RP a silent character.

[Kimikimi]

My new character is silent, and as such she cannot communicate by voice. I know this may lead to some confusion later down the line. So does anyone have any tips for RPing a silent character?

[Miss Gaz]

I also rp a mute character, she uses mostly note pads to communicate but was given a pen from a employer that uses aether to write in the air. I mean and a lot of people (not too many) Speak sign language so that is also an option.

[Harknezz]

Facial descriptions and every little hand gesture she makes are both key. You'll want to make up for the lack of her voice with them, and describing them in more detail will be a huge asset. 

[Syf]

A lot of people get around silent characters by using writing. It's a decent method but does have its own limitations that you always have to take into account. It is a slow process, and not everyone can read or see clearly. What I've seen the most is characters that are very expressive with gesticulation and facial expressions, almost to the point where it is comical. Keeping a reference sheet may be handy for facial expressions as well as body language.

[Kimikimi]

Well to begin with, thanks for all your comments. Currently she has been carrying a notebook she writes to others pretty often. I feel like I could make more use of the mailing system. She is very expressive but I find myself nodding one too many times to agree to questions or something.

[Harknezz]

Yeah, nodding too much might get boring for you. A cool thing to see, though it's harder, is to actually emote a full expression without giving away what it is, and letting their character read it how they will.

[Syf]

Well to begin with, thanks for all your comments. Currently she has been carrying a notebook she writes to others pretty often. I feel like I could make more use of the mailing system. She is very expressive but I find myself nodding one too many times to agree to questions or something.

You can always come up with different degrees of agreement, that includes how long of a delay there is before the agreement, and how enthusiastic the character is in the response.

 

Edit: You're also going to have to get used to nodding, since questions with yes and no answers are going to be the most numerous in your RP.

[Coatleque]

Know your voice set, and your emotes. Know them -very- well. Experiment with stacking them on top of each other. You can achieve some very good results to convey emotion or desires this way. I've seen many characters do this with powerful effect.

 

One in particular named Thaliak's Axe never speaks. He's a large Roe that communicates with only emotes. It takes practice to do well, but the payoff is worth it.

[Dat Oni]

Know your voice set, and your emotes.  Know them -very- well.  Experiment with stacking them on top of each other.  You can achieve some very good results to convey emotion or desires this way.  I've seen many characters do this with powerful effect.

 

One in particular named Thaliak's Axe never speaks.  He's a large Roe that communicates with only emotes.  It takes practice to do well, but the payoff is worth it.

 

Having a character who, at best, speaks laconically, using only 1-2, and rarely, 3 words to describe her feelings or the context of the situation, I have to agree with this sentiment. Emotes help a lot.

[Kimikimi]

Are we talking built in animation emotes or /em emotes? I use a mixture of both currently.

[Dat Oni]

Are we talking built in animation emotes or /em emotes? I use a mixture of both currently.

 

Built-in.

[Nebbs]

Same old warning.. play the character not the disability. 

 

Playing a disability gets old really quick. Make sue the character is viable without it then add it in for flavour. 

 

That's basically it.. oh and remember, you chose to play the defect not the other players. So if you get frustrated, it is your problem not theirs.

[Virella]

Same old warning.. play the character not the disability. 

 

Playing a disability gets old really quick. Make sue the character is viable without it then add it in for flavour. 

 

That's basically it.. oh and remember, you chose to play the defect not the other players. So if you get frustrated, it is your problem not theirs.

I don't think the char is disabled though, I think it's the tribe's lore not to talk

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Same old warning.. play the character not the disability. 

 

Playing a disability gets old really quick. Make sue the character is viable without it then add it in for flavour. 

 

That's basically it.. oh and remember, you chose to play the defect not the other players. So if you get frustrated, it is your problem not theirs.

I don't think the char is disabled though, I think it's the tribe's lore not to talk

 

Taken from the Official FFXIV Forums, Lore board:

 

 

Qestir - This tribe refuses to speak, believing that all words are lies, and that a man's actions are the purest form of communication.

 

So yes, should OP's character being mentioned in this thread be within that tribe, it's not a situation of "I can't speak" , but  "I do not speak."

[Nebbs]

Same old warning.. play the character not the disability. 

 

Playing a disability gets old really quick. Make sue the character is viable without it then add it in for flavour. 

 

That's basically it.. oh and remember, you chose to play the defect not the other players. So if you get frustrated, it is your problem not theirs.

I don't think the char is disabled though, I think it's the tribe's lore not to talk

 

Ah Op did not say just "My new character is silent, and as such she cannot communicate by voice"

 

If playing someone who chooses not to talk, I'd still say the same. Use it as flavour and not something that replaces a "human" story.

[Askier]

I recently started playing a silent character(he chooses not to talk), Sado Tia, and found it to be a very rewarding and fun experience.  At first I wasn't sure if he was going to be able to have any staying power for long term rp. But he has really come into his own.

 

A few things I've noticed though is that rping out what the character is thinking, mixed with what they are doing, helps people a bit and adds humor to the situation.

 

Ex

 

Sado Tia was sitting on a rock, his knives slowly cutting up the fish.  He could have been greedy but was planning on sharing it with his tribe and he beamed a smile as he looked over at his brother before tossing the meat at him.  His brother was too skinny and needed more meat on his bones.

 

Another thing I do to help convey a point my character makes is to write something like this.

 

Sado Tia looked at his brother with an expression that could only be taken as: -What on earth is up with your hair- as Sado peered at his sibling's atrocious new hair style.

 

The last trick is a bit of narrative stretching but its very useful. Especially when you describe out what the character does with their gestures to ensure the right meaning is passed across to other role players. Since we lack the actual ability to demonstrate and convey the EXACT act physically, this ensures that our messages are taken how we want them in rp.

 

I've been surprised at how well the rp with him has gone. It does take some practice with to get comfortable with them but once you do, they can be as enjoyable and communicative as any talking character.

 

I hope that helped a little bit.

[Kellach Woods]

I RPed a silent character in a LARP once.

 

The key is being expressive. Use every tool at your disposal to communicate.

[Sinjo]

I find when I play a silent character, I pay far more attention to descriptive text and gestures with the hands. I suppose an example would be best?

 

There was no pleasure on Terrin's face as he scowled at his friend. Staring daggers, Repil knew what he'd done and made no apology for it, which only served to anger His mute friend even more. Terrin had His arms crossed in defiance, reinforcing the displeased look that lingered.

 

Another, Just in case.

 

Seiria paused in thought. Bringing Her hand to her face and tapping a single digit against her porcelain toned cheek in thought. Red eyes  Scrunching momentarily while she gazed upwards. It looked as if the poor girl would bust a gasket, until an Idea struck! her face Lighting up like a tree with a finger pointed in the air declaring she'd come up with a solution! Sadly, the look faded as she realized that it would be impossible to convey without words.

[Kimikimi]

I find when I play a silent character, I pay far more attention to descriptive text and gestures with the hands. I suppose an example would be best?

 

There was no pleasure on Terrin's face as he scowled at his friend. Staring daggers, Repil knew what he'd done and made no apology for it, which only served to anger His mute friend even more. Terrin had His arms crossed in defiance, reinforcing the displeased look that lingered.

 

Another, Just in case.

 

Seiria paused in thought. Bringing Her hand to her face and tapping a single digit against her porcelain toned cheek in thought. Red eyes  Scrunching momentarily while she gazed upwards. It looked as if the poor girl would bust a gasket, until an Idea struck! her face Lighting up like a tree with a finger pointed in the air declaring she'd come up with a solution! Sadly, the look faded as she realized that it would be impossible to convey without words.

 

No offense or anything, but expressions can really only give you a general idea of a situation, of course they can tell a story themselves, but your examples perhaps give a little too much information. It is fine showing how a character feels, towards the end there it's broke into describing her feelings outright which no one else but your character can take account for. I tend to avoid writing feelings, and focus on the physical body language.

 

Example: She sat down at the table with a loud thud, she noticeably had dark rings around her eyes. Her hair tangled and messy. It was clear she hadn't been sleeping. With another loud thud she planted her face into her arms cradling her head, soon after a loud snoring could be heard from the girl.

 

Over all, I feel you can be descriptive, and over descriptive.

[TheLastCandle]

I think my advice having done a character like this in a MUD (where there are NO visual cues) is to use your full arsenal of body language. Even "yes" or "no" questions don't warrant a nod or shake of the head. A particularly vehement "no," for example, might include turning your back on the person asking the question. A subtle glance at something might serve as a confirmation to another question and so on and so forth.

 

One thing I would recommend if you're serious about playing a silent character is to avoid using writing signs or notes of any kind. It's frankly a bit of a cop-out and you end up just having your character effectively speak using /emote instead of /say as your chat channel. Make it an exercise in crafting truly expressive emotes. You won't be sorry!

[Sinjo]

I find when I play a silent character, I pay far more attention to descriptive text and gestures with the hands. I suppose an example would be best?

 

There was no pleasure on Terrin's face as he scowled at his friend. Staring daggers, Repil knew what he'd done and made no apology for it, which only served to anger His mute friend even more. Terrin had His arms crossed in defiance, reinforcing the displeased look that lingered.

 

Another, Just in case.

 

Seiria paused in thought. Bringing Her hand to her face and tapping a single digit against her porcelain toned cheek in thought. Red eyes  Scrunching momentarily while she gazed upwards. It looked as if the poor girl would bust a gasket, until an Idea struck! her face Lighting up like a tree with a finger pointed in the air declaring she'd come up with a solution! Sadly, the look faded as she realized that it would be impossible to convey without words.

 

No offense or anything, but expressions can really only give you a general idea of a situation, of course they can tell a story themselves, but your examples perhaps give a little too much information. It is fine showing how a character feels, towards the end there it's broke into describing her feelings outright which no one else but your character can take account for. I tend to avoid writing feelings, and focus on the physical body language.

 

Example: She sat down at the table with a loud thud, she noticeably had dark rings around her eyes. Her hair tangled and messy. It was clear she hadn't been sleeping. With another loud thud she planted her face into her arms cradling her head, soon after a loud snoring could be heard from the girl.

 

Over all, I feel you can be descriptive, and over descriptive.

 

None taken! But it's meant to be that way. I may not be used to Roleplaying in FF14, but forums, Muds and secondlife are usually that large, and more. I get that you're in a 3D world, but I wouldn't consider what I posted over descriptive.

 

And while other players cannot directly react to Feelings, it does set tone and mood and helps give a deeper glance into what the player is trying to portray. I'd also like to point out this is for a silent character, who cannot use words to help convey their feelings.

 

Think of it like this. You're reading a book. You read character's thoughts in the book. And that's sorta how I view RP. We're writing a story and it doesn't hurt to give flavor to the tale.

 

I don't mean to offend either, but your example kind of leaves one wanting. Because you don't use feelings, I have no context, there's nothing to describe how tired she is. Just that she's tired.

 

It's also not the best example to use, as the characters in the examples are interacting with people. Also, there is no such thing as too much information. Unless the person you're playing with is Metagaming, they can't truly know anything your character is thinking. They can only react to your speech and physical appearance.

 

We can chalk this up to personal preference if you want, but I don't agree with you.

[Kimikimi]

I find when I play a silent character, I pay far more attention to descriptive text and gestures with the hands. I suppose an example would be best?

 

There was no pleasure on Terrin's face as he scowled at his friend. Staring daggers, Repil knew what he'd done and made no apology for it, which only served to anger His mute friend even more. Terrin had His arms crossed in defiance, reinforcing the displeased look that lingered.

 

Another, Just in case.

 

Seiria paused in thought. Bringing Her hand to her face and tapping a single digit against her porcelain toned cheek in thought. Red eyes  Scrunching momentarily while she gazed upwards. It looked as if the poor girl would bust a gasket, until an Idea struck! her face Lighting up like a tree with a finger pointed in the air declaring she'd come up with a solution! Sadly, the look faded as she realized that it would be impossible to convey without words.

 

No offense or anything, but expressions can really only give you a general idea of a situation, of course they can tell a story themselves, but your examples perhaps give a little too much information. It is fine showing how a character feels, towards the end there it's broke into describing her feelings outright which no one else but your character can take account for. I tend to avoid writing feelings, and focus on the physical body language.

 

Example: She sat down at the table with a loud thud, she noticeably had dark rings around her eyes. Her hair tangled and messy. It was clear she hadn't been sleeping. With another loud thud she planted her face into her arms cradling her head, soon after a loud snoring could be heard from the girl.

 

Over all, I feel you can be descriptive, and over descriptive.

 

None taken! But it's meant to be that way. I may not be used to Roleplaying in FF14, but forums, Muds and secondlife are usually that large, and more. I get that you're in a 3D world, but I wouldn't consider what I posted over descriptive.

 

And while other players cannot directly react to Feelings, it does set tone and mood and helps give a deeper glance into what the player is trying to portray.  I'd also like to point out this is for a silent character, who cannot use words to help convey their feelings.

 

Think of it like this. You're reading a book. You read character's thoughts in the book. And that's  sorta how I view RP. We're writing a story and it doesn't hurt to give flavor to the tale.

 

I don't mean to offend either, but your example kind of leaves one wanting. Because you don't use feelings, I have no context, there's nothing to describe how tired she is. Just that she's tired.

 

It's also not the best example to use, as the characters in the examples are interacting with people. Also, there is no such thing as too much information. Unless the person you're playing with is Metagaming, they can't truly know anything your character is thinking. They can only react to your speech and physical appearance.

 

We can chalk this up to personal preference if you want, but I don't agree with you.

I like the idea that we know she is tired, every sign points to it but it doesn't stray into saying exactly why she is tired. And more importantly it will raise interest in the person she is RPing with into questioning why she is so tired.

[-no longer matters-]

I have one of these (The blonde in my signature,), really it's just a series of well described emotes of expressions and the like. Also I have a tablet and quill in her pack, and I also write in the dirt and mud when needed.. though I will say not being able to pull out the note pad in the rain is a lot of fun, and with the right RP partner can lead to some fun teasing of your character.

[Temmi]

I play a mute who is actually pretty guarded. She tends to not be very expressive, and the interaction is amazing! It's very challenging, but it feels really rewarding when things go well.

 

I have a few signature emotes that I love using, and people that I RP with frequently understand the deeper meaning in those emotes. I also have her in possession of a charcoal pencil that can write on nearly any surface (yay charcoal!) but the little joke is that she always forgets to bring something to write on. It's become this hilarious gag, because she'll write on the ground, walls, bodies, whatever she can get her hands on!

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is to create your own style. Maybe your character is really expressive, which seems to be the trend, and that's totally cool! But maybe your character's behavior is less dramatic, which makes for a much more difficult challenge. As others have mentioned, create a character, then figure out how that character will handle being mute.

[Ashe]

There's a chance you may get bored/frustrated with it but go for it.

Maybe establish a few gestures that mean really specific things or have a specific way of community such as through art/drawing or write things in a journal and show people. 

There's probably multiple ways to do this...maybe come up with something completely different like communicating through aether or something completely out of the box. 

Make sure it's just as fun/interesting for you as you need it to be stay interested in it.