Forums » RP Discussion » » Trademark Tomfoolery (analyze your style!)

Ahoy, sinners! Garn here, with some self-reflectin' bullshittery y'all migth enjoy. So, we know that a lot of high class authors, directors & artists alike got their 'trademarks' as far as their style of writing/directing/arting (lmao) is concerned, right? Tarentino got his ultra-violence, witty dialogue & interesting combo's of character archetypes and genres, Dickens is known for his overly long and flowery sentences, my boy Dalí is just.. himself. Everyone's got somethin' that tells them apart from the average.. even us! The idea here is to analyze your own writing (feel free to call upon the help of your partners, who might find it easier to analyse with an outsider's view) and give a list or overview of the trademark things about your writing style, character choices, plot choices, etc. that you feel are iconic to you. Don't worry about getting things 'wrong' or feeling flabbergasted with the task at first, that's the point. Anyway, curious to see what everyone'll come up with, once this gains traction I'll certainly join in. Happy writing, sinners!

🤔

Mina's cast of characters are.. High femme without exception Monsters, literal and figurative Occasional antiheroes Fueled but also hobbled by trauma Painfully romantic in their own ways Owners of heavily styled wardrobes Easy to empathize with due to human flaws Probably lesbians

Mina's writing.. Rife with pop culture and musical references Enhanced by psychological & atmospheric terror Heavy on allegorical symbolism Uses crude language and subject matter Romantic fatalism as a motif Figurative language Themed throughout all aspects Always has a soundtrack

In the past, I have received some comments as jokes or feedback to the tune of "All redheads, all blondes, all tattooed, all angsty, all villains, all vampires." If I were to be totally honest, these things were hurtful to me even though they came from friends. Thankfully I can look back at them now and shrug because these are very cool qualities to have! I may not be everyone's cup of tea, but that's always okay! If I feel good about who I'm writing to, it means that I'm doing my best. Our best happens to be the best that we can do, after all!

When I write a character, I want to write someone I'd see in a movie and instantly fall in love with. That's never a passive wallflower type. Those characters do have a place in stories, and can be rich additions as leads or as the main cast. They just aren't something that I can identify with and so my strength in, and enjoyment of writing them is incredibly low. I don't write brunettes because I just... don't. Much of my characterization process comes from film and music. Brunettes aren't typically cast in the roles that suit the characters I craft.

I strive to write characters who I'd have seen in a movie as a teen or a kid and attached to some aspect of or aspired to be like. I admittedly do have a deep love of vampires, they feature heavily in my rosters and worldbuilding. Monsters overall do this, but I have received the most backhanded comments about my central love of leeches. I believe that historically, the allegory present in horror literature is something not often acknowledged. It serves as a fantastic springboard for character building, but it adds flaws and weaknesses, too.

Over time, roleplayers get a generalized idea of certain character archetypes based on species or aesthetics and this becomes the main assumption when things such as vampires or demons appear in the wild. For a time, there were many people who refused to entertain a vampire character, because of the common belief that they are all characterized by overt edgelordiness. I take so much joy in crafting characters based on this instinctive rejection or disinterest. This is likely because I just love to be right, I'll admit that.

It feels like a checkmate every time I'm able to turn them into these layered, dimensional leads and avoid or enhance the tropes around them. The werewolf alpha who is more civil servant than a queen. The empath whose reaction to heavy input is anger and violence, not tears or hugs. The heiress to an infernal throne of lust, who is largely chaste and the opposite of self-centered.

I hope that this answer was in line with what you were looking for!

Oooh. I can't say I'll be as descriptive as Mina, but I'm sure going to steal the column format! What a detailed and inspiring post!

As for myself...

ogle's OCs... Magic users, probably, especially warlocks Traumatized and/or severely mentally ill. Chicken or the egg Socially inept, in a variety of ways Rude, either on purpose or due to the above...or both... Immortal, pursuing immortality, or otherwise long-lived Hot-tempered and/or easily offended Not straight......... Conniving Violent

ogle's writing... Just...so, so adverb-heavy. I can't help myself Often rambling sentence length (working on this x_x) Strong dialogue! Includes random snippets of colloquial language, often to (ideally?) humorous effect Unusual diction at times. Sometimes I just make up words for the sake of flow Occasionally flowery (or, arguably, "pretentious") Often includes body horror and/or gore (it's just so fun to write) I'm an absolute sucker for themes of losing one's grip on reality and/or sense ...I don't know what else to say

*CRASHES THROUGH THE WALL*
Okay, I really like the format you guys are using, so I'm gonna get my grubby little hands on it...


Hades' Characters...

• Are not normal. At all.
• Are usually monsters, or humans with some sort of unusual trait.
• Usually have connections to each other; very rarely is there a character who is a standalone.
• Have some sort of superpower, special ability, or proficiency in something.
• Are supernatural in nature.
• Are either super smart or super dumb... There is no in-between.
• Are incredibly violent.
• Don't normally have true neutral characters; They're either incredibly nice (the ones who will love and protect you), or downright cruel (the ones who would rip out your organs one by one).

Hades' Writing...

• Does best regarding horror, combat, and adventure!
• Includes PLENTY of dialogue!
• Will include some form of humour, no matter how dark or how light the RP is.
• Usually includes violence and body horror.
• Sometimes includes blood and gore.
• Is willing tone down more intense subjects for the comfort of others in the RP. On the flipside, I can also crank that shit up to MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE-
• Often includes strong language.
• Hardly ever includes romance.

I don't have much else to say so there you have it

This is fun, let’s try it!

Mia’s characters…

Are always female, no exception.
Aren’t likely to be anything other than humans.
Always have a tragic backstory.
Usually have at least one deceased parent.
Are wlw.
Often abuse drugs and/or alcohol to cope.
Are usually aloof and have difficulty opening up.

Mia’s writing…

Involves adult themes (but no ERP).
Includes strong language.
Pairs best with post-apocalypse, Wild West, and sci-fi genres.
Sometimes involves romance.
Includes a lot of dialogue.
Will be humorous from time to time, no matter the character.
Is often angsty.