Feedback Feedback: Cailen Corso

[Cailen Corso]

Haven't been around as long as most people, but I'm struggling to find some direction for Cailen and thought I'd come here! So, have at it! Feedback, criticism, or advice on how to develop a Padawan (outside of duels and battle) would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Leenic Ellsil]

Probably the best way to develop any character, in general, would be to find some people to have recurring threads with, as it's how I developed Leenic. Having a somewhat stable cast of friends, enemies, battle buddies, or anything else helps build up a character's personality, goals, and skills throughout the process of making mistakes and having people to help with (or hinder) learning from them.

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

I find, at least from what I've done, that a good way to set up development is to throw your character into uncomfortable or stressful situations, but not to the point of madness. There's a certain art to breaking down a character and then building them back up that (at least I think) can serve as a good model for growth. Y'know, get them out of their comfort zone and have them in a time of vulnerability, but then take the time to pick them up and have them gain something new from that experience. I may potentially be suggesting that you give them trauma, but sometimes that can be a rewarding thing to build on and have a character overcome. The other thing I'd suggest is just solidifying relationships. A group dynamic can do a lot for finding a baseline for how a character behaves and is a good catalyst for continual growth. And sorta just go with the flow. Sometimes the best development comes out of the blue without warning, like getting a cursed scar from some random Sith or accidentally finding yourself wrapped up in a drama plot line. Things can just happen, and sometimes letting those things play out is super rewarding.

Or maybe I'm a dumb stinky idiot. Who knows.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

I don't know a ton about Cailen, but from what I've read of him so far I'd say he seems like he's already going places?

Basically, he has a decent setup. He fits into the Jedi Padawan archetype, he has a mentor, friends/allies, presumably some rivals/enemies as well. Lots of good meaty stuff to plot with. If all that is still leaving you wanting more, it may be that you need to step outside your comfort zone. Throw Cai a curveball, a problem or other obstacle he can't easily overcome in a single thread adventure. Or maybe it's time to upgrade him from Padawan to Knight, starting the next chapter of his story.

And yeah, try to take opportunities for growth and change as they come rather than forcing it. The organic, "natural" character development is much-lauded for a reason.

If all else fails, maybe taking a break is in order. Make a new character and leave Cai on the backburner for a little while and see if things change.

 

[Cailen Corso]

I don't know a ton about Cailen, but from what I've read of him so far I'd say he seems like he's already going places?

Basically, he has a decent setup. He fits into the Jedi Padawan archetype, he has a mentor, friends/allies, presumably some rivals/enemies as well. Lots of good meaty stuff to plot with. If all that is still leaving you wanting more, it may be that you need to step outside your comfort zone. Throw Cai a curveball, a problem or other obstacle he can't easily overcome in a single thread adventure. Or maybe it's time to upgrade him from Padawan to Knight, starting the next chapter of his story.

And yeah, try to take opportunities for growth and change as they come rather than forcing it. The organic, "natural" character development is much-lauded for a reason.

If all else fails, maybe taking a break is in order. Make a new character and leave Cai on the backburner for a little while and see if things change.

All of this is really sound advice and greatly appreciated! I have since made an effort to expand my writing circle and get Cailen pushed into more varied threads, some that are chill / slice of life and others that are more harrowing. I’m starting to see his voice come more naturally now that he’s made connections with more mutual characters.

I realized that I was writing him solely within the context of the overarching narrative of the GA rather than writing him for his own sake. Not that the GA is a bad catalyst mind you, but it certainly lends itself to burning out new writers like myself with the FOMO aspect of Faction / Invasion / Annihilation threads. Coming to the realization that Cailen ages, grows, learns, and develops my my timeline has helped me set aside the constant need to warp his story to what the GA is doing.

On the note of hitting him with a more complex problem than one thread can solve, I’ve set him on two long-term paths that will form arcs rather than one-shots; In one, he’s exploring a painful event from the past, while in another he’s learning to understand his relationship with the Force and how to grow it.

As for Knighthood, I feel as though he has many, many more stories to live out during his Padawan years before ascending. I’d feel as though I’m rushing if I did so now. The jump in age and ability should be supported through RP and narrative growth, in my opinion, both of which Cailen needs more of before that’s a viable step.

All-in-all, I’m finally hitting strides with him Thank you for your feedback <3