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saxmangeoff Veteran user Moscow, ID, USA 353 Posts |
I like the description of character as an ever-evolving effort.
In my case, I'm in the early stages of figuring out my character. His name is "Mr. A" (sounds like "mystery" and might be used ambiguously, e.g. "An evening of Mr. A."). My last name is Allen, so this isn't a big stretch. Mr. A is a collector of sorts. He collects all sorts of unique gadgets. Most of them look suspiciously like dime-store gadgets or Happy Meal toys, but Mr. A has learned that they all have curious magical properties. You never know what magical thing Mr. A is going to pull out next, and you never know exactly what magical event it will produce, but you can be sure it'll be interesting and fun. The "behind the scenes" catch, is that every one of my weird props is 100% innocent. I sort of treat it as a variation on Whit Haydn's logical dilemma. In this case, the dilemma is "It's an ordinary dime-story toy/It has some sort of magical properties (or is gimmicked)." I want that to be an unresolvable question, and as long as the heat is on my "toys" I can get away with just about anything I want. One thing I don't know yet, is how Mr. A dresses. Whatever it ends up being, I doubt he has much fashion sense. Geoff
"You must practice your material until it becomes boring, then practice it until it becomes beautiful." -- Bill Palmer
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Patrick Differ Inner circle 1540 Posts |
Yer welcome, Vick. It's been a real eye-opener for me, and I'm glad you've enjoyed it.
Hey folks, please don't feel restricted by my original questions. Feel free to add and delete questions that don't get there for you or may not be "on topic." Be creative, be yourself, just be. The topic is "Character profile." And I do mean that the sky is the limit!
Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly,
Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, And I've a many curious things to show when you are there. Oh no, no, said the little Fly, to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair -can ne'er come down again. |
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Justin2200 Veteran user 319 Posts |
1. Who are you?
I am J. 2. What is your history? Myself is truly original, and myself thought me up, however, J is constantly evolving. 3. What is your personality? I'm a serious performer, however I try to be funny sometimes. Hahah! I'm being serious guys, seriously. 4. What do you want? I want to take over the world, and get cheap milkshakes from checkers. Do you have multiple personalities? How many? Are they friends with each other? I have 2. They sometimes disagree, but they are usually mild towards each other.
The Presitidigitationist
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Big Daddy Cool Inner circle 1604 Posts |
Gee, makes me wonder why I put all that work into my character's bio, when I could have just said "Myself made me up and I am a mysterious person with a mysterious background that is ever-evolving..." What was I thinking?
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Gee, BDC... ya missed da boat!
Ladies and Gentlemen, pleeeeez welcome to the stage... our magical entertainment for tonight... from the mysterious Magic Café... a nice round of applause for...MR.(we think) DARK AMBIGUITY!!!
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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Roland Henning Special user Kiel, Germany 511 Posts |
My name is Roland Henning. I can actually do real magic, but for some reason I don't know myself, I want to keep it secret. That's why I do really cheap magic effects, always claiming that everything is just sleight of hand. Even if it is not possible with sleight of hand. Suddenly there is a stong bit of mindreading, which is immediately degraded by some joke. Then there is this really stong bit of magic wich is right away understated by saying, that every kid could do it, or that this wasn't intended.
The motif to do magic on stage is kind of mysterious. It could be the lack of self-esteem. Or too much of it. |
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chrisrkline Special user Little Rock 965 Posts |
BDC,
Well, I could blast out a quick personality too (somewhat similar to Roland's ) but I take these posts more as a wake up call. Writing down who we are is a wonderful exercise, but not easy to do. Its difficulty is also its importance. I have done more thinking about who I am out there because of these posts then I have done before. So I will wait a bit.
Chris
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Patrick Differ Inner circle 1540 Posts |
I see a couple of profiles that are enigmatic, therefore limited in their description, and this could mean that they are still developing. To those still developing their character, I ask one favor...
Take yer time and do it right. Do your best. Start with a rough draft, as you have done, then add a bit more every time you can. You'll find that your profile will flesh-out eventually and you'll be more aware of it with time. Rome wasn't built in a day.
Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly,
Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, And I've a many curious things to show when you are there. Oh no, no, said the little Fly, to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair -can ne'er come down again. |
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saxmangeoff Veteran user Moscow, ID, USA 353 Posts |
I have a proposal. Assuming that there are several of us working on our characters, we could do something like some of the exercises actors and writers use to "flesh out" their characters.
I would be willing (and others could, too) to periodically post questions to be answered by our characters. The questions could be basic facts, like "How many siblings do you have, and what was your relationship with them while growing up?" or lighthearted like "What is your favorite dessert, and why?" or something like "How do you feel when you have to stand in a long line at the grocery store." For answers, we could state our character's name, and then give his/her response. Maybe even, if we get to "know" these characters, we could offer suggestions on each other's answers. I would imagine we'd make it obvious in the subject that this was an "Ask Your Character" topic (maybe with "AYC:" at the start). Also we would give a basic orientaton to the process, along with the question, in the first post in the topic. Any interest? If so, I'll put together a first question and post it! Geoff
"You must practice your material until it becomes boring, then practice it until it becomes beautiful." -- Bill Palmer
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Justin2200 Veteran user 319 Posts |
Ok sorry that you think you've wasted your time building your character over years. You haven't. My post was made just to show people a little bit about me. You want to know more? I'm afraid to post some things that I want to because someone might call me a newb and say I don't need to be thinkin about stuff like that this soon. (And I don't know if you caught it, but that last post of mine was meant to be partially humorous. Maybe I should not have posted it.)
I may not have been an active magician, but I have had magic knowledge for over 10 years, so please don't make any newb comments about me thanks. My performing alias is simply J. (Yes, kind of like Will Smith on Men in Black. But that's not where I got it.) I chose this because, well, it's catchy, and as far as I know, it's original (correct me if I'm wrong). J's personality is, like I said, somewhat serious, but there is that element of humor that can sometimes be found. I prefer to wear black. I am a dark magi, if I may be called such. Mystery is a thing that will be commonly found in my performances. My character is a mysterious character, not much is known about him, except that he is a very talented magician, able to perform impossible illusions. Not only is he mysterious, he is also a psychic. that's some of my character. Like Patrick said, there are some of us who are still developing our personas.
The Presitidigitationist
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Patrick Differ Inner circle 1540 Posts |
Nice post, Justin. Keep working on it and add here when you're ready. I think you have a good start and that you want to keep watering it, feeding it, giving it plenty of sunshine, talking to it...y'know? It'll grow. Remember to talk to your character and listen to his responses.
And check your PM.
Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly,
Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, And I've a many curious things to show when you are there. Oh no, no, said the little Fly, to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair -can ne'er come down again. |
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chrisrkline Special user Little Rock 965 Posts |
I will add that I hope Roland does not think I was saying he was throwing his profile out too quickly. I meant that my profile would be similar to his. He has obviously worked the streets much more than I have. I am a noob in that area.
Chris
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Big Daddy Cool Inner circle 1604 Posts |
J,
Wasn't a dig at you specifically, just at the other posters in general. SOmetimes I wonder if anybody reads what I write. I'm not bragging or boasting when I say that my post is the model on how to do a character profile, history and personal history correctly. I was hoping that others might actually follow my lead... sigh. |
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Patrick Differ Inner circle 1540 Posts |
BDC, I think others are. I know I am. I'm also going to provide a quick link here to your 13 steps that you contributed earlier in another thread.
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=27 I also urge that these guidelines BDC has contributed be included here in conjunction with my four original questions. They are extremely utile tools to help flesh-out a persona/character. saxmangeoff, in your earlier post, were you suggesting that we answer questions "in character?" If so, I'm thinking that it is a separate topic itself and could be VERY interesting. I'm thinking along the lines...for example..."What does your character say to introduce a 4-Ace routine?"
Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly,
Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, And I've a many curious things to show when you are there. Oh no, no, said the little Fly, to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair -can ne'er come down again. |
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saxmangeoff Veteran user Moscow, ID, USA 353 Posts |
Yes, I'm thinking of separate topics in which we answer various questions in character. Some of the questions might be personal, and some might be about magic, but all would be for the exercise of getting us to flesh out our characters, as BDC has, and like writers and actors do.
Here are some examples of doing this sort of thing as a character development exercise: http://www.webcom.com/wordings/artofwrite/feature.html http://www.ifvchicago.com/process/wr_cha......ns.shtml (See the questions labelled "A" through "Z" at the end) Geoff
"You must practice your material until it becomes boring, then practice it until it becomes beautiful." -- Bill Palmer
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saxmangeoff Veteran user Moscow, ID, USA 353 Posts |
One more note, regarding the "4 Ace routine question." In my scenario, the question might be phrased: What do you (performing character, not poster) think of 4-Ace routines? Do you do one? Why or why not?"
Geoff
"You must practice your material until it becomes boring, then practice it until it becomes beautiful." -- Bill Palmer
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Dr_Stephen_Midnight Inner circle SW Ohio, USA 1555 Posts |
Since Big Daddy Cool has been so forthcoming, and could use some 'company' in this effort, I will offer the full profile:
First, the real facts on me: http://www.dragonskull.co.uk/s_mollett.htm and on my wife: http://www.dragonskull.co.uk/a_mollett.htm And now the fantasy: Character Bio Real Name: Lord Richard Henri Sanson Known Aliases: Stephanos Medianox, Baron Robert Henri Mollett, Reginald Simpson Mollett, Richard Stephen Mollett, The Amazing Kleffini, Hoodoo the Great, The Great Hastur, Dr. Stephen Midnight. Occupation: Entertainer, paranormal investigator and writer. Marital Status: Married Wife: Rose Sanson [formerly Rose MacTaigh] (aliases: Rose MacTeague; Andrea Kay Mollett; Andrea Midnight; Sirrah Kohl; Andrea) Known Relatives (historically): Andre Sanson (Father), Christine Diebler-Sanson (Mother). History: Richard Henri Sanson was born on April 30, 1537 in Brading, Isle of Wight, England, the only son of Andre and Christine Sanson, who were immigrants from LeHavre. Andre was the civil executioner for the Isle of Wight, a position he had heard was opening up via word from the Executioner of Calais, who had passed through Brading on the way to Portsmouth, and from there to London, to execute Queen Anne Boleyn. Being his father’s second son, Andre knew he must either settle for being his older brother’s assistant, or find a position of his own. Brading offered the opportunity. Richard was born in 1537, the same year as Edward VI. He apprenticed under his father (and briefly studied in Germany under Schmidt, the executioner for the Bishop of Bamberg), taking over the post of hangman in 1562. Saddled with a restless nature and an active mind, Richard sometimes abandoned his post to track bandits and pirates ‘Solomon Kane’ fashion, which drove the Sheriff and the Magistrate of Brading up the wall. In his spontaneous travels he learned legerdermain from gypsies in the Black Forest, and experienced weird adventures in various parts of the world, including an ill-fated voyage to the New World to seek gold. After rescuing an Irish lass with the ‘second sight’ from an unpalatable marriage to an aging Spanish nobleman (by marrying her himself), Richard retired from the scaffold to pursue his second love: alchemy and natural philosophy. Discovering the philosopher’s stone in 1585, Richard and Rose began a new adventure of spanning centuries, continuing their studies of the unknown and living under various contrived names; often reusing them every other ‘lifetime.’ In 1983 Richard dubbed himself “Stephen Midnight,” adding ‘Dr.’ upon earning his PhD in metaphysics from Miskatonic University in 1989. He and ‘Andrea’ work as writers, paranormal investigators and entertainers in the mundane world. In the secret wizarding world, they teach classes at the first magical school west of the Allegheny: Hodag Academy of Magick and Metaphysics (outside Arcanum, in Darke County, Ohio).
Dr. Lao: "Do you know what wisdom is?"
Mike: "No." Dr. Lao: "Wise answer." |
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Big Daddy Cool Inner circle 1604 Posts |
Now THAT's what I'm shoutin' gate!
Very cool Midnight! Swing solid baby! |
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Tspall Regular user Lumberton, NC 147 Posts |
Ok, I've been working on mine for a while so I'll toss it up here, but please remember it is a work in progress. Maybe typing this out will help me get more ideas. (BTW, Geoff, that questionaire is terrific and will be a big help!)
1. Who are you? Professor Anthony Grimm (the name comes from several places) 2. What is your history? The Professor rarely talks about his background, but what is known is that his early years were spent reading more than anything else. While the other kids were active in baseball and other sports, Grimm could be found in the library reading the books that were covered in dust and located in the odd corners of the library. After spending his time at the University, he travelled around and would spend time in various curio and antique shops. He seemed to have a lot of knowledge about older items, but was noticably lacking in knowledge about various modern things. He now spends his time showing various mysteries to others. (The ending part of this needs to be fleshed out more...) 3. What is your personality? The Professor is a bit of a loner. He is more comfortable by himself but loves to share these mysteries with others. He has rather a sarcastic sense of humor and delights in seeing someone thrown off balance, but not in a mean-spirited kind of way. 4. What do you want? Grimm loves to have people thrown off by what they are seeing. He loves to challenge their perception of reality, while pointing it out to them. 5. Multiple personalities..? This is more like different facets to my own personalities. Different personas. Thanks for the chance to share this and try it out. It helped me to see where I need to fill in some gaps. |
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Scott Cram Inner circle 2678 Posts |
1. Who are you?
Scott Cram. I like using my real name because it's a normal first name, and a weird last name, which fits well with my persona. 2. What is your history? Not much is known about my background. I'm definitely educated, and memory work and math are a source of endless fascination and exploration for me. In school, most students come in as question marks, and leave as exclamation points. I, on the other hand, left school as a bigger and better question mark. After leaving school, I've pretty much lived by my wits, and on my own terms. I chose to live in Las Vegas, as it is a town that shares my philosophy. 3. What is your personality? I'm a sort of whimsical & eccentric geek/genius. Think Ben Franklin, Willy Wonka, Caractacus Potts and Douglas Adams for starters. I'm a bit of a loner, and current events don't interest me much. Other people see me as weird, and I don't think anything of it (except that I enjoy it). Part of my magic comes intentionally from my whimsical outlook, and the rest comes from things that just happen to me, just because my worldview. I love things that are much deeper than they first appear, especially when they're just the opposite of what they appear to be. To quote Peter Samelson, "I can't really do magic. I can only help you see it." 4. What do you want? I want people to understand that the basics are important, but not as limiting as is usually thought. Get your foundation right, and then live on your own terms and run with as much creativity as possible from there. |
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