Kallabash
Grizzled Veteran
I'm Digu
Posts: 552
Race: Android
Soul: Tri
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Post by Kallabash on Aug 11, 2020 7:30:46 GMT -5
Throughout ADBZ, we've had several members that will forever be known as the "best" person to ever play a certain character. That likely means they've spent years as that character (maybe off and on), and the general consensus is that the character will forever be associated with that member. In some cases, the member might even have finished off their larger character arc, or just generally progressed the character to the point that there wasn't much else to do with it. Personally, I can see how even after switching characters, these members might appreciate if these characters were retired. I'd also agree that it would be a nice bit of recognition of the community voted to do so.
So, do you believe it would be cool to have canon characters - even popular ones - retired? As I said, each case would require a community vote, probably with a simple majority rule. It would also require an extensive resume, and clear love and dedication to the character, to do it. I'd personally also consider it permanent. Even that member may never play it again.
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Post by Recoome on Aug 11, 2020 7:36:07 GMT -5
Part of me is like "yeah great idea, preserve all the work that this person has put in."
But another part thinks, what would then happen to that character in the Universe? Do they become an NPC? Who RPs them?
Picture the scene - we have a dedicated Goku (lol) who completes his Character Arc, progresses as far as possible can be, and is voted to become a 'Forever Character'. He then drops Goku and moves to Guldo.
We then have a new member come along and join as Gohan - he's all "yo can I RP with Goku? Who currently RPs him?" and the response is "oh no he's retired, there is no Goku in ADBZ anymore! You can never meet your Father! Your life, and character, will forever be damaged!"
And if somebody keeps RPing them, surely it would have to be the person who used to control them in order to keep the same tone and character. But then why would they drop them in the first place - they'll be RPing just to cater to people who want to RP with that character, and not to develop their own story.
BASICALLY I didn't vote either way. lol.
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Kallabash
Grizzled Veteran
I'm Digu
Posts: 552
Race: Android
Soul: Tri
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Post by Kallabash on Aug 11, 2020 7:37:55 GMT -5
I get what you're saying. In my mind, someone writing that character as an NPC is far less impactful on the legacy of that character than someone else playing it though.
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Post by Lilim on Aug 11, 2020 7:50:11 GMT -5
I think so long as the community vote for the procedure is in place, it should be fine. I think another compromise would be the character's previous RPs (even when under the guidance of different players) be preserved in their character sheet so that people that take up the mantle later can see what has already been done. That way, semblence of continuity is maintained, makes sure the character has fresh inspiration and thought, and maintains the legacy that someone put into a character. That being said, that would require a munitorium to review what's added to the sheet and what should be removed, as you don't want sheer incompetence to be preserved like that. Additionally, this might lead to the argument that some characters have a 'perpetual' power level (ie a certain character's power and abilities stick with the character despite changing hands), and I'm not sure how other folks like that idea. We could probably put controls in that as well, though.
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Post by Recoome on Aug 11, 2020 7:52:38 GMT -5
I guess it depends how much the "forever" character is gonna be RP'd, and in what sense. If they're only in PS's, then that's fine - but if they become an important part of someone's character, what's to stop them being included in OS posts? At that stage, when they interact with multiple people at once, would the original character take over again?
Say the Goku in the example is a CE character - somebody new then RPs him as he is in canon, and somebody else RPs him as he was when he was made "forever". There's nothing to stop the newbie RPing Goku how he likes, even though its not in keeping with the character.
I think they either need to be retired in the sense that they never appear IC again, or that the original character / somebody CAPABLE on staff RPs them going foward. This might give something for RP Guides to actually do?
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Post by Lilim on Aug 11, 2020 8:47:14 GMT -5
I guess it depends how much the "forever" character is gonna be RP'd, and in what sense. If they're only in PS's, then that's fine - but if they become an important part of someone's character, what's to stop them being included in OS posts? At that stage, when they interact with multiple people at once, would the original character take over again? Say the Goku in the example is a CE character - somebody new then RPs him as he is in canon, and somebody else RPs him as he was when he was made "forever". There's nothing to stop the newbie RPing Goku how he likes, even though its not in keeping with the character. I think they either need to be retired in the sense that they never appear IC again, or that the original character / somebody CAPABLE on staff RPs them going foward. This might give something for RP Guides to actually do? I like this idea as well. The only concern would be if enough canon characters effectively become NPCs, we might see the list reduced severely (over the course of years ofc). Not sure if that's a valid concern though.
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Post by Buu on Aug 11, 2020 8:58:03 GMT -5
Just gonna throw my opinion into the ring I don't like the idea of this. Personally I think it sends the wrong message to anyone looking to join the site when they start looking at characters and see some of the popular characters are locked off because we as a community decided that someone has already hit the peak of that character. To me that makes us kind of seem like elitist jerks in a sense, like right now we have the vibe of passing the torch onto the next person that wants to see what they could bring to the table with a character that has been used in the past. I like that I enjoy that currently we are a community that hands characters down to the next person to give them the chance to evolve a characters story in their own way once someone is done molding a story of their own.
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Post by Recoome on Aug 11, 2020 9:08:42 GMT -5
Or the character can be added to an NPC list for 6 months / a year so nobody can instantly pick them up and interact with characters who already know that person? In the time inbetween they could function as NPCs (like SK etc.) so nobody has to miss out on finishing their own arcs.
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Bishop
Super Member
Posts: 721
Race: Android
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Post by Bishop on Aug 11, 2020 9:24:02 GMT -5
Or the character can be added to an NPC list for 6 months / a year so nobody can instantly pick them up and interact with characters who already know that person? In the time inbetween they could function as NPCs (like SK etc.) so nobody has to miss out on finishing their own arcs. I would rather there be something like this so that people have time to cut ties or acknowledge the change of character that they developed with. Instead of just saying lol No more Vegeta, Goku, Krillin, etc. I wouldn't personally like to see Canon characters never to be played again. But a CD timer where the community as a whole "gathers the dragon balls" to get the character back which would make it so some people still remember said character but the new person does not need to have anything to do with the old one. If that makes sense. EDIT: Haven't voted as of yet. In favor of a community cool down for a character but not an out right retirement.
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Post by Kale on Aug 11, 2020 9:38:06 GMT -5
I guess it depends how much the "forever" character is gonna be RP'd, and in what sense. If they're only in PS's, then that's fine - but if they become an important part of someone's character, what's to stop them being included in OS posts? At that stage, when they interact with multiple people at once, would the original character take over again? Say the Goku in the example is a CE character - somebody new then RPs him as he is in canon, and somebody else RPs him as he was when he was made "forever". There's nothing to stop the newbie RPing Goku how he likes, even though its not in keeping with the character. I think they either need to be retired in the sense that they never appear IC again, or that the original character / somebody CAPABLE on staff RPs them going foward. This might give something for RP Guides to actually do? I like this idea as well. The only concern would be if enough canon characters effectively become NPCs, we might see the list reduced severely (over the course of years ofc). Not sure if that's a valid concern though. That is a valid concern Lilim, but I'm not so worried about the roaster going poor over the years but more so that characters becoming forever characters is unnecessarily limiting and also kills any potential these characters have once they do become retired. Yes, I loved Dende's Vegeta, he made the best interpretation of Vegeta and his run of that character is unmatched and I can't think of anyone who could match or exceed it, with the magnificent characterization, extensive history, and vast depth he gave that character. Same goes with Tarble. but part of the appeal of the canon roaster being here is that people can come and become these characters and make their own interpretation of them, to be able to make new stories with these characters with their own literally merits. The characters and lore of Dragonball are iconic and have potential to be explored by new people coming with their own ideas. Imagine if Scott Snyder finished finished a Batman story, and people were like. Scott Snyder is such a good Batman writer, let's stop making Batman stories after his story arc finishes or if they were like Dan Slott made such a good arc for Spider-Man let's have him be the last writer for this character. Now granted the validity of this analogy may be put into question here, as I am comparing comic book characters that have been around for Decades to characters available in a role-playing a little over a decade old, but the same principles apply. Marvel and DC characters have had many writers making stories for them in the mainstream continuity or alternate worlds. Look at the amount of good Dragonball Fan mangas that give stories we always wanted to read, interesting stories that explore the deeper depth and may even deconstruct the characters as we know them. The characters of Dragonball are on a level on par with Marvel and DC with how iconic they are in of themselves. Again, Vegeta and Tarble were/are magnificent as their respective characters and I'll forever think of the writers here as those characters, but the overall potential for the characters of Dragonball to be explored is simply greater than any members legacy playing them. Do I think the next guy to play a character like Goku is sure to give the last marvelous Goku writer a run for their money? No, but someone should have a chance to pick that character up if no one is playing him if for nothing else than to simply have fun with one of their favorite characters. Another argument I have is that such a thing would reduce the potential for fun overall, who would want to pick from a canon roaster where Guido is available but not Goku, Vegeta, or Tiem. It would be discouraging to find you out you can't be one of the Z fighters or other characters you may have been interested in, but because everyone like the last guy playing him too much.
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Post by Gohan on Aug 11, 2020 10:35:26 GMT -5
I personally think it's not a great idea for reasons stated by Buu and Joseph -- taking one interpretation of a character and making it site canon stifles any further interpretations and turns off newbies or even older players. While memorializing great roleplayers and great consistency of characters is not inherently a bad thing, I think there are other approaches we could take.
One approach would be Legion's suggestion, setting a cool down period after a long run with a character, so their interactions and related arcs can be completed. This way everyone can get closure for their relationships and we still pay some homage to the interpretation.
Another option could be a multiverse type of canon, where there are several possible canons for a character. If someone wrote a chaotic evil Goku phenomenally, they could become a permanent feature without excluding the possibility of new interpretations. This is pretty close to how people do things now I think, but keeping an official list would further honor the players and their officiated characters.
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Cell
Junior Member
Posts: 38
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Post by Cell on Aug 11, 2020 10:41:22 GMT -5
Especially given how long this site as gone on for, this is one of the worst ideas I've ever heard. I've been around on and off the site for years and there are many that would consider a canon incredibly ingrained in the site lore at that given time, but everything fades with time. I think the staff need to sign up to keep the character curated and preserved if this were to go forward that includes not only rping as that character should the owner go away, but at the very least creating a summary of the storyline so that connected characters can learn the new canon. There are several consequences to this: - A member maybe never join the site if the canons they like are taken with no hope of becoming available.
- A member may be discouraged from playing a canon due to the site canon of another character or not wanting to do the large homework this assigns. (Vegeta not wanting a brother that is sadly not irrelevant and being subjected to reading everything Tarble has written, for example is a fate I would not wish on my worst enemies.)
- A lot of staff overheard to keep the canon alive and relevant
If this goes through a mechanism for releasing a canon into the wild once they become irrelevant seems like a must, but a cooldown period makes the most sense. The only argument I see for this as valid is that it makes a very jarring transition for people still on the site, but the site has had that issue for years as does any forum that allows canons. If a cooldown period and some creative writing can't smooth that transition, then maybe a creative writing site isn't the best idea especially in a world where there's not only multiple universes but multiple timelines based off a singular universe. Now an idea I could 100% get behind would be forever faceclaims for custom characters. These do not really hurt anyone and only pluck one character out of an infinite internet of possibilities. Someone can leave their mark on the site without the next person coming along to use that face claim who is not even remotely related to the original custom.
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Post by Seven on Aug 11, 2020 11:25:39 GMT -5
Yea this is a hard no. Best thing about ADBZ is how you can even customize canon characters to an extent. That's the main reason for anyone to enjoy writing on here because they can be as creative as they want.
RP Guides being able to take over certain characters for the sake of a member sounds dope though. Because let's be real, we're not gonna have another Chi-Chi, Maron, Spopovich, Yamu, Yajirobe, Tao, and etc for a very long time. So taking over "dead" canons for the sake of another member is what I would suggest.
Basically our biggest issue is that we have too many canons that no one wants to play. I'd say we should start doing more hard incentives to make people want to be a canon like Puar or Launch.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2020 15:38:52 GMT -5
Lol nah cuz
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Post by Riki on Aug 11, 2020 17:21:59 GMT -5
Yeah, as someone who plays Bulma and absolutely LOVED Dende's Vegeta and Recoome's Trunks, if they aren't picking them up again I want fresh blood. I want to still be able to RP familial ties and see what new Briefs can bring to the table. It's hard for me that geetz' Vegeta got eaten by his scythe and now he's alternate dimension Vegeta so his Vegeta is still real except Bulma has ties with Lucifer that she could see him at any time............only she can't? At that point, I'd rather him be replaced by a new Vegeta I can further Bulma's story line with. Yes, he's done what he wants to do, he has been the staple of Vegeta, but imo the site could do really well with another active Vegeta, him or someone else, and taking those kind of possibilities away from other canon relationships be lame.
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