Sound-Off: Mutes in RP!

[Kou]

First of all, HIIII, I'm entirely new to the forum and I am totally enjoying reading it all and seeing so many different peoples' opinions on things.

 

Second, mutes! They're there, they're quiet, and... well, y'know. I come from an MMO (GW2) where mutes were actually somewhat common, but here in FFXIV, I've only ever really met one! So that leads me to wonder... where are they? There's a whole host of expressive emotes (certainly a crap load more than GW2, and I love them all), so why wouldn't people jump on that? Or am I just not looking in the right places?

 

Edit - I just realized how somewhat punny (or ironic?) my title might be. NO MATTER.

[Perth]

Well, in GW2 I feel like there were a lot of cliche characters (at least, in the public roleplay I managed to find!). Many mutes, stutterers, blind folks, general damsels in distress and big damn heros. I find it sooo refreshing to see characters who can highlight the fact that they can be tender, empathetic, and/or gentle without having a gimmick that feels very worn out and exhausting in general FFXIV roleplay. :B Making a disability into a gimmick always rubbed me the wrong way...

[Zetchryn]

I actually have one I'm about to make, or, rather, one who CAN talk... But chooses not to 99% of the time, a la Silent Bob suddenly speaking.

[Flickering Ember]

I have role-played with a few different mute characters. One is no longer mute, and the two others were alts that I haven't gotten to role-play with in a long time. My character is blind so I think it is fun and challenging to try and role-play with a mute character. I like thinking that there is a possibility for some unspoken connection between the two.

[Nebbs]

Go for it and I have played against mutes before, and deaf and blind (even deaf and partially sighted players).

 

My main tip for all these "crutch" characters is to always play the character first and the mute second (or last), never define this character as the mute.

 

Use the emotes creatively, but also use obvious ways to communicate like writing and drawing.. or even an enchanted speaking parrot. I once gave a mute in SWTOR a tablet that spoke out what he typed, in a very girlie voice (such is the lessons of a Jedi).

 

Personally I think this is the character's player's problem to sort out.. so:

• Don't expect me to play RP charades with you, that gets boring really fast
  
• Do expect me to misunderstand your emotes
  
• Do expect me to fill in gaps with guesses that are wrong and not wait around for you to articulate
  

Still if you want to play such a thing, go for it and make it a positive RP character.

[Tiergan]

Furious Storm is a massive, jolly 45 year old veteran fighter-roegadyn whose tongue was cut out a while back for reasons he never really gets into.

 

He communicates by carrying around a pad of parchment and writing out messages to people. If they can't read, he communicates by drawing really hilariously bad pictures, because he's not very good at drawing.

[Kou]

Go for it and I have played against mutes before, and deaf and blind (even deaf and partially sighted players).

 

My main tip for all these "crutch" characters is to always play the character first and the mute second (or last), never define this character as the mute.

 

Use the emotes creatively, but also use obvious ways to communicate like writing and drawing.. or even an enchanted speaking parrot. I once gave a mute in SWTOR a tablet that spoke out what he typed, in a very girlie voice (such is the lessons of a Jedi).

 

Personally I think this is the character's player's problem to sort out.. so:

• Don't expect me to play RP charades with you, that gets boring really fast
  
• Do expect me to misunderstand your emotes
  
• Do expect me to fill in gaps with guesses that are wrong and not wait around for you to articulate
  

Still if you want to play such a thing, go for it and make it a positive RP character.

... That poor Jedi.

 

As for the bolded part, that's pretty much a given. Character's already made n' such, and he's recognized at the Grindstone now (I think? They know his name, at least!). It was rough at first, but the only instance where his lack of speech has been an issue is when it rained right as he was about to introduce himself. He couldn't very well risk his precious notebook!

[Kou]

Furious Storm is a massive, jolly 45 year old veteran fighter-roegadyn whose tongue was cut out a while back for reasons he never really gets into.

 

He communicates by carrying around a pad of parchment and writing out messages to people.  If they can't read, he communicates by drawing really hilariously bad pictures, because he's not very good at drawing.

This is pretty much how K'washi used to communicate as well. He's slowly gone from illiterate to semi-literate, however, and has decided grammar is the bane of his existence.

 

It's been a productive 5 months, to say the least.

 

Also, Furious Storm sounds like an incredibly familiar name. >_>

[Tiergan]

They can stand next to and write things at each other if they ever meet in game. :V

 

Fury would secretly be delighted.

[Caspar]

That's interesting. I've done this before in a forum RP, a mute butler/bodyguard. Not literally so but effectively mute, since he basically only communicated by whispering to his master, who translated for him. I had a friend arrange to be my character's benefactor and speak for him. Otherwise I communicated entirely through description of his body language and gestures, apart from the occasional whisper in moments of great duress.

 

It was a lot of fun, though not something I'd do regularly.

[BumblingSeaBiscuit]

My character Ezhara Jinkjahl is soundless. By this, I mean she makes the choice to not talk. This has developed with roleplay, and she talks to certain people or when she absolutely must, but for the most part she still remains quite quiet. Because reading and writing isn't exactly common in Eorzea, she's also used methods of expression, artistic outlets, and other sorts of ways to talk to people. 

 

 

I've also played mutes and the blind in other games and I've always found it to be an interesting way to sort of push your writing ability. 

[Kismet]

My rule of thumb with mute characters, or ANY character with a disability... hell, you could apply this to any character flaw in general... is that the disadvantage is NOT the character. If all there is to the concept is "Bob can't talk! Pity him!" and nothing else, then the character will come off as one-dimensional.

 

A disability isn't what makes a person. It's about what the person makes of the disability.

[Aeylis Bloodbinder]

I thoroughly enjoy RPing with K'washi.  

 

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

<3!

[Kou]

While I love all the responses, exactly one of my three questions have been answered. Or maybe they'll all been answered: there simply aren't many. A rarity, is what I'm sensing.

Though judging BY the responses, I've also worded my first post terribly. For that, I'm gonna apologize. K'washi isn't at all defined by his muteness. In fact, most people don't even know he's mute until they realize he's been quiet for an awkwardly large amount of time upon first meeting him. I don't know if he's cliche, but he's not shy. Just... well, an awkward teenager who's learning (a bit late in the game) what literacy and hormones are, along with how to communicate without sound.

 

Unrelated: 

HIIIIIIIIIIIIIII, AEYLIS! <3!

 

Tiergan, if you ever want to RP, hit me up. I'm sure it'll be a blast!

[Madda]

Madda's healer character is mute to a point. She can talk, but only in the tone of a whisper. It was a genetic problem that had always been present in a few members of her family, though she was adopted by a caring Hyur couple who were unable to have a child. She normally remains quiet and uses signals with her hands to convey messages, such as holding her hands into a heart shape for "love" or "heart". But only to those she trusts or feels safe with.

 

It helps tremendously for any character with a disability to do research for it in real life. It helps you get a better understanding at what people afflicted have to go through every day, and is an eye opening experience. DO things helps you get a better sense of connection with your character.

 

As said on this thread, don't make your character mute just because you want to be special. Let them be a quirk. Your character, at the end of the day, is your character. A concept that has found a life of its own among other ideas.

 

If anybody wants RP, hit Fated Sky, or Mirielda Cartwright up!

[Gone.]

Lots of cliche silliness in the GW2 community indeed.

 

I would imagine part of it is that this is such a hard concept to pull off when roleplaying is heavily reliant on verbal communication. That's not to say it can't be done, just that there's going to be a struggle no matter what.

[Antain]

I have a character that's mute. He carries around a leather-bound notebook to communicate should nobody understand his gestures. I don't play him much, but when I do, he's a lot of fun.