This thread was inspired by a conversation with a few friends over the last few days and is a general question, not FFXIV specific.
A friend of mine in another game was trying to recruit me to an RP guild she is in. Â However, the guild's theme is that they are all vampires or in some way connected to vampires (minions, waiting to be turned, etc.). Â Now I will admit I'm borderline obsessed with vampires. Â I have numerous books that are about vampires, vampire folklore, books that describe different "breeds" of vampire in various other books, vampire like creatures in various cultures and so on, one of my favorite TV series of all time is "Forever Knight" about an 800 year old vampire working as a homicide detective, I have my own fangs and much, much more. Â When I declined, she was quite surprised.
I just can't do it. Â I've done it before, and I may do it again at some point, but right now I'm completely burned out on vampires in RP. Â That isn't to say that I despise people that RP vampires, and there are some really amazing players that have build truly unique vampire characters, but it feels a bit overdone to me. Â
When some other friends found out and asked me why (or, more humorously, asked if I was feeling okay), it made me think about what else I like but would currently not or may never RP.
- Jedi or Sith. Â As much as I adore Star Wars, the idea of playing a Jedi has never appealed to me. Â While playing a Sith is more attractive, I'm still not all that interested. Â I don't mind playing a low-level Force sensitive individual (such as someone who feels an empathic connection to animals), but I'd much rather RP a Mandalorian, smuggler, Imperial soldier, cantina worker or multiple other things. Â
- Evil characters. Â I love a good fictional villain and I really don't mind playing a bad guy. Â Heck, playing a bad guy is pretty fun! Â But there are various layers of "bad", and I can only go so far. Â I would much rather play a character of moral ambiguity rather than someone who kicks kittens just for the heck of it. Â I would rather play someone with the mindset of Magneto or Darth Vader, someone who is bad but is bad for a somewhat valid reason, such as an honest belief that they are working towards the greater good or that is seeking revenge for some perceived wrong that they or someone they cared about suffered.
- "Superman" level superheroes. Â I may be a bit of a hypocrite since I played a Green Lantern character in an RP for several years, but I usually prefer characters that aren't essentially unbeatable. Â Where is the fun in that? Â Even my GL character had a lower powered ring (based on the rings that GL John Stewart gave some kids in the comic series "Green Lantern: Mosaic", which allowed force fields, language translation and flight, but weren't on par with the rings worn by actual members of the Green Lantern Corps). Â I also played an alternate reality version of Superboy at one point, but his power levels were much, much lower (closer to Captain America than Superman in terms of strength and other abilities, not invulnerable and could leap long distances but not actually fly). Â There has to be some challenge for the character. Â An unbeatable character can be challenging and fun to write, but it is harder for me to relate to a character like that. Â
- Â Time Lords. Â Similar to the above situation, I have had a Gallifreyan character, but I didn't actually play a Time Lord (not everyone from Gallifrey is a Time Lord, such as the more tribal Outsiders). Â However, it isn't that I find the idea boring, I just worry I'll grow too attached to a specific personality and have trouble changing if a regeneration ever came about. Â I would much rather play a character in the vein of the Doctor's companions, someone who isn't likely to have a "get out of dying free" card. Â Or someone with the personality (and possibly the good looks) of Jack Harkness.
- Asian girls. Â I have absolutely no problem playing a female character. Â But I won't play a girl who looks to be of Asian descent for one simple reason: Â I'd never get anything done because I'd just keep staring at my character and thinking she's gorgeous. Â
A friend of mine in another game was trying to recruit me to an RP guild she is in. Â However, the guild's theme is that they are all vampires or in some way connected to vampires (minions, waiting to be turned, etc.). Â Now I will admit I'm borderline obsessed with vampires. Â I have numerous books that are about vampires, vampire folklore, books that describe different "breeds" of vampire in various other books, vampire like creatures in various cultures and so on, one of my favorite TV series of all time is "Forever Knight" about an 800 year old vampire working as a homicide detective, I have my own fangs and much, much more. Â When I declined, she was quite surprised.
I just can't do it. Â I've done it before, and I may do it again at some point, but right now I'm completely burned out on vampires in RP. Â That isn't to say that I despise people that RP vampires, and there are some really amazing players that have build truly unique vampire characters, but it feels a bit overdone to me. Â
When some other friends found out and asked me why (or, more humorously, asked if I was feeling okay), it made me think about what else I like but would currently not or may never RP.
- Jedi or Sith. Â As much as I adore Star Wars, the idea of playing a Jedi has never appealed to me. Â While playing a Sith is more attractive, I'm still not all that interested. Â I don't mind playing a low-level Force sensitive individual (such as someone who feels an empathic connection to animals), but I'd much rather RP a Mandalorian, smuggler, Imperial soldier, cantina worker or multiple other things. Â
- Evil characters. Â I love a good fictional villain and I really don't mind playing a bad guy. Â Heck, playing a bad guy is pretty fun! Â But there are various layers of "bad", and I can only go so far. Â I would much rather play a character of moral ambiguity rather than someone who kicks kittens just for the heck of it. Â I would rather play someone with the mindset of Magneto or Darth Vader, someone who is bad but is bad for a somewhat valid reason, such as an honest belief that they are working towards the greater good or that is seeking revenge for some perceived wrong that they or someone they cared about suffered.
- "Superman" level superheroes. Â I may be a bit of a hypocrite since I played a Green Lantern character in an RP for several years, but I usually prefer characters that aren't essentially unbeatable. Â Where is the fun in that? Â Even my GL character had a lower powered ring (based on the rings that GL John Stewart gave some kids in the comic series "Green Lantern: Mosaic", which allowed force fields, language translation and flight, but weren't on par with the rings worn by actual members of the Green Lantern Corps). Â I also played an alternate reality version of Superboy at one point, but his power levels were much, much lower (closer to Captain America than Superman in terms of strength and other abilities, not invulnerable and could leap long distances but not actually fly). Â There has to be some challenge for the character. Â An unbeatable character can be challenging and fun to write, but it is harder for me to relate to a character like that. Â
- Â Time Lords. Â Similar to the above situation, I have had a Gallifreyan character, but I didn't actually play a Time Lord (not everyone from Gallifrey is a Time Lord, such as the more tribal Outsiders). Â However, it isn't that I find the idea boring, I just worry I'll grow too attached to a specific personality and have trouble changing if a regeneration ever came about. Â I would much rather play a character in the vein of the Doctor's companions, someone who isn't likely to have a "get out of dying free" card. Â Or someone with the personality (and possibly the good looks) of Jack Harkness.
- Asian girls. Â I have absolutely no problem playing a female character. Â But I won't play a girl who looks to be of Asian descent for one simple reason: Â I'd never get anything done because I'd just keep staring at my character and thinking she's gorgeous. Â