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Forums » RP Discussion » Mute Characters, Yay or Nay?

Sasha Marie (played by CapnBekah_TightPants)

Last night, while on my beloved Furcadia, I had the chance to play this character as a mute (in a dream that the other person put her in). Well, my partner last night told me that I played a mute servant really well. I'm not ready to make Sasha a mute just yet, but I am thinking about making another character a mute.

My question is: Is there much demand for this? Hat are some draw backs you see me facing? Should I just hold off on the idea until I've had more practice?

Thanks all,
<3 S.M.
Kim Site Admin

How will you practice without making a mute character to practice with? :)

I have seen mute characters done very well, both in text and in LARP!
Sasha Marie (played by CapnBekah_TightPants) Topic Starter

Thanks Kim! As always, your knowledge is endless!
Noctis (played anonymously)

In my experience, about half of people usually balk at the prospect of it, for my character at least. She's a joy to play, one of my favorites, but it can be a challenge.
Sasha Marie (played by CapnBekah_TightPants) Topic Starter

Don't get me wrong, it was hard as heck to do, since I'm used to only having characters that speak. I don't even play animals unless they have the ability to talk. But it was a lot of fun testing myself that way. If I did end up making a mute character, do you think I could test her out with you or maybe another character if you have one, Noctis?
Noctis wrote:
In my experience, about half of people usually balk at the prospect of it, for my character at least. She's a joy to play, one of my favorites, but it can be a challenge.

From my experience playing with Noctis, playing with a mute partner is a delight! It leaves the RP up to expression and description, which really helps explore a whole new level of detail that dialog can not do.
Host (played anonymously)

Noctis wrote:
...a joy to play, one of my favorites, but it can be a challenge...

I agree, this character of mine is selectively mute due to a vow of silence he has taken. You'd be surprised how well a mute character can communicate with others - it is all about how creative you can get. And a simple expression with an action can speak volumes more if used the right way.
Noctis (played anonymously)

Sasha Marie wrote:
Don't get me wrong, it was hard as heck to do, since I'm used to only having characters that speak. I don't even play animals unless they have the ability to talk. But it was a lot of fun testing myself that way. If I did end up making a mute character, do you think I could test her out with you or maybe another character if you have one, Noctis?

Sure thing. Noctis has been mute for a very, very long time, so she's well schooled in communicating. Especially with others like her.
Ghost (played by Cacophony)

Kim wrote:
I have seen mute characters done very well, both in text and in LARP!
The best part of larping is getting to play a mute character!

This character is mute and it's incredibly fun and sometimes hard. I like to play them as someone who has trouble communicating in general. It's hard to convey the message sometimes, but I keep up with it. When someone doesn't understand what they are saying with gestures, I like to send OOC messages to prompt my partner without giving too much away. I might make special emphasis in something they do, or maybe the situation.

Either way? Practice makes perfect! Don't be afraid to make mistakes!
Sasha Marie (played by CapnBekah_TightPants) Topic Starter

I think I'll be making a mute character then. Muhaha! I can feel the pain in my brain already haha
Fenna Maessen (played anonymously)

Ghost wrote:
Kim wrote:
I have seen mute characters done very well, both in text and in LARP!
The best part of larping is getting to play a mute character!

This character is mute and it's incredibly fun and sometimes hard. I like to play them as someone who has trouble communicating in general. It's hard to convey the message sometimes, but I keep up with it. When someone doesn't understand what they are saying with gestures, I like to send OOC messages to prompt my partner without giving too much away. I might make special emphasis in something they do, or maybe the situation.

Either way? Practice makes perfect! Don't be afraid to make mistakes!

Just want to chip in and mention I've had immense fun playing Fenna with Ghost. It's pretty challenging playing a mute in a zombie infested world, but Cacophony's managed to pull it off really well! It's oodles of awesome and not getting prompts can be realistic and steer the roleplay in very interesting directions :)
I've had mute character for a while. The most trouble I had with him is he hasn't had much of a personality. I'm working on fixing that. If I ever get the time to RP more I may have to dust him off again.

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