Shounen Bat (Lil' Slugger) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
strike_you_out) wrote2012-02-11 12:21 am
strike_you_out) wrote2012-02-11 12:21 am
Interacting With My Character: A 'How To' Guide
This entry serves as a helpful guide to interacting with my character.
I realize that it can be understandably difficult to interact with introverted characters and those who are meant to speak very little. So I'm going to give you what I hope are some helpful pointers in maintaining and developing interactions with them.
I'll start with actions. Actions and body language are two important ways my character communicates. I tend to put a lot of "stuff" between and around his short lines of dialogue. That stuff is there to help you get a better sense of what he's trying to communicate. When dealing with silent-types, pay attention to what they are doing and how they are doing it. Observant characters would probably notice his posture or his tone of voice or if he's not making eye contact. Ex: When he's scared/upset, he'll stand very stiffly with his head down hiding his eyes. His shoulders may droop or slouch. When he wants to be taken seriously or is concerned, he'll make direct eye contact. When he's feeling good and confident, he'll look up at your character and grin. Stuff like that.
Other times he might perform leading actions. Ex: if he goes somewhere and sits, assume it's an invitation to follow. I try to make his actions clear enough that another character would understand it without being an expert. If you're unclear on why he's doing something, please contact me and let me know.
I also want to talk about talking, or question-asking. Slugger tends to ask characters a lot of questions about themselves. Too often I feel like he learns something about them by doing that but the other character doesn't learn anything about him. As an intovert, Slugger doesn't reveal things about himself unless prompted. So I want to encourage having your character grill him with questions of their own. Ask him questions about himself. Ask him why he did [insert action]. Ask him how he feels about your character doing [insert action]. Grill him. If your character is close to him and still thinks of him as a mystery, grill him with questions. Otherwise, he won't open up.
If you need help in finding things to ask him, I'll gladly help you if you let me know. Because I want to maintain and develop cr as much as anyone else. Things your character can ask him about: anything is game but I'll be happy to give you some suggestions. For instance, you can ask him what he did during an event. You can ask follow-up questions about a previous subject of interest. You can ask him why he did something or even why he didn't do something. You can ask him about his home and what his "life" was like before Mayfield. In almost every instance, he will answer truthfully and willingly. He will give you real answers. However, if no one asks, he usually won't tell. He'll figure your character doesn't really care. That's part of being an introvert.
And as always, if you're having trouble with anything at all pertaining to my character or a log/thread, please talk to me. As a side-note on asking my character questions, it also forces me to think about why he did or didn't do something or why he feels the way he does about a subject. I honestly learn more about my own character through playing him and having to answer the tough questions than any other way. I hope this guide helps you when interacting with introverted, shy or quiet characters in the future. Just because they don't open up and talk to your character right off the bat doesn't mean they don't want to share anything. So just remember, the key to getting to know them is by paying attention to their actions and asking them questions.
And before I end this, I just want to say a couple things about Shounen Bat in particular. He likes to test and mess with other characters a little, which may lead to a creepy first impression if your character is meeting him for the first time. But with recurrent interactions, that tends to fade. And the less your character fears him, the quicker it fades. Keep in mind that he is a "teenage boy" and teenage boys tend to have very little respect for those who fear them. I think it's safe to say that the closest cr I've made with Slugger is with characters who do not fear him.
I realize that it can be understandably difficult to interact with introverted characters and those who are meant to speak very little. So I'm going to give you what I hope are some helpful pointers in maintaining and developing interactions with them.
I'll start with actions. Actions and body language are two important ways my character communicates. I tend to put a lot of "stuff" between and around his short lines of dialogue. That stuff is there to help you get a better sense of what he's trying to communicate. When dealing with silent-types, pay attention to what they are doing and how they are doing it. Observant characters would probably notice his posture or his tone of voice or if he's not making eye contact. Ex: When he's scared/upset, he'll stand very stiffly with his head down hiding his eyes. His shoulders may droop or slouch. When he wants to be taken seriously or is concerned, he'll make direct eye contact. When he's feeling good and confident, he'll look up at your character and grin. Stuff like that.
Other times he might perform leading actions. Ex: if he goes somewhere and sits, assume it's an invitation to follow. I try to make his actions clear enough that another character would understand it without being an expert. If you're unclear on why he's doing something, please contact me and let me know.
I also want to talk about talking, or question-asking. Slugger tends to ask characters a lot of questions about themselves. Too often I feel like he learns something about them by doing that but the other character doesn't learn anything about him. As an intovert, Slugger doesn't reveal things about himself unless prompted. So I want to encourage having your character grill him with questions of their own. Ask him questions about himself. Ask him why he did [insert action]. Ask him how he feels about your character doing [insert action]. Grill him. If your character is close to him and still thinks of him as a mystery, grill him with questions. Otherwise, he won't open up.
If you need help in finding things to ask him, I'll gladly help you if you let me know. Because I want to maintain and develop cr as much as anyone else. Things your character can ask him about: anything is game but I'll be happy to give you some suggestions. For instance, you can ask him what he did during an event. You can ask follow-up questions about a previous subject of interest. You can ask him why he did something or even why he didn't do something. You can ask him about his home and what his "life" was like before Mayfield. In almost every instance, he will answer truthfully and willingly. He will give you real answers. However, if no one asks, he usually won't tell. He'll figure your character doesn't really care. That's part of being an introvert.
And as always, if you're having trouble with anything at all pertaining to my character or a log/thread, please talk to me. As a side-note on asking my character questions, it also forces me to think about why he did or didn't do something or why he feels the way he does about a subject. I honestly learn more about my own character through playing him and having to answer the tough questions than any other way. I hope this guide helps you when interacting with introverted, shy or quiet characters in the future. Just because they don't open up and talk to your character right off the bat doesn't mean they don't want to share anything. So just remember, the key to getting to know them is by paying attention to their actions and asking them questions.
And before I end this, I just want to say a couple things about Shounen Bat in particular. He likes to test and mess with other characters a little, which may lead to a creepy first impression if your character is meeting him for the first time. But with recurrent interactions, that tends to fade. And the less your character fears him, the quicker it fades. Keep in mind that he is a "teenage boy" and teenage boys tend to have very little respect for those who fear them. I think it's safe to say that the closest cr I've made with Slugger is with characters who do not fear him.