Feral Heart
Game & Forum Discussion => Game Discussion => Topic started by: Faith. on November 11, 2012, 08:39:18 am
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Hey all ^^
I've been playing this game for one-two weeks now, and I noticed something:
95% Of the characters that aren't born in the pack, have dramatic bios, such as an enemy pack/clan/pride whatsoever killed their whole natal pack and they were the only one that survived, their parents died at birth because of a stupid reason or even unknown reason and there are a lot more dramatic bios i've seen, but yeah, it would take a while to write 'em all.
And now, I'm talking about the literate rpers too, not only the illiterate. I understand that a few wolves in the pack, 3-4 or even more have a dramatic bio, but the rest? I mean, it's not so realistic, is it? After all, in a pack the most wolves are born in it. There could be some packs that are formed of loners and such, but not all of them are in this game, right?
Also, there's another subject i've been interested in for opinions, do you guys think its easier to rp as an adult, teen, elder or cub/pup/kit?
Have a nice day all of you ^^
I hope this is the right category for this thread o.o
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I honestly don't think that many people are really paying attention to the realistic-ness of background for their characters. People want RPs to be fun, so they make them fun by adding some sort of twist to assist their RP.
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XD I must admit I have bios like that for most of my characters XD, cause what can you really say when entering a pack and there really isn't no one with you but you XD, it seemed like a good idea at the time for me, but now I realize how silly It saw to have a bio like the one u are describing.
I find it more easier to RP as a pup, but then again...pups really don't do much but play. Roping as a adult isn't that bad either. Not sure, I guess it all depends on the user
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I honestly don't think that many people are really paying attention to the realistic-ness of background for their characters. People want RPs to be fun, so they make them fun by adding some sort of twist to assist their RP.
True, but how come they don't get bored of making this sort of bios all the time?
I've seen people who had no dramatic bio at all and were born in the pack have tons of fun and be a part of all the interesting stuff.
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I honestly don't think that many people are really paying attention to the realistic-ness of background for their characters. People want RPs to be fun, so they make them fun by adding some sort of twist to assist their RP.
True, but how come they don't get bored of making this sort of bios all the time?
I've seen people who had no dramatic bio at all and were born in the pack have tons of fun and be a part of all the interesting stuff.
They probably don't get bored because, one, it makes their characters seem more interesting. Also, having one of those bios gives you a cool RP to work with.
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I think one of the reasons of people having those bios is because they want attention. You say you killed a whole pack and then you act all depressed in the pack and when no one pays attention to you a hoard of wolves comes chasing you for revenge and then you die and when someone comes to see what happened finally you coma back to life magically and finally get the attention you wanted. :P I know the drill. Once I was in some lion pride or whatever and my character falling in the water turned into some sort of bad lion chasing her. Don't ask how those things connect. But I probably did it for some sort of attention, or just because I was bored.
Answering your other question, I believe RPing as a teen/adult is much easier. Being a wittle puppy or wittle cubby or kit, well you can't do much until you get older. You can't have complex thoughts. You can't hunt. You can't do anything, really. All you can do is beg for food, play, and act adorable. Teens are fun to play as opposed to adults sometimes because they are still young and more inexperienced than adults, but can still have more complex thoughts. For a while all I did was make yearlings until I finally broke the habit. XP It's more of a preference because when you see all those pups running around in Ficho and Bonfire..."DEMONGIRL FIGHT PUP" or, "Shadow M Pup," you may think that they prefer to be pups. Just a guessss, pfttt.
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To the first question:
I don't think there's anything wrong with having an "extreme" history. It all depends on the group, and how the individual person roleplays. If they feel their character needs some horrid depressing past before they join their current pack, let them. If they prefer that their character has less of a sordid past, that's great too. As long as they aren't complete mary-sues, I don't think it does any harm. :P
To the second question:
I dunno. Personally, I think there's not much difference between the levels of rp for each age group. If you're a pup, you busy yourself with looking cute. If you're a teen, it's all about the angst. And adult characters are busy keeping track of all the younger members, without going crazy at the same time.
Personally, I think it's easier to start rp with a pup char, that way they grow up in the pack. It's harder to start as an adult, because they haven't been with that group their whole life.
But meh...that's just me~ x3
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Mmm... I don't know. I agree with Sly here, kind of. I don't mind what someone's past is as long as they don't use it to gain pity or cause drama. Though that's not to say that they can't ever bring it up; just as long as it doesn't get out of hand, I see no issue to it.
In regards to "most wolves are born into a pack", I'm assuming that you mean that when you join a RP, you would pretend that you were originally born into that pack. And if that's not what you mean, don't mind me xD But at any rate, I know that if I join a RP that has been already running for a bit and I know little to no people in that RP, I find it extremely hard to just pretend like my char was born there. Too many back stories I've missed and all. Not to mention the fact that I choose the RPs I had that character in before to be remembered by that character, making it part of his/her past.
As a side note, you have to remember that people want their character to stand out for something, and almost always there is some emotion meant to be invoked - anger, pity, remorse. As long as it doesn't cause drama in RP, I don't really see an issue with it. Not that many people want just an average character living in average life from an average pack in an average RP.
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I'm surprised that people actually write bios (I thought I was the only one!).
Anyways, as the above poster mentioned, people want to stand out. As humans, we're often pushed to the back or overshadowed by others. We want excitement, we want to feel special, so we put that into our characters. No one can blame them. As long as it doesn't cause problems in RP, I don't see a problem.
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Second question-my answer:
I think it's best to play as pup, they just stay at den and play... Sometimes it can be boring so you can be teen because they need to learn many things, like hunting, even if you can't hunt. They also can take care of younger pack members. If you want to be leader, fight, enjoy lone life or find a mate, adult is perfect. And i think it's best to be loner and adult if yo are new and just starting to explore game features.
~LittleWolf~
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Anyways, as the above poster mentioned, people want to stand out. As humans, we're often pushed to the back or overshadowed by others. We want excitement, we want to feel special, so we put that into our characters. No one can blame them. As long as it doesn't cause problems in RP, I don't see a problem.
My thoughts exactly, Miles.
I too have come across characters with dramatic depressing pasts. Examples:
>"My mother and father died when I was a newoborn pup"
>"My entire clan was killed when I was just a kitten... and I'm the only survivor"
>"Both my parents got hunted down by a human"
>"My family was eaten by a wolf when I was young.... therefore, I HATE all wolves!"
The list could go on and on and on and on.
One time I was running around as a fox, minding my own business, when a few warrior cats came around. One of them started showing aggression toward my fox character. One of his fellow clanmates asked, "What's wrong?" He then replied, "My mother and siblings were killed by a fox when I was only a half moon old... That's why I hate foxes with all my heart! I must kill this fox before it comes after the kits in our clan." I took a peek into this guy's character bio (yes, he actually had a good long bio written) and it mentioned nothing about this so called killer fox in his past. So I'm thinking to myself, "Gee, that sounds like a tragic story... did you just now come up with that in the last 10 seconds?" He more than likely said that his mother and siblings were killed by a fox just to start a fight. ::) Yes, some people get so bored that they will often times pick fights with others.
Out of all the characters that I have, only 2 of them have a dramatic past... 2 out of 14 characters. The rest of them just had a simple average past. In most of the bios I have written for my characters, they often times say, "When he/she was old enough to leave the den, he/she ventured out into the world to start a new life." I mainly do this because I try to keep my RP at the realistic level, and not the mello-dramatic tragedy.... that comes later XD
I can't tell people what to write in their character bios. That's completely up to them. It's there character, they can give him/her any back story they want. If they want to give their character a very dramatic, depressing, sorrowful past that involves the loss of loved ones... by all means go for it. Everyone and their grandma is doing it, so why not do it too?
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Once I made a no name wolf lp he had a totally normal bio and people thought of me as boring. Offensive? Yes. True? Yes.
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I've seen this a lot in rps, and I have even done it with some of my characters. XD
But sometimes people that do this cause drama in the rp because they're "killers" or they are depressed.
It's actually annoying. Some people do this because they're like me and join a pack, but know nobody there so it's unrealistic that they grew up in the pack when no one knows them, lol.
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I use to do the whole cliche' 'my pack abandoned me' thing when I was new to RPing on FH, but now it's 'average life, had a goal, achived it- wanted to do somehing new, here we are now'
of course, I don't just play wolves or lions, I have some human characters too, which also lead interesting lines, but nothing along the cliche'.
my most 'famous' character was a scientist that just had a natrual curiocity and cold heart. Though, was trying to do his work for the better good- it still didn't stop him from being a mercerlous butcher xD
Apart from that, I try to type a bio that fits the RP.
street dog RP- 'ran away from home because xhe liked the wilder life' or something... it's not too hard to type a bio with out the whole 'woe is my past' card x3
but some... most people I know or have met are still young and are new to RPs, and will think they're making their character dramatic and interesting, when they're inetvirtingly copying people.
(sorry for spelling, I'm tired and my Dyslexia likes to make fun of me)
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to be honest, when I made my first char, a husky pup, instead of writting the bio all at once, I wrote it down as I went along. I found that now when my demon/husky(yes he became demonish....) is becoming elderly, he has actually had quite a dramatic life.
I find being a teen/ adult is easier, for this reason really:
I believe RPing as a teen/adult is much easier. Being a wittle puppy or wittle cubby or kit, well you can't do much until you get older. You can't have complex thoughts. You can't hunt. You can't do anything, really. All you can do is beg for food, play, and act adorable. Teens are fun to play as opposed to adults sometimes because they are still young and more inexperienced than adults, but can still have more complex thoughts.
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When a past is made for the sole purpose of seeking attention and pity, that's what irks me... Even if two characters happen to have almost the same exact past but one wrote it up just to have it and the other did it so they could relate their tale with a sad face and receive comfort, I'd very likely rather RP with the more modest of the two characters.
However, I don't think the same should fall on all "tragic" pasts even if some are a bit cliche. I believe someone has mentioned this already before, but if the RPer of the character Rps well, pasts like that can actually be interesting and instead of being annoying they can be inspiring. Admittedly, I usually have my characters' pasts not-so-average, but I also try avoiding making them overly dramatic and, more importantly for me at any rate, depressing. I don't write them up for attention and the like, though. For me, it's to define the character. After all, don't most become who they are through experience? I always work on pasts/histories last with my characters, while the first things that come to me are their personality and looks. I then work from there and sometimes try finding out more about their pasts through RP. For example, most of my characters tend to be very serious and very distrusting of others. Which would be more likely: something happened to them long ago that's caused them to be less willing to put trust in someone else or they're just doing it just because they feel like it? I'm not encouraging pasts to be very dramatic or anything of the like, but a past can still be a tragic/interesting one while still being realistic. They also don't need to be exaggerated to be interesting, something simple could work just as well if not more so.
Another example (sort of) is so your character somewhat matches your own experience so you yourself don't feel like your held back and forced to RP something else you don't like. For instance, I usually prefer Rping characters that can fight and make plans, and they tend to not be so submitting (not meaning they always want to be in charge, but they're not pushovers, either). If I had a character with no real developed history, chances are they're as ignorant and clueless as a newborn pup exploring a new world and more likely to fall under those with more experience and knowledge and very likely they may fall somewhere else that I'm not so great at/enjoy being, such as being a healer or some sort of hunter. I'd normally be okay with this for a few characters cause it excites me to see how they'd turn out, but not 100% of the time. I don't know about anyone else, but I feel extremely uncomfortable (not to mention it'd be completely unrealistic) to have my character, with no experience whatsoever, suddenly bust out with fighting moves and able to take down someone that would of generally kicked their butt, and when they shouldn't have known what to do in the first place. This irritates me, actually, because I've come across some people who've done this. Who do you think would, generally, have the upper hand (or paw) in a fight?: A wolf that grew up in a pack it's whole life with few-to-no fights or one, perhaps even near the same age as the first, who has seen more of the world with more fighting experience and having a more dire need to keep themselves safe and survive all on their own? This isn't to say the second would automatically win in a fight, but I think it's completely insane to have the first wolf be able to beat the second so "easily" or without having some sort of trouble. Sorry if that got a bit off topic, it was something that bugged me for awhile~
I think I've answered the second question already, though I mostly prefer RPing adults when it involves animals and more older teens - young adults (17-19, sometimes 16) with humans. Rping anything younger could be fun but most of the time means you can't really include a past that'd have developed your character because they're already being developed and so learn what they do from what you RP from then on out. I don't know if anyone else does this, but to be more realistic I try sticking with what my character experiences and learns to have them turn out the way they are rather than from my own experience. Perhaps if my character grew up with a trainer to teach them some fighting skills and such I'd be more comfortable with it, but I like it better when my characters already have the experience needed. However, I've only ever RPed as a pup once in my life and still am RPing them. So far it's very enjoyable and I'm loving how she's turning out :3
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I concur with most of these posts above, here...
Bad pasts made solely for attention can have the opposite of the intended effect. They can just be annoying if they aren't applied very well.
[Insert reference to the stereotypical "Shadow the dark 5-month old pup who killed his whole family with one paw cut off, but he grew it back and is now leading his own life."]
^Thatcrud.
It's a bit hyperbolic, but it gets my point across.
Now, if someone makes a rough past for their character, they write it out so it gives their character's personality a new texture and outlook, it makes it interesting. The plausibility gives it a down-to-earth feel, even if you're playing a nonexistent animal. And so, as Katsa said above, it can even be inspiring if the roleplayer writes it so it's plausible and heartfelt; not just some random, off-the-wall idea that makes them more likely to have friction with another character (such as the vengeful warrior apprentice that LadyAlizarin mentioned).
Yar.. If it's believable, I enjoy roleplaying with characters who have those unique, and somewhat abrasive pasts sitting behind their eyes. It gives them color, and a personality behind those words and pixels that make up a roleplay.
So. Ages?
Good question... Pups and young critters are usually light-hearted and a lot of fun to play, for sure, but there isn't much past to go off of at times. Then again, developing a new character can be a lot of fun, if you're in a good RP environment to do so. Teens are this way, as well, but in all honesty I think I prefer adults. I can have some background and an idea of what I want them to be like. So, when stuff happens in RP, I already have an idea of how they may react.
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That really bothers me. It also bugs me when a pup say "oh no my mom and dad hated me so they tried to kill me but somehow i managed to survive". The ones who say that they killed their parents are a different story.. I won't go there. I usually just say "Well, your parents wouldn't have had you if they didn't want you :I" and kind of move on, but seriously?
And all of my characters are adults.
Edit: I also agree with the above, the stereotypical stuff just really doesn't sink in.. if it's more unique than almost being killed by your parents/pack/others and survivng and etc, then it does have effect.
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Some people just can't kick off an rp as being "normal" (coughonceitriedrpingnormalandihadnoideawhatiwassayingcough) o.o sorry I have a bad cold~ (coughnotreallycough)