Yes, shy behavior is exaggerated in many games. So much that it seems unrealistic. I remember in one game I checked these options and they were almost humiliating (those were scenes with an intimidating, rude RO). Ugh I donāt understand how some people can enjoy playing such characters.
Tho, on the other hand, too flirty options are also a problem
Lol, this reminded me of a scene from Fernweh Saga where MC made some flirtatious comment about taking a bath, and James replied seriously something about a shower. So MC made a second slightly more suggestive comment but James still didnāt get it
I usually pick from the list provided, and if I like none of them (or if there is no list), I have these bizarre phases of names and/or charasteristics I pick from. Currently Iām at āMorganā, previously I was at āAdrianā, and before that āJoshuaā.
I got the same scene with James (and Reese there as well). I love how Reese tries to help and James is still clueless. I cracked up.
Yep! My husband summed it up when he was playing Wayhaven: āWhy do all the bold flirting options come off like youāre a sex-addict who hasnāt gotten laid in 30 years??ā You can be bold without telling someone their clothes would look nice balled up on the floor by the foot of your bed. Not that I havenāt heard that line before, but stillā¦ it doesnāt work for most peopleā¦
When creating MCs I usually think of a theme, and sometimes I stick to one surname making the MCs for that game siblings. Character development happens as I read, but sometimes itās hard to make them interesting and I have to project a lot So for example:
Fernweh Saga: Every MC is a horror cliche, right now Iām playing a jock, will probably stick with surname āNottinghamā When Life Gives You Lemons: surname Hart, no theme, just different styles of parenthood Wayhaven series: just live-action detectives, classic grumpy detective, Nancy Drew etc, surname Cumberland Keeper saga: same backgrounds get the same surnames (otherwise it would be a mess, I replayed these games too much to learn secrets), theme is: college student stereotypes
You get the idea, it makes things easier and makes the experience more enjoyable for me. I donāt want to dwell too much on OCs but I donāt want them to be boring, because that makes the game boring for me. Eye colours, hair colours and all that nonsense comes naturally once I decide on an archetype to run.
I guess itās similar with how I create characters: theme and function and everything else comes later.
I have a bunch of characters and names for them. Two women, two men, one gender fluid and a dread horror from a deep dark dungeon.
Most used are my rouges rogues and soldiers. Least - the druids (it makes them sad).
I can alter their personalities/traits/appearances if the plot demands.
Or I can create a complete new character with a default name if I have exhausted my imagination.
I have two OCs - Valerie and Aria Whitecrow.
Both have established personalities and visual themes that I always try to recreate. For example Valerie is a stoic serious lady who I will make a part of the military/veteran if choice is available. Her visual style is all about dark color - black hair with dark blue eyes, black clothes, things like this.
Aria on the other hand is more sarcastic and talkative person whose color scheme is the opposite - white/silver hair with yellow/golden eyes, white/silver clothes, you get the idea.
I like to try and recreate them in IFs and think about what would they do if they had backstories of more established MCs or when put in circumstances offered by the novel.
I try to make my visualisation as blurry as possible. Like, sure, short redhead ā done. I get the gist. If I try to visualise it to any amount of detail ā or find images ā it begins to feel awkward āābeingāā someone else, unless Iām already invested in the story/RPā¦?
At the same time, I donāt like using self-inserts because that makes me feel egotistical and restricts roleplaying potential.
It just feels more freeing to have a less concrete MC for the first playthrough, but thatās my personal preference.
Hah! Real life exists if I want to be a socially inept loser! Iām here for escapism, man.
Depending on the setting (if my character is from a certain nationality i.e. Greece or Germany) I will pick a name relative to that area, if things are more nebulouus I have a go to for name.
Appearance, usually I go for the same features of hair style/colour, go for more out there eyes and I like to pick more wild beard options. Personality is dependent on the situation but always sarcastic first and foremost.
I just wanted to see what everyone liked or preferred in a mc. For me personally i like the broken or stoic mc who has had a hard life or a really sad backstory that justifies them acting like the villain at times.
I also like the type of mc that tries to be an anti-romantic but fails so hard.
Some of the wips ive read with my kind of mc -
I the forgotten one - (mc is a perfect example of my type of mc)
Through broken lenses.
The operative.
Fallen hero rebirth and retribution.
The exile (absolutely loving this wip)
The shadow society - (the mc isnāt really broken
but you can be stoic and standoffish with the roās
which creates some fun moments)
Samurai of hyuga books 1-5 - (one of the best series iāve read so far and the mc is amazingly written).
There are a few more but iāll have to find them and update.
Let me know what you like and also feel free to add the name of the book or wip you like.
Heyo! I am working on my own demo as we speak, so itās not published yet for public viewing sadly.
However, I would say that I was similarly inspired by the above works, my own MC for my WIP is an immortal, so I imagined them to become excessively cautious, always looking over every corner, with a derailing thought process that tends to drone on. Difficulties with focusing on the task ahead shifting to focusing entirely too much on something else. My own story is a āflow of consciousness.ā
I think that what can make them work is just how much we feel for them instead of really feeling like them. Maybe that is just me, but when I see the Forgotten One, or the Exile, or Sidestep, my strong emotions are likeā¦ powerful compassion towards their situation, empathy? Iām angry, Iām upset, Iām sad, because they do not let themselves be, or because they donāt process their own emotions. They might not even understand their own feelings, which makes it even more sad.
A fear of failure also helps, I think, constantly thinking āIf this goes wrongā¦ā
I think the term might be vindication? We feel like we see them, and we are lead to feel strong emotions for them because nobody else sees them the way we do. Most of them also had a āfall from graceā as well, where they originally possessed power, or esteem, reputation, but it was stripped from them for a reason largely out of their control.
Iām just shooting shit though, I need sleep lol.
Your wip seems really interesting, i canāt wait for it to drop. I agree with what your saying about feeling that there is hope for the characters to find redemption. I the forgotten one, the exile and soh portray this perfectly.
I agree with the broken MC trope, its just really good because the narrative becomes more powerful when MC is down but has something to fight for still.
Back when I first found this community, Iād always like my MC to be idealistic and like a breath of fresh air. I liked being a hero to escape reality. Now Iāve grown fond of a train wreck kinda MC, whoās done with the world but still keeps on fighting for some reason, and is bitter as a result.
A fun one, whatās type of āfunā? It can be the one that make you laugh by their humor, or their miserable (like in āThe legend of Sun Knightā, you would laugh every time MC complaining to the reader about his problem being a Sun Knight), or the one that act like theyāre funny but inside have a complicated pastā¦
By the way, I really want to see an IF MC have the ability ābreaking the 4th wallā, or just imagine a reader in mind and talk to them but since there isnāt I will make one myself
I just canāt play a MC that is idealistic/selfless (or evil for the sake of evil) so as long as they can be sarcastic and morally grey Iāll probably like them
I like some unhinged MCs from time to time too. You know, that kind of character that will punch you in the face in a blink of an eye or do terrible things if it means they will benefit in some way
These days I found myself liking to play stoic MCs. Maybe good for deadpans, and also kinda amusing for villains to point out āwhat, youāre not freaking out?ā
In Exile Iām currently making an unhinged Commander, howeverā¦
I donāt understand how some people can enjoy playing such characters.
So for example: