Character Descriptions

[ObsessedWithCats]

Some things I got to wondering. Do you guys describe all of your characters? How much detail do you put in? Do you read other characters' descriptions often/always/ever? How do you feel about characters without descriptions?

Personally I give my characters descriptions within a day or so of spawning, if only general build, demeanour and colouring information. Things tend to add on as they live their lives. I read other characters' descriptions fairly frequently, especially when I first spawn a character or first arrive in a new place. I'm sometimes surprised finding wakeful characters without descriptions, and occasionally troubled by for example not knowing if they're much taller or shorter than my character. Something I find particularly striking is when characters have two or three word descriptions - some of those are very good at saying a lot about the character's overall image.

[Ahrta]

I always write descriptions, first thing..... and at least give a general idea, eye color, hair color, height and build..... and fill in details later as the character becomes more solid in my head. Sometimes I get very detailed,

It is rare for me to not look at a description, and I do not like it when someone is a blank slate...because then what am I looking at? A blank person.....it doesnt need to be a paragraph of details down the the smallest mole or freckle...just give me something of a vague idea....

[SekoETC]

I generally first check the character's strength and fighting skill to define if they should be athletic and strong or weak and puny. I may have written the other aspects such as hair color, height, eye color, skin tone etc in advance, but I never claim that my character is muscular if they're actually not. Sometimes fat can hide muscles, but muscles don't appear out of nowhere if the character is weaker than average. Also usually I imagine a character is clumsy if they have less than average fighting skill.

As for people who don't have descriptions, I imagine them as very boring looking people who have no outstanding features. I'm always surprised to see a character other than a newspawn who doesn't have a description. I would very much like to know what I'm looking at. I don't mind if a character asks my character to tell them what they look like if they are going to add it into their description after this. I don't think people should let everybody imagine their appearance separately because it doesn't make sense that two people see a person completely differently.

I think it's a skill to be able to describe a character in just a few words, but personally I make it necessary to define all their colorings and approximate height, as well as any features that stand out.

Edit: Oh and about reading other people's descriptions, I don't always do it, I must admit, but sometimes when I spawn in a new place, I might read all the descriptions and use their genetics to affect my newspawn's appearance. For example once I had a character spawn in a location with two people who had heterochromia, so I thought let's go with the flow, and also gave my character heterochromia. I acknowledge I should read descriptions more often but sometimes towns are so big and half the people have no description anyway, so it feel like a waste to click on people when there's a 50:50 chance they don't even have a description.

[the_antisocial_hermit]

I always give mine a description. I was so excited when that was implemented that I did it immediately for almost every character I had at the time. Most of the time I have a description in place within 5-30 minutes of spawning.

Usually I have at least some basics written down on Notepad before they're even spawned, and then I adjust it based on where and how they spawn, because sometimes that can change the ideas I had for the character. The description will change over time depending on what happens to them in the course of their lives, and sometimes I add a temporary description, i.e. a notable injury until it heals.

I often read descriptions of other characters. When a character spawns or goes to a new place, I usually go through each character in a town and use something unique pulled from their description to name them so that if they speak up, I know who's talking and have an idea of what they look like. I often will add the basics (hair/eye color and height or unique features) to the quick description box as well. I don't always manage to do that when someone new comes into town, but I still try. It's a good way to keep track of people, too, without putting something like "Dude 1", "Dude 2", etc. I'm usually disappointed when an old or active character doesn't have at least the basics in their description.

I have noticed characters before that have a short, somewhat vague description (i.e. no eye color) and then include further detail in their emotes as you get to know the character. I find that interesting.

[Snickie]

If my character doesn't have a description, it's either because they just spawned like 30 minutes ago as a blank slate character or it's in a different language and I haven't had time to figure out how to write it.

I usually put what's immediately obvious to the average non-colorblind viewer, so skin color, hair color/length, eye color, relative (or sometimes absolute i.e. units) height and build, "outstanding" features, ...
I have one character whose voice I describe in the description as well just because it's so integral to xir overall image.

Once I put a link to a picture/drawing of a character in their description. The link has since broken due to the website changing their membership requirements and purging non conforming files. The other thing is that most image uploaders include the account or username in the url so you have to be careful when doing that if you want your characters to remain anonymous to you.

[SekoETC]

About describing characters with an actual picture, I try to create a different drawing style for those of my characters who can draw. I'm not sure how well it's working. I've been doing this for years. More primitive and childish characters draw in MSPaint while for more advanced I use Photoshop. Some characters have used a limited palette, for example avoiding the color blue because they don't know how to produce it, while others use any colors they want.

[Snowdrop]

All but one of my characters have a description, most will have a fair bit of detail, but I always make sure they have the absolute basics. The one without is because I hadn't intended to keep them, but then changed my mind, and just haven't figured out what their look is yet... I really should get it sorted though, because I do think it's a shame when an active character doesn't have one.

Upon spawning/arriving in a new location, I open up everyone else's character page in a separate tab (or a few at a time in the largest towns) and have a good read. For my newest characters, I have taken the characteristics of those around them into account, or the location, when writing their description. It'll usually just be a case of if I was undecided between hair or eye colour, then I'll choose whichever seems to fit best with the others present.

[pulkownikarnold]

As for people who don't have descriptions, I imagine them as very boring looking people who have no outstanding features.

I do think it's a shame when an active character doesn't have one.

For years, character descriptions weren't implemented, no one had problem with that, players RPed just fine, Despite of that they were way better than some chars with rich descriptions. Why it became so bad out of sudden?

[Alladinsane]

A detailed description gives the chars around you some rp opportunities beyond the "Hi how are you?" lameness.

e.g.

"Hey, where did you get that scar?"

"You are walking kind of funny since the last time I saw you" *He notices Betty smirking in the background*

"Those are really nice clothes."

*He turns to cheech* "I wasn't looking at his neck man."

[sherman]

Probably because now everyone has and it's a bit odd.

And to the matter, most of mine has description (if we don't count finnish ones) but some active and english ones have only short one Cause I spawned and was lazy to do it then and.. Still not done it so it would be odd to make one after so long time without one.

I usually try read other char's descriptions but sometimes I just forget (cause reading many on cellphone sucks when on bigger town) but I generally try read all

[SekoETC]

For years, character descriptions weren't implemented, no one had problem with that, players RPed just fine, Despite of that they were way better than some chars with rich descriptions. Why it became so bad out of sudden?

It might not be a problem if people RP'ed their appearance as often as they used to before descriptions existed but they don't. Even if you say *looks at X, trying to get a better look at his features* the other person doesn't disclose them, because they insist on being a blank slate. I think it's rude.

Just because you have a description doesn't mean you're not allowed to show parts of it in your RP. It's also polite to acknowledge parts of other people's descriptions by rp'ing things like *He stares into her green eyes*.

[nateflory]

I try to have a vague mental image in my head of the character, but as soon as I spawn, I check out the other folks, and sometimes (often) slightly adapt my rough-draft Description with any local highlights. For example, if I was imagining blonde hair, but everyone with an actual Descriptino says either red, or brown, or black, then I'll have that character have brown hair, or some other vaguely similar feature. Not a carbon-copy, mind you, and if everyone looks completely different, I'll usually keep my original thought or base it off the oldest Described character somehow.

Personal descriptions are great to get a mental image of the others you interact with, but for those without such details, I still picture them in my mind as similar to "me" unless they specifically state otherwise through Roleplayed events, in which case I set a "personal description of the character" when I rename them.
Actually, I usually tend to copy the character's description in full, as the "personal notes" when naming them, so I can see it when I view the "people" page at a location.

[pulkownikarnold]

A detailed description gives the chars around you some rp opportunities beyond the "Hi how are you?" lameness.

Hmm.. I'm pretty proud of my character descriptions, they are creative and unique. My chars aren' boring too... Yet most of conversations that I'm seeing begins (and also ends) like this:

Some other char 1: "Hi"

Some other char 2: "Hello"

Some other char 1: "How are you feeling?"

Some other char 2: "Hi! Nice, and you?"

Some other char 1: "Nice"

Some other char 2: "Mhm..."


Some players are really lazy lately, I tend to ask myself "dude why are you even still playing this game, when all you do is greet each other for five IG years in a row"

e.g.
"Hey, where did you get that scar?"
"You are walking kind of funny since the last time I saw you" *He notices Betty smirking in the background*
"Those are really nice clothes."
*He turns to cheech* "I wasn't looking at his neck man."

I want to play with you!

[Mafia Salad]

I write the descriptions differently for each character to convey the kind of character they are. I typically try to describe general size and hair and eye color. More expressive characters have more expressive descriptions, funny characters have funny(ish) descriptions. - At least that's my intention.

2 don't have descriptions, one used to be something along the lines of "remarkably unremarkable, of average height, and an average build, etc." But I decided to trash the description since I imagine him to be the kind of background character that is easy to ignore and no description makes him more of a nobody. The second is my youngest and I haven't figured out how to handle hers yet.

I intend to update most of my characters descriptions as they hit the decade marks.

[Lazarae]

I always give my characters descriptions as soon as they spawn, and when I played previously I wondered if people might figure me out because I was generating characters using Seventh Sanctum and cutting/editing/rephrasing details, but it still meant a recurring pattern in how I described them. I always do height, skin tone, hair color/length/texture, and eyes. Usually build, though sometimes I skip it if their strength is average or only slightly above/below. I'm partially faceblind so only sometimes facial features and then only in general ("broad features"), and distinctive features if they have any.

I look at everyone's description when I name them, or if they speak a few times without getting introduced. That way I don't have to slog through sleepers' descriptions if it's a large town. I figure my characters don't really pay attention to people who don't interact with them unless they're pointed out (I name sleepers if, for instance, a friend/SO/leader laments that they're sleepy and I check the description then.)