Author Topic: Dialogue Tips  (Read 10717 times)

M. Burusu

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Dialogue Tips
« on: July 07, 2009, 06:52:55 AM »
Erm . . . I'm thinking about doing some stories and maybe participate in a little in-character roleplaying in an MMORPG, and I was wondering . . .

. . . Just how SHOULD certain characters talk?

In particular, Reimu, Marisa, Alice, and Suika, but . . .

I decided to make this topic to help all those who are interested in writing in-character dialogue for the various characters of Touhou Project, but aren't sure how to write it.

If you have tips on writing for a particular character that you'd like to share, or have a question about how to write for a specific character, then by all means post away!

. . . And if you can answer the questions of those who have posted before you, then by all means do so!

So, that said, I'll open it up with a few questions and a little tip.

The tip: If you want to include the 'da ze' or 'ze' verbal tic of Marisa, you don't have to include it after every other sentence! For a possible example on how often to use it, try listening to (of all things) the Japanese voice acting for Prinnies (which are famous for having a verbal tic of their own, '-ssu'). That'll give you a good idea of how a tic should be done.

And now my questions:
1st: How high-and-mighty should I write the lines of Alice Margatroid, if at all? I know that she's occasionally portrayed with a sense of superiority, but I'm not sure how much I should lay it on (without making her unlikeable, preferrably).
2nd: Suika Ibuki is famous for never being sober. However, I don't know how to 'type drunk'. By this, I mean . . . A) How would one 'sound drunk' in typed text without being wholly unreadable, or B) If it comes down to Suika typing, how 'badly' would the alcohol make her type?

If someone could answer these questions, I'd be appreciative, though you are all welcome to ask questions on this thread as well.

With that, I bid you adieu and happy writing!
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WRATHIE_Beatrice

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Re: Dialogue Tips
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2009, 12:07:39 PM »
just my honest opinion..
and to reflect i shld post..

1st: How high-and-mighty should I write the lines of Alice Margatroid, if at all? I know that she's occasionally portrayed with a sense of superiority, but I'm not sure how much I should lay it on (without making her unlikeable, preferrably).

IMO she's not more high and mighty but less vocal, and i reckon she'll be very pompous but not vulgar.
That means she won't speak unless she needs to and when she does, it's alot of long words and etc

Quote
2nd: Suika Ibuki is famous for never being sober. However, I don't know how to 'type drunk'. By this, I mean . . . A) How would one 'sound drunk' in typed text without being wholly unreadable, or B) If it comes down to Suika typing, how 'badly' would the alcohol make her type?

To each his own my friend, i prefer adding lots of '...' between and slurring so it's like 'hiiiiii' or 'Mooornning' but it's up to all of you.


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Re: Dialogue Tips
« Reply #2 on: July 07, 2009, 03:39:29 PM »
Suika is drunk 100% of the time but it does not affect her speech, only her movement patterns; and even that might be her just playing around. Look at her dialogue in IaMP and SWR.

With Suika, her mannerisms make her look like an airhead and she speaks un-formally, but her words are terribly poignant. She also gets a kick out of teasing people. She's like a more drunk, direct version of Yuyuko. (In IaMP she's frankly a bitch, by SWR though she mellows out some)

Or you could just do what most of the the doozins do and ignore canon and make her a drunk moeball.

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Re: Dialogue Tips
« Reply #3 on: July 07, 2009, 03:44:02 PM »
I would imagine that Suika is so used to being drunk, that she seems perfectly ok most of the time.

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Re: Dialogue Tips
« Reply #4 on: July 07, 2009, 04:29:51 PM »
Er, it's pretty much interpretation of character. There's no real 'right' way of portraying them. Just do the best you can. If you're a good writer and pay enough attention to the character, you should be able to figure it out.

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Re: Dialogue Tips
« Reply #5 on: July 07, 2009, 04:45:05 PM »
For Suika, it usually depends on who's writing. While I have not written her dialouge out personally, I have seen several versions of her on Touhouproject.com (say what you will about that place, I find alot of the best authors for Touhou are right there on that IMGboard). For instance, I do recall one author writting her speech as nothing more than nonsensical slurs that, at first glance, were unreadable. While another had her talking as if she wasn't drunk at all.

I suppose the same can be said for Yuugi (being both her and Suika drink ALOT).
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Re: Dialogue Tips
« Reply #6 on: July 07, 2009, 05:35:58 PM »
Yuugi has never actually acted drunk. Just playful.

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Re: Dialogue Tips
« Reply #7 on: July 07, 2009, 06:46:57 PM »
This is a good topic!

I don't really see why you'd worry about writing Suika drunk, though. Just write her as Suika; you already know what her dialogue looks like when she's drunk, it's what she's like all the time. She's never slurred before, so why should she suddenly start now?

Now, if you had to write her sober, you could panic...

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Re: Dialogue Tips
« Reply #8 on: July 14, 2009, 08:07:25 PM »

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Re: Dialogue Tips
« Reply #9 on: July 17, 2009, 01:25:29 PM »
The most important thing about derivative character writing is to stay true to the character, as portrayed in the original works, otherwise you may as well do something original. Fanon is fine for parody purposes or maybe pulling off a fast joke but if you rely on it, it demeans the value of a more serious work and comes across as unoriginal. You might even want to write in order to avoid fanon references, as they can illicit unintended meanings to your reader or stunt the work's potential. For example, when writing a sad, tragic tale of revenge if Ran sees Chen dead or mortally wounded, do not have her shout out "CHEEEEEEEN!" If you do, congratulations! The reader cannot take you seriously now. The mental link to something funny in the reader's mind just spoiled the mood. Not that long drawn out shouting is advisable in serious work anymore, as it has been overused to the point of being cliched. I'm just trying to make a point.

As far as Suika goes there are two types I've noticed in fan works: Happy Drunk Suika and Badass Antagonist Suika. Her basic movements in IaMP suggests mere happy playfulness but on the other hand she is beating everybody senseless all the while. Happy drunk with a mean streak is plausible, I suppose or perhaps she's just the overbearing sort who doesn't realize her own strength. She seems like a very flexible character to me, so it depends mostly upon what you need in the setting. I'm not sure about Suika specifically but different people can act very different when drunk: Some people just laugh and giggle at everything and lose a bit of discretion; some are wild party folk :toot: who drink until they puke :barf:; others become quite violently inclined, abusive and dangerous; others still just kinda become irate and pessimistic, though I doubt Suika's one of these. Excessive substance abuse can lead to addictive tendencies like antisocialism or perceived dependency. I doubt Suika would like having her gourd taken away. People who're habitually drunk usually drink for the purpose of escapism, though this can be a real downer if you want a happy tale. She seems like she could be a very flexible character, so I'd write her depending on exactly what you lack in the setting. This may require some sitting down and examining the other character relations to see what sort of things your story lacks without her, not to mention how that effects the overall mood you're looking for.

I'd give more advice on various ways one can write specific characters and what I think they might say. However, I'm afraid I've been trying my best to keep myself ignorant as possible to the game's official plots and dialog until I can actually buy, patch and complete the full versions. It'll be a much better experience playing that way. I hope this general advice can be of help though.

Why yes, yes I did just add the wild party folk part just so I could use those two emotes, despite the fact that they unintentionally break my paragraph in two. Why do you ask?
« Last Edit: July 17, 2009, 01:29:40 PM by Tonepoet »