What does your Bio say about you?

Hmm very interesting so far and explains quite a bit. It has always been my weakness when it comes to RP'ing online that I am far too picky. I have very selective taste and though I do try to keep an open mind, I still assume too much far too often. However, I have also found many assumptions prove themselves eventually.

First, on the topic of WoD. When Whitewolf released Masquerade First Edition, I actually was a Storyteller for a long-running LARP years and years ago and kept up with it until 2nd Ed when I couldn't stand the idiot factor, K-mart capes and teenagers who attempted to argue how vampires exist in real life far too often. The reason I am mentioning this is because the few times I have seen [WoD Rules] in the game, I shudder inwardly and avoid these people but the fact is that isn't right. I should at least give them a chance or attempt some type of dialogue but, typically I don't.

When I look at my various bios and character concepts in general, I can see how/why some people would be put off. While I do try to follow COH Lore, I also have a habit of following my own lore which is a mix of Lovecraftian elements, Steampunk meets Dieselpunk style and a Neil Gaiman Sandman flair of dramatics with a darker than normal golden age feel. My two main characters are about as far apart as possible from a 300 year old magus who acts like a stuck up Sherlock Holmes and who is just as human as the rest of us even though his mother was an avatar for one of the Old Ones to an ex-supervillain turned nightclub owner that's about as crazy as they come and can shift reality in his immediate vicinity as long as his eyes are open. Both are a lot of fun to play, depending on circumstances and yet, most avoid them I think because they are too out there.

That being said, I feel more or less the need to avoid any character that remotely echoes being a god, transient being, elemental universal guardian of all reality ect. just as I love seeing characters that are thousands of years old because being thousands of years old wouldn't strain the sanity of a human, meta or otherwise. I remember that I made the mistake of RP'ing with an individual who had [Survived since the Ancient Rome] in his title and proceeded to mention quite often how he was responsible for the London Fire to the Black Plague to the San Francisco Earthquake...

We all have our quirks though and you can't put them all down in a bio so we have to make due with what we have. I go to Pocket D often on various alts just to people watch.. to see the interactions because I am often alone and bored. It's during these times that while sifting through the various bios that make me wonder why I want to RP half the time while other times, it intrigues me to see how many people can pose and posture all at once without sounding the least bit unashamed that their claims of dramatic and epic deeds or histories are better or more tragic then the other persons.

As far as what the bio's tell me, in between the lines and the arguable guidelines, I do make it a point to put in [Mature RP] because [Literate RP] sounds far too conceded but I may change that because, hell, I have nothing to lose. I only really put that on a couple of my bios to avoid having to PG-13 down some of my more colorfully spoken characters. As far as status goes, I personally don't agree with Status:________ = ERP but that's mostly due to other MMO's I have played in the past where people were often coupled but rarely was there any hint of "playing Uno"..

My point in all is this. For me, RP'ing is like reading a novel and the bio is the jacket. I am a very picky reader and if I don't see something that would interest me to continue reading the book/RP'ing, then I don't. Unfortunately my preferences are obscure yet easy-going and less then dramatic while being hinged on reality, with a sprinkling of game lore and others in for good measure. And that, is a rare thing for me to see.

My bio says im very very very lazy

I am now filled with a perverse desire to roll a WoD style Vampire character that /isn't/ completely ridiculous, out of tune with the lore, or otherwise essentially playing the wrong damn game.

Malkavian. I'm thinking Dual Pistols/Mental Manipulation. Who's with me?

Theme-songs, Blood types, height/weight indexes are hallmarks of Japanese manga character descriptions.

Or conversely, a theme-song may just give you a little window into that character's "soul"
If a player's theme-sing is "Inside The Fire" by Disturbed, they're probably a little dark or mature themed.
If a player's song is more like "In the Summertime" by Mungo Jerry, they're probably more of the happy go lucky sort.

The tag that always raise my eyebrows is the ones saying something to the effect of "Character is an [BADWORD!], player is not" or "Character is racist, player is not." Etc.

It always feels like a suspiciously specific denial of your behavior, like you're using the character as an excuse to treat people in ways that in the real world would result in you having A) no friends and B) no teeth, and not expecting people in-game to, I don't know, punch you in the face or treat you like you're an [Censored by the Committee for the Protection of Wee Little Ears]. That you're doing this to people who routinely solve problems with massive amounts of violence is also a bit perplexing.

The more space people spend defending and explaining it (I once saw someone use half their bio space on the topic), the stronger I suspect that it's a player taking advantage of the fact that I do not yet own an Internet Strangling Machine. But that's my take on it.

So you're saying that I probably shouldn't invite the guy who plays a member of the Fifth Column to my cousin's Bat Mitzvah celebration, then? Alright. He's kind of a dick anyway, so...

I'll agree that I find tags like ((character is racist, sexist, treats women like trash, etc etc but player is a nice guy who'd never hurt a soul and would rather kill themselves than hurt an innocent bunny rabbit)) completely strange and contradictory. Regardless of whether you want to or not: your character has bits and pieces of you, the player, in them.

If being able to take on the personality of somebody completely different is some type of skill learned in the 3rd grade and I apparently fail at life for never learning it, please let me know.


Now then. Would I treat them differently or ignore them? I don't treat people differently because of what they put in their bio. Just look at my characters and you'll probably see why I don't discriminate. I only treat people the same as they treat me. If you treat me respectfully, I'll do the same for you. Treat me like crap, and I'll be sure to globally ignore you and possibly report you for harassment.

Ohh hi guys, I guess it's ok to say something on this one.

I think my bio on my 3rd main says what kind of player I am best.


the Irken

I should point out my other character with a Bio and a theme song, once again it points out my insanity.

My main's bio is a Freedom Corps report done on him and it explains a fair bit about him. First off, it explains that he can adapt weapons by observation but he needs to build them. Second, you'll know that he's a sentient robot and reformed villain who used to kill off members of the Sky Raiders and he's trying his best to redeem himself. And you'll know that Freedom Corps doesn't quite trust him despite their willingness to accept him as an ally. You'll also know his voice sounds like Neil Patrick Harris (I loved his role as Spidey in the MTV Spider-man Series series), and some bounty hunters in the Rogue Isles can find out that he has two million dollars in bounties put on his head by the Sky Raiders, Malta, and the Council.

My favourite alt's bio, however, doesn't really fit into the typical bio. It's a description of a dating advertisement she did as the result of a bet. The thing turned out to be a bit of a disappointment for her friend, but it's on youtube (ICly, of course. Not in the real world, though I hope to get off my lazy tuchus and record a machinima of it). Due to the character limit, I couldn't fit a link to her Virtueverse page. I did also leave notes that she doesn't have any super powers, that she's now a sidekick, and she cosplays occasionally.