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+--- Thread: Are Character Journals TMI? (/showthread.php?tid=6236)
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RE: Are Character Journals TMI? - Maril - 01-28-2014
It's a tricky balance. I personally find that journals can be a really powerful character development tool, and especially for long lasting characters it becomes living proof of how the character changes over time - and how events, written and unwritten, affect their way of thinking.Â
Journals can also become powerful items in the RP itself, if you were to say, let your journal get stolen and you happened to be one of those mages who writes down their secret, powerful and desirable spells.Â
I tend to keep one if I feel the inspiration for it, Sastra's currently only has one entry because she's hardly got the time to sit down and write anything these days.Â
However, as to where I would post it, is an entirely different thing. More often than not, I wouldn't post it to anywhere where I can't moderate who sees it. Having been the victim of rather intensive metagaming in the past, I'm super paranoid that something similar might happen again. So, these days I only post my journals on our website, where only the members can see it. That way, if someone does metagame on the information, I will know that it was one of my own and that I will be able to fix it before it spreads.Â
I also never use journals as a way to progress any ongoing RP/Plot, as I think one shouldn't mix the medias - since you inadvertently end up blocking out other characters influence because they don't use all types of media.Â
At most, I will try to tease or confuse the players behind the other characters, so as to make my characters choices be even harder to predict.Â
It's a shame that the notion of "Do not metagame" isn't as crystal clear for everyone as it is for one self, because when it happens it can have very serious consequences both IC and OOC, but it's practically impossible to make sure everyone understands it the same way.
RE: Are Character Journals TMI? - Knight Kat - 01-29-2014
Thanks for the feedback everyone
You have no idea how glad I am that this thread didn't turn out like my last one that got locked.After reading everyone's feedback, I decided to revise the journal then re-post it. My original three entries have been completely revised, and I added two more. The journal is FAR from up to date, but I plan on adding many other entries soon.
I decided to follow advice, and keep Kiht's most personal and intimate information out of the entries. The journal is a chronicle of her expeditions and the people she meets, not a diary of her most inner thoughts, desires and secrets. She gets a bit personal on the entries about player characters she meets, but that is it.
I am not sure if anyone is going to like it, but it will be a fun experiment. I am using a lot of screenshots in most entries, and trying to make the written information entertaining. Again, thank you all for the encouragement.
If anyone else wishes to add their 2 cents on character journals, feel free to do so. Even if I've already made my choice, more opinions wouldn't hurt the community
RE: Are Character Journals TMI? - ArmachiA - 01-30-2014
I have my characters journals be extremely personal and fairly detailed. Armi's is really bad for this, because she's a writer (song writer but still) this is fairly natural. I'm pretty sure some would say it's very TMI, everything is in there that has happened to her, after all. Being stabbed, falling in love, etc etc. But this is being written as if no one else in the world will ever read it and I like it better that way.
I say it's your characters journal, write what they would write.