1. Leaka

    Leaka Creative Mettle

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    Character Interview

    Discussion in 'Word games' started by Leaka, Dec 21, 2008.

    I thought this would be interesting. Its fun to state the personality of your character and what they look like.
    Its harder to give them a voice and life.
    So I'm going to try and use this thread to help those who have trouble making their character come alive.
    Its called Character Interview.
    And what you do is you post your character and their personality? Their major flaw and their major unflaw.
    Then what we will do to help you come alive is to ask your character a series of questions until you think you finally have enough to make your character come alive.
    Any questions?
    Did I confuse anyone?
     
    2 people like this.
  2. Toritoes

    Toritoes New Member

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    I guess the character i would need help with would be Skyla.. she is 18 years old and turning into a vampire, but isnt one yet nor does she know that she is becoming one. She is a genuine and nice/bubbly person, who strives to be her best and good to others etc. Her major flaw would be her ignorance to what she is. Her major unflaw (which am guessing is a strength?) would be that when she does turn, she will be a lot more powerful than any vampire around - her blood is pure, untainted.
     
  3. Leaka

    Leaka Creative Mettle

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    Yeah, by unflaws I meant strengths just couldn't find the word.
    [And sorry replying took me so long I was thinking of what questions to ask a girl who was turning into a vampire...I guess I'll start of with the basics...situation questions]

    So, Skyla, is that what you like to be called..you have a nickname?
    Skyla, if you saw a man on the street begging for money on the street you would do what?
     
  4. Show

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    Most of the characters in my serial come alive fairly easy, cause I have much room to develop them.

    I am a bit worried about the 4 main characters in my serial being too real or too fake.

    There are the 3 protagonists, Joey, Robby, and Tory. Joey and Tory are 19 year old friends. Joey is quiet whereas Tory is loud and immature. Robby is an 11-year old who bonded with Joey because both were orphans in a foster home. Robby is quiet like Joey but the two can be open with each other. Joey and Robby's strengths are each other. Their great weaknesses are perhaps their sensativness. Tory's strength is his courage but his weakness is he doesn't think too far ahead.

    David is the antagonist. He's a fairly merciless maniac. He's lost his mind from a series of events in his life. All he cares about now is getting back to his son. Problem is that his son was killed in a car accident(due to David being drunk) years ago and David has never accepted this. He has got it in his head that Robby is his son. David's strengths likely are his skills learned in the military. They have made him a virtual killing machine. His weaknesses seem almost nonexistent. Perhaps his inability to feel for anybody besides himself and his son could be considered one, but they do not hinder him.

    Anyway, I know who these characters are but something is missing from them I feel, a certain life. I can't place it. Maybe you can help them "come alive."
     
  5. Toritoes

    Toritoes New Member

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    Haha no problem Leaka :p
    Skyla: My parents have given me the nickname of Baubo, which is the greek goddess of laughter, because of my upbeat and happy personality.
    On a normal occassion, ignorance is bliss, but i feel quilty afterwards and wish id given money, but rarely actually do.
     
  6. Leaka

    Leaka Creative Mettle

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    [Show your characters will be interviewed next..I only have two hands and one person interviewing characters in this thread]

    Baubo, that's a nice nickname. Do you let anyone call you Baubo or are there certain people in your life that you allow to call you Baubo?

    Why would you not give money to the beggar? Its obvious he needed the money.
    What drives you to do something like that?
     
  7. AnonyMouse

    AnonyMouse Contributor Contributor

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    This seems like an interesting thread idea.
    I suppose I'll join in and ask some questions, too.

    - How would you feel if you were a vampire? Is it a gift, a curse, or both?
    - If you had to drink blood to stay alive, would you do it?
    - Would you bite someone to obtain this blood, or find some other way to get it (i.e. rob the blood bank or bite animals)?
    - How do you feel about those who are weaker than you? Do you prey upon them or do you feel obligated to help them?
    - If you choose to help them, how would you do this (i.e. would you give the poor man your money or point him toward an employment office (short-term aid or long-term solution))?
     
  8. Toritoes

    Toritoes New Member

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    Only my family call me baubo, when they are slaughtered i dont allow anyone else to call me that.. Opens old wounds.
    Because it is of no concern of mine as to why he is the way he is, even if i do feel sorry for the beggar, theres no gaurantee that he didnt bring it on himself.
     
  9. Nilfiry

    Nilfiry Senior Member

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    Oh! Oh! I want to have an interview too!

    I have a character named Felus. Felus is playful and kind on the surface, but when he gets serious, his true nature shows. On the inside, he is very cold (with exceptions) and not idealistic at all. His only flaw are his lack of ideals (if that's even a bad thing) and his soft side for romance, the only exception to his impassiveness. His strength is his decisiveness and impartial judgment. Didi I mention he is 999 years old? No he's not any sort of being that you can remotely think of.

    You can take your time to think of some questions. :-D
     
  10. Toritoes

    Toritoes New Member

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    It means something to me, as it is one of the only things i have from my mother whom i never knew.
    It would repulse me, but if it is to sustain my own life then yes, i will cave.
    I would prefer not to harm humans, but may be prone to mistakes at the start.
    The power maddens me at the start, i dont know how to control it, or myself. But once i have calmed, i will help those who need it, all while trying not to let it go to my head. I would help those in dire need, but try not to change my everyday life/routine too much. Ie if i wouldnt normally give a beggar money then im not likely to change that about myself, but would help someone in trouble eg mugging, going to jump off a great height etc.
     
  11. AnonyMouse

    AnonyMouse Contributor Contributor

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    - You're playful and kind on the surface, but cold underneath... why are you faking it? Why not be heartless all the time or playful and kind all the time? Is there someone, somewhere, that you don't want to know about your true nature, so you hide it for his/her sake? In short, what do you gain from this duality?

    - I don't believe there is such a thing as a character who isn't idealistic. Instead, you live by your own ideals, which don't conform with the norm. So, what are they? What code do you live by? Perhaps your only rule is to break the rules, but there must be something guiding you. I guess what I'm really asking is: what are you expecting to get out of life and how will you go about getting it?

    - At almost 1,000 years old, you've been around for a long time and have probably seen/experienced a lot of things. What is constant for you? In other words, name one thing in the world that never seems to change. Now, name one thing that is always changing. How do you feel about either of these things? Do they make you want to go on living or do you feel you've been around long enough?
     
  12. AnonyMouse

    AnonyMouse Contributor Contributor

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    I've got two main characters and two supporting characters who are over 1,000 years old. Two are vampires, (and therefore live for a very long time, but can still die) while the other two are immortals and couldn't die even if they wanted. Each of them developed in a different manner. One is a hopelessly altruistic hero, one is a greedy capitalist who owns half the country, one is a meddling side-character constantly interfering in the lives of the "foolish humans," and one is a villain bent on the destruction of the human race. And every last one of them considers their lives time well spent.

    It's not as remote as you might think. :)
     
  13. Toritoes

    Toritoes New Member

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    Which ones are the vampires? And are the other two just known as immortals or do they possess powers of their own?
     
  14. Show

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    Take your time, I'm not in a rush. Thanks for taking any time out at all, and if you'd like, maybe I could help lighten your workload if you get overwhelmed with interviews.
     
  15. Leaka

    Leaka Creative Mettle

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    Well now I have Anonymous helping out, and anyone can interview anyones character.
    Its a big helping thread.

    Let me see:

    David, do you believe in death?
     
  16. Nilfiry

    Nilfiry Senior Member

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    There aren't any vampires in my story, and what sort of immortal being? My character is "semi-immortal"(as I call it), meaning he lives forever, but can still be slain.

    Simple. Many normal people are skeptical that a naturally cold person can exist; furthermore, people tend to feel detached around cold people, which may affect co-operative performance. The majority of people rely solely on what they experience to define what is true; therefore, by presenting a more kind nature on the outside, most people will believe that what they are experiencing is true and feel they will be able to bond, which will make travelling or simply interacting with others much easier.

    The purpose of this, however, in not simply as mentioned. It also serves as a sort to test---a trial to see who can truely see past what they can experience.

    Only excitement is needed, and any means to get it.

    The everlasting boredom and the changing of the world never changes. Nothing is changing and nothing is constant. I've had enough.
     
  17. Show

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    I'll definitely help out if I find characters I'd have helpful questions for.

    (Do I answer in first person or third person? I'll do 3rd person this time.)

    David definitely believes in death. Heck, he MORE than believes in it. (I'd say more but that'd give away the twist) He just doesn't believe that his son is dead. (Never saw the body)

    Did I answer alright?
     
  18. Leaka

    Leaka Creative Mettle

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    [Doesn't matter as long as it helps you get through to your character]

    Then David, why isn't it possible that your son is dead?
    Why isn't death possible for family?
     
  19. Show

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    David believes that death is possible for his family. It is even possible for David's son to die in his mind, he just believes him to still be alive. It's a feeling in his mind, or perhaps just an element of the will. (It all plays into the twist at the end, again) It's not denial, refusal, or anything dealing with grief, but an honest belief that his son is still alive.
     
  20. AnonyMouse

    AnonyMouse Contributor Contributor

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    It's kind of dificult to explain the source of their immortality without explaining the whole magic system / society in my novel. One of the immotals (the "hopelessly altruistic one") is my main hero. The immortals can "die", but they always come back. He sacrifices his life to protect the weak / innocent many times throughout the novel, and comes back two or three days later (depending on the severity of the death). His ultimate goal is to defeat his brother, who wants to wipe out all humanity. He doesn't specifically want to "kill" them all, but he feels that humans are inferior and should convert to one of the superior races (vampire, werewolf, etc). The other immortal is his brother, who is the main villain. There's a slightly better explanation of it in my character creation workshop post here.

    As for the two vampires, one is the hero's friend who has been with him since day one. She was initially a human, but converted to vampirism (again, hard to explain without telling my whole magic / society system). The vampires in my story are immune to disease, so she made the change to keep from dying of a terminal illness she was born with. Because she was born human, she has respect for the human race, but still feels somewhat superior to them. As a result, she is often in conflict with herself; one moment she is helping them, the next she refuses to "lower herself to their level." She's an antagonist for the first half of the novel, but begins to earnestly help out when things get bad later on.

    The other vamp is a capitalist who has amassed personal wealth numbering in the trillions (mostly from dirty dealings and just being in the business for a very, very, long time). He's more of the stereotypical vampire: doesn't care at all about humans, trods on anyone weaker than him, and is always looking for ways to get ahead. He's only a minor character who sets the stage for the arrival of the main villain, but is still important nonetheless.
     
  21. Leaka

    Leaka Creative Mettle

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    David, what drives this belief?
    What information or evidence do you have?
     
  22. sweetchaos

    sweetchaos New Member

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    I wouldn't mind interviewing my characters, but only if you have enough time.

    Brooke is 21 and in kind of a transition in her life. She had been in college, but ended up mixed up with some unsavoury characters. She had moved home to disapproving, but loving, parents. She has friends who are their to help her out, but she is the one who needs to make the decision to step away from her current situation.

    Brody is 24 and one of Brooke's closest friends. They met a few years ago and had a bit of a fling. The seperated for reasons I'm not sure of yet. They've kept in contact, keeping tabs on each other and whatnot, but lately hadn't seen much of each other. He's come back to town recently and seems to be looking to start things back up.

    Kyle is 22 and one of the aforementioned 'unsavoury characters'. Brooke met Kyle this past year and he brought her into a world she should never have known. He has a few bad habits; cocaine and alcohol are two of the main ones. He's taken hold of Brooke, using her tendency to be a pushover as a way to manipulate her. He has no desire to change his ways and is content to be a lazy waste of space.

    Thank you :)
     
  23. Show

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    (Remembering that David is just a psycho, don't expect logical choices from him) David's belief is driven by nothing physical. He'd of course say that there is no physical evidence because it was removed by those who took his son from him. He never saw his son's body and therefore doesn't believe that his son is dead. He's mentally unbalanced so it's as simple as that. His belief that his son is still alive is also furthered by the fact that he sees some other boy, and firmly believes this boy to be his son, so he's gone after him in an attempt to reclaim his son to make restitution for not being there for him all of these years. (Well, there's a loose summary of the plot, lol)
     
  24. Show

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    I'll give this a try, though I am not as good at it yet as others: Brody, what prompted you to return to town?
     
  25. sweetchaos

    sweetchaos New Member

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    A few months ago, my father passed away due to an unforseen illness. Though I was living a comfortable life -- well paying job, nice apartment -- I decided to move home to take care of my mother. Since his death, she seems to have become unstable and I'm afraid to leave her alone. Thankfully, I wasn't far removed from this small town, I had only been gone a little over two years and the transition was smooth. I seemed to have been welcomed back happily.
     

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