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tenshinoakuma) wrote2012-01-31 10:55 am
tenshinoakuma) wrote2012-01-31 10:55 am
[DDS] SURF'S UP-- I mean.
Quick brain dump on Serph. And RP as well I suppose.
DDS SPOILERS.
So I've been playing through DDS2 again on Hard mode and ugh I'm still having all the feelings again. One thing about DDS2 is that the impact of certain events still hit you really hard. The NPCs, though they may not have as much dialogue as some newer games, are all quite colourful and really, they are where half of my "OMG SOBBING" comes from. I had accidentally missed a whole bunch of NPC dialogue when I first played the game because I forgot there was another place where you could talk to random NPCs and... ugh literally almost everyone you meet dies. Even the repairman you meet who helps you fix up broken cables and says they're going to get outta there... he doesn't make it. When I found that out I wanted to go over to a potted plant and kick it over.
Anyway the point of all this is that one thing DDS2 makes very clear (at least, to me) is how much Serph loves everyone. It's no surprise that he gets shipped with Heat a lot, and Sera is usually considered one of the most important people to him, because of the amount of screentime they get with Serph, as well as his interactions with them. But the truth is, I don't think you can say any one of them is more important than any of the others to Serph.
I say this because of the way he interacts with people. It's clear to me that he spends a lot of time just running around and talking to people, but he's only one man in charge of hundreds. As much as he would like to, he doesn't have the time to know everyone as thoroughly as he knows the core Embryon. He has a genuine desire to be there for people and help them, but not everyone is the same. Not everyone is just going to be fine after a few words.
The reason he spends so much time and energy on Sera and Heat is because they need it. It's not that he loves them any more than he loves the others; Serph takes extra care to look after Sera because she can't do it herself, at first. Sera isn't like them. Even though in the Junkyard, she's potentially the most powerful being there, she's lost, confused, and generally defenceless. When she gains the Watercrown, he still takes extra care with her because she needs the support. He actually gives her a bit more space in DDS2 after she gains the Watercrown, because she can now stand on her own two feet; they don't need to carry her any more, though they're still there for her because Sera isn't a soldier like them. She still needs support, and Serph will gladly give it.
With Heat, Serph understands that with his Atma, Heat's grown all kinds of rash behaviour and conflicting emotions. He expresses concern over Heat because he knows Heat has trouble grasping what exactly makes him so angry. In DDS2, he knows more than ever that he's wronged Heat somehow. He doesn't know how or when, but he knows whatever animosity Heat holds, it's towards him and him alone. And if what Heat needs to soothe that rage in his heart is to make him pay for whatever wrong he's done, then Serph will gladly pay that price. He does this because he's accepted that he's done some kind of wrong, and it's his... well, karma to pay it back. Not accepting it will just continue the cycle of suffering within him. He needs to be there for Heat, otherwise he'll just tear himself apart, life after life.
With the others, Serph still shows his support for them, but he doesn't need to spend as much time because he understands that they need to work through things on their own, and they can and will. They're not as... well. High maintenance; some people just need more help than others, that's all.
I think he can recognise the rage and the hurt that's within Argilla, but it's not something he can ease because... how do you ease the pain of someone who lost someone incredibly important to them? How do you ease the anger towards something that's become a fact of life? How can you, when you know there's just going to be more loss to come? The best he can do is be a shoulder she can cry on when it feels like too much and bring her to a place where there's no fighting. Again, he's there to just listen; he can empathise with her feelings, and that's part of why he wants to bring everyone to Nirvana, I think. But he also knows she's tough.
His relationship with Gale is far more understated. I think he does see Gale's brewing internal problems, but he says nothing of them because he knows that Gale works through these things on his own. Both he and Gale share shoulder touches, though, to show allegiance and solidarity, and understanding from Serph. But I think he thinks the best way to help Gale is to be attentive to his strategist when he proposes strategies, or thinks out loud about their situation, because Gale isn't a feelings jam kind of guy. He's someone who works through things by working through other things on a logical level. So that is what Serph gives to Gale.
His relationship with Cielo seems similar in that Cielo is pretty upbeat and well grounded (hah) and doesn't really need Serph. He's mostly there to be leader to Cielo, to give him direction, to pull him in the right direction when he starts getting lost in questions of who they are. If anything, I think Serph needs Cielo more than Cielo needs him; Cielo's a good reminder that there's still things to smile about, and he provides a good alternative perspective to things; part of the reason Serph can't answer Cielo's questions is because he hasn't considered them himself. Still, he can answer some, and I think that's enough.
It's been interesting RPing Serph. I used to go read those anoncomm threads regarding RP pet peeves. And while I know it's impossible to avoid all pet peeves, I do make an effort to annoy whoever I tag as little as possible. One of the things that isn't touched on as much in discussions about what makes a person a good RPer is whether you give enough for the other person to work with in a tag (or too much, as is the case sometimes).
RPing isn't just about ICness. Because you can be perfectly in character and be a chore to tag. And I think that's one of the major pitfalls of the Serphs I've seen. I think I've managed to avoid that so far, if the threads I've gotten are any indication, though I spend a lot more time with Serph wondering if I've given enough dialogue for the other person to work with. He's not particularly expressive facially, and not very expressive body language wise in casual conversation, and his responses tend to be a short sentence or two long. It's definitely easier if I know the other player/character, since it's easier for me to judge without needing to harass the other player and be all IS THIS ENOUGH FOR YOU?? all the time. Playing Serph really tests my ability to induce long responses from the other character with as few words as possible, since that's what he does. Contrast this with Joshua, where I worried that I was overwhelming the conversation and pulling it around too much. Granted I think I'm more concerned about Serph, because it seems that having to lead the conversation all the time in tags is generally more annoying than being led.
Sometimes I recall the times I've read people being annoyed when they receive tags that are tl;dr introspection but only like. a line or two that they can actually respond to. Back then I shrugged, but now that I am that tl;dr introspection + one sentence response tagger I'm all, "...... oh."
But it's not like I can change Serph being a short, concise respondent; I have seen a chatty Serph and asdf;lkj it does not feel right at all. The games point out his quietness a few times (though one of them you have to purposefully be all "......", which is not what I've chosen for my interpretation) so being chatty isn't an option to me. I think it's worse not to have all that introspection, because otherwise he just comes off as a flat, boring character, and I think this applies to other quiet characters.
Sometimes I feel like I need to apologize for playing such a :| character because there is literally almost no difference in expression across so many of my icons. Fanart does make him a lot more expressive (as the case tends to be) but he really is the biggest :| so I'd rather not use them. I get over that in the RP threads themselves but SOB TALKING OOCLY WITH SERPH IS LIKE. I'M A LOT MORE EXCITED THAN MY ICON INDICATES, OKAY ;;
And by quick brain dump I mean tl;dr :|a
DDS SPOILERS.
So I've been playing through DDS2 again on Hard mode and ugh I'm still having all the feelings again. One thing about DDS2 is that the impact of certain events still hit you really hard. The NPCs, though they may not have as much dialogue as some newer games, are all quite colourful and really, they are where half of my "OMG SOBBING" comes from. I had accidentally missed a whole bunch of NPC dialogue when I first played the game because I forgot there was another place where you could talk to random NPCs and... ugh literally almost everyone you meet dies. Even the repairman you meet who helps you fix up broken cables and says they're going to get outta there... he doesn't make it. When I found that out I wanted to go over to a potted plant and kick it over.
Anyway the point of all this is that one thing DDS2 makes very clear (at least, to me) is how much Serph loves everyone. It's no surprise that he gets shipped with Heat a lot, and Sera is usually considered one of the most important people to him, because of the amount of screentime they get with Serph, as well as his interactions with them. But the truth is, I don't think you can say any one of them is more important than any of the others to Serph.
I say this because of the way he interacts with people. It's clear to me that he spends a lot of time just running around and talking to people, but he's only one man in charge of hundreds. As much as he would like to, he doesn't have the time to know everyone as thoroughly as he knows the core Embryon. He has a genuine desire to be there for people and help them, but not everyone is the same. Not everyone is just going to be fine after a few words.
The reason he spends so much time and energy on Sera and Heat is because they need it. It's not that he loves them any more than he loves the others; Serph takes extra care to look after Sera because she can't do it herself, at first. Sera isn't like them. Even though in the Junkyard, she's potentially the most powerful being there, she's lost, confused, and generally defenceless. When she gains the Watercrown, he still takes extra care with her because she needs the support. He actually gives her a bit more space in DDS2 after she gains the Watercrown, because she can now stand on her own two feet; they don't need to carry her any more, though they're still there for her because Sera isn't a soldier like them. She still needs support, and Serph will gladly give it.
With Heat, Serph understands that with his Atma, Heat's grown all kinds of rash behaviour and conflicting emotions. He expresses concern over Heat because he knows Heat has trouble grasping what exactly makes him so angry. In DDS2, he knows more than ever that he's wronged Heat somehow. He doesn't know how or when, but he knows whatever animosity Heat holds, it's towards him and him alone. And if what Heat needs to soothe that rage in his heart is to make him pay for whatever wrong he's done, then Serph will gladly pay that price. He does this because he's accepted that he's done some kind of wrong, and it's his... well, karma to pay it back. Not accepting it will just continue the cycle of suffering within him. He needs to be there for Heat, otherwise he'll just tear himself apart, life after life.
With the others, Serph still shows his support for them, but he doesn't need to spend as much time because he understands that they need to work through things on their own, and they can and will. They're not as... well. High maintenance; some people just need more help than others, that's all.
I think he can recognise the rage and the hurt that's within Argilla, but it's not something he can ease because... how do you ease the pain of someone who lost someone incredibly important to them? How do you ease the anger towards something that's become a fact of life? How can you, when you know there's just going to be more loss to come? The best he can do is be a shoulder she can cry on when it feels like too much and bring her to a place where there's no fighting. Again, he's there to just listen; he can empathise with her feelings, and that's part of why he wants to bring everyone to Nirvana, I think. But he also knows she's tough.
His relationship with Gale is far more understated. I think he does see Gale's brewing internal problems, but he says nothing of them because he knows that Gale works through these things on his own. Both he and Gale share shoulder touches, though, to show allegiance and solidarity, and understanding from Serph. But I think he thinks the best way to help Gale is to be attentive to his strategist when he proposes strategies, or thinks out loud about their situation, because Gale isn't a feelings jam kind of guy. He's someone who works through things by working through other things on a logical level. So that is what Serph gives to Gale.
His relationship with Cielo seems similar in that Cielo is pretty upbeat and well grounded (hah) and doesn't really need Serph. He's mostly there to be leader to Cielo, to give him direction, to pull him in the right direction when he starts getting lost in questions of who they are. If anything, I think Serph needs Cielo more than Cielo needs him; Cielo's a good reminder that there's still things to smile about, and he provides a good alternative perspective to things; part of the reason Serph can't answer Cielo's questions is because he hasn't considered them himself. Still, he can answer some, and I think that's enough.
It's been interesting RPing Serph. I used to go read those anoncomm threads regarding RP pet peeves. And while I know it's impossible to avoid all pet peeves, I do make an effort to annoy whoever I tag as little as possible. One of the things that isn't touched on as much in discussions about what makes a person a good RPer is whether you give enough for the other person to work with in a tag (or too much, as is the case sometimes).
RPing isn't just about ICness. Because you can be perfectly in character and be a chore to tag. And I think that's one of the major pitfalls of the Serphs I've seen. I think I've managed to avoid that so far, if the threads I've gotten are any indication, though I spend a lot more time with Serph wondering if I've given enough dialogue for the other person to work with. He's not particularly expressive facially, and not very expressive body language wise in casual conversation, and his responses tend to be a short sentence or two long. It's definitely easier if I know the other player/character, since it's easier for me to judge without needing to harass the other player and be all IS THIS ENOUGH FOR YOU?? all the time. Playing Serph really tests my ability to induce long responses from the other character with as few words as possible, since that's what he does. Contrast this with Joshua, where I worried that I was overwhelming the conversation and pulling it around too much. Granted I think I'm more concerned about Serph, because it seems that having to lead the conversation all the time in tags is generally more annoying than being led.
Sometimes I recall the times I've read people being annoyed when they receive tags that are tl;dr introspection but only like. a line or two that they can actually respond to. Back then I shrugged, but now that I am that tl;dr introspection + one sentence response tagger I'm all, "...... oh."
But it's not like I can change Serph being a short, concise respondent; I have seen a chatty Serph and asdf;lkj it does not feel right at all. The games point out his quietness a few times (though one of them you have to purposefully be all "......", which is not what I've chosen for my interpretation) so being chatty isn't an option to me. I think it's worse not to have all that introspection, because otherwise he just comes off as a flat, boring character, and I think this applies to other quiet characters.
Sometimes I feel like I need to apologize for playing such a :| character because there is literally almost no difference in expression across so many of my icons. Fanart does make him a lot more expressive (as the case tends to be) but he really is the biggest :| so I'd rather not use them. I get over that in the RP threads themselves but SOB TALKING OOCLY WITH SERPH IS LIKE. I'M A LOT MORE EXCITED THAN MY ICON INDICATES, OKAY ;;
And by quick brain dump I mean tl;dr :|a
no subject
YOU ARE FUN TO TAG, TEN. <3
no subject
Thanks! So are you, for the record ♥ So it's no wonder your inbox is in the state it is xD