So I like to reuse characters. I pretty much play a character until they run their course and reach the goal or whatever that character development may wind up being. Sometimes they do not reach that point but another character makes a huge impact on them and its enough to reconning it just... I want to keep the development.

So I rework the role into their history with a vaguely outlined entity that only resembles the other person's character in the sense of giving that development in their history and often times have them do something that would have been out of character for that character that takes mine down a different path, that way its not actually their character because I do not have claim to it but the vague idea of the impact they made on my character can be kept by me.

For example a character I currently play had a relationship on the site I made him originally that was extremely important to his current state, however I am no longer in contact with that person and have no interest in using a direct copy of their character anyway- so instead he just has an Ex-fiance (which never icly happened previously) that selled him out and they broke up (none of which is accurate to the original relationship), but it allows him to keep the development the romantic relationship had on his character without replicating it, I just used inaccurate events that created the same effect for me to continue onward with.

Personally, I do not see a problem with retaining the character development by creating a vague character that fills a similar roll as long as it's not done with enough specifics for someone to go "oh yeah its definitely so and so's character from here". But then again I may be a special case that really does not want to retain your character itself so much as the development made in mine. Not because I didn't like yours or respect what they did for my character but because I don't want to tread on toes. You may not even ever make the character again they may be left behind forever, at the end of the day that's your's to deal with not mine and I just want to keep my character as they are.

As such I don't see a reason to keep direct references when a vague liking of the role (not even the character's personality just the role itself) should do the trick just fine. Plus if you ever decide you want that role filled on site you won't have to wrestle with the issue of someone accidentally stealing a character that way. It just takes a lot of the issues that could come about when you focus in the role played and not the actual character instead.

This is the same respect I expect someone else to have towards my character's. I totally understand wishing to keep the development under the right circumstances I wouldn't even mind if you used my character's name as long as it was in a manner that was true to what occurred and not you skewing it. Ultimately I prefer to be asked and would not hesitate to confront someone if I felt they were referencing my character's in a manner that was too much alike and that I do not approve of.

Also context and situation changes a lot, but generally speaking I can understand keeping a role in your history for the purpose of what it brings to your character and feel it does not have to be done in a manner that completely retains a character that is not yours.