How Does Your Character React To Physical Touch?

[John Spiegel]

I have three characters.

 

John - Ah, the complexities of his soul can best be explained with a pinwheel, but I will try to decipher. Since he became an adult (decades ago), he doesn't mind physical contact but straight up hugging and kissing total strangers (or receiving such) is straight up bad news. He's no problem invading personal space but judges the person before doing such. He's also been the victim of headslaps usually for being himself (courtesy of his daughter/Ki'lari/Azriel) or the disher of headslaps to those that needed it. I consider him touchy-feely, usually out of his playful nature to annoy someone.

 

Alex - His demeanor is much like his father's (John) was as a child. He's generally soft-spoken and reserved. Couple that with his life training as a monk (Fists of Rhaglr yo!) and he mentally analyses a person's motives as they're reaching to touch him. He's aware of slow handed combat (via pressure points) so he's on edge when a stranger pokes him. He has on a few occasions flipped some random person that approached him from behind and poked him.

 

Grace - Being Alex's twin, she too grew up learning to punch and kick things with chakra. She was and is the wild child. She's outspoken (but polite about it) and does NOT like to be touched. She has her father's playful nature coupled with her mother's quick temper. Quite a few times she's turned the tables on some poor fellow trying to hit on her resulting in them running away, some bodily harm (particularly a headbutt). Men should know better than to interrupt a highlander woman eating her breakfast!

[Hayden]

Well, there are two of me to discuss.

 

Hayden

 

He being a jovial and happy blue collared Roeg will generally chuckle, smile or simply shrug it off. This being from friends, guild mates and relations of course. He always welcomes a hug from a well meaning friend or guild mate, and has been known to hoist familiar Lalafell up onto his shoulder on occasion!

 

Emily

 

She's a highlander who loves a good hug! She is always eager and willing to hug almost anyone, even a total stranger! Emily is a cheery young gal with an eagerness to belong and feel a part of things. She loves to spread cheer and joy and will giggle and blush if hugged or kissed.

 

I do have a seldom played Alt, Azreiel. she is Emily's mother...hug her at the risk of losing an arm...

[Mimiko]

When it comes to friends or people she finds attractive, physical contact is very welcome. She loves hugs, being tickled, patted on the head and scratched behind the ears. Mimi just loves affection and love.

But she hates it when she's singing or playing her mandolin in taverns, when patrons pinch or slap her backside. She hates it even more when people grab her tail using it to pull her back to them while saying "C'mere purrty girl!". Such actions usually result in a kick to the groin or a punch to the nose.

[Maril]

Sastra doesn't mind if people poke her or put a hand on her shoulder, so long as it is motivated. If she was patted on the head for no reason, she might look at the person and question the act. When it comes to more friendly situations and flirtatious, a number of factors play in, such as her mood and how much wine she's had. She's not the type to touch others as such, unless she's saving them from diving off a cliff or similar.

[Cheezie]

X'Zanza: Doesn't like to be touched unless it is by close friends or family, she dislikes it when persons who are non Seekers touch her as well as she is quite Xenophobic and it wouldn't be unlike her to shy away from people and hide behind her sister...or just light your pants on fire....whatever comes to mind first.

 

Hei: Is a former sailor and is used to contact with others as living in close quarters its somewhat unavoidable, and it doesn't bother him much if another person touch's him even if he does not know them.

[TheShii]

Eshkin is very adverse to physical touch, to the point that he might be more inclined to cause physical harm on another if they clung to him. brushing against him in passing might just make him uneasy but not overreact. As a paladin/templar tank type he can withstand a great deal of pain. If there's anyway that someone could touch him and get away with it, aside from the random passerby brushing is if they were fighting him. He doesn't think twice about physical contact through fighting or murder (he is garlean after all)

[Ridegmuve]

Hmmm It's an interesting question and have not really put real thought into it until now....

 

Iliette- I think for Iliette it's not the person but the intent that matter, she is a fighter after all. She is a fighter so there will be some skin on skin action (punching people like it's no-one's business or stabbing them with either a dagger or lance). I tend to make her vary of strangers, much preferring to get to know a person through fighting then talking. The only time I ever made her really skittish of touch is when a loved one touches her, she doesn't really know how to react. Friends once more she is not skittish or anything, but she expects a hug from the front and a knife in the back...

 

Jikk'a - Hmmm.... He is a hermit by nature, so he doesn't like most adventurers that he sees, seeing them as destroyers to his precious forest more akin to robbers and killers. The only people he sees as an exception are bards and musicians, but even then he tends to be picky. He because of not having contact with many people actually enjoys weird or unusual behavior from others, being them overly touchy or anything and finds it wonderful and interesting. (much like "Yaaay, I'm not the only weird one!") If he doesn't like something, he will let you know quickly!

[Rythulian]

Khiu’a isn’t a huge fan of touching, growing up with peopleconstantly invading your personal bubble kind of wears away the appeal of it after a while.

 

That’s not to say that he’s completely against it though. Hewon’t flinch or try to get away. He won’t snap or try to fight it. Instead he’ll tolerate it, whether the action happens to be a hug, a clap to the back or something else. He’s a healer, touching tends to come with the territory and as mentioned above, he’s used to it.

 

And it’s not as though he out-right hates touching others. No, his preference for avoiding contact stems from the factthat he’s bored with it. He’s tired of having someone hanging onto his arm, of having someone constantly in his space. It’s frustratingly normal for him to have someone there. For once he’d just like a little spaceto himself, a new personal bubble that he can actually have control over.

[UltraFennec]

I imagine X'vhatikih is alright with sharing personal space with people, tribal life lends itself to that I think. Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder at a packed table in a tavern is okay, threading through the bustling streets of a city is fine, etc. Unwanted touch...if it was normal like, someone put a hand on her shoulder and it annoyed her, she'd just shrug the hand off or push it off, but it wouldn't really be cause for anything more than "Why ya gotta be like that?" An enemy trying to send a message, as it were, would be likely to be more rudely brushed off with sharp, bold commentary, or fight/flight if she thought she could get away with it.

 

 

Surprise touch, on the other hand, generally elicits fists or claws being applied to people. She's had enough close calls back home with 'interested parties' that most unannounced touch registers as an unwanted advance to her subconscious, and results in reflexive measures to cut that off quickly.

 

I think that's how she ended up in the Pugilist's Guild most likely. She came to Ul'Dah to further her dance prowess, not punch people for a living! :frustrated:

[Val]

Val is very skeptical of others touching him. Due to the absolute fear of god put into him by his fiance, he isn't entirely fond of other women touching him unless it's strictly out of friendship. In fact, while he used to be relatively smooth about it, now Val is just incredibly awkward.

 

To top that off, he's rarely ever fully relaxed. He expects most people that are too physical to be up to something, especially when it comes to anyone near his lady, so they're usually treated as such until he gets to know them better.

[Brynhilde]

Bryn's a big flirt, and loves physicality and affection. Lecherous men placing their hands certain places are likely to have those hands broken, but everything else is all good.

[Aerostein]

Aero gets shy when touched and usually blushes as he's inexperienced with that sort of thing. Though, he's generally not opposed to it.

[Nananomi]

Despises it, and harbours a deep fear for the stuff.

 

That's right, a Lalafell who isn't all "cuddle me or ill explode". They exist.

[Ciel]

I think this is actually an interesting question, not one I've given a whole lot of thought to until now.  That said, physical contact is a pretty broad subject, but I'm going to keep it PG-13.

 

Unless Ciel is well acquainted with someone, she's not keen on having other people touch her.  A handshake in greeting is one thing.  A more formal kiss on the back of the hand is fine, since there's a certain amount of etiquette involved. 

 

But a random pat on the arm or shoulder, or any other part of her body isn't welcome.  The offender may get a stern "look" from her, since she appreciates at least three ilms of personal space, but anything more "personal" might get a person firmly pushed away or slapped for their intrusion.  If she's willingly in close personal contact with a relative stranger, it pretty much has to be her idea.  She's not above having ulterior motives, and she won't do so without having something in mind.

 

If she's familiar with someone to a point where she's developed a level of trust - an old friend, a close comrade - she will be more affectionate.  Ciel is not above hugging her friends or showing some gesture of comfort, but public displays are few and far between.

[Noeh]

Wyra would probably wonder why you're touching her before yelling "Hello!" at you.

Torora would likely scream if it was a sudden touch that she couldn't see coming and then hide behind her sister.

[lysian]

Lysian is always open for friendly touch (Pat on backs, firm handshakes arm over shoulder for a short amount of time).

 

However if the touch then becomes intimate, Lysian begins to shy away dramatically but not due to anger or being annoyed by other people; Lysian is very unfamiliar with being intimate with a person despite being the 'go to' happy go lucky guy.

[Lio Shirazumi]

Lio would... bite the hand that feeds him...

 

I know what you're saying, "Bex, the question is about physical touch."

 

To which I reply, to a cannibal; your hand just became finger food.

[Eva]

I need to come visit these forums more often for these great discussions!!

 

Eva falls somewhere towards the middle of this particular spectrum. She grew up without a mother of her own, and while her father was well-intentioned, he was not what most would consider particularly affectionate.

 

Very generally speaking, she doesn't like being jostled in public, and suffers a sort of social anxiety around crowds and larger groups. When people she doesn't know are too close or touch her (whether intentionally or by accident) or otherwise enter what she has called "her bubble" of space, she feels a great discomfort.

 

Contrary to this, those she does know - even some she has only known a very short time or has just met - she is inclined to adopt a sense of motherhood over. And when friends or acquaintances are hurting somehow, her most natural instinct is to want to hug and protect and nurture. In her own mind she tends to write this off as being inappropriate, and such embraces seldom ever happen due to her overthinking matters. Even with close friends a gesture as simple as placing a hand on a good friend's shoulder who is enduring some struggle will often carry with it a significant amount of forethought.

[Xydane Vale]

I'm going to keep my post rather simple.

 

Just like IRL, Xydane and I don't tend to "act friendly" towards people touching us when we don't know them. In Xydane's case:

 

A) You'd probably get punched in the face.

B) You'd most likely get a weapon drawn to your face.

C) Well... this:

 

[J'dari Tia]

J'dari has no disliking to friendly touching. Tho, he does hate having his tail yanked hardly. But pats on back, or hugs are accepted.

[Zoetrooper]

Oh goodness. Aoife has a mixture of amusement and irritation. There's an FC member that hits on her and she tends to just arch and eyebrow and say something like "What are you doing?"

 

If she is comfortable with someone she will give them hugs and just be a little more physical in general, but with people she doesn't know it's interesting and not entirely welcome.

[X'havir Vahl]

X'havir is fairly ok with casual touching. Especially from people he knows. If he doesn't want it, he'll simply grab your wrist and say no. Or step away.

[Valke]

Ciel would probably dislike it, although she wouldn't be all that vocal about it. She'd somehow wiggle out of it and then keep her distance or something, unless there's a legit reason for it (ex. a kid holding her hand in a dark place because they're scared?). If they ask first and she agrees to it, there shouldn't be an issue, as long as it's not too invasive. c:

[Dat Oni]

My god.

 

Thank you, guys. Just. Thank you.

 

I never thought I'd receive so much input from everyone. The openness of this community astounds me on so many levels; I honestly didn't think this topic would get the attention it has.

 

I love you all~:love:

[Jael'li]

Jael'li has no problem with most physical contact, though he regularly tenses up when touched by a female Miqo'te! It's an interesting thing to add to a character like him and it can act as a tertiary thing for him to work on and finally overcome!