RP tips

[Black Philip]

Hey so I\'ve noticed that with the exception of cowboyblone and realworldwierdo most interactions between my characters and others end in hostility. While I\'m fine with this in certain cases, I would like to form more lasting character bonds on here. I\'m proud of how far I\'ve come as a writer, and I owe a large portion of that to EO and Dee yelling at me. (Thanks girls!) However, moving forward I\'d like to find out what it is I do that upsets so many characters. I read over post after post and do not find the things I write very hostile or offensive, yet the people I write with often do. I\'m autistic in real life, a fact I don\'t think anyone but Matt knows. Perhaps there is an element of human culture I don\'t understand because of that? Perhaps it\'s something else. I have no difficulty forming lasting bonds in the real world so it can\'t be that. I just need a little help moving forward. I enjoy playing with all of you and want to have several more RP\'s, but before I go any further I\'m hoping you guys can give me some tips to improve my character interactions. Post them here if you want to help. I\'d greatly appreciate all the tips you awesome writers have to share. Thanks.

Billiam

P.S. This is not me throwing a pitty party. I have great confidence in my ability as a writer.  In fact, I\'m working on a book that I\'ve just shown to author Sideny Offit. He told me that it reminds him of a young Kurt Vonnegut. I nearly died when I heard that. This is just me trying to improve my RP skills.

[Saccharin]

From the detailed rules for roleplaying in Infusco:

Keep in mind that not every  character is going to adore your character. Do not take it on a personal  basis. The best of friends in real life can have characters that hate  each other’s guts. This is not a reflection on you or your roleplay.  Enemies of your character can be fun too. If your character gets a  reaction that you’re unhappy with because you had huge plans for the  roleplay to go a certain way, don’t argue, just deal with it. Roleplay  is interactive. That’s supposed to be the point.

I\'d also like to point out that just because you don\'t interpret your character as doing something hostile or offensive doesn\'t mean the character yours is interacting with won\'t. The reason you\'re encountering hostility with everyone but RWW & CB\'s characters might be due to the type characters they have.

For example, a character who wasn\'t shown much physical attention as a child might react negatively to your character approaching them and wrapping them up in a big bear hug. Vomas would most certainly stiffen and try to withdraw as soon as politely possible if he was embraced in that manner. Halwyn, on the other hand, would likely try to get a good grope in while he was in such a prime position to do so.

It\'s a character thing, not a player thing.

[Trillian]

Thanks Saccharin, well pointed out.

On a more specific level, if this is regarding Jake, it could be his presumptuousness and arrogance turning characters off, but you shouldn\'t change his reactions or dialogue if this is how he\'d really act.  His bossy know-it-all superior manner really works for the Oligarchy.  The Oligarch before him (Declan) was a real asshole, so I\'m sure Jake in contrast doesn\'t seem that bad to people in the know (such as Kerr or Quin, who I have yet to drag out).

You\'ve also got to remember there are a lot of extreme style character personalities on here.  There\'s very little middle ground.  Reactions will usually be written as very offended, very scared, very lusty... Not many members are interested in the subtleties.

An idea for your character making friends is to put them in a situation where they need help from a stranger, or are going to help a stranger.  Usually this forms quick bonds with characters.  An idea; maybe it\'s raining heavily and your character needs a brolly, or they have one and they see a very wet person that needs one.  Failing that, your character can also pick someone up in a bar for companionship ;p

[Existentially Odd]

I also believe that your autism makes it difficult for you to pick up on the subtle body language cues that we write into our characters\' narratives - and, alternatively, when you write something in your narrative about an action you think is regal that you see is perfectly acceptable but my character sees it as arrogant and bossy - so you\'re missing the subtext.

Your characters also have a bad habit of talking far too much and not letting anyone get a word in, making me feel like I\'m sitting there being lectured because the talking goes on and even if you say \'please\', you\'re still telling the other character what you think, not allowing input.  By the time we get a chance to say something, there\'s a resentment in the character that they\'ve been forced to sit there through three paragraphs of dialogue and ten of narrative - and that\'s a very long time in roleplay world!

In short: get better at having your characters observe body language to gauge others\' feelings and tread more carefully; talk less and listen more.

[Trillian]

If everybody talked less and listened more, I think the world be an EXTREMELY different (better) place.  I know I personally would be a better human being.

*shuts up*

[Existentially Odd]

Oh hush, woman!

[realworldweirdo]

Yay, I got a special mention!

One of the reasons your and my characters haven\'t had huge clashes (although, as I recall, Conner and Jake got into a fistfight, or very nearly, in Conner\'s first thread ever) is because I don\'t play characters with you that I think will clash like that. I\'m mostly interested in larger-scale rivalries that are actually about something, rather than petty squabbles. Jonathon and Jake, for example? They\'d hate each other. Straight off the bat. Mostly because they\'re similar in pretty much everything except motivation and ethics. Mario and Jake we\'ve barely played together, but it\'s hard to not get along with Mario. Conner was actually created with compatibility with Jake in mind; you helped me create him. Even Orias, though, would have issues with Jake in some pretty real ways.

Part of it is that Jake (which is mostly who you play) is abrasive to a lot of character types and characters in certain situations. It takes some time to appreciate Jake as a person, character-to-character. Benny\'s a dick, so of course he\'s going to be met with mostly hostile reactions. Bryant can be abrupt and judgmental. Haven\'t really seen Lisa-Joe in action, but she seems like a hardass with a girly exterior.

Point is that your characters are very intense and up-in-your-face. There\'s nothing wrong with that, but a lot of people (especially more reserved vampires) are going to get turned off by that. Some of them are extremely wealthy; I know that Orias would be uncomfortable just being in Jake\'s apartment because it would seem extravagant to him. Conner took a while to adapt to being around a political player without freaking out, so there\'s that. Mario would dislike Lisa-Joe because she\'s too intense. I think they would all hate Benny, but that\'s kind of the point of Benny.

I also agree with Satyr and EO. You shouldn\'t change your character to make them more likable in-setting. Perhaps they\'ll notice people generally dislike them and grow to change it, but don\'t just change it all of a sudden. Also, about your autism, I\'ve talked to people who watched you and came into contact with your social circle in high school (Brian, James, etc). What I gathered is that sometimes you have trouble understanding why people draw lines and moderate certain things. Not all things - just certain fine points. Now, I\'d definitely keep that for Bryant because that\'s part of him, but I notice Jake does it sometimes too.

Anyway, I\'m noticing that we haven\'t had a Conner/Jake thread in forever. Also, Parallel hasn\'t been touched. I\'m thinking maybe Parallel thread?

[Saiketsu]

Personally, Billiam, I like your writing style. I enjoyed the thread with Nikolai and Lisa-Joe, I had a lot of fun and I felt as though what Nikolai did was all in character -- which was a bit of a feat for me. I think that the thread went successfully in the sense that something was accomplished, stakes were set, and there could be some kind of a relationship in the future.

I simply designed Nikolai to be that kind of character who has the tendency to burn bridges, sever ties and tellspeople to fuck off. The situation that Lisa-Joe and Nikolai happened to be in was in no way ideal for creating, let alone maintaining, any kind of positive relationship. I foresaw that it was going to be a problem and personally, that\'s what I wanted for Nikolai at that exact moment. He typically has no concern for how others feel, so he often says things that are extremely out of place in polite company.

If that same thread would have been with Damien or Pierre, Lisa-Joe would have had some kind of a partnership thingy going on. Nikolai is just a good old antagonist! Trust me, I know how his attitude can be a pain in the ass.

[CowboyBlonde]

I agree with Saccharin. It\'s a character thing not a player thing...in my opinion at least. and EO had a good point about the talking thing. although i dont recall that being an issue during our roleplays but I can understand where she is coming from.  

[Harlequin]

People tend to create characters that have some kind of social flaw that keeps them from getting along with everybody – mainly because it\'s kind of boring to write. I just tend to take those social awkwardnesses to the extreme, in the form of, say, intense impulse-control issues (Morgaine) straight-up antagonism (Chance) stoicism and violent tendencies (Ami), social anxiety (Vivi), or, well, being eight feet tall (take a guess!).

So, with the exception of Sabrina, most of my characters – if they initiate interaction at all – don\'t do so with the intent of making friends. They either want something from other people, or to do something to other people.

So I can definitely see them not getting on with yours. XD once again, with the exception of Sabrina.