|
Post by Tout-Perd on Oct 30, 2015 0:50:35 GMT -5
So, here's the topic for discussing Role Plays that aren't. That is, outside media that isn't a Role Play, but manages to feel like one due to a few notable attributes. -It has an ensemble cast, and instead of focusing on a singular character, instead frequently changes focus. -The tone of the work itself changes depending on who the focused character is. -The cast varies between each episode/level/book, like how each RP brings in a different cast of writers. The most triumphant example of this feel has to be Baccano, which did such a great job of being like a Role Play that it looped back around and turned a huge portion of RP into something like it for several years. However, who'd write which character in Baccano has already been discussed at length, so I figured I'd propose some fresh series in this context.
|
|
|
Post by Tout-Perd on Oct 30, 2015 1:44:17 GMT -5
Steven UniverseSteven Universe revolves around the titular character and a trio of the "Crystal Gems", aliens that came to earth and decided to protect humanity against a variety of monsters and well... I don't want to spoil too much of it for those of you who aren't up to date on it. Each episode revolves around different missions and quests or mishaps that the group goes on, sometimes focusing on the whole team, and other times doing more personal episodes about singular characters. GARNET The stoic de facto leader of the Crystal Gems, I'm quite torn on who'd be her author. On one hand, she's statuesque, flawless, and very martially capable, which points to Kevin character, but on the other hand, she's self aware about her tendency to resort to violence, which is a bit too introspective for Kevin's typical cast. I think I'm leaning Elliot, because she's stylish, confident, and just a touch smug, which describes about 90% of his cast. (And I'm not just saying this because she's British.) AMETHYST Gee, who here is known for writing ridiculously impulsive action girls with a tendency to jump into things waaay over their heads and who treat everybody as either their best friend or mortal enemy? You know, I think he has a main character who is known for her animalistic behavior, deep seated issues, and her signature bladed whip? I might be a little conceited giving this one to myself, but come on! Out of the past three years of RPs, my main characters have been Didn't, Natalie, Thyra, Almudena, Tielly, Maude, and Kendil (and I guess Garth and Nopcsa?), and I'm pretty sure Nopcsa would argue every one of those except himself counts as an action girl. Granted, Amethyst is a bit more sensuous and mischievous than most of my cast, but she definitely would fit into my spectrum. PEARL I'm just calling this one straight up-Pearl's a Pohatu character. She's a bundle of neuroses and deep seated flaws that keep coming back to haunt the character and everybody she's with, but still tends towards touching moments of introspection. And what is a Pohatu character if not a bunch of tangled up endearing flaws? Not to mention her leitmotif is in piano, she has the best vocabulary out of all the gems, and she has a big nose (only Pohatu has characters with big noses.) STEVEN Guys, I'm seriously blanking on this one. I mean, have we ever had an author who would go along with quest threads and then massively derail them by veering off on their own personal goals for a character? You know, somebody who when it came time for the chat part of a roleplay, would totally miss the point of the more subtextual stuff and would just go tearing off in a random tangent inspired by some minor thing somebody said? An author who would continuously pull new powers out, despite the fact that we'd barely even gotten used to the old ones? Somebody who would bumble into plot-derailing mystic artifacts every other thread, like they just tripped over somebody's shoes? I dunno. Steven was empowered by his mother sacrificing herself to give her gem nature to him, and I don't think we have anybody with a reputation for fridging their female characters to power up their male cast. And Steven goes and gives a magic gem blade to one of his friends without even asking, which doesn't sound like the hallmark of any of our RPers at all. (No, seriously, he's quirky, immature, random, and lovable, albeit a bit over the top. I'm pretty sure he'd be a Clicker character.) I'll probably give my verdicts on a few of the supporting characters some time next week.
|
|
|
Post by Beelzebibble on Oct 30, 2015 7:05:32 GMT -5
Cool, we're doing United Nations roleplay now? I call the Moon.No, okay, since Baccano was already mentioned, I guess it would be too obvious to nod to my other pet anime, Darker than Black. But it would be a pretty good fit, with its rotating focus among primary and secondary characters giving way to very tonally different stories. And some people (Choobs, Biscuit) would be right at home with the show's tendency to create semi- to totally sympathetic anti-villains and kill them off in the same forty-minute span. A show I finished recently that gave off some very Ecruteak/Winstone vibes was Boardwalk Empire - though I guess what that really means is Ecruteak/Winstone gives off some Atlantic City vibes. Stevie's Nucky Thompson was always at the center of things, but the show always devoted a lot of attention to exploring subplots for the rest of the characters, and they came to intersect with one another in increasingly heightened ways, such as the long chain of events that finally put Nucky's brother Eli and disgraced former police officer Van Alden working together as a semi-comedic Tarantino pair under, of all people, Al Capone.
|
|
|
Post by Tout-Perd on Oct 31, 2015 21:59:15 GMT -5
I... still have yet to watch Darker than Black.
|
|
|
Post by Beelzebibble on Oct 31, 2015 22:43:47 GMT -5
I'm working on a formidable series of episode-pair reviews that I'll probably put online as a blog or something. You can just watch the series then, because I'll conveniently tell you how to feel about it.
|
|
|
Post by Tout-Perd on Nov 28, 2015 21:31:59 GMT -5
The Dresden Files are STUPIDLY close to an RP. We've got the well-written gentlemanly mafioso (Marcone, who's pretty clearly Pohatu's character), the burn-first ask-questions later wizard who's always getting into crap over his his head and stumbling into Power upgrades and last second solutions (Harry Dresden, who is the best example of a likable Prime character I've ever seen), a no nonsense snarky actin girl (Murphy, who's gotta be a choobs character), an angsty vampire who struggles with his powers and a dark side, despite being a very likable guy (Thomas Raith, who is either an El character or a BB character. I'm not sure which.), and a dog that's the same breed as Micmac. Oh, and a likable, down to earth Christian knight who wields a holy sword (Michael Carpenter, written by yours truly, I'm sure.)
Furthermore, apparently, according to SV, the Dresden Files and their mythos actually inspired Rhys and the background for his powers, which is a pretty significant thing. Everybody who knows about both settings (SV, Lady V, myself), have all pretty much agreed that the Dresden Files is the closest setting out there to Online Role Play, though it takes place in Chicago instead of the Pacific.
Honestly, if anybody wanted to know how things went in an RP while unable to access the Exodus for some reason, I'd hand them a couple volumes of the Dresden Files (which admittedly works better if they've got access to the side stories, where people other than Harry get some face time as main protagonists).
|
|
|
Post by Silumas on Nov 28, 2015 22:01:35 GMT -5
I'm fairly certain we could all agree I would write Mab...
|
|
|
Post by Tout-Perd on Nov 28, 2015 22:27:00 GMT -5
Oh, I'd had you pegged as Leanansidhe, but Mab works too. You and Lady V might have to slug it out over that one, though. Then again, Lady V might be Lara Raith. Butters would probably be BB, now that I think about it, meaning Thomas would very much be an El character. EDIT: Kincaid's pretty clearly a Biscuit character. Badass mercenary type, who implies he's some manner of significant Power without it ever actually showing up on screen in a clearly defined way, who has no time for all the moping and bullcrap that everybody else is shoveling.
|
|
|
Post by Beelzebibble on Feb 1, 2016 14:59:50 GMT -5
Working through Firefly for the first time and it seems incredibly ripe for this kind of unpacking. I'm only a few episodes in so I'm sure there are plenty of hidden depths yet to be revealed, but from the perspective of a newcomer, here are my impressions. In order, going down the tropes page... MAL: Actually one of the harder ones to classify, since there are a number of RPers here who could successfully pull off the "mister macho, but secretly cares immensely about his crew" type. DL comes to mind, though Mal might be a bit more sarcastic than the average DL character. Biscuit's another possibility, as are Shoni, Merc, and Moose. ZOE: As a composed, stoic, but not unfriendly action girl, I can see shades of Lee, Loogs, or Choobs here. WASH: Non Action Guy with a compartmentalized role and a humorous but grounded attitude? Either Lee or Pohatu. INARA: Woman with aristocratic bearing and, let's say, a "worldly-wise" demeanor who serves as the team's face and opens diplomatic doors that would be otherwise shut to the crew - Pohatu or Loogs, for sure. JAYNE: Guess. Also, fuck Adam Baldwin. KAYLEE: No brainer. She's got all the makings of a Clicker or possibly Cendra chick. SIMON: Okay, I'm doubtful of how well his personality matches the stereotypical Elliot trappings, but I'm still leaning heavily toward Elliot for him and I think it's just the fact that he's a pretty boy played by a gay actor. Sorry! That's reductive! Oops! RIVER: Emotionally shattered psycho prodigy girl with a past of being experimented on against her will. It's a Bulbs!!!!!!!! BOOK: Again, I shouldn't default to "religious = Lee character", but the mixture of his wise, level-headed demeanor with the occasional hints of much savvier and more secular talents and attitudes does strongly suggest Lee. No spoilers, please!
|
|
|
Post by ch00beh on Feb 1, 2016 15:04:59 GMT -5
Jayne gets hugely better after the episode Jaynestown
|
|
|
Post by Tout-Perd on Feb 9, 2016 0:45:30 GMT -5
I've been finally watching through the entirety of Breaking Bad, and I get a feeling it'd work pretty well for this. (As an aside, tonight, I read my favorite fan theory of all time: "Gus Fring's eyesight is so bad that he can't tell the difference between people and boxes when he takes his glasses off." ) Let's see... Walt's aggressively flawed and self destructive, and acts recklessly without even considering what it does to anybody else's plot. Repeatedly, when he gets upstaged by somebody, he throws a tantrum and resorts to violence. That could be Prime character, or more intentionally, a Choobs character. Jesse is very relatable with a very specific speech pattern, and a sensitive soul which life dumps on continuously. That's a Pohatu character. Hank... Hmmm... Bigoted but sweet and quite the badass. I'm leaning either Biscuit or DL as the most likely authors for him. Tuco is a Lee Villain, full stop. Self destructive, single-minded, not much depth but a lot of character. Yeah, that's my kind of villain all around, and fittingly he's only on for a short while. Gustavo Fring is intelligent, emotionally reserved, and ruthless. I've got to say he's probably an SV character. Maybe Pohatu, though I'm leaning more towards Chelsea. Marie's sweet but obnoxious, and very over the top and probably the most eccentric character in the main cast. It's a Clicker character. Skyler is the most reasonable and REAL character on the show, which sometimes makes her appear flat in contrast to the more out-there types. That's gotta be Cendra, I think.
|
|
|
Post by Loogs on Feb 9, 2016 0:57:53 GMT -5
and she has a big nose (only Pohatu has characters with big noses.) Lee I'm very offended
|
|
|
Post by Beelzebibble on Feb 9, 2016 7:37:36 GMT -5
Yeah I think Loogs is making a serious play for the big-nose title.
|
|
|
Post by Beelzebibble on Apr 9, 2016 12:37:38 GMT -5
Long overdue, here's Korra the UN-Roleplay. KORRA: Oh, I don't know, badass bisexual POC chick who gives a fuck about things, that's sounding like either a Loogs or a Lee protagonist. MAKO: Serious, perfectionist, overly dutiful and detail-oriented soldier type. I smell a DL or Merc character. BOLIN: Surprisingly hard to figure, considering that he's got arguably the best-realized personality of anyone on the show besides Korra herself. He's a male character who's extremely upbeat and cheerful and tries hard to be the heart that ties everyone together. In a scenario where Loogs is writing Korra, then I guess I'd give this to Lee; whereas if Lee is writing Korra, then I don't know... maybe a Pohatu character. Or Clicker, if she mysteriously reappeared. ASAMI: I wasn't sure on her either, until it occurred to me that she's actually a bit reminiscent of some Elliot characters. She's totally got her shit together and is somewhat light on glaring flaws or deficiencies, but that doesn't stop her from being an interesting and compelling character, primarily because of her well-distinguished voice and attitude. That fits pretty well with a certain stripe of Elliot character, like Evelyn. TENZIN: Real talk, I would love to see Moose writing a Tenzin type. Very stern and disciplinarian mentor figure, but also with a deeply kind and even occasionally rather goofy side (though sometimes that's just because of how comically serious he is). JINORA: Here's our Cendra character, methinks. An earnest, intense, thoughtful, but also emotionally vulnerable badass waif. IKKI: As the sassy Ego among the freudian trio of her siblings, she might go to Loogs or Elliot. MEELO: Choobs, trolling. LIN BEIFONG: Choobs, not trolling. VARRICK: Narcissistic blatherer who's constantly switching sides and is worse than useless in combat, but you just can't help liking him somehow. HMM. And if I can't tell who would be writing Varrick then I definitely have no idea who would be writing Zhu Li either.
|
|
|
Post by ch00beh on Apr 9, 2016 14:27:12 GMT -5
I haven't watched this show so I dint know who would write zhu li
|
|
|
Post by Tout-Perd on Apr 9, 2016 21:33:07 GMT -5
For bonus points, the Season 3 villains are UTTERLY Choobs and I throwing together a badguy team. Like seriously, a group of warped villains with a genuinely touching camaraderie and all sorts of really bizarre creative uses of powers? That's us to a T. The lavabender may be a Prime character though.
Zaheer: Totally a Lee character. He's in my Miko/Auguste Tylor vein, very charming as a leader but overconfident and getting into things waaay over his head, with understandable motivations that he takes waaay too far. Not to mention some really creative and vicious uses of airbending, which is definitely something you'd see from me.
The Ladies: Could be either Choobs or I. P'li's... unfortunate end smacks of Choobles writing against himself, though. They're both personalities quite common in our casts.
Ghazan: Doesn't it sound about right to you that Prime, when told "some people in the setting can bend earth" went "Okay, my character's a lava bender, which means I trump all earth bending. And you won't be able to fight on my level, until your character is DETERMINED ENOUGH to learn lavabending, Pohatu, even if it doesn't fit with your character concept at all."
|
|
|
Post by Tout-Perd on Apr 9, 2016 21:53:11 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by ch00beh on Apr 10, 2016 14:52:51 GMT -5
For bonus points, the Season 3 villains are UTTERLY Choobs and I throwing together a badguy team. Like seriously, a group of warped villains with a genuinely touching camaraderie and all sorts of really bizarre creative uses of powers? That's us to a T. When I read this post, I had literally just written
|
|
|
Post by ch00beh on May 8, 2016 11:14:09 GMT -5
I have finished RWBY season 3 and am crying so for my denouement, I will UNROLEPLAY this wob show with a lovely ensemble cast of quirky kids and ridiculously good fight scenes. Ruby Rose is definitely Lee. Youngest kid in the cast? Check. Ridiculously STONG? Check. Oversized, slightly impractical weapon? Check. Girly girl? Check. Weiss Schnee strikes me as someone DL would run. Comes from a militaristic noble family with exacting standards and is kind of a bitch at first, but warms up after being defrosted. I also see shades of El with her occasional sass. Yang Xiao Long was called "top heavy" in s3e1. Kevin. Blake Belladona is the quiet girl with a dark past and questionable emotional attachment and does sneak thief things. It's Pohatu!!!!!! Jaune Arc bumbles around and is by far the worst fighter in the cast and everyone knows it but he's still lovable. It's me!!!!!!!!! Pyrrha Nikos is professional, absurdly competent, but overall a nice person. DL, again, though possibly me. Could also potentially see Cendra here. Oh god I want to be the one who runs Nora Valkyrie as I adore her character design and stupidity, but her manic personality would be better realized by Lee or Clicker. I'm not sure who plays Lie Ren. He is basically a ninja, is the stoic one in the cast, and doesn't really get much time in the limelight, so it's hard for me to assign any real feelings toward him. As odd as it sounds, it could be Prime, except Ren has two bladed uzis, not a gigantic sword. Maybe Kara for the mystic warrior angle, maybe DL yet again because stoic. The villains would also be real fun to do since they are again just Lee and me going hogwild, but I am out of gifs. The teachers are also basically just Biscuit and El having a blast, too.
|
|
|
Post by ch00beh on May 8, 2016 16:33:10 GMT -5
Okay while I'm out of gifs, I do have a spoiler free fight scene of two mentor figures.
Qrow, as the alcoholic, smarmy badass, I can see being played by El or Loogs. I even see shades of 90 in the banter. Winter looks like a good fit for me or DL as the no nonsense, proud lady.
Man I am so into both these characters.
|
|
|
Post by Beelzebibble on May 11, 2016 8:48:15 GMT -5
Wait, how the hell have we not UN-Roleplayed Game of Thrones yet?! There are more characters on that show then actual human beings on earth. I'll knock some of the more obvious picks out of the way. Let's not go spoiling any deaths! But discussing more general plot developments is probably okay. ARYA: Little Miss Badass automatically suggests Lee, but I actually think her ruthlessly determined personality and the direction of her character arc (especially the "we will train you into something pretty fucked up" plot of the last two seasons) is much more reminiscent of Choobs. THE HOUND: He's gruff, he's irritable, he's a terrifyingly bloodthirsty cutthroat, but damn it if he isn't the funniest character on the show, in his own bleak way. Biscuit. JON SNOW: Mysterious heritage. Associated with arctic climates. Harder to kill than you might imagine. Somehow, I'm feeling Shoni on this one. BRIENNE: The single most morally upstanding, idealistic character on the show, and she gets absolutely fuck-all in appreciation for it. Lee. NED: It's an UN-roleplay cliche at this point to say "stoic, principled, badass father-type = DL", but I can't resist, because... ROBERT: ...the bro chemistry between DL!Ned and Bulbs!Robert would be infectious. THEON: I think he might actually be an Elliot character. Hear me out. Does Elliot like writing snarky, sardonic jerks? Totally. Does Elliot like writing characters with deep internal emotional strife? Sure. So how about a character who starts out as a snarky, sardonic jerk and then gets utterly and completely broken down into an irreparable woobie? I think he could pull it off. MARGAERY: Gonna have to call dibs here. It wasn't originally part of the conception of her character, but I've found more and more that sweet, gracious, worrisomely inscrutable Margaery is a big inspiration for my writing of Isara Leral. For Lee's edification, let me also point out here that Margaery is the only character in all of fiction I like whose name contains "ae". ROOSE: Who else but Moose? I think he's got the gravity to manage Lord Bolton. Not so sure who would write Roose's beloved son, though... MELISANDRE: Reminds me of a Lady V character in more ways than one. JAQEN: SV writes him in season 2. Then she disappears from this earth, and Lee and Pohatu take turns writing him from season 5 onward. It's never entirely clear whether this is the same character SV was writing, or whether he's evolved into some kind of Narcissa-like RP collective. OBERYN: Fiercely hedonistic, adventurous, charming Casanova type with a rakish Hispanic accent. Is anybody doubting this is a Loogs character? Oh, and as long as we're in Dorne... pohatu choobs prime prime prime prime
|
|
|
Post by ch00beh on May 11, 2016 10:13:26 GMT -5
ohhhhhhhhh pick me to write ramsay
|
|
|
Post by AngelicTragedy on May 11, 2016 10:48:47 GMT -5
Thanks a lot. Now Bulbs and I are going to have to go to Comicon as Ned/Robert. It would be so fucking badass.0
Well played Potato.
|
|
|
Post by Beelzebibble on May 11, 2016 11:35:55 GMT -5
Okay, Choobs can have Ramsay. God help us. MANCE RAYDER: This is basically Miko, right? Charismatic but misunderstood leader, beloved by his own people as much as he is hated by the wider world, just trying to keep his community safe? Obsession with "south"? Yeah this is Miko, moving on. YGRITTE: I'd actually be interested to see Merc take on Ygritte. (Dis)Orientation proved he's quite comfortable with the "chick who's got lots of bravado concealing hidden depths" type, as well as the fact that he does good one-on-one work with Shoni (Jun Snuu). TORMUND: Yeah this is DL, okay. MEERA & JOJEN: Two siblings fiercely devoted to each other, one of whom is gifted with supernatural visions, while the other one is just an all-around badass youth. This is some kind of Cendra cocktail. VARYS: Eloquent, manipulative chessmaster who turns out to be a pretty choice bro in his own amoral way. Pohatu. LITTLEFINGER: Eloquent, manipulative chessmaster who it turns out pretty much just wants to watch the world burn. Lee. SHIREEN: Here's where Loogs takes her predilection for writing cute, endearing little children (Pleiades, Sabriel) and uses it as a force of evil to absolutely crush our hearts. PODRICK: He's the sweetest, most loyal kid ever, and also an unexpected sexual dynamo. You fucking tell me you don't want Kazkame to re-emerge from the depths of oblivion to write him.
|
|
|
Post by Silumas on May 11, 2016 12:11:34 GMT -5
DAmn...I was hoping I'd get more than a villain...but, I can settle for The Flayed Man.
|
|
|
Post by ch00beh on May 11, 2016 12:49:26 GMT -5
Ya but the villains are bae. Tell me you wouldn't want to write Tywin or Jaime.
No one wants to write Cersei. Fuck Cersei.
|
|