Post by Jaidin Traye on Apr 27, 2008 7:54:49 GMT -5
Well that's a good question. There is, in my humble opinion, a lot of people that likely look at the race list when signing up and their head is full of those wonderful, fresh ideas, that go: "Human? -I- am a human! Why the hell would I RP what I am? That's boring!"
I see that side. That is clearly a con to rp'ing a human: a lot of people come to Hollow to get away from the monotony of life, to 'be' something different; many use their characters as an extension of their self, often having similar personality traits so as to easier get used to this little RP world.
There brings a small part of the opposite side of this mini-debate: if it's all right to have the character's personality, quirks, etc. like the player, then why not have them be human, too? Many even bring this to personal appearances ("I have brown hair, that's easier for me to write about, so I'll choose that"). Often, only the class is what is wholly different from you (unless you're a monk or something...).
I challenge you to say that your character does not have at least one personality trait of yours. I'll show, here, that I am not judging: Jaidin has a green eye (mine are mostly green), he's human, I used to have depression (he's bi-polar; "manic-depressive" so it's the same idea), and I hate birds (he's afraid of them). So in short of this, if not having the same thing, it's an extension of; a tweak.
Now onto my main point, now that I've stated that some want a different race because they want their character as different from them as possible. Pros:
1) For the newer folk, there's the idea that if it's something they are familiar with, they can know the intricate details all the better, and therefore be able to write the character more easily. Let's face it: we're all humans (I should hope); you know the major muscles of your body, how a smile works, how arms and legs bend, the finer points of your hand and finger's movements-- thus, being able to better describe how fingers would grasp about the hilt of the sword, the degree of your wrist as you pull-- elbow now extending-- the weapon from its sheath. I don't know about you, but... I've never seen a lycan in real life. I haven't the faintest idea what they should look like-- is it a big wolf, or what? Many new characters, or people that just haven't read up on various literature (see: Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire"), aren't quite sure when they sign up, or make a new character (if you've got the gist of the game already), the exact semantics of this strange new race they will be attempting to write as. So, point: It's easier to write about what you know.
2) Let's face it: humans are a relatively rare race to find in Hollow. Not a lot of people play them, thinking that it will be boring. I assure you, it's not! While there aren't pointy ears like an elf, or fangs like a vampire, or hell-- twinkly little wings that make you fly-- there's this aspect: It can be harder to write a human. Yes, I know this seems a total contradiction to the first point I made. But imagine this scenario... YOU (the player) are walking down a dark alleyway at night. A ravenous dog that seems to big for it's own good, attacks you. OR: A vampire attacks you. There's fangs. There's that uncanny ability to move faster than a human can see. There's the whole night-vision dealio. So, now answer me this: what the bloody hell would -you- do?! So your character the human is dueling a vampire. If you're an absolute idiot like I am and have chosen a class that is not magic... Well, you're driven to come up with completely insane ways to save your character's arse and so on. This can be applied in a surprisingly large number of situations that can be a day-to-day happening in Hollow. In short: If you like to really make your brain work hard, RP a human.
3) Personally, if you choose to have your character be a little bit older, you can RP the progression of age (perhaps ready -yourself- for when that time comes?). I'm utterly fascinated when I remember to RP Jaidin's creaky knees, graying hair, wrinkling face that's getting sallowy... It's just absolutely marvelous to write, and I think it's a nice change from the "I'm twenty, and perky, and teehee, perfect!" It's a journey that your character is put on, most especially for those people that are able to keep their beloved creation for more than a month. I'm RP'ing laziness setting in; Jaidin's lungs no longer hold the strength and capacity they once had; joints can no longer take such extended lengths of time out in damp weather; his sight in that one eye is getting worse... Perhaps I'm drawing it out a bit, but I thought it appropriate for one that's lived a harsh life.
All right. So there's some points, any more would be appreciated. Now, I realize I have a slight bias in this, as Jaidin -is- a human (and without magic, to boot). So, I'll just put some cons, here, and you can weigh the points against one another, to see if you think that Rp'ing a human would be up to you!
1) Actually having to RP wrinkes. Eeww!
2) There's no cool super-special-fantaswaschtical abilities?! No super-speed, no amazing night-vision, no fangs?! Dear lord, whatever will I do! ...
3) Who would want to RP a body that can't regenerate itself? I mean... Spending all those precious RP's having to write that your character's arm is useless cause it's broken and in a sling is boring! On with perfection, I say!
4) Of course everyone wants to reenact that hot scene from /insert every vampire movie here, where fangs meet girl thigh/... You can do that as a human, but:
5) Humans don't have that strange, animalistic, sexual prowess that some of those other races have.
6) Giants are gigantic. Trolls, Orcs, so forth have that brute strength thing going on.
7) Lack of special senses: normal smell, poor-keen sight, you can't hear a conversation fifty yards away...
8) Whatever happened to X-ray vision? Oh wait... I don't think any other race has that, either. Screw this, I'm going to a Superman RPG site!
And there you have it, folks. The pro's and con's my tired brain can think of at this moment, on RP'ing a human.
It is strongly encouraged for a civil, intellectual discussion to take place. Please, share with the class your reasons on why a human would, or would not, be a good race to RP.
**For those that would rather not read the entirety of this insane ramble I've written, the bolded areas are points, some italics are, underlines are subjects, so forth... Sort of breaks it down for you. [/i]
I see that side. That is clearly a con to rp'ing a human: a lot of people come to Hollow to get away from the monotony of life, to 'be' something different; many use their characters as an extension of their self, often having similar personality traits so as to easier get used to this little RP world.
There brings a small part of the opposite side of this mini-debate: if it's all right to have the character's personality, quirks, etc. like the player, then why not have them be human, too? Many even bring this to personal appearances ("I have brown hair, that's easier for me to write about, so I'll choose that"). Often, only the class is what is wholly different from you (unless you're a monk or something...).
I challenge you to say that your character does not have at least one personality trait of yours. I'll show, here, that I am not judging: Jaidin has a green eye (mine are mostly green), he's human, I used to have depression (he's bi-polar; "manic-depressive" so it's the same idea), and I hate birds (he's afraid of them). So in short of this, if not having the same thing, it's an extension of; a tweak.
Now onto my main point, now that I've stated that some want a different race because they want their character as different from them as possible. Pros:
1) For the newer folk, there's the idea that if it's something they are familiar with, they can know the intricate details all the better, and therefore be able to write the character more easily. Let's face it: we're all humans (I should hope); you know the major muscles of your body, how a smile works, how arms and legs bend, the finer points of your hand and finger's movements-- thus, being able to better describe how fingers would grasp about the hilt of the sword, the degree of your wrist as you pull-- elbow now extending-- the weapon from its sheath. I don't know about you, but... I've never seen a lycan in real life. I haven't the faintest idea what they should look like-- is it a big wolf, or what? Many new characters, or people that just haven't read up on various literature (see: Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire"), aren't quite sure when they sign up, or make a new character (if you've got the gist of the game already), the exact semantics of this strange new race they will be attempting to write as. So, point: It's easier to write about what you know.
2) Let's face it: humans are a relatively rare race to find in Hollow. Not a lot of people play them, thinking that it will be boring. I assure you, it's not! While there aren't pointy ears like an elf, or fangs like a vampire, or hell-- twinkly little wings that make you fly-- there's this aspect: It can be harder to write a human. Yes, I know this seems a total contradiction to the first point I made. But imagine this scenario... YOU (the player) are walking down a dark alleyway at night. A ravenous dog that seems to big for it's own good, attacks you. OR: A vampire attacks you. There's fangs. There's that uncanny ability to move faster than a human can see. There's the whole night-vision dealio. So, now answer me this: what the bloody hell would -you- do?! So your character the human is dueling a vampire. If you're an absolute idiot like I am and have chosen a class that is not magic... Well, you're driven to come up with completely insane ways to save your character's arse and so on. This can be applied in a surprisingly large number of situations that can be a day-to-day happening in Hollow. In short: If you like to really make your brain work hard, RP a human.
3) Personally, if you choose to have your character be a little bit older, you can RP the progression of age (perhaps ready -yourself- for when that time comes?). I'm utterly fascinated when I remember to RP Jaidin's creaky knees, graying hair, wrinkling face that's getting sallowy... It's just absolutely marvelous to write, and I think it's a nice change from the "I'm twenty, and perky, and teehee, perfect!" It's a journey that your character is put on, most especially for those people that are able to keep their beloved creation for more than a month. I'm RP'ing laziness setting in; Jaidin's lungs no longer hold the strength and capacity they once had; joints can no longer take such extended lengths of time out in damp weather; his sight in that one eye is getting worse... Perhaps I'm drawing it out a bit, but I thought it appropriate for one that's lived a harsh life.
All right. So there's some points, any more would be appreciated. Now, I realize I have a slight bias in this, as Jaidin -is- a human (and without magic, to boot). So, I'll just put some cons, here, and you can weigh the points against one another, to see if you think that Rp'ing a human would be up to you!
1) Actually having to RP wrinkes. Eeww!
2) There's no cool super-special-fantaswaschtical abilities?! No super-speed, no amazing night-vision, no fangs?! Dear lord, whatever will I do! ...
3) Who would want to RP a body that can't regenerate itself? I mean... Spending all those precious RP's having to write that your character's arm is useless cause it's broken and in a sling is boring! On with perfection, I say!
4) Of course everyone wants to reenact that hot scene from /insert every vampire movie here, where fangs meet girl thigh/... You can do that as a human, but:
5) Humans don't have that strange, animalistic, sexual prowess that some of those other races have.
6) Giants are gigantic. Trolls, Orcs, so forth have that brute strength thing going on.
7) Lack of special senses: normal smell, poor-keen sight, you can't hear a conversation fifty yards away...
8) Whatever happened to X-ray vision? Oh wait... I don't think any other race has that, either. Screw this, I'm going to a Superman RPG site!
And there you have it, folks. The pro's and con's my tired brain can think of at this moment, on RP'ing a human.
It is strongly encouraged for a civil, intellectual discussion to take place. Please, share with the class your reasons on why a human would, or would not, be a good race to RP.
**For those that would rather not read the entirety of this insane ramble I've written, the bolded areas are points, some italics are, underlines are subjects, so forth... Sort of breaks it down for you. [/i]