Hey guys!
I'm going to drop my original idea I had and just start completely over. I need advice on where to begin to make a backstory for my newest alt, Rinoa Lyon. Here is the little information I have so far:
Name: Rinoa Lyon
Age: 20
Homeland: The Black Shroud
Class: Conjurer
Race: Hyur
Love Interest: Reagan Goldheart (Paladin)
I just need a push in the right direction as I'm still learning and understanding the lore of this game. hehe. Thank you all!
Well, first you really kind of need a starting point. You've listed the basic facts of what your character is, but there are a ton of different ways to arrive at that. What aspects of the setting interest you the most, and what do you want to avoid?
The first thing I can think of based on what you listed is if they're a Gridanian conjurer, how did they meet this paladin? Was the paladin injured in battle, and she was charged with his care, and they fell in love Hemmingway style? Were they childhood friends? Maybe he bumped into her while she was selling flowers and he was running away from an exploding magitek facility?
I will recommend answering
the questions in this thread. You can probably skip a bunch of them to speed up the process, but all of them will make you think about who your character is and how you want him to be.
An alternative, which has always worked well for me, is to think about how your character would act in a certain situation. One thing I've seen in other games are literary challenges. These are questions that are posted on the forums, challenging people to write a paragraph answering them for their character. For example:
Quote:Write about something that is close to the heart of your character. Maybe it was an item you were given by a member of your family when you first embarked upon your career. Maybe it was a trinket you found in the ruins of a raided town. Maybe it is a framed document from your medical studies. Or that one weapon you took off a defeated enemy?
Seems like the love interest is a primary focus of your character...but I'd maybe suggest that it not be the -only- thing about your character. Not everyone is going to want to be involved in a love story, and having different aspirations makes one a well-rounded character.
Of course, having a love interest as the primary impetus isn't a bad thing. Just something I feel you should consider if you haven't already. :3
The love interest is not the focus, I just listed him so you all would know. I'm considering on returning to FFXIV. Rinoa Lyon is calling me, or Tsubasa Lightheart
When filling out a backstory, I'll often scribble out an IC 'interview' and review it. I'll sometimes write it three or four times until I feel like I have the concept, backstory, voice of the character, etc. lined up.
For example, the 'interviewer' would ask the subject:
-Where are you from?
-What was life like for you growing up?
-Did you always want to be (x thing the character is seen as now) or did something make you want to be come that later in life?
What were some of the major influences in her life? What was her family like? And how did she get where she is today? Answering some of those might help out a little! It could be anything from 'lived there all her life and just had the talent' to 'traveled from afar looking to make a name for herself' or something wildly different! Just think of what might catch at your interest that gives you something to build off. :3
For example, my pink lady Roe here is a conjurer because she wanted to try something as different from her early life as a pirate under her mum's command as possible. ...and then she went and joined up with the Maelstrom because good old Guilt reared its ugly head and she wanted to make a show of good faith that she was sticking to her new and improved course in life.
(01-23-2014, 03:05 PM)Dogberry Wrote: [ -> ]Maybe he bumped into her while she was selling flowers and he was running away from an exploding magitek facility?
I <3 what you did there.