I'm building a new character for 3.0, which will become my Au Ra. I'm running into a bit of a wall without much Auri or Othard lore to help flesh out the character. Until then, I'm keeping things pretty general, starting with what I can know about her, which is personality, and how I want her to behave. I like to play my characters as consistently as possible, allowing for the inevitability of change.Â
Then I'll frame her formative life events to fit that personality, or events that I think suit her. I think in a way that I work best backwards when it comes to creating characters or telling stories. I like to have an idea of my near-end product first. When I'm painting, I also have a mental vision of what I want the final to look like. I just work towards it one step at a time, self-correcting as needed.Â
I think that we, as people, are essentially characters ourselves. I'm not filling a role, I'm not in a book, but I am none the less, a construct. I've been shaped by life events, my genetic dispositions, culture, etc. I do not exist in a vacuum. So, I know that my roleplay characters can't either. This is why I find lore to be important, but its part of a larger gestalt. It will give me part of the how my character came to be who she is, and I'll start playing her at the point in her life that I can have the most fun with her.Â
Also, once I know the rules, I can also break them. I can play against type if I want to. That's the beauty of it. As Tim Gunn says, and I paraphrase, "Make it work," and "Own it." Authenticity is a word that's been thrown around a lot. I personally think sincerity is far more powerful. I'm sincere in my reasoning, and my choices, and so long as others are sincere with their characters and their efforts, then I'm happy, and I'll be happy to role play with anyone.
Then I'll frame her formative life events to fit that personality, or events that I think suit her. I think in a way that I work best backwards when it comes to creating characters or telling stories. I like to have an idea of my near-end product first. When I'm painting, I also have a mental vision of what I want the final to look like. I just work towards it one step at a time, self-correcting as needed.Â
I think that we, as people, are essentially characters ourselves. I'm not filling a role, I'm not in a book, but I am none the less, a construct. I've been shaped by life events, my genetic dispositions, culture, etc. I do not exist in a vacuum. So, I know that my roleplay characters can't either. This is why I find lore to be important, but its part of a larger gestalt. It will give me part of the how my character came to be who she is, and I'll start playing her at the point in her life that I can have the most fun with her.Â
Also, once I know the rules, I can also break them. I can play against type if I want to. That's the beauty of it. As Tim Gunn says, and I paraphrase, "Make it work," and "Own it." Authenticity is a word that's been thrown around a lot. I personally think sincerity is far more powerful. I'm sincere in my reasoning, and my choices, and so long as others are sincere with their characters and their efforts, then I'm happy, and I'll be happy to role play with anyone.
