~Character Reflections~ One thing that I’ve noticed in my role-playing career is the rarity of character flashbacks. Hopefully this can promote this highly underrated area of role-playing art, and thus incorporate it into more role-players' agendas. Yes, we've all heard it. The character with the shaky past, the one who has been around the block a few times, and the one with the glorious history. And while this does affect the tone of the character, it remains a highly underused aspect of role-playing. A way of revealing the veritable events of a character's memory is the simple fashion of a flashback. Albeit most of you, I'm certain, are aware of the definition of the word, I shall refresh your memory. Flashback: 1. psychology painful memory: an intensely vivid memory of a traumatic experience that returns repeatedly 2. cinema literature earlier event or scene: a scene or event from the past that appears in a narrative out of chronological order, to fill in information or explain something in the present Much of the film’s exposition is handled through flashbacks. Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Now that you know what it is that I am speaking of, let us move on. Now, throughout the course of RPGs, I have seen various thoughts written into the story, such as the character's feeling of the current situation. Here's an example: Kyle glanced at the spilled bottle of wine that now lay on the tile floor, the shattered remains of the glass spattered everywhere and the refreshing liquid now wasting away before his painful vision. Sithspit, Kyle thought. Four hundred credits down the drain, and I only got a tiny sip. He slapped his hand down on the arm of the wooden chair and continued to wait impatiently for the contact to arrive. This is an example of an insight to a character's thoughts or emotions. A flashback occurs the same way, often in italics. This can occur during a time where a character is reminded of something, a meditation, or whenever the role-player feels like giving his comrades a further look into the life of his/her character. Here is an example of a flashback: The Veritable Illusion was in Hyperspace, en route to the Imperial Palace. Daal's eyes were closed, his hands behind his head serving as a comfortable pillow as his pilot's chair was reclined, providing him a luxurious rest. His tentacles swayed back and forth, slowly and calm. His stomach slowly rose and fell as he took deep and gratifying breaths, the oxygen entering his mouth like a stream into an ocean. He was dreaming of his earlier days as a young Nautolan. The small insect crawled along Daal Steeph's green outstretched hand, its eight legs scurrying, attempting to find a way off of the giant's palm. "It's a ferr," Daal told his friend, a young Twi'lek girl named Teria Moon. "Duh," Teria said, making a weary gesture. "Bet you don't know how many eyes ferrs have!" "That's easy," Daal said with a sly grin, his small tentacles moving with excitement of this newfound creature. "Two!" Teria shook her head as a pleasing expression crossed her face, her lekku draped over her shoulders as she crossed her arms. "Nope! Eight." Daal put his hands on his hips, the ferr falling out of his hand. He didn't notice, for the spirit of debate was his favorite thing in the galaxy. "And how do you know that?" "Read it in a datapad at the library," Teria said, her smile growing. Just then, an abrupt explosion rocked the surface of Daal's backyard, and the two children looked to find the source. Smoke emitted from the window of Daal's house as flames were formed inside. "Tyre!" Daal tried to run inside to get to his older brother, but Teria stopped him. "No!" she said. "My mommy always said that when there was a fire, don't get close to it. Wait for the fire people to show up." Tears began to fall from Daal's face, his tentacles hanging in grief. He knew that his friend was right, and he knew, although he was at a young age, that he wouldn't see his brothers and sisters again. Daal awoke from his slumber with a jolt as a loud repeating beep sounded. He shook his head, partially to wake himself up, and to fend off the horrific images of his dead siblings that entered his mind. The ambitious and pert personality of the younger Daal did not reflect his current traits - calm and peaceful. He now handled debates in a more civilized manner. Rather than using loud and demanding words, he chose calm and patient lingo. Now you may be asking, "What is the point?" Well, let us elaborate. The flashback above from the retentive character has just given other role-players an in-depth look at the past of the character, bestowing upon them knowledge of him, and providing them with what he is thinking of, which can lead to a possible interaction with another character. Another example: Leia looked towards the ship, noticing the venerable Nautolan Daal Steeph obviously thinking about something, as he was staring into open space with unblinking eyes. It didn't take a judicious Princess to understand this. She strode up to him, her long white gown flowing behind her. "Good evening, Mister Steeph," she said, extending a hand. "Is everything alright? You look a bit... uneasy." Daal smiled, and nodded at the Princess, shaking her hand gingerly. "I thank you for your concern, Princess Leia. I was merely... (etc. etc.)" Now you’ve garnered yourself some interaction with another character, which could lead up to something else much more significant, all thanks to the flashback. So if you’ve got yourself a character with a particularly interesting past, give it more intrigue by offering up some flashbacks. One can only benefit from this invaluable style of role-playing.
