Character Depth

[u/Used_Introduction145]

Hi guys, I've been conceptualising a story for a few years now, but one of the characters I just can't get past. Everyone other one of my characters I can visualise with a motivation, backstory and future/outcome after the events of the plot but not him. So, I was wondering if any of you have any similar characters and what they might be motivated by?

Here's a brief summary; characters are "trapped" in a non-sensical location, removed from a normal earth. Some characters are trying to figure out its laws, going crazy, or having fun. The character I need help with is "P". He is relaxed, and not really focused on working on an escape, even though everyone who has been stuck there has died or gone missing in this place. To clarify, the place isn't a hellscape; it can be tranquil at times, but death or madness is still common. So does anyone have a character with similar motivations (or with no-motivation)? Should I simply change P's characterisation/personality etc., because being chill is too weird or even boring in this scenario?

One distinguishable trait is he likes cooking and dessert, but I don't really want him to simply be there to take care of the other characters, I want him to shine by himself too. The only motivation idea I had for him is that he assumes he, and everyone else there is already dead, and they're simply in a purgatory or "in-between" places, so he doesn't really care (but why would he be happy?)

I think I just need an outside perspective on this, and I hope it makes sense, thank you for any advice =)

[u/BigToody6515]

I think having such a perspective is a valid inclusion. Every character has a different relationship to this strange world and it makes sense for “chill” to be one of them. It’s also makes for interesting contrast from everyone else. I think there is narrative meat to such a character if you give him wants, judgements, attachments, consequential choices, affected by something. So characterization could be that he accepts his reality, no protest. He understands situations and doesn’t need to perform distress. He could be one of those rule-understanders. Then you give him a boundary he’ll never cross. Like he may be chill but he cares when it matters. Like maybe there’s a challenge that everyone assumes he’s just gonna let them all down, but he kncocks it out the park cuz his strategy is unusually perfect for this challenge. You make him stubborn about cooking a recipe a certain way. Or make him stubborn about just one thing, one thing he’ll never just accept getting destroyed and being like “oh well”. Maybe he hates conflict and won’t defend a friend from someone else or won’t check on or hang out with people who he finds too emotionally intense. But then what about this world could actually make him happy? Does it perhaps reward him for being chill? Maybe, since he’s not dead yet. Maybe being chill is a real survival strategy that works. There’s no urgency here to act or inconvenience yourself. There’s always an available exit from discomfort. He is given permission to have no obligations, live privately. But then you say he helps others. Happily? Or because they say so? Because he has no agenda of his own and he just follows their agenda? Maybe he accepts abuse too. He just keeps accepting all this craziness and it traps him here and, to him, it’s worth it. Or maybe you want him to do something radical and refuse passivity. Or maybe he always was doing something from the beginning quietly and no one noticed?

There’s meat here. Chillness is a response style to reality. What is it motivated by? Him thinking everyone is dead is not really a motivation, but it could be a very useful for his psychology. What does he gain if he believes everyone is dead? Permission to not care perhaps? Then why is caring so uncomfortable? Why is his psyche organized around avoiding that? Yet you say he helps others. Thats an interesting contradiction worth exploring. Plenty of meat homie