I enjoy posting after Verad because then I can always just point at his post and say "Pretty much that."Â
I would put an emphasis on collaboration, too, because while you're worried about Hornet being a central element, the instant you introduce one or more people into how the story develops, it ties their characters into it.Â
When you have multiple people involved, the story ceases to become solely about Hornet; it becomes about her connections with people, and how they react. They, too, become protagonists of a sort, because not only does Hornet's interaction with them build on her character, but how they interact with Hornet also builds on their character. That's the fundamental structure of social roleplaying: having a myriad of perspectives and connections woven together into a single (or multiple!) organic narrative.
To add on to Roen's point:
Start with a basic premise and a general direction with which you want to take that premise. Say you have someone come from Hornet's past, or an event that comes back to haunt her.Â
From there, you can approach the premise with what direction you'd like to possibly take it in. How would encountering this event or person affect Hornet's relationships with others if/when they find out? If it's an event or person from her past, how does that event or person reflect on how much (or how little) Hornet has changed since then? How does dealing with the event reflect Hornet's personality (e.g. does she immediately go for help or independently try to solve her issues herself before involving others)?
How would this event possibly cause Hornet to grow or regress as a person? What are the possible outcomes for Hornet and her relationships? Basically, begin with a starting point and a destination, and let the journey fill in itself. Sometimes your destination will change; sometimes it won't!
Once you have a premise and a direction, all you need is a setup and some participants and hey, you've got a pretty active RP story!
I would put an emphasis on collaboration, too, because while you're worried about Hornet being a central element, the instant you introduce one or more people into how the story develops, it ties their characters into it.Â
When you have multiple people involved, the story ceases to become solely about Hornet; it becomes about her connections with people, and how they react. They, too, become protagonists of a sort, because not only does Hornet's interaction with them build on her character, but how they interact with Hornet also builds on their character. That's the fundamental structure of social roleplaying: having a myriad of perspectives and connections woven together into a single (or multiple!) organic narrative.
To add on to Roen's point:
Quote:I first ask either myself or those I am plotting with, "what do we want to explore?" And try to plot out something from there. It can be an element of someone's past, exploring someone's dark side, a fall from grace, or a tug-of-war between character's principles. Start with an central idea of what the arc may be about, then build a plot around it.
Start with a basic premise and a general direction with which you want to take that premise. Say you have someone come from Hornet's past, or an event that comes back to haunt her.Â
From there, you can approach the premise with what direction you'd like to possibly take it in. How would encountering this event or person affect Hornet's relationships with others if/when they find out? If it's an event or person from her past, how does that event or person reflect on how much (or how little) Hornet has changed since then? How does dealing with the event reflect Hornet's personality (e.g. does she immediately go for help or independently try to solve her issues herself before involving others)?
How would this event possibly cause Hornet to grow or regress as a person? What are the possible outcomes for Hornet and her relationships? Basically, begin with a starting point and a destination, and let the journey fill in itself. Sometimes your destination will change; sometimes it won't!
Once you have a premise and a direction, all you need is a setup and some participants and hey, you've got a pretty active RP story!
