Submissive or Dominative Characters: Which do you prefer?

Rulke · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Rulke** on Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:44 pm

When you create characters do you tend to make them more submissive or dominative, let's be clear submissive doesn't mean weak, nor does dominative mean strong, it just means how they tend to react to people. For example say you have a demon maybe they're highly powerful and frightening, but since way you play them they're more submissive towards others, not wishing to start anything or cow to authority?

My characters tend to be mixed bag, leading more towards dominative ones in most ways although Tiaan is very timid yet she isn't submissive, wishing instead to fight for what's right, rather than let things be.

So what do you write more often, and why?

LawOfTheLand · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **LawOfTheLand** on Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:06 pm

I absolutely hate submissive characters that rely on others to direct the flow of whatever activity they're in. Now, if you don't know anything about the matter at hand and wish to defer to someone with more knowledge, that's one thing, but at least be assertive enough to voice your opinion. Something as simple as saying you want to make the hotel reservations before hitting the town, for example. Sound off like you've got a pair!

Speaking of Full Metal Jacket, domination and submission in my characters is context-sensitive depending on the situation and the social station of others in the scene. A sergeant might bark orders to his corporals and privates in boot camp, but still have to lick the boots of a second lieutenant that went to officer school. When my character is exploring a dungeon, the onus is on the person who made the dungeon to describe the situation in sufficient detail that either my character or I have enough information to figure out what to do next.

(And if I don't have enough info, well, my character sees it even if the DM doesn't say so, so there's no shame in using that as a crutch.)

Patcharoo · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Patcharoo** on Sun Nov 11, 2012 8:37 pm

I have like... 3 submissive characters? Out of 40+?

One of those is non-confrontational and another secretly masquerades as a supervillain.

ViceVersus · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **ViceVersus** on Mon Nov 12, 2012 8:56 am

It depends on the situation, and on the specific story. You need your movers, and your shakers. But you also need more subtle, understated characters to direct things in a separate sort of way.

The danger that comes with submissive characters, as pointed out by the good man QB, is that these characters can often just be moved around or shifted by way of the plot, or by the more assertive character. Think about any B-rate action flick, where the pretty female is just a plot tool. Characters are defined by their actions. To have a character that doesn't act can be rather hard to flesh out.

However, there can be strength in refusing to act, or being submissive, as this discussion is using the term. One of my characters is Ethan Tano, a patriarch in a tight-knit community of advanced magic. For years he has played reluctant right hand to his (slightly) insane distant cousin, head of a separate branch within the same community, watching as Michele plots and plans and does other crazy things.

Ethan goes along with just about every plan in a cool, measured sort of way. Ethan has a family to consider, and knows full well the depths of Michele's insanity. He knows that defying the man, or crossing him to his face would be an extremely dangerous move rife with volatile reactions. Therefore, Ethan seems submissive for his lack of action, his lack of speaking out, but as one of his children has been inducted into this same magical organization, his loyalty to his family as a father wins out against his sense of pride when it comes to Michele.

It's like yin and yang, I suppose. You can't have too much of one or the other.

Bosch · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Bosch** on Fri Nov 16, 2012 5:50 am

I agree that it depends on the situation. For example I’m currently playing a small town Sheriff, who would be at home in the local bar but is finding himself in over his head with his current case. Therefore he’s pretty cocky when working with his deputies but feels slightly awe struck by the FBI Agents sent to help him out. It’s all about the context.

Jekyl · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Jekyl** on Wed Nov 21, 2012 9:09 pm

I will never be able to play a submissive character.

I find that with more of an 'attitude' and a 'overwhelming' persona gives more flow and build to the character, which contributes to making the character round. To me a submissive character (unless deeply consumed in some sort of psychological struggle) is very flat. My characters are filled to the brim with a sarcastic, cynical, narcissistic behavior, why? Because with characters like that there is always more to respond to, making it easier for the roleplay to go along smoothly without having anything inferring. Now, even while saying this my dominant characters do have their moments were they tend to loose up and have a more submissive and less demeaning expression, though these are rare experiences and I only do this if it's going to help the roleplay come to some kind of sub-plot conclusion, or if it's going to re-start a plot that was dying. My characters are forceful and brutal, usually not giving a damn about anyone other than themselves, and having the sheer determination to back up their causes. My renegade characters do always have their flaws though, and it's things like that which can help better dominant them as the "alpha" over the characters.

I really only roleplay with a person or two, and because of that my characters no matter what always seem to take the place as 'that-dominant-sarcastic-jerk' even though my characters always have something to fall back on for an excuse to their flaws. If I were to try and play a submissive character (and I have tried) it would go badly, because I would be itching to make them say something- to stand up for what they believe in and not to be pushed around and told what to do. It doesn't matter what the roleplay is, or what the other characters act like the end is always the same.

Which is ironic because I'm one of the most submissive people in real life.

shadowty · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **shadowty** on Fri Nov 30, 2012 2:39 pm

In certain situations not being submissive means you have a death wish.

Saarai · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Saarai** on Wed Dec 05, 2012 9:39 pm

I don't really write one or the other, but I would say the personalities for some of my characters will be submissive and some will be dominative. I don't write them really with that in mind, it's just how they end up being.

I try to write them as realistically as possible in whatever kind of world or situation they're in.

Kestrel · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Kestrel** on Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:57 pm

Mine are usually 'dominant.' Although you could take that with a grain of salt, because many of my characters are also underhanded assholes. Their ultimate goal might be to dominate, however in order to garner the ability to do so they must be as patient and submissive as they are cunning. After all, what's more efficient than backstabbing? So that's a mixed bag.

However, to that end I must point out that being submissive doesn't that you can't influence direction. Surely, they may not with to confront big bad other dude, but maybe they'll give him bad intel on purpose (then gtfo.) Maybe, even though submissive by nature, they are the jRPG-cliché CHOSEN ONE and their birthright more or less forces them to influence everything around them (even if by deciding who to bend backwards for.) On top of that, as a roleplayer you also have access to tools outside of the character's own influence. So I feel certain statements being in this thread are a bit short-sighted.

Jag · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Jag** on Mon Dec 10, 2012 6:08 pm

I don't like to always play dominant characters, but in situations where the plot is not directly laid out to be followed, I find my character taking a "dominant" position solely because many others will not take charge of the plot or create something. Instead, they just read and react without really contributing much other that "So-and-so sees what happens so far and wonders what is going to happen next" with some dialogue mixed in.

AliceTheDark · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **AliceTheDark** on Mon Dec 31, 2012 3:00 am

I lean more towards dominant. Every character i create reflects something about myself, i noticed that about a year into RPing, and I'm more dominant, not cowing to authority without a fight.

AmbrosiaVAC · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **AmbrosiaVAC** on Thu Jan 03, 2013 12:36 am

It really depends on whether or not the character serves a purpose; if so, then the answer would be dependent on their role. As for characters that aren't, it does occasionally change, but they tend to be more dominant and straightforward. Sometimes blunt, sometimes subtle, but they often seem to be able to do things their own way. It sometimes adds a bit more variation into a non-set plot in addition to other characters from other authors.

OrphicTrumpeter · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **OrphicTrumpeter** on Tue Jan 15, 2013 5:13 am

I can play either... but I'm not very good with dialogue. So my characters are often thoughtful and most dialogue goes on in their heads. They speak, usually a few sentences only. I really hate that about literally every single one of my characters, but I think that's just a reflection of how I am in reality. I think everything over, say maybe two things out of the fifty things I've thought about, and then I book. The fact that this wormed it's way into roleplaying where I can be someone else is reprehensible... to me, anyway. I make my characters more submissive because usually I feel as though a dominant person wouldn't be so worried about what they're saying. My characters (of this nature) are always concerned about what they're saying and if it's politically correct, which I think is possible for a dominant character, but would be hard to write.

I don't like being dominant, though. I like being submissive better. I can write characters who have more dominant attitudes, but even then they're more manipulative than dominant. They still get pushed around...but that's usually because I find other people who play dominant characters aren't just dominant but stubborn. I get that dominant characters push to get their way but... you'd think they'd also be trying to get the best outcome for themselves or those they surround themselves with...

I tend to join fantasy RPs where most people are dominant (and for some reason, the submissive people are always sad. It's...really odd) and I have to say that seventeen dominant people in one setting is super annoying. It causes drama, but not the good kind that moves things forward... the kind that makes an RP hit a stand still because 1) you can't join in their argument if you're not one of the characters in the argument 2) you can't drag them away from it 3) if you join, the characters in the argument jump on you and 4) there usually isn't a good way to go back to the action prior to the argument.

Most of the time, the balance of dominant and submissive seems to lean heavily towards dominant because people make some REALLY bland submissive characters. I read one RP where all the submissive characters had trauma in their pasts... but why wouldn't someone try to fight the trauma by being pushy and attitude-y? It gets worse when you describe personalities that are somewhat contrary to other dominant/submissive people in the RP. I tried to make a really loud, boisterous character who was submissive and people kept bowing to her every command. I have a quiet but dominant character who people walk all over/ignore. Either it's because no one reads my character sheets or it's because people equate loudness with dominance and quietness with submissiveness.

Hyperewok · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Hyperewok** on Sun Mar 03, 2013 1:01 am

I generally go with dominant, since I prefer heroic characters in settings in need of such characters, and I see sheer stubborn willpower as one of the more heroic traits a character can have. There's a dragon to slay or a planet to save and if someone's gotta do it, it won't get done by sitting there and waiting for someone else to do something.

Submissive or Dominative Characters: Which do you prefer?

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