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Post by Ami on Apr 11, 2011 19:02:17 GMT -5
I always try to make my stable of characters cover a broad, diverse range of personality types. I do this because I don't like to keep creating more of the same, and because I as a writer enjoy exploring all facets of humanity. One of my unwritten goals is to never have any one thing that applies to all of my characters, no recognizable trait takes away from their individuality. However, I think all of us fall prey to our own preferences and biases when RPing. There are definitely, despite my trying, some RP areas that my characters never touch. Here are some of them:
Drugs
I have some characters who definitely love drink, and even a few who enjoy a pipe now and then, but not a single one of my characters struggles with an addiction to a dangerous substance. This is partly due to my own ignorance about the reality of such situations, but also because I've never been able to get excited about the topic. It just seems darker than I'm ever willing to go.
The Betrayal of Trust
For whatever reason, it is extremely difficult for me to RP betrayal in any form. I personally regard trust as such a sacred and precious thing that it's painful for me to get into the heads of people who would willingly squander it. Even with my villains, it's hard for me to do. I play some rascals, but very few, if any, of them would seek to hurt those who trusted them.
Apathy
None of my characters are willing to sit back and watch life happen around them. None of them are willing to shrug their shoulders and choose not to act. This is because I view apathy as the death knell of progress. A character with no drive, with no visible passion, is not stimulating for me as a writer. Watching apathetic characters is one of those situations where I have to stop back and separate from my character for a moment, or they become nothing but avatars for my opinions, and lose their own voice.
Conflict
I get itchy doing RP where nothing happens. I get bored of storylines that have no antagonist, sentient or otherwise. I really need RP with forward motion, and with purpose. If my character is just sitting about doing inconsequential things, I start to think of it as my fault as a storyteller, because I am failing to introduce plot. These days, the demands on my time require that I have a distinct reason to RP out a given scene, and the little day-to-day occurrences my characters face are usually left off-screen.
Redemption
I have some downright nasty characters. I have some faithless, self-serving, miserable potty-mouths. I even have characters who are downright evil. But with every one of them, my goal is to bring them out of whatever has turned them into the assholes they are. A story of darkness and struggle is, to me, ultimately pointless without the promise of redemption. This isn't to say that I want all of my characters to don priestly robes and dedicate themselves to selfless acts of sacrifice. However, their stories are only interesting to me if something eventually forces them to a breaking point, and opens their eyes to bigger possibilities. Above all things, I loathe static RP. For better or worse, things need to change for me to stay interested. I can do both better and worse, but ultimately, I want to ensure that my characters gradually keep chugging on towards better.
And that's me. Let's hear about you!
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Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Apr 12, 2011 3:14:00 GMT -5
Oh damn this is a good one. XD Two of mine are pretty close to yours- however, for totally different reasons- and a few addon categories. Drug AddictionThis should be painfully obvious. While Ance was an alcoholic (never to the point where she'd get the DT's, however), not one of my characters has ever been a drug addict- and after my debacle in 2009/2010, they never will be. I absolutely despise drugs, and though it's very easy for me to get into the mindset of an addict (because I still am an addict), I wouldn't want to RP one for fear of slipping back to rock-bottom, myself. It's an ugly place to be. Apathy and Mental IllnessConsidering sociopaths hit too close to home with me, I won't go there. Nyct might be a murderous bitch, but she still forms connections with people and enjoys life itself- truly apathetic personalities do not. She's not the kind of person who would allow someone to get raped in front of her eyes, for example- you can guarantee, however, that the rapist will be murdered on site. While all of my characters seem to have certain personality quirks, not one of them suffers from a severe mental illness. Not because I don't understand them- my minor is in psychology- but because they really are so terrifying that I wouldn't want any of them to have them. I know that they exist, but true mental disorders are rather uncommon, so at least I have statistics on my side when I fail to give any of them one. Older members will remember Quytuo, my schizophrenic Phantom of the Opera inspired Peophin. You don't? Hah, that's because I never RP'd him. He got a bio, sure, and I still have a bit of fanart that Lain did of him ages and ages ago. Rape, Incest, MolestationThese three are off limits to me for, again, the psychological impact it would have on a character. I think of what being molested twice has done to me (yeah i just sort of threw that out there), and despite the fact that the first incident was almost seventeen years ago and the last one was in 2008, I still have nightmares about both. Only Ange has a background in rape, as to say she didn't know what she was doing when she lost her virginity (and it wasn't to Xo.) To ensure she didn't have the mindfucking that most victims do, Nyct and Toraniko obliterated her entire memory of Koda. (This isn't to say she won't have problems later... Incest... because it's freaking gross and twisted in so many ways. The majority of my characters have the 'ick' factor when it comes to even TALKING to family members about sex, and while Ange and Ance speak of it freely to each other, the conversation never leaves the room. I'm actually not sure how any of them would react to the subject of incest, to be honest o.o InfanticideWait. Nevermind. Already went there. If it hadn't been planned out, I might have had a serious issue with it. Would I do it again? Nope. Infant death/stillborn death/abduction? Probably. Not that I'd RP it out- writing it into a story? Very likely. I don't have to visualise it that way, as when I write out character histories, I speedwrite it and edit it after I'm done (to make sure a character I killed off in chapter one doesn't make an appearance in chapter three or something like that.) ...yeah, that's about all. Being a murder mystery writer, I do end up having to touch base on these, ANYHOW, (particularly the top two), but I won't stick them on my characters that I keep forever. I guess there is a difference- putting these on characters I'll only have for a few months to a year is totally different than characters I've had for years, or plan to have for years. They're too much a part of me to have to carry it around all the time. (So you could say that my characters aren't as deep as they could be because I am a selfish bitch. That works, too.
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Mini
Love God
The Itherian Herds. Coming soon to take over you.
Posts: 1,780
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Post by Mini on Apr 12, 2011 12:20:17 GMT -5
I can't type out a long reply because I'm on my phone, but I feel that exploring those avenues that you are truly uncomfortable in strengthens you as a writer. Though Frosty is the only one here that knows me well (ok Beka and Noel too) but I am an extremely caring and loving person, and I'm sure you all remember me when I felt like my friends were being threatened. But I have characters that don't portray me very well, like Eva or especially Moscha. I'd say Moscha really is an apathist, antisocial and the like. She would stand by and let awful things happen to people, or even think they deserved it.
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