistance in mental health facilities willing to share their experiences, talking with people who live with the disorder about their experiences, along with watching vlog types of videos and documentaries. (if I can find any) Then I like to brainstorm, figuring out patterns then applying them to how my character would deal with them specifically, putting into consideration that their background and personality are usually going to be vastly different from the real people I talk to. Everyone's experiences with mental illnesses/disorders are so subjective, it can be a real challenge.
Of course this is all for more than ASPD, I actually put a lot of my research focus on stuff like depression, PTSD, anxiety, psychosis and schizophrenia. I like to be really thorough since mental illnesses and disorders are some of the main subjects in my story, and I want to apply them to the best of my abilities... I'm also kind of a nerd for psychology. Psychopaths, sociopaths and narcissists are just the hardest people to get into the minds of.
What do you struggle with personally most when creating settings?
Probably the architecture and vehicles. It's not that they're the most difficult things, but I really, really don't like them on a personal level. I hate driving and having anything to do with cars, as well as cities. It's obnoxious because they're so simple, yet so complicated and specific. The slightest misstep in perspective or design can make a page look hideously uncanny.
Do you spend as long developing your setting as developing your characters? Why/why not?
This depends? If you're talking about this writing wise, then no, since I don't actually write out my story. At least in greater detail than a bullet point.
Visually, yes, I like to think I do given it takes a bit longer to build up a passable setting. Laying down perspective and grid lines can take some time when working almost strictly in a traditional medium, depending on detail and number of perspective points.
As for why, I try to give my setting attention for practice, as well as it wouldn't personally feel right to not put effort into the character's surroundings. At least for a couple panels a page.
Go through your current WIP. How many of your scenes take place in 'blank rooms' with no/few details?
Currently I have a two page spread I'm working on, the first page only has two real background scenes while the rest is kind of blank. This was intentional, the two characters in this page are outside and I wanted it to have that "blindingly bright" feel, so I only put in enough background for readers to know the general location. The second page has a scene change where everyone is inside, there is a background in every panel except one. I wanted to give a little more attention to the background in this page because it is a reoccurring location, as opposed to the one-off scene in the previous page that no one will care about or ever see again. Also it's intended to have normal indoor lighting, so no blinding brightness.
What is the hardest thing about character creation for you?
Honestly character designs. When it comes to what a character should wear or finer details in their looks it's a bit more difficult for me. Honestly it's why my characters tend to wear simpler outfits compared to others unless I pull directly from a reference or someone else designs them.
What is the easiest thing about character creation for you?
Coming up with the concepts and their basic personalities is easy for me honestly. Mostly because I'm partially basing them off characters from other works or the ideas of various tropes.
How do you choose names when creating characters?
Their names or either based off of their personalities, an ability, something that sounds really cool, or just random.
Write one sentence of advice for a newbie thinking about creating their first character.
Do something you consider enjoyable for your first character. You don't have to hit it out of the park right away so experiment and play around for a bit.
What do you struggle with personally most when creating settings?
Honestly describing a setting vividly. For the most part I write the very basics of what you'll need to understand where the characters are and what their doing.
Do you spend as long developing your setting as you develop your characters? Why/Why not?
I do a lot of background setting when world building, but that's really there to help develop the characters and explaining their actions. Even if some of it will never be explained to the reader unless necessary.
Go through you current WIP. How many of your scenes take place in 'blank rooms' with no/few setting details?
Honestly not to many, but they do spend a lot of time in lightly described rooms.