Forums » RP Discussion » So tired of werewolves.

I've gone back and forth on wanting to post on this thread for awhile, and I finally decided to do it.

This thread actually disappoints me a lot. So far the community here has been super nice and friendly, so I thought that things like this would be avoided here.

I just don't see the point in singling out a group like this. Even if the characters are 'generic' like a lot of people have been complaining about, so what? The people that made those characters obviously see something in them, and maybe it's fun for them. That's the whole point of roleplay right? To have fun with some friends?

If you're sick of vampires/werewolves/elves/humans etc, why make a thread bashing them? Why not just avoid playing with that type of character?

Also Minerva is right, I know the character she's talking about and you wouldn't even have known he was a vampire just from randomly playing with him.

This thread just...frustrates me a lot. Almost makes me not even want to play on here anymore, even though I don't even have a vampire or a werewolf character.

The OP did not post this with the intention to make anyone feel targeted or unwelcome. She was frustrated with seeing a particular type of character being played in a way that made little sense to her and felt comfortable enough with the community's open mind to express this frustration on the forums.

Plain text does not carry tone or intention well sometimes, and I feel that it may be misinterpreted by some as a personal attack. I'm sorry it is felt that way, but this is a valid personal opinion reflecting on the experience the OP had; it may not reflect yours, but there is little reason to take it personal and make it something it is not.

It may not be the most positive thread on RPR, but it is definitely not something evil or insulting and I hope we as a community can try to focus on the positive: well developed characters, who make sense, which we all love and cherish just like the OP.

Edit: Elaborating my post, the reason this was likely posted could very well be that she wanted a different audience to rant at, get some understanding and hear the point of view of others. Which is exactly what this thread turned into initially! A fun discussion enhancing the good and bad points of these type of creatures. Someone chipped in saying the concept related to almost any type of popular race and there was a lot of nice discussing there too.

Zhi has a were-bear she roleplays, and she's roleplayed often with my character Minda, a vampire. So I hope you guys feel a bit better knowing that she didn't mean every werewolf or vampire character out there and that she actively participates in roleplay containing either race. She really just has beef with the way most (not all!) are played and I honestly agree with her. I'd just have phrased it differently.

I have to certainly agree with Sanne here. Word-for-word, she said what I was going to I do want to say something to Redeemer, though! If you make a character like that, message me. That sounds so much fun to RP with. xD

While there certainly are plenty of exciting, unique werewolves and vampires (I own one, for instance. Dhampir that turns into a dolphin xD), we have to admit it; Vampires and werewolves are easily stereotyped upon creation. 'Cookiecutter', as the original thread poster mentioned, is the perfect way to describe it. I'm certain we've all seen dozens of the same kind of vampires or werewolves. Dark, mysterious, broody. The poster was just expressing her frustration with this. Though I might recommend her to check out Foxy's Bade Ulf. He's an awesome werewolf who isn't so stereotypical, at least in my opinion.

I had to read back to see what you meant and I agree. I want to see that too!

Personally I don't really mind the dark and broody types. If you're a werewolf or a vampire, you're very limited in what you can do and inclined to be like that. I just noticed that 9 out of 10 characters given these traits are flat, meaning they don't ever develop their personality through experiences or follow the same basic storyline that everyone else has. It was awesome when one person did it, but when 200 people copied that, you basically have seen all there is to it.

If you're looking for a creative challenge in your roleplay partner, meeting only these kind of characters after you roleplayed for many years is simply frustrating. It's not meant to be degrading towards the players. If you eat a slice of pizza 3 times a day, every day of the week, you're going to be very tired of having to eat it halfway through. I think that's what Zhi was trying to say rather than "Every werewolf and vampire character is boring and stupid and uncreative".

*hopes people will feel better about it!*

I agree, on another site I was in a Vampire RP outside of my forum. And this girl had a perfect girl, who turned into a vampire..

I see every Vampire or Werewolf who is primply perfect as one of the worse kinds of Mary Sues. Perfect this, perfect that. I like the werewolves that have battle scars, that turn into horrible monsters, not a fluffy wolf that reminds you of a large dog. It totally messes up the whole rp systems.

Same thing with vampires. They have vampires that are so perfect (There are exceptions on few cases) that everyone wants them. I can understand that a creature can be alluring ,but not to the point where you take every waking moment to describe a feature that could be normal. Its glamoring it all up from what the creature should be.

I love vampires and werewolves ,but the way I think of them is way different from a normal person.

To me a vampire is nothing ,but a creature who hunts at night, strategic with a gaping mouth with a set of razor sharp teeth. No beauty, just bloody. I can see some exceptions to this on occasion ,but usually when a creature is out for blood you would not think they would have to be gorgeous to get the food source that they need.

I mean before the 1800s vampires did not even have fangs. Back in the old days they had saw-like teeth and razor sharp claws. They were not pretty. The were pale with glaring eyes.

Werewolves in legend usually did not end up turning into something fluffy. They turn into this raving beast out for food and no the full moon thing really is not real in lore. I mean there are mentions to it ,but it is really rare to come across a genuine tale that has that reference besides a way to become one.

Its human nature to make things perfect and some people do that with their rp characters. I find it annoying because most people actually do and have made most vampire/werewolf rps a mockery in the process of this.

Sorry about my rant. This just really grinds my gears.

I find that the younger a player is the more prevalent that is. Not meaning to offend anyone, but more often than not a 14 year old will play something that looks 16-21 thinking this is the peak of their life. They don't want to get old or "boring". Similarly the younger the author (by age or experience), the less they want an ugly character, as they see it as a fantasy reflection of themselves. It is only with experience that we learn the value of imperfection to a character. Be it looks, power, or money. I say give them time and most grow out of it.

Werewolves and vampires are nice, I suppose, but that may be because I encounter them while playing as Tannis~ Though I may wear biased lenses, I find Minerva's words to be true. For me, at least~

I have come to love conflict between characters~ Everyone getting along so nicely is wonderful, but if some of the characters are moving towards one alignment and others another alignment that is close but not quite compatible, is so much fun to watch or actively push one group and then the other~

And after reading this forum, I have a strange desire for a were-creature. Perhaps a were-rat~

*chin strokes* I read somewhere once-- I believe it was on Wikipedia, and then again on TV Tropes-- that it was once believed in folklore that a deceased werewolf could turn into a vampire when not properly deposed of. If that's true (and I'm not here to debate the credibility of either site), then that's preeetty interesting for the trope "Fur & Fangs" (which deals with both monsters and their feud-- yeeaaah I need to get off TV Tropes).

And actually, there are so many different kinds of vampires in the world-- both in folklore and in fiction-- that anything you pick and go with would probably work (like Chinese Hopping Ghosts, for example!) Even Dracula, who was known for his vile charisma and nobleman's good looks, grew older without blood to revitalize him, possessed hairy palms & a unibrow, and had rancid blood breath!

<Mature topic warning>
He was also a metaphor for sexual abuse.
</Mature topic warning>

Yeah, I totally want to get together with that for all eternity.

... And then there's Twilight, but let's not go there again. Uyehgh! XC

What was the point of this post? I don't remember now-- I think I just felt like rambling about vampires for a bit.

That's why I loved Derek's Lode character. He was from like, Roman ages yes, but looked 80something by present even when turned as a young man. Not staying up to snuff equals age. But tbh age is a pet peeve of mine. I fail to understand why ancient mystic beings who arent even human, seem to think 18 is the bestest hottest age to be at. I mean once in a while Luci shows himself that young but that's to interact specifically with a young age group. elsewise he's almost 30 just due to his vitality. ...ash gets 50ish even at times. Ferous is a "i cant tell how old this person is". :x i try to vary any of my ancient entities in appearance... cuz I figure gods may find wisdom and appeal in age.

Wererats are actually relatively common characters. I've seen (and played) a few in my day!

I don't really have a strong opinion on character ages or apparent ages. It's got little to do with this discussion, anyway. It's their decision if they want to play an 18-year old, as it is their decision if they decide to play a 50-year old or an elderly person. It doesn't give or take any value from the character.

I probably said this before in this discussion, before it was revived a while ago, but I believe it all boils down to how you play a character. The run-of-the-mill cliché werewolf can be played wonderfully, as can the dark brooding and fangy vampire. I don't think there's any intrinsic value (or "maturity") to what you choose your characters to be - werewolf, vampire, demon, god, whatever. It's how you make it work that counts.