The Played By/PhysRep Thread
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I do a lot of Google Image Search by relevant keywords for the character or characteristics I definitely want for them, and a fair amount of poking around IMDB. I second British TV/film as a source for less perfectly processed people than most US media.
The one thing I dislike about everyone having openly-shared PBs these days is that it seems to push the average attractiveness level up even more than it used to be, and it annoys me a bit if there seems to be a wild difference between a character's PB and actual Appearance stat. (nb: I am chiefly an oWoD player; YMMV for other systems.)
@Arkandel said:
- How important is the part where you find a PB for your character? As in, if it takes you X minutes to figure out what's allowed, write the BG, etc... what percentage of that do you spend searching for the right one?
I am very, very -- I'll just go ahead and go straight on to 'ridiculously' -- slow at creating characters. I really couldn't even start to figure out percentages. That said, I take as long as it takes to find the right PB. Several hours at the least, sometimes more than that spread over days. The ones that worked the best so far have been settled by one photo of the actor with an expression that made me go 'yeah, that's them, couldn't use anyone else now,' and in at least one case I revised some aspects of my mental image (hair colour entirely, height somewhat) after finding the picture.
- Does it matter to you what other people choose? For example if someone has picked the same PB as you, if it's a beefcake/hot model or a regular joe... and do you think the choice means something about their character or even player?
I won't use a PB that's already in use on a game. Ideally, I won't use one that's ever been used on the game. That said, there was one time about a decade ago (before one could expect a wiki to let you see who other people were using) that it happened by accident, and that actually ended up being absolutely key to my character's interactions with people and thus my experience on that game. Remarking ICly on how much a new character reminds you of an old one with the same PB is also kind of fun, as long as the player doesn't mind -- it makes a pretty decent conversation starter.
I definitely think PB choice says something about the character... If it doesn't, then something's wrong. And yes, rightly or wrongly, I do sometimes suspect the choice says something about the player as well. Sometimes it's a good impression, other times less so. The rest of what's available to see (descs, hooks, etc.) can seriously adjust things one way or another, though, and I'd still give their RP a chance even if their page got the side-eye.
- Do you find it odd these days if someone does things differently? Say... has no PB. Or chooses artwork over a real picture (for a realistic MU*, obviously it'd be different for a superhero MU* for example if you're playing a comic book character and used a drawing).
Odd is a bit strong. Mildly unusual, I guess. But if you can't find something that fits your mental image, it's probably better to have nothing at all and rely on the desc alone. That worked well enough for years.
@Glitch -- what is it that you decide based on number of pictures selected, and does who/what the content is affect it?
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@thebird said:
I find my PB first, and build a character based on what/who they look like, to me. I'm an artist and super visual, so maybe that's part of it. I've been told that's very backwards.
I end up doing this sometimes, too. Though it's less 'I want to make a character, let me find a face', as I stumble across a face, a personality/concept pops into my head, and I'm stuck thinking, 'Well, crap. Where the heck am I going to play that?'
Other times, I have a vague character concept that can be boiled down to one word (wolfblood, noble, waitress, etc.) and search from there, and image-hop until something presses the 'generate backstory' button (that apparently somebody installed behind my left eye or something).
The look of a character, be it a picture or text, is something I focus on pretty intensely. It takes me forever to write a desc, even if it's one of standard or short length. Going to college for costume design will do that to a person, seriously.
Every little choice ends up being somehow significant, and if it isn't significant or part of the basics (height, build, hair color, eye color), it needn't be there. This gets really damn wordy now and then with characters that have lasted a long time and collected their share of scars/mementos/etc. they keep on their person. Almost nobody reads +views, so the things just start to sprawl on (and on and on and on) eventually. Heck, almost nobody even reads descs these days, and I still do this.It makes it easier to pick a face based on general vibe, then extrapolate from the imagery from there. It makes it almost impossible to find something if I start from the desc and an elaborate personality and try to find an image to match it.
Oh fucking well.
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I'm still not used to PBs. I find them odd and would rather not use them ever or see other people use them.
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I pretty much exclusively go with musicians. Usually from industrial/goth genres if i can find them without a lot of makeup. Seems to serve me fairly well and I've almost never had someone use the same PB as me, outside of someone going 'hey i'm using your PB on another game!'
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@thebird said:
I find my PB first, and build a character based on what/who they look like, to me. I'm an artist and super visual, so maybe that's part of it. I've been told that's very backwards.
My thought-process is similar, save that I find my PB after I decide on what sort of character concept I want to play. So, I determine the concept, find the PB, and then start building. For example, for my KD PC, I selected the concept of "Captain of the Guard," picked Mads MIkkelsen from Valhalla Rising, and then built the PC based on what I wanted to play and how I wanted him to look.
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@Ninjakitten said:
@Glitch -- what is it that you decide based on number of pictures selected, and does who/what the content is affect it?
If the player has, let's say, 6+ pictures of the character with little notable difference other than pose, clothing or state of dress, I generally think they're no longer going for representational and are a bit too focused on the appeal of their character's looks. It doesn't make me hate them or anything, but I do end up a bit less interested.
Not sure what other content? Like pets, or weapons or something? Or splat affiliation? Those aren't a big deal to me as far as number of pictures. It's more the "gallery of self" that bugs me.
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@Arkandel said:
Oh! Double post.
In the past I've balked at picking PBs which 'match' someone else's if they were in a movie or something together. So for example if I was using Keeanu Reeves and someone I was planning on playing with a lot was using Carrie-Anne Moss it'd strike me as weird. Is it just me?
Also I don't much like using A-listers. But that's an overshadowing choice, I feel people would be thinking 'Harrison Ford' or 'George Clooney' not 'Cadric Drowkiller' when they looked at the page.
"I don't like using A-Listes." [picks Jake Gyllenhaal] <.<
I like taking my time picking a PB. Sometimes it has to do with the roles they've portrayed and whether I think the actor could fit into my character's shoes--other times it has to do with some in-joke with a friend. There's usually a reason for my PBs, even if it's something unimportant, beyond "I just like the look".
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@Pyrephox said:
@Thenomain said:
I need a place to find people who look more like normal people, not like actors and models. Like, "young but androgynous, very homely fae probably male but not for certain". Or, "overweight middle-aged albino white woman".
I search Google images with the key characteristics of a character in mind
Have you tried "middle-aged albino woman"? I'd rather have no image than the wrong one, though once I put down on the wiki page "no she doesn't look this beautiful but let's face it, you picked a hot played-by too".
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Kinda interested in RP'ing with Thenomain's chubby white female character now.
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I always see my characters as a form of drawing, pencil, ink, various animation styles, various anime styles.
PBs just suck by comparison, so I recruit others to find something close.
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@Thenomain said:
@Pyrephox said:
@Thenomain said:
I need a place to find people who look more like normal people, not like actors and models. Like, "young but androgynous, very homely fae probably male but not for certain". Or, "overweight middle-aged albino white woman".
I search Google images with the key characteristics of a character in mind
Have you tried "middle-aged albino woman"? I'd rather have no image than the wrong one, though once I put down on the wiki page "no she doesn't look this beautiful but let's face it, you picked a hot played-by too".
Nah. My characters usually aren't that exotic in appearance, so there's more selection available.
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I always go exotic. Exotic physical tends to be easiest. My RP goal is to do something new with every character.
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@Arkandel said:
Other than sources on which to find a PB, a few questions from me:
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How important is the part where you find a PB for your character? As in, if it takes you X minutes to figure out what's allowed, write the BG, etc... what percentage of that do you spend searching for the right one?
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Does it matter to you what other people choose? For example if someone has picked the same PB as you, if it's a beefcake/hot model or a regular joe... and do you think the choice means something about their character or even player?
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Do you find it odd these days if someone does things differently? Say... has no PB. Or chooses artwork over a real picture (for a realistic MU*, obviously it'd be different for a superhero MU* for example if you're playing a comic book character and used a drawing).
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Not very. I generally create the character first. Then either someone recommends a good PB for the character as I describe them, or I skim through Google to find pictures of someone looking like my character/in situations my character would be into. I also know jack shit about celebrities and musicians. As a result, my PBs range from obscure and unique to recognizable.
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I have nothing against multiple characters with the same PB. People generally choose different pictures, anyway. To me, it's like an actor playing multiple roles in different movies. They're not all the same character, but they look like the same actor on screen. I don't judge on PB choice, but I'll admit I sometimes judge on picture selection, such as if there are multiple half-naked pictures, if there are twenty pictures or multiple gifs, or if there are a dozen pictures of the same PB but they look /completely/ different in each picture, even though their character does not actively change appearance. Ahem. Then again, I'll judge wikis, too - if they're lackluster, if the person creating them can string a sentence together, if they appear entitled or narcissistic. Back to the subject at hand...
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'Alternate styled' (or no) PB doesn't bother me. I actually read descs and, to be honest, most of the time I forget what a character's PB looks like anyway and simply rely on the mental image in my head (which the desc and RP inspire). To me, a wiki's just for fun, just something to help other players get an idea of your character, and whether or not they might be interesting, but ultimately it's RP that forms that mental image for me.
EDIT: I just wanted to add that, interestingly enough, my choice of PBs have led to chat that led to RP, as well as (when re-using a PB) re-uniting me with past RP partners I enjoyed and missed. So there's that, too.
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I go with weird. Jane Fonda in a noose. Teri Nunn. Psycho looking bitches. I'm usually told 'should be hotter'. Bitch please, Teri Nunn is STILL hot.
