OOC: RPing Literary figures - opinions please!
By
Dimming_Sun,
Posted on: 2004-05-05 10:51 in Roleplaying
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Judging from the posts you all seem to be fairly split on the idea - but no one said they would shun me if i chose to play him as Dorian.
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I wouldn't shun anyone for anything (except being a ***** of course). Last night I grouped with a Hulk knockoff. His name was H U L K (didn't know you could space names and get them that way, but I guess you can). He was a great guy and we had a great time. My whole point was that I think it's more imaginative to create your own hero. Homage is fine to a point, but there's a fine line between homage and rip-off.
BTW, I'll be playing my Shadowen character on virtue, just started him over as a dark/dark defender (need to update my sig) so his rp personality would probalby fit right in with Dorian..hehe. And I agree..read the dang book, it's excellent.
Hello,
I'd group with the "As long as you're having a good time and not pissing others off intentionally it's ok" people. If you really like a character from a book (or perhaps a politician, whatever) and you want to rp them, why not? I myself haven't really started rp'ing yet but I have a Yossarian and a William Blake running around that I have some ideas for (and a Longshadow, but most of you won't know him, from The Black Company, by Glen Cook). No matter what name you choose there will be people who think it's rather lame/unimaginative/etc. in the end, you won't be able to satisfy everybody, so make sure you yourself are satisfied by choosing a name that you like and that will allow you to play mostly unimpeded (e.g. choosing a well-known nazi may be a bad idea)
Just my $ 0.02
Hi there Set,
I don't understand the problem with "copying" a character. There's some sorts of semantics where you can argue nothing a human does can be original - "there are a limited number of stories, but an unlimited way of telling them" to paraphrase Neil Gaiman.
For those of you that may have read "The Sandman", I liked him *because* of all those references to Lucifer, to Titania, Cain, Abel, Set, etc. He borrows from the Norse, Egyptian, and Christian pantheons, he borrows from Shakespeare, from history, etc etc. Don't go around saying it's not creative, it's great reading it! For example take the Arthurian Legends - how many different versions have you read or heard? Every story has a different take on it, and you can actually appreciate it even more if you have seen/read the other versions.
In the same line, if I saw Titania in Perez Park I would know what to expect. Titania is sometimes cruel, sometimes playful, fickle. I know what broad parameters I could interact with.
It's a bit silly but I think it's great fun - What if Batman had to fight Spiderman? didn't you have those arguments when you were a kid?
If you were in a roleplay-only supergroup, and never participated in pickup groups, sure, then I understand people wanting to be serious rp'ers.
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My personal opinion: Do what allows you to enjoy the game. Don't do things to impress others because there are always nay-sayers to any idea someone may come up with.
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Amen.
The general problem is that people are never satisfied with what you do, but that's to be expected. The fact is that, in this realm of fantasy and limitations of powers/appearances, you are limited in your creativity despite it all.
Personally, I think role-playing a literary figure is a brilliant idea, even if some comic book had already come up with the idea. It's hard to come up with anything absolutely original in this day and age, especially when playing a freaking comic book MMORPG.
Regardless of what I do, my playing a robot, regardless of the name, will draw comparisons to The Terminator or the bots from Unreal Tournament. People who role-play a vampire will always be compared with Dracula or Blade or LeStat. People who role-play a mutant will always be compared to X-men.
There's no getting around it. Do what you do, and do it well. No one aside from NCsoft can tell you how to play so do what you enjoy. I'm sure there's a thousand people out there who will criticize that I role-play my toon to spout Windows error messages. Do I care? Nope. That's how I enjoy playing him.
I don't expect to be loved or accepted by anyone in these diverse MMORPG's. All I expect is to have fun doing whatever it is I choose to do, and that's all I expect others to do. 
Well - I know have 2 characters on Virtue based off my version of Dorian. The first is 'Dorian Gray' (the correct spelling was not available, so either they filtered it out or someone else had the same idea), the second is 'Morgan Fallon'. I will probably be playing Morgan the most cause i don't want to get my character wiped. I will be posting the full back story for him sometime next week on this forum. (i'd do it sooner - but i'm real busy IRL right now)
So if any of you happen to be on Virtue and are tired of goodie-goodie heroes feel free to see the darker side of RP. Morgan will most likely become my main (replacing CURS3D K40S) or at the very least a frequently played alternate. Also I will be looking for a good SG to join as well. (so if you have a darker SG or even a future villain group let me know).
Thanks again for all your input guys! hope to RP with all of you in Paragon City.
Morgan 'The Real Dorian Grey' Fallon
Set77, I would never shun you, unless you commited a really heinous act
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Hmmm, how would people feel about creating a character in homage to one of your favorites? Not a carbon copy or complete rip-off, but similar in maybe costume and powers? Just curious how my idea for creating a Captain America "clone" would boil over with people. Not exactly the same, but similar costume and possibly a similar background.
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I would see it as paying respect for the character you love. as long as you uphold the ideals of the char you are imulating, I see no problem with it.
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Set77, I would never shun you, unless you commited a really heinous act
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only IRL, never in game!!
LMAO
<(
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So if any of you happen to be on Virtue and are tired of goodie-goodie heroes feel free to see the darker side of RP. Morgan will most likely become my main (replacing CURS3D K40S) or at the very least a frequently played alternate. Also I will be looking for a good SG to join as well. (so if you have a darker SG or even a future villain group let me know).
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The Council of Nemesis, led by Dr. Nemesis, is a group that just started not too long ago (haven't we all though? heh) that is seeking members. The council seeks those who stay in-character and have a darker side to them.
Mainly, from what I know so far, the most of us are dis-satisfied with the government and how weak they operate. The weak shall never bow to the strong. This is our pledge, our motto. We are not driven by strength, but to each of us, strength means something more than just being a guardian angel.
~ Silva
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i just created my first character on Virtue... Agent Tom Sawyer... You inspired me... I have wanted to play the LXG character for quite awhile.. He has little history in the original books and very little history in the movies.. We don't know if the name is a code name or it is the real Tom Sawyer but I am creating my history for him after he left Allan's grave.. I am using a mystical portal to this world to find Quartermain who left the LXG world to fight evil on another plane.
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i just created my first character on Virtue... Agent Tom Sawyer... You inspired me... I have wanted to play the LXG character for quite awhile.. He has little history in the original books and very little history in the movies.. We don't know if the name is a code name or it is the real Tom Sawyer but I am creating my history for him after he left Allan's grave.. I am using a mystical portal to this world to find Quartermain who left the LXG world to fight evil on another plane.
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Although you may want to change the name (like i did), but either way I can't wait to RP with you in game. That should be an interesting conversation the 1st time they meet again. hehe
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Set77, I would never shun you, unless you commited a really heinous act
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only IRL, never in game!!
LMAO
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Roflmao, even RL Criminals need to escape from day-to-day life once in awhile
XXuicsus - I'll be playing the Moragn Fallon character as my main on Virtue now. I checked out you forums - but haven't registered yet. Look for me in game and send me an invite. Thanks for the response
Well it will be interesting to see how your Dorian escaped his
fate if you are using the storyline in LXG. If you are not I
would like to see you explain your position to Tom. He definitely will have a problem with you.
HeHe, Dorian Grey was the identity i was using in that time period. I have since assumed a new one (for deception / protection purposes). As for how I escaped my fate - It is actually a statue that ages for me, not a picture. After all you can't believe everything you read. The painting was for your benefit and the benefit of the LXG. You all needed to think i was dead, or you would have kept coming after me. How did I do it, well i am known to make pacts with demons.
If you have any other questions about back story, origin, etc. PM me and i'll get back to you. I am more than happy to help you intertwine the backgrounds for these 2 characters, it would make for a great RP experience. I am now using the Morgan Fallon I.D. on virtue.
<(
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XXuicsus - I'll be playing the Moragn Fallon character as my main on Virtue now. I checked out you forums - but haven't registered yet. Look for me in game and send me an invite. Thanks for the response
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I'll have my character contact you sometime soon. Today and tomorrow I'm pretty busy, but real life will always be a minor obstacle. I'll keep you on notice by adding you to my friend list.
But best thing to do is register with the site. That way, you can ask about us on an IC-level rather than an OOC-one =)
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Cool, i'm kind of busy this weekend too. But i'll register over there asap. Should i use my IC name when i register - or just a handle?
I knew the story that Vampire [censored] told us may have been
a lie she was to close to you Dorian. I will see you again look
for me on Virtue - (Agnt Tom Sawyer). I hope you have
learned something from your experience.
<(
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Cool, i'm kind of busy this weekend too. But i'll register over there asap. Should i use my IC name when i register - or just a handle?
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I've always thought to do what you want to accomplish. If it's to role-play, then stick with it 
Thus, use a handle that reflects your character. I use "Silva" as my handle, even though her name is Biotic Obsidian. The reason is she prefers to be called Silva be people she knows, and those who fear her Biotic
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Cool, will do. Thanks for all the info -see you on the other forums.
Look for Illustrare (myself, a Technological Blaster) and Obscurus (my husband, a Scientific Defender) on Virtue, good luck to you, and have fun playing the un-Dorian Gray (at least in name) We will be looking for you
Will do liberty, hope to see you online
As i understand most of these posts, paying homage to our favorite heroes is perfectly acceptable. Direct copying is not. Although be very careful in your backstory to not copy to closely. My case with Dorian was slightly different than most comic book heroes due to where he originaly comes form and how he has been interpreted from novel to comic to movie. Although you could technically do the same thing i'm going to do - make a unique character that is the supposed inspiration for your favorite hero.