Do your characters portray you?

[Aryr de Morte]

An odd thought I had just now, this character is a "foreigner" to the already made continents of Althanas. I'm a foreigner to America (although I have citizenship now).

My character also portrays me in a number of other ways, I like to have fun and feel a strong tie to my family and homeland (Austria). To me it's more fun and interesting to role-play a character that I identify with, how about the rest of you? Do your characters portray you in any way at all?

[Dirge]

Ha, way too much sometimes. Each one is a weird part of me, or some excessively unique or strong personality that I portray. Hence, I sometimes get scared when I rp with Dirge (or if any of you remember Anarchy --shutters--).

Garwockets what I'm like when I'm not sick, and out with my friends, drinking too much. He's just straight insane, do what I want, craaaaazy.

I think the one I most identify with is probably Ranger though, because he's gone through the same thing I have. He started out confused and lonely. He found a home and comfort. He found a god and began following hiim absolutely. Eventually his faith was brought to question and he allowed it to let him fallout of the clerical path. ((I just decided that I didn't believe)). Now he's kinda doing the same thing I'm doing, wondering whats next and trying to identify himself... lol.

As for the others, basically if you push them all together and create one character (God that'd be weird) you will get exactly what I am.

[Reiko]

my characters have to represent me in some way. Ki's pretty much my more mature and stronger side, the kind that can have fun too but she's probably my positive traits given life and awesome sword skill^^

Ginx is a bit more of me as a whole, Strengths and flaws. She does her best to get through but is definitely not the best at anything and even though she's a mage she's not really a good one. Not to mention she's really shy^^ That's why I chose to use first person with her.

[Elrundir]

Other incarnations of Elrundir have, but Althanas' version certainly doesn't. He's the opposite of me in a lot of ways, actually: overconfident, racist, arrogant. I guess we're both clever, maybe. >_>

Parts of Christina do, I suppose. Her fun-loving attitude, and her way of shifting from flighty to serious at the drop of a hat when the situation calls for it. I tend to do that too.

[Artifex Felicis]

It usually depends on the thread. Leon's a lot "calmer" then me in some ways. Moreso that I act a bit more random than the fuzzball. Though, beyond that He's sort of like a foil to me in a way I guess. At least how I look at it. It's weird trying to describe it. He has a lot of the same traits as me, and does most of the same stuff as me, but I normally keep two or three rules in my head for bossing the kitty around, and he becomes his own person easily enough. Still, he's a reasonible representation of me, but not enough to actually substitute for me.

My other charectors are usually in some way me, but often only a single trait or part that is there.

[Zook Murnig]

Caduceus is largely based off of myself, as far as his personality goes. He reacts as I would react, and only differs in ways that result from his magic. Hell, I even based his use of the Qaballah off of my own studies of the Qabalah. Chic and Tabatha Cicero and Israel Regardie are all people I look up to, though I've never met them in real life.

[Karuka]

H'mm...Well, I was going to say no, but thinking about it....kind of.

Anila's my personality, only she's more vicious (unless I'm mad), as a general rule. Oh, and the fans? Totally hot, I think...but I can't use them myself.

Karuka...would annoy the hell out of me in real life. She's all bouncy-happy and talkative, like me on a caffeine/sugar/really good day rush. CONSTANTLY. And we both read runes...she's just cooler about it than I am. She probably also represents what uncertainties I have. She doesn't know who she is, feels like she'll never be good enough for anything, and was actually on a journey to find who she was before she got sucked into Althanas (although that's not what she thought).

Sara (Seraphima) -- Is probably the version I'm most like when I'm NOT being a bitch. She's sweet and quiet and understanding, and the sort of person who will just sit back and listen to the silence. She is also just about completely harmless...and I'm harmless when I'm not being like Aila.

And The Archer (Seth Ad'huast)...I made him on a whim. He's a cheeseball. I guess I can be a cheeseball...but he's a CHEESEBALL.

For some reason, though...on an average day, i can write Karu more easily.

[AdventWings]

Well, I wouldn't know where to begin...

Yamihara: Pick me! Pick me!

Me: Uhh... Alright...? ^_^;

Yamihara here is, oddly enough, me in the Happy Phase. She could well be a fragment of myself, so to say, but I don't think this constitutes as MPD anymore.

Yamihara: I'm not? Aww...

Me: Still, I see her as one of my inner personalities and a very good sister as well.

Murakama: *Ahem* My turn?

Me: Oh, yeah. Murakama here started off as a surprise account after I made Yamihara's here on Althanas.

Murakama: Hey! Are you calling me an accident?! *Snarls*

Me: N-No, not at all. I just... didn't know you were there.

Yamihara: Ooh, that's something you're not supposed to say to a girl, Master Raven.

Murakama: Pfft. Fine, be that way. I am also you, ya know. That angry, anti-social side, remember? You've got so much pent up inside I'm your only way of venting out.

Me: In a constructive manner, yes.

Murakama: Or not. *plays with Kazeryu menacingly*

Me: Well, now is Reina's turn.

Mikami: Yay~!

Me: Reina here is my thinker side. So to speak. But she's not exactly me, either. I'm not geeky, (Reina: Liar. He is such a geek.) I only wear glasses on occasions (Reina: Li- Oh, wait. True.) and I don't have a belt of tools around my waist all the time (Reina: Liar. He has his pens and pencils lined up in his cargo pant pockets.).

*Me glares at Mikami*

Mikami: Hey, you can't deny it. *Smiles innocently* It's not like I'm you're Dream Girl or anything, right?

Me: ...Of course. *Clears his throat*

They've grown so much now I don't think they could be called a part of my personality anymore. Well, unless you take into account the fact they live in my head independent of my will...

...Now, what was I saying? O.o *Sigh* Maybe I should start taking medications...

Yamihara/Murakama/Mikami: Nooo~!!!

[Aryr de Morte]

I actually asked this question to answer a question that I asked myself the other day. I noticed that all of my characters seemed to be something like me, even if I didn't consciously write them to be like me.

I think that a lot of the time, unless you intentionally write a character to be opposite from you, you'll always get an aspect of your personality somewhere in there.

So the next question is, how much does our mood or personality influence our writing? Is it easy to write something opposite from our emotions or thoughts going on in real life?

For me, it really takes a lot of willpower to write something happy or funny when I'm feeling down and vice versa. I also find myself sometimes struggling to play a part that I wouldn't play if we were actually living in Althanas.

Feel free to post your input. :)

[The Archer]

H'mm...well, this guy here...I don't need a particular mood for him. He's a cheeseball who can be serious, and don't cross him just as the moon starts waxing.

Karuka, on the other hand, I can write almost anytime. If I can't write her, I need a break, lol. She can go from angry to sorrowful to bouncy/happy in 2.56 seconds flat, soooooo...mood isn't a problem.

Anila...helps to be mildly irritated or calm.

And Sara...gods, Sara is so hard to write. It isn't a mood thing, it's just that her way of processing sensory information is so...awkward for someone who can see when she has her contacts in.

[Elrundir]

Oh, mood absolutely affects my writing. No doubt in my mind whatsoever. Sometimes I just can't make a post because it should be a certain way but I don't feel that way, or sometimes it'll just trickle in anyway and I won't realize it until later. But it definitely, absolutely affects my writing. Whether or not I should let it is another story...

[Gadgeteer Mikami]

I can see what you mean with Sara. Being blindfolded from time to time helps, I think. Master Raven tried it once and also tied one of his arm to his side for almost an entire day just to see how it would feel like to have one arm.

Talk about wierd.

I hope I'm not too hard to write... *Embarassed laugh*

EDIT: Oh, yeah! The question!

Yes, I definitely agree that mood affects Master Raven's writing. He seems to write best when he's in a good mood or listening to his favorite tunes. I've seen him on a bad day and... No, I don't want to talk about it... ^_^;

[The Archer]

Heh...I can't write anything when I'm in a mood.

Fortunately, those things bleed off soon after I get online and start ranting to one of my many computer friends.

[Bohemia]

You want a character that portrays it's owner in a lot of ways, look no further than this one.

[Nein]

As much as I try, my characters tend to mimic me in some way.

This one is almost entirely physical likeness, though I assume he'll eventually fall into a stronger trait of mine. I've been trying to avoid my characters acting as I would, to help promote better writing but... no such luck.

Sigh.

So physically yes, at the moment.

Give it a few months, and I think Drenn will become my anger, aggression and frustration.

-wink!-

[Jasmine]

i think the only ones of my characters that doesn't portray me is possibly Poison and Beauty.

Jasmine is almost identical to me as far as personality and the way she responds to things. She's far prettier than I could ever hope to be, is more confidant and actually knows how to use a sword.

Cassy is me on a day when I'm just feeling really super happy happy joy joy. She's almost never downhearted and always hopes for the best even when things look the worst.

Poison I've attempted to make as much as an opposite from me as I can. Hence she is not very friendly, has loose morals, and is a killer. The only thing the two of us have in common is our love for children. They're about the only thing Poison loves, but she does love children.

Slave (beauty) i came up with as an idea off the top of my head. I thought it might be interesting to try playing a character that starts out with no personality of her own, no will of her own, and no name. in fact, i decided when i designed her, that I would not name her. In the quest in which her current master is killed and she is therefore freed, the person who takes her in will get to name her and I will use that name. They get no hints from me, no suggestions, nothing. I thought the whole idea of having someone else name her and I use whatever they come up with was a very interesting one. The quest is already in the works, just waiting to clear a few other things off my plate before I start that one.

oh! and my first furry on althy, FoxyLady! I almost forgot about her. She is actually the Althy version of a character i made in an IM RP. The only thing that is different, really, is her name and how she gets away from the life she is currently leading.

As for the question regarding moods... YES! My mood greatly effects my writing. So much so, that sometimes I won't try to write something, because I just can't write it how it needs to be. For example, if I need a post to be really happy, and I'm having a really bad day, I just can't make it sound right. At least, it won't sound right to me as i'm writing it, and then I won't put it up. So yeah, mood effects my writing.

[Ithermoss]

Oh, definitely. Of the ones I've had...

Ithermoss and Rakh portray my sense of duty and loyalty to friends, as well as my work ethic. Despite his odd physical, cultural, and social attributes (which could be said for most of Althanas), he's essentially the archetypal "blue collar" worker. Not astoundingly intelligent, not incredibly savvy at everything - he's just good at what he knows how to do.

Pvt. Graham Percy Mudd is my sense of humor, and my tendency to think outside of the box. Mudd made a grenade out of bat-poop, an army sock, some rocks,and a shoestring. He used a naughty magazine as a makeshift weapon. The man fights with a trenching shovel, for goodness sake! I also have an interest in WWII history, so naturally a soldier who survived the Battle of the Bulge would be my choice.

Bastille represents my tendency to feel out of step, and at times, totally lost, overwhelmed, and powerless. On his home planet, his power was as limitless as was cyberspace (he exploited computer networks), but on Althanas, a head full of cyber-ware doesn't do him any good if he can't patch into a network.

[Letho]

I never really intended to have as many characters as I do now. I first thought that most of my own thoughts and ideas could be reflected in just Letho, but the more I wrote about him, the more I realized that he's not entirely like me. So I made a couple of others, each bringing in an additional aspect of me. Malagen, for example, is the pissed off, I'd-like-to-kill-something-in-a-very-bloody-way part of me, Jared is the nice guy part, etc. So like many said before, yes, my characters portray me, but none of them captures the real me completely. I think Victor (The Cinderella Man) is the character that I identify with the most though.

As for the mood... It works a bit differently for me. Whereas my general mood could be pretty damn good, it doesn't necessarily mean that my writing would be good as well. Sometimes I write better when I'm seriously agitated or there's some depressing crap going on in my life, and sometimes I just wake up on the right side of the bed, the day is good and the words seep onto the virtual paper. I guess my writing is very flaky. I blame it on my muse that likes to play hide and seek from time to time.

[hamnat]

Me: Ok....let's start off with everyone's favorite, the flame-haired elf-maiden, Shenjara Flamespire.

Shen: Weee!!!(^_^)

Me: She's so cute.

Shen: Aww....*blushes*

Me: She portrays my interest in the mystical and complex. She also is easily provoked, as any bandit who has crossed her path has learned.

Shen: Well, what do you expect? They're the idiots who decided to pick on a fire-elementalist...

Me: Quite so...well, at least you have that power. Without it you would be rather helpless.

Shen: Well...I spent my time studying magic instead of practicing combat with a staff like you did...

Me: Don't worry, I'll teach you someday.

Shen: Yay!!!

Me: Now, Kishurin.

Kishurin: What about me?

Me: He's my psychological, empathic side. Also, we are both reclusive, yet at the same time, we yearn to be around other people. We share that strange quality.

Kishurin: That we do...but at least you're not several lightyears away from your home...

Me: True....we also share weapons training with smaller bladed weapons(aka daggers and knives) and bows. He's better than I am with a bow, and I have more prowess with knives.

Kishurin: Yes...now can we go somewhere with less people?

Me: You go ahead...Now it's Mac's turn.

Mac: Aye. Wha' have ye to say abou' meh?

Me: You represent my belief in chivalry(as it is called by some) and honor.

Mac: Thank ye. Though ye aren't as chivalric or honorable as either of us would like...

Me: Don't remind me...Mac shares my weapons training with swords. However, he also has training with heavy weaponry such as warhammers and battleaxes. We are about equal with swords of varying size.

Mac: Ye still have some to learn...ye've definently got parryin' and dodgin' down, but ye've got to work on findin' yer opponent's openin's.

Me: Yes, I know...

Shen: Umm...I think maybe it's time for you to let someone else speak...

Me: *sigh* Alright...I'll shut up now...

[Storm Veritas]

Storm is the id.

[Empyrean]

I can say without a doubt that my characters portray me, but I can't really identify with one of them more than the others.

Sanoë mostly shares quirky habits and pet peeves with me. I base whatever she gets annoyed about - which is a lot - off of what annoys me. I gave her the same line of thinking and reasoning as me. She sort of represents the loner in me, I guess. And Hana is my outgoing, opinionated, loud talkative side. She gets her weird cheerfulness and "good with kids" vibe from me.

As for Rabhya, well, considering I haven't written anything for her yet, I'm not sure. But I'm thinking she'll be the evil me that everyone I know says doesn't exist. She represents the qualities I don't like - lazy and spoile. Which I hope I don't actually show much. :)

[The Writing Writer]

yeah this guy totally is me in real life...............o_O

[orphans]

Mmm... I'm not sure if this character represents me in any way directly, but I guess in some aspects yes, and in others no. Not quite sure how to explain it. ^^; I'm not 12.

[Rith]

Well seeing as I just started Rith, I'm not too sure how he'll mold out to be. I'm still trying to find "my" style of writing, but it'll come in time. I guess at this point I've tried designing him as my opposite. He's a irrational thinker (a definate opposite of me), he will usually do something stupid (so can I), he's dedicated on getting his work done on time (an most definate opposite), if it involves money he's up for it (I'm the same way), he's selfish about his things (me too). I guess he portrays me in a way, and as for the opposite traits I lack the most and I envy him to have are his strong points...

My mood does affect my writing. I have to be in a content relaxed or pissed off state to write. If I'm down, excited, or just blah I can't. It already has shown with my lack of update to my solo thread...

[Whisper]

Heck, is it even possible to develop a character's personality without stamping them with some aspect, however minor, of one's self? My immediate answer to this is a resounding No, but that is because I couldn't imagine how to create a character otherwise. Even my villians have aspects of me (in a sort of scary realizing way, heh).

The trouble of having characters which are aspects of yourself, I've found, is getting into that aspect when you just are not feeling it. To me, there is nothing more challenging than writing, convincingly, the extreme opposite of whatever current mental place your in. As in writing perky, happy types when you're just at the bottom of your rope, or flying high and having to write something traumatic and heavy. I've noticed that certain characters shine more than others depending on what mood I'm in, easily.

[Gavius]

I try to be friendly. Other than that, I don't see much relation between myself and Gavius. He's quite devoted to whatever he sets his mind to, whereas I have a less tunnel-vision mentality and am able to focus on multiple things. I dunno, like Whisper said, I guess some of yourself, or rather who you want to be comes out in the characters you write with. It's difficult to hide some semblance of your realistic self or your ideal you.

[Io Beauregard]

All Me, Baby!!!

[Noir]

The reason I am unable to write is because my characters portray aspects of me, and the aspects I have chosen for my characters are portions of my life I feel I need to avoid.

My characters are too much a part of me, to the point that it is dangerous. Whilst writing for Akuro [Goth account] I had become severely depressed and came to another brink. This brink wasn't caused by something so lighthearted, but that is but an example of the impact my use of creativity has on my life.

[hamnat]

To me, there is nothing more challenging than writing, convincingly, the extreme opposite of whatever current mental place your in. As in writing perky, happy types when you're just at the bottom of your rope, or flying high and having to write something traumatic and heavy.

I often feel depressive, despite the sunny, perky, super-energetic person everybody sees. I often write in the extreme opposite because it balences me out, sobering the hyperness or nullifying the depression. So we're rather different there. (^_^)

[Kod Ak]

Kod and myself share the way we act around pther people. We both tend to stay at the surface when we're with people we don't know: not giving to much information about who we are and keeping our distance.
Later on, when we know the people and trust them, we'll both open up and become outgoing.

As for the mood thing: I once had to write a scene where one of my chars finds love when IRL, I just ended a relationship that very week. I didn't like doing it, it was hard to write about love in a happy way in that situation. So I say mood definatly affects one's writing ability.

[Zerith]

I guess I can say I try to make Zerith alot like me, however I think the people like Witchblade an Lisean are the only ones that can say if it's true or not. Since they're the lucky few than know me IRL.

I find it easy to write as Zerith though, simply because the two of us share alot of the same values. Although I don't have a halberd and the skills he does. So yes, I do think Z-Man is the althanas version of myself. It's probably why I love writing here so much.

[streak101]

Well....Banda shares the same sense of humor as me, and sort of portrays me if I came out and said everything I thought about someone. He's basically an older more brazen, less mature side of me thats always trying to beome reality.

...that AND he kicks ass ;)

[Elijah_Morendale]

Appearance-wise, Elijah is a dead ringer for me, right down to the love for the denim jacket and the anime black hair (which is actually a true story, I messed up something fierce dying my hair once). As far as personality goes, it's pretty evenly split between Elijah and his imaginary friend. Elijah is how I act normally, albeit I'm a touch shyer than he is. Nadia represents my weird side--that's the face I usually put on when I'm at work, as to distract myself from how much I hate my job.


Madison, on the other hand, is half me, half an old friend of mine. She's every bit as vicious as my friend, but her overall personality reflects how I act when I'm feeling emo: Neurotic, isolated, quiet, brooding, and so on.

[Aiko]

Each of my Characters has one of my personality traits embedded in them as one of their major personality traits.

Xos has that whole nerdy likes to research and find out the truth part, taken and grown into something I'm not, a student of science. Science is good and all, and I respect and acknowledge the things its done, but I don't think it will ever have all the answers.

Aiko and her many personalities represents my imagination where all my characters come from. There are so many diffrent voices in there clamoring for attention its maddening sometimes. And again, when I give my characters direction in a story or battle, I can actually see them next to me, telling me what they want to do. Also there really is a genuine history of Mental Illness in my family.

Destrudo should be obvious. I took my anger and hatred, coupled them with the desire for destruction and made them a Character, after researching enough Psychiatry to adequetly explain how he came to be what he is.

As my Characters grow and change, so do the various parts of my personality I gave them thus making me grow and change.

[Saxon]

Saxon displays my physical build somewhat, but is more a combination of some of my personality quirks. He was originally supposed to be something simple for a game I was playing, but he grew and grew until I molded him with my subtle fear of the dark, paranoia, and the aloof attitude I had at the beginning of high school. Strange.. yet satisfying. :rolleyes:

[Kai]

No, i don't really think my character portrays me in anyway, i have used this character for 8 years, give or take, and at this moment in time it feels like the character has a life of its own, one that i know so well.

actually you can see the way i write things (Minus the grammer) as the closest thing you will see that represents me ... my character is unfutunatly thrown into those strange and sometimes awkward moments

... i actually feel pity for my character on occasion