Thread:NightFalcon9004/@comment-44940653-20200208070022/@comment-24021004-20200209024310

if you're trying to make a strategy-oritented series like DN was, I suppose you should set up a short-term goal for the character, an obstacle to them achieving that goal, then have them think in creative ways to overcome that obstacle.

Like for example, in DN, Light had the short-term goal of trying to trying to learn Raye Penber's name, but the obstacle was that he had no way of obtaining his ID, so he staged a busjacking in order to force Raye to reveal his ID to not seem like he's working with the busjacker. Now what makes this solution particularly creative? While I don't really think it's as clever as the series tries to make it seem, I think the reason most people see it as creative is because Light's exploiting pre-established rules of the Death Note.

In other words, a solution can seem creative by having rules involved, whether that be with a hard magic system like in DN, or a game setting like in Liar Game, a series which exploits loopholes in ways the readers would never expect. That said, to incoroporate the right rules without seeming too contrived or anything, you kinda needa plan your story out for a while and not just wing it the way DN did (although you obviously don't have to do this for a first draft).

Another way of making a trick seem clever, I think, is by showing the events set in motion beforehand, then reveal the motivation for why the character did said actions afterwards.

If your goal is to make captivating characters though, just have them be distinct from other characters I guess. Give each of them unique traits and quirks to set them apart without letting those quirks define them. And while it isn't necessary, have the characters develop over time, something DN did well with Light. IMO, a good character arc would involve a character having a specific mindset, a reasonable cause for that mindset, and the character changing by applying this mindset to certain situations.

For example, in DN, Light had the mindset of being someone perfect who never made mistakes, a mindset he got from everyone praising him 24/7. This mindset ended up changing him once he decided to test out the DN out of boredom and two people ended up dying; since he remains firm in his beliefs of him never being able to make mistakes, instead of accepting that he accidentally killed two people, he decides to reframe that situation as killing criminals being okay as long as it's for a just cause, something motivating him to go on his killing spree.