BingTheWing

It's A Long Way To The Top... (Band RP)

Is there any room still? I’m thinking of doing an audio engineer/lighting technician/alt bassist. :D

Best way to make an in depth character

It's difficult to invent a realistic, complex character completely from the depths of your own mind. What a lot of writers find easier to do is to take inspiration from real people. Real people already have their own backstories and experiences much deeper than any psychologist could take down in full. The thing is, when you inject even the outermost characteristics of these real people into your work, the very existence of these characteristics existing within your character already implies the existence of the complex backgrounds behind them as well. If you know someone in real life who is depressed, and you inject their simple real-life traits that show they are depressed into your work, your character immediately becomes more believable just by relying on certain characteristics that already have presupposed, predetermined underlying causes behind them. This is much easier than trying to understand and build upon your own idea of a depressed person from scratch. No amount of imagination is a substitute for reality. Truth is often stranger than fiction.

Also, you may have heard that adding flaws to a character makes them more believable and therefore better. It's a good start, but don't just stop there. A character is not defined by a list of 'good things' and 'bad things' about their personalities. A character, especially for RP purposes, is defined by how their interactions shape the world and how other people view them. The impression of 'good' and 'bad' traits is an arbitrary imposition of morals. What is a flaw for a certain situation could be a redeeming trait in another. What I find better as a character-builder is a list of their own set of morals and how they would react to certain situations. The rules (or lack thereof) that a character imposes upon himself or herself defines how they will interact with other RPers, and that's the more important thing in RPs. These rules can clash, develop, or be destroyed. Remember, the best stories usually advance a character and not necessarily a plot.

Thy Fearful Symmetry [Lovecraftian WW2 Battle of Britain RP]

@Dusty I'm very sorry, but I am taking a break from RPing for the moment. You can still use the concept for your own RP, just make sure to credit me.

Thy Fearful Symmetry [Lovecraftian WW2 Battle of Britain RP]

My character's up, guys. IC coming in a few days.

EDIT: I understand that I am RPing a character with a mental condition. If you feel that I somehow misrepresent or disrespect said condition in my writing or through my actions, feel free to contact me.

Thy Fearful Symmetry [Lovecraftian WW2 Battle of Britain RP]

Shay Doncliss

"Get the bloody hell outta my way, mate."

Name: Shamus Gordon E. Doncliss
Rank: Squadron Leader
Serial Number: 885-796-43
Date of Birth: June 7, 1913 (falsified by guardian)
Place of Birth: Melbourne, Commonwealth of Australia
Physical Appearance: 5'10, thin black hair, gaunt, lanky yet muscular frame of about 150 lbs. Dark brown eyes.
Aircraft: Spitfire
Callsign: Ghost Leader

Psychological Evaluation:

Subject is generally cold, calculating, and self-serving in nature. He holds a subdued disdain for authority, and finds it difficult to establish long-term personal relationships with his peers. Subject exhibits several symptoms of moderate clinical psychopathy, including a lack of empathy for both friend and foe and difficulty in experiencing or expressing emotion. However, subject does not pose an immediate threat to comrades.

Subject is not especially patriotic nor holds treasonous political views; in his own words, he ‘just flies the plane’. Subject’s goals in life are to mainly rise through the ranks in the service and gain more flight victories.

Subject barely believes in a God and does not think He is omnibenevolent. His personal outlook on the universe is one that is heartless, ignores humanity, and has no sense of justice or closure. When asked about a certain code or mantra that governed his being, subject indicated that the closest things he had to such a mantra were the writings of Charles Darwin and his theory of natural selection. Subject did not believe virtue had any place in the universe and the highest characteristic of a human being was his will to survive in a ruthless existence.

When questioned on the existence of aliens, subject remarked on the futility of man in his exploration of the stars when he has not even conquered the depths of his own mind. In his own words, “if they’re out there, why shouldn’t they be down here?”

Subject is more than able to comprehend non-Euclidean geometry and was able to attain a class of AA-3 in the written examination.

Subject appeared to have a minimal reaction to the graphic and harrowing mental stimuli, and offered theories onto the possible origin of the pictures to potential real-world happenings. Subject was soundly rebuffed, though he may hold his own doubts.

As a clinically diagnosed psychopath, subject does not appear to have any irrational fears or phobias. However, through induced hypnosis, subject expressed a slight discomfort with being totally abandoned, physically or socially. Though he dislikes close relationships with people, he finds using them to his own advantage the optimal method to ensure his own safety.

History:

Shamus Thenn was born to unknown parents in Melbourne, Australia in June 1913, and abandoned at Christy Warner Memorial Orphanage a few days after his birth. When he was eight years old, he was adopted by Gordon E. Doncliss, a local fishery owner, who changed his new son’s surname to his own. Although Doncliss soon grew to become a modestly respected upper-middle-class Melbourne businessman who ensured that his six children attended private schools, Shay was a bit of an oddity. All throughout his adolescence, Shay was expelled from several schools, frequently got into physical fights with his peers, engaged in minor criminal offenses like pickpocketing and vandalism, and was remarked on by a private tutor ‘to be destined to have no respectable station in life’. Gordon seriously threatened to have his son sent back to the orphanage several times, and on one occasion it almost worked, if not for Gordon’s quick thinking of an alternative - the military. Gordon Doncliss was an officer aboard a dreadnought in Gallipoli and decided that the regimen of military life would beat some sense into his prodigal son. As a gift on his eighteenth birthday in the summer of 1931, Shay Doncliss was enlisted into the Australian Navy.

Shay did particularly well in basic training and showed affinity for mechanical maintenance and repair of equipment aboard ship, gained from a childhood spent on the docks of Melbourne and occasionally accompanying his father into routine business inspections. Shay also had severe discipline problems and was kicked out for assaulting a drill instructor, but not before being advised to pursue a career in a different branch - the air force. Shay joined the Royal Australian Air Force in the winter of 1932 and quickly gained a reputation as a skilled, yet ruthless and vicious fighter pilot. Shay was transferred to the UK in preparation for Project Turin in 1939.

Thy Fearful Symmetry [Lovecraftian WW2 Battle of Britain RP]

I am so sorry for the abominable wait, guys. IRL work is drowning me right now.

Our opening IC post will be at RAF Carrington. You lot will probably be in the mess to get breakfast and acquaint yourselves with each other before a routine training exercise.

Thy Fearful Symmetry [Lovecraftian WW2 Battle of Britain RP]

Alright, I'm back. Making my own CS now.

Roll call?

Thy Fearful Symmetry [Lovecraftian WW2 Battle of Britain RP]

@PrinceAlexus @CaptainBritton Accepted.

I will be rather inactive for the rest of this week, and I apologize. Maybe you guys could start brainstorming character story arcs?

Thy Fearful Symmetry [Lovecraftian WW2 Battle of Britain RP]

@PrinceAlexus

Can you be more specific regarding his beliefs? "He is open to change" is a bit vague. Try saying things like "he is fascinated with the existence of aliens" or "believes that all religions point to one god" or something like that. His interest in Eastern beliefs could play a big part in this. Also inject personality into it - is he cynical? Patriotic? Foul-tempered? CSes are supposed to be descriptive, after all.

Also go into more detail with his background. I could certainly see how a life in an orphanage could make or break you, but elaborate a little. Did he get into lots of fights with his peers? Was he rebellious or actively questioned authority? It is also worth mentioning that orphanages back then (and even now) were potential hotbeds of abuse, whether it be physical, verbal, sexual, etc.

Lastly, I'd encourage you to fix up your English syntax a little - there are many misspelled words in your CS ('apecept' twice in a row?). I'm not that strict with posting requirements, but at the very least make your writing easy to read.

Thy Fearful Symmetry [Lovecraftian WW2 Battle of Britain RP]

Will be offline for three days, sorry about the wait. I would like to reiterate my need for a co-GM.