(no subject)

[sideways]

Just as the universe tries to repeatedly reinvent crabs, every three years or so I seem to be compelled to build myself character directories. It's a little bit pointless given I so rarely document anything about them in public spaces these days, but hey, it's fun, and if I ever do decide to chatter about someone it will be nice to have a central reference point.

As I line the vidya ducklings up, I keep thinking of a YouTube video syntheid linked me to a while back, in which the presenter discussed his preferences for RPG games with a set protagonist versus those that hand the player a blank slate to fill in themselves: "Roleplaying in Video Games (and why I barely do it)". I am someone who loves building characters out of blank(ish) slates and have broadly socialised in circles who often make a very involved experience out of it, so it was interesting to see this other perspective so well-articulated, and he makes some solid points even if I can't relate to every single one of them. (If you want your character to connect with and grow through the main plot then simply don't... make a character who has no reason to engage with the plot and/or will constantly fight against it? To also use The Outer Worlds as an example, I went in with a fairly bitter, entitled, and self-centred character, so I knew I needed her to have a reason for her to do anything for anyone else and slam-dunked a personal investment in rescuing the frozen colonists into her backstory. It dragged her through enough of the early quests that she started learning from those experiences and generating more involved interests and opinions in what was going on, and lo there grew a character arc directly linked to the main storyline.)

Still, he's right about the self usually sneaking in. I know what I like, and there's not much sense in denying myself fun just for the sake of artistic integrity - though there is sometimes fun in deliberately trying different things! I'm unlikely to ever play a truly mean or cruel character because I just don't enjoy it, and there's usually a slant towards similar themes: bonds and fetters, running away (and turning around), dealing with expectations. The gameplay shades things in, and I am a distance fighter whenever I can manage it so almost everyone else is too. I also apparently like short, consonant-heavy, gender-ambiguous names. Whatcha gonna do. 

I get enough variety out of the experience all the same, and while there are plenty of exceptions (I'm a big fan of Tales from the Borderlands and The Wolf Among Us, for example) I prefer it when RPGs allow me to participate in the fundamental character design and craft their narrative in my head as much as on the screen, especially in an open world setting. I'm not out there imagining backstory events and offscreen conversations for Fiona or Bigby the way I am someone I've named, statted, and selected traits for myself; I view them as characters I'm discovering, not creating, even if my decisions significantly influence their behaviour in the narrative. In contrast to the fellow from the video, I find that a more passive roleplaying experience than the one where I'm actively carving out a mindset through which to view the world.

Comments

[nyctanthes]

every three years or so I seem to be compelled to build myself character directories. It's a little bit pointless given I so rarely document anything about them in public spaces these days, but hey, it's fun, and if I ever do decide to chatter about someone it will be nice to have a central reference point

I do this too!

[sideways]

Oh ho! Do you have one lying about? Because I also love reading them.

[nyctanthes]

I posted that and realized that I probably do different character directories than you. Someone (melannen?) posted a while back about the 3 points of character. The 3 things that make a character recognizable to you. If they're not there, you get pulled out of a fic. I did it for some of the Stranger Things characters I was writing about (I think I posted them on tumblr? This was more than a year and a half ago) and it was fun/useful. I also did it retrospectively for the long fic I wrote in my tiny fandom of me + my readers. That got quite detailed. (I can throw it up on my journal if you want to read any of them, but no worries if it's not what you were referring to/not in fandoms of interest.)

How do you define them/what fandoms have you done them for?

[sideways]

Ohhh! I have seen those meta/memes around before, and participated once myself in something adjacent with some Destiny characters - but no, that's not what I was referencing haha. It's rather charming to think of them defined as character directories, though... I guess in a way that's what they are? And I agree it's a useful exercise!

The directories I was referring to were more a table of contents for directing people to things about a character, usually an original creation who can't be otherwise Wiki'd.

[alaterdate]

I enjoyed reading this!
I used to play RPGs the same way as the guy in the video. I wouldn't roleplay blank slate characters. I would just "play as myself" and select choices I thought I would do if I were in that situation. This was until I got super into Dragon Age.
One day I wanted to try playing an "evil" character and finally play out the other options I never picked in my handful of playthroughs (yes, I had been picking the same exact choices each time lmao). Of course I had to invent a character for this scenario. What I ended up with was one of my favorite PCs ever. He didn't end up being completely evil because as I progressed through the game with him he developed more nuance than a "pick the bad option" machine. I really couldn't just be mean to everyone and If I wanted to do "nice" quests I would, and gave him a reason for it, which helped develop his character even more. I loved him and the experience so much that I couldn't go back to not RPing blank slate characters!

I agree about playing set characters being the more passive RP experience. I can make up inner lives for them, but that's something I'd do more outside of the game rather than while I'm playing it. When a character comes into my hands with a hard motive and personality already established the choices I make more affect them than they affect the choices.

And what's a character directory? I'm guessing a masterpost of character biographies? Sounds interesting.

[sideways]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I think I've always been inclined to "get into character", but I admit I like to try and get the good ends too, haha. Like yourself, it wasn't until I had a go at a less noble character that I really picked up on how fun it could be! Did you not-quite-evil character end up growing in a way that felt satisfying within the overall narrative?

It's def hard to make up inner lives for a set PC while you're playing when the game could feed you contradictory info at any moment. To use the example of Geralt from the Witcher, we can decide how stab-happy he's feeling, but we can't decide anything about his upbringing or even whether he has a shellfish allergy.

And what's a character directory? I'm guessing a masterpost of character biographies?

Pretty much exactly that! I've tried collating in-depth biographies before, but that's a labour of real love, ahah. Aiming simpler this time: a short brief and some handy links.

[syntheid]

whether he has a shellfish allergy

Mostly tangential but this reminds me of... I was just looking for resources on what, in BotW, to make to eat vs what to sell, and accidentally found that while it's not exactly canonical that Link is vegetarian, there's a subset of people who basically play Link as a vegetarian. And part of this is for practical purposes, because meat dishes sell better than veggie ones, but some people are just choosing their own preferences or imagining it to be his preferences. Which I guess you could, to some degree, do with Geralt on the food question specifically because that is a consumable item (and also make some decisions about what sort of clothes he likes or whether or not he likes to have a beard [even though book Geralt canonically does not] or whether he drinks heavily or only water), but it does only go so far.

[sideways]

Yeah - and obviously people can and do make up ample headcanons about existing fictional characters given that's how fanworks get created. But as you say, it only goes so far.

[alaterdate]

Did your not-quite-evil character end up growing in a way that felt satisfying within the overall narrative?

I'd say he did. It was really more down to game mechanics to than the narrative pushing him. You can still win the game by being all bad, but the consequences along the way aren't particularly appealing to my playstyle.
My character ended up liking the people he picked up in his party (cuz I didn't want to lose all my companions, I was playing a glass canon after all) so he had to reign in his indifferent attitude to some of his decisions. I like the idea of him not necessarily regretting his past actions, but realizing what a nasty domino effect he was making and resolving to not be so extremely callous in the future for everyone's sake (including mine).
But change is so hard :^) All the "nice" quests he did were begrudgingly, or he convinced himself it was "a favor for a favor," but really he was becoming more of a SOFTIE. So, within that game he went from the rest of the world having no meaning to him and only doing the main plot because it also directly affected him (end of the world and all), to genuinely wanting to save people/complete the main quest, even if he may still do it in his less than savory way.
He grew in a way that let him fit well into the narrative (and keep helping people/doing quests), but also left him open to making more bad decisions in the DLC, lol.
And his story is not quite over, which is why I got into writing fanfiction xD

whether he has a shellfish allergy

Hilarious! This, the video, and syntheid's comment about Link has really gotten me thinking about using the inventory and consumables more as part of character development. Like keeping items in the inventory for sentimental reasons even if it takes up valuable space. (In Dragon Age 2 Aveline gets mad at Hawke if you sold her original shield lol.) Or a character who won't drink potions they found in random chests because eww.
The only time I've kind of done so is when I first played Pillars of Eternity and stole every single book in the world I could get my hands on dropped them off in my library back at my base. It was a real strain on the inventory, but it was part of my character's religion. (At least he imagined that's that Wael would have wanted him to do lol.)

+Looking forward to your directory, I do love reading about people's characters even for games I've never played.

[sideways]

Awwww ye! \o/ I'm guessing this is Lachlan Surana, based on your icon choices? Figuring out how a mentality is shaped by the events of the game is SO much fun.

I've def used inventory items in an RP sense before - smokers aren't allowed to sell cigarettes, addicts aren't allowed to keep a stash of their drug of choice, sentimental items for sure. Outfits that aren't the best armour choices but fit the aesthetic :P Love the book hoarder as a dedicate of Wael omg.

[alaterdate]

Yeah, Lachlan! I actually got some art commissioned of him a bit ago by Jessadilla. So ofc I made DW icons lol.

Oh, wearing weaker armor for the aesthetic is always a must! And yeah I loved my Pillars of Eternity character, Priest of Wael was so fun. Also I saw your PoE character is a priest too, best class.

[sideways]

THE best class... especially since you get to ditch Durance heh heh >> It was also very funny playing a Priest of Eothas given er. Everything that was going on.

That art is amazing.