Faint nods and slight smiles

[Salt Merchant]

I'd like to understand what people intend that their characters communicate when, for example:

"The slender, blue-tressed man nods faintly."

Is the slender, blue-tressed man only barely agreeing with what is said?
Is the slender, blue-tressed man indicating your character is hardly worth an acknowledgement?
Is the slender, blue-tressed man indicating he is superior to overt communication?

Getting further out there,

Is the slender, blue-tressed man indicating that he is subtle?
Is the slender, blue-tressed man having a neck problem that makes a full nod too painful?
Is the slender, blue-tressed man feeling faint?

What are -you- trying to indicate by having your character nod faintly?

[Tallulah]

I'm sure it's different for different characters in different situations.  To figure it out, further observation is required.

[Thunkkin]

The faint nod is not a vigorous nod.  It might be slow or might only indicate a small movement of the head.  Context will hopefully indicate why.

The slight smile is a movement of the lips that communicates smiling, but the person is not beaming from ear to ear.  It may indicate amusement, rather than mirth or joy.  It may also be the small smile of a serious or restrained person.  It might also indicate condescension, sarcasm, etc.  It is a subdued smile.  Again, context and the personality of the person smiling may give you a hint.

My real sense, however, is not that you don't understand their meaning in context, but that you dislike the phrases or perhaps feel that they are overused and are posting here to either encourage people to be more creative or humiliate those who rely on simple gestures rather than more descriptive emotes.

[Cutthroat]

What are -you- trying to indicate by having your character nod faintly?

It could be anything you mentioned and more - like the common idea that it isn't a full nod. Just a slight bob of the head. Many people do it all the time subconsciously during communication and in repetition when they agree with something.

My real sense, however, is not that you don't understand their meaning in context, but that you dislike the phrases or perhaps feel that they are overused and are posting here to either encourage people to be more creative or humiliate those who rely on simple gestures rather than more descriptive emotes.

The tone of your suggestions certainly implies this, SM. Is that the idea here or what? Because there's been plenty of threads like this before.

[jcljules]

I'd like to understand what people intend to communicate when, for example:

I'd like to understand what people intend that their characters communicate when, for example:

"The slender, blue-tressed man nods faintly."

Is the slender, blue-tressed man only barely agreeing with what is said?
Is the slender, blue-tressed man indicating your character is hardly worth an acknowledgement?
Is the slender, blue-tressed man indicating he is superior to overt communication?

Getting further out there,

Is the slender, blue-tressed man indicating that he is subtle?
Is the slender, blue-tressed man having a neck problem that makes a full nod too painful?
Is the slender, blue-tressed man feeling faint?

What are -you- trying to indicate by having your character nod faintly?

Is Salt Merchant truly having a difficult time understanding what emotes mean?
Is Salt Merchant indicating that people should think of more creative emotes?
Is Salt Merchant a little grumpy, maybe?
Is Salt Merchant's question rhetorical?

[Pale Horse]

I was going to chime in and say that perhaps Salt is simply throwing out a "rhetorical" question to stimulate discussion and ideas, and chose the ambiguous method, so everyone could latch on to a part that they perceive and of which they could give an example.

Then jcljules beat me to it.

So I won't 

[Lizzie]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7wnT8iiR8w

Get your faintly and slightly used adverbs here!

[Rairen]

Situational.  One character smiled faintly because the act of smiling was so horrifying that it was all she could muster at the time.  Another would smile faintly if she were annoyed and trying to hide it, bored and trying to hide it, or deeply intrigued and trying to hide it.

Hi, my name is Rairen, and I compulsively smile/nod/smile/nod during conversations.

[Salt Merchant]

Is Salt Merchant truly having a difficult time understanding what emotes mean?
Is Salt Merchant indicating that people should think of more creative emotes?
Is Salt Merchant a little grumpy, maybe?
Is Salt Merchant's question rhetorical?

Is Salt Merchant noticing it's used so commonly that it seems like an Arm-ism, like Drov, Krath and kanking, that everyone else is in on?
Is Salt Merchant a little bored and just stirring up discussion?

Who knows?  

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I'm guilty of this ... and I think I know why.

It's probably one of the first things to come to mind when think of an adjective or descriptor for a hardened character. Since most of us play hardened characters (as Zalanthas tends to harden folks), it tends to be a common option. I'll consider doing some study on words that I can use to describe the same state - expand my mind, you know.

[LoD]

As others have said, adverbs describing the nod all have to do with the context of the situation.  Here are some examples.

> Commitment

Glancing sidelong towards you, the gruff, barrel-chested man says, in sirihish:
   "Trooper!  I need you to run and find Sergeant Lackluster -- and let us down!"

You nod firmly.

> Trepidation

Nonchalantly gesturing toward a blood stained hole, the tall, muscular templar says, in sirihish:
   "Private, go and flush the beast out."

You nod slowly.

> Casual Acceptance

Saluting sharply, the swarthy, black-haired man says, in sirihish:
   "Sir, Lieutenant Mincemeat said he'd meet us later in the afternoon."

You nod simply.

> Subtlety or Suppression

<In the middle of an important meeting which you don't want to interrupt or draw attention>

Leaning in from his seat next to you, the tiny, rat-nosed man says, in sirihish:
   "The man who just entered is the one being paid to follow you."

You nod slowly/faintly/quietly.

> Distracted

<As you are counting coins from your latest mercantile endeavor>

Poking his head around the corner, the rangy, ashen-skinned man says, in sirihish:
   "Agent, we're all heading down to the tavern now for Mincemeat's celebration."

You nod faintly/briefly.

> Demonstrating Alertness, Attention, or Signaling Strong Agreement

Sliding a curved bone sword from his belt, the burly, sun-darkened man says, in sirihish:
   "Corporal Ragamuffin -- alert the templarate that we are under attack."

You nod sharply.

Everyone is a little different in how they choose to RP, and these are all examples of very short emotes when they may very well be compound emotes containing more detailed, or multiple, actions.

-LoD

[Niamh]

Deleted a reply for flaming.

If you can't keep it civil and have nothing relevant to say on a topic, don't say anything at all.

Carry on.

[Sandstone]

I had a character who nodded slightly. Mostly because this character was pompous and arrogant. They would nod slightly to indicate they were listening to someone during a conversation. And smile slightly, because that character didn't often let go and display a lot of emotion openly.

It's all in the context. Yes, at times I at least have overused them somewhat. However a good character has mannerisms that are unique to that character. Or at least these are my reasons for doing so.

[My 2 sids]

Is Salt Merchant truly having a difficult time understanding what emotes mean?
Is Salt Merchant indicating that people should think of more creative emotes?
Is Salt Merchant a little grumpy, maybe?
Is Salt Merchant's question rhetorical?

[Jengal]

I try to find an emote that really sums up my character, and my character just happens to be a 'faint' and 'slight' person, so naturally they would do things in such a way. Though I do try to find some synonyms to spice up my emotes. Though sometimes the synonyms just aren't appropriate.

[Fnord]

Is Salt Merchant truly having a difficult time understanding what emotes mean?
Is Salt Merchant indicating that people should think of more creative emotes?
Is Salt Merchant a little grumpy, maybe?
Is Salt Merchant's question rhetorical?

As a complete aside, that avatar rocks. GDB kitteh FTW.

[solera]

As others have said, adverbs describing the nod all have to do with the context of the situation.  Here are some examples.

LoD, you forgot....

The brutal scarfaced templar looks at you.
You nod faintly.

[LoD]

As others have said, adverbs describing the nod all have to do with the context of the situation.  Here are some examples.

LoD, you forgot....

The brutal scarfaced templar looks at you.
You nod faintly.

The armored bahamet has arrived from the east.
You nod faintly.

A black-dyed bone dagger flies in from the west and strikes your arm!
You feel sick.
You nod faintly.

[Elzocone]

I think imagination and creativity in word choice is sometimes sacrificed by the need for urgency.  I don't think people want to wait very long for someone to find a new and exciting word to describe their nod/smile.  Other times, when things may not be as urgent, it does make the game much more interesting when people find the time to choose interesting discriptors to break the monotony that can arise from repetitive emotes.

Maybe we (those who nod/smile faintly/slightly) just need some inspriation.  Therefor I am now making this an informative post:

faintly
- 4 of 4 thesaurus results
Main Entry:    hardly
Part of Speech:    adverb
Definition:    scarcely; with difficulty
Synonyms:
   almost inconceivably, almost not, barely, by a hair, by no means, comparatively, detectably, faintly, gradually, imperceptibly, infrequently, just, little, no more than, no way, not a bit, not at all, not by much, not likely, not markedly, not measurably, not much, not notably, not noticeably, not often, not quite, once in a blue moon, only, only just, perceptibly, practically, pretty near, rarely, scantly, seldom, simply, slightly, somewhat, sparsely, sporadically, with trouble
Antonyms:
   very
Main Entry:    lightly
Part of Speech:    adverb
Definition:    gently, effortlessly
Synonyms:
   agilely, airily, breezily, carelessly, casually, daintily, delicately, easily, ethereally, faintly, flippantly, freely, frivolously, gingerly, heedlessly, indifferently, leniently, mildly, moderately, nimbly, peacefully, quietly, readily, simply, slightingly, slightly, smoothly, softly, sparingly, sparsely, subtly, tenderly, tenuously, thinly, thoughtlessly, timidly, unsubstantially, well
Antonyms:
   effortfully, heavily
Main Entry:    quietly
Part of Speech:    adverb
Definition:    silently
Synonyms:
   faintly, in a low voice, in a whisper, in low tones, in silence, inaudibly, murmuring, noiselessly, softly, sotto voce, soundlessly, tacitly, under one's breath, weakly
Antonyms:
   audibly, loudly
Main Entry:    softly
Part of Speech:    adverb
Definition:    lightly
Synonyms:
   agilely, airily, breezily, carelessly, daintily, delicately, faintly, gently, gingerly, gradually, nimbly, quietly, smoothly, tenderly
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see faintly on Dictionary | Reference

I'll trust that you can all look up slightly on your own (should you desire). 

[Ampere]

Pretty funny coming from the guy who tosses out such gold as 'em grips ~sword'.

...and in response to Niamh: this entire thread is an obvious troll/flame, and should be removed.

[Semper]

:nod quietly

I realize the intention, but might suggest a different word than "quietly" in this case. There's a few other instances of uses like this which I can't think of, but I catch myself using them sometimes.

We're not all english majors here, as well, and even then, authors and other people who make writing a living still need editors.

[spicemustflow]

We're not all even native speakers and it's not always easy to come up with new emotes, especially under the pressure, like the templar example.

As for OP, he should either try to guess from context what a player is trying to convey, or he can simply assume that some characters have stilted body language.

[jstorrie]

My PCs all nod faintly because they have sore necks, they all smile slightly because their lips are painfully cracked from HARSH ZALANTHAS CONDITIONS ZOMG

[Rhyden]

I use faint and slight in my emotes according to their adjective definitions in the English dictionary. I've nodded slightly, and smiled faintly too.

Nodding a bit, the tall, muscular man says, in sirihish:
   "I'm feelin slightly faint, Sarge."

[Zoltan]

I use faint and slight in my emotes according to their adjective definitions in the English dictionary. I've nodded slightly, and smiled faintly too.

Nodding a bit, the tall, muscular man says, in sirihish:
   "I'm feelin slightly faint, Sarge."

Nodding faintly as he jams a slender bone vial into your nose, the grizzled, side-burned man says, in sirihish:
   "Then breath in, Runner."

I use faint nods and such all the time. They have their place, they make sense and they're easy to fall back on. I admit, I wish I could spice it up sometimes, but when you're in a quick, extended conversation or populated area, it can be tough.