Viewpoint How much of a Character do you need to know before portraying them?

[Crow]

You see, I hang around crossover fandom RPs quite a bit. There's one prominent thing there - people complaining about characters being poorly depicted, people worrying that they're not being loyal to the character's... well... character. You get me.

So, how much of a character does one need to know before portraying them? I mean usually I rely on online computer-translated Japanese Light Novels for reference with the anime adaptation, ten volumes, twenty volumes maybe, a couple hundred chapters... that's my reference. Well, I'm not sure what to think of how comic guys do things, lots of volumes, characters appearing in each other's series... It's certainly something compared to reading or watching the entirety of One Piece for the sake of playing Zoro or Usopp in a crossover RP.

Some characters and series have uh.... a lot of webs. For online games, you've got events of characters that reveal new information that may contradict how you've depicted them before, as well as prior events you might have a hard time accessing unless you've played them before. Even worse if servers shut down and you lose all info. There's also stuff like Omnibus and Lore books... list goes on.

I mean personally I just read or watch to a point, check reference materials online if any, and take them from the part of the timeline I feel comfortable about. But nevermind me - how about you?

 

[rae2nerdy]

So to be clear you mean canon characters?

It really depends on the fandom. If it’s a standalone property than just completing the entire source material and picking the character I liked best is easy.

If it’s a long running show with like six seasons than I usually wait until the first season is over to even attempt writing characters and will update my plots as needed after subsequent seasons give me new ideas.

Same with book series really although I might read two books minimum depending on their length and how much of book one is purely setting up the world and premise vs. setting up the characters.

 

[Comicwolf]

It depends not only on the fandom but what the other rper or u are looking for.

For example: if i asked for a roleplay of batwoman but i also mention that the person must be caught up to current season or know the character well enough to rp them, they would have to have experience rping as her before. Or i ask for a specific idea based on an episode they would have to go rewatch or remember what it was about.


But back to the topic, on groups its a bit harder to stick to character, like if you put them in a new world that isnt their own around others you have to remember how they act to others. Like batman acts cold and harsh depending on the person.

They cant use their normal tactical or thinking because they have to find out what all they can use or how to survive in this new enviroment.
Now if it was on their earth they would know their strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Bone2pick]

So, how much of a character does one need to know before portraying them?

It can vary depending on the roleplay, but usually just the essentials. And by that I mean defining attributes, commonly shown abilities, and the character-shaping parts of their backstory. Unless stated otherwise, everything else falls under the purview of "their take" on the character in my opinion.

 

[Onmyoji]

Depends on the fandom.

I usually rp fandoms that are rather... finite. So it's fairly easy to catch up with the source, be it a game, series or a book.
If it's a series, I'd watch entire series (or up to current season) + would read extra info on the character if available (wiki, fandom wiki, fandom discussions if I'm actively engaged in fandom, fanbooks if available etc). Especially if it's one of the main characters that I want to rp.

If, for example, the series is very long or the fandom is very vast (like series + books + games) , then I would say that "I can rp this character but only up to this point in fandom / only from this part of the canon"
For example, if there is a fandom were anime is complete but manga is still ongoing, and I only watched anime, I'd only rp based on what I know from anime (or wouldn't rp that character at all if my partner wants to expand further into the part of the fandom I don't know). Even then I'd still read extra info like fandom wikis to know maybe some bits that I might have missed.

 

[Chordling]

I think a lot of it can depend on the presence of the character that you are portraying, too. You might want to know a character like the back of your hand if they are going to be the main part of your story. That might not be applicable if you only want to include the cannon character as some kind of NPC.

Your understanding of a canon character can be affected by the resources that are available to you. Basically, how big is the fandom that you're working with? What kind of information are you going to have about this character? Some video game characters don't have as much information about, say, their personality, when there is plenty of information about how they mechanically function. Meanwhile, characters from books are going to have a lot more content that can be found from the original source. Just look at LotR.

Lastly, it can also depend on what the group wants. How loyal do you want to hold yourself to the characters and the universe? Some people prefer to, quite literally, stay by the books. Other people might not care. What matters most is that everyone is enjoying their time.

 

[Idea]

Simply put, I don't think you ever really can. The only person who could conceivably portray a character accurately is the creator, as they are the only who could hope to understand all the nuances and aspects of a character. There's always some other aspect or other angle from which a character could be viewed, and this goes double for a character another is passionate about.

You can see this in original characters inspired by cannon ones too. Often players have this image of "oh, this character was badass. I want to make one like them" but then end up taking only the superficial elements of the character, fail to grasp the narrative context and literary (or whatever medium's) tools that helped propell that character into being what they are both in universe and from an outside perspective.

 

[Phantom Thief of Hearts]

I try my best to be as faithful as possible to the best of my ability. Often I binge watch a show or play through a game to get a handle on their voice.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Ooh also as a update it sort of depends on the characters role in the series. If it’s a main character than I might want to have a more detailed understanding of them versus just a background side character.

Like if they aren’t super plot relevant and I am gonna basically make an OC with an established face claim/power set than I don’t look up any additional information beyond what’s in the original appearance.

 

[The Omen of Death]

I’ll add a little thing, for writing a comic accurate character. A lot of the time they’re character is passed around like a hot potato between different writers, and usually preconceived “notions” of these characters usually are defined by those who were considered the “best” at writing them.

So when I approach comic book characters I tend to think back to who my favorite writer of the character is and emulate them. Trying to be faithful to that. So I for one thing LOVE writing Deadpool. The issue is, he’s had a lot of horseshit writers over the years. Starting with Daniel Way, who set the trend for some others to write meme Deadpool who has no emotional nuance and cracks bad jokes every 2 seconds.

So I always think back to my two favorite Deadpool writers, Joe Kelly (the quintessential Deadpool writer who wrote Deadpool the way most have a basic idea imagine him today) and Gerry Duggan (the one after Daniel Way) and write Deadpool with a mix of the two in mind Duggan who already had Kelly influence. And then I add a slight bit of my own flair since I think comic characters are pretty flexible, as long as you stay true to they’re core traits.

 

[Crayons]

In general, you only need to know 10% more about the character than your RP partner does. If they have read/watched/consumed literally every piece of media about the character then you have to make your own judgement. If they get pissy with you about getting things wrong because you haven't delved into every single aspect of the character or don't remember some stuff, I would think twice about RPing with that person.

I don't usually play canon characters, but I have played a few in my time and only once did I get picked up about some lore from the series that I didn't know, and it wasn't about my character. I think that having a feel for the character is probably more important than knowing everything about them? But I'm no expert on it. XD

 

[rae2nerdy]

Crayons I agree a hundred percent it is always better to have a feel for the character. I mean unless the bit of information your missing is :

“Oh our characters can’t be dating cuz their siblings. Ooh oops did you not get that far into the series? My bad but I’m still not comfortable with them dating a blood relative.”

But I mean if you don’t know that the fan wiki says the characters favorite color is teal and they own a dog named Biscuit which showed up in a blink and you miss it scene in the series than I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.

If anything since 99% of canon requests are about pairings specifically than getting the characters feel is vital. As that is usually what builds realistic relationships in the show/books. Not the bare bones facts but how the character is written or acted around other characters.

 

[Crayons]

Crayons I agree a hundred percent it is always better to have a feel for the character. I mean unless the bit of information your missing is :

“Oh our characters can’t be dating cuz their siblings. Ooh oops did you not get that far into the series? My bad but I’m still not comfortable with them dating a blood relative.”

But I mean if you don’t know that the fan wiki says the characters favorite color is teal and they own a dog named Biscuit which showed up in a blink and you miss it scene in the series than I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.

If anything since 99% of canon requests are about pairings specifically than getting the characters feel is vital. As that is usually what builds realistic relationships in the show/books. Not the bare bones facts but how the character is written or acted around other characters.

You'd be surprised at how many canon rpers really don't have any problem with incest and in fact enjoy it. XD

But yeah look up who the characters siblings are before you agree on dating any other character just in case, kids!

 

[Satanic Nightjar]

Personally, I like to know everything.

Not just the most important things, like their personality, their past, but also the little things, like their favorite color, what foods they can't stand, what bones they've broken, their biggest phobia. I want to become that character so I can write them as convincingly as possible, and make it as engaging as possible for my partner. The only times when I find it useful to NOT know much about the character I'm portraying is when I want to flesh them out In Character and discover them for myself, which I have done in the past.

However, I don't want my partner to know everything. This is why in 1x1 I don't require a character sheet - I think it takes away from the development of the character you're using if they read a few paragraphs and know everything. What sort of surprises are left after you know their whole background, every quirk of their persona, every scar on their body?

That being said, when roleplaying with a partner I usually like to have a faceclaim/art/picture/detailed description, preferably visible but if you can write it out that's fine. It helps me to visualize who I'm playing with.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Personally, I like to know everything.

Not just the most important things, like their personality, their past, but also the little things, like their favorite color, what foods they can't stand, what bones they've broken, their biggest phobia. I want to become that character so I can write them as convincingly as possible, and make it as engaging as possible for my partner. The only times when I find it useful to NOT know much about the character I'm portraying is when I want to flesh them out In Character and discover them for myself, which I have done in the past.

However, I don't want my partner to know everything. This is why in 1x1 I don't require a character sheet - I think it takes away from the development of the character you're using if they read a few paragraphs and know everything. What sort of surprises are left after you know their whole background, every quirk of their persona, every scar on their body?

That being said, when roleplaying with a partner I usually like to have a faceclaim/art/picture/detailed description, preferably visible but if you can write it out that's fine. It helps me to visualize who I'm playing with.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

if it helps, most people don’t remember the character sheet a few hours after reading it. They’re more of a tool to double check that you and your partner both understand the lore and your respective roles in the story.

Think of it more as a summary of the planning process than a reveal of the character. Cuz most of your partners aren’t actually going to remember anything that was in it.