I will be attempting to share some of my Tips and tricks for making a character a believable person~
~Personality~ I highly recommend you think out just what kind f character yu are hoping to play and think out and research a few icons that fit similar to your idea. Good artists barrow great artists steal. This is not to say you should play batman word for word but let's bring in to play a few examples of why Batman seems to be such a good characters.
Sure he's like a supper bad ass ninja and is like a billionaire with awesome gadgets. But why is he such a bad ass? There is skill in being able to make a character ~awesome~ and being able to humanize them. Else we end up with angst, edgy guys who try way to hard and aren't much fun to interact with.
A lot of building a character has to do with a s very easy to understand concept of 'Cause and effect'
Let's take out wonderful example batman; As a child he witnesses his parents murders during a robbery, and, as a result, he resolved to go to war on crime, operating outside the criminal justice system. He is the poster boy for post-traumatic growth. What exactly does this mean? This describes the process of becoming stronger and developing new goals and beliefs by making meaning of traumatic experiences. In the real world, it is not uncommon for people to turn to social activism.
Try to think of your character's past and why their past has shape dthem in to being the sort of personality you wish to play. Think about their strengths AND their weaknesses.
It's important to remember to show off a little more of your character's fault or knowing when to 'loose some' every now and again. Give your character a chance to stand on their own and see what happens when they aren't always 'top dog'
Weakness are vital points to a character and really SHOW what the character is made of by showng how the character reacts and behaves despite these instances.
If you are having trouble with where to start might I offer the chance to take a look here--->Defining Personality and define a personality and perhaps build around that. A chart like that can really help ground a character and give you a sturdy foundation on realizing just who they are.
~Motivating a Mood of Feeling~
Being able to motivate a mood or feeling is important when you play a character because you are an actor and you have t try and convince others of what you are and sell it well.
Quote:
Intimidation.
Intimidate. Everyone wants to be able to do it, few have the testicular fortitude to make anyone flinch, much less sweat. But mastering the art of intimidation can and will go a long way to getting what you want. The best intimidation is the one that's implied. Any dolt can point a sword; he's not scaring anyone, his blade is. You want people to fear you, but you also want them to respect you, and your power. A fool with a weapon might get you to wet your pants, but you'll never write a tribute to him in the paper. So let me take you through some of the ways you can intimidate without having to be 6'5" or 250 pounds. build uncertainty & mystery
The best way to intimidate someone who doesn't know you from a hole in the wall is by being as mysterious as possible. Be impossible to read. Sure, not shaving, having a scowl on your face, and wearing a trench coat can help your look, but if you don't know how to carry yourself, whoever you are trying to intimidate won't know the difference between you and a dirty ho-bo.
The less someone knows about you, the more you leave things open to the imagination. The more blanks your opponent fills, the less menacing you are. It's that simple.
Everyone fears the unknown and uncertainty. If you don't know what to expect, you're more on guard. If someone finds out you cry Weddings, well, guess what buddy? You won't even intimidate your bunny slippers. Remain silent & composed
Another way to intimidate is by never saying anything. Speak in a short, direct, snappy way, and the person across from you will know you mean business. Don't smile, don't blink, don't gulp, and don't adjust your panties. Keep your voice low and poised.
Look disgusted, bark your orders, and say nothing else. Never, ever, repeat yourself. They heard you the first time. A well-timed act of violence can certainly send a message, but most of the time, you don't have to resort to that. The mystery of a silent threat is devastating.
Always be composed. Never show emotion. Never flinch (it shows that you're one scared little git)
Size helps
Let's not kid ourselves over here. You look like a brute, you get instant "intimidation cred." It's that simple. So if it's something you want to do, go to the gym and bulk up. Learn some martial arts. Knowing a guy had a black belt always made me pay attention. In the meantime, wear lots of layers. Make yourself look solid. Don't wear baggy pants or finocchio tight shirts. You ain't scaring anybody, Ricky Martin.
Have a crew
'When I have a meeting with an "associate" that hasn't been paying his tribute on time, I always go accompanied. These meetings are rare; I have others in my crew that take care of these things for me, but even as a young punk, I would bring someone along even if I could turn the guy into a pretzel with my hands tied behind my back. Having a posse is like having a backup plan. When things go wrong, the other guy has to deal with you and your crew. No matter how strong the other side is, having a half dozen mean mothers standing next to you, shoulder to shoulder, will get the right message across.'
Let your reputation talk
Build up your reputation as a tough SOB, and that reputation will do the talking for you. Be someone no one should mess with, screw up a couple of guys who have, and people will whisper your name like you're a bogeyman. Hold grudges, seek out revenge, make people pay for crossing you. Go for bursts of anger.
Be perceived as unbalanced. You know, crazy, wacko, pazzo, whatever sweetens your sweetroll~ Imaging awesome what crazy man. He'll knock someone in his crew unconscious, to show his "associates" he's indiscriminate and short-tempered. This guy is hilarious to watch in action because I know it's an act and, although he's one of the most intelligent people I've ever met, he comes across as a barbarian. How does he intimidate? By being unpredictable, not having a stable, normal, logical mode of opperation, people are always trying to figure him out. They can't, because he's smart enough to freak out in the most normal of circumstances and be as cool as a Sicilian winter night amid a bordello of chaos.
Does he get his message across despite his instability? Of course. Because he's too convoluted. You don't have to be violent to show the other guy you have a screw loose or that you're out of control. Be a psycho, but a scary psycho; let them fear your eyes. Never, ever be nice or sensitive. You have to put it in your head that you are a cold, calculating machine. And execute. Keep it short and sweet, and use that voice.
Show anger in short bursts
When staying silent doesn't cut it, and you have to make a point, let it all out. Let that baby go crazy. Short, powerful, even violent, bursts of anger and rage would scare even Lucifer. Don't overdo it, don't go for an Oscar. Make it short and sweet. You scream for too long or bang too many desks, people will tune you out.
I can back up my words though, no matter how extreme; you probably can't. So don't make any threats you can't deliver on. The minute people question your word, or you back out of a threat, you've lost. Start running, they've called your bluff. Game over.
Send a messenger
What if people know of you, but have never actually seen you? What if you are known simply as a voice on the other line? What if you always send people in your name to take care of business for you? What if you are known simply as the boss upstairs, but no one knows your face? What happens the day you show up? Everyone you've been dealing with will have built-up expectations, whether real or not, of who are you. If you've been a hard arse from afar, then you must be a harder arse in person. It will be like getting visited by God. You're curious, but you're scared too.
Scary, like a clown
Intimidating somebody is an art form if you don't have the tools to back yourself up. Guys that are heavy, they don't need tricks, they walk around with an aura of intimidation without even trying.
They are always confident and pretty indifferent to your responses because they know they can get you to do whatever they want, despite your bravado.
When you're not in La Cosa Nostra, when you're not made, when you don't know kung fu, or know a guy that knows a guy, etc., a little bit of play acting is your only choice.
Remember to say little, be confident, don't flinch, and never let them see you sweat. If you are sweating, then there's no hope for you, the best you can do is hope you'll have a nice burial.
"Little Suzy would look so pretty in a black dress, right Gerald?" Watch your backs and keep your noses clean.
There are manny ways Feelings and moods can be motivated the above is more so for those 'bad guy villain types'.
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❤ Amia is Fun Again! ❤ #GreenisNotACreativeColour
"It's easy to feel like a hero. It's a little harder to be one."
You know, that section about intimidation looks really, oddly familiar. Like... In its tone. Almost like I read it on AskMen.com or something.
That said, parts of it are pretty fitting for this, yeah. Brute force is one way to make a character intimidating, to be sure. (Especially if combined with the "crazy factor" of being unpredictably and overly violent.) But a bit of subtlety goes a long way, and it helps a lot to keep things mysterious - to not "show your full hand" right off the bat, as it were. It also helps a lot if you build a bit of reputation before trying to intimidate folks. Build this intimidating reputation by... you know, doing intimidating things.
As an example, one of the characters I genuinely fear the most in-game is not an ultra-evil, grimdark hardcore barbarian or anything like that (tend to roll my eyes at those), but Dirk Longstride. Long before I ever got to meet the guy in-game, my character heard all these vague stories about Dirk and how you absolutely and positively do not mess with him, or you won't be around the next morning. How he's a person of power and all that. There was quite the build-up to it, and it was very interesting.
But the really cool bit was actually getting to meet him, now that he's around again and all. He's not an exceptionally dark and edgy character; he seems kind of baudy, unpleasant, and a bit more like a town drunk than a villain. But he always seems to have this mood of confidence about him, this aura of power. I never saw him make a single threat or muscle anyone to the ground or anything, but any time my character did anything threatening, Dirk suddenly went very quiet and just... stared. The casual speech and lighthearted attitude were lost, and the character suddenly seemed very chilling, like a predator waiting for you to make a mistake or back down.
I'm rambling. TL;DR: There's a lot of ways to do intimidation besides brute force and being a giant pillar of muscle. But, above all, note that someone who is truly "intimidating" generally does not feel the need to convince everyone how intimidating he is. A bit of subtlety goes a long way. Never show your full hand, and keep them guessing.
I'll admit, the quoted article actually has a fair bit of legitimate advice for this. Good work linking it, it's pretty sweet.
Also, I like this thread. This is a neat thread. :D
You know, that section about intimidation looks really, oddly familiar. Like... In its tone. Almost like I read it on AskMen.com or something.
Yup- I've edited it a little to make it more reader friendly / rated Gi've had the original sitting in a word documeant for a long while ty for posting up the reference link though!
I plan on posting a bit more on mood and feeling next up will most likely be romance that I'm sure I have an article on some where.
BTW if any one else has things to add feel free!
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❤ Amia is Fun Again! ❤ #GreenisNotACreativeColour
"It's easy to feel like a hero. It's a little harder to be one."
These tools are here to help you grow as a writer and help you create more three dimensional characters!
The first site I recommend is Ash's site which will help you understand your character thoroughly. By following the chart you can pin down why you character like their job or hates it. What their personalities are and what their humor is. This chart is st up in a way that helps make you character almost 'mathematically make scene' For example a crabby old man isn't going to be sunshine and butterflies to very one he meets.
Character traits! If you're like me then sometime you have trouble hitting the head on exactly what you mean when you're trying to describe a character's personality or the traits that help make up that personality. http://www.readwritethink.org/files/res ... traits.pdf
is a good resource for some character traits. Keep in mind it's good to look up
For example. Shy. A lot of people seem to have misconceptions about this word thinking that it means your character doesn't talk much to others.
Shy: Having or showing nervousness or timidity in the company of others. people.
Synonyms: shy1, bashful, diffident, modest, coy, demure These adjectives mean not forward but marked by a retiring nature, reticence, or a reserve of manner. One who is shy draws back from others, either because of a withdrawn nature or out of timidity.
"The poor man was shy and hated society" (George Bernard Shaw). Bashful suggests self-consciousness or awkwardness in the presence of others: "I never laughed, being bashful./Lowering my head, I looked at the wall" (Ezra Pound). Diffident implies lack of self-confidence: He was too diffident to express his opinion. Modest is associated with an unassertive nature and absence of vanity or pretension: Despite her fame she remained a modest, unassuming person. Coy usually implies feigned, often flirtatious shyness: "yielded with coy submission" (John Milton). Demure often denotes an affected shyness or modesty: Her assistant nodded in agreement, flashing a demure smile.
Since Nervousness goes hand in hand with being shy: jitteriness: the anxious feeling you have when you have the jitters.
broad chubby crooked curved deep flat high hollow low narrow round shallow skinny square steep straight wide. Size Adjectives
big colossal fat gigantic great huge immense large little mammoth massive miniature petite puny scrawny short small tall teeny teeny-tiny tiny Sound Adjectives
Beautiful and Ugly Words by Mark Nichol One of the many fascinating features of our language is how often words with pleasant associations are also quite pleasing on the tongue and even to the eye, and how many words, by contrast, acoustically and visually corroborate their disagreeable nature — look no further than the heading for this post. Enrich the poetry of your prose by applying words that provide precise connotation while also evoking emotional responses Beautiful Words Amorphous: indefinite, shapeless Beguile: deceive Caprice: impulse Cascade: steep waterfall Cashmere: fine, delicate wool Chrysalis: protective covering Cinnamon: an aromatic spice; its soft brown color Coalesce: unite, or fuse Crepuscular: dim, or twilit Crystalline: clear, or sparkling Desultory: half-hearted, meandering Diaphanous: gauzy Dulcet: sweet Ebullient: enthusiastic Effervescent: bubbly Elision: omission Enchanted: charmed Encompass: surround Enrapture: delighted Ephemeral: fleeting Epiphany: revelation Epitome: embodiment of the ideal Ethereal: celestial, unworldly, immaterial Etiquette: proper conduct Evanescent: fleeting Evocative: suggestive Exuberant: abundant, unrestrained, outsize Felicity: happiness, pleasantness Filament: thread, strand Halcyon: care-free Idyllic: contentedly pleasing Incorporeal: without form Incandescent: glowing, radiant, brilliant, zealous Ineffable: indescribable, unspeakable Inexorable: relentless Insouciance: nonchalance Iridescent: luster Languid: slow, listless Lassitude: fatigue Lilt: cheerful or buoyant song or movement Lithe: flexible, graceful Lullaby: soothing song Luminescence: dim chemical or organic light Mellifluous: smooth, sweet Mist: cloudy moisture, or similar literal or virtual obstacle Murmur: soothing sound Myriad: great number Nebulous: indistinct Opulent: ostentatious Penumbra: shade, shroud, fringe Plethora: abundance Quiescent: peaceful Quintessential: most purely representative or typical Radiant: glowing Redolent: aromatic, evocative Resonant: echoing, evocative Resplendent: shining Rhapsodic: intensely emotional Sapphire: rich, deep bluish purple Scintilla: trace Serendipitous: chance Serene: peaceful Somnolent: drowsy, sleep inducing Sonorous: loud, impressive, imposing Spherical: ball-like, globular Sublime: exalted, transcendent Succulent: juicy, tasty, rich Suffuse: flushed, full Susurration: whispering Symphony: harmonious assemblage Talisman: charm, magical device Tessellated: checkered in pattern Tranquility: peacefulness Vestige: trace Zenith: highest point Ugly Words Cacophony: confused noise Cataclysm: flood, catastrophe, upheaval Chafe: irritate, abrade Coarse: common, crude, rough, harsh Cynical: distrustful, self-interested Decrepit: worn-out, run-down Disgust: aversion, distaste Grimace: expression of disgust or pain Grotesque: distorted, bizarre Harangue: rant Hirsute: hairy Hoarse: harsh, grating Leech: parasite, Maladroit: clumsy Mediocre: ordinary, of low quality Obstreperous: noisy, unruly Rancid: offensive, smelly Repugnant: distasteful Repulsive: disgusting Shriek: sharp, screeching sound Shrill: high-pitched sound Shun: avoid, ostracize Slaughter: butcher, carnage Unctuous: smug, ingratiating Visceral: crude, anatomically graphic Notice how often attractive words present themselves to define other beautiful ones, and note also how many of them are interrelated, and what kind of sensations, impressions, and emotions they have in common. Also, try enunciating beautiful words as if they were ugly, or vice versa. Are their sounds suggestive of their quality, or does their meaning wholly determine their effect on us?
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❤ Amia is Fun Again! ❤ #GreenisNotACreativeColour
"It's easy to feel like a hero. It's a little harder to be one."
describe someone's voice adenoidal: if someone’s voice is adenoidal, some of the sound seems to come through their nose appealing: an appealing look, voice etc shows that you want help, approval, or agreement breathy: with loud breathing noises brittle: if you speak in a brittle voice, you sound as if you are about to cry croaky: if someone’s voice sounds croaky, they speak in a low rough voice that sounds as if they have a sore throat dead: if someone’s eyes are dead, or if their voice is dead, they feel or show no emotion disembodied: a disembodied voice comes from someone who you cannot see flat: spoken in a voice that does not go up and down. This word is often used for describing the speech of people from a particular region. fruity: a fruity voice or laugh is deep and strong in a pleasant way grating: a grating voice, laugh, or sound is unpleasant and annoying gravelly: a gravelly voice sounds low and rough gruff: a gruff voice has a rough low sound guttural: a guttural sound is deep and made at the back of your throat high-pitched: a high-pitched voice or sound is very high hoarse: someone who is hoarse or has a hoarse voice speaks in a low rough voice, usually because their throat is sore honeyed: honeyed words or a honeyed voice sound very nice but you cannot trust the person who is speaking husky: a husky voice is deep and sounds hoarse (=as if you have a sore throat), often in an attractive way low adjective: a low voice or sound is quiet and difficult to hear low adverb: in a deep voice, or with a deep sound matter-of-fact: used about someone’s behaviour or voice modulated: a modulated voice is controlled and pleasant to listen to monotonous: a monotonous sound or voice is boring and unpleasant because it does not change in loudness or become higher or lower nasal: someone with a nasal voice sounds as if they are speaking through their nose orotund: an orotund voice is loud and clear penetrating: a penetrating voice or sound is so high or loud that it makes you slightly uncomfortable plummy: a plummy voice or way of speaking is considered to be typical of an English person of a high social class. This word shows that you dislike people who speak like this. quietly: in a quiet voice raucous: a raucous voice or noise is loud and sounds rough ringing: a ringing sound or voice is very loud and clear rough: a rough voice is not soft and is unpleasant to listen to shrill: a shrill noise or voice is very loud, high, and unpleasant silvery: a silvery voice or sound is clear, light, and pleasant singsong: if you speak in a singsong voice, your voice rises and falls in a musical way small: a small voice or sound is quiet smoky: a smoky voice or smoky eyes are sexually attractive in a slightly mysterious way softly spoken: someone who is softly spoken has a quiet gentle voice sotto voce adjective, adverb: in a very quiet voice stentorian: a stentorian voice sounds very loud and severe strangled: a strangled sound is one that someone stops before they finish making it strangulated: strangled strident: a strident voice or sound is loud and unpleasant taut: used about something such as a voice or expression that shows someone is nervous or angry thick: if your voice is thick with an emotion, it sounds less clear than usual because of the emotion thickly: with a low voice that comes mostly from your throat thin: a thin voice or sound is high and unpleasant to listen to throaty: a throaty sound is low and seems to come from deep in your throat tight: a tight voice or expression shows that you are nervous or annoyed toneless: a toneless voice does not express any emotion tremulous: if something such as your voice or smile is tremulous, it is not steady, for example because you are afraid or excited wheezy: a wheezy noise sounds as if it is made by someone who has difficulty breathing wobbly: if your voice is wobbly, it goes up and down, usually because you are frightened, not confident, or are going to cry
_________________
❤ Amia is Fun Again! ❤ #GreenisNotACreativeColour
"It's easy to feel like a hero. It's a little harder to be one."
“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” Charles Mingus
“Never use a long word when a short one will do.” George Orwell, Politics and the English Language
“Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific term or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.” George Orwell, Politics and the English Language
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Man, this account is over 10 years old. Where do I get my old man beard?
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