Captain Neem is a mutant who has never really felt oppressed. Occasionally discriminated against but nothing on par with most stories, more like quiet stares and whispers behind his back occasionally.
He quite enjoys the fact that he was born with the ability to fly and throw out concussive blasts.
The Core Being isn't exactly angsty either. She is a more go with the flow kind of hero who just wants to make the largest positive impact she can on the minds and spirits of Paragon City's residents.
Mister Insidious is my most dark darkity dark character of darkness I've made and he doesn't sit in dark rooms and pout about the hardships having been born with a portal to the nether realms caused.... He revels in it. Of course he isn't entirely mentally stable either, having spent his childhood in a mental hospital, but thats another story.
Most RPers don't have overly humorous stories because in order to RP a character well, usually it requires they be somewhat human. They need to have a believable backstory and personality to be able to flesh out the character so to speak. If they are off the wall slapstick, well it makes it hard to be engaging.
I hope this helps.
The first thing that comes to mind is Green Lantern.
Green Lantern Hal Jordan was a sad man. When he was a boy he saw his dad dying before his own eyes. Before he became a green lantern he had a car accident and his best friend was paralyzed because of him. Then because of his inexperience as a green lantern, he caused the death of lots of people and friends, when a supervillain destroyed everything following his tracks.
He is not only sad, but also uppity, no-nonsense, he feels disgusted when someone tries to be a buffoon.
And he is the most loved green lantern, the one with the most shrines on the web.
Green Lantern Guy Gardner is the exact opposite; he loves to joke, he uses his ring's power to create scantily clad women and other things that are almost always a comical relief. He attacks his enemies charging them frontally while shouting cowabunga!. He enjoys life and lives with a passion.
And he's one of the less loved Green Lanterns, lots of readers simply hated him. Why is it so?
Because we are used to heroes with tragic backgrounds. Batman: both parents died. Superman: both natural parents died, and his earth father died too. Spiderman: no parents, his uncle dies because of his being a jerk. Punisher: all family dies.
The "classic" storyline is that the hero is a normal person but then something tragic happens and his pain helps him becoming a better man, with altruistic feelings, and some kind of vow to defend and protect and so on.
However I don't feel the need of creating only dramatic characters with sad stories, I create a bit of everything, I like to experiment. It is, mind you, a stereotype of superheroes, like capes, like masks, like spandex, so it's not unusual to see sad stories around, and there's nothing bad in it. It's like complaining because in AD&D (2nd ed) there are too many fighters with full plate armor and two handed sword, or because the wizards all know Fireball. Some things never changes, and this is somewhat reassuring. Feels like home 
My teen phalanx char Jr. Science is an 18 year old kid who, while he's had a rough childhood, is a fairly upbeat guy who loves to mess around and invent stuff.
"If I didn't enjoy the ludicrous mayhem of an 8-person pick-up team and my eventual glorious triumph over seemingly impossible odds bereft of lucid and competant comrades, I would have left this game a long time ago. " - mean_liar
I guess it would be based on the character. I have extreme characters in both directions and a middle of the road character. My extreme serious character isn't sad he just feels that the Job of being a hero is serious work. But he can laugh, and if you get him to laugh you made a friend for life. My other character doesn't take anything serious ant least that what he would have you believe. He loves having a good time and joking around, but when it's time for action he's all business, and then my middle of the road character is just that. His big failing is he doesn't know how to be one of the guys, but he tries. Science geek that managed to become a Jock Hero, but has no Idea how to be cool. He can be fun to play. But Thats just my take on things. Ok good luck and remember to Be a Hero!
Quote:
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by Star Ranger 4 WIN LOSE OR DRAW, WE WILL FIGHT. WE ARE HEROES This is what we DO! |
Decide that this will be another day in which you Walk The Talk.
MA #14724 Operation: Discredit @American Valor
Sentinel Of Liberty SG
In stories there are three kinds of conflict. Man vs Man, Man vs Environment, Man vs himself (Insert woman where appropriate). While the other two are good, the most interesting almost always ends up being the last.
Blood Wolffe- was planned to be an aborted by his parents, Crey stole him and experimented on him for twenty years, experiments failed so they shot him and left him for dead in the woods. He was going to die (or may have) when a dying wolf fused its spirit with his. Left for dead twice. Not a happy story but Blood Wolffe doesnt really care because he is not really that person anymore, although he is after the man who shot him.
If I were in an RP situation with someone and they were being goofy, as long as it made sense and they didnt offend my character's plights I would just RP how my character would react.
I have to agree, I've always found it funny when I roleplay with people who, even though their characters don't call for it, will always say "greetings" rather than "hi" and "indeed" rather than "yeah, you're right". I mean, maybe they're just used to ever quest RPing or something, but unless I'm playing an ancient being or a knight from the dark ages or something, I usually try to talk relatively normally. I guess that's different than being serious, though. I always try to roleplay Danny Fyre as pretty light hearted and funny though, and usually people either play along or if they aren't RPers they appreciate the atmosphere it creates, so I guess just keep RPing the way you like and if another RPer puts you down for it out of character, then just respond the way your character would to prove your point. 
Remember, though, maybe when other RPers are saying you're immature, they might be doing it in character. But regardless, definately don't stop being humorous if that's the way your character is. As long as you're role playing, we all need comic relief and really the funny characters are the only ones you can get away with RPing in a group of non-RPers.
(Sorry if the structure of that post was pretty lousy...it's late and I'm just sort of throwing thoughts out as I think em instead of linking them together like normal.)
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...we are used to heroes with tragic backgrounds. Batman: both parents died. Superman: both natural parents died, and his earth father died too. Spiderman: no parents, his uncle dies because of his being a jerk. Punisher: all family dies.
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I would just like to point out that even given Spider-Man's tragic origins, he still had a sense of humor, indeed, he was quite the wise-cracking wall-crawler. These are my favorite kind of heroes, those that can be funny and joke at times, but there are times when they are dramatic as well. It's that balance which makes me find them so enjoyable.
While some drama makes for an interesting background and roleplay experience, in my opinion characters who are all doom-n-gloom and hystrionics are sterotypical, boring, and tiring.
To use some iconic examples:
Superman has a tragic background in that his homeworld and people were destroyed in a planet-wide cataclysm. However, he found love, acceptance, and a strong measure of happiness with his adoptive Earth family and friends. His challenges are many (and I don't mean cryptonite): What it means to be human when one isnt. What it means to be a hero. What it means to be a man. The list goes on.... His tragedy was a beginning point, but it was not the definitive answer on who he was.
Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Professor Xavier, all of the truly interesting and successful heroes were complex characters. I try to remember this in my writing, and balance drama with light-heartedness, tragedy with happiness, etc. I think this is what makes my characters work.
After all, if Joe Smith were an ordinary man, with an ordinary life, and nothing exceptional ever happened or motivated him, why would he become a hero?
Together we entered a city of strangers, we made it a city of friends, and we leave it a City of Heroes. - Sweet_Sarah
BOYCOTT NCSoft (on Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/517513781597443/
Governments have fallen to the power of social media. Gaming companies can too.
The fact is that every character needs to connect with the audience, and because tragedy generally invokes deeper, more significant feelings in the reader, it doesn't necessarily have to be well written to come off as poignant. A goofy, off the wall character risks being shallow and immature (and perhaps he/she is), if all he can do in a tragic situation is crack wise- even if that is in character. However, a dark, brooding character will rarely have to display any other emotion even in the happiest of times.
Personally, when I RP, I tend to place myself in my character's shoes, feel what he/she feels, and I find that this allows a more realistic character to be built. I'm not saying that this is the right way, just my own preferred method. In this way Rock-hopper, who is a large aussie man in a penguin suit, goes through an array of emotions, while generally remaining upbeat. Similarily, Dark Basilisk, who lost everything when he "changed", is a dark hero with a doom-and-gloom attitude and a cynical sense of humour. They're very different characters, and both react differently in the same situation, but they both have a certain depth. More than just "Look how wacky I can be!" or "I hope you die a long, painful death."
My story arcs: #2370- Noah Reborn, #18672- The Clockwork War, #31490- Easy Money
Sartre once said, "Hell is other people." What does that make an MMO?
When i play umagon 23 (an android) I try to be as mindlessly optomistic and outgoing as possible. I figure that she's programmed to behave positively and doesn't realy get mad about things. but she also is a little naive about somthings, thinking everyone has some good in them..unless they break the law, then the martial programming kicks in and says that she has to bludgion them untill they stop moving, the whole time remaining rather mater of fact and outgoing about the fact that she is smashing gangsters with a large mace.
so it is a little disturbing to have a cheerfull little robot mercilessly (and happily) break bones and wade into battle.
Lumos is actually quite a happy hero. Granted she's retired now so she's not around often to show it. (( WoW is just more enjoyable than COH for me. 
)) But she's always been upbeat and tried to be cheerful typically no matter the situation. She's kinda of a mixture to me of Wonder Woman and Supergirl, she knows there's a time to be serious, but she strives to make sure she doesn't get so caught up in the dark side of fighting crime that she loses her sense of humor and enjoyment of what she does.
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((Why is it that so many RPers are serious and as dry as a plank?
Every RPer i hang out with acts like they had there sence of humor part of the brain destroyed. And everytime I become humourous they call me immature. 
. I ralize almost every RPers bio includes hardship. Why? Why cant you just be hit by a radioactive beam and be excited everyday you get up and melt the alarm clock. But they always are sad about it.
Im not telling you too be humourous just asking why you feel the need to be so serious?))
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There is, of course, the possibility that you are immature.
In my experience, most RPers are totally open to humour, but, as in real life, there's a time and place for it. Waltzing in and spraying seltzer in everyone's face while they're trying to figure out what happened to Johnny Cosmic, because they've just found his seared and torn costume and left foot is going to cause some ruffling of feathers.
You don't provide much detail of your experiences though, so I'll assume that you've just been a victim of the DRAHMA SQUAD.
These people are RPers, but the only thing they seem to want to RP is bad soap opera plots and grand tragedy. You'll know them by the way their bios walk; gimped and twisted.
"My parents were killed by Hellions when I was twelve. Then I became a streetkid 'cos my foster parents abused me by using my energy-generation powers to supply their sweatshop with electricity. After that, I was addicted to Superdyne, and my pimp beat me. Then I met a puppy. Then the puppy got squished by Babbage.
Now I fight for justice and puppies against all evils.
I am the the Puppybulb."
Walk away from these people; you're better off!
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Then I met a puppy. Then the puppy got squished by Babbage.
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ROTFL! That should be in your sig line!
"Shut up Mr. Burton, you are not brought upon this world to get it!" - Lo Pan
@MadGremlin
Puppybulb!!
I tend to play fairly comic characters. Take Herr Automaton, for example. An ex-5th Column cyborg project, with a bad German accent and a love of violence, waffles, and beer.
WOLVES AND BEES 2012
Puppybulb is teh roxx0rz. He shoots knives from his arms, and has a magic leash that makes you vomit when it's around you, and he can fly and he teleports and he commands puppies and he can make tuna casserole from anything.
He's like Superman, but with a purpose.
Does that leash make you vomit once? Or is it like a faucet on full blast until it comes off? Team America: World Police flashback
I rarely make it an effort to Rp, mainly because my char is based off myself, so I don't really have to try to be like him.
The problem of course is that I act quite foolish, and the average RP'er prefers dark moody anti-heroes.
The reasoning I got for this the last time I asked is that "Only through pain can a person be driven to become a hero, why else would they?"
My answer is this; Because they want to. My main, Valiant, became a hero not through an accident or grief, but because he thought it would be really cool. (He doesn't have a joke bio, he has a real one.) Why do most of us play this game? Because we all feel the same way about one thing; we know having super powers would be awesome.
Personaly, I was raised on comics, books, and movies that showed the good guy as being cooler then the badguy, If I had super powers, I would fight for good not for revenge or some other dark broody purpose, but because that would be cool.
This, of course, is just one man's view.
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Does that leash make you vomit once? Or is it like a faucet on full blast until it comes off? Team America: World Police flashback
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The leash has variable settings. Agitate, Nauseate, and Spew.
Shadez actually became a hero during a very good time. He was blind from birth then after falling into his fathers equipment was electruted pretty badly. He awoke in the hospital and could see! But then kinda electricuted his parents back by accident, giving them some bad burns. Now he is actually quite a [censored] with a big ego but is a good friend to all and gets serious when it is time to beat on the bad guys.
[ QUOTE ]
The fact is that every character needs to connect with the audience, and because tragedy generally invokes deeper, more significant feelings in the reader, it doesn't necessarily have to be well written to come off as poignant. A goofy, off the wall character risks being shallow and immature (and perhaps he/she is), if all he can do in a tragic situation is crack wise- even if that is in character. However, a dark, brooding character will rarely have to display any other emotion even in the happiest of times.
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Just wanted to riff off of this. A shocking revelation, I know, but: many RPers engage in RP to enact a fantasy life. How this translates for a lot of people is:
1) The Power Trip: You are the biggest, baddest thing on the block. You are dark and scary, a grim harbinger of cruel Justice who causes lesser beings to shiver when you pass. This frequently dovetails with the 'amoral antihero' type, the 'I would be a villain but CoV isn't out yet' people. (I suspect there's a similar draw to the GTA series of games; I know I've wanted to leap from my car and pound on a pedestrian from time to time.)
2) Pity Me: These are the people who tend to have tragedy upon tragedy in their backgrounds, compounded by the various tragedies that happen during gameplay ("People are after me because I'm... I'm a dirty *mutant*!" You... you don't think I'm vile... do you?") They like the comfort they (try to) elicit from others. In plots they're frequently kidnapped/hunted/abused.
3) Crunchy Outside, Chewy Inside: A composite of the two types, who tries to draw people in so they'll cheer them up and/or break down the trauma-calloused exterior.
All of these are attention-getting devices, easily allowing the character to become the focal point of whatever story's going on around them at the time. For example, if someone's mortally wounded, type 2 will frequently dissolve into hysterical sobbing, drawing attention off of the other person and onto themselves.
This is coming off as deeply cynical, and I apologize. I think you can play any one of these broad types with richness and depth, I just think that the prevelance of the gloomy/tragic types is because of a widespread desire to have other people go, "wow, dig that person." A hero that's well-balanced, easy-going, and friendly just doesn't garner as much fixation as someone who's constantly threatening and/or in need of comforting.
((Why is it that so many RPers are serious and as dry as a plank?
. I ralize almost every RPers bio includes hardship. Why? Why cant you just be hit by a radioactive beam and be excited everyday you get up and melt the alarm clock. But they always are sad about it.
Every RPer i hang out with acts like they had there sence of humor part of the brain destroyed. And everytime I become humourous they call me immature.
Im not telling you too be humourous just asking why you feel the need to be so serious?))