(12-15-2016, 03:08 PM)Seriphyn Wrote:(12-15-2016, 06:18 AM)Valence Wrote: Getting inspiration from characters of novels, movies, games, often goes a long way to find the right things and chemistries...[SNIP]
I see this happen all the time in RP. Some Highlander dude who apparently is a hardened soldier stands in that crossed arm /cpose chuckling mildly with a shake of his head as some tavern antics takes place in front of him, far too mature and whatnot, so plagued by the woes of war to let his hair down. Absolutely not. I've engaged professionally with USAF Pararescue Jumpers as a chaplain assistant, and those folks are absolute party animals despite being trained killers and lifesavers (who aren't always successful in the latter). They are the coolest people you will ever meet. Now, that's not to say privately these people might suffer from issues coming from the job, but as far as outward demeanour, you wouldn't tell.
[SNIP]
Play real people, not characters, and I guarantee an amazing RP experience.
I enthusiastically agree with this as it reflects my own recent revelation. Â I have only one character I play and I was feeling increasingly locked into maintaining a specific character based on the experiences and traits she's meant to have because of those traits. Â That's when I collided with my own critique of storytelling that actively locks characters into being one specific thing because that's what we're used to in storytelling. Â Bad guy is bad because he's bad and can only do bad things. Â Good guy is good because they are good and can only do good things. Â Sure, there's subversion of those tropes but it's unusual to see a fully fleshed out villain character.
I've been better with other characters than I have been with Mia Moui but recently I concluded that it's just absurd for Mia Moui to ONLY be one particular way with only one particular mood.
Her backstory:
Betrayed by the matriarch of her outlaw family and handed over to the Coeurlclaw to settle a debt, Mia Moui searches to find the sisters that joined her in servitude.
This is a serious character with a serious mission. Â But she can't possibly be on that mission at all times. Â She can't possibly be completely serious. Â She can't spend all of her time dedicated to a specific thing.
So I've begun to explore more of her LIFE not just her plot driven actions. Â As an example, I had her take off time from work so she could see the Songbirds (of the Little Ladies Event earlier in 2016) in concert. Â And I've decided to add a few more whimsical things to her personality. Â If nothing else, this might make her more pleasant to be around and justify her attending more social events for reasons OTHER than looking for her sisters.
Carne armum ergo sum.
