Poll of the Week: Backdrop of the Story

[Jona ch'Ranni]

When the phasers stop firing ... when all the colonists are saved ... when the ship warps out of the system, we can all give a big sigh of relief. Of course, we enjoy our missions but the time in between provides a great opportunity to reflect on other things. Perhaps we converse with our shipmates about how the mission has affected us. Maybe we expand on our character's backstory or history. We might even get into a little side-story trouble! No matter what happens, it is these sims that pull our character off the screen and give them life and depth. We love to expand the depth of our characters through personal stories. Some of the best character moments we get within the plot is when the personal stories of our characters are threaded throughout. The ongoing build up creates momentum over time.

But nearly as important as the story is the setting. The backdrop can add flavor to a sim. Does your character fancy a workout in the gym? Maybe a relaxing trip to Holodeck 3? Chatting over drinks in Ten-Forward? Whether at a duty station or engaging in off-duty activites, our little people get around the ship! Where do you find yourself taking your primary character to tell the really personal stories that show us who your character is?

[Ben Garcia]

Shore leave is a great time to ... sort out all the paperwork 😛 

I always look forward to @Alex Brodie's mission reports at the end of a mission! 

Maybe I should get more paperwork done, so I can enjoy shore leave haha

[Alexander Brodie]

I tend to mix it up a little - typically for character building sims or the like I try and show off some little known areas of ships/bases. Try and help expand on the ship and add the odd detail here and there.

[Alieth]

On the one hand I think that quarters have the special quality that they are something very intimate and one of the few moments in which we can develop our characters in the privacy in which they can be themselves without being an officer. BUT I decided to vote for "others" because there are really many ways to do character building and many great chances come from interacting with others and putting our characters out of their usual shoes. So I think that flexibility is the key 

[Jo Marshall]

Totally depends on the character! I get the best character development when I'm writing with someone else, getting that bounce back and forth that makes you question the character's motivations. 

[Sal Taybrim]

Sal's office is the place for all the important conversations.

Not his ready room, he hardly uses that.  No, his big office on the starbase.  It's like an office and counselor's workspace all rolled into one.

[+ Valin Dermont]

Dermont seems to rarely leave Engineering, so any time somebody wants to have some soul searching with him, they tend to drag him into the CEO's office.  It's gotta be that or the Nova Room on DS26.

[Jana Zicv]

Well, I intend to develop most of the personal character-building in the science labs. But this is only the intention right now. She is new to the crew, not much to do in her quarters, and after the shift, she probably will continue to work on her papers and researches. So, she should forge her best relationships around this theater.

[Samira Neathler]

Sami's quarters been mentioned several times, but during shoreleave it's usually the location the ship is at.

This reminds me, I always write that Sami likes to try new holodeck programs, yet I've never written her inside a holodeck so far. 🤣 Hm, or maybe just once.