#Syldyr and Lorella

[moltensunlight]

I’ve got to figure out how to better characterize calm/level-headed characters — I’ve got TWO oc’s now that are pretty calm 90% of the time and I feel like their personalities end up feeling stale compared to what I can describe for more energetic/upbeat/rambunctious characters

[moltensunlight]

Made that other post and then immediately turned around and created a ton of lore for Lorella and I’m a lot happier about her characterization

For Syldyr though, maybe it’s that he doesn’t really have a goal after the events of b/g/3 that’s tripping me up. Cause my other characters have dreams and goals and aspirations, but Syldyr just doesn’t after the events of the game are done. I do have a lot of post-story content for him where he ties up a lot of loose ends surrounding his childhood, his personal traumas with Bhaal, and his connection with his sister, but after that it’s basically just one big ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ for what he wants to do. And I mean I guess every time I make a character they’re in the beginning or in the midst of their story rather than the end, so maybe that’s how I’ve got to start looking at this for the sake of his characterization?? Idk

[moltensunlight]

Tags via @absolutelynotsanebaby

Ooooo these are really interesting points - I hadn’t considered at all how they might move!!

I think they both have a kind of smooth fluidity to their movements, but for different reasons

I think Lorella would move as though every motion was deliberate - she’s a wizard and huge perfectionist and deals with really high-level magic that requires very precise somatic components, so she’s always aware of her body and where it is in space/how it’s moving and on the whole I think her movements are very measured in a way that ends up coming off as fluid and graceful to others.

Syldyr on the other hand moves with a degree of confidence and instinct, and I have no idea to articulate this other than it’s like there’s no delay between the moment he has an intention and the movement that accompanies it (whereas by contrast Lorella’s movements are born of a lot of thinking and calculation that creates a delay between the moment a thought/intention happens and the corresponding movement in the body). And because of his generally high dexterity that kind of presentation makes his movements seem smooth and fluid. When he’s not actively in motion though I think he falls into a practiced, steady, pristine stillness — less of a hold-your-breath tense kind of stillness and more of a kind of collected, focused stillness that he would’ve learned as a ranger in order to observe without alerting whatever creature he was hunting.

I didn’t realize till writing this that Syldyr’s movements in general are more bold and easy than Lorella’s and take up more space, not because Lorella is making herself small though, she’s pretty damn confident in herself and her skills, it’s more than she’s very precise in her movements and no motion is “wasted” for lack of a better term, whereas Syldyr isn’t concerned with that and is more free in his movements. And this is actually giving me ideas for the ramifications of Lorella’s perfectionism (maybe holding standards too high for herself and not letting herself be at ease very often) 👀 — it might feel like I’m making her out to be a hard ass but she’s really not she’s just particular about things akbdksbsjsbsjsb

And now I’m also thinking about how Syldyr would actually become a different beast entirely when he’s fighting, because then he moves with all the grace and laser-focus of a tiger locked onto it’s prey. The transition between normal adventurer and hunter is seamless, and it’s like the more easy, free motion he exhibits normally narrows down into graceful control and ruthless efficiency.

Switching away from movement though, Lorella would definitely be the one to stick her nose into bullshit with a calm smile lmaoooo - she’s curious by nature and enjoys pushing into the unknown, and that can end up meaning she actively walks into situations and gets involved in things that definitely aren’t her business

Syldyr on the other hand actually tries to stay out of peoples’ business but ends up getting roped into ~Situations~ anyway by the people around him or the people he encounters. But then he gets too attached to one or two people involved for him to leave it be and he winds up helping and making it his business lmaooo

I’ve got to figure out how to better characterize calm/level-headed characters — I’ve got TWO oc’s now that are pretty calm 90% of the time and I feel like their personalities end up feeling stale compared to what I can describe for more energetic/upbeat/rambunctious characters