I love this thread! I've always thought about this when I update charrie biographies but now that it has a thread of its own, I'd definitely love to hear everyone's thoughts on this.
I've been a member on SS since 2011 and I was very young when I started. Lots of people on here know this. I personally identify as a Slytherin, and I'll be honest when I say that I used to be so scared of playing out charries that weren't Slytherins like me. All of my active characters from 2011-2014 were both Slytherins and girls (again, older SSers probably noticed this pattern of mine lolz) because I was comfortable playing voices that were similar to mine. And I was also nervous about playing different charries since I thought I wouldn't give them justice. It was only last year that I decided to try something different. I played a boy charrie, Drewett, for the first time (and stuck with him instead of retiring his voice when it started making me anxious) and he's not a Slytherin like me. I have Drewett now, and I honestly enjoy playing someone who isn't entirely me.
But then again, there's always a little bit of me in all my charries! I think it's a bit inevitable? While I do try to be more adventurous and creative with their personalities, I can definitely point out what certain parts of my personality are reflected in my various brain children. For instance, my ministry charrie Rani loves to travel and so do I. She reflects my desire to get lost, get out of my comfort zone, and be part of a culture different from mine. Next, my previous student charrie, Vivian, loved all kinds of creatures, gets really attached to people, and has always wanted to make a name for herself (especially with her family that's successful in their chosen careers). And Drewett now reflects a part of me as well. I consider him my charrie whose most unlike me but even then, his need to please everyone around him, and also his love for books and even printed socks are snippets of my personality as well.
Aside from that, I also tend to integrate a bit of the people I know in real life into my charries as well so that it's not purely my personality. There's variety in that sense
Also this post was longer than I thought, but there you have it!