Hydaelyn Role-Players
If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - Printable Version

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RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - Nebbs - 09-11-2015

I think i leave it open to interpretation. And there are three main types I play..

1. The character is specifically given a hideous or jarring appearance. Think playing undersea in WoW. The flip is that through RP can see the real you through the hideous visage. 

2. The plain character. Nebula will describe herself as a "plain dumpling of a girl from the shroud", and leave any interpretation open to those RPing. Add in the suitable emotes for a plain girl and you have great times breaking out of the mould.

3. Playing the beauty. In this case I play the character flaunting it, they know they are good looking and have a personality to match. Though with me there is probably much more beneath the surface. As is the life of my Twi'lek smuggler in SWTOR who replaces feelings with drink and violence.

I suppose that the answer is in your role play, how you portray the character and in the perception of those you RP with. I think that MMO RP is far richer than just the toon, and we should give ourselves a lot more credit for the depth and layering of our characters.

RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - Mia Moui - 09-11-2015

I tend not to directly mention my characters appearance in descriptions.  I prefer the game-mechanic to describe my character's look.  However, she does have an obvious scar on her face.  She feels somewhat awkward about it as it may have been the thing to separate her from her sisters when they were abducted (and presumably put in an undesirable situation) and she was left behind.  She blames the scar and will say so if it comes up in conversation.  She won't mention it otherwise.

If people find her attractive, she won't debate.  If people find her unappealing, she won't debate.  She's aware enough to know that impressions aren't necessarily reality.

RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - Warren Castille - 09-11-2015

I've got a picture of Warren on his wiki page. I don't see the need to describe him. If I wanted him to look different, I'd've changed his design.

Pushing too hard in a direction that can't be displayed makes for rough times, especially if its more than you can fit in your search comment. People are going to play with what they see, be it descriptions or displayed names.

RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - Aya - 09-11-2015

(09-11-2015, 10:09 AM)Warren Castille Wrote: Pushing too hard in a direction that can't be displayed makes for rough times, especially if its more than you can fit in your search comment. People are going to play with what they see, be it descriptions or displayed names.
There's nowhere near enough variety in the models.  I tend to assume that facial features are about right, but that the rest is more highly variable based on description Smile

RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - Warren Castille - 09-11-2015

(09-11-2015, 10:13 AM)Aya Wrote:
(09-11-2015, 10:09 AM)Warren Castille Wrote: Pushing too hard in a direction that can't be displayed makes for rough times, especially if its more than you can fit in your search comment. People are going to play with what they see, be it descriptions or displayed names.
There's nowhere near enough variety in the models.  I tend to assume that facial features are about right, but that the rest is more highly variable based on description Smile

There's no problem with that, so long as it's nothing major. "I'm actually eight feet tall, with hair down to my ankles, and I only have one leg" is jarring as hell compared to what the game displays. Most people won't mind a nudge of height or weight or body shape, but when you start going full-on this-avatar-does-not-represent-me you'll run into some headaches.

RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - Ignacius - 09-11-2015

Your character is not "beautiful."  Your character may be "tall", "muscular", "unblemished", "well-proportioned", "vuluptuous", "perky", "dusky", "chiseled", "angular", "alien", "flashy", "well-kept", "clean", "gritty", "unshaven", "strong", "sleight", or "willowy".  Your character can have "dazzling blue eyes", "a crooked but sincere grin", "a full beard strewn with braids and beads of his culture", "eyes that seem to flicker with intelligence", "a smile full of perfectly white teeth", "a voice that seems to almost sing as he speaks", "a scar across his cheek, seemingly ritual in nature", or even "well-manicured nails painted with clear varnish."  You character can "sit ramrod-straight in his chair", "lean against the wall casually and light a cigarette", "sit with shoulders stooped, nervous at the public setting", "lean across the table on one elbow, pointing across it with his knife", or "sit leaned back, never uttering a word, but eyes burning with contempt."

But your character cannot be "beautiful."  That is at the discretion of the audience, and you'd be amazed at the wide variety involved in their reactions.  For example, in addition to not finding Lalafels "beautiful" (rather common) I also find Miqo'te well-night universally unattractive (rather rare).  I don't like how young they appear and how sleight they are; it's not my thing.  At the same time, I know that Orleans isn't universally attractive.  Even if someone thinks he looks handsome, Orleans' mannerisms are sometimes hostile and aggressive, not every woman's thing.

So just describe your character.  Aim to get something about the personality across in the presence (as it often does in real life).  Be illustrative.  But don't try to demand the reaction.

RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - Aaron - 09-11-2015

Thancreds is considered a pretty womanizer.

And for some reason Aaron is his evil twin and or Thancreds cosplayer.

So by default Aaron is considered beautiful to the masses because he looks like Thancred (Which in honesty he really doesn't but you know, just because they have the same hairstyle and people think Thancreds hair is white still. It gets assumed a lot.)

I'm beautiful nerds deal with it.

Do note, this post isn't meant to be taken seriously.

RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - Sylentmana - 09-11-2015

(09-11-2015, 09:12 AM)LadyRochester Wrote:
(09-11-2015, 09:07 AM)Sylentmana Wrote: Then people might assume you are not very good at creating a character as your description of her does not match the statement of her being "ugly."

Well, to you. However, would you roleplay your character as finding them unattractive or not? Even if she is described as having those features, but also described as being "ugly". Would you make your character follow your/their beauty standards or the other roleplayer's?

I would likely not acknowledge the physical description and have my character interact with them like any other character. Such descriptions are little more than flavor text as far as I'm concerned.

RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - Kaiz - 09-11-2015

I tend to not care if someone says in their profile that their character is beautiful. I decide who is and isn't beautiful, and will act accordingly.

RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - Zhavi - 09-11-2015

Beautiful tends to correspond with average. Clean features, symmetrical, certain proportions. While beauty does vary across cultures, there's generally some things that stay the same, and those are things that signify a healthy person.

So when I decided to make Zhi ugly, it was those things I targeted.

But then the character creator wouldn't cooperate. At best, in game she looks dirty and boyish; the most I can hope for is 'plain' but most people consider her 'cute.'

In the end, there's a pretty jarring gap between how I have her in my head and what's in game. So.......it's to the point where I'm more pushing how gross her hygiene is than doing anything with her features. She looks how she looks, and I feel it's too confusing for people if I talk about how her mouth is wide like a frog's and her eyes are mean and small and her nose is too short when in game she is none of that.

I'll just give her a STD instead.

RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - ZacharyVolfire - 09-11-2015

I design dresses as one of my side jobs so when asking for details from a custoemr i scream when told "I want the dress to be pretty."  With all the parts of a dress rp characters are the same thing. I can't make a good one liner like. "Your turquoise eyes pull me in like the sea." if you just discribe them as pretty! Ugh...

On another note. Zach has a lot of scars. Across his chest and arms. Yet I' have to add that to his description or emote that when he reveals his upper torso because FF needs more texture designs! ;-;

RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - Aya - 09-11-2015

(09-11-2015, 02:00 PM)Zhavi Wrote: But then the character creator wouldn't cooperate.  At best, in game she looks dirty and boyish; the most I can hope for is 'plain' but most people consider her 'cute.'
Yeah this is it really... there is nowhere near enough variability in in-game appearance of models.  In my opinion people that either do not use or do not consider descriptions are doing themselves a disservice, and limiting their power of imagination.  If you only imagine other characters and even scenes in their specific, limited, in-game form, you are simply missing out.  There is a much wider world of RP out there.

That said, descriptions that are qualitative rather than descriptive are not as helpful.  No one should presume a quality such as beauty, and so on.  They may be useful as quick shorthand, but they do not hold much power or meaning in trying to fuel the imagination.  "Beautiful" should be the assumed normal in RP land (just like in movie-land) anyway ^^.

RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - -no longer matters- - 09-11-2015

I always saw Bear as rugged... But he gets hit on like no tomorrow so maybe he is good looking.

RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - Verad - 09-11-2015

This thread exists because RPers are spiteful, contrarian little shits who don't like being told what to do - but only if they're told to view a character positively.

There is no quibbling over "ugly." There is no quibbling over other vague descriptors that imply other informed traits like "sickly" or "plain." It is only when a player dares suggest a character is viewed in a positive fashion that players get their hackles up and start fleeing to the warm, inviting confines of subjectivity.

This is the wit thread, redux.

RE: If beauty is subjective, who defines the beauty of your character? - McBeefâ„¢ - 09-11-2015

(09-11-2015, 02:33 PM)Verad Wrote: This thread exists because RPers are spiteful, contrarian little shits who don't like being told what to do - but only if they're told to view a character positively.

There is no quibbling over "ugly." There is no quibbling over other vague descriptors that imply other informed traits like "sickly" or "plain." It is only when a player dares suggest a character is viewed in a positive fashion that players get their hackles up and start fleeing to the warm, inviting confines of subjectivity.

This is the wit thread, redux.

I think that's a little unfair.

People tend to react fine to such things. It's only when demands are made based on looks. 

"My character is pretty!" seems not to be an issue, "Your character must find mine attractive" is. Or taken to it's extreme, "Your character should act a certain way based on that."