'Gansta Elves'?

[Anski]

Something tells me you need to relax, C0rzilla. This kind of attitude gets us nowhere.

[Wuvvums]

Should be noted that Krilari said that this is just a theory. We don't know if anyone seriously is adopting that mindset and we shouldn't jump to conclusions on it.

[c0rzilla]

I probably do, and I did stick an apology at the forefront of my post. I'm not going to argue this point, no worries people. I stated my point and that's that.

[Reigen]

I apologize for this post if it offends you. I was going to keep out of this, but I wish to say my opinion. Bluntness incoming in 3...2...1 annnnnnnd GO!

How can one not think like a human when we are all human?

Playing someone super racist rubs me wrong because I am not a racist person. It is foreign to me. Playing someone with a long lifespan doesn't mean I'm going to be all majestic and stuff because we're all going to be lucky to live a small percentage of a Belf/Nelf/gnome/dwarf/draenei's lifespan.

I doubt most of us are blubbering drunks, so pulling that off with a dwarf might be a little hard.

We didn't grow up with kingdoms, riding horses with dragons around the world. Most of us think that's pretty awesome.

I sure didn't grow up super rich or super poor, so pulling those aspects off without being insulting might be a bit hard.

Should I not play those things?

Nope.

People are going to play what they want, how they want and when they want. Sure, giving helpful hints is nice and all, but to go full out and insult people for wanting to play something different is just childish on it's own. I see this and I think:

Spoiler:

"People are playing characters differently then how I think they should be played."

I'm not going to stop playing a race I like because I'm apparently "doing it wrong". If someone rages at me for doing so, I'll shrug, tell them I'm sorry that they feel that way and do what I was doing. Now, if someone gives me constructive advice, I'd love to keep it in mind.

But when the person saying that is so guilty of the thing this thread is pointing out, you bet I'm going to ignore their opinions when they do not do what they say.

I like to think an Orc has more depth in it then "Killsmash" and cutting down lumber to tick off a few night elves. Not ever blood elf was raised in finery and taught to drink pinky-up. Night elves might actually be curious to the outside world and find other things interesting besides trees! We might even have a few trolls drinking tea and wearing a top-hat while talking about that cute dame three huts over.

As much as I hate to say it, playing 'racist person X' isn't going to get you a whole amount of RP either. For ever time I tried on an alt, I was quickly shunned away from the RP because a majority of characters do not share that view. Is it annoying? Most likely, but subtly calling people out in a thread to tell them that they are wrong is even more annoying.

TL; DR: Let people play what they want. If you do not like it, you do not have to RP with them. I doubt anytime soon we are going to say, "Oh, this will be a better human, you better re-roll or you'll get punished!" Offering advice is good if you see someone acting odd for their race, but don't be a jerk about it if you have to point it out. If you're forceful about it, they might call the server restricting on personalities.

I do apologize once more if my bluntness offends you, but honestly some things need to be said in defense of others.

[Rigley]

I apologize for this post. I was going to keep out of this, but I wish to say my opinion. Bluntness incoming in 3...2...1 annnnnnnd GO!

How can one not think like a human when we are all human?

Playing someone super racist rubs me wrong because I am not a racist person. It is foreign to me. Playing someone with a long lifespan doesn't mean I'm going to be all majestic and stuff because we're all going to be lucky to live a small percentage of a Belf/Nelf/gnome/dwarf/draenei's lifespan.

I doubt most of us are blubbering drunks, so pulling that off with a dwarf might be a little hard.

We didn't grow up with kingdoms, riding horses with dragons around the world. Most of us think that's pretty awesome.

I sure didn't grow up super rich or super poor, so pulling those aspects off without being insulting might be a bit hard.

Should I not play those things?

Nope.

People are going to play what they want, how they want and when they want. Sure, giving helpful hints is nice and all, but to go full out and insult people for wanting to play something different is just childish on it's own. I see this and I think:

Spoiler:

"People are playing characters differently then how I think they should be played."

I'm not going to stop playing a race I like because I'm apparently "doing it wrong". If someone rages at me for doing so, I'll shrug, tell them I'm sorry that they feel that way and do what I was doing. Now, if someone gives me constructive advice, I'd love to keep it in mind.

But when the person saying that is so guilty of the thing this thread is pointing out, you bet I'm going to ignore their opinions when they do not do what they say.

I like to think an Orc has more depth in it then "Killsmash" and cutting down lumber to tick off a few night elves. Not ever blood elf was raised in finery and taught to drink pinky-up. Night elves might actually be curious to the outside world and find other things interesting besides trees! We might even have a few trolls drinking tea and wearing a top-hat while talking about that cute dame three huts over.

As much as I hate to say it, playing 'racist person X' isn't going to get you a whole amount of RP either. For ever time I tried on an alt, I was quickly shunned away from the RP because a majority of characters do not share that view. Is it annoying? Most likely, but subtly calling people out in a thread to tell them that they are wrong is even more annoying.

TL; DR: Let people play what they want. If you do not like it, you do not have to RP with them. I doubt anytime soon we are going to say, "Oh, this will be a better human, you better re-roll or you'll get punished!" Offering advice is good if you see someone acting odd for their race, but don't be a jerk about it if you have to point it out. If you're forceful about it, they might call the server restricting on personalities.

I do apologize once more for the bluntness of this post, but honestly some things need to be said in defense of others.

There seems to be a misconception here.

This isn't about anyone not wanting you to play a character outside of what -you- are. Heck. I'm not a diver. I'm not a janitor, or a mute. The point of RP is to try and emulate what your character is, and stepping away from -your own- way of acting and personality makes for a more immersive character. No one is denying that elves might grow up in a rough life or that by inverse an Orc may be raised in relative peace and prosperity. Even then we aren't asking anyone to conform with a stereotype, but there are certain bounds which get pushed when you stray too far from what is considered normal for the race. The issue is when -most- characters fit outside the norm that things become strange, and at that point it begins to detract from people who wish to RP characters within the norm.

Furthermore, playing within the norm is -not- playing 'racist person X'. There's a difference between a normal viewpoint and a racist one. There's a difference between being hesitant to associate with orcs and hating them and backtalking them when possible. Hell, playing a -racist- character could very well be called outside the norm, since most simply have reservations to other races and not outright hostility. To say that a character within the norm is just a racist jerk is kinda insulting, to be honest, and as a person who has played a traditional Night Elf I can say that RP isn't impossible. If anything it does make it more interesting, it just depends on the crowd you're around.

To reiterate: No one is asking you to step out or stay within any boundaries if you don't wish to; I play plenty of humans because they are blatantly an easy character to get into. But when you start playing an elf or an orc or a moocow at least attempt to emulate something of that race. Otherwise it just becomes strange, and while no one will tell you that you should stop playing that character, you should work to improve. Everyone should do that, regardless of if the character is fitting or not.


As a final note: I'm becoming very tired of people essentially saying "I apologize for being blunt or rude, so let's do this @#$%!". Keep your temper down, don't try to excuse it.

[Reigen]

I'm not excusing it, I'm just telling people to know what to expect. I suppose I should more say, "I'm sorry if my bluntness offends you."

[Rigley]

I'm not excusing it, I'm just telling people to know what to expect. I suppose I should more say, "I'm sorry if my bluntness offends you."

I'm not sure that has any positive bearing on what I stated there. Then again, I assume that is something of the intention.

The rest of my post still stands, though.

[Wuvvums]

Maybe we should try to be less blunt and less offensive? Surely there are ways to articulate your thoughts in a manner that is less offensive.
And I'm not trying to single out anyone. Sometimes people act a little brazen and rude under the guise of being blunt, or truthful.

[Vladdy]

Bottom line is this: Fit into the storyline, don't go out of the storyline. Sure, have diversity, but try and do what your char's race in general would do. (With some bits that may go out of said race, ie, interactions with other races, etc etc.) I myself am not a racist irl, but this is a game, where most races have some sort of prejudice or distrust at *least.* Sure there's that 'rare individual' type of character that comes along every once and awhile, but try not to make it a common occurrence. ie, I doubt there's going to be a bloodelf that drinks ale and gets drunk. But a dwarf? Pfft, no problem, getting drunk is alright in their culture, barfights, to my knowledge aren't broken up unless serious injuries occur. Does this mean we should all go to the pure stereotypical core? No, no this does not. Not every dwarf is going to be a 'blubbering drunk.' But they're bound to drink every once in awhile. Not every elf is going to be some 'Wee look at me, I have a bow!' kind of character. But there should be some diversity in personality, and enough that you can still fit within the borders of said race.

I try to remain neutral in these kinds of things, but once someone crosses the line enough times, I'll speak my mind. I'm glad that this is off of my chest, as I've been itching to say it.

[Saronsen]

Being blunt is entirely unrelated to being rude.

People just don't like hearing things that aren't softened up with kind words.

Also known as the truth.

[Micheru]

I doubt there's going to be a bloodelf that drinks ale and gets drunk.

Actually, I find the Blood Elf culture to be one of indulgence. It's why they live in a magestic city, rather than a ran down one, it's why they dress immaculately, etc. Blood Elves are classic hedonists, in my mind. And while the pleasure they seek should be of a higher quality and grade than those of 'lesser' races, it's still a part of their society.

For example, while your average Dwarf is drinking grog, your Blood Elf would be drinking a nicely aged Cabernet sauvignon, or the Azerothi equivalent; and they might indulge to the point of mind blasted drunkenness; depending on the character.

[Rigley]

Being blunt is entirely unrelated to being rude.

People just don't like hearing things that aren't softened up with kind words.

Also known as the truth.

There's a difference between between being rude, being comforting, and being civil.

You can state an opinion bluntly without needing to embellish it in a way that will inflame an argument.

Regarding the drunk elves, I do find that pretty plausible. But I think of it as the difference between getting tipsy [/i]and passing out with your face on the floor.

[Xigo]

... Am I going to end up locking my own thread?

[Caravan]

I'd vote for it

[Aphetoros]

The issue is when -most- characters fit outside the norm that things become strange, and at that point it begins to detract from people who wish to RP characters within the norm.

Furthermore, playing within the norm is -not- playing 'racist person X'. There's a difference between a normal viewpoint and a racist one. There's a difference between being hesitant to associate with orcs and hating them and backtalking them when possible. Hell, playing a -racist- character could very well be called outside the norm, since most simply have reservations to other races and not outright hostility. To say that a character within the norm is just a racist jerk is kinda insulting, to be honest, and as a person who has played a traditional Night Elf I can say that RP isn't impossible. If anything it does make it more interesting, it just depends on the crowd you're around.

But what is the norm? Do we know the norm? not really. It's hard to know the norm when you haven't sat back and observed the way people act. I mean, if we could sit down on a park bench in Silvermoon and watch thousands of different elves and then draft of some kind of 'norm' then we could say outside the norm. But we can't. We can't watch NPCs act and interact, unless blizzard decides to make a movie, so there's no official norm. Without an official norm, a norm is made by the people RPing, then, isn't it? Because as our characters, if most of them are 'outside the norm', then the norm isn't the norm, and being outside the norm would be considered norm.

Hipster complex.