|
Post by Tout-Perd on Sept 19, 2008 16:17:27 GMT -5
Before Prime jumps out of his seat in joy at the consideration of the topic, let me clarify. This is not a discussion of moving our standards around on it. Instead, it's a question of how much "Author Appeal" is put into our characters.
As in, how attractive to you, on a physical level, do you tend to make your characters? I'm probably not the best one to start such a discussion, as most of my characters are blatantly far from the lowest common denominator of attractiveness. (Thyra's aknowledged as being somewhat pudgy, even compared to the average girl, though more of a stocky build than anything, and Natalie has only an average figure, with a bit too much muscle for most men's tastes, etc.)(Maude is probably the closest I come to standard, or maybe Helen, both of whom have decent figures and attractive personalities.)
Still, though, it could be said that most of my female heroes tend to fit into the types of girls that I'm attracted to, and thus, it seems that almost all of their personalities, bar Nat, who was planned as a villain initially, are the types of girls that I've been drawn to throughout my life. I suppose that since I'm more of a personality/face guy, I tend to emphasize those aspects heavily (Thyra and Maude are said to have very large, innocent eyes, and Helen's smile and expressiveness are mentioned very often.) Yet again, certain characters are exempt from this, like Flora Isobel, who was my take on Kevin's kind of characters (thus her physical prowess, authority, and maturity), and Natalie, who is such a girl of action that half of the time, her body works better for expressing her emotions than her face does.
As for male characters, though I rarely describe it, I tend to see most of them as fairly average looking. Zebedee is a rather humble looking guy, not very cute and with only traces of handsome, while Miko is more towards a standard of attractiveness, although I've been trying to play it down a little by envisioning his features as somewhat harsh looking. Joseph is blatantly non-attractive, mostly of his own volition. Tsubota is supposed to be that one guy that everybody knows who is kinda cute in a loser sort of way, sweet but always in some kind of jam, so he's decent looking, I guess.
My two guys that I see as being really handsome are Abatis (with his weird eyes either emphasizing such, or contrasting it) and Pablo, who is described as being built like a miniature Greek god, yet again, to contrast his small stature and emphasize his drive to succeed.
So what do you all think of such matters in relation to yourself?
Do you, following the typical style of RP as a wishful existance, create characters that show what you want from life? Or do you blatantly go the opposite way, instead trying to fight that and remove the author's intent from the writing you craft? I think that delving psychologically into the writers here is something that we have done far too little of.
|
|
|
Post by Beelzebibble on Sept 19, 2008 16:28:11 GMT -5
You're right -- we HAVE done far too little of that, and even though RP Discussion is already my favorite board I can only see it improving with topics like this one.
The running gag involving Terrian's constant introduction as a "dashing, attractive young man" probably suggests to many that I have this Gary Stu image of him as a total dreamboat whose very glance makes ladies swoon, but really I just think he's a good-looking guy, and the "dashing, attractive" reiteration is only meant as a joke unto itself.
Rhometer looks about ten and Charles Tanner is in his early sixties, so they're both on the fringe ends of physical attractiveness, but I have no doubt Rhometer is cute in a boyish but maybe slightly off-putting way, and I suspect Charles Tanner was handsome in his prime.
Laksha, fourteen, is naturally only beginning to grow into her beauty, but I have no doubt, either, that she's on track to be sufficiently pretty in her adult life.
wow i didn't realize how hard this would be to answer possessing only one character out of four who falls within the usual rp age range
also i'm waiting for someone to register disappointment that this topic doesn't concern sexual orientation
|
|
|
Post by hermes on Sept 19, 2008 17:24:12 GMT -5
My only two concrete examples are Prime and Diamond. Prime is a carbon copy of me, when I was younger and I had sparring partners. (Meaning not a trace of fat and a lot of visible muscle.) I'm not so concerned with appearance, as with ability in male characters. Generally, I have them average looking but with destinctive features that might set them apart just a little.
For Diamond, she had an athletic figure with a little more definition in her muscles than is normal for a girl, but I admit to finding that attractive. I wouldn't call her a heart stopping beauty, at least not to anyone else. Diamond is fairly average looking, but she his sharper eye's and a slightly upturned nose. I'm attracted to most women because they have one feature, or facet, that I find appealing. Be it the way they carry themselves, the shape of their lips, how they laugh or smile, ect. So I gave Diamond two of the unique features that I like.
I do admit her breasts are the stuff of most mens dreams, but I've never really looked into the tittalic measurement system, being somewhat neutral towards it myself, so those were the only measurements I really knew.
On the personality side of things, Diamond can be terrifyingly merciless in combat, and tender and loving to a flaw outside of it. I'm not sure what my ideal woman would be, cause I've never met her, but I am fond of woman with personalities like this.
As long as they're straight forward about things. If they twist words like most women, I'm likely to reach for the mute button.
|
|
|
Post by Yoshimitsu on Sept 25, 2008 12:01:29 GMT -5
Attractiveness is generally not something I consciously think of when designing a character. I tend to go with what I think would look cool on someone - Yoshimitsu has blue hair and blue eyes, for example, as I think that someone with shortish, spiky blue hair would look pretty cool. Vincent, as a second example, has messy, medium length black hair because I saw that on people IRL and thought that looked alright.
I tend to envision all of my characters as thin. I think that's more because I, personally, am rather thin and stuff like that tends to translate into my characters. All of my characters are thin, generally quite tall, but with something resembling muscle definition. The first two of those are true for me, the third being what I aspire to have.
As far as female characters go, I tend to base them around friends, and I do tend to have attractive lady friends. That said, the last female character I made was Alexxia and she was just meant to be a female, more stylish Yoshimitsu who wasn't superhuman.
Then, the attractiveness fits in. Yoshimitsu and Vincent, as far as I'm concerned, are moderately attractive. They're not overwhelmingly so, hence no crowds of screaming fangirls/boys/mice, but not underwhelmingly so that they'd be easily dismissed. The sort of looks that would warrant a second glance and a minute or so of staring at them. Sai Koro, who I've used for one post so far, isn't meant to be attractive though - he's supposed to look as though he's refusing to die.
Yoshimitsu also has scars all over everywhere, so that probably makes people stare at him.
A lot of the attractiveness depends on the character themselves. Yoshimitsu and Vincent are supposed to be confident, generally happy and laid back people, so they look decently attractive. Alexxia is supposed to be a laid back, kind-of party girl looking to shine, so she's perhaps a shade below attractive. Maybe pretty? Sai Koro, like I said, is a necromancer and hence I was clichéd and made him look partially undead.
|
|
|
Post by V101 on Sept 27, 2008 14:20:36 GMT -5
Rofl, if I hadn't been scamming all on ch00b's profile, I would never have seen this topic. It is like so classic!
|
|
|
Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 19, 2009 10:54:42 GMT -5
OP didn't mention how absurdly good-lookin' Blaise is. Yes you will never be able to go back now that you posted that "Casual Blaise" picture. My mental image of her Took A Level In Hottie.
|
|
|
Post by ch00beh on Aug 19, 2009 11:43:50 GMT -5
You people and your underwhelming beauty. Julia is pretty enough to get by in life by just flirting, she just chooses not to.
|
|
|
Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 19, 2009 12:12:51 GMT -5
Shame Kevin never showed up to balance out all the "Yeah, they're decently good-looking, but not overwhelmingly attractive"s.
|
|
|
Post by Hamuu on Aug 19, 2009 13:05:02 GMT -5
I never contributed to this topic?!
Amiila was the first female character I ever created and her physical appearance was based on my 6th grade math teacher who I had a major crush on back in the day. So yeah, she was so a MILF.
Ally's physical looks were based on a combination of two girls (my own age this time) I had crushes on. Currently though her look have slightly changed as she has descended into evil insanity. She's become much more curvaceous.
Mia is original. She's basically a plain Jane. Her chest isn't very big, she has curves, a pretty face, doesn't wear make up, and various other plain looks and tendencies.
Sly is at times a blue centaur-deer, an aged older man, and a dinosaur... I only find the dinosaur attractive.
Rick is based on me if I wasn't 150 pounds overweight and I was ripped. As such Rick is sexy.
Merlin is very much an attractive man, he just wears very puffy blue robes which make him look ridiculous.
And Jonas... NO.
|
|
|
Post by Loogs on Aug 21, 2009 8:36:36 GMT -5
Hector is supposed to be amazingly hot and (no lie) have a large dick.
Vathale has an hourglass figure.
I think I'm the guiltiest of all here.
|
|
|
Post by Kuroboom on Aug 21, 2009 17:06:06 GMT -5
I think I'm the least guilty Kuro looks fairly standard. I'm sure he could be looked at as being handsome in a ruggish kinda way, but he isn't a bishi or anything. He is pretty well built though. Rain looks worn from his youth. He might be seen as cute in some of his personality traits, but he's not a pretty boy. He'd blend into a crowd fairly easily and has a string bean type physique. Karcharos is a man-shark. He stands out a lot, though I doubt anyone who wasn't a zoophile would find that all that sexy. His hair is luxurious though, it's just I doubt anyone could get past the grey skin, red eyes, and teef. Scar is not pretty at all. He's a beast of a man and is littered with scars like a cat is littered with fur. He's a huge dude and covered in muscle, just not disgusting body-builder ones. Jackie is the most attractive character I have. I based her off of my wife, to be honest. My wife keeps her hair short and it's black at the moment. She was 118 when we started dating and was very quiet. Funfact: I made her my wife's age but to compensate I had to put her birthyear one prior to my wife's. The reason I picked the date of birth? That's when we started dating.
|
|
|
Post by Loogs on Aug 21, 2009 18:53:50 GMT -5
She was 118 when we started dating and was very quiet. I definitely interpreted that as 118 years of age at first. That was hilarious.
|
|
|
Post by Yoshimitsu on Aug 21, 2009 22:07:18 GMT -5
God, Steph, you make me feel better about my RPing. At least my characters aren't Mary Sues appearence wise.
|
|
|
Post by Kuroboom on Aug 21, 2009 23:44:11 GMT -5
I don't mind pretty characters as long as they don't sparkle.
|
|
|
Post by Loogs on Aug 22, 2009 10:35:51 GMT -5
Elliot, I am hot. There's no Mary Sueing to be done here. Everyone should be attractive except for certain cases cause no one likes an uggo. Actually, if anyone's guilty of that it's you. Isn't Yoshimitsu just an imaginary extension of you?
|
|
|
Post by Kuroboom on Aug 22, 2009 13:23:15 GMT -5
Attractiveness is all subjective. I find myself to look plain, but my wife thinks I'm quite handsome. I don't agree that everyone should be attractive though. I'm reminded of something I heard a long time ago. I've lost the exact wording of the quote, but it was something to the extent of: "If you lived in a world where everything was green, there would be no color. Shock and moral outrage such as color depends on comparison for its existence."
So if everyone was beautiful, they'd all be quite plain.
|
|
|
Post by Hamuu on Aug 22, 2009 15:59:58 GMT -5
He's got a point, we've all seen pictures of me and know I am probably one of the least attractive guys on here.
Yet I still managed to land a girlfriend who thinks I'm cute and attractive.
|
|
|
Post by Tout-Perd on Aug 22, 2009 16:04:50 GMT -5
Don't read too much into this, but I'd say you both are fairly attractive gentlemen. Not "HUNKY", but if I was a girl, I'd consider either of you decent enough.
You don't know ugly unless you live in Western NY. Just ask any of the other people around here. Jamestown is like a pit of ugly. (Well, Blood and L^2 and I all aren't bad looking either, but if you look at the people wandering around... *shudders*)
|
|
|
Post by Yoshimitsu on Aug 22, 2009 20:33:09 GMT -5
Elliot, I am hot. There's no Mary Sueing to be done here. Everyone should be attractive except for certain cases cause no one likes an uggo. Actually, if anyone's guilty of that it's you. Isn't Yoshimitsu just an imaginary extension of you? If you say so~ Like I said earlier in the thread, I don't intentionally make my characters look blatantly attractive. Actually, I don't think I've ever described them as attractive, just given their general appearences/clothing and such. That's actually one of the reasons why I keep my characters' relationships between just my characters. It makes more sense when I'm writing just what they find attractive about each other and such. (Also, stuff like that is CONFUSING when more than one RPer is involved and it just pops out of nowhere >.>)
|
|
SV
Friendliest Member of ALL TIME
The Friendliest Member Of ALL TIME
Posts: 2,250
|
Post by SV on Aug 23, 2009 1:18:43 GMT -5
Don't read too much into this, but I'd say you both are fairly attractive gentlemen. Not "HUNKY", but if I was a girl, I'd consider either of you decent enough. I'd agree, sure. I'd go as far as to say that all the Exy consists of a rather attractive bunch of people. Yay, go us. All bein' good-looking and stuff. =] As far as being on topic goes, I'd say all my characters are what I would consider attractive but none of them are omfg-bang-you-on-the-spot hot. Which I s'pose is the consensus here. But really, face it. Plain people are NPCs. =/
|
|
|
Post by Kuroboom on Aug 23, 2009 1:25:29 GMT -5
Welcome to Corneria!
|
|
|
Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 23, 2009 9:25:00 GMT -5
I like swords!
|
|
|
Post by Tout-Perd on Aug 23, 2009 18:40:49 GMT -5
*sigh* Times are tough...
|
|
|
Post by ch00beh on Aug 23, 2009 19:29:50 GMT -5
Yeah you do.
|
|
|
Post by hermes on Aug 24, 2009 14:33:24 GMT -5
Well I'd argue the attractiveness comment. I'm definately no angel, especially when I'm out sparring. I tend to look damned, what with the giant grin splitting my face in two. But that aside, I do agree that Bulbs is a good looking guy, same to Kuroboom.
Also how can Pohatu like swords when he has not a single character that uses one?
|
|
|
Post by Yoshimitsu on Aug 24, 2009 16:18:24 GMT -5
Is it bad that my impossibly weird standards don't find people here attractive? I appreciate their aesthetics, but they're not appealing to me.
Not to say you're NOT attractive, just that you're not attractive to me, personally.
Also Pohatu stole the Bahamut Blade.
|
|