[charloft] Munday: PBs
1. Who is your character's PB?
Aryn: Olivia Wilde (blonde)
Savannah: Rachel McAdams (brunette)
2. Which came first, the character or the PB?
The character, in both cases.
3. Why did you choose this particular PB?
For Aryn, I wanted the stereotypical hot blonde flight attendant to really make the irony of her insecurity stand out. She's gorgeous, but she has more insecurity issues than Cosmo on account of her parents and the way she was treated growing up, always being compared to her sister (an NPC, PBed by Elisabeth Rohm). She's very good at hiding those insecurities, though in the year that I've been playing her, she's made a lot of progress on how she sees herself and how she determines her self-worth, and that will continue.
For Savannah, I wanted a brunette with blue eyes, someone pretty but not a glamor girl. She doesn't really consider her looks much. She's not insecure like Aryn, she just is who she is and she's comfortable in her own skin, at least physically. Emotionally is a different story. She's a mess, there.
4. How close is the PB to your character? What are the differences, if any?
Olivia Wilde is pretty much dead perfect for the image I had in my head of Aryn. For Savannah, I had a slightly different image at first, and Rachel McAdams was the closest I could get. I think over the time I've been playing her, the image I had in my head has adjusted itself to be in line with the PB, so where I didn't think she was exactly right at first, she's a good fit now.
5. Have you modified the PB in any way to be more like your character?
For Aryn, I haven't needed to. For Savannah, I took caps from Red Eye, and Rachel's hair was very red there, so I had to run it through filters to make it more brunette. I've had to do that with a few other pictures of her as well, but other than that, I haven't had to modify her any.
6. Have you ever changed your character's PB / would you ever? Why, or why not?
I haven't had to, fortunately, and generally when I choose a PB I spend a lot of time trying to get it almost exactly right so that I don't have to change it.
7. Where did you find icons of your PB, or did you make them yourself?
I've made most of their icons myself. Aryn has a few manipulations of her with Remy that were graciously done by other muns, and Savannah has a couple of stock icons that I found by others, but by and large, I prefer to do my own. I try to use source images that no one else is using. I rarely ever use icons from places like Hollow Art because you usually end up with the same icons as everyone else and I like for my icons to be unique to me, even if the PB is being used by others.
8. Is it important to have an appropriate PB for your character? Why or why not?
Yes. If the PB is supposed to be a visual representation of your character, then why would you use a PB that isn't appropriate? You're giving people the wrong visual representation, then.
9. Have you ever been favorably/unfavorably predisposed towards a character because you liked or didn't like the PB choice?
I have, but those were usually canon characters I was familiar with whose PBs were not an appropriate fit at all. If the player can't be bothered to get even the visual right, then I fear for the characterization and the canon.
10. Have you ever had a character who was represented by text icons / no icon only because they were too difficult to find a PB for?
Not as yet, no.
Aryn: Olivia Wilde (blonde)
Savannah: Rachel McAdams (brunette)
2. Which came first, the character or the PB?
The character, in both cases.
3. Why did you choose this particular PB?
For Aryn, I wanted the stereotypical hot blonde flight attendant to really make the irony of her insecurity stand out. She's gorgeous, but she has more insecurity issues than Cosmo on account of her parents and the way she was treated growing up, always being compared to her sister (an NPC, PBed by Elisabeth Rohm). She's very good at hiding those insecurities, though in the year that I've been playing her, she's made a lot of progress on how she sees herself and how she determines her self-worth, and that will continue.
For Savannah, I wanted a brunette with blue eyes, someone pretty but not a glamor girl. She doesn't really consider her looks much. She's not insecure like Aryn, she just is who she is and she's comfortable in her own skin, at least physically. Emotionally is a different story. She's a mess, there.
4. How close is the PB to your character? What are the differences, if any?
Olivia Wilde is pretty much dead perfect for the image I had in my head of Aryn. For Savannah, I had a slightly different image at first, and Rachel McAdams was the closest I could get. I think over the time I've been playing her, the image I had in my head has adjusted itself to be in line with the PB, so where I didn't think she was exactly right at first, she's a good fit now.
5. Have you modified the PB in any way to be more like your character?
For Aryn, I haven't needed to. For Savannah, I took caps from Red Eye, and Rachel's hair was very red there, so I had to run it through filters to make it more brunette. I've had to do that with a few other pictures of her as well, but other than that, I haven't had to modify her any.
6. Have you ever changed your character's PB / would you ever? Why, or why not?
I haven't had to, fortunately, and generally when I choose a PB I spend a lot of time trying to get it almost exactly right so that I don't have to change it.
7. Where did you find icons of your PB, or did you make them yourself?
I've made most of their icons myself. Aryn has a few manipulations of her with Remy that were graciously done by other muns, and Savannah has a couple of stock icons that I found by others, but by and large, I prefer to do my own. I try to use source images that no one else is using. I rarely ever use icons from places like Hollow Art because you usually end up with the same icons as everyone else and I like for my icons to be unique to me, even if the PB is being used by others.
8. Is it important to have an appropriate PB for your character? Why or why not?
Yes. If the PB is supposed to be a visual representation of your character, then why would you use a PB that isn't appropriate? You're giving people the wrong visual representation, then.
9. Have you ever been favorably/unfavorably predisposed towards a character because you liked or didn't like the PB choice?
I have, but those were usually canon characters I was familiar with whose PBs were not an appropriate fit at all. If the player can't be bothered to get even the visual right, then I fear for the characterization and the canon.
10. Have you ever had a character who was represented by text icons / no icon only because they were too difficult to find a PB for?
Not as yet, no.