Make sure not to overload every character with traits, giving each main character one specific trait is going to go a lot further by making it memorable
speaking fast, stumbling over their words, having to backtrack
rolling R's
sharp pronunciations (t instead of d, z instead of s, k instead of g...)
rounded pronounciations (d instead of t, ...)
quiet / loud speaker
humming frequently in between words or sentences
very well articulated
stuttering
often pausing to think before speaking
croaky voice
regional accents
slow / fast speaker
using certain words a lot
not lowering voice at the end of sentences, leaving them sounding a little like a question or an open ended statement
(this is a long post- its a bunch of text explaining his character, so click read more if youd want to read that!)
---
At the end of chapter 3, the Fun Gang aren’t quick enough to pick up Tenna before he gets thrown away. He gets tossed into a junkyard, his darkner self ending up in a sprawling, toxic wasteland. In a day, his life of privilege and luxury turned to pure survival.
This is Tenna’s worst fear- one that he made a shady deal with the knight and fought for his life to avoid.
He always thought that his life would be over once he gets thrown out, but he’s still… Alive. He never wanted to think of a life where he has to live in the garbage, and yet here he is.
He is TV. He is meant to be watched. That’s all he is. So who is he if he has no audience? Who is he without his purpose?
Living his worst fear, being abandoned by those he called family, and not knowing who he is anymore breaks him. He doesn’t know how to continue, or if it’s even worth the effort.
---
If he was still on air, he'd use this place for the setting of a grim survival film. This world looks like it's been ripped straight from an apocalypse movie- one where the protagonist must adapt and learn to survive in the wasteland.
...Hold on.
That’s exactly what he’s going through right now! And it comes with all of the action, tension, suspense and dread- to make a THRILLING movie!
His tune changes. Who needs to be TV when you can be ON TV! He’s the star now! The protagonist everyone roots for! Someone you remember the name of and not see as a piece of disposable furniture!!!
So, he makes his character: RAYTUBE. Based off of the gruff, adaptable, stone-cold apocalypse movie protagonists, inspired from the style of Mad Max (along with his own bright flair, of course!). Instead of a broken, on the fritz piece of junk, he’s a dangerous machine that no one wants to mess with.
---
He sees Raytube as a character that he plays, while he still sees himself as Tenna. However, because he is living the movie, he is almost always in character. There are days where he doesn’t consider that he's Tenna at all- or where the lines are blurred and he feels like Raytube. But at the end of the day, it is a complete act. He is still the same whimsical, bubbly show host, he’s just doing what he does best: acting and putting on a show.
He knows that he isn’t actually in a movie. But in order to avoid the horrible reality that he is in, he deliberately pretends that he’s in one. With his own suspension of disbelief, it makes everything more… Bearable.
But this has its drawbacks. This makes him disconnected from the reality of his situation and from how everyone else views the world around them. Playing a badass character who people are meant to be afraid of means that he gets himself into a lot of conflict. Conflict that would make for a good show, but it’s real to everyone else. This gets him into very real danger and makes him enemies when he truly doesn’t want any. But this is what Raytube would do, and this is the thrilling life of a protagonist, right? So… He keeps on acting and pushing through.
There are times where the illusion breaks, and things become much, much more real for him. Usually in intense, dire situations. Once the illusion breaks- all of the fear he’s been pushing away crashes into him at once. He is thrown into a panic, losing all sight of his character and what to do.
Tenna doesn’t truly want to fight. Instead, he tries his best to weasel his way out of situations with his acting skills. The results are… Mixed. Due to winding up in danger often, he is forced into resorting to violence or other things he normally wouldn’t do. He eventually picks up these skills (along with the help of Hatemail (Spamton)), but he hates using them.
What Tenna wants most of all is normalcy. To be the center of attention as he always has, to have a loving family in a stable, welcoming home. To have that all taken away from him leaves him with nothing. So, clinging onto seeing this new life as a movie where he has to keep performing is a way of him trying to hold onto that normalcy and continue doing what he always has.
Doing this allows him to avoid things that he doesn’t want to address, such as: Who is he if he isn’t tv? Is he dying now? How much longer does he have until he falls apart and becomes scrap metal in the sea of garbage? Was he ever part of the family to begin with? Was what happened to Spamton his fault? What good is he if he doesn’t have a purpose anymore?… Etc. He can ignore all of that now, because Raytube doesn’t have these problems to deal with.
---
The character Raytube is a gritty, aloof, resourceful and tough guy. He has lived in the wasteland for a while now, which molded him into this stone-cold badass. He is the leader of a gang (the TV gang) which is composed of a cast of rough-and-tumble survivalists. (Tenna had given the others characters and roles for them to fill so they can go along with his act.) Raytube is intimidating and someone to not mess around with. He will threaten violence and not be afraid to use it.
How well Tenna portrays this character is… Well…
He is still a phenomenal actor, however he is basing this character solely off of tropes and an archetype. Serious badass types are also out of Tenna’s wheelhouse. Raytube is played as a stereotypical gritty protagonist, with overused oneliners and a way of talking along the lines of “You really don’t wanna mess with a guy like me”, which can end up too corny and over the top a lot of the time. So whether or not he is taken seriously depends on the person.
Tenna is more broken than he was at the end of chapter 3, as he wasn’t handled with care being put in the junkyard. Being a broken CRT, he glitches often, is an electrical hazard, is at risk of exploding, and MIGHT be radioactive. This, of course, is devastating to Tenna and yet another thing he is in denial over. He also uses Raytube as a means to cope with this. Raytube isn’t broken, he is dangerous on purpose. Tenna incorporated the hazard stickers on his body into Raytube’s costume as a way of Raytube owning being a danger. Tenna can’t take the hazard stickers off of himself, as they are on his light world form, so he does this to make them look intentional.
At times of intense emotion, whether it’s anger or joy, he often breaks out of character completely, not realizing that he dropped the act. He struggles to hold back such emotions when acting. Also, playing someone aloof like Raytube means that he has to bottle up MANY of his emotions… Which is not good, especially for someone like Tenna.
quirks/traits to give your characters to make them feel more realistic
♡ neat/clean person-- they are constantly washing their hands and cleaning the area around them. hate getting anything on their hands, clothes, shoes, car, etc etc.
♡ hobby addict-- they are constantly looking at and for little things that relate to their hobbies, sometimes even getting sidetracked. for ex: touching fabrics while talking to you, "one second" before speed walking to look at some yarn/books/shoes/etc etc.
♡ takes forever to finish drinks-- literally always carrying around a watered-down drink they are still working on. adds ice after a while instead of just putting that poor drink out of its misery
♡ alternatively-- drink fiend. doesn't use a straw because they'll sip too fast. CEO of "are you gonna finish that?" and "I'll drink it if you don't like it".
♡ collects something a bit uncommon-- the bottlecaps from every soda/water they drink, little things that are the exact shade of their favorite color, lost earrings (they disinfect them, don't worry), perfect leaves, miniatures of random things (that they then place on the life-sized versions), 'ugly' things (they feel bad that nobody else likes them), etc etc
♡ runs their hands over different textures. if they touch one that they hate, they will quickly touch one they like 'to balance it out'
♡ dislikes certain numbers (ex: odd numbers. or even specific numbers, like 4 or 9) and so they go out of their way to avoid those
♡ can't stop buying something specific even though they already have a lot of them (ex: pens, lip glosses, mugs, etc etc) because they just love them so much
♡ only drinks coffee/tea if it is piping hot. will rather chug it than warm it up because 'it ruins the taste'
♡ alternatively-- does not care if a hot drink goes completely cold, they will still drink it. 'Iced coffee is a thing too, you know"
♡ talks during movies/shows because they like to analyze everything and point out stuff they notice in the background. probably pauses to be polite (if they can)
♡ changes their style with the seasons. example: once summer starts, they exclusively wear dresses.
ARE YOU hopelessly fixated on a specific fictional polycule and have way too much time on your hands? boy do i have an unnecessarily elaborate ship chart for you!
(versions with 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 characters and an example under the cut)
feel free to make any edits or add stuff to your liking :]
Cuphead is a reckless, confident, and fun-loving Toon with a heart of gold, he is relentlessly optimistic and mischievous, often finding trouble due to his eagerness for adventure and tendency to act before thinking.
As years have gone by after selling his soul and saving inkwell isle. Cuphead yearns for a new change as he enters Teen-hood.
Key Personality Traits
• Reckless & Impulsive: Cuphead often leaps before he looks, acting on instinct and diving into dangerous situations, which drives much of the action.
• Charismatic Trouble-Maker: He is charming but mischievous, often acting as a troublemaker who means well.
• Confident & Optimistic: He maintains a positive outlook, frequently stating "I ain't too worried about it," even when facing dire situations like the Devil.
• Greedy Tendencies: His willingness to gamble his soul for riches.
• Kind-Hearted Hero: Despite his reckless behavior, he is inherently good-natured.
• Showman & Charmer: he is often seen as the more outgoing, attention-seeking, and fast-talking sibling.
•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•
•MUGMAN• 16yrs | he/him
Mugman is the cautious, sensible, and often anxious. The younger twin brother of Cuphead, acting as the voice of reason against his brother's reckless, impulsive behavior. While deeply loyal and caring, he is a fun-loving Toon who frequently gets dragged into dangerous adventures. he can be cowardly, gullible, and fastidious, at times though he remains brave when necessary and can be quite protective.
As Mugman grows to be a Teenager finding himself and freedom of life after being threatened years ago, As he grows and matures.
Key Personality Traits
• Cautious & Rational: Unlike impulsive Cuphead, Mugman often thinks ahead, tries to avoid unnecessary danger, and is more responsible.
• Devoted & Caring: He is fiercely loyal to his brother and often acts as his caretaker, even when annoyed by Cuphead's actions.
• Fearful/Anxious: He tends to worry about risks. Etc…
• Secretly Adventurous: Despite his worries, he secretly enjoys the adventures that Cuphead drags him into.
• Easily Overwhelmed: He is prone to panicking when separated from his brother
• "Darker Side”: he can become intensely angry, jealous, or act "psycho" when pushed to his limits, often seeking revenge.
•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•
•BENDY• ??yrs | he/they/it
Bendy is mischievous, impish, and cheerful "little devil" who is fun-loving yet often acts like a child. While he is a troublemaker who enjoys pranks, he is generally not mean-spirited and cares for his friends.
Longing for a purpose and freedom after being locked away in a room for 17 years, Bendy breaks free yearning for a new beginning.
Key Personality Traits
• Mischievous & Playful: Always up to something, dancing, and seeking attention.
• Childlike & Impatient: Acts childish, easily distracted, and can be timid.
• Good-Hearted: Despite his antics, he is not considered truly evil, often showing kindness.
*(but I wouldn’t say the same for his counterpart)
• Adventurous: Often gets into trouble due to his curiosity.
•Quick learner & observant: his ability to learn based on observing others and so on.
Longing for a Soul: He desires to feel emotions and have a purpose.
Key Behavioral Traits
• Non-Verbal: Primarily communicates through actions and sounds rather than speech *(Learns to talk more after meeting the cupbros), he can also be vocal in some iterations.
• Sensitive: He is known to be sensitive about his height.
• Avoidant: tends to run away from problems or things that make him uncomfortable.
• Protective: Protective over his belongings and especially his food.
