Real life inspirations for character / villains / heroes etc

[Lensing]

Do you have real life inspirations for characters?

All my comics from the 80s were inspired by real life characters because
I often used comics to channel anger. I drew comics about teachers,
people who got on my nerves etc. and I always thought that real life
people make the best reference for comic book characters.

I´m currently writing a story where everyone is bad, there are no real heroes in
the story but also no superevil villains. They are just shades of bad.
I mostly take my inspiration from real life, people I met, most of my comic
story ideas are based on things that I experienced.

Example:

Regina is a grumpy receptionist who is really mean
to pretty much everyone who is below her in the hierarchy. She
also loves to spread gossips and talks bad about people behind
their backs. Inspired by a lady I once met on a 6 hours bus ride
through Germany. I studied her, I drew her, I hated her (she was
mean to a kid) and I swore that I will take revenge in comic form

[kyupol]

Used to do that a lot back in the day...

The teacher... just had make fun of him to take out my frustration lol I can post this in a class reunion page and everyone will recognize the teacher

Here's another teacher...

And here's a bully. This actually happened. He tore a page from my book Had an actual fistfight. Was a stalemate because teacher arrived to break it up. Probably would have lost. I was weaker and didn't have the fighting skills yet lol.

And this girl I had a one sided crush on. This actually happened...

I can go on and on but here's the fast forward...
The ex wife thought Akala was supposed to be her. Until she read on and saw the huge character disparity between them.

[Lensing]

i feel that

Are the characters in your newer stories not based on real people?

[kyupol]

More like an amalgamation of people.

Jeffrey for instance...

He's an amalgamation of many incels who honestly think that way.

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Claudita... my interpretation of a "proverbs 31" woman. In particular...

20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

Bible Gateway passage: Proverbs 31 - King James Version

And the last two women I had relations with agreed she's an idealized woman. Kind, selfless, very empathetic but not a weak pushover.

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As far as basing on real people, maybe Bro Samson who hasn't appeared yet..

He's based on a few street preachers I've personally known. But 80% of his character is one particular preacher who I'm still friends with to this day (appearance obviously changed. But that was a real preaching shirt. He's not 6'7 lol) He's an overall good guy but sometimes says things that are out of touch with reality. (Or you can argue this "reality" is so fake and far removed from God. I dunno)

[jwabeasley]

All my characters are based on people I've met in real life, one way or another. I think that helps ground the characters and keep them from being mere agglomerations of tropes, and using other people instead of myself as touchstones helps me avoid same personality syndrome.

Even people I don't like make it in, though generally I make them more reasonable and sympathetic than their real life versions.

[Leyelle]

Yes, the mothers of the male and female lead of my novel draw a lot of inspiration from my grandmother, like her love for Christmas, roses, the way she burns incense during the holidays etc.

The FLs brother is based on one of brothers, in a ton of factors. I use it to make his undiagnosed autism and adhd believeable instead of based on articles and such

[Lensing]

I think that´s great and it makes story writing authentic imo, it´s always better
to write about things / people you know.

Even people I don't like make it in, though generally I make them more reasonable and sympathetic than their real life versions.

that´s exactly the opposite for me, but I´m doing cartoony stuff so everything is
exeggerated

[dimsum_y]

A lot of my characters, with the heroes and villains included, are based on real people I used to know or talk to. For example, I love using old school bullies or estranged, unpleasant relatives for my villains.

There's a woman I used to be friends with who...unfortunately showed me that because I didn't retaliate or "try to get back at her"--she hated me more because I "was too nice" That inspired a villainess background there.

And, sometimes, as someone who grew up in a strict, traditional Asian household, it's the constant comparison that can drive you and a cousin apart from one another. Especially as kids, we didn't know how to deal with the constant family pressure and comparisons, so we often lashed out at each other or stopped showing up for the other. We were just kids who didn't know better. That also developed into a side character who hated and loved my heroine.

[powerplantanimations]

My sister lmaooo.

Fufie's (the asian girl) is self-insert in my sister-from-another-mister PANDA White.

Read Dream Goddess Chronicles | Tapas Web Community

[Lensing]

I think those people you mentioned are the best inspiration and reference you can
use for your characters. You are emotional attached, you know the reference characters
and can study them. That can give the reader the feeling of being familiar with those
kind of characters

[Leonotis]

I based my main characters on people I know, which makes thinking of what they'll do next pretty easy.