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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 13:06:58 GMT -5
I've been thinking a lot lately about returning to active competition. Mainly this is because Rod won't stop pestering me to return so SHOCKER it's all Rod's fault. However, I have been very seriously considering whether or not I should continue the Dagvald Riddik character and story from where I left off. I have a few problems with what I was doing with Dag. First, I didn't have a long term plan to work with then I brought Dag in. At first he was just a really offensive character designed to get as much heat as possible. This quickly backfired because a lot of people who aren't here now couldn't tell the difference between IC and OOC but obviously that's not a problem here anymore. Then when I found out about Varg Vikernes and I fleshed out the right direction to take my character in, I kind of cut off the previous story I had begun developing and abruptly transitioned into a new one, and this one was quickly becoming extremely complicated. Plus, my writing quality began to suffer drastically due to the strain of having to post a roleplay by a deadline every week and the level of quality I wanted to reach but couldn't dedicate enough time to accomplish. I can say right now for sure that I was going to lose that match against Bates because I didn't even have a full paragraph typed out by Saturday. I don't really know for sure why I lost the spark that I had when I first started roleplaying here- I genuinely enjoyed writing my first roleplays a lot, but it started to feel more like work than a hobby.
Therefore, I am thinking about returning, but starting all over again with a new, but similar character. I don't think I could write anybody else but Dag, but I believe Dag needs a reboot/remake very badly. No more world wide chaos, black ops, united Scandinavia and all that. I need to be simple again.
So what do you guys think? If I were to reboot Dag, should I have completely new character or a continuation of Dag's story in a refreshed way? And, what did I do right during my first run, what could I improve on, and how can I be a better writer overall? What direction should I go in with a renewed character and how can I avoid people confusing myself for my character's views so I don't have people calling me a piece of shit again? I know what I'm good at, and that's writing an absolutely awful, evil, nonredeemable person who has no good qualities and no reason for anyone to feel sympathy for him. I want to expand upon this and challenge myself and spark my creativity again without stepping on toes or causing problems.
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Post by Teo Blaze on Aug 21, 2016 13:48:23 GMT -5
To be completely honest with you, my favorite memories of Dag Riddik the character stem from that Internet title match.
You had this character who was completely cocky and completely certain he was the greatest thing walking, but completely unlikable because his declarations were based on nothing. He was the best because he said he was.
But at the same time, you had someone who was determined, who was trying to prove that he could unseat the dominant Internet champion, someone who wanted to prove to Zombie that he could beat him by any means necessary, and that made him relatable. He was young and even likable. I liked the determination even while hating the arrogance.
Once you started the vaguely racist exclusionary stuff though, the character lost a lot of that likability to me. The focus was Reeeeeally taken off the parts of the character that redeemed him.
My reccomendation for a return would be to put a bit more focus on the positives. Make me want to like Dag, and it will make it more visceral when he does bad things lol.
Just my 2 cents.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 14:14:40 GMT -5
To be completely honest with you, my favorite memories of Dag Riddik the character stem from that Internet title match. You had this character who was completely cocky and completely certain he was the greatest thing walking, but completely unlikable because his declarations were based on nothing. He was the best because he said he was. But at the same time, you had someone who was determined, who was trying to prove that he could unseat the dominant Internet champion, someone who wanted to prove to Zombie that he could beat him by any means necessary, and that made him relatable. He was young and even likable. I liked the determination even while hating the arrogance. Once you started the vaguely racist exclusionary stuff though, the character lost a lot of that likability to me. The focus was Reeeeeally taken off the parts of the character that redeemed him. My reccomendation for a return would be to put a bit more focus on the positives. Make me want to like Dag, and it will make it more visceral when he does bad things lol. Just my 2 cents. Thanks Teddy, that is exactly the kind of feedback I'm looking for! This is the sort of thing I would like to get back to. If I bring up a reboot of Dag, he would be very thinned out without all the extraneous traits that started to make him too complicated for me to write. I really like your insight here because this is something I didn't realize when I was writing Dag. I would have never imagined him having anything redeeming at this time, but you saw something I didn't that made the character even better.
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Post by Oath Breaker on Aug 22, 2016 0:11:28 GMT -5
tie dye tees, rose colored sunglasses, loves everyone, 70s flower power in action, my idea of a new Dag. Rename his finishing move "The Peace Sign.' Give your opponent a hug after the match, win or lose. There's a few characters here that would feud with you just because of that.
it would be much more fun to rp with. The heat generator is being overdone in WCF and needs something to balance it out. Spread the love friend. And maybe writing him up in a fun way would help you with new post ideas. Like making amends for past actions with those characters still here, or constantly pestering Seth about helping out with something random that usually goes without notice at sporting events. Lots of ideas to go in that direction.
Damn, sounds like the reincarnation of Dude Love. But I still think it would be fun to do.
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Post by Dionysus on Aug 23, 2016 8:49:32 GMT -5
To be completely honest with you, my favorite memories of Dag Riddik the character stem from that Internet title match. You had this character who was completely cocky and completely certain he was the greatest thing walking, but completely unlikable because his declarations were based on nothing. He was the best because he said he was. But at the same time, you had someone who was determined, who was trying to prove that he could unseat the dominant Internet champion, someone who wanted to prove to Zombie that he could beat him by any means necessary, and that made him relatable. He was young and even likable. I liked the determination even while hating the arrogance. Once you started the vaguely racist exclusionary stuff though, the character lost a lot of that likability to me. The focus was Reeeeeally taken off the parts of the character that redeemed him. My reccomendation for a return would be to put a bit more focus on the positives. Make me want to like Dag, and it will make it more visceral when he does bad things lol. Just my 2 cents. Thanks Teddy, that is exactly the kind of feedback I'm looking for! This is the sort of thing I would like to get back to. If I bring up a reboot of Dag, he would be very thinned out without all the extraneous traits that started to make him too complicated for me to write. I really like your insight here because this is something I didn't realize when I was writing Dag. I would have never imagined him having anything redeeming at this time, but you saw something I didn't that made the character even better. I think you should make Dag so much of a face that he comes off as a heel.
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Post by Teo Blaze on Aug 23, 2016 9:33:56 GMT -5
I think the biggest thing to avoid, not to completely write your character for you lol, is going for the cheap heat. Bringing up politics, expressing opinions so despicable that they border on insanity, it's funny at first, but it really undercuts the character in the long run. You quickly become a caricature of yourself.
I'm not saying I did this the best possible way, but when I turned Teddy Blaze heel, I really tried to focus on making his heat about what he did rather than who he was. My goal was to make him a guy who did bad things, but you could understand why he was doing them (As with Spencer lol). In a weird way, I would almost say that Teddy Blaze almost doesn't have a gimmick anymore. Crazy I guess? Does that count?
You can totally still be a heel while being empathetic, but it comes down to how your character handles himself in those moments of truth. He takes the easy way out, the selfish option, he acts rashly and without concern for the consequences of his actions.
To me, a heel like that has way more longevity than any gimmick could, lol. Think of the best heels in history, eventually being a heel IS their gimmick, rather than any particular quirk or personality trait.
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Post by Gemini Battle on Aug 23, 2016 19:56:57 GMT -5
If you have a plan for dag bring him back. If you don't try another character.
And I think any OOC heat you had stemmed from some political views that we need not discuss more so than confusing IC with OOC.
Just like in barren ding, never speak of politics or religion and you should be good. It's a good general rule of life
Now get on your train and do whatever the fuck you decide to do.
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