The World of Layonara
The Layonara Community => Roleplaying => Topic started by: CHAzz on October 13, 2006, 12:38:51 PM
-
One of the Very Important Things in Layonara is your character developement thread. However I have seen the threads take on many different forms, with varying degrees of detail and frequency. Some individuals have never started one for any of their chacters. So, after perusing the threads in that forum, I have come up with two(ish) questions for the community:
1. What influences do you take into account when you set up a development thread? What kind of voice do you use? What narrative perspective do you favor?
2. What do you include in your development thread posts? What do you leave out? Are there things that you tend to include that you think might be considered immaterial, but are of some special significance to yourself?
Unfortunately, I am in the category of the "have never started". It was never by design, just one of those things I kept forgetting, putting off, couldn't think of how to start, etc. Now with Iago in his 7th level, I feel the need to try to "fill in the blanks" a bit, try to show some of the changes that are starting to happen, and get a feel of where he is heading.
P.S. If you haven't started a character development thread for your characters yet, I highly urge you to take the time out to do so. It is easier to work on it as things happen, than to try to reconstruct the past.
-
[list=1]
- What influences do you take into account when you set up a development thread? What kind of voice do you use? What narrative perspective do you favor?
- The influences that are taken into account largely depend upon the nature of the character you're trying to "live through" via RP. As you so adeptly brought up, character development threads are hardly reserved solely for diaries, journals and such, but can rather take on many forms. While I don't wish to dissuade against such sort of CD threads, the nature of these threads (and voice) can vary to quite an extent and the choice of narrative perspective is simply a matter of personal preferance for your PC. Perhaps you held a conversation with another PC in game and it was fantastic RP with some interesting bits of conversation thrown around that are personally applicable to your character. Why not get the other PC's permission and record the conversation via your CD thread? Or perhaps you'd like to post a letter you're character has written. A wild elf? Well perhaps wood carvings are more your style in which case the CD thread voice would occur through emotes or actions (Seach Nith'wiel for an example). Of course the point isn't to reiterate that there are numerous paths to take with CD. But more so that the influences, voice, and narrative perspective you take should ultimately depend upon your character and what type of "soul" you see him/her as. Which of course brings up the suggestion that before any character is submitted or approved questions should be asked such as how he or she would react to a certain situation. Alignment changes shouldn't (to a certain extent) be bluntly planned but should also depend upon the treatment that character has by other PCs, the road his life takes him, etc... Your question was geared to how I as a member decide what the nature of my CD thread will be. The more developed the character the more complex this question becomes. My main character is a paladin, but a complex one. He's human with the same wants, desires, needs that every human had. He's not this perfect righteous zealous idiot walking around claiming that his god is the only way. He's learned (via leveling and otherwise) that life isn't always fair and that certain situations will arrise where there really is no right answer. There is so much I could say, but I'm choosing not to for various reasons. So while his CD thread started out as a journal I've also included conversations he's had, his own thoughts, his own prayers in a way that I don't mind the public reading. Also, was it in a public place such as a temple? Or perhaps alone at home. I'd be fine with someone mentioning it to me in game via their character (of something he said) if my post occured in a public place. Otherwise it's simply metagaming.
- What do you include in your development thread posts? What do you leave out? Are there things that you tend to include that you think might be considered immaterial, but are of some special significance to yourself?
- This is somewhat similiar to question 1. What I include again is dictated by the character and often times reflects previous in game events that have significantly effected the PC. The point "it is easier to work on it as things happen, than to try to reconstruct the past" is well taken here. I think the question of "what do I leave out" is a good one to ask in the sense that of course there are certain things or events that have occured in your life that you don't wish others to read about. Perhaps you wish only a DM to read it if you plan on doing a CDQ later on. If this is the case a PM would suffice. A very small reason to me (but larger to others) for the rationale behind this may lie in potential metagaming (innocent or otherwise) on the part of other players. More so however is that you just simply don't wish to speak about it. There is much my main character that I play here discludes from his CD section. The bottom line above all (and I'm sure you know this, but it's always good to repeat) is that you are your character, not a guy/girl sitting behind a computer desk that likes this and that. What you like, your character may not like, what he loves, you hate, etc... Create your character, understand the "body" that you create and act as if you were in a play, forgetting yourself and becoming him or her. If you can do that, then however you'd like to structure your CD thread is fine. There's no wrong way. (Well I suppose, to be nitpicky, if you'd like to post or create a conversation with a very prominant or important NPC you should always get DM approval, other wise the sky's the limit).
[/list]