Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results
So someone's permed. It was a messy and dramatic affair, largely against their will, and that character's run was cut short. Unable to achieve their goals, get revenge, see their arc come to fruition the way they wanted to. Then, shortly thereafter, an immy appears and it becomes all to clear who the last character was.
It's a scenario I think anyone who's been playing long enough is familiar with, and the fact it's recognized as one is a problem for a number of reasons.
>The Meta
The biggest issue at the forefront is signalling (accidentally or otherwise) to other players who you were previously. For better or for worse, you've alerted the player base to who you once were and made the burden of ignoring past favoritism or grudges all that much harder. There is, also, the tendency for some of these characters to 'speedrun', making dashes for characters/factions/jobs they know they can benefit from.
>Ruined Expectations
Not universal, but not uncommon, I've seen players make a character pursuing the same goals again and again and again, each time feeling frustration and failure at having not achieved what they themselves (the player) are after. One example was a player when I was a GM who, over a period of time, kept trying to be a Judge. Each new character went to a different faction that would lead them down this path, until they eventually circled back around to where they started. This leads into the third issue.
>The Bleed
Sometimes, whether these players recognize it or not, they're pursuing those previously mentioned biases. Whether taking the first chance to get revenge on a person who helped perm you, or pursuing your past character's love interest, or even playing off a bias you know another character shared with your previous one. This is probably one of the biggest issues of all, as it cheapens not only your previous character's experiences and your current one, but you're also blindsiding characters who have no history with your new one. This one is harder to quantify, admittedly. Sometimes, you simply like a player's style. Sometimes, you -really- dislike a player's style. I've seen it ranging from enjoying a person's sense of humor to full on blood feud the first chance a character got. This is bleed, pure and simple.
Recognizing the issue and solving it
To keep this from running on any longer than it inevitably will, I think we can all see how these thing compound. But how do we fix it?
I'll make this advice general, as not to call anyone out even vaguely, as I think these things are something everyone should consider when making a new character.
>Personality/Mannerisms
This one could be considered the easiest and the hardest. For some people, it's easy to recognize what sort of 'signature' parts of themselves are obvious, while introspection is a bit more difficult. The easiest one is using the same exact phrases as the last. Or ranting about certain things. Probably the most volatile is people reacting to the same scenarios that led to them perming, finding the same anger as before, and using the same insults. If it didn't work the first time, it probably won't work the second, third, fourth...
>Change up your goals
If your last character wanted to be a blade wielding Chinese mugger, but -this- one is different because they're a brawling Swedish mugger... You might want to change things up more. Again, I know some people are more tuned to combat than other aspects of the game, but try to at least change up the angle of approach. It might keep you from perming the same way again.
>Character Bias
Another one that could be considered easy/hard. The next time you make a character, try to give anyone you held a strong bias for/against on your last a wide berth. Easier said than done, sometimes, but give yourself some breathing room and not immediately fall back into your OOC biases. If you hate something, let it go. If it comes back to kill you, stab it.
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This has been long as fuck already, and I could still probably go on more, so forgive me if it was too long or I didn't expound on something more. Hopefully this helps players who feel like they're trapped in a cycle, on the receiving end or otherwise.