Way too Familiar Faceclaims

[Cresion Breezes]

How do you guys feel about faceclaims that are not familiar to most people but to you, ie someone you personally know, or a character from a more obscure series that you happen to know?
I had 2 instances, one is more creepy where one of my irl friend's Instagram photo was used in a smut RP, she was 16 at the time which is extra creepy, but she does look very adult-like so I don't think (at least I hope) that the person wasn't intentionally being creepy.
Another one I had which made me rage quit was someone using an art FC of a character from an online game, that I happened to play for like 4 years, who was the boss fight for a level that I farmed 1000+ time, which made it basically impossible for me to see the character properly again.

 

[Astaroth]

Oh man, I'd definitely be upset if someone used my IRL friend's picture in a smut RP. I don't know where that was, but if anything like that happens here (unlikely as it is to happen again), you would just need to have your friend ask us to take it down. People have legal rights over how their image is used unless they've specifically signed it away.

Things like that are why I only use images of celebrities or models, or stick to artwork. Using random people's selfies is a little weird to me, especially for a smut RP. It's different when it's someone who puts their image out there professionally.

 

[Sidhe]

OH MAN. Way back in the day, when everyone was using scene kids as their role-play face claims, I, too, was a ~scene kid~. A scene kid who was apparently cool enough to be used by people as a role-play face claim.

You guys it's so weird and uncomfortable lol. Given that I was 15 at the time, I sure hope no one was using them for a smut RP. I stick with celebrities and models now, if I use a photo as a face claim; most of the time I stick with artwork.

 

[Diana]

Goodness, I am not a fan of people using normies for their photos. Especially since so many people blur the line between reality and roleplay. O: Extra especially if those normies don't know their photos are being used for stuff like that. It starts feeling creepy, even if the moment was innocent.

I also prefer using celebs and models photography. They're people who are using their face to make a living, and they know their photos are out there all over the internets being using for everything under the sun.

I've never been bothered by someone using a faceclaim, but I do laugh a lot when people use a really famous one for a kind of character that I have a hard time seeing that actor play. Too many giggles!

 

[Astaroth]

I'm not going to lie. I used to feel REALLY silly about using recognizable actors as faceclaims and insisted on using art or no images at all. But Diana and I started playing together, she liked faceclaims so I went along with it, and I eventually got used to it. Now it's kind of fun even, because it's like picking your ideal person to play the character in a screen adaptation.

 

[King]

When it comes to face claims, I prefer using people who are making money off their face uno ?? Models, actors,,, public figures who know they're faces are all over the internet. If you're using some rando you found on instagram that's kinda wild to me lmao.


I also really see my writing in like,,, TV or film mode in my head rather than a novel, I see the face claims acting as my character, not as a the person themselves,,, makes it a lot easier to use famous people 8)

 

[Ardent]

Jesus. Regular people selfies are no bueno. I definitely prefer to use models/actors as face-claims. I think I'd be grossed out if I saw an IRL friend's pic being used in a roleplay (smut or otherwise).

Other than that... yeah, I'm not a big fan of familiar FCs, either. When I say 'familiar' I mean way too recognizable celebrities like, iunno, Vanessa Hudgens or something. It's not a dealbreaker, though. I just won't use them myself. :P

 

[Kitti]

My opinions are on par with everyone else, I try to specifically select someone who intentionally sold their image for faceclaims. I don't do faceclaims much, though, usually only if that's the expectation for whatever roleplay I'm signing up for, just because it feels a little odd to me to put myself in their shoes and imagine people writing stories using my face.

 

[Obsidian Miscreant]

Prior to settling here I was on a site that almost solely ( a mandatory condition for most groups there ) used real faces for writing. Mainly famous celebrities, actors, models, etc. Everywhere I went the very same faces were used time, and time again to a ridiculous degree. Because of that I very much do not like to engage in roleplays where real face claims are an option. Not only that, but as someone who loves high fantasy settings I don't enjoy how limiting real faces are if I wish to play any/everything aside from human. Humans are boring, and real life faceclaims can never get as close to that physically "fantastical" visual that art is able to achieve.

 

[PoetLore]

I cannot imagine using a friends selfie to role play. I could never create a truly original character because I'd feel confined to what I knew of that person. So yeah, pass thank you. I do like professional shots as mentioned above but I've been known to google image search for someone 'normal' looking too. Hard to find that guy down the street from the million head shots in hollywood where all the men are chiseled to perfection and all the women are flawless...or airbrushed to be so. *smiles sweetly*

 

[Summer]

This had thankfully never happened to me, but it's exactly why I'm so insistent on not using "realistic" faceclaims. It's always been weird to me for some reason. The same is true for using famous folks as faceclaims. Not to mention how I also find it a little odd how some people want to ship their OCs with celebrities, YouTubers, or k-pop idols, but I try not to judge.

 

[Blind Hemingway]

since i am a hack fraud that doesn't like using real humoon beans photos at all. I am a weeb and still just use non-popular animu face claims.

 

[Quetzal]

I'm not a fan. I used to prefer anime. But now I prefer artists who make the characters at least somewhat realistic. I think those are good go between. But honestly I sometimes just don't bother with it all together. Just write out their description. Everyone is gonna interpret it with their imagination anyway.

 

[Space Cowboy]

Celebrities, actors, singers, models, etc. are images out there for our consumption. Their job is to BE images. So as far as I'm concerned, they are free use and I have no problems.

Normies, though? Up to and including instathots? That's just... weird. It's one thing to maybe include yourself, but your friends or someone else's friends... I'd just be all, BYE FELICIA, and wonder wtf their problem was, personally, because that's borderline issue right there IMO.

 

[Leucothea]

As someone who uses real people for face claims, models, kpop idols, etc. I understand where that face thing becomes an issue because it's limiting for people who do roleplay fantasy and such. I personally have no issue with it, because like most here said, they are getting paid to have their face out for everyone. It's their face being used and it can always be modified to the player's liking via writing etc, I think my branch for that ends when it's a celebrity, or for example an actor that's being used but it's not left to be creative. Their character's height, weight, voice etc, is that of the actor they are using as the fc and less of an actor who in reality is only 5'6 but a character using their face who is 6'3. If it's just the face being used, I dont have an issue putting that face to a character as long as that's all the real life person contributed.. their face. If that makes sense.

But honestly if it wasn't brought up to me that they were using real facts from the actor as well as the face, I'd be none the wiser.

 

[Queenslayer]

I never have this issue myself because I hardly ever use IRL faceclaims. This is because most of the time, the guys look too pretty and "done-up" and the girls have pounds of makeup on (most of my female characters aren't beauty gurus).

Regardless, I do find it annoying when people use EXTREMELY popular celebrities for their characters. Celebrities that you can't go a week without seeing on TV or online or in some 5 second commercial.

I can't count on my fingers how many Lucy Hale's I've seen running around.

 

[fish-writer]

It was really jarring for me after my 10 year RP hiatus to see so many people using/requiring face claims at all. I used to do, like, three paragraph descriptions of my characters, and I used to think it was cheating to use pictures. XD

But I've used real-person face claims for my last four? or so? characters, and it was kind of fun. I like face claims that aren't super well known (A-list and popular TV actors) so I've been using professional models. I just have a hard time dissociating the real person/character they portray with the face. It would really freak me out to accidentally use someone as a face claim who was just posting selfies on the internet for funsies, and I'd be pretty grossed out to see myself or someone I knew. :X