Thread: Face Claims & Character Pics Survey

I really like these roleplay-related questions, Quin! To answer the question, yes I use pictures to represent characters, and I typically only use pictures of real people. I use them only as a visual guide for my character, which is why I often only use a head shot the body and more detailed features are something I like to describe through words. I have no idea why this is... I think it's that I find the face to be the most memorable part of a character aside from its personality. When a scene plays out in my head as I write or read, I like having the facial references because it's easier to imagine different expressions and how the characters might look at that particular moment, which is great if you're writing a really emotional part of the roleplay. I also like face-claims because they provide less confusion when your partner is describing your character as no two people imagine the same face based off a written description. How I choose face-claims is a little different than what most people do. Rather than create a character and then labor over trying to find the perfect picture to represent them, the picture is the very first thing I look for. I don't go in with any specific traits in mind except for ethnicity when it's vital to the roleplay the only thing I have in mind are general concepts. For example, in one of my past roleplays, the first thing that I wanted a person to notice about my character was a sense of sophistication with a hint of sex appeal. I browse a variety of different photos, using Google Images and Tumblr, and I find a pool of women that give off the aura that I'm after. Sometimes I think of a modelmusicianactress that I think has the qualities I'm after, and then I search for other faces that have those traits. Using the earlier example, the first faces I thought of who exude sophistication with subtle sex appeal were Lana Del Rey, Gemma Arterton, and Adele. After I realized it was because of their eyes large, slight almond shape, with softly arched eyebrows, I tailored my search to look for women who had that feature. Over time my mind decides on more specific traits like haireye color, and I'll just keep browsing until I find a picture I think is a great fit for the kind of character I want to play. The downside is that sometimes this takes 15 minutes, and other times it takes a couple hours. But once I have their face figured out, I build the character around that appearance. It's rare that I ever use celebrities, but if I feel that they are the perfect fit, I'll go with their faces. I've actually used Lana Del Rey once, and one of the Victoria's Secret Angels once I can't remember her name right now. The funny thing is that even though I spend so much time with my own character's appearance, I don't mind whether my partner uses a face-claim or not. I'm perfectly happy reading their written descriptions with no visual supplementation at all. But if they do use a visual representation of their character, I ask that it's also an image of real people. While I watch anime, appreciate its art style, and have had my fair share of anime man-crushes, it breaks the flow of the story for me. I imagine roleplays playing out in a real world, and the anime character breaks that consistency. And whenever I think about a real person interacting with an animated character normally, sexually, whatever it never fails to make me giggle. It's comes across as a little odd to me. But I use pictures for more than faces! I use them for buildings, clothing, or sometimes even to clarify a background setting for the scene. Some people say using images is because of laziness or inability to just write the description, but I don't agree with that. Using pictures not only fuels your imagination, but the imagination of your partner as well. It gets the juices flowing no pun intended. They provide emotion and impact to the roleplay. Tying in with that, I'd never thought of using reaction picsgifs in roleplays. That's a really interesting idea... Maybe even one that I'd like to try. Do you use them, Quin? If so, how often do you use them? When do you feel it's appropriate to use them? Does it ever break the visual consistency for you if you use a reaction gif that doesn't have the face of your character?