Tell me about your Main character(s)

[muzegoddess]

Thanks Beth. She is very complicated and the more I watch her the more I learn and the more her character traits are reinforced. For instance she is very loyal. Even though most (if not all) of the men in Las Vistas whistle and try to flirt with her she shuts them down. Nico is the only one she even looks at twice, though there is a certain dark haired gentleman who is making slight headway. LOL!

[blackdaisies]

More than anything, these little slices of everyone's characters are making me more excited to read their stories in full.

Long post, but there were bits about everyone's characters I just wanted to mention. I might be off base on some of them, in which case feel free to gently chastise me. But yeah, I'm personally loving the answers


persephonetree, I've only started reading Street Lights... well you have the two chapters up, but it's neat to get a bit more about who your characters might be.

@stacy, I love the notes, I don't know why. It's a slice of your thought process when developing the story. I always get a kick out of other people's streams of consciousness.

I really find how interesting it is how Sims just seem to develop their own personalities and move the stories along. I had no idea that Sims 3 could want to see the firy ghosts of anyone, but yeah I could totally see how a character such as Seth could develop from those small seeds.

dinuriel, When I was about 12, I built an entire world and an entire cast of characters mostly inspired by Dungeons and Dragons. I loved the characters, and the story has still been building up over time. I know the beginnings, and the ends, and I know some major plot points, the pairings, etc., but some time while I was attempting to finally write the novel, I got blocked and couldn't get past it. I've also thought of resurrecting them in the Sims, but it would be way too complicated. I'd need a full array of fantasy beasts and special effects and man, it would be an effort.

It's incredible that you could bring your world to light. Again, I have to say how fascinating it is that Sims could round a character out, and how they really help us tell their stories even in unexpected ways like how Severin was with you.

infinitygoddess As I said above, I love how the game really influences not just how our characters develop, but how the story does too. I'm hearing that a lot "I originally intended this to be a legacy but..." With imaginative people something as simple as a legacy could turn into an incredible world. And you know I love reading about supernatural characters and you seem like you've given yours and your world a lot of depth.

@raquelaroden, I haven't had a real life person influence any of my characters the way this store dude did with Sean. That's amazing, and it's so great that you had that kind of spark.

And it's definitely not cheating by saying that the character development could be both from internal and external stimulus. I don't really believe that a story driven purely by either internal or external events would be that interesting, there definitely has to be a bit of both going on really.

@heredoncove, you bring a good point, bringing in Premade characters and their initial stories. Some people think that this is simple, and it can be, but I think the challenge is is making the characters your own, and belonging in your world. I try to do this with the maxis premades that are in my story. The stories started out somewhere else, but eventually the characters become ours.

@sb All the Session characters I've read have so much depth to them, it makes them all really intriguing. And the idea that they're developed cooperatively between you and Gayl makes them all that more compelling.

LOL about Beth. I think it's fun to use our self sims in stories when it calls for it and I don't think you guys are "Mary Sue'ing" yourselves in the story either (more on the Mary Sue thing in a bit).

@illandrya, all your characters you talk about are interesting, but I love what you said about Deyon, how everytime you write him or put him in a scene, you discover more about him. I'm sure it's the subconscious about this particular character that's at work here, maybe, but it's neat to see characters develop on their own like that.

mdpthatsme Thinkin about it a little more, I think you might be right about all characters... I don't think people in general could develop their personalities and their personal histories in a complete vaccuum, with nothing outside influencing them. But I guess in the section of their lives we're story telling, it would be interesting figuring out which aspect to tell, if it's a more character driven plotline, or something more omniscient(?).

I shamelessly also get inspired by everything I see and read too. Some days it could be video games (watching the boyfriend play Assassin's Creed is really giving me some neat ideas).

@muzegoddess I agree with SB, watching your character unfold especially using the game as a device. From what I've read of your story she definitely isn't just a sim, nor would I say she's a stereotypical soap/romance novel hero.


Sorry about the long post!

[Stacy]

Nothing wrong with long posts! I much prefer long posts myself.

At one point Seth rolled the wish to see Emma's fiery ghost. I thought that was cold, even for him.

For people who haven't read Valley - Emma is Seth's daughter, and was a child at the time.



See? I didn't make the fire thing up!

[blackdaisies]

Sorry to start another post, but the last one was kind of long. This one is just about "Mary Sues".

Personally, I don't think it's a bad thing if the writer can pull it off. Like I said in my example, Harry Potter was a good example of a Mary Sue that was written well and that entertained readers. JK Rowling did a good job with making him relatable. Supposedly Bella Swan from the Twilight Series is another example of a Mary Sue but I refuse to comment on that character simply because I haven't read it and it wouldn't be fair to critique something I've never read.

I don't think it's about being afraid of writing female characters as SB mentioned, but a typical Mary Sue wouldn't necessarily be a good thing. And it is a general term, but I think it's also easy to see when you come across it. Like someone here said you basically kind of "know it when you come across it". I think Mary Sue is essentially wish fullfillment in a story and can produce shallow, underdeveloped characters. Awkward, yet compelling character manages to get various other characters to fall in love with him/her (the male version of a Mary Sue is Gary Stu), is somehow given extraordinary responsibilities or powers even though they did nothing to really deserve it, they're perfect self inserts in that they're the author but with longer, fluffier hair or bigger muscles or something like that, and they manage to solve everyone's problems. I'm not really good at analyzing this completely, but this is what I've gathered from the various articles I've read.

I don't know if I necessarily agree that it's a bad character to have in literature... sometimes it just works, and again I can't explain why. I think the strength of the writing and the character development have a lot to do with it.

I'm sometimes conscious of Willow being a Mary Sue... she does seem to be surrounded by all these dudes that want to protect her and she has been given extraordinary powers that she doesn't really deserve. The way I've been thinking of it is that all these gifts aren't for the positive though and things will definitely screw up a long the way. And I hope that I've given a decent enough explanation as to why these guys are interested in her and not make it seem like she just walked into their lives and all of a sudden they fall in love. It's hard to discuss without adding spoilers, but I guess I don't mind saying here that Willow's abilities may have nothing to do with "saving the day".

The one thing that isn't Mary Sue-like of Willow is that she isn't a self insert. I use my experiences definitely when I'm writing her, but she isn't anything like me, and I don't really share any of her ambitions.

So essentially I think that it really is something to think about, but it's not a bad thing to have fun with once in a while. And I like that Vonnegut rule about being sadistic to your perfect characters.

[drew]

I will pick Lorcan from Crime Story, the guy in my avatar.



How did you come up with them?

I downloaded the Lorcan Sim at 'The Vintage Sim' last year. Unfortunately, he is no longer at the site, all I did was change the hair. He was going to be a secondary character only, an Irish thug.
That all changed. Oh BOY did that change!


How were you inspired? Did they come first or did the story?

He came first, I plunked him in the game/story and he just took over. REALLY took over. I don't know how it happened. I guess, sometimes, a character, whether by looks or the voice/personality you give him, just grabs you and begins to pull you along through the narrative.


Are they anything like you or the people you know? Are they modelled after other characters or celebrities?

Not at all, what do I know of guys from Dublin with dodgy pasts? LOL! I just go with the flow and hope I do him justice.

Are they Mary-Sue'ish (and you know when it's written well, then a Mary Sue can still be a good character)

Ok. I had to go look this up on Wiki. I had heard this term before, just never bothered to find out what it means.

So I guess the answer is no. Who knows. He's far from perfect...but, I guess that makes him...perfect.

Did they develop on their own or did they need the plotline to as a stimulus?

I think both. When I paired him with a female character,( he stopped to assist her with a flat tire), it just took off.


Do you like them? (some people don't like their protags, I find that interesting)

Oh yes. I like his voice, not sure his accent comes across, I do go to Irish slang sites to hopefully inject a little authenticity. I think he has caught on with some of my readers, I have compared him to a Celtic Warrior hero of old in the story. The romantic in me finds that appealing, the whole 'honorable, but flawed' man.

[mdpthatsme]

Dec 5, 2010 20:18:05 GMT -5 blackdaisies said:

More than anything, these little slices of everyone's characters are making me more excited to read their stories in full.

mdpthatsme Thinkin about it a little more, I think you might be right about all characters... I don't think people in general could develop their personalities and their personal histories in a complete vaccuum, with nothing outside influencing them. But I guess in the section of their lives we're story telling, it would be interesting figuring out which aspect to tell, if it's a more character driven plotline, or something more omniscient(?).

I shamelessly also get inspired by everything I see and read too. Some days it could be video games (watching the boyfriend play Assassin's Creed is really giving me some neat ideas).

Sorry about the long post!

I like long posts too.

Influence is not always negative, especially when developing our characters. How could you make a successful drug user without ever seeing it for yourself or at least watching a documentary?

[infinitygoddess]

Dec 5, 2010 20:18:05 GMT -5 blackdaisies said:

infinitygoddess As I said above, I love how the game really influences not just how our characters develop, but how the story does too. I'm hearing that a lot "I originally intended this to be a legacy but..." With imaginative people something as simple as a legacy could turn into an incredible world. And you know I love reading about supernatural characters and you seem like you've given yours and your world a lot of depth.

Yeah, I'm a huge sci-fi geek and into the supernatural stuff myself. I was happy that I got Uni and Double Deluxe where I could have zombies and vampires, but eventually, I'm looking to get Pets and see how my vampires would react to an influx of werewolves. That would be interesting to see, as vampires and werewolves haven't been known in stories to get along very well.

I guess you can say that I don't regret turning it into a story.

[drew]

Dec 7, 2010 15:05:45 GMT -5 @illandrya said:

Dec 5, 2010 20:18:05 GMT -5 blackdaisies said:

@illandrya, all your characters you talk about are interesting, but I love what you said about Deyon, how everytime you write him or put him in a scene, you discover more about him. I'm sure it's the subconscious about this particular character that's at work here, maybe, but it's neat to see characters develop on their own like that.

He's just done it again. I wrote the next update yesterday and he has taken over an entire chapter, 2000 words all on him, leaving no room for anyone else. I'm starting to wonder if it's an ego thing. He acts all private and withdrawn but I'm thinking now it's just an act.

Oh good! Deyon is an example of those characters that you put in your sims story with every intention of being a second banana or perhaps background window dressing, but they manage to push their way to the front of the chorus line and take over the whole show.
Look forward to this, as you know, I was taken with Deyon right off.

And LOL! About Lorcan, thanks so much. ;D

[thevintagesim]

haha, found this, and I was a little flattered at the mention of my Sim. I am so glad you took him and gave him life, Drew! He was a gypsy in my game..haha

[drew]

Dec 11, 2010 0:20:26 GMT -5 thevintagesim said:

haha, found this, and I was a little flattered at the mention of my Sim. I am so glad you took him and gave him life, Drew! He was a gypsy in my game..haha

You created a great sim, Christina, I am just glad I nabbed him when I did.
I can see him being a gypsy!

[thelunarfox]

So I saw this on one of the comics I read, and I immediately remembered this thread.

Don't worry guys, everything isn't a Mary Sue

I admit I didn't read it in full detail, mostly because I'm not really bothering to be concerned with the whole "mary sue" thing, but I do think it's awesome and touches on so many points that hopefully someone will find it interesting, inspiring, or reassuring.

[Velvet]

thelunarfox Thanks for sharing. It is helpful and although he talks of sci-fi or fantasy characters, it applies to all. Very interesting read.

[mdpthatsme]

Eh, skimmed it too. It starts off pretty well, but then starts to ramble. (Not saying that we all don't do that sometimes.)

I'm deciding that one way or another someone somewhere will be able to transform any character that any of us may have into a Mary Sue or Gary Stu. If they're determined to do it, they're going to find a way. Right? Where there's a will there's a way?

I've stopped being paranoid about my characters being those stereotypes because I've come to the only conclusion that I can. All characters are representatives of traits, actions, humor, and/or stereotypes in any area/situation they have been designed for. If they weren't important we wouldn't make them and put them into those situations. (see rambling)

But be of bias or something else, I think we all have beautiful characters, even if they're starting fires or saving the day. They're all still wonderful and represent our awesome/scary imaginations.

[shrug moment]