(08-22-2013, 04:45 PM)Bloodwillow Wrote: My only fear is something known as "plot dump" meaning in a span of a short time, everything about something or someone is dropped into your lap.
I remember this one time in Pocket D (*cue Alyson Hannigan voice*), I and a few others were chatting at the upstairs bar on the hero side, and this young heroine came up to us and joined in. We were thinking, "Awesome! New random RP!" Everything was going fine until... she started giving us her entire life story (I believe in response to "How did you get started with fighting crime?"), up to and including her physical relations with other heroes and her current, ah, "biological cycles."
We weren't sure if this was a really sophisticated troll or someone just new to things, so we ran with it IC, including one of the male characters acting wildly grossed out in his typically immature fashion and a couple of female characters rolling their eyes and muttering about the poor state of feminism in superheroics. For what it's worth, it was a very detailed and interesting backstory, but we didn't need to hear all that from someone we'd just met. 
The moral of the story is, yep, avoid the "plot dump."
A detailed history for a character is fine and gives opportunities for RP, but avoid the temptation to use it as a crutch. Think about how people act in real life: when you meet someone, you don't tell them your entire life story, do you? Your character will be interesting enough through their interactions, quirks, and beliefs. There'll be time enough to let the backstory come out later, if it's warranted IC.
The Freelance Wizard
Quality RP at low, low prices!
((about me | about L'yhta Mahre | L'yhta's desk | about Mysterium, the Ivory Tower: a heavy RP society of mages))
Quality RP at low, low prices!
((about me | about L'yhta Mahre | L'yhta's desk | about Mysterium, the Ivory Tower: a heavy RP society of mages))
