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Author Topic: Feedback requested on character evolution  (Read 2115 times)

Casiella

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Feedback requested on character evolution
« on: 21 Apr 2010, 15:20 »

Basic Background for Casi

  • Sebiestor of rebel descent
  • Pator Tech School (business degree)
  • Hacker / researcher / trader
  • Knowledge nomad
  • Limited background with Minmatar militia
  • Also has ties to Intaki Syndicate & Angel Cartel

Casi originally had a particularly anarchist bent; her workings for the militia always had specific goals, albeit that didn't quite fit her philosophy. Once I decided to make her my main, I took cyberpunk archetypes, applied them to her existing skills and background (as she previously did lots of space trucking), and trained lots and lots of science-related skills, plus tons of exploration (even pre-Apocrypha).

A few thoughts I've had

As we age and gain experience, our political and religious views tend to shift somewhat. I personally don't look at things the same way I did back in my early days of university, certainly. So I find it plausible that she could move to a more 'minarchist' view, retaining the crypto-libertarian feel. That requires a bit of nuance when it comes to current events in the Republic.

For a long time, she had a particular distaste for violence. For a while, that sort of got thrown on the back burner for mission running and exploration, but I've still considered taking her back in that direction: perhaps not quite all the way to Gandhi-like ahmsi, though I still think about it from time to time.

In yet another contradiction, I've drawn her closer to the Republic Security Services and the Angel Cartel. That last bit evolved from the fact that she wanted access to their technology and research facilities, and I'm not quite sure how to play that out. Maybe she continues to finish working for them (the epic arc), then decides to move away from violence? I don't quite know. I had even thought about booster production and made lots of preparation in this area (skill training, purchasing supplies and equipment), but never quite made it happen.

Goals

I want to move away from stark anarchism, allow for greater participation in storylines, and define her interests, skills, etc. Of course, I certainly wouldn't ask anyone to redesign my character, but I would like any ideas folks could feed me. I'd like to riff with you on ways to evolve her so that she remains true to her past but can interact more fully.

So help me bring a little more consistency to the character and develop her in a more useful direction. I do intend to develop a separate character who'll have a bit more rough-and-tumble approach
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Silver Night

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Re: Feedback requested on character evolution
« Reply #1 on: 21 Apr 2010, 16:16 »

Well, right off, the Angel epic arc stuff could be what makes her finally 'fed up' with the violence too, and she moves away from that sharply, particularly because (I think?) her goals are achieved in that area anyway?

This makes it arguable whether the move was convenience or a real change away from violence too (if the goals are completed) because it means that she isn't really giving up much? Seems like it might have potential for conflict, of at least the internal kind, if that's the kinda thing you like.

Do you want the move away from anarchist to be a gradual political shift - mostly a matter of ideology changing over time? Or would you prefer a particular incident to catalyze it?  Or a combination, small incidents of time or the like?

Casiella

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Re: Feedback requested on character evolution
« Reply #2 on: 22 Apr 2010, 13:28 »

I've been chewing on this. Thanks very much for the excellent feedback.

Casiella, of late, has become eaten up with internal doubts, of all sorts. I need to finally publish the last story in the current arc, which partly explains why.

One thought I've had has been to finish the Angel epic arc, then return back to Republic space as some sort of 'elite hacker' for the Cartel, exploring back into Derelik (since, after all, Sanshaz aren't real people).

I don't have a particular preference for her moving away from anarchy. Given that I plan to get heavily involved in PI after Tyrannis deploys, I could possibly use that as well: anarchy doesn't scale when you're trying to run a complex production operation, after all...
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Silver Night

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Re: Feedback requested on character evolution
« Reply #3 on: 22 Apr 2010, 20:02 »

I like the hybrid (number of events over a reasonable amount of time) for moving a characters viewpoints around. It doesn't take as much time as a smooth, gradual transition, and doesn't feel as forced as a single big event can. That's just me, though.

Ashar Kor-Azor

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Re: Feedback requested on character evolution
« Reply #4 on: 27 Apr 2010, 13:07 »

Mechanically, not that you asked but.

-does not like violence
-has an itch for research facilities

-> Datacore farm.

-anarchist

-> Free trader; trades at hubs, restricts traffick in trade goods to not directly interface with making people die; this means avoiding a lot of nasty-ass 5% margin trading markets like weapons, ammo, etc.

-hacking
-> Invention and research POS in hisec or in a lowsec island; storyline about how its an AI avairy or a place to work on rogue drones, which you can violence also because they're synthetic people with no rights who want to drill into you for minerals and you need to build a friendly AI

Or something.

Aside from all of that, I would suggest continued development of an ideology that's somewhere between pan-Matari and Thukker and eschews nonviolent means, because it would be relatively novel if well developed and extensive. Which may only be to say you're doing fine.

Casiella

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Re: Feedback requested on character evolution
« Reply #5 on: 27 Apr 2010, 13:11 »

That last bit, about the rogue drone research, definitely continues a storyline I pursued "privately" at one point.

Hopefully this week, now that the hell that was Last Week has concluded, I can synthesize the excellent feedback from you both into something workable, while I keep spinning up the alt...
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Ashar Kor-Azor

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Re: Feedback requested on character evolution
« Reply #6 on: 28 Apr 2010, 10:59 »

Y'welcome.

Let us know if we should wax all philosophic on anything for you. And I'm using 'us' and 'we' individually here, because Silver never, ever waxes philosophical on ANYTHING ever, and because my main's royalty.

EVER, Silver.

Casiella

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Re: Feedback requested on character evolution
« Reply #7 on: 28 Apr 2010, 11:07 »

Oh, please continue.

My current thought is that she graduates to some form of minarchism and tries to experiment with it via planetary interaction. As it is, almost all her trade activity these days is in the cybernetics market, which fits perfectly.

And I want to write more on what she wants to see from the "tribal republic", but theoretically CCP should, you know, give us something concrete soon.

Theoretically.
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Ashar Kor-Azor

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Re: Feedback requested on character evolution
« Reply #8 on: 28 Apr 2010, 23:01 »

Well.

The main thing I can say is that Ashar had a parting of the ways with SF more or less as soon as she had her first chat with Jade back in the good ol' days because Jade's platform was a necessarily violent one and Ashar's involved the evolution of governments up to and including the Empire into a less and less proactive role because everyone would be given a chance to ascend in some odd vision of Amarrian eschaton...

...so there's definitely precursors around for minarchist views as well as non-violent anarchist views, and freespace dreams and all that.

I'd suggest reading them, or talking to Ashar ingame simply because she's a flaming liberal and has told a lot of people about this.

And frankly, back in the day, I played her as a lolhacker for some stuff >.>

But fuck, was she a whitehat. Gawd.