No.172446
Are you guys open to discussing character building and development methods? How do you create a character for yourself from scratch?
I'm curious how you do it because, for me, a character is built through experience, and what I generally do is write a few short "stories" about them reacting to different situations - often with a small list of notable traits on the side, just as a rough guideline of what I want. I say "stories", because more often than not these are simple and short lived situations, as opposed to a full scene that'd tie in with a greater narrative. In general, there's a simple setup, which can be as fantastical or mundane as you wish, as long as it is somewhat focused and simple - say "the character is shopping, and sees someone drop their wallet" - which then is "played" out, considering how the character would act and feel - they might steal it and feel bad about it, they might go try to return it but be super awkward about it, and so on; through many of these experiences, a believable character takes shape, and one I can play as well, since I've been rehearsing it with these little scenarios. I've now had the absolutely brilliant, patent pending, idea of writing a document with a mighty list of little situations like these which seem to be useful in developing many parts of the personality at once.
So yeah, to what extent do you go when creating your RP characters, and how do you do it?
Everyone else just wings it blind, don't they?
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No.172448
>>172446
I wouldn't say I write a story, but I do brainstorm their personality, interests, traits and other things when I make original characters. I want to know their motivations and propel their decisions through them.
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No.172450
Yeah, I don't go super into it unless it ends up being a character I really like. I just start simple. What is the characters profession or occupation? What are they like in the confines of that occupation? And what are they like when off the clock?
Are they the type of fucker that shows up 20 minutes late? Or 10 minutes before it opens? Do they try to get as close to the exact time as possible or just a general ball park? All of this is boring and completely irrelevant to type fucking. But how you do things, even simple things are just as important as what you are doing. It's all about the details, and while it might not show up in a play. It still needs to be there.
From there. What are they like at home? Usually more then enough to give a good overview of a character really.
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No.172453
my gf loves your load… call +fourfour-7890 183197
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No.172455
I typically make a character after finding a picture I like, or a general 'this is the main kink' idea. Things like personality, traits and character details are all pretty interchangeable and are typically made up on the fly or reflect the artwork. I don't really see why anyone would go through all the effort for minute details like that when most of the people hanging around on f-list for ERP won't appreciate it and just want to get to the 'good stuff'.
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No.172461
>>172455
Came here to post (pretty much) this. I almost exclusively play sex-driven and it's just easier to find art and then assign a trope/kink combo based on whatever I've dug up or occasionally vice-versa. If I let myself write a fleshed out character from the ground up with no clear-cut sex foundation it's going to be too bland and not sexy enough to be used on F-List or I'm going to develop an appearance in my head and be disappointed when I can't find a match.
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No.172503
What I do is I think of a kink or story point that I really like for one reason or another. Then I try to design a character that works around that kink/story.
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No.172516
My process is usually something like
>vague idea for character such as, "girl in weird west setting who dresses like a boy"
>then adding more details like what she is good at, what she is bad at, and what is important to her etc
>come up with ways that she relates to people so I can be prepared for various kinds of interactions, imagine through a few scenes on my own with different kinds of confrontations
>come up with a few ways for her to get into adventures
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No.172519
>>172516
Do you do story-driven play a lot? I can't imagine putting this much work into an f-list character.
>>172461
>>172455
Same boat as you two anons. I just find a pretty picture and string something from it since the more effort I put in the less bites I get on any profile.
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No.172522
Most people aren't going to care about your character outside of their aesthetics and kinks. Unless you're doing a long term story driven roleplay, personality and back story will only be used as a vehicle to get to the fucking. Even in long term story driven roleplays, you're partner isn't going to care about your character as much as you do. My advice is to keep it concise so you and your partner get the gist of your character.
On a semi related note, how do you keep character consistency during a role play? For example how can I play an aloof asshole that's gentle and loving in one scene, but not completely throw out the fact he's kind of a dick?
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No.172529
>>172522
Easy, who he's a dick too. When is he a dick to somebody? And how is he a dick to somebody?
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No.172530
^ But figured an example would help, there are literally a million ways you can do it. Just pick who he's a dick to and why.
Fantasy Adventurer? A dick to all non-humans, or non-humanoids. Bonus points if say with an elf where it makes things more awkward then usual. Or he's a dick to the noobs and everybody who isn't on his level.
Maybe he's a dick to every dude, but because he think's he's hot shit, he isn't a dick to women. Or reverse that. Maybe he thinks blonds are dumb by default, much like the above if banging a blond but you aren't like other blonds Or some shit. Use your imagination man.
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No.172548
>>172522
>On a semi related note, how do you keep character consistency during a role play? For example how can I play an aloof asshole that's gentle and loving in one scene, but not completely throw out the fact he's kind of a dick?
OP here. My method also tackles this perfectly, since what it does is get you used to thinking as the character, so if you practice enough of these small scenes (you'll probably even see a huge improvement with just a few of them), you'll play the character much better. If you find yourself being unsure of how your character should be behaving, or if you find him to feel a little inconsistent, there's no way around it, you just need to practice more.
>>172455
Maybe it's just me, but I find that when I wing it I always tend to be stuck with the same general personality type, and that my winged characters all feel a bit too samey. Even if I try to force some sort of change, it ends up feeling tacked on and like it doesn't really fit with the character and it's experiences as a whole. And to me, the important part of the story is not the sex itself, but the things that lead to it, and it can be really interesting how much emotion and color - not to mention credibility - the most minute character quirks can bring to a scene.
These things are really important to me, and I think I like writing engaging and believable characters more than I like ERPing, but maybe I'm just super bad at it, and that's why I need to invest so much work into it.
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No.172549
>>172530
Oh, and one more thing I want to add because I think it's relevant to what you're asking: don't feel like you need to pre-think every little scene or situation your character might find themselves in, not only because that'd be ridiculous, but also because, if you practice the character, you'll reach a point where you'll very quickly know how your character would react to most situations, due to being familiar with their experiences, and their instinctual tendencies. Other times you might need to take a few minutes to think things through, but that's just how the game goes, and it just means that you'll know your character even better afterwards.
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No.172554
>>172519
Yeah, I only do story-driven play for f-list. I still really enjoy the smut but I need a good story and I need both characters to be pretty solid.
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No.172561
>>172548
>Maybe it's just me, but I find that when I wing it I always tend to be stuck with the same general personality type
I find myself stuck playing the same personality types a lot because they're simply the ones that work. I'd love to play someone more shy, reserved and bashful but Lord knows playing a sassy, teasing go-getter is way more effective.
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No.172563
>>172530
What I mean't was how to play a dick, whose sweet and caring in a scene. For an example say he's in the beginning of a relationship, and he tries to be caring and considerate, but he still hasn't moved passed being a bastard.
>>172548
Do you come up with a character and then do some stories, or do you do stories until you have a finished character? I might have to give it a try. I usually will write up the character and go straight into a roleplay.
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No.172570
Very few people are dicks to everybody and for no reason fam. If they are, then it's way harder for them to be in a relationship because the realistic reaction is to dump him and move on.
If he's a dick towards a love interest, then why? Is he immature? Is he closed off and trying to not be emotionally vulnerable? Does he just not know any better? Or think about the reverse. If he's a dick to everybody for no reason. What reason then, is there for him to not be as much of a dick to this person? Or try to be less of one.
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No.172580
>>172570
>Very few people are dicks to everybody and for no reason fam. If they are, then it's way harder for them to be in a relationship because the realistic reaction is to dump him and move on.
You'd be surprised, fam. Though I get what you're saying.
I'd say closed off due to fear of emotional vulnerability and jerk trying to be less of a jerk, as I usually end up playing as one of the two. My thing is how do you balance the two? I get that there should be internal conflict as the character wrestles with who is and and wants to be, but how do you get that across with out resorting to monologuing?
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No.172649
>>172563
>Do you come up with a character and then do some stories, or do you do stories until you have a finished character?
You won't have a finished character until you do the stories; you might think you do, but you'll quickly find out that, unless it's a character you're used to playing, you'll have trouble thinking like they do, and, in turn, roleplaying as them.
Generally, it's easiest to start with a short character concept: it may be a list of traits, a couple small sentences about them, or even a particularly interesting situation they might be finding themselves in. This is important because the essence of the exercise is to keep consistent, until the consistency becomes second nature. From that point on, you can start writing situations. It's a very bootstrapped process, where, once you have a starting point, you just kind of go with the flow and things develop naturally. The first couple stories might feel a bit awkward, and you might have to take some time to think of what they'd do, but it gets easier and easier, and after a while you'll be left with an actual unique character with an actual unique personality; a character that truly has experience, given to them by the stories and scenes you just wrote; a character that has lived.
It's like painting: you start with broad strokes and big spots of color, and then, from that, you detail it as much or as little as you want.
>>172561
>I find myself stuck playing the same personality types a lot because they're simply the ones that work.
Yes, but if everyone thought like that, art would go nowhere. There are plenty of things which work; I'd go as far as to say any well crafted personality works. But maybe you don't feel the pressure for trying out and experiencing different things (which is fine, I guess), or maybe saying that is how you cope with being afraid to get out of your comfort zone.
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No.172670
>>172580
Personally, I tend to try and use the narrator to it's fullest. I guess it can be a bit hard to describe. But I tend to avoid /me when possible, as a result, the narrator might or might not be my character, and if it's not my character. I try to put in some character into it.
While I wouldn't say to try and do it to that extent. Bastion and it's narrator comes to mind. Or the Darkest Dungeon one. It might qualify as monologuing or not. But I find as long as it seems like it is it's own interesting character as well, people don't mind.
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No.172698
>>172649
That sounds interesting as fuck, fam. I'll have to give it a shot some time.
>>172670
I mostly write in third person as first person is just weird and is glorified cybering. There's also body language and playing on the fact they're not quite changed yet.
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No.172886
>>172446
Really, an RP character is just a hook or a tool for you to get play so there's no one way to make them, you design them for purpose.
If you want a character with tons of flexibility, it's generally better to make a specific character who can go broad for REASONS instead of a poorly defined character. If you want a specific kink, work that kink into the character somehow. If you want a character with a backstory, don't just write a character you'd like to play, write one that you'd like to read about or would like to play with too; it has to be engaging for others too.
I always follow this basic rule of thumb; if the character seems as developed as a Bioware party member then it'll be good enough for 95%~ F-list.
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