Emotion As A Muse

[Jumi]

1. When you create a character concept... do you often find yourself latching onto any paricular emotion, and if so, does that emotion generally have a purpose in the story?

2. Do you have any examples of doing so?

3. What do you believe to be the pros, and cons of doing so?

1. Generally, I haven't done this, but lately, I've been giving this idea a try after talking to a few of my friends who also write, though they aren't present on the forum. When I do try to draw out that singlular important emotion... I try to ultimately aim for what they'll be feeling at the beginning of the roleplay, and if it's strong enough to carry them through the story... or if it will ultimately break them, depending on their role.

2. I've got a couple so far but for now I'll go with Zagara from ToR. He is my attempt at taking the confusion that some of use feel when we try to contemplate our place in life, and it also includes a little bit of our fears of our past, and if it'll shape our future against our wishes.

3. From what I can gather... the biggest pro for me, is that when I write such a character, it relieves a lot of pent up stress, and wonder when I can write him in situations that I've been in, and will never be in. It's kinda like being able to do what you want without any real fear of the consequences, and that can really help you grow.

However on the flip side, the con for such a practice is that you can start to feel like too much of the character in question, and you begin to let your personal opinions, and believes effect a being that is entirely ficitonal, and unique in their own right, and should have the right to explore their created life as they wish.

 

[Karsikan the Berzerker]

For me, my own curiosity brings up the best characters
any other emotion is more a distraction than a benefit to me

Probably my favorite one, that would make Asmo rage beyond belief, is also my MSN screen name, Vincent Hack, as he started in the story he was a mindless killing machine. but we asked the question, what makes this psycho tick? Kidnapping as the age of seven, watching his parents and sister being raped to death and mutilated, endless years of torture and an overly powerful desire for revenge were what drove him, and as the story progressed we took this soulless bastard and started giving it back to him, in the form of another, who was to become his lover, his sanity, and they eye of the storm within his soul, no matter how much the rest of the world fucked with his head.

It was equal parts action, comedy and love story as he and his fried Slash eventually returned to a semblance normal.

 

[Diana]

When you create a character concept... do you often find yourself latching onto any particular emotion, and if so, does that emotion generally have a purpose in the story?
Sometimes, yes! It goes along with "what I want to get from this charrie". Like if I want a character to experience happy-moments, scary moments, or get through certain emotions. And of course it -always- related to the story!


Do you have any examples of doing so?
Why yes! Oralia from This One Realm is a good example. Her thing is "grief" and "fear", learning how to deal with it, and then using it to fuel herself forward.

What do you believe to be the pros, and cons of doing so?
I only see pros. XD What is roleplay if you do not experience the emotions of the characters? What is writing if you don't see and feel the emotion?

I guess I can agree that some people can take the emotion too far and get TOO in to character. The people that are so in to their character, they can't step back and accept that the character isn't a real person. Just because something happens to the character, doesn't mean it happens to YOU.

It does frustrate me A LOT when people mix up me and the character. My character might adore someone or might be confused, but I'm not going to necessarily feel the same way. We're not the same person. :/

 

[Jumi]

For me, my own curiosity brings up the best characters
any other emotion is more a distraction than a benefit to me

Probably my favorite one, that would make Asmo rage beyond belief, is also my MSN screen name, Vincent Hack, as he started in the story he was a mindless killing machine. but we asked the question, what makes this psycho tick? Kidnapping as the age of seven, watching his parents and sister being raped to death and mutilated, endless years of torture and an overly powerful desire for revenge were what drove him, and as the story progressed we took this soulless bastard and started giving it back to him, in the form of another, who was to become his lover, his sanity, and they eye of the storm within his soul, no matter how much the rest of the world fucked with his head.

It was equal parts action, comedy and love story as he and his fried Slash eventually returned to a semblance normal.

I've noticed that a lot of your characters focus on being the tell tale baddass killer or have a strong trait for it. Is this simply because it's something that your familiar with, and comfortable writing about, or are you trying to take a single idea, and branch it out in order to explore other routes that one can take in character exploration?

I guess I can agree that some people can take the emotion too far and get TOO in to character. The people that are so in to their character, they can't step back and accept that the character isn't a real person. Just because something happens to the character, doesn't mean it happens to YOU.

Have you ever gotten that caught up in a character at any given time? If so, then what made this character especially important, or special enough to allow yourself to feel as such?

It does frustrate me A LOT when people mix up me and the character. My character might adore someone or might be confused, but I'm not going to necessarily feel the same way. We're not the same person. :/

But in all seriousness, Diana... Isn't any character that we write, a part of our self either in mind, or spirit made physical? Do you deny that though you, and your characters are not the same person, that if an altered light... you could possibly be if things in life had been different?

 

[Acquariana]

1. When you create a character concept... do you often find yourself latching onto any paricular emotion, and if so, does that emotion generally have a purpose in the story?

I tend to cling to two opposites and then one/two that can be associated easily in conjunction with either one. The first two that are opposites are happiness and sadness, and I typically like using them to try and make my characters more interesting. Also, the other emotion that I like to focus on (well, two, really) is/are shyness and nervousness. I don't really see too much of a purpose for them in the story other than character interaction and characterization, and sometimes causes for plot events. (I lean more towards being a character-heavy than plot-heavy person 3;).

2. Do you have any examples of doing so?

A. Natalie's (Natalie from Iwaku World) behavior is the aftermath of the sadness caused by the trauma that she has gone through in her life. Her aggression is a manifestation of her fear of being further hurt and her shyness towards new people.

B. Amelia (Kazeyama) represents my tendency to latch onto shyness and nervousness. She's constantly day-dreaming to get away from the people around her, and because of her power, she's (near) deathly afraid to speak to people.

3. What do you believe to be the pros, and cons of doing so?

I mostly see pros in latching onto certain emotions. They allow you to characterize your own character, and possibly even others indirectly. It can also enhance the overrall tone of the role play. Even if a person's post goes against the overrall tone of the role play, that's fine as long as it is what their character would act like. I'm sure there are probably cons, but I can't really think of any at the moment that I can argue plausibly.

 

[Zypher]

1. When you create a character concept... do you often find yourself latching onto any paricular emotion, and if so, does that emotion generally have a purpose in the story?

I'm usually very emotionally detached from my characters for some reason, but at the same time my characters are usually some facet of my personality, all of my characters are in a way me essentially in one way or another. So I guess they are all my emotions wrapped into a shell of none of my emotions.

2. Do you have any examples of doing so?

A lot of the time when I finish writing for any of my characters the facet of my personality that they are created from is closest to the surface so I actually end up having a similar attitude to what the post was.

3. What do you believe to be the pros, and cons of doing so?

I think the pros are that you can really explore your character and have their interactions with others and the world they are in more genuine and realistic but the other side of that coin is that they can become really attached character and should the character either die or the story end they can have this sense of being cut off that could be potentially bad :/
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[Jumi]

I tend to cling to two opposites and then one/two that can be associated easily in conjunction with either one. The first two that are opposites are happiness and sadness, and I typically like using them to try and make my characters more interesting. Also, the other emotion that I like to focus on (well, two, really) is/are shyness and nervousness. I don't really see too much of a purpose for them in the story other than character interaction and characterization, and sometimes causes for plot events. (I lean more towards being a character-heavy than plot-heavy person 3;).

So for you, character growth out weighs the need for plot?

A. Natalie's (Natalie from Iwaku World) behavior is the aftermath of the sadness caused by the trauma that she has gone through in her life. Her aggression is a manifestation of her fear of being further hurt and her shyness towards new people.

Have you ever considered for a different reaction to such a fear, other than lashing out?

B. Amelia (Kazeyama) represents my tendency to latch onto shyness and nervousness. She's constantly day-dreaming to get away from the people around her, and because of her power, she's (near) deathly afraid to speak to people.

So for you, and Amelia, latching or being clingy to such feelings have a tendency to make you withdraw from social interaction?

I mostly see pros in latching onto certain emotions. They allow you to characterize your own character, and possibly even others indirectly. It can also enhance the overrall tone of the role play. Even if a person's post goes against the overrall tone of the role play, that's fine as long as it is what their character would act like. I'm sure there are probably cons, but I can't really think of any at the moment that I can argue plausibly.

With logic aside, what initially comes to mind for a con, and this is even if it doesn't make sense.

I'm usually very emotionally detached from my characters for some reason, but at the same time my characters are usually some facet of my personality, all of my characters are in a way me essentially in one way or another. So I guess they are all my emotions wrapped into a shell of none of my emotions.

So are you hinting at your characters having a fraction of all of your emotions, or would you say you invest them fully?

A lot of the time when I finish writing for any of my characters the facet of my personality that they are created from is closest to the surface so I actually end up having a similar attitude to what the post was.

So for you, if you can feel it, then so could they, and vice versa?

I think the pros are that you can really explore your character and have their interactions with others and the world they are in more genuine and realistic but the other side of that coin is that they can become really attached character and should the character either die or the story end they can have this sense of being cut off that could be potentially bad :/

So in other words, someone can become addicted to a fantasy world, and take things that happen to their character in a manner that suggests it happens to them?

 

[Karsikan the Berzerker]

I've noticed that a lot of your characters focus on being the tell tale baddass killer or have a strong trait for it. Is this simply because it's something that your familiar with, and comfortable writing about, or are you trying to take a single idea, and branch it out in order to explore other routes that one can take in character exploration?

Something Like that, I'm fascinated with two types of story, defying expectation, and the path of redemption. It forces the character to do something, often times the complete opposite of what you'd expect from his archetype. In a way it's a sort of protest from my DnD days when most of the party played a class and not a character, these sheets didn't last long though.

Except for paladins, they're pretty much stereotypical when I play them....aside from the fact that they're all atheists.

 

[Diana]

Have you ever gotten that caught up in a character at any given time? If so, then what made this character especially important, or special enough to allow yourself to feel as such?
Yes. D: All the time. It usually happens during a really good emotionally dramatic scene, during a moment where me and other players can post/play back and forth and keep up that momentum and emotion. Chat rping especially. I just get so IN to the moment that I'm feelin' it. t__t


But in all seriousness, Diana... Isn't any character that we write, a part of our self either in mind, or spirit made physical? Do you deny that though you, and your characters are not the same person, that if an altered light... you could possibly be if things in life had been different?

I do deny it. Not for ALL characters, mind you. Some characters are definitely extensions of myself, or could be alternate versions of me. But I also like to try and play characters that I would NEVER be like. An attempt to experience someone else's perspective, if you will. >:D They would only exist as a part of my creations, not as a part of my personality.

 

[Acquariana]

So for you, character growth out weighs the need for plot?

At least for my own characters, yes. I tend to not like getting my hands all up in the plot because I don't wanna mess it up for other people.

Have you ever considered for a different reaction to such a fear, other than lashing out?

*Points at Amelia* Yes. I have also considered withdrawal, which leads on to the next question. Keep in mind though that plot-wise Natalie mostly served as a plot device of sorts, so lashing out would be more likely to get said plot device to do its job.

So for you, and Amelia, latching or being clingy to such feelings have a tendency to make you withdraw from social interaction?

Simply, yes. But not to as much of an extent as Amelia. While I do tend to latch on to such feelings, they don't always make me withdraw from social reaction. Also unlike Amelia, I have friends that I don't get those nervous, shy feelings around.

With logic aside, what initially comes to mind for a con, and this is even if it doesn't make sense.

Not really contributing much to the plot, unwanted RP drama, distraction, stuff like that basically.