---

1. Don’t set the character up to fail.
 
I’ve seen a lot of this in roleplays (this isn’t an actual quote, just an example):
 

“Hello, Killjoys. This is ~Dracushit. BL/ind wants you to return to Battery City. You foolish Killjoys waste your time running around in the desert. You could be working for BL/ind right now, having the time of your life. We have wonderful mind control pills that will erase your emotions and personality. Everything is black and white, with no silly colors or happiness. Join us today.”

The writer doesn’t sound like she believes what her Drac says any more than the pissed-off Killjoys do. No one in their right mind would read that and think “I’m foolish? They have pills that erase your emotions and personality? No colors or happiness? Damn, I’d better join Better Living!” That post only reveals how little the author thinks of Better Living-- she thinks they actually believe a ploy like that would work.

So instead, think about what would encourage Killjoys to join Better Living. Safety? An easy life? No pain? If your character actually has a decent argument, it’ll make the reader think and provide a fun challenge in roleplays.

“Everyone Is Right” by Caro Clarke is an excellent article about character motivation. It’ll help you make your BL/ind character (and other characters as well) more believable.
 
2. Think carefully about medication.
 
Many people create BL/ind OCs who don’t take medication. Here are some problems that arise:

1. Don’t people notice that he has emotions now? (Even if he’s good at hiding them, wouldn’t he slip at least once?)
2. Wouldn’t suddenly having emotions be a bizarre and traumatic experience for him, especially now that he can feel sadness and pain? I say this because a lot of OCs just stop taking the pills and that’s that, no side effects whatsoever. Imagine living most of your life without a care in the world, only to be suddenly overwhelmed by strange feelings that you don’t know how to deal with. Difficult stuff.
3. What gave him the idea to stop taking the pills in the first place? He lives in a society that does nothing but promote them.
4. How does he dispose of the pills?
5. Doesn’t BL/ind make sure that citizens take the pills? And if they don’t care, why are the pills an issue in the first place?

If you can satisfactorily answer those questions, you probably know what you’re doing. If you can’t, you might want to think about it a little more. 
 

 
3. Think carefully before making a double agent character.
 
I’ve lost track of the number of Killjoys who claim to be double agents. This is the most common scenario: a Killjoy pretends to be a Drac or citizen, sneaks into BL/ind, hacks their computers, steals their info, and sneaks right out. Well, here are some questions that arise.

1. Wouldn’t BL/ind notice if an extra Drac/worker/citizen suddenly appeared? Don’t they keep track of who shows up to work?
2. How did she get into Battery City without being detected? (They must have a desert/Battery City border with plenty of security to keep Killjoys from running in and starting trouble.)
3. Wouldn’t BL/ind do a background check? The common answer is “Someone hacked into their database and added fake records.” How?
4. How was she able to pass as a Battery City citizen if she doesn’t take medication and has lived in the zones for most/all of her life? Where did she learn how to act?
5. Where did she live while she was in the city? How did she get food, supplies, etc.?
6. How did she get into BL/ind headquarters in the first place? (Assuming she snuck in instead of pretending to be a citizen. Please don’t say “She snuck in the back door,” haha. Or “She beat up all the security guards,” because then the building would be on alert and she’d be even more likely to get caught. Plus, one girl beating up all those guards is a bit unlikely.)
7. If she officially got a job at BL/ind instead of sneaking in, wouldn’t becoming a Draculoid or S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W officer be a long, difficult process? (I know everyone has different headcanons, but I’ve seen people claim their OC just waltzed in and joined the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W.)
8. How was she able to stay off medication? Wouldn’t they notice if someone wasn’t taking the pills? (And again, if they don’t care, why are the pills an issue in the first place?)
9. How did she hack into their files? Where did she get their passwords, and how did she get long periods of time alone with their technology? How did she know where to look and what the information meant? (Their most important stuff is probably coded and hidden, not sitting in a Word file labeled “BL/IND SECRETS.” )
10. Regarding OCs who have a rude attitude and smart off to Korse/Dracs all the time: wouldn't that blow her cover very quickly, or at least get her punished or kicked out? Even today, you can't insult your boss without getting in trouble.
 
There have been many double agents in history that leaked important information, but these people were incredibly dedicated and hardworking. Being a double agent is a full-time job that can go horribly wrong in an instant. In other words, Killjoys can’t just waltz up to BL/ind, steal their secrets, and be back before dinnertime. It’s entirely possible to make a double agent character, but it’s a lot of work...kind of like being a double agent.

Here’s a revealing article from the C.I.A. about what it takes to be a double agent. It could give you some inspiration.

4. If you’re creating a villain, don’t make another generic bad guy.

My drama teacher once said “If you don’t understand your character, you make a mockery out of them.” This happens all too often with villains. They serve one purpose: to be hated, mocked, and killed by the heroes. Some of them have the potential to be interesting characters, but the author doesn’t bother developing their personality. Others are just horrible from the start. The main problem is that they lack motivation. Why do they want Killjoys to return to Battery City? They’re jerks who like torturing people. Why do they force citizens to take pills? They’re jerks who like torturing people. Why do they do anything whatsoever? They’re jerks who like torturing people. How one-sided and dull. But sadly, many authors don’t go any further than that. Even they hate their own character, and they make it incredibly obvious.
 
Severus Snape (from the Harry Potter series) is a good example of a developed villain. When we first meet him, he seems like another run-of-the-mill villain. He hates Harry the second he meets him, and bullies him throughout his years at Hogwarts. Harry suspects that he’s a dark wizard, and later learns that he once worked for Voldemort but claims to have switched sides. Snape is so nasty that the reader can’t help but share Harry’s suspicions. How can Dumbledore trust him when he’s so obviously a double agent?

But as we read on, we learn that Snape isn’t a monster. He was bullied as a child, particularly by Harry’s father. The woman he loves abandons him after he turns to the dark side, and Voldemort later kills her. Snape abandons the Death Eaters after that, but lives the rest of his life bitter and regretful. Even in the first book, we see that Snape isn’t necessarily what he seems: in one scene, Ron and Hermione think that he’s trying to curse Harry. But we later learn that he was actually trying to save him, and a completely different character was responsible for the curse.

"These characters are easily ignored, as they are typically portrayed as 'brainwashed zombies' or something. But to my opinion, they're really interesting. And my fascination about them increased when I saw a certain page of the preview of the Killjoy comic. A lot of writers think they're like...brainless people who can't think for themselves. The fact that they're just humans (like BLi, or the Killjoys) is always forgotten. They have dreams, and wishes, and feeling, and doubts and all that jazz. And what makes them interesting is that they're in the middle of the 'war' between BLi and the Killjoys. They're like, the troubled kid of a fighting couple (and you never know what they'll become). They do not know what to do...the right from the wrong, the bad guys from the good ones. They're confused and lost...both BLi and the Killjoys have an effect on them in different ways. And that makes them a bit dangerous, I guess. I mean, you never know what they'll be."

“Underneath the steely cold veneer of his trickster charm is a certain vulnerability and sensitivity – the wounded fragility of an outcast brother and son. His mind is a box of cats though! But I love him.”

Inspiration