Lesson Five: Character Races & Types
Race
We'll start with races. There are a lot of various races, a good number of them are overused, unfortunately. First we'll start with a list of races that are over used, and that should be used only if you're being careful about how you're playing them. Vampire, Werewolf, Kitsune, Neko, Demon, Angel, Half demon/angel/cat/vampire/human/etc. Now, this last thing I have seen a lot of almost everywhere I've ever role-played, and while its considered to be 'fun', its overpowered, overused, and massively badly played.
The thing that makes this last combination so bad, is the fact that half, and half, is a whole. Meaning you can be half one thing, half another thing, but only two halves of anything. You can be quarters of something, even thirds, but not more than two halves. Also, keep in mind that when your blood becomes that stretched, you lose power. You can't be part demon/angel/cat/vampire/kitsune/human, and expect to have the full powers of any of the above group. Whatever group is most dominant, will determine the abilities you have. You can't have full demonic powers, and have angelic wings, and a kitsune tail.
There are certain race combinations which should also be avoided as they are over-used, and badly played. Angel/Demon. Cat/Vampire. Demon/Werewolf. These are just to name a few. Of course, if your role-play focuses around these types, then by all means, feel free to play them. But as a whole, in most normal role-plays, if you plan on playing these, you need to research them first. Google some information on demons and on angels. How well would the two mesh? Most characters of this type of nature are very tormented, and with good reason.
Type
There are more character types than I can possibly list here. Look at any anime, read any book, and you see a character type. Some of the most over-used though, are the wandering swordsman (very popular for anyone in any type of early era Japan role-play), or, the dominating, sword swinging female (very popular for almost every type of role-play)
I understand that all of these various character types are very popular, and we all would like to play them, but please. Don't you think that some of these are far too over done? If the world was filled with nothing but these types, where would be the villages for them to stay in? The farmers, the gentle wives. It takes all types of characters to make a role-play. You can't always play the hero. You can't always play the villain. A role-play needs more than just the good guy, and the bad guy, to make it good. Sometimes, it needs those grey area characters, the ones that get little recognition, but can make a role-play really good.
A lot of disputes over character type also fall into the argument about their background history. There are several histories that have been played to death.
I was orphaned and my parents were killed in some vile way, making me want revenge.
I was abandoned when I was young, and turned into this horrible monster.
I was abused and mistreated and became a vicious bitter person.
Now, I realize that all of these give your character some kind of depth, but they also give your character a hint of, prepare for it, wangst. Wangst is the term used for an overly angsty character. Angst is fine. Everyone has problems, and issues, no matter how large, or how small, that they might worry over. But wangst is when you have problems in excess, and your character is nothing but a massive walking ball of depression.
While this might seem fun to you, ten to one says that the other people you are role-playing with will likely get very tired of it, very quickly. If you believe at any point that your character can't possibly go on without this horribly depressing back story, maybe you need to rethink your character. Now, this is not to say that every overly depressing character is wangsty. There are some people I have seen that have made depressing characters, and been wonderful at playing them out. Because they know how to balance their characters depression, along with their more positive moments.
Another character type over played, would be any character with a mental illness. Please, I am begging you. Before you play any type of mental illness in your character, will you go to www.google.com, and look it up? I know, role-play involving research, that probably kills it right there for you, but if you are going to play out something that debilitating to your character, wouldn't you rather know all of the side effects? Reading up can teach you some pretty interesting stuff, and who knows, you might learn something you can use later, out of role-play. There is never a good excuse for playing a symptom badly, not with all of the resources out there for learning about sickness.
Good vs. Evil
We have the age old story. The good guys versus the bad guys, out to see who can win the war and dominate everyone else. Please keep in mind that not everyone can be everything. A good role-play takes bad guys the same way it does good guys. It takes all types to make up a world. If there is no evil, there can technically be no good, because we have nothing to compare good to.
It takes a good mix of both. Not every villain has to be extremely destructive. Not every good guy has to be chipper and have a positive outlook. That is why there are things like the Anti-Hero. That's why there are villains like Naraku. That's why there is a world of possibility out there, just waiting to be captured. It's ultimately up to you to decide what type of character you want to play, but please consider the other possibilities, something that may be outside your usual realm of play. You never know, you might find that it's kinda fun.
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