I have this one character named Sorin that I came up with about two years ago. I have not used him anywhere. Not in a story or a roleplay. I haven't even drawn or sketched him. Nothing. However, he is a very distinct character who just popped into my head one day and has never left.
I have told my husband about this character. Every now and then, my husband presents me with a meme or a video clip and is like "this reminds me of Sorin" and I add it to a collection we have.
The only thing I have done with this character is make him a collection of memes.
The thing is, this amuses Sorin. He absolutely gets a kick out of his state of semi-existence.
He's a deadpan, minimal effort kinda guy that avoids responsibilities like the plague but would go an extra ten miles for his friends' projects, so long as he doesn't get credited in them.
He knows how much he could achieve, but doesn't want to because he doesn't want expectations on him to inflate. He likes people to expect nothing from him so that when he does do something, he can surprise everyone. He likes them to expect nothing from him, so that he doesn't feel guilty when he gives them nothing.
He's a gifted child who copes with burn out and expectations by not giving a shit. He's the embodiment of dry humor, a pile of salt, and sickly-sweet sarcasm.
So being one of my most distinct characters, but never actually putting in any work in any of my stories, roleplays, or art... really just suits him, you know?