meaningless character essay thing go go go
... I worry a lot about playing characters with similar personality traits. SO. I made a bulleted... essay... thing to sort out the things in my head that make them different and will ultimately make the way I play them different. Hopefully having it down so I can read it over and over again will assist me in the future if I feel like I'm having trouble.
This goes for myarmslipped, cantwaitobeking, and of course, thundagathighs.
• Re; Cheerful Disposition
⇝ Vash's is almost wholly fake. Though it's true he might enjoy acting this way, his nature in itself is a method of disarming other people regarding the 'myth' surrounding him. He overreacts, he cries, he plays the funny role, because he's Vash the motherfucking Stampede. He's known as the most dangerous thing on the planet and if someone doesn't want the money on his head, they're terrified of him by legend alone. Because going around acting as he really feels would do nothing but make the situation worse, his persona is one he adopted for the greater good. Note that it's a mask hard to see through, even though Wolfwood picked up on it fairly quickly. Most reactions are 'THAT IDIOT is Vash the Stampede?!' and so on. So, it works. When confronted with a serious conversation about himself, where due to circumstance, that guard can be lowered (see: Arc and Vash's conversation in his hot spring post), and naturally, other serious moments that may arise will draw out Vash's truer nature. He relies heavily on his whimsical side, to the point where when he's around people who know how he really is (i.e. Wolfwood), he still doesn't fully lower that mask. It's something he's incorporated into himself, and thus, very used to. Even though there isn't much of a point to disarming people who... don't know about his reputation, Vash will probably still keep up the 'all smiles' act for two reasons. One, to cover in the event someone from his world shows up, and two, his true self really is a closely guarded thing that I don't think he wants other people to see, whether they fear him or not. People who become close friends to him will probably end up seeing this side most of the time, even if they too know the 'real' Vash.
⇝ On the complete flipside, Zack's nature is genuine. His heart is worn on his sleeve unashamedly and easily seen by those he's with. Though, from the canon point I took him, he's adopted a more serious nature at times and has become a little tougher from his experiences, he hasn't lost what makes him smile. No matter what button is pushed, the 'happy, angry, sad' whatever, you're bound to get an unabashed reaction from him. The exceptions are when it comes to matters such as Angeal, the true purpose of Shinra, his uncompromisable pride and honor, and when he takes the time and foresight to look into a situation and just know what he wants to say isn't necessarily something he should. Otherwise, if the other person is all about fun times, he will be too.
⇝ Ling is not nearly as 'nicely' motivated as the above two. Though Ling's cheerful nature can be a mask, it's covering up a side that isn't tragic-- but fiercely motivated and ambitious, and a side of him that will take on some pretty big evils if the ends truly justifies the means. He is ruthless! But, on the island, we haven't seen much of this in him, aside from his steadily-increasingly-aggressive conversations with Jay, he generally remains cheerful to anyone he meets. Note that cheerful =/= polite. He's still a mooch, he'll still leave you with the bill, and he'll still insist that the two of you are friends when you're kind of ready to knock his lights out. Again, probably another disarming technique, but not quite as effective as Vash's, and of course, used for the wrong reasons. Ling isn't the good guy at heart the other two are-- Vash is Lawful Good, Zack is Chaotic Good, and Ling is Chaotic Neutral. Of course, his end goal is a good one and he fully means it to be, but you know how the saying about Hell's paved roads go.
• Re; Flirting
⇝ When flirting, Zack never usually expects anything to come out of it. Though I'm paraphrasing an anon on the anonmeme, who was speaking about a completely different character-- 90% of the time, when Zack flirts, it's to make the girl feel good about herself, and the other 10% are for those very special occasions, though the girl in question might not pick up on it right away if they're too used to his flirting. If he's passing down flirt-ish compliments to younger girls, it's purely worded and intended in a big-brother way. He's just overly friendly, and for the girls, they get special treatment.
⇝ Vash is the same as Zack, only not really. He's a bit more serious in his flirting and often means it in the... flirting way, rather than the 'just make the lady feel good about herself' way, though that's a factor too. Same with Zack re: younger girls as well. I don't think he really expects to get anywhere (too used to slaps), but he does try, even in his heart of hearts he knows it probably wouldn't work out. He does love them ladies though, and will do his best to impress-- and of note, more than Ling and Zack, he's more of a pervert. Though that's often played for comedy relief than anything else, I'm sure he does know how to treat a lady proper.
⇝ Ling is... probably the least experienced out of the above two. When I say 'least experienced', I mean that he doesn't really do it in a way that makes sense. Yes, he will throw around the 'cute' compliments like they're going out of style, and usually on a whim without any deeper thought to them, but he'll also ask a girl to marry him ... right off the bat. Whether he actually thinks they'll say yes or no doesn't really matter-- Ling just does what he does and there's no changing the way his... weird mind works.
• Re; Serious Side
⇝ There are requirements for Vash's serious side to come out, and it can be any of the following: People must be in serious danger. His past being forcefully brought into question. Just how many people he's killed, albeit unintentionally. Knives. Rem. His morals, especially when they are put to the test. When Vash goes serious danger!mode, something to take notice of is that he doesn't talk a lot. He will just step forward and handle whatever's standing in his way-- without killing them. The exceptions to his smooth and silent attitude are when more people are in danger, the antagonist is being antagonizing, and lots of yelling is involved. /eloquent-- On the discussion!serious side, he will often make a point of avoiding questions he doesn't want to answer and doesn't necessarily think he has to, at least, things that aren't necessary for the other person to know. If he is close to them, they might slowly start to get the truth of who he is out of them-- but that'll be a slow, slow process, as that is the most vulnerable part of Vash.
⇝ Zack's shows easier than Vash's and Ling's, mostly because, like I said, all of Zack's buttons can be easily pressed, especially his serious one. It's not quite prevalent on the island yet, because he hasn't run into a single serious conversation. ERGO, it feels like something I needn't touch on just yet due to lack of in-game experience, so this section is short.
⇝ Ling's... show's faster than Vash's, but not as fast as Zack's. This is actually more or less strategy. If his opponent is a monster, sure, no holding back, but oftentimes against a human opponent, he won't take them seriously, especially if it's just something along the lines of a sparring match. Of course, this has led to his loss before, and he holds some annoyance at himself for that. If it's an ULTIMATE EVIL, YOU'RE GOING DOWN fight, Ling will completely ditch honor for the useful and occasionally completely unfair method of 'defeat any way possible'. He doesn't show his discussion!serious side often, because when he does discuss serious things... he'll do it in his usual lighthearted manner, as if it's a rather ordinary conversation. Occasionally, he'll slip into serious talks mode, but it's infrequent, but boy is it noticeable when it happens.
• Re; Mannerisms
⇝ I covered this enough in the cheerful disposition section. Vash is a goof. He will deliberately do things and say things that are meant to throw the other character off guard. Why? To help mold the other character's perspective of him. Ultimately, he's shooting for 'goofball, fun-loving, incredibly sexy, a little off-kilter, but all-around good guy'. If that is your character's impression of him, then he feels his job is done. In the same vein as Zack, he doesn't like seeing other people down, so he'll usually offer advice or some form of cheering-up method. He has certain trigger words-- and all around, the shock on being what may be Earth is still a big one to him, so glimpses of the real him can be caught, if you're incredibly observant. It all depends on the thread.
⇝ Zack. Can't. Sit. Still. As much as I really hate to label one of my favorite characters, he can be a bit of a meathead at times. If there's idle time in a thread? You bet he'll be stepping back to do some squats. If a lecture-like conversation just really isn't grabbing him or isn't something he understands? He'll either attempt to make it interesting or just end it on his own, no ill grudges or anything, he's just a touch ADD. If someone nearby is in trouble, you bet your ass he'll help out and he'll do a good job of it too, he's not SOLDIER 1st Class for nothing. Otherwise, he's just the kind of dude you really can just sit and chat with about whatever. As long as those touchy subjects of his don't come to surface, he's just a friendly guy to be around.
⇝Ling exists to annoy. The other two may do it unintentionally, but Ling probably does it intentionally half the time or more. He doesn't think this behavior is wrong, it's just his mentality. Do what you feel, what you want, and so on, and if other people get annoyed, who cares? If he's not pushing buttons, he's also pretty easygoing and when on the right topic, can chat up a storm with whoever. If the character he's speaking with has any link to immortality, you can count on his constant hounding.
• Re; Morality
⇝I don't need to make individual sections for this because I already ... mentioned it. Zack = Lawful Good, Vash = Lawful/Chaotic Good, Ling = Chaotic Neutral. Zack and Vash always have a purpose that's for the best in mind, and their morality is just unshakably good. Ling, while his intentions are good for his people, and while the morals he does hold rigid are good at the core, his goal is immortality and he will do anything to get it, whether the methods are good or evil are of no consequence (I'm sure there are a few exceptions, but only a few). Like I said, to him, the end definitely justifies the means.
This goes for myarmslipped, cantwaitobeking, and of course, thundagathighs.
• Re; Cheerful Disposition
⇝ Vash's is almost wholly fake. Though it's true he might enjoy acting this way, his nature in itself is a method of disarming other people regarding the 'myth' surrounding him. He overreacts, he cries, he plays the funny role, because he's Vash the motherfucking Stampede. He's known as the most dangerous thing on the planet and if someone doesn't want the money on his head, they're terrified of him by legend alone. Because going around acting as he really feels would do nothing but make the situation worse, his persona is one he adopted for the greater good. Note that it's a mask hard to see through, even though Wolfwood picked up on it fairly quickly. Most reactions are 'THAT IDIOT is Vash the Stampede?!' and so on. So, it works. When confronted with a serious conversation about himself, where due to circumstance, that guard can be lowered (see: Arc and Vash's conversation in his hot spring post), and naturally, other serious moments that may arise will draw out Vash's truer nature. He relies heavily on his whimsical side, to the point where when he's around people who know how he really is (i.e. Wolfwood), he still doesn't fully lower that mask. It's something he's incorporated into himself, and thus, very used to. Even though there isn't much of a point to disarming people who... don't know about his reputation, Vash will probably still keep up the 'all smiles' act for two reasons. One, to cover in the event someone from his world shows up, and two, his true self really is a closely guarded thing that I don't think he wants other people to see, whether they fear him or not. People who become close friends to him will probably end up seeing this side most of the time, even if they too know the 'real' Vash.
⇝ On the complete flipside, Zack's nature is genuine. His heart is worn on his sleeve unashamedly and easily seen by those he's with. Though, from the canon point I took him, he's adopted a more serious nature at times and has become a little tougher from his experiences, he hasn't lost what makes him smile. No matter what button is pushed, the 'happy, angry, sad' whatever, you're bound to get an unabashed reaction from him. The exceptions are when it comes to matters such as Angeal, the true purpose of Shinra, his uncompromisable pride and honor, and when he takes the time and foresight to look into a situation and just know what he wants to say isn't necessarily something he should. Otherwise, if the other person is all about fun times, he will be too.
⇝ Ling is not nearly as 'nicely' motivated as the above two. Though Ling's cheerful nature can be a mask, it's covering up a side that isn't tragic-- but fiercely motivated and ambitious, and a side of him that will take on some pretty big evils if the ends truly justifies the means. He is ruthless! But, on the island, we haven't seen much of this in him, aside from his steadily-increasingly-aggressive conversations with Jay, he generally remains cheerful to anyone he meets. Note that cheerful =/= polite. He's still a mooch, he'll still leave you with the bill, and he'll still insist that the two of you are friends when you're kind of ready to knock his lights out. Again, probably another disarming technique, but not quite as effective as Vash's, and of course, used for the wrong reasons. Ling isn't the good guy at heart the other two are-- Vash is Lawful Good, Zack is Chaotic Good, and Ling is Chaotic Neutral. Of course, his end goal is a good one and he fully means it to be, but you know how the saying about Hell's paved roads go.
• Re; Flirting
⇝ When flirting, Zack never usually expects anything to come out of it. Though I'm paraphrasing an anon on the anonmeme, who was speaking about a completely different character-- 90% of the time, when Zack flirts, it's to make the girl feel good about herself, and the other 10% are for those very special occasions, though the girl in question might not pick up on it right away if they're too used to his flirting. If he's passing down flirt-ish compliments to younger girls, it's purely worded and intended in a big-brother way. He's just overly friendly, and for the girls, they get special treatment.
⇝ Vash is the same as Zack, only not really. He's a bit more serious in his flirting and often means it in the... flirting way, rather than the 'just make the lady feel good about herself' way, though that's a factor too. Same with Zack re: younger girls as well. I don't think he really expects to get anywhere (too used to slaps), but he does try, even in his heart of hearts he knows it probably wouldn't work out. He does love them ladies though, and will do his best to impress-- and of note, more than Ling and Zack, he's more of a pervert. Though that's often played for comedy relief than anything else, I'm sure he does know how to treat a lady proper.
⇝ Ling is... probably the least experienced out of the above two. When I say 'least experienced', I mean that he doesn't really do it in a way that makes sense. Yes, he will throw around the 'cute' compliments like they're going out of style, and usually on a whim without any deeper thought to them, but he'll also ask a girl to marry him ... right off the bat. Whether he actually thinks they'll say yes or no doesn't really matter-- Ling just does what he does and there's no changing the way his... weird mind works.
• Re; Serious Side
⇝ There are requirements for Vash's serious side to come out, and it can be any of the following: People must be in serious danger. His past being forcefully brought into question. Just how many people he's killed, albeit unintentionally. Knives. Rem. His morals, especially when they are put to the test. When Vash goes serious danger!mode, something to take notice of is that he doesn't talk a lot. He will just step forward and handle whatever's standing in his way-- without killing them. The exceptions to his smooth and silent attitude are when more people are in danger, the antagonist is being antagonizing, and lots of yelling is involved. /eloquent-- On the discussion!serious side, he will often make a point of avoiding questions he doesn't want to answer and doesn't necessarily think he has to, at least, things that aren't necessary for the other person to know. If he is close to them, they might slowly start to get the truth of who he is out of them-- but that'll be a slow, slow process, as that is the most vulnerable part of Vash.
⇝ Zack's shows easier than Vash's and Ling's, mostly because, like I said, all of Zack's buttons can be easily pressed, especially his serious one. It's not quite prevalent on the island yet, because he hasn't run into a single serious conversation. ERGO, it feels like something I needn't touch on just yet due to lack of in-game experience, so this section is short.
⇝ Ling's... show's faster than Vash's, but not as fast as Zack's. This is actually more or less strategy. If his opponent is a monster, sure, no holding back, but oftentimes against a human opponent, he won't take them seriously, especially if it's just something along the lines of a sparring match. Of course, this has led to his loss before, and he holds some annoyance at himself for that. If it's an ULTIMATE EVIL, YOU'RE GOING DOWN fight, Ling will completely ditch honor for the useful and occasionally completely unfair method of 'defeat any way possible'. He doesn't show his discussion!serious side often, because when he does discuss serious things... he'll do it in his usual lighthearted manner, as if it's a rather ordinary conversation. Occasionally, he'll slip into serious talks mode, but it's infrequent, but boy is it noticeable when it happens.
• Re; Mannerisms
⇝ I covered this enough in the cheerful disposition section. Vash is a goof. He will deliberately do things and say things that are meant to throw the other character off guard. Why? To help mold the other character's perspective of him. Ultimately, he's shooting for 'goofball, fun-loving, incredibly sexy, a little off-kilter, but all-around good guy'. If that is your character's impression of him, then he feels his job is done. In the same vein as Zack, he doesn't like seeing other people down, so he'll usually offer advice or some form of cheering-up method. He has certain trigger words-- and all around, the shock on being what may be Earth is still a big one to him, so glimpses of the real him can be caught, if you're incredibly observant. It all depends on the thread.
⇝ Zack. Can't. Sit. Still. As much as I really hate to label one of my favorite characters, he can be a bit of a meathead at times. If there's idle time in a thread? You bet he'll be stepping back to do some squats. If a lecture-like conversation just really isn't grabbing him or isn't something he understands? He'll either attempt to make it interesting or just end it on his own, no ill grudges or anything, he's just a touch ADD. If someone nearby is in trouble, you bet your ass he'll help out and he'll do a good job of it too, he's not SOLDIER 1st Class for nothing. Otherwise, he's just the kind of dude you really can just sit and chat with about whatever. As long as those touchy subjects of his don't come to surface, he's just a friendly guy to be around.
⇝Ling exists to annoy. The other two may do it unintentionally, but Ling probably does it intentionally half the time or more. He doesn't think this behavior is wrong, it's just his mentality. Do what you feel, what you want, and so on, and if other people get annoyed, who cares? If he's not pushing buttons, he's also pretty easygoing and when on the right topic, can chat up a storm with whoever. If the character he's speaking with has any link to immortality, you can count on his constant hounding.
• Re; Morality
⇝I don't need to make individual sections for this because I already ... mentioned it. Zack = Lawful Good, Vash = Lawful/Chaotic Good, Ling = Chaotic Neutral. Zack and Vash always have a purpose that's for the best in mind, and their morality is just unshakably good. Ling, while his intentions are good for his people, and while the morals he does hold rigid are good at the core, his goal is immortality and he will do anything to get it, whether the methods are good or evil are of no consequence (I'm sure there are a few exceptions, but only a few). Like I said, to him, the end definitely justifies the means.