Hello and welcome! Love the avatar :)
GeekFactor
Member
Lady of Complexity
STATUS: You can't respond to every criticism with "RACIST!" This has become the modern boy crying wolf. At some point, you have to face truth. 2 yrs ago
- Last Seen: 11 mos ago
- Joined: 7 yrs ago
- Posts: 176 (0.07 / day)
- VMs: 2
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Username history
- GeekFactor 7 yrs ago
Status
Recent Statuses
2 yrs ago
Current
You can't respond to every criticism with "RACIST!" This has become the modern boy crying wolf. At some point, you have to face truth.
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2 yrs ago
"She smiled up at the stranger, heedless of the splattered droplets that decorated her front like the freckles sprinkled over her pale cheeks."
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2 yrs ago
Bring it on, 2022. Fear won't be mind-killing me just yet.
3
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4 yrs ago
RIP Christopher Tolkien. Sailed into the West to meet his father at last.
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4 yrs ago
Happy 127th birthday to Professor Tolkien!
Bio
I'm not the sort to talk about myself unprompted, so this section will be scant. I vastly prefer one-on-one (1x1) or small group RP, as big groups and lots of chatter tend to overwhelm me. I prefer RP within medieval fantasy settings that are not too fanciful (think LOTR/GoT).
[b]“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it.”
― Lloyd Alexander
[b]“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it.”
― Lloyd Alexander
Most Recent Posts
Hey I think I know who this guy is
Pooooooo :D
Welcome! I found your rambling intro to be quite delightful.
Best wishes in finding those RPP's that you seek.
For me, any cliche or overdone trope doesn't reside in the idea or character type but in the Rper. Pretty much everything have been over done in this world. There really isn't anything original. That being said, on the flip side, everything is original if it is your first time doing it. So sure, people could have done the same thing a thousand times but if it is the first time you have done it then it is new and fresh.
What I cannot stand is when someone breaks free or tries to break free from what they usually do in Rp and then fall back into the same rut as before. The D.S. or the Default Self. This is you rping as you would react or what you think would be funny or hilarious at the time and not staying true to the original character concept or where you wanted the character to evolve. As a GM who over sees many Rp's, much of whom have Rpers that are in more than one I host, I see this a lot. The characters will start off great and then over time I see them melt and meld into the D.S. so no matter the Rp, no matter the character, it just feels as if I am reading the same thing from the same character and I could just copy and paste 1 post to another Rp and no one would notice the difference because now there is no true difference beyond the surface.
That is the "cliche" I can't stand. When we lose the character and fade back away to the D.S.
This is a very good point. I have to watch myself with this, as I imagine we all do. If I'm tired, distracted, or just weary of the plot/character, it's easy to fall into this trap. If I sense I'm on the verge of doing this, that's my cue to take a break from the story and refocus.
To each, their own, but even fabulous writing cannot save a painfully overdone cliche for me. I've seen some people who are brilliant writers, perfect grammar, extensive vocabulary, well-formed sentences and paragraphs, sensible pacing, etc. But the character, and therefore the story, that they want to put out into the world still falls flat. Because it takes more than *mechanics* to make a good story. You can sense when a writer has no real connection to their character, or their reader, or to themselves. You can sense when a writer lacks heart and depth and feeling, and is merely placing the proper pieces in the proper order in the hopes of gaining admiration and acceptance. It's hard to describe exactly what I mean here, and I apologize, because I'm probably failing in conveying what I want to say. To try and summarize; a fantastically-written trope is just as unappealing to me as a great character idea that's poorly executed. I don't want either one.
Besides that, one a cliche goes 'beyond the skeleton', it stops being a cliche.
Besides that, one a cliche goes 'beyond the skeleton', it stops being a cliche.
Poo. Nice to see you.
Oh, wow. This could be drawn out into a full-length novel, I think. How to summarize?
Yes, I get sick of cliched and stereotypical characters. A few spring to mind.
The villain who's evil for absolutely no reason. People are bored. The plot needs some adrenaline. The village has grown too sleepy. Insert rampaging murderer/rapist/kidnapper who's doing it all because... hmm. His dad beat him as a kid? He grew up poor and this is the player's sad attempt to insert the "99% vs 1%" frustration into a fantasy setting? Seeing a good, well-rounded, interesting, and plausible villain is so rare. So sadly rare.
The girl who's a lethal, badass warrior despite her parents' disapproval (or they died and she was raised by overprotective brother/uncle/etc). Someone taught her on the sly, in the shadows, and now she can single-handedly behead hordes of full grown male warriors! Men slaver over her! Women want to be her! Girl power!
Characters who simply aren't believable. This could be anything from a woman who's had a stillborn child to a man who's seen decades of slaughter on the battlefield. It's almost too easy to spot the naive, young players who think that a fascinating backstory somehow equals a fascinating character. Yet that "grieving" mother will be in the tavern a week later, flirting with new love interests. That man who should be sick to death of violence and bloodshed is the first to leap forth with his fists up and his sword drawn when a troublemaker walks into town, because the naive player equates "years of soldiery" to "fearless badass" instead of the far more realistic "tired of all the fighting shit, leave me alone and in peace while I wrestle my inner demons and try to find respite before I die".
I see a lot of complaints against "overpowered" characters, god-modders, folks who refuse to let their characters fall, fail, die, etc. I don't personally encounter that problem often, perhaps because I actually prefer to play the flawed, imperfect characters who struggle and are always allowed to fail and suffer if it feels realistic to me.
I also quietly agree with Harbinger. I cannot stomach anime. I refuse to enter any RP universe where such characters can be found.
Yes, I get sick of cliched and stereotypical characters. A few spring to mind.
The villain who's evil for absolutely no reason. People are bored. The plot needs some adrenaline. The village has grown too sleepy. Insert rampaging murderer/rapist/kidnapper who's doing it all because... hmm. His dad beat him as a kid? He grew up poor and this is the player's sad attempt to insert the "99% vs 1%" frustration into a fantasy setting? Seeing a good, well-rounded, interesting, and plausible villain is so rare. So sadly rare.
The girl who's a lethal, badass warrior despite her parents' disapproval (or they died and she was raised by overprotective brother/uncle/etc). Someone taught her on the sly, in the shadows, and now she can single-handedly behead hordes of full grown male warriors! Men slaver over her! Women want to be her! Girl power!
Characters who simply aren't believable. This could be anything from a woman who's had a stillborn child to a man who's seen decades of slaughter on the battlefield. It's almost too easy to spot the naive, young players who think that a fascinating backstory somehow equals a fascinating character. Yet that "grieving" mother will be in the tavern a week later, flirting with new love interests. That man who should be sick to death of violence and bloodshed is the first to leap forth with his fists up and his sword drawn when a troublemaker walks into town, because the naive player equates "years of soldiery" to "fearless badass" instead of the far more realistic "tired of all the fighting shit, leave me alone and in peace while I wrestle my inner demons and try to find respite before I die".
I see a lot of complaints against "overpowered" characters, god-modders, folks who refuse to let their characters fall, fail, die, etc. I don't personally encounter that problem often, perhaps because I actually prefer to play the flawed, imperfect characters who struggle and are always allowed to fail and suffer if it feels realistic to me.
I also quietly agree with Harbinger. I cannot stomach anime. I refuse to enter any RP universe where such characters can be found.
A role player who owns a horse? Can you possibly be any cooler?
Welcome :)
Welcome :)
Hey, video games and writing is what we RP nerds are all about :) Welcome!
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