Post by ۞ KAT ۞ AKA Red Viper on Jun 27, 2008 5:53:54 GMT -5
A character description is just that. It is a written description of what your character looks like, smells like, sounds like and or even feels like. It is what your TRP/MyRolePlay description SHOULD BE. In the DESCRIPTION area.
A good description covers all the senses and opens the door to more 'walk up' RP. Since people OOCly can 'see' what the character looks like and note anything that their character may find interesting about them and make them possibly want to meet them.
When posting your characters description here (hell anywhere), USE DETAIL.
This is NOT the board for long involved histories of a character. This one is. :P
So often when people write descriptions they are often bland and lacking dimension. Sure they say what the character LOOKS like, but there is so much more that meets the eye then just what meets the eye. People have more senses then just sight. A good description remembers that fact.
______________________________
Remember The Senses (it also helps you to better get to know your character):
Touch: Is their skin smooth, dry, rough, scaly.. etc Is their hair thick, fine, coarse, silky.
Smell: What do they smell like? To determine this what are they around most? Do they smell of the ocean where they like to fish, of coconut suntan oil because they are in Booty Bay a lot? Maybe they just smell like sweat because they are always toiling so hard. Many many possibilities.
Sound: Do they have a raspy sound when they breath? What does their voice sound like? Soft, high pitched, deep... reference a real life person in brackets to help give the reader a better idea.
And then the Physical Description:
Body type (Gender, race and what your character does may help determine the following)-
3 Basic Body Types
Mens Body Shapes
Female Body Shapes
Measurements: This is mostly for female characters. It's not to be crude, just to offer a more accurate idea what your character looks like, since when you look at a woman you can tell if she has small boobs, huge boobs, no ass etc.
Height, weight- do they hold more weight in some places then others? Broad shoulders, thick legs, maybe they are skinny; lanky. Is one arm more muscular then the other?
Posture: How do they carry themselves? Slumped shoulders, fidget when nervous- or anything else?
Hips, chest, waist, ass- all self explanatory describe what assets your character has- or does not.
Face:
Face Shape
Eye color- eye placement (are they close together, far apart?) Big, small, thick lashes or sparse. Possible glasses, monocle? Eye twitch?
Nose- hawk like, flat, long, button, pointy, pinched- what shape is their nose. A nose in some cultures is a very defining feature on someones face.
Lips- Full, thin, chapped, smooth, always being chewed on, or sucked on , maybe pursed in thought. Are they dark, pink, blue- what color?
Chin- cleft, pointy, round?
Distinguishing Marks/Items:
Here is where we get down to adding the finishing touches. Though please note, if they are not openly visible- DO NOT INCLUDE THEM. Keep it private for the time when it may come up for the person with your character to notice them. Just to look at Jane Doe one wouldn't know she has a whole back piece of Stormwinds Crest- or that little butterfly tattooed on her right ass cheek.
Keep private markings, items, whatever, private.
However, if they have a tattoo, scar, birthmark, etc somewhere naturally visible, yes indeed, include that in great detail.
Additionally, if they have any defining jewelry like a wedding ring, necklace, teddy bear- whatever on their person that someone could notice include that as well.
__________________________________________
Examples:
BAD: Character is as the avatar appears. (Are you even a role-player? Can you write? Where's the proof?)
BAD: Bob is seven feet tall, has scars all over his body. (Ok, you very briefly covered one sense, there are four others you're missing.)
GOOD: Bob has an Oval body shape, lacking any real muscle definition. His robes seem to fit tight around the middle and shoulders. What skin that is visible looks a bit dry, littered with liver spots; finger tips rough and cracked, sometimes baring black ink splotches. There is a bit of flaking on the cloth of his shoulders. His hair is a muted shade of mousey brown, pulled back into a careless ponytail that is secured with a black ribbon that looks old as the hills.
He smells like human sweat, mingled with a fine wine only found in Dalaran.
When he speaks his voice is somewhat nasaly and loud. (Think Peter Griffin.)
To see Bob walk, one notices he more shuffles along than actually walks, hinting that perhaps his left knee may be sore or something.
His eyes are half an eye length too far apart, and squinty. If one got really close to notice however one would find they are the most striking shade of teal the iris framed by an almost white erratic circular border. His nose is rather large and somewhat bulbous flecked with red ruptured blood vessel dots and black heads. The man is always smiling, his thin lips peeled back away from perfect white teeth, the shape of his jaw accentuating the cleft in his chin.
Hanging off his robe in his pack one can note quills and books poking out, along with various bulges below that could be flasks. On his back is an old gnarled staff that looks like it should have rotted and turned to dust long ago, yet glows with an odd blueish energy.
On his left hand's ring finger there is an old gold band that looks like the skin is trying to slowly engulf it.
___________________________
Bob's description is relatively short, BUT covers all important details well.
What NOT to DO... EVER Please...
Do not explain things IN the description. People mean well when they do this, but what you are (maybe)unwittingly doing is cluttering your otherwise great description up with HISTORY or stuff that others should be finding out themselves through RP. Save that for the other tab and RP! Areas in GREEN are examples of things that should NOT be in a description area. The average person looking at Bob would not be able to know these things... and the reader trying to see what Bob looks like may become frustrated and stop reading and move on.
Example.. back to Bob:
Bob is 5'7 and has an Oval body shape, lacking any real muscle definition, because his studies as a mage keep him far back behind the danger line whenever possible. His magics also allow him to teleport and ''Blink' ahead several feet at a time making his exercise routine pretty lacking. His robes seem to fit tight around the middle and shoulders. What skin that is visible looks a bit dry, littered with liver spots; finger tips rough and cracked, sometimes baring black ink splotches. He is getting up there in age, and spends a lot of time digging in the dirt for herbs that makes his hands dry. When not digging in the dirt he is working on alchemy scrolls and sometimes get more of the ink on his hands than the parchment. There is a bit of flaking on the cloth of his shoulders due to a lot of personal neglect and a bad case of dandruff . His hair is a muted shade of mousey brown, pulled back into a careless ponytail that is secured with a black ribbon that looks old as the hills.
He smells like human sweat, mingled with a fine wine only found in Dalaran. Since his wife died he developed a drinking problem, and began to spend more of his time in the tavern than working which also added to his weight issues.
When he speaks his voice is somewhat nasaly and loud. (Think Peter Griffin.)
To see Bob walk, one notices he more shuffles along than actually walks, because he fell and twisted his knee while coming out of the tavern one night drunk as a skunk. Weighing as much as a baby manatee ensured inertia would mess him up good- and it did.
His eyes are half an eye length too far apart, and squinty, something he has always hated his father for giving him. If one got really close to notice however one would find they are the most striking shade of teal the iris framed by an almost white erratic circular border, which his mother gave him, but he hates his mother as well since she beat him when he was a young lad and those pretty eyes were always bloodshot and screwed up with anger so he generally avoids ever looking in reflective surfaces thinking it's his mother coming to get him again. His nose is rather large and somewhat bulbous flecked with red ruptured blood vessel dots and black heads. The man is always smiling, his thin lips peeled back away from perfect white teeth, the shape of his jaw accentuating the cleft in his chin. He is smiling because he is a very friendly man to close friends who really take the time to get to know him and was told once it is fun to mess with other peoples minds, because if you're always smiling it makes them wonder why you are so happy. Even if you are not on the inside due to deep rooted childhood issues and poor genes.
Hanging off his robe in his pack one can note quills and books poking out since he is an herbalist and alchemist he always needs to have something to keep records on handy and take samples if required. Some of the flasks contain his favorite wine to help him through the day. On his back is an old gnarled staff that looks like it should have rotted and turned to dust long ago, yet glows with an odd blueish energy because it was magically touched by a powerful dragon that day he went into a dungeon and heroically, accidentally sneezed casting a powerful spell that happened to shoot and kill the main boss that had been keeping the dragon hostage.
On his left hand's ring finger there is an old gold band that looks like the skin is trying to slowly engulf it. It is from when he was married. He loved his wife so much he just never took it off. Now with sausages for fingers and blood flow issues he just hasn't had the heart to try and get it cut off since it can no longer be easily slipped off. He really doesnt like metal cutters, though, so he tries to avoid them. And the smell of burning metal gives him hives which he needs a special salve for that costs a lot.
On his good days he is someone you want to be around, but on other days you better make sure he has that favorite wine or he will get very violent with you and possibly even puke all over you and periodically morph you into a sheep for his amusement.
_________________________________________________
So.
Are you possibly looking at your currently profile right now thinking OMG... i've got Bobs profile! That's ok, because now you have the information to enable you to edit it up a little bit correctly.
Details are great when they are pertinent. If your character is super friendly, that's great! But let people who RP with you determine that for themselves. If you want to explain WHY your character may be an insufferable grouch, save that for the history area OR let people find out in the RP.
A character description should just be bait to lure other players in to play with you. and give them the tools to refer to your character correctly.
If anyone would like me to look over your description and help trim it down and make it really shine, don't be shy to ask i'd be happy to help.
A good description covers all the senses and opens the door to more 'walk up' RP. Since people OOCly can 'see' what the character looks like and note anything that their character may find interesting about them and make them possibly want to meet them.
When posting your characters description here (hell anywhere), USE DETAIL.
This is NOT the board for long involved histories of a character. This one is. :P
So often when people write descriptions they are often bland and lacking dimension. Sure they say what the character LOOKS like, but there is so much more that meets the eye then just what meets the eye. People have more senses then just sight. A good description remembers that fact.
______________________________
Remember The Senses (it also helps you to better get to know your character):
Touch: Is their skin smooth, dry, rough, scaly.. etc Is their hair thick, fine, coarse, silky.
Smell: What do they smell like? To determine this what are they around most? Do they smell of the ocean where they like to fish, of coconut suntan oil because they are in Booty Bay a lot? Maybe they just smell like sweat because they are always toiling so hard. Many many possibilities.
Sound: Do they have a raspy sound when they breath? What does their voice sound like? Soft, high pitched, deep... reference a real life person in brackets to help give the reader a better idea.
And then the Physical Description:
Body type (Gender, race and what your character does may help determine the following)-
3 Basic Body Types
Mens Body Shapes
Female Body Shapes
Measurements: This is mostly for female characters. It's not to be crude, just to offer a more accurate idea what your character looks like, since when you look at a woman you can tell if she has small boobs, huge boobs, no ass etc.
Height, weight- do they hold more weight in some places then others? Broad shoulders, thick legs, maybe they are skinny; lanky. Is one arm more muscular then the other?
Posture: How do they carry themselves? Slumped shoulders, fidget when nervous- or anything else?
Hips, chest, waist, ass- all self explanatory describe what assets your character has- or does not.
Face:
Face Shape
Eye color- eye placement (are they close together, far apart?) Big, small, thick lashes or sparse. Possible glasses, monocle? Eye twitch?
Nose- hawk like, flat, long, button, pointy, pinched- what shape is their nose. A nose in some cultures is a very defining feature on someones face.
Lips- Full, thin, chapped, smooth, always being chewed on, or sucked on , maybe pursed in thought. Are they dark, pink, blue- what color?
Chin- cleft, pointy, round?
Distinguishing Marks/Items:
Here is where we get down to adding the finishing touches. Though please note, if they are not openly visible- DO NOT INCLUDE THEM. Keep it private for the time when it may come up for the person with your character to notice them. Just to look at Jane Doe one wouldn't know she has a whole back piece of Stormwinds Crest- or that little butterfly tattooed on her right ass cheek.
Keep private markings, items, whatever, private.
However, if they have a tattoo, scar, birthmark, etc somewhere naturally visible, yes indeed, include that in great detail.
Additionally, if they have any defining jewelry like a wedding ring, necklace, teddy bear- whatever on their person that someone could notice include that as well.
__________________________________________
Examples:
BAD: Character is as the avatar appears. (Are you even a role-player? Can you write? Where's the proof?)
BAD: Bob is seven feet tall, has scars all over his body. (Ok, you very briefly covered one sense, there are four others you're missing.)
GOOD: Bob has an Oval body shape, lacking any real muscle definition. His robes seem to fit tight around the middle and shoulders. What skin that is visible looks a bit dry, littered with liver spots; finger tips rough and cracked, sometimes baring black ink splotches. There is a bit of flaking on the cloth of his shoulders. His hair is a muted shade of mousey brown, pulled back into a careless ponytail that is secured with a black ribbon that looks old as the hills.
He smells like human sweat, mingled with a fine wine only found in Dalaran.
When he speaks his voice is somewhat nasaly and loud. (Think Peter Griffin.)
To see Bob walk, one notices he more shuffles along than actually walks, hinting that perhaps his left knee may be sore or something.
His eyes are half an eye length too far apart, and squinty. If one got really close to notice however one would find they are the most striking shade of teal the iris framed by an almost white erratic circular border. His nose is rather large and somewhat bulbous flecked with red ruptured blood vessel dots and black heads. The man is always smiling, his thin lips peeled back away from perfect white teeth, the shape of his jaw accentuating the cleft in his chin.
Hanging off his robe in his pack one can note quills and books poking out, along with various bulges below that could be flasks. On his back is an old gnarled staff that looks like it should have rotted and turned to dust long ago, yet glows with an odd blueish energy.
On his left hand's ring finger there is an old gold band that looks like the skin is trying to slowly engulf it.
___________________________
Bob's description is relatively short, BUT covers all important details well.
What NOT to DO... EVER Please...
Do not explain things IN the description. People mean well when they do this, but what you are (maybe)unwittingly doing is cluttering your otherwise great description up with HISTORY or stuff that others should be finding out themselves through RP. Save that for the other tab and RP! Areas in GREEN are examples of things that should NOT be in a description area. The average person looking at Bob would not be able to know these things... and the reader trying to see what Bob looks like may become frustrated and stop reading and move on.
Example.. back to Bob:
Bob is 5'7 and has an Oval body shape, lacking any real muscle definition, because his studies as a mage keep him far back behind the danger line whenever possible. His magics also allow him to teleport and ''Blink' ahead several feet at a time making his exercise routine pretty lacking. His robes seem to fit tight around the middle and shoulders. What skin that is visible looks a bit dry, littered with liver spots; finger tips rough and cracked, sometimes baring black ink splotches. He is getting up there in age, and spends a lot of time digging in the dirt for herbs that makes his hands dry. When not digging in the dirt he is working on alchemy scrolls and sometimes get more of the ink on his hands than the parchment. There is a bit of flaking on the cloth of his shoulders due to a lot of personal neglect and a bad case of dandruff . His hair is a muted shade of mousey brown, pulled back into a careless ponytail that is secured with a black ribbon that looks old as the hills.
He smells like human sweat, mingled with a fine wine only found in Dalaran. Since his wife died he developed a drinking problem, and began to spend more of his time in the tavern than working which also added to his weight issues.
When he speaks his voice is somewhat nasaly and loud. (Think Peter Griffin.)
To see Bob walk, one notices he more shuffles along than actually walks, because he fell and twisted his knee while coming out of the tavern one night drunk as a skunk. Weighing as much as a baby manatee ensured inertia would mess him up good- and it did.
His eyes are half an eye length too far apart, and squinty, something he has always hated his father for giving him. If one got really close to notice however one would find they are the most striking shade of teal the iris framed by an almost white erratic circular border, which his mother gave him, but he hates his mother as well since she beat him when he was a young lad and those pretty eyes were always bloodshot and screwed up with anger so he generally avoids ever looking in reflective surfaces thinking it's his mother coming to get him again. His nose is rather large and somewhat bulbous flecked with red ruptured blood vessel dots and black heads. The man is always smiling, his thin lips peeled back away from perfect white teeth, the shape of his jaw accentuating the cleft in his chin. He is smiling because he is a very friendly man to close friends who really take the time to get to know him and was told once it is fun to mess with other peoples minds, because if you're always smiling it makes them wonder why you are so happy. Even if you are not on the inside due to deep rooted childhood issues and poor genes.
Hanging off his robe in his pack one can note quills and books poking out since he is an herbalist and alchemist he always needs to have something to keep records on handy and take samples if required. Some of the flasks contain his favorite wine to help him through the day. On his back is an old gnarled staff that looks like it should have rotted and turned to dust long ago, yet glows with an odd blueish energy because it was magically touched by a powerful dragon that day he went into a dungeon and heroically, accidentally sneezed casting a powerful spell that happened to shoot and kill the main boss that had been keeping the dragon hostage.
On his left hand's ring finger there is an old gold band that looks like the skin is trying to slowly engulf it. It is from when he was married. He loved his wife so much he just never took it off. Now with sausages for fingers and blood flow issues he just hasn't had the heart to try and get it cut off since it can no longer be easily slipped off. He really doesnt like metal cutters, though, so he tries to avoid them. And the smell of burning metal gives him hives which he needs a special salve for that costs a lot.
On his good days he is someone you want to be around, but on other days you better make sure he has that favorite wine or he will get very violent with you and possibly even puke all over you and periodically morph you into a sheep for his amusement.
_________________________________________________
So.
Are you possibly looking at your currently profile right now thinking OMG... i've got Bobs profile! That's ok, because now you have the information to enable you to edit it up a little bit correctly.
Details are great when they are pertinent. If your character is super friendly, that's great! But let people who RP with you determine that for themselves. If you want to explain WHY your character may be an insufferable grouch, save that for the history area OR let people find out in the RP.
A character description should just be bait to lure other players in to play with you. and give them the tools to refer to your character correctly.
If anyone would like me to look over your description and help trim it down and make it really shine, don't be shy to ask i'd be happy to help.
Founded April 26, 2005