Viewpoint What you cannot stand in characters?

[ashwynne]

I’m just going to suggest that if the meaning behind the name is never mentioned in the RP/story.... it being eerily on the nose doesn’t matter. It can be as simple as something the author puts in for themselves and their own enjoyment.

I mean... how many times do any of us actually google the names of characters to discover the meaning behind them? Like, I don’t even see how anyone would know that the meaning is symbolic without googling it and if that’s a length someone goes to then I’d say that’s on them haha.

If they ARE beating you over the head with it within the RP then I think that’s a problem. But as long as they aren’t outright naming the character “Beautiful Saint,” or mentioning it constantly, I don’t think it should be an issue.

 

[Melpomene]

Yeah, I agree. A name being a bit on the nose in regards to symbolism is fine, even if it seems contrived.

I mean, to be fair, Aethel means noble in old English and guess what a lot of nobles named their kids? Aethelred, Aethelfed, Aethelwulf, Aethelstan, Aethel- you get the idea. So a beautiful princess with a name meaning "beautiful princess" probably wouldn't be seen as uncommon

So I would agree that as long as you aren't constantly mentioning that their name means something, and you like that name, it is fine.

 

[Jannah]

In one of my RP's I'm playing a German dude named Edmund Baumhauer. Nothing extraordinary about it. It's just, well, a name. Names don't need to be special or unique. It's the character's personality that should be standing out if they're well-written and thought out.

 

[Melpomene]

In one of my RP's I'm playing a German dude named Edmund Baumhauer. Nothing extraordinary about it. It's just, well, a name. Names don't need to be special or unique. It's the character's personality that should be standing out if they're well-written and thought out.

I agree with that! The personality is always the most important part of a character no matter what the name is. I just think it is equally valid to have a name that is symbolic as it is to have a name that isn't. Both can work in their own respects. But if someone likes a symbolic name for their character more than one that isn't, more power to them. If they don't, then more power to them still.

 

[Jannah]

I agree with that! The personality is always the most important part of a character no matter what the name is. I just think it is equally valid to have a name that is symbolic as it is to have a name that isn't. Both can work in their own respects. But if someone likes a symbolic name for their character more than one that isn't, more power to them. If they don't, then more power to them still.

I think symbolic names can work in certain situations, like if a character is at the heart of a prophecy or something.

 

[rae2nerdy]

I mean people do put thought into naming their children. It’s not outside of the realm of possibility for parents to pick names that have symbolic meaning to THEM.

From naming the kid after dead relatives, names around some kind of theme, or even naming the kid based on the personality they think they’ll have.

I mean sure the personality thing is a bit of a gamble but if you say have your characters names after literary characters or flowers that’s fine. It’s something real parents might use as a template.

I personally find naming conventions helpful for keeping things straight in my head. I usually work out a mini family tree for my characters that at least included their parents and immediate siblings. And having some kind of theme to work with helps me keep people’s names straight in my head.

ex. The Irons name their kids using popular 18th Century family names.
The Pembrokes favor animal names
The Vervains like flower names
The Dustins names all have to do with justice/law.

And so on and so forth. heck sometimes I just pick a letter and have everyone’s name start with that. it’s a little silly but I can at least keep the family in mind without having to write down extensive notes.

 

[CecilDMMasters]

Let's not forget shy and every other time blushes constantly.

It does get old when ten posts into an RP it's clear a character's entire personality is represented by one or two traits. And those traits are going to be most replies. It's never added on. Because the other person doesn't put much thought into it. Because that's their thing, The freeze up and blush all cutely, your character should notice.

So, they blushed. Did they blush from shame. Mild anger? Flat out embarrassment. A severe skin condition that needs to be addressed? Can you give some other indicators of emotion and body language so my character knows they are feeling some sort of emotion or should he find them dull or rude and walk away as they didn't answer?

 

[defenderofberk]

Honestly, this is more of a story/writing problem than a character one, but characters that act completely cretinous and then expect the world to fall into place for them.

If this was part of their personality, it wouldn't be so bad. But it's when the writer throws the character into blatant danger and expects things to all go smoothly even when it forces the other characters to be OOC, it gets irritating.

(I know this is basically a Mary Sue rant, but it's buggin me right now)

 

[BackSet]

If I have naming themes or meanings they're accidental.

I once wrote a Pokemon fanfic where every original character and Pokemon was named after a greek god. I didn't even realize it until someone pointed it out.

 

[CecilDMMasters]

Honestly, this is more of a story/writing problem than a character one, but characters that act completely cretinous and then expect the world to fall into place for them.

If this was part of their personality, it wouldn't be so bad. But it's when the writer throws the character into blatant danger and expects things to all go smoothly even when it forces the other characters to be OOC, it gets irritating.

(I know this is basically a Mary Sue rant, but it's buggin me right now)

Some friends I had called this "The paladin has to kill the baby" logic. Based on an epic-ally bad RP they were in once that I fortunately missed. I've ended RPs for this a number of times. I'm up front that I RP in order to get in my characters heads. And if they have to be out of character to make a plot move because my partner wants to be a jerk then frankly it's not fun.

 

[JokerValentine]

Let's play a game called "Boring BINGO."

A concept at the very least, but hear me out. I bet I can think of 25 common traits that I put in a lot of characters and try to avoid now, or have seen a lot of before. Here's a couple I'd put on:

*Parents died when they were really young tragically
*Everyone picked on 'em when young but they're just misunderstood
*An image describes their appearance and personality more than the character sheet
*Copy and pasted from another roleplay entirely

A character is boring if you can connect 5 in a row from a character sheet.


In short, what I find frustrating is just a lack of originality and repetitiveness. Nothing unique or interesting. I can say this because I am the #1 worst offender of all of the above.

 

[Delinquent]

Copy and pasted from another roleplay entirely

I don't really see the inherent issue with this. Surely, if an rp is similar enough to another one that you can copy and paste an old character (assuming it fits the setting, naturally), why shouldn't you do it?

I mean, it's not like a character automatically gets boring if you've used them before.

 

[JokerValentine]

I don't really see the inherent issue with this. Surely, if an rp is similar enough to another one that you can copy and paste an old character (assuming it fits the setting, naturally), why shouldn't you do it?

I mean, it's not like a character automatically gets boring if you've used them before.

You're right, you can use a character more than once, and by all means recycle concepts. It's a problem for several reasons for myself. First, it's the issue of how I define character. I think that a character is an individual, and that it should be in a specific canon. If we import them to different canons, then which one is the true incarnation. Next, I consider it to be lazy sometimes. True, he or she fits, but the problem is that we've come into the roleplay with a character that is from another world, so to speak. It's not created for this world from scratch, it's from beyond the world. Third, I think that sticking with the same character recurrently restricts roleplay growth. Personally, I try to approach each roleplay as a way to try something new, build something new, something like that. I try not to import the same characters because then I'm just stuck with the same character that I'm doing over and over again. It's especially annoying on the receiving end, for say if you roleplay with a certain friend, who each and every time for different roleplays provides the same character over and over, it does get boring, because I can expect certain things I'd rather be surprised by.

 

[ashwynne]

You're right, you can use a character more than once, and by all means recycle concepts. It's a problem for several reasons for myself. First, it's the issue of how I define character. I think that a character is an individual, and that it should be in a specific canon. If we import them to different canons, then which one is the true incarnation. Next, I consider it to be lazy sometimes. True, he or she fits, but the problem is that we've come into the roleplay with a character that is from another world, so to speak. It's not created for this world from scratch, it's from beyond the world. Third, I think that sticking with the same character recurrently restricts roleplay growth. Personally, I try to approach each roleplay as a way to try something new, build something new, something like that. I try not to import the same characters because then I'm just stuck with the same character that I'm doing over and over again. It's especially annoying on the receiving end, for say if you roleplay with a certain friend, who each and every time for different roleplays provides the same character over and over, it does get boring, because I can expect certain things I'd rather be surprised by.

This puts my feelings on recycled characters so eloquently that I have to quote it and comment on it simply because I agree so strongly.

For me my only notable exception would be if a roleplay has died but I really loved the character (especially if it happens early on). I MIGHT then recycle the character elsewhere but even then I don't usually feel great about doing that. Just feels like it cheapens their existence somehow if they live in so many universes.

 

[JokerValentine]

This puts my feelings on recycled characters so eloquently that I have to quote it and comment on it simply because I agree so strongly.

For me my only notable exception would be if a roleplay has died but I really loved the character (especially if it happens early on). I MIGHT then recycle the character elsewhere but even then I don't usually feel great about doing that. Just feels like it cheapens their existence somehow if they live in so many universes.

It takes away from their realism, for me. Like, they're supposed to be real, but if we're taking them and yeeting them to universes other than where they were created, what are they? Maybe it's all what people feel about roleplay overall, or what their philosophy on it is for themselves.

 

[Melpomene]

It takes away from their realism, for me. Like, they're supposed to be real, but if we're taking them and yeeting them to universes other than where they were created, what are they? Maybe it's all what people feel about roleplay overall, or what their philosophy on it is for themselves.

Yeah I agree. While I had recycled characters when I first began roleplaying, I don't do it anymore. The only time I have is when I have a sequel roleplay and that characters comes in cameo.

It is just a disservice to the character otherwise.

 

[ashwynne]

It takes away from their realism, for me. Like, they're supposed to be real, but if we're taking them and yeeting them to universes other than where they were created, what are they? Maybe it's all what people feel about roleplay overall, or what their philosophy on it is for themselves.

Agreed. Each of my characters feels like a distinct person to me and I can't bear the thought of lobbing them from here to there all willy nilly. Some people clearly enjoy doing just that though. I guess I can sort of see how "same character in a different situation" might be interesting but it's not my cup of tea. It also cheapens the experience for me if I have a partner who does it. For example... if our characters are falling for each other while their character is ALSO madly in love in three other universes I'm not going to be able to buy the relationship xD

 

[still watching fma]

All I hate is a lack of effort.

 

[BackSet]

Copy and pasted from another roleplay entirely

I mean... I recycle characters all the time... for specific purposes.

I have this one character who I've used in... shit I'm not sure how many roleplays... but long story short, he started out in one roleplay that crashed and burned right after we reached page two so a few months later I started a different roleplay and then transferred him over there cause I liked him and didn't get to develop him enough. And ever since I've only ever used him when rebooting the roleplay I transferred him to. It fit because both roleplays were magical girl roleplays so it wasn't that hard to make a few small adjustments and then plop him in there. He's developed a lot since, though, so the current iteration of him is much different than how I originally made him.

Then basically every other character I've reused is in reboots and sequels so... yeah I guess that's the outlier. Maybe I don't do it all the time and it just feels that way because all I really do is reboots nowadays.

 

[Crayons]

I only have a problem with recycled characters in the following circumstances:

1: Player only has one character that they use for everything, they slightly adapt it, but they never play anything except this one thing. Same/similar name, appearance, back history, personality, but maybe in one RP she's a magical girl, in another RP she's a space scientist, in another one she's a ninja, etc.

2: Character is being used in more than one RP simultaneously.

Otherwise, the way I see it is this: I have put a lot of thought and energy into making a character. If they never get to see the light of RP because it dies before first post, or I've only got to play with them for a couple of posts, there's no way I'm wasting all that effort by just ditching that character because the RP ended. I made that character and by god I'm going to use it.

What I don't do, is wholesale copy/paste characters from one RP to another. I adapt them, and use them in similar kinds of settings. They always have a bit of work done on them.

I just can't stand making an awesome character and not getting to use them for something. I always make them with room for development and I want to see what happens to them, even if it's not the RP I originally made them for.

 

[BackSet]

One additional thing is that the new version of the character I transplanted is what I consider the definitive version since I've used him in all three reboots and have never rebooted the rp he originally came from.

 

[Jet]

I don't recycle characters, but the only issue anyone should have with someone else recycling is if the character is clearly out of place. I've seen characters transplanted into RPs that they have no business being in. It falls to the writer to properly tailor the character to the new universe and sometimes they do not do this. They just 1 for 1 copy and paste the character and it's obvious they don't belong. The reason I invoke the "issues other people should have" thing is that we really shouldn't care too much so long as other characters work in the setting. Thinking less of writers for transfering a character and falling short of purist expectations isn't an ideal.

Personally I don't do this ever, for me the character exists attached to the world they were born into. I hold myself to that standard because that's how I want to operate. But if someone else is less a purist and just wants to write as character #28 then whatever man, write as #28, but work to fit them in realistically, don't copy paste.

 

[BackSet]

This kind of reminds me of the discussion that might have happened here or might have happened in a different thread about a person who played beyonce. They didn't have Beyonce as their faceclaim, they were playing actual Beyonce. Even if the setting wasn't right for it, Beyonce.

 

[Crayons]

This kind of reminds me of the discussion that might have happened here or might have happened in a different thread about a person who played beyonce. They didn't have Beyonce as their faceclaim, they were playing actual Beyonce. Even if the setting wasn't right for it, Beyonce.

Playing real people as characters is just wrong.

 

[BackSet]

Playing real people as characters is just wrong.

Yeah but it was hilarious. We began discussing movie ideas where everything was a perfectly normal movie but every so often beyonce would show up and then leave and nobody would comment on it.