I prefer flawed characters whose actions have caused, and will continue to cause them genuine consequence. Without those flaws and consequences characters cease to evoke any real emotional response from me. A realistic human psyche is also sorely appreciated, though I understand a certain suspension of disbelief for the sake of the universe. I prefer to conquer realism and bear it as a weapon, rather than be held back by any such effort to deny it- There are both positives and negatives in that, but I promise you it is no easy feat. Especially in a cooperative writing setting.
The exact exaggeration of humanity for the sake of evoking emotion is a difficult line to draw within the truncated time period of ANY media, and unfortunately I'm biased enough toward realism and subtlety that it can be difficult for me to act parallel to others with different priorities.Â
All in all I enjoy characters that make me feel. And that is an art far more delicate than any hollow sob-story. Real tragedy doesn't need to scream to be heard. And I've had far more a whisper crush my heart than any screech. I'm sure this all sounds terribly masochistic, but the end-game is this: Emotion is dualistic, and its potency is dependent on the relativity of that spectrum. Roleplayers (and writers) who can make me suffer as an audience are the only ones who can turn around and offer profound, soul-wrenching happiness. Even more impressive are writers who use their characters to pose philosophical questions that affect me OOC.
I'm no master of the craft myself (though I seek to be) but these are the roleplayers I admire most. If only because of the great skill and self-control it demands. This runs in line with what Zhavi so aptly described as the 'fortitude' it takes to play characters with REAL flaws. And how harder still it is to put in the extra effort to ensure those flaws bring actual consequences to our characters.And don't take this post the wrong way- I am not taking a stab at my fellow rper. I'm recognizing a fault I myself am guilty of, and also see in others.Â
I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that it's human nature to want to be loved. But what makes us love someone in real life and what makes us love a character are two very different things. That in itself could spawn a discussion that would last a lifetime- But essentially, we're so trained to chase the former that it blinds us from the latter.Â
Sometimes it feels like everyone is so desperate to one-up each other in one way or a another that many of our characters are distorted into these hollow caricatures of once-poignant ideas buried under a sea of insecurity-spawned garbage. I know I'm guilty of it. And a lot of my personal goals as an rper at the moment revolve around overcoming it. So I really admire roleplayers who break that pattern and the beautiful characters they create.
And if I keep fighting for it, I'm sure I'll be one of them!
The exact exaggeration of humanity for the sake of evoking emotion is a difficult line to draw within the truncated time period of ANY media, and unfortunately I'm biased enough toward realism and subtlety that it can be difficult for me to act parallel to others with different priorities.Â
All in all I enjoy characters that make me feel. And that is an art far more delicate than any hollow sob-story. Real tragedy doesn't need to scream to be heard. And I've had far more a whisper crush my heart than any screech. I'm sure this all sounds terribly masochistic, but the end-game is this: Emotion is dualistic, and its potency is dependent on the relativity of that spectrum. Roleplayers (and writers) who can make me suffer as an audience are the only ones who can turn around and offer profound, soul-wrenching happiness. Even more impressive are writers who use their characters to pose philosophical questions that affect me OOC.
I'm no master of the craft myself (though I seek to be) but these are the roleplayers I admire most. If only because of the great skill and self-control it demands. This runs in line with what Zhavi so aptly described as the 'fortitude' it takes to play characters with REAL flaws. And how harder still it is to put in the extra effort to ensure those flaws bring actual consequences to our characters.And don't take this post the wrong way- I am not taking a stab at my fellow rper. I'm recognizing a fault I myself am guilty of, and also see in others.Â
I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that it's human nature to want to be loved. But what makes us love someone in real life and what makes us love a character are two very different things. That in itself could spawn a discussion that would last a lifetime- But essentially, we're so trained to chase the former that it blinds us from the latter.Â
Sometimes it feels like everyone is so desperate to one-up each other in one way or a another that many of our characters are distorted into these hollow caricatures of once-poignant ideas buried under a sea of insecurity-spawned garbage. I know I'm guilty of it. And a lot of my personal goals as an rper at the moment revolve around overcoming it. So I really admire roleplayers who break that pattern and the beautiful characters they create.
And if I keep fighting for it, I'm sure I'll be one of them!
