descriptions please

[ydia]

This has really bugged me since I started. Can we please have more details to our descriptions. More menu options would work to describe ourselves more. I could understand not giving players the option to just write the descriptions because some are horrid at it myself included, but we all look the same for the most part. How I picture a character may not be how the player or another pictures it. For example, more detail to the face, and such would help a lot.

[Fayne]

I've always wished we could describe ourselves freely, because I love writing descriptions for things. Sometimes I can get a little out of hand though.

It would be nice to have a few more options though, even just getting to add a scar or tattoo or something at character creation, though I do understand why it is the way it is.

For now, you can always kinda get by with this thread: viewtopic.php?f=55&t=1173

[ydia]

I've always wished we could describe ourselves freely, because I love writing descriptions for things. Sometimes I can get a little out of hand though.

It would be nice to have a few more options though, even just getting to add a scar or tattoo or something at character creation, though I do understand why it is the way it is.

For now, you can always kinda get by with this thread: viewtopic.php?f=55&t=1173

Fayne
if only this thread worked, but for those of us who are visually impaired it doesn't. :(

[Bryce]

"Your breath catches in your throat as you gaze upon his head of feathered hair. You're certain you are looking at the culmination of all the universe's efforts to make something truly beautiful."

[Fayne]

I think the general rule of thumb is to just imagine everyone looks like the most beautiful people in the world. The Lost Lands is filled with shampoo commercial models. lol

Perhaps at the very least we could start a thread for descriptions of our characters.

[Bryce]

I've always seen Bryce as a bit on the homely side. It's just the hair that's amazing, because I wanted him to have a vain side. I thought it'd be funny having a not-so-good-looking guy being all vain about his hair.

[preiman]

Maric isn't anything like a model either, he's this giant hulking thing, with long shaggy hair and beard and covered in scars and tattoos. on top of all that, his fashion sense ranges from a kilt and nothing else, to the most eye watering colors he can find. If he has any redeeming characteristics physically it's that i think he has really pretty and kind eyes.

[Fayne]

I know everyone isn't actually like that, it's just funny that most people automatically assume the people the interact with are gorgeous most of the time.

As for my characters, I tend to imagine them as actually not looking half bad. They aren't just absolutely gorgeous, but they are pretty or handsome. Usually they have a personality flaw to make up for that though.

Fayne in particular I've always thought is really pretty. She has snow white hair and gray eyes that just really stand out, and I always imagine that those things are the first things people would notice about her. Then she's really fit, and likes to dress in pretty outfits most of the time unless she needs something practical. On top of all this, she likes to wear perfume, amd even when she doesn't, she's usually been out in the woods or something and smells like the outdoors. She's just always been very selfish in the past, only thinking of herself, and it makes her very intolerable at times. We'll have to see if that has changed.

[jilliana]

I think people start looking different even if they look similar because of personalities.
Someone told me some time ago that they found Jilliana beautiful and another character not so much even though they wre identical.
I usually find that sort of thing to be true IRL, and I find it interesting that it is manifesting itself in a game.

I have always found Bryce's character to be more cute than handsome. He's just so...little!

[ydia]

Yes personalities can shape how you see a character that is for sure. I learned things about Maric just now thanks to his brief description. lol

[Rias]

I think both in real life and in-game people see others as attractive based significantly on how much they enjoy their company and personality, and of course whether they have some romantic attraction to them for whatever reason, and not based solely on physical appearance. Then there's also accounting for different tastes. Some people like the rugged, weather-worn look, others like the well-groomed/porcelain doll thing, stout vs slender, and so on and so forth.

There's a reason that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" proverb exists, after all.

But yeah, I do find it interesting that many people picture their own characters and everyone else as extremely physically attractive in MUDs. As far as the pictures thread goes, my guess is that at least some of that is due to the tendency of pictures you look up on the Internet to be of the more "typical model" persuasion than not, and of course all the well-known figures/celebrities that come easily to mind are going to tend to be the popular model types.

Oh, right. The original post/intent of the thread, and all that. Um. You can get custom appearance alterations from special merchants and donation perks!

[ydia]

donation perks? Is this mentioned somewhere that I don't know?

[Fayne]

donation perks? Is this mentioned somewhere that I don't know?

Right here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5056&p=27415&hilit=patreon#p27415

As for the topic of conversation, I get that everyone is percieved differently both IRL and IG, but honestly that's not the stuff that would be covered in descriptions. If you're writing a description of a character, you avoid words that tell the reader how beautiful or ugly your character is, because that is telling them how they feel and forcing RP on them. Instead, you describe their actual physical features and let each individual person decide for themselves whether or not your character is attractive.

Sorry, I love writing descriptions, so I'm kinda a snob on these things.

[ydia]

donation perks? Is this mentioned somewhere that I don't know?

Right here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5056&p=27415&hilit=patreon#p27415

As for the topic of conversation, I get that everyone is percieved differently both IRL and IG, but honestly that's not the stuff that would be covered in descriptions. If you're writing a description of a character, you avoid words that tell the reader how beautiful or ugly your character is, because that is telling them how they feel and forcing RP on them. Instead, you describe their actual physical features and let each individual person decide for themselves whether or not your character is attractive.

Sorry, I love writing descriptions, so I'm kinda a snob on these things.

While donation perks are great, we still should defaultly be able to have more to our descriptions for rp sake. You want rp, then descriptions is a big part of rp.

[Fayne]

Well, if your character is supposed to have any kinds of marking, scars, tattoos, or any other such defining feature, you could always send in an email with details of whatever the thing is and why it is significant. If it's something minor, or something you forgot to ask for or thought up over your time playing, best thing to do would be either donate and use your perk, or kindly request it through email or the REQUEST command. There are also merchants who come around every so often who can give you scars and tattoos and such.

Remember, you don't have to donate to get the scars and tattoos and other RP features you want. However, donating guarantees you will get them within a certain timeframe, and also helps support the game.

[ydia]

It still annoys me as a person who comes from games with more details. We vaguely get anything to go off of rp wise, and it really drives me batty.

[Fayne]

Trust me, I understand your feelings. I would love more frredom to describe both ourselves and the items we craft, and I am constantly frustrated that we aren't given more freedom with either. But, I do feel that to argue the points across would be wasted effort, because I feel that things are set the way they are now.

[Dorn]

As someone who came from a place where there was near enough complete freedom, I'm glad there isn't here.

I think I'd cry after seeing the second person with shadowy black clothing with runes of destruction and awesome on.

While it is very awesome being able to design and implement your own ideas/concepts immediately instead of going through GMs/Merchants, I just think it would open another can of worms that they constantly have to watch over/police when it seems they'd rather be running storylines/fixing things.

[Fayne]

Personally, I think ability to completely describe items should only be granted to someone once they have been playing for a while and are trusted to not make a "rune-etched steel sword with celestium inlays" or a copper sword that is named and described as being made mainly out of any other material. Character descriptions can be more easily policed, since anyone can bug it or flag it some other way, or the GMs can catch it themselves, and have it changed, though I don't think they current system of descriptions needs replacing anytime soon, if at all.

Also, one other thing I just want to throw in here as an aside: tailoring. Pretty please?

[Jirato]

CLOK is a MUD, not a MUSH. I don't want to see detailed player-written description text when looking at characters. I'd be more than happy to listen to some suggestions for physical features that could be added to the list or additional description types that could be added (Currently we have age, height, hair length, hair color, hair style, eye color, eye style, body build, and additional "character features" such as the hairy feet for Hillfolk).

Along the same lines, we offer item description alterations as a service through special events, random merchant NPC appearances, and donor perks. Players CAN write their own item descriptions, after it goes through GM approval, through one of the above. It is a very manual process though, and I doubt we'll ever have it available in an automated way.

[Fayne]

What about complexion? You could have a variety of options, some dependant on age. Freckly, pimply, blotchy, covered in liver spots, wrinkly, soft, rough.

Also, it'd nice if we had more racially defining features. Long necks and hairy feet are the only ones that I know of, besides Nuum being the only ones who can have alomnd-shaped eyes.

[preiman]

The description thing never really bothered me, as it stands it's like a book, you get just enough information to form your own mental picture. It might not be exactly what the player intended, but that will always be true with text.

[ydia]

Maybe facial shape, nose shape, lips as well? It would add more details. I don't want to see a bunch of 3 paragraph long descs, but more features to separate people uniquely out a bit more would be good. What Fayne is suggestion would also be great!