First, let me start by saying that every person is different and has different preferences, so I don't know if my advice will necessarily be what tickles your fancy. That said, this is what I do when I find myself not quite sure of a direction to take a character in.
First: I look at current events and see if anything gets the creative juices flowing. This is writing bread and butter in a lot of ways. Obviously, you don't take exact scenarios and plug them in as-is, but ongoing stories make for great inspiration for character impetus. For example, one of the news stories today talks about how a part of the US government passed a budget that requires defunding of a new program (no, not getting into politics here, bear with me
). Okay, so... perhaps your character's tribe/social group/etc is having a conflict among its leadership (whether official or not) about how to run things, and the end result is that nothing is being done. How does he feel about this? How does he react? Does he seek aid in getting said group off its collective butt? Does he go it alone? Does he do nothing, or does he seek a way to leave the group to its own devices?
Second: I look at ongoing RP among my own friends, and see where I might fit in. Alternatively, I look at character wikis and see which characters have stories that seem to mesh well with my character/concept and contact those folks to see if we might work something out together. I like this option particularly because it involves building bonds with your fellow RPers, which is the best thing in the world you can do for RP. Why? Because RPing alone doesn't get you very far, and even furthering another person's story is great for enhancing your own character. Not only do you get potential ideas, but you can also springboard your own RP off of theirs. Say, for instance, you just helped a fellow Miqo'te rescue her sister from pirates. What if, in the process, you were wounded by a poisoned dagger, and now need to seek an antidote before something bad happens? I would imagine the Miqo'te you helped, and potentially her sister, would feel indebted to you and want to help you, too. Voila! More RP to be had, and even more potential to bring others along! After all, you might want a healer who can see that the antidote is properly made and administered, or someone who is nature-knowledgable and can find the rare herbs needed. And so on.
Anyhow, I hope this ramblingness helps!
First: I look at current events and see if anything gets the creative juices flowing. This is writing bread and butter in a lot of ways. Obviously, you don't take exact scenarios and plug them in as-is, but ongoing stories make for great inspiration for character impetus. For example, one of the news stories today talks about how a part of the US government passed a budget that requires defunding of a new program (no, not getting into politics here, bear with me
). Okay, so... perhaps your character's tribe/social group/etc is having a conflict among its leadership (whether official or not) about how to run things, and the end result is that nothing is being done. How does he feel about this? How does he react? Does he seek aid in getting said group off its collective butt? Does he go it alone? Does he do nothing, or does he seek a way to leave the group to its own devices?Second: I look at ongoing RP among my own friends, and see where I might fit in. Alternatively, I look at character wikis and see which characters have stories that seem to mesh well with my character/concept and contact those folks to see if we might work something out together. I like this option particularly because it involves building bonds with your fellow RPers, which is the best thing in the world you can do for RP. Why? Because RPing alone doesn't get you very far, and even furthering another person's story is great for enhancing your own character. Not only do you get potential ideas, but you can also springboard your own RP off of theirs. Say, for instance, you just helped a fellow Miqo'te rescue her sister from pirates. What if, in the process, you were wounded by a poisoned dagger, and now need to seek an antidote before something bad happens? I would imagine the Miqo'te you helped, and potentially her sister, would feel indebted to you and want to help you, too. Voila! More RP to be had, and even more potential to bring others along! After all, you might want a healer who can see that the antidote is properly made and administered, or someone who is nature-knowledgable and can find the rare herbs needed. And so on.
Anyhow, I hope this ramblingness helps!
