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+--- Thread: Consistency In NPCs (/showthread.php?tid=1845)
Consistency In NPCs - Thaal Sinestro - 06-24-2015
So, as I have learned, Roland talks like a total fucking psycho to most people. Like most people have done and will continue to do, I neglected to read the entirety of the primary source for an NPC. Tisk tisk, shame on me, yes, I know. However, this is, and will continue to be, common. As a result of this collective ignorance to primary sources, other writers have also written Roland's speech like I have: NOT CRAZY. So, in order to remedy this, I've included into the story a write around. Essentially, Roland speaks in the High Speak (the sort of language/accent/dialect of English spoken in the Dark Tower series) only in private, or to himself. He speaks in what he's learned is the "regular way" most of the time, especially when dealing with his Sheriffly tasks. He's like an immigrant that occasionally goes into his native language when it slips his mind. That smooths out the inconsistency.
The reason I tell this story is because I'm curious what everyone's opinions(/rules) are on the subject of NPC consistency. Should we be submitting amendment requests for the NPC profiles? Do we want to just let those inconsistencies sort of fade away as we ignore them (which seems to be what most people do)? My intention is less a matter of making rules and just curiosity what everyone's thoughts are.
Re: Consistency In NPCs - Caira Ayryn - 06-24-2015
That sounds like a cool fix. Maybe he grew out of his accent by partially adapting to his surroundings in the Omniverse, highly unlikely, but you could give it a shot and mention some growth he has had as a character since his arrival.
As for part two, I'd say it depends on the individual. Sometimes resolutions and quick fixes aren't really an option depending on a thing you have had your character say (or in some cases, a fellow rper improvised some dialogue) and while the words can't be taken back, if I have made a mistake and realize that was NOT something Gildarts(PC) would say, I try and think of any plausible reason he might have (ie justify it). Whether it be the age of who he was talking to, (he has a sensitivity to the younger generation) or explain he was having an "off-canon"/"non-canon" sort of day.
OC NPCs don't have this problem in the same sense, but I personally like it when the character's motives and dialogue blend well with their personality. It can be equally rewarding to see something played to its fullest as the NPC intertwined with thought and plot.
Re: Consistency In NPCs - Deadpool - 06-24-2015
Personally, I always try to study up on NPCs I intend to use. I feel like research is a key utility in the writer's toolbox
Re: Consistency In NPCs - Thaal Sinestro - 06-24-2015
Deadpool Wrote:Personally, I always try to study up on NPCs I intend to use. I feel like research is a key utility in the writer's toolboxRight, but say another writer DIDN'T. Now your NPC and their NPC are different. It's a problem unique to forum-based writing where people are using the same characters in different situations and often written totally differently. Do you have any thoughts on that?
Re: Consistency In NPCs - Deadpool - 06-24-2015
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Re: Consistency In NPCs - Deadpool - 06-24-2015
Deadpool Wrote:I try not to dwell on how others interpret a particular character. I suppose a small summary of their persona/personality would help in their rosters, for the sake of dialogue.
Re: Consistency In NPCs - Magus - 06-24-2015
I need to weigh in on this because <3 Roland.
He doesn't talk like a total psycho to most people. For the most part, his speech is a bit old timey and he says some weird things like 'thankee-sai' instead of 'thanks' but it's not like he just spouts unintelligible gibberish. He travels with a couple of people from (relatively) around our time and he's odd, for sure, but easily capable of having a conversation.
I always saw it as a kind of pidgin-English which makes sense given how fucked up everything's gotten in his world. by the time Roland is born.
Er, that doesn't take away from your actual point, though, and in fact I agree that we should do something to maintain some kind of baseline consistency for our NPCs - especially those that aren't used much.