(06-21-2015, 01:27 AM)Magellan Wrote: @Daitokuji:
But... in order to actually rp with people, you have to be the trope: 'adventurer dissatisfied with home, seeks new horizons'.
It's 6 in one, half dozen in the other.
Traditional Seekers are reclusive, keeping to their tribes, generally not making contact with the outside world. There are small pockets of Miqo that engage in tribal rp exclusively with each other and that's awesome. But any Miqo who has entered the wider world has embraced a vastly overused trope. Whether it be 'the exile' 'seeks new horizons' Â or 'adopted' most rpers.... actually want their characters to rp with other people. So they used the trope that best suits them as to why their character is no longer in the tribe.
I'm not sure that leaving necessarily qualifies as a trope. Â Something has to happen for there to be a story at all. Â No one writes stories about the mundane everyday stuff. Â A lot (most?) of the adopted protagonists also strike out on their own. Â That simply has to be done for there to be adventure - at least according to the hero's journey. Â That can be someone who was cast to the fates unwillingly or voluntarily or merely a victim of circumstance. Â Less common are stories that come to the protagonist from the outside.
There's absolutely no way to avoid tropes. Â There are literally (literally) no completely new ideas. Â All stories are just variations on a theme. Â But sometimes the theme is super common and shows up too many times, like a song you can't get out of your head. Â "Seeking adventure" is a cliche and a trope, but it's one that most of us do. Â We grow up, leave the home, and strike out on our own. Â I'm going away to college this fall so I'm feeling like I can really relate to the thrill and fear of leaving behind everything.
Like I said, I'm not against biracial characters or adopted characters or whatever else. Â But there are themes and backgrounds that are a little too common for my tastes. Â Like - the tribe was wiped out, for instance. Â Or their parents were killed. How many comic book heroes lost one or more parent? Â So many that it feels like a revolution when a comic book hero has parents they actually like and are good people. Â In reality, most of us have parents we actually like and are good people.
But that's boring to talk about or write stories about. Â But it doesn't always have to be boring. Â There is novelty in deliberately trying to resist novelty.
The story does have to start somewhere and go somewhere and no matter what you try, there's going to be a trope for it. Â But I can honestly say, I've not yet run into a Miqo'te who wasn't adopted, born in the city, or had a tragic origin story. These things don't make them bad characters or bad role players. Â It's merely something I've noticed and tried to deliberately avoid doing myself.
My idea is no better or worse than anyone else's but it feels less common based on my interaction and observations. Â For all I know, there's a vast ocean of Miqo'te without tragedy and I've just never been in the right place at the right time.