I think any characters that require research in order to play them properly are inherently more difficult to play, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. For me I especially want to make sure that I do important aspects of a character's fundamental identity justice (things like gender identity, sexuality, cultural background, ethnicity, mental health, disabilities), especially if they're different from my own, so I inevitably put a lot more work and thought into how I portray them, and where possible, I ask friends and fellow RPers who are part of those groups themselves to check me on things. I know I get things wrong sometimes though, but I don't want to not RP characters that are from underrepresented or marginalized groups of whatever kind just because of that -I'd rather learn and improve.

WHAT TEGZ SAID. gosh tegz you're so well-articulated that it's hard to say things after you do.

Also, I feel that it's extremely difficult to RP characters whose motivations and goals I don't understand or relate to. I have difficulty considering characters whose moral compasses don't point north, or who have skewed ideas of loyalty. It's nearly impossible for me to write a character I don't understand, and their posts go from short to nonexistant to the character themself dying off in my head.

This is a very exciting topic to discuss. For me, almost every character is a challenge but mostly because they don't share my background and/or ethnicity (I've thought about bringing in a character that can share my background and beliefs but man, is it complicated lol).

Generally though, and away from those fundamentals, I find it easy to play an assertive character (examples are Louisa and Genny), and I struggle to go on with a softer, mellow character (example are Cleo and Eureka.) It can be because an assertive character is more fun to play off that they interact further and cause a bigger splash? Or it can be because I simply find softer characters boring to work on, I don't really know the reason.

As I just mentioned in the other thread (about charrie types we normally go for), I have struggled to RP a zen, totally chill and calm charrie. I have tried, but the poor thing only lasted... 1 or 2 terms (I can't even remember, lol).

I got so bored because she just didn't mind whether or not she interacted or spoke to anyone and she was happy to just be by herself doing her zen thing (I think her thing was yoga or something of the like. Herbology she was really into as well). But then I got so bored it was difficult for me to even want to post her around because I didn't know what I could make her do xP I did have a "good-length" RP with her and some other guys ONCE (because we had a goal: do a specific homework in which the kids transformed into animals), but that was it. Literally, ONE RP I deemed good/fun enough with her xP

Poor girl. Then I brought her older brother into DA and I found him so much more fun to RP because even though he was all chill in a way that he didn't care about anything or anyone (much like his sister), but he was more out-there and was happy to actually DO things, even if by himself. That was an easier concept for me to grasp and I must say I do enjoy RPing him because he is a true weirdo, bahaha! AND he isn't as quiet as his sister, so I can get him to talk to strangers and things xP

My point is, I guess I can play extremely quiet/zen charries as long as they're willing to DO something and/or talk to people. If they're so chill to the point I have no idea what they're willing to do, then me no likey, which THEN becomes a massive challenge for me to continue to RP them xP I do like her, mind, I just find it difficult to RP her, haha.

Well said! I have similar issues with playing charries I don't understand or relate to, though for me, it's more their personalities and histories that I have a hard time with than their motivations. For example, I have a couple of charries with motivations/goals that I don't personally relate to, but I can still play them convincingly because there's something else about them that I identify with. The thing I struggle with most is the loud, confident character types or the happy-go-lucky types who are completely content with their lot in life (perfect job/grades, family, etc.). That's so completely opposite from my own personality and life experiences that I can't understand how their minds work, and it becomes a chore to crank out even a short post for those charries. I generally try to avoid playing that type because I feel I don't do it justice, and I like to put my best work into my posts.

Gotta go along with what Laila said... it's almost impossible to play a stoic, introverted character here. What will you do with them, if they don't talk to anyone or want to interact with anyone? I'm more of a listener than a talker irl, but that doesn't translate well to a forum. The RP isn't for lurkers.

It’s tough for me to play a serious character because I unintentionally tend to lead them down a dark, twisted path and they end up evil which was never my intention.

For me, I struggle to play any character that I can't really relate to well. I always want to play someone who's stuck up/posh or comes from a wealthy background and has their nose turned up (Essentially the Malfoy's) But I just find myself getting a little bored with it all. It's like that becomes their defining feature and I don't develop them further apart from that and then it becomes stale and they fade into nothing.