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 Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:02 pm
{character & plot development}
Once again, we're back to the basics of roleplaying.
Here you shall find all (or almost all) of what you need to create a good character and a solid plot.
These are the stepping stones which you may use to create the great path that is your roleplay.
Prophetic, eh? You ain't seen nothing yet.
navigation
oo. introduction
o1. guidelines for use
o2. critiquing
o3. character development pt. i
o4. character development pt. ii
o5. character development pt. iii
o6. plot development tips
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:09 pm
{guidelines for use}
o1. This subforum is solely for the use of DEVELOPING characters and story plots. All profile pages and OOC threads should be taken to the OOC subforum.
o2. Feel free to start planning your roleplay here; create a thread, come up with your basic plot ideas and guidelines, and make it aesthetically pleasing. But, for the love of God, DO NOT START ROLEPLAYING HERE.
o3. Be courteous. Character critiques may come across as harsh, but they should by no means be insulting. This rule applies for both the critic and those being critiqued. If you feel that someone has crossed the line, don't blow your top- alert a mod and the problem will be taken care of.
o4. You are free to practice with your characters here, but please refrain from starting full-blown roleplays in this forum.
o5. Further questions should be taken to the 'Question & Assistance subforum'.
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:18 pm
{critiquing}
... coming soon
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:14 pm
{character development}
part i BEFORE YOU START
The best characters are the ones that can be easily interacted with. Before we even get started on creating a character, I would recommend reading this guide to Mary-Sue's and taking the Mary-Sue Litmus Test to determine if the character you have in mind is an ever-dreaded Mary-Sue. This guide will focus on creating and original and unique character that is still realistic. Before starting, you may want to look into a couple of aspects of the roleplay you are creating a character for.
Be aware. Before you even think about making a character, you need to understand what's going on in the RP. This may mean that you'll have to do a little research. What is the plot? Setting? Who are the other characters? What is was the most recent notable event that took place in the RP? One of the greatest annoyances to advanced roleplayers is when a new player stumbles into the roleplay and has no idea what's going on. (This also causes their character to seem confused and out of the loop.)
Time. Make sure you know the time period that the roleplay is set in. This will effect many aspects of your new character. Consider this, if it's 700 BC do you think your character is going to be wearing blue jeans (or even pants, for that matter)? Of course, circumstances change when the RP takes place on a planet other than Earth or in an alternate universe. A general rule of thumb though-- anachronisms = bad roleplaying.
Place. Location is another huge factor in your research. Make sure you know where you are, the geographic location and the landmarks around you. It's far easier to come up with something to say in a roleplay when you know where things are. After all, your characters have to be surrounded by something. When you don't know where anything is, you end up in a sort of roleplaying vacuum, where the characters are floating freely without any real anchor. The setting also has a large impact on your character's creation, effecting everything from physical appearance to religious tendencies.
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:28 pm
{character development}
part ii CREATING A CHARACTER
Be realistic. It is imperative that you create a character that makes sense in the world or society he/ she inhabits. Not only are characters with unrealistic traits annoying, they can actually throw off the entire story. For example, let's pretend you're in a Naruto roleplay. They're all ninjas right? So, would it make sense for your character to be a Vampire/ Fallen Angel with the power to read minds? I think we can agree on the answer.
Don't get too freaky. This is a tricky one. Many people create characters that they think are unique, but they gauge their uniqueness on powers or appearance. We cannot use our own human standards to determine a character's uniqueness. In real life, we might not notice someone with a strong personality the way we might notice a chick with fox ears and full tail, but roleplaying is different. In the world of writing, a character's personality is enhanced because the writer/player gives us an inside look at their disposition and past experiences. On top of that, if your roleplaying in an RP where everyone else is human, having a half-fox character wouldn't make sense. If you and I were walking down the street and saw that same fox girl, we'd probably be able to agree that she was very unique, but we'd also probably be terrified and run like hell to the nearest psychiatrists office. The same holds true in an RP, your character can be unique among others without defying the laws of nature. Again, this may not apply depending upon the world/ dimension your character is in.
Flaws. A good way to balance all that uniqueness of personality is with physically or emotionally apparent flaws. The 'perfect person' does not exist, which may be why 'perfect characters' are so boring. Most people are not entirely attractive inside and out, so it follows that realistic characters wouldn't be either. I'm not saying your character needs to be a burn victim or seriously deformed, but consider altering your description of them and toning it down. To quote an enraged Fuyumii:
"Rather than saying your character has 'deep emerald eyes whose sparkling depths reveal a secret longing for adventure and a hope to be understood', why not just say they have green eyes? Seriously, what's up with the talking eyes, people? If you want to describe your characters aspirations, feelings, etc. just say it in the bio."
You may also want to consider personality flaws such as greed, lust, gluttony (pick a sin, any sin) or perhaps they are very weak and don't know how to stand by their opinions. Then again, they might have a bad habit such as smoking, chewing with their mouth open and biting their nails, or an unusual trait like a twitch, sudden spurts of anger, or frequent shortness of breath. There are so many possibilities to choose from in order to create your own signature, unique character. Just try not to overdo it. (i.e. one-eyed, alcoholic hunchback with a limp and a bad case of alzheimers).
Power. We all crave power, it's inherent to human nature. Some of us want it for good, some for evil and some just so they can do whatever the hell they want. Having lots of power might be great in real life, but it makes for a very one-sided (and short-lived) roleplay. When all of the characters are competing to become the strongest, the plot gets locked in a sort of stalemate between intense character description wars. Sometimes we really, really want out super cool kickass character to be infallible. I suggest you put that character out of action now, as they can only lead to a dull and unfair situation. No matter what the other players do, their characters just won't have a chance. And who really wants to RP with someone that just wins all the time. It's easy enough to say "I win.", the real task is creating a thrilling fight scene where no one knows what the outcome will be until it's over. On the other hand, when you have a weaker character, you have to be aware of that weakness. It doesn't neccessarily mean you'll lose every time, but you have to know that your characters chances of winning are greatly dimished.
Don't play yourself. On thing an advanced roleplayer should never EVER do is play themselves. This includes creating enhanced versions of oneself as well as characters the roleplayer might wish to be like. The problem with playing this type of character is that it ties you down. It's difficult enough to admit one's own flaws and even more so to act them out. The strong bias that comes with these player-based characters leads to a serious stalemate in character development. For practice, try playing a character you don't like, perhaps one that has a fundamental difference in their outlook or is contradictory to your own religious beliefs. It may be difficult at first, but it can be very rewarding and will benefit your roleplaying skills.
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:30 pm
{character development}
part iii NAMING
It sounds easy enough, but don't be fooled. A name can tell a lot about a character and about the person playing them. We'll start by addressing the most common flaws when naming:
Personality Indicator Names. Yuck. Let me clarify, names that by their very nature tell everyone else what the character's predominant personality trait is. I can't list how many times I've seen a "young, vibrant girl" character who is "full of life and energy" and whose name just happens to be 'Harmony'. Then the misunderstood, lonely intellect named 'Tristan Black'. Names do NOT have to convey the characters disposition, nor should they. Giving away their personality through the name is a cop-out and a way to avoid a detailed personality description.
Common Nouns and Adjectives. Another error in character naming is the use of nouns and adjectives (or bizarre spellings of nouns and adjectives). Those are powder puff names that just don't do your character justice. Why? Because they don't really belong to the character. Names like 'Rain' and 'Flower' and 'Justice' don't connect well when applied to characters and aren't original.
_____*Note: Depending upon the race of your character and/or the plot circumstance, these guidelines may or may not apply. Ex: Elves _____generally have names derived from nature and are likely to have a name in connection with some natural element.
If you really want your characters name to have a certain connotation, try taking the subtle route. For example, I have a well-tempered character whose role is that of the friend rather than the hero. By searching my mental database for connections, the name that jumps into my mind is Horatio, the trustworthy friend of Hamlet in the famous play by Shakespeare. So I tack on a last name (I'll opt for "Lockwood" as it has sense of security with the word 'lock'). Thus, Horatio Lockwood is my characters name. True, many people won't get it. But, those who are truly looking will get it and they will appreciate your efforts.
_____*Note: depending on who you are roleplaying with, you may consider changing your source for connection-naming. Rather than _____alluding to Shakespeare, you may choose to use something from pop culture, the Bible, or some other form of media or history.
Relation to location. Character naming, like many other parts of roleplaying, relies heavily on setting. I don't know how many times I've been in an RP located in a European country, South America, the Moon, an alternate dimension, whatever-- where somehow, more than half of the characters have Asian names. Even if you are in Japan, if your character is of European decent then they probably won't have a Japanese name. Yes, in some cases it makes sense (especially in our anime-based roleplays). But, oftentimes, it's just out of place and makes the character seem more weird than unique.
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:20 pm
{plot development} GETTING STARTEDOkay, so now you feel up to creating your very own roleplay. But, you can't just chuck one out without thinking about it. Oh, you think you can? Well. You're wrong. And if you do create one without planning it, the thread will probably last no longer than the attention span of a goldfish. Like the metaphor? Keep reading.
Based? Very important is whether or not your roleplay is based on a pre-existing story. If it is, you are strongly advised to do the background research on that story's plot, characters, and setting. If it is not, you'll have to start from scratch. For now, we'll work under the assumption that you are creating a story-based roleplay.
Setting. First, establish the setting of the story. This helps draw potential players in immediately and gives them something to grasp. You will want to know where the story is taking place, in what time period, who the canon characters (those from the story) are and what the current state of things is. In essence, you have to set the scene for your players/readers. Paint a word picture if you have to and once you get better, you can even make a suspensful introduction with a hook and everything! (Whoo-hoo... ?)
Canons. Know who your canon characters are/ were. Are they still all alive? Have any of them changed sides or drastically altered their personalities/ appearance? Make any of these changes apparent to the players so that they aren't left groping in the dark.
Plot out a plot. This is way too general to be particularly useful, of course. But- you have to get the generalities out of the way before you can move to specifics. What kind of plot do you want to have? Are you going to follow the original plot from the story with a few of your own deviations? Or are you going to start an entirely new plot, a continuation of the previous story after it has ended? This is your first crossroads and you need to pick a path.
LAYING IT OUT
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