Killing your character ~ Thoughts?

[LadyRochester]

So I've been tempted to start this RP where my character dying is a very real possibility (Considering my RNG has a tendency to take a shit on me). I will make it so that there's about a 50% chance of her dying, and others will have the chance (not certainty) to save her, should they really want to.

 

I am extremely excited about the idea, and so are a few of my friends and RP partners, others, however... Not so much. 

 

Their reasoning doesn't seem to go beyond:

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT MY CHARACTER TO BE SADD!!1!" So, I have a few questions for the RPC regarding character death.

1. Have you killed your character before?

2. How did your friends take it?

3. Would you not want to RP with someone who may unceremoniously kill off their character? Why?

[Parth Makeo]

The closest I have been to killing my character was ceruleum poisoning after I think 2 months of exposure with no real sign until it was late. She was saved with treatment but it was fairly close.

 

But to answer the third, I don't mind rping someone killing their character off...I just don't care what you do with the character. It is your character.

 

What I personally have a problem with is character death as an excuse to remake/fantasia your character instead of making them an npc. That just is questionable. And I don't mean as if it was at the end of some plot or during a story. I mean a sudden "up imma kill this character cause I r bored with it!" idea.

[LadyRochester]

The closest I have been to killing my character was ceruleum poisoning after I think 2 months of exposure with no real sign until it was late. She was saved with treatment but it was fairly close.

 

But to answer the third, I don't mind rping someone killing their character off...I just don't care what you do with the character. It is your character.

 

What I personally have a problem with is character death as an excuse to remake/fantasia your character instead of making them an npc. That just is questionable. And I don't mean as if it was at the end of some plot or during a story. I mean a sudden "up imma kill this character cause I r bored with it!" idea.

 

 

See, but why would it matter why someone kills off their character? Wouldn't it be the same result regardless of their reasoning? If I kill off my character, I'm remaking/fantasia-ing her into a whole new character, considering making alts in Balmung is too much of a hassle.

 

A person might still want to RP, even if their character winds up dead. Isn't it okay for them to try roleplaying something new? Or perhaps I'm not understanding.

[Warren Castille]

Killing characters is one of those weird and divisive things that is either totally cool or totally disallowed with little wiggle room in the middle. It is any writer's right to eject their character from the fiction they've created but doing so can sometimes exhaust your partners and co-writers.

 

Death happens. In a world like Eorzea, it's a facet of life given the refugee crises, the war, and the general nature of the world being unsafe. Logically speaking, everyone should be prepared for loss. We aren't our characters, though: Depending on who you talk to some people have never lost a close friend unexpectedly or had room and time to grieve in advance in the course of elderly family members or something similar. Hell, some people never even lost a pet. Our characters might be inoculated to the horrors and expectations of a maybe-grim world but that doesn't mean the people behind the screens are.

 

A character's death can be jarring, especially if it comes suddenly as part of a plot climax. It's a majorly derailing experience if you treat it properly (and it should always be given the proper weight, in my opinion) that is more or less forcing a potentially-miserable time on others. You know how people say that suicide is the most selfish thing a person can do, because they just leave all the grief and misery behind for everyone else to handle? This is the writing equivalent to that (again, in my opinion). A character learning someone they knew and cared about, even just in a friendly capacity, is forced to either go through a grieving process - or - they can completely brush it off which can feel extremely out of character. Death is a major event, after all.

 

None of that is to say that it's a bad thing to experience. One of my most impacting roleplay experiences came from the sudden expiration of someone close to my character, and it changed him in a major way that I wouldn't have considered on my own prerogative. My character grew in ways I hadn't imagined because of someone else's plot, which is one of the big payoffs to collaborative RP (once more, in my opinion).

 

Me personally? I don't put too much stock into someone's character passing on, even if it is a sudden situation. The big challenge that I run into is when it becomes a thing that occurs often, and in different circles. Sasha's a networking-type character, correct? How would she handle it if in the span of a season she had to process one or two or three or four shocking, sudden plotline deaths? It can erode people in dangerous ways. It can be worse if you're involved with someone who rapidly introduces and then kills off characters; All of the angst and wearying mourning without any of the lasting reasons to be involved with someone. Again, how would you handle it if you met and lost several new people in your life, all in a year's time?

 

It can become difficult to put faith in a return on your time investment. To put it in extremely callous phrasing: If someone gets close to my character and dies unceremoniously or randomly within a short time, and then rerolls and does the same thing again, I would be weighing very carefully how much enjoyment I was getting compared to the emotional taxes and weights that were being applied to my character. Pointless death is the sort that doesn't even convey a sense of closure, and while we're not entitled to that in any capacity, in real life or otherwise, so there's very little satisfaction being on the receiving end of someone else's death.

 

tl;dr: It's an endeavor and can be a pain in the ass for everyone involved ICly and the person killing themselves OOCly, but it can also be handled well and done excellently. Don't make it a habit and people will probably be understanding.

[LadyRochester]

((Post))

 

These are fantastic points. I wouldn't make it something sudden, and again, I will give people plenty of chances for the death to be avoided. It remains a possibility, but it won't come off as a terrible surprise when it does. The character that will be affected the most will likely be X'elo Maimhov, who has been her confidant/lover/best friends for around 3 years now. We discussed it, and he seems fine with it, but I can't imagine it will be a terribly fun thing to RP when/if it happens for others who took a liking to my character, especially if they know they could've done something about it but because of RNG/circumstances, they couldn't pull it off.

 

It's one of my major concerns, which is why I'm looking into this before making my character just die suddenly.

[Virella]

1. Yes several. I come for a RP server where cockiness without skills, or social group, would get you killed. Also, adventures and combat had a real chance onto your character dying as well. GMs wouldn't purposely kill your character, but it happened quite often. Getting attached to a character was a huge mistake. That said, I get highly attached to certain roleplayers instead, for the better or worse due to it. I've made quite a few awesome friends due to it.

 

2.We all know our characters would die some time sooner or later. We would either laugh about how they died, or congratulate people for having a nice ending to a story. Mostly of the time it was the former. Gods, I can still remember throwing my mage at a dragon to save her comrades. She gone out with a blast, and It was awesome. Rerolling a new character however only took like 15 mins at best.

 

3. Their character their choices. I don't feel that it is much of a gain in a setting where people don't have a real chance to die to begin with. However, despite that, I do warn people that I may or may not kill Avelyn off due to the fact I don't see the merits of pushing her story beyond retaking Ala Mhigo. That is her main goal. There's only so many spin off chapters you can write you know? I did this with my Blood Knight in WoW as well. Their lore going to shits, I didn't like her concept any more, or the forced change of being 'evil' to 'good'. Redemption can be nice but... Meh.

 

That said, in Ave's case, if I find a reason for her to live. I will. It really depends for me personally whether the First of Rhalgr are going back to proper Destroyer worshippers (see H'raha Tia), or continue to try to form the new Justice League. Surely, I can find ways to work around it. Stray from the 'majority' of Fists, and continue to have her be stuck in the old ways. In truth, I'm mostly doing that anyhow beyond one other roleplayer.

 

But if the Fist of Rhalgr get completely reformed into such an absurd hippy cult defenders of the weak BS, Ave is most likely going to be axed. I really hope there will be still a sect, or whatever you want to call it, within the FoR who flat out refuses to let go of the old ways. Surely, I had people argue "but why don't you change her? It is character progression?" No, I won't, because playing the 'good guy' bores the living hell out of me. Unless Rhalgr Himself comes down and tells Ave to be a goody two shoe, she ain't going to be. I'd sooner see her story to an end then continue roleplaying something what I don't really see the purpose of any longer. I don't mind character progression, but there's only so much I can do without just going "who in the Seven Hells are you now?" Getting Ave to lay off the bottle, and stop snarking around is one of the things for example I'd see more mandatory at this point. But changing her completely? No, I won't do that. I honestly don't know if I will reach those two goals to begin with, as I don't force it myself, but instead let other roleplayers influence her on that department. Funnily enough, most case her to drink and grump even more. But I don't mind that either. It is... character progression in a backwards way? Anyhow...

 

I think that is what a lot of roleplayers tend to forget. Sometimes a character's purpose has been served. Yes, I've considered writing her into getting sidetracked, or get injured, but would Ave still be Ave then? No, not really. I don't mind the idea of character progression on her, not at all, but I don't want to break her core either. But. In the end, I'm going to do a wait and see. And the people surrounding Ave highly influence her as well to begin with; and my drive to kill or off or not. I don't want to lose the roleplay I have with people currently, but if the story of FFXIV gets pushed to the point it would break Ave as a character? No, I'd sooner reroll another character either due to killing her off, or simply retiring her.

 

That said, this is far from recent thoughts. I've warned people about this all the time as soon they get remotely close to Ave. The moment I made her, it was a decision I made about her story, and the possible end of it.

 

TL: DR; Vi likes playing zealots and kills characters her off when their organisation gets forced into a weird redemption plot lorewise. And ib4 people go "DONT KILL AVE OFF PLS" I really don't know yet.

[Parth Makeo]

 

See, but why would it matter why someone kills off their character? Wouldn't it be the same result regardless of their reasoning? If I kill off my character, I'm remaking/fantasia-ing her into a whole new character, considering making alts in Balmung is too much of a hassle.

 

A person might still want to RP, even if their character winds up dead. Isn't it okay for them to try roleplaying something new? Or perhaps I'm not understanding.

 

I mean as in death is a 100% excuse to make a new character as oppose to what you intend to do...an event. I had someone whisper me once they plan to kill their character just because they don't like rping the toon....offscreen. No send off or anything. Just suppose to accept the death without a chance to help.

 

Your way feels more considerate to those around you with a CHANCE to save but their failure will result in a character death. Thus making it interesting in the end.

 

In short: I hate people who off their character for no reason like a red shirt. Be more Spock or Kirk.

[Parth Makeo]

 

And I think that is what a lot of roleplayers tend to forget. Sometimes a character's purpose has been served. Yes, I've considered writing her into getting sidetracked, or get injured, but would Ave still be Ave then? No, not really. I don't mind the idea of character progression on her, not at all, but I don't want to break her core either. But. In the end, I'm going to do a wait and see. And the people surrounding Ave highly influence her as well to begin with; and my drive to kill or off or not. I don't want to lose the roleplay I have with people currently, but if the story of FFXIV gets pushed to the point it would break Ave as a character? No, I'd sooner reroll another character either due to killing her off, or simply retiring her.

 

That said, this is far from recent thoughts. I've warned people about this all the time as soon they get remotely close to Ave. The moment I made her, it was a decision I made about her story, and the possible end of it.

 

And ib4 people go "DONT KILL AVE OFF PLS" I really don't know yet.

That is a very good reason too. If your character has been more or less done and over with you are free to kill them off of the situation and story seems it. Will be tragic since she may never get to her goal but it happens

[LadyRochester]

 

 

 

I mean as in death is a 100% excuse to make a new character as oppose to what you intend to do...an event. I had someone whisper me once they plan to kill their character just because they don't like rping the toon....offscreen. No send off or anything. Just suppose to accept the death without a chance to help.

 

Your way feels more considerate to those around you with a CHANCE to save but their failure will result in a character death. Thus making it interesting in the end.

 

In short: I hate people who off their character for no reason like a red shirt. Be more Spock or Kirk.

 

 

I might be a little too attached to this character OOC to give her a flat "LOL DED" ending, hence why I'd be doing it in an event. And yes, I can see where you come from, it can be especially painful if the character they suddenly kill off has established close relationships and such.

 

Have you experienced this before? How did you take it?

[Warren Castille]

I think it's also worth defining the difference between dying in a dice or tabletop setting as opposed to a purely-storylined-completely-intentional sort of risk. You haven't truly lived until you've had Thaco Hitdice get punctured by orcs and went past -10HP, but that's part of the game. Collaborative writing isn't exactly the same medium.

 

Communication is the key, as with all things in RP really. If it's not a guaranteed "On the 30th I am going to murder my character in front of an orphanage by being consumed by wolves" then you're probably okay.

 

@Parth I feel kind of the same way. If a character becomes uninteresting or you want to change concepts, you don't HAVE to cash out and buy the farm in order to do so. Just... have your character go elsewhere (that's what was meant by becoming an NPC I think?) and reroll the new one. The same goal is served for the player in question, and it saves your social connections on that older character from having to get forced into that mourning thing I mentioned. It's not a bad thing, but it quickly gets tiresome when you're dealing with multiple sudden, tragic deaths in a short time frame.

[Parth Makeo]

 

 

 

I mean as in death is a 100% excuse to make a new character as oppose to what you intend to do...an event. I had someone whisper me once they plan to kill their character just because they don't like rping the toon....offscreen. No send off or anything. Just suppose to accept the death without a chance to help.

 

Your way feels more considerate to those around you with a CHANCE to save but their failure will result in a character death. Thus making it interesting in the end.

 

In short: I hate people who off their character for no reason like a red shirt. Be more Spock or Kirk.

 

 

I might be a little too attached to this character OOC to give her a flat "LOL DED" ending, hence why I'd be doing it in an event. And yes, I can see where you come from, it can be especially painful if the character they suddenly kill of has established close relationships and such.

 

Have you experienced this before? How did you take it?

I will not named as I don't want to bring any attention to the individual...

 

I have experienced this before on Arala (who might I add is half retired and replaced with Quint) where one day I was casually rping with some people when I got this whisper from a close person of her's generally saying:

 

"I'm not having fun with this character so I'll kill him off." 

 

Out of the blue. This character in his current position is living an ok life. No issues or suicide and is enjoying his life but then he just leaves a laundry list of what my character and all those close to him were suppose to flat out accept.

 

I gave him a plethora of options for his character to just be an NPC (because let's face it...this person was not doing much as is) and for him to kill his character off was more than insulting to everyone without any involvement or eyewitness.

 

This is what I call "spitting in the face of your friends." in RP. This made me really mad. Like angry. It was not natural nor given a chance to help at all..

In the end the character is still alive but the wound he left on me and a few others still sting to this day....even if he doesn't rp that much anymore.

(stupid phone spelling)

[LadyRochester]

I think it's also worth defining the difference between dying in a dice or tabletop setting as opposed to a purely-storylined-completely-intentional sort of risk. You haven't truly lived until you've had Thaco Hitdice get punctured by orcs and went past -10HP, but that's part of the game. Collaborative writing isn't exactly the same medium.

 

Communication is the key, as with all things in RP really. If it's not a guaranteed "On the 30th I am going to murder my character in front of an orphanage by being consumed by wolves" then you're probably okay.

 

@Parth I feel kind of the same way. If a character becomes uninteresting or you want to change concepts, you don't HAVE to cash out and buy the farm in order to do so. Just... have your character go elsewhere (that's what was meant by becoming an NPC I think?) and reroll the new one. The same goal is served for the player in question, and it saves your social connections on that older character from having to get forced into that mourning thing I mentioned. It's not a bad thing, but it quickly gets tiresome when you're dealing with multiple sudden, tragic deaths in a short time frame.

 

As I stated before, the possibility of her dying will depends on RNG, other player's actions, etc. As far as I'm concerned, the situation where she may die may not even happen in the first place, should a character do something to shift the story elsewhere, which is perfectly possible. A lot of people did not seem to appreciate the mere possibility of her dying though, which is where my concern stems from.

 

I'm still going to go with the plan, if the story progresses like I think it will, but I don't like stepping on the toes of those I RP with.

[Maril]

1. Have you killed your character before?

Yes, both when it comes to alts and mains. 

I like to involve realism and improvisation in my RP, and the former is sometimes what drives the characters death. If there is a situation where nothing but divine intervention could save the character - then there are times where I have said, alright - fair game, and let the character die. (Note: This doesn't mean I'd let my characters die to a random street stabbing. If it's done by another's hand there has to be a substance to it, for me.)

 

The first character that was subjected to this was my former main in WoW, whom I played as a cultist - When I started playing her, I was fully accepting already then that they might not live for as long as a regular goody-two-shoes character. Her plot-arch involved certain degrees of insanity and extreme belief/faith in an old god, which eventually lead to careless/reckless behavior - thus allowing her enemies (the good guys) to come and kill her. In that same fight, there was also a character loss on the good-guy side, and it's one of the most interesting fights I've ever had. 

 

Back then, through playing a main on the villain side of life, debates between the people who would chase us around Azeroth and ourselves were quite common. Mostly, we were continuously accused of playing OP characters with the simple reasoning that because our characters are evil they must die. To the hands of the good people of course, who in turn would accept no such thing as a death to their own character.

It wasn't the case for everyone of course, and very interestingly I did actually end up having requests from people who wanted their goody-two-shoes-character to die by the hands of one of my evil characters plots. 

 

Sometimes I have also killed characters off because I knew I'd be leaving a game for good, or because I -really- wouldn't go back to the character (this often after having them on hiatus and trying to revamp them). Sometimes a character just has nothing left to give, especially if it's one you've played for years, and it feels natural to conclude them.

One of my personal biggest regrets for one character was not to kill it off sooner. I forced every bit of juice out of it, and looking back to the last few months of that character's life is a bit of a meh-experience. 

In some of those cases, I have simply decided that the next time they get into a situation they can't get out of, then they would die. It retains a level of unpredictability for yourself and also keeps the moment of surprise intact for those around you. 

 

2. How did your friends take it?

 

I've never experienced a negative backlash to one of my characters dying. I think, where I have roleplayed through times it's something that is seen as your own decision, and that if you make that decision then the rest will have to respect it. I think that, yes, if your character is a very close part of another character and you seem to sense that your characters death would push theirs into a turmoil beyond the "normal" reaction to death, then you should make sure they're on board with it and also discuss options for "damage control" so your friend doesn't burn out. But otherwise it's entirely up to the players themselves to decide what to do with their characters, and how to do it. 

 

So in conclusion my friends have taken it well. I also think one of the big factors of their positive reactions is that I always stick with the decision. There's no do-overs, no magically returning from the dead nonsense, even if I regret killing them off. I know that with time I will once again design a character that I'll love and adore (and subject to horrible things). 

 

 

3. Would you not want to RP with someone who may unceremoniously kill off their character? Why?

 

 

As mentioned above, I consider it to be the players own decision. The only way I'd get a little miffed is if the player repeatedly killed the character and then went "HAHA NOT REALLY", because being stuck in a loop like that is exhausting. It also drains the storytelling value of a character death to a minimal, more of a "Oh he died again, bleh" reaction than character developing effects. Even an unceremonious death can leave good developing material for those around you.

[Oyuu]

1. Have you killed your character before?

I haven't, but I've had a roleplay partner kill their character that mine was romantically involved with, so I can give a little insight to what happened with the characters that had to deal with the person's death. 

 

2. How did your friends take it?

Basically, before our characters even held hands, my roleplay partner at the time informed me OOCly he was killing off his character come Heavensward to race change to an Au Ra. This was six months??? before the release of the expansion, so he basically gave me an out if I wasn't interested in roleplaying a romantic relationship with a character that will die. 

 

I chose to keep RPing with him, we basically worked together to create a story arc that would lead to his death in a satisfying way that would give good character development (my character never had a person he knew die on him before, and then there was the task of getting revenge on his lover's murderer, just for example.) We informed FC friends and those who RPed with us as we went along that this was going to happen so they could choose to get involved or not, and there was only a few joking tears luckily. 

 

Roleplaying it was fine, but there was an issue later with the player missing his deceased character and wanting to play him again, despite it being impossible to have him revived, so please take this into consideration. Are you truly fine with killing your character off? Because it's pretty irreversible and you'll piss everyone off by retconning a shitload or coming up with a bogus excuse of why he's back. 

 

3. Would you not want to RP with someone who may unceremoniously kill off their character? Why?

Not really. I've had a few other friends who just completely written off a character several times because they did not like them, they were problematic, etc. without informing the FC they were in or the people they RPed with. This especially hurt when I took time to roleplay with their character, hours of chatting and getting to know them, then the next day I find out they were no longer present in the living world. How do I and my character even react to that? Do I just retcon knowing them at all, or should my character be worried they have gone missing? I stopped roleplaying seriously with those players because I couldn't be bothered getting to know a character then having them disappear without a word and having to mourn another 'death'. 

 

Like most roleplay things, OOC communication is key. Get in touch with those people your character is well acquainted with, your FC and roleplay linkshells and let them know what's up. Do you know the reasons why people are hesitant you're killing off your character possibly? Are they afraid of you not RPing with them any longer when you roll your new character? Some people just don't like roleplaying sad shit, and someone dying is really sad. But, it's your character at the end of the day so do what makes you happy even if it involves murder, you have every right to say "well this happened, so tough shit."

[Noxtis316]

1. Have you killed your character before?

Yes, in other games and it is when the storyline gives an opening. Otherwise, I deal with wounds that have my characters slowed if they can move but restricted to cities.

Granted, I also had a name changer or something that changes the appearance and name as a whole. Because those that I've RPed with this recognize that being pulled from the state of death may have unwanted effects- (When it is apart of the system. Like BRP, Runequest, D&D...) like extreme bitterness or apathy (on top of resurrection sickness.)

 

Edit: The name changers or things that change appearance for those characters who are either a high level or it's a hassle to create characters on a server.

 

2. How did your friends take it?

Well. OOCly my friends took it just fine. Only because I can tell the OOCly what sort of thing I am planning and they spurred me on. ICly their characters were in mourning for a while.

 

I don't do it if friends would be so OOCly upset. Because death is powerful, and depending on what is going on- it might not be the best thing to do.

 

3. Would you not want to RP with someone who may unceremoniously kill off their character? Why?

 

 

Honestly. I prefer it being a part of a story. I've had people do it for the reason for 'I am bored', that they just want to reset all the ties to them,  or to incite drama/get attention.

 

Death happens. I'm just iffy on the unceremoniously killing off a character. I'd still RP with the person and the character that may come around after, just...Eh- sometimes I just brush off what is iffy to me personally.

[Nero]

1. Have you killed your character before?

 

Yep. The character death was a logical and foreshadowed ending to a storyline.

 

2. How did your friends take it?

 

For the most part it was a tragic but well-conceived ending, although there was some lamentation that the character did not get fleshed out to his fullest potential, which I agree with. The death was had good set-up and context (and was maybe a little contrived), but there was (perhaps inevitably) things missing from the character before it happened. In some way, that highlights the tragedy of death even more; no person ever has a "complete" story by the time it ends.

 

3. Would you not want to RP with someone who may unceremoniously kill off their character? Why?

 

Depends on how it's done and what it accomplishes, if anything. I'm always paying attention to the narrative structure of a roleplay, so I might get peeved if the death is arbitrary or done for the sake of edginess or attention. The rule I use is that death shouldn't be a definitive end but should open up new opportunities and avenues to explore. Deaths that fail to do these things and are just out of nowhere are not particularly compelling.

[Valence]

People said most of it already pretty well above.

 

1. Have you killed your character before?

I don't think I have yet in any game, but I have had to deal with it from other people (rarely). It was not necessarily always death, but something eventually pretty similar in terms of consequences, like disappearance, or just a character turning on mine and getting the hell out of their life.

 

2. How did your friends take it?

I'm not going to repeat all the good advice said above but instead will give a few examples I had to deal with. I took it like I had to, because eventually I had no choice on the matter. 

 

The character I had for 8 years on eve online got at some point (somewhere in the middle) involved in a romance. The other party eventually disappeared due to lack of motivation and left the game... To get back in 6 months later, staying like 2 months, and got out again. We talked about it OOC, which was the thing to do. It turned tricky though since the player wasn't really departing as if he was leaving the game. It implied that he could return (like it's often the case after all). So it was not a death proper, but it eventually entered in a similar case. How to explain it? I feel even if we talked about it a bit OOCly, it wasn't enough eventually. I got stuck in a situation where the idea was mostly "they continue to see each other maybe". So all in all it was kinda the opposite of your situation, but I think it's still interesting, because eventually the player dropped off the radar and I was ultimately left with something, without knowing what that something was. Disappearance? Death? I could have chosen the later but then what if the player comes back? "Oh I thought you were dead!" works fine ICly, but still. 

 

On FF I recently had one player with a character involving into something closing on romance (or something) deciding to move on another server (for totally legitimate reasons, but that's not the point). Same here, had to discuss it with the player. Death? Disappearance? It was left up to me. It's fine, but it also implies for the player taking the decision to leave or kill a character, to be 100% sure of the thing. And then, actually live with it, as said in all the posts above.

 

Again it boils down to discussing things to the bone with your partner(s), then deciding precisely what it will be and nothing else. Either if you decide to kill your character, or drop off the game, be sure to leave everything written covering each possibility, because otherwise if one side falls into a case that wasn't discussed properly, that side might get screwed...

 

3. Would you not want to RP with someone who may unceremoniously kill off their character? Why?

As long as it's made mutually agreeable and all.. No problem for me. But that's me, and not everyone else. That's the thing to keep in mind.

 

As people have said above, I would be annoyed if it was to come back to life a month later, or creating new characters to die again and again because the player is just being fickle... Being fickled is the bane here. It's also better if it has a real drama value, otherwise, what's the point? To fill up a whim? Fine then, but that's always nice to jump on the occasion and make it worthwhile for everyone involved!

[Perth]

Their reasoning doesn't seem to go beyond:

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT MY CHARACTER TO BE SADD!!1!" So, I have a few questions for the RPC regarding character death.

 

Hmm. It might be a matter of lack of context but I'd be minorly annoyed if my story telling took a back burner to how my friends wanted their characters to be happy/comfortable, but then again I'm a roleplayer that adores dipping into more mature roleplay and finding others of similar mind.

 

Anyways!

 

1. Have you killed your character before?

Yes, many over the years! Mostly a matter of story telling, once my rolls were simply god awful so my roleplaying main at the time really kicked the bucket. He died defending the people he loved, at least. And people cried for him, so it was very sweet. Honestly, the most absolutely thrilling, edge of the seat and getting me shaking roleplay was when my character was threatened death after being stalked by an enemy and when I was unprepared for it oocly (as in it was bound to happen I knew but not when haha). To this day, that adrenaline of "oh man this character I poured so much into, that has so much life left might die" was intense. Her surviving that encounter by her wits and strategy alone made ripples in her circle. Her death would have made waves. No matter how it ended, the development and enjoyment it brought was incredible.

 

2. How did your friends take it?

Always well. The folks I roleplayed with throughout these story lines are no spring chickens to roleplay and have enough roleplaying experience under their belt to know that sometimes, death just happens. The way we always saw it was it's a lot more fun for a character and a roleplayer to remember just how mortal you are and arguably makes for more realistic (selfish or martyristic) responses to gut-wrenching terror. Actually, come to think of it, there was one guy who was upset at the prospect of my character dying, but we were roleplaying a blooming romance at the time and since his character was "close to home" we'll say he got really upset oocly which proved a bit problematic after the ordeal which is probably why I have such a firm opinion today. Now when I see things like that happening I'm like "Red lights! Red lights! Possible ooc mixing with ic!"

 

3. Would you not want to RP with someone who may unceremoniously kill off their character? Why?

Hmm. Depends on the definition of unceremoniously but assuming it means out of the blue and for no rhyme or reason I'd kind of tick my head to the side, but it's not MY character and my enjoyment is no more important than yours. I want to emphasis that. You do what you enjoy. Being conscious of what others enjoy makes you an aware friend, but character death is a natural thing and not something to be afraid of. (Well, for the character at least!) But if someone brought a realistic fear of death into the roleplay, bringing forth a real consequence to actions? I'd want to roleplay with them in a heart beat so long as it's not murder hoboing haha.

 

I've seen some folks mention someones character dying to incite drama or attention, and admittedly I've never seen it firsthand myself so I didn't think of that at first. I think that would annoy me as well, particularly if the death wasn't permanent. I'm of the belief that roleplay doesn't always make sense, that's what happens when you get a bunch of random people roleplaying together, but amongst friends I want to create the most satisfying and thrilling roleplay for everyone.

[Kilieit]

Their reasoning doesn't seem to go beyond:

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT MY CHARACTER TO BE SADD!!1!" So, I have a few questions for the RPC regarding character death.

 

Hmm. It might be a matter of lack of context but I'd be minorly annoyed if my story telling took a back burner to how my friends wanted their characters to be happy/comfortable, but then again I'm a roleplayer that adores dipping into more mature roleplay and finding others of similar mind.

 

I think that's the ever-vital "OOC > IC" thing.

 

"It makes me feel bad OOC and I don't want to touch it" is, sorry, a 100% viable reason to not want to partake in a certain RP plot. And "but (character name) would be sad!" is 99% of the time a more socially-accepted way of saying "but I would be sad!".

 

OOC is more important than IC. Preserving real life people's feelings is important and should be a priority in any social hobby, which RP intrinsically is.

 

But: the fact that OOC is more important than IC doesn't mean that the solution is not killing your character.

 

If someone is very upset by something you are adamant you want to do in your RP, it just means that you and the person have different priorities and limits with regards to what you find fun in an RP. These differences may be irreconcilable; they may not be. The only way to find out whether they are or not is to talk, with said person, about said differences.

 

Which can be a difficult discussion. On both parts, it requires a certain amount of self-awareness (knowing what you want and why) and humility (admitting that what you want isn't "objectively best", and that other people are allowed to want different things). But honestly, even if you don't have that talk, someone's going to be upset and the storyline is going to be affected quality-wise or tainted with OOC hard feelings.

 

"Just do it anyway, who cares what other people think" will often end up with the person not RPing with you any more anyway; because you showed a disregard for their real, OOC feelings in favour of fiction, and that's not a trait you usually want in a friend. IMO, it's better to discuss it beforehand and - if necessary - part amiably than to burn bridges like this.

 

"Keep your character alive, it's not worth losing the friendship over" is also a bad idea. It means gutting your enjoyment and satisfaction out of the plot. I find I'm intuitively aware of when it's time for my character to die, and trying to sustain them beyond that point results in an empty shell of who they used to be; it's sad. And, again in my experience, I find it usually results in me slow-fading and eventually quitting from the roleplay in question anyway. I'd rather talk about it and try to find a way that we can both get what we want and enjoy.

 

I always - extreme circumstances notwithstanding - think it's better to communicate like adults about what you want, what they want, and how you can both achieve it.

 

Sometimes that means making changes to the characters' relationship so the death won't affect that particular person's roleplay in the way they dislike. There are lots of ways you can do this. Figuring out how to rewrite the past, or even the future, of your characters' time together so that both of you can achieve the resolution you want can be satisfying in itself.

 

Most potential retcons are going to look kind of convoluted at first, but the "right one" will usually click into place once you hit upon it. It all depends on exactly why they don't want your character's death to happen - what is it they're worried about? Then figure out a retcon (or future character development!) to avoid that, while still allowing you to do what you want to do with your own character (in this case, kill them off). Talk about it together with the aim of building something you can both be happy with.

 

Sometimes actually talking about why you want to kill the character, and the new opportunities it opens up, actually brings the person around and they end up feeling positive about the new direction. If they're not aware of the context behind your decision, it can seem pointless and sensationalist. If you have a solid reason, making said reason clear can make the decision clearer, too.

 

Whether you're the one who wants to kill your character, or the one upset about your friend doing so, talk about it. And listen to what they have to say for their side, too. Roleplay is supposed to be a collaborative endeavour, and I don't think that should stop applying when you disagree over something that's supposed to be a tool to greater enjoyment.

 

That's my 2p, anyway (more like 2£ now - bad at brevity as ever, lol).

[ExAtomos]

1. Have you killed your character before?

2. How did your friends take it?

3. Would you not want to RP with someone who may unceremoniously kill off their character? Why?

 

1. Sort of. Ralin had to fake his own death to escape a very real chance of death. Throughout the RP lead up and event itself, the chance of his IC actual death was really really high. It was hella fun tbh; my mind was continuously racing, thinking "omg will this be the end? Can he get out of it this time?"

 

2. I have a few answers for this one.

• "Don't do something you'll regret later." <--- Best piece of advice right there. A RP buddy of mine told me that recently when I mentioned a big change was coming up for one of my characters (and I'm rather partial to horror/suspense/doom/death/destruction themes).
  
• It was awkward and embarrassing to deal with the "fantasia incoming" responses from folks in my FC. I didn't want to be blatantly obvious with the "faked death" thing since I was hoping people would have the more realistic IC responses than OOC "lol I see dead people" and even some measure of disappointment that I wasn't killing him off that I got.
  
• Those who actually RPed with me were really good about responding as their character would and I hope the scenarios were fun for everyone.
  

3. If I'm wrapped up in some seriously heavy RP story arc and someone just randomly kills off their character for no reason other than boredom... yeah, I'll look elsewhere. They've just messed up MY story arc as well. (Mind you, this also goes for anyone who decides to ditch game for weeks/months at a time without warning.) If there is a plot point where a friend's character death may/will happen, then fck yeah death incoming. Love that tension!

[Teadrinker]

I can pretty much wrap up my thoughts with this.

 

It's your character, you can do what you want with it at the end of the day. But if someone unceremoniously kills their character and namechanges/fantasias then my character is probably going to unceremoniously get over them.

 

There's just something weird to me about putting zero effort into ending your character while expecting other players to pull out stops and have massive emotional impacts for theirs.

 

1. Have you killed your character before?

 

 

Not in FF but in other RP I have. It was just her time and it felt right.

 

 

2. How did your friends take it?

 

They didn't care.

 

3. Would you not want to RP with someone who may unceremoniously kill off their character? Why?

 

See above.

[Arrelaine]

1) I have, basically when she had reached the end of her story and was no longer enjoyable to play.

 

2) They were all fine with it.

 

 

3) Yes, I would still play/RP with a person described. While my story may be intertwined with theirs, it's still their game, their character, their money. If they're getting bored with a character of theirs, who am I to get upset when they've decided they're unhappy enough with the character to end them? RP is a game to me, a hobby. The player's feelings matter to me more than the RP or how it affects my characters. I can always RP with their new character. I'm of the belief that only I'm responsible for my own entertainment or my own happiness, and I hold that to other people.

 

So, if you're unhappy with another character's death because it was just out of the blue, then walk away. It's neither wrong for them to kill their character because they're no longer entertained, nor is it wrong for you to walk away because you're no longer entertained. The people who get upset, harass, cuss someone out over a fictional death are people I certainly don't want to hang out with.

[Knight Kat]

1. Have you killed your character before?

 

Nope, never.

 

However, this is in large part because my experience with RP started nearly three years ago shortly after ARR came out. Until a year ago, my only character was Kiht, and I had accomplished so much experience and involvement with her. I had no desire to kill her off, or shelf her.

 

Most of my time with my characters has been spent making them "guest stars" in the plots of others. It's something I very much enjoy, but does make it so my characters never really have a set conclusion to their stories.

 

I suppose they will see an end when I get tired of playing them. But I may or may not choose death for them. I see them fading into the background as NPCs a perfectly viable option. I understand if that's not an option for all characters though.

 

2. How -did- would your friends take it?

 

I've spoken to my friends about it, and most said they would be very sad if either of my characters died. However, I strongly believe it matters more to them that I continue to RP with them even if it meant rolling new characters.

 

My only fear would be ruining the RP of others with character death. I believe this can be avoided with proper warning, preparation and timing. Some might think that takes away the shock value and drama. But I usually find out about even sudden character deaths OOC hours or days before I have a chance for my characters to ICly react. My shock is usually gone by the time my characters get be shocked.

 

When I've seen others kill off their characters before, it usually ends one of two ways:

 

The player regrets it, and brings the character back to life somehow.

 

The player rolls a new character, or falls back on playing one of their others more.

 

In my experience, their friends usually react by becoming sad, but do get over it and move on. Sometimes I see them RP with their friends less as character connections may not be the same on their new character or alt. However, this can be changed if both parties wanted to continue to RP with each other.

 

 

3. Would you not want to RP with someone who may unceremoniously kill off their character? Why?

 

Unceremoniously?

 

That doesn't sound like what you are doing. It sounds like you informed your friends that the death of your character is very possible. It sounds like you have it set to be part of a story. That isn't unceremonious to me. That is the right way to do it IMHO.

 

But if we are talking unceremonious character death, I would still be fine with it as long as the player didn't make it a constant thing.

 

If the player is constantly killing a character, regretting it then bringing them back to life over and over again, I would get irritated. Also, if the player made new characters then disposed of them constantly like some kind of character factory, I might find that odd.

 

However, who I RP with depends mostly on the player and always has. If I know and trust the player, I will always continue to RP with them on any of their characters.

[Warren Castille]

So, if you're unhappy with another character's death because it was just out of the blue, then walk away. It's neither wrong for them to kill their character because they're no longer entertained, nor is it wrong for you to walk away because you're no longer entertained. The people who get upset, harass, cuss someone out over a fictional death are people I certainly don't want to hang out with.

 

Emphasis on this. It's perfectly human to be upset when things happen that aren't favorable, but it's really, really dumb to take it out on someone else because of creative differences.

[Perth]

Their reasoning doesn't seem to go beyond:

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT MY CHARACTER TO BE SADD!!1!" So, I have a few questions for the RPC regarding character death.

 

Hmm. It might be a matter of lack of context but I'd be minorly annoyed if my story telling took a back burner to how my friends wanted their characters to be happy/comfortable, but then again I'm a roleplayer that adores dipping into more mature roleplay and finding others of similar mind.

 

 

However, I believe that if the person is uncomfortable OOCly it is their responsibility to voice this, preferably openly and clearly as difficult as it might be, because unless both parties understand each other one can only rely on assumptions, such as the assumption that saying "my character would be sad" is a low-key suggestion that the player isn't comfortable with it. At the end of the day, if someone decides to stop being friends with you because of your decision with your character, your creative property, it's probably for the best. I believe there's a lot of situations where killing a character can really cause a buttload of problems for the other roleplayer, but only saying "my character would be sad" is an insufficient argument at a face value.

 

There are no victims to be had when someone chooses not to communicate, in my opinion. We're not all mind-readers here, gotta cut us some slack!