Joke Characters

[Wilhelm Bosche]

Doin' it wrong (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=152689#post152689)

VS

Doin' it right (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=19605)

Thoughts?

[Visla Eraclaire]

I need to stop accidentally posting OOC threads on my alt character. Oh well.

I don't intend to insult Rocky by calling him a joke character, because I think there is definitely a place for amusing, off-beat characters. In fact, the whole reason I consider him to be "doing it right" is that he could actually be RPed. He's not just a mockery of stereotypes or things that the creator dislikes condensed into a profile.

The thread also isn't intended to be directed entirely at those two characters. There have been a lot of odd characters, from a cactus chef to a eponymous merchant, and I've enjoyed lots of them (and made that latter one).

It further occurs to me that I should have put this in the RPC, because it isn't a staff suggestion. My reflex to post in Your Word is too strong.

So, with that clarification, what do people think of these sorts of things?

[Mikeavelli]

Example one is a joke character that someone probably has something in mind for. I can't see it going very far, but who knows? It might prove endearing.

Example two is heavy-handed satire.

[Visla Eraclaire]

Example one is a joke character that someone probably has something in mind for. I can't see it going very far, but who knows? It might prove endearing.

Example two is heavy-handed satire.

I take it you mean the other way around.

[Godhand]

Example one is a joke character that someone probably has something in mind for. I can't see it going very far, but who knows? It might prove endearing.

Example two is heavy-handed satire.

You're a dumbass.

No, don't ask me to elaborate. My time is far too precious and you are far too dumb for me to bother.

[Mikeavelli]

Doing it Right. (http://www.althanas.com/world/showpost.php?p=152694&postcount=4)

vs.

Doing it wrong. (http://www.althanas.com/world/showpost.php?p=152695&postcount=5)

[Bear Man]

Given that they were both posted within a short amount of time, I give it an odds on chance of being the same person.

Also, I thought both of them were funny.

[Midnight Dark'n'ess]

Hey! I am not a joke character u preps! Ur just haters!

And jealous!

edit: wut dat was in all caps but it changed it! omg u guys are such morons.

[Visla Eraclaire]

Given that they were both posted within a short amount of time, I give it an odds on chance of being the same person.

Also, I thought both of them were funny.

I chuckled at the first iteration of the "obviously ridiculous does all the cliches" character, so I don't blame you for being amused. But Althanas has already had DOZENS of them. It's old meme.


Hey! I am not a joke character u preps! Ur just haters!

And jealous!

edit: wut dat was in all caps but it changed it! omg u guys are such morons.

Obvious troll is obvious, kid. Get a new gig.

[Rocky]

Preposterous. I am not a joke character. I am insulted by your (frankly racist) debasement of the proud Rock people. We've been around for longer than you have, you know. A lot longer. And we have a diverse and valuable culture.

And someday we're going to take notice of this blasted skin rash that you silly humans call "civilization" and then you all had better watch out.

[Godhand]

Hey! I am not a joke character u preps! Ur just haters!

And jealous!

edit: wut dat was in all caps but it changed it! omg u guys are such morons.

http://images.uncyc.org/commons/c/cf/Trollface.jpg

[Amaril Torrun]

Rocky looks like a brilliant, fresh idea, rather than a "joke" character. Like Visla said in her second post, it looks like there's a lot of potential for some good storytelling with that character. I don't really have much to say on the topic of joke characters in general, since you never truly know the intentions behind someone's new creation.

[Bear Man]

Actually, I think this thread itself is funnier than either of the characters are on their own. I lol'd. Several times. But maybe I'm just easily amused.

Godhand: You win. WIN.

[Midnight Dark'n'ess]

Obvious troll is obvious, kid. Get a new gig.

wat. I are not troll.

MAYBE I wasn't trying to troll, or fool anyone. MAYBE I was just trying to remain in character for a forum-wide, multi-character, epic storyline.

Well, maybe.

Godhand's post was funnier anyway.

[Bear Man]

For anyone who thinks that Rocky is an original idea, guess who I found in the recently active users. (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12897)

[Visla Eraclaire]

For anyone who thinks that rocky is an original idea, guess who i found in the recently active users. (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12897)

<ominous chord>


MAYBE I wasn't trying to troll, or fool anyone. MAYBE I was just trying to remain in character for a forum-wide, multi-character, epic storyline.

Multi-character is right at least. Go get together with the dozens of other people who have beaten the joke you are telling completely into the ground.

[Bear Man]

Originally Posted by bear man
for anyone who thinks that rocky is an original idea, guess who i found in the recently active users.

What happened to my capitalization there? Lol.

And indeed. Oh, indeed. I think that's probably something that's funny the first time, but I imagine it gets old fast.

[Rocky]

For anyone who thinks that Rocky is an original idea, guess who I found in the recently active users. (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12897)

Oh, well played, sir. Well played. But you are missing one vital, fundamental fact: that character is a stick. I am a rock.

Nice try.

[Visla Eraclaire]

Oh, well played, sir. Well played. But you are missing one vital, fundamental fact: that character is a stick. I am a rock.

Nice try.

He has a point. Want to bet on how long before someone registers paper and scissors?

[Rocky]

He has a point. Want to bet on how long before someone registers paper and scissors?

But that would just be ridiculous.

[Bear Man]

So, to summarize what this thread has discovered: purposely-cliche characters are funny but have been done before a thousand times, inanimate characters are funny but have been done before at least once, and so all of humanity is a bunch of uncreative unfunny fucks and we should just blow the whole thing for a Game of Soldiers and go home.

"Funny" characters don't usually leave me with this terrible pervading feeling of ennui...

I think I have nothing more to say here.

[Amaril Torrun]

Rocky looks like a brilliant, fresh idea, rather than a "joke" character.


For anyone who thinks that Rocky is an original idea, guess who I found in the recently active users. (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12897)

Thanks Bear Man. Way to make me sound like an idiot. Jerk....

[Bear Man]

LOL whoops that was accidental. I didn't mean you specifically.

And...what's this...there's another one?

AW HELL NO! (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=19608)

Mr. Smith. What an original name. Wow, this character is one half cliche and one half...more cliche. AWESOME.

edit: Also...he's an accountant? Isn't this a medieval setting? Lolwut. Though everything I know about the history of accounting would...errr, I don't know anything about the history of accounting.

[Pembleton]

Accountants on Althanas? How completely preposterous! (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=18803)

Glad to see the profession is expanding.

[Bear Man]

I stand corrected.

[Down to the Bone]

Hello. I am also an accountant.

I never got around to playing this character, which is something of a shame. I was reading through threads on the site, and just happened to come across this one.

[Visla Eraclaire]

Accountants on Althanas? How completely preposterous! (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=18803)

Glad to see the profession is expanding.

Like many novelty characters (and I think that is a better term than what I have been using), I see you were approved in March and yet nothing's happened.

I suspect 9 out of 10 of the characters registered in the past couple of weeks will never complete more than one thread. This includes my own new character.


Re: Mr. Smith - While this is an additional twist on the old "cliche character" idea, adding a straight man to the mix, I'm not sure if it's enough.

[Godhand]

Hello. I am also an accountant.

I never got around to playing this character, which is something of a shame. I was reading through threads on the site, and just happened to come across this one.

God, that really sucks. I took a big interest in your character when you posted it and was looking forward reading your stuff.

[Rocky]

Okay, no really, Bear Man and Visla have good points.

However, I actually made this character with Woody in mind, and his player and I were communicating the entire time. We're planning on having an epic battle thread in which one hobo picks up Woody and the other picks up Rocky and they duke it out in an epic brawl. Epically. (sidenote: I now hate myself for overusing that word)

So no, it wasn't exactly completely original (his idea not mine) but it's not like I just plagiarized right off him. Also, I made sure to make Rocky's profile distinct from Woody in its humor and style (or at least I tried, there's only so many things you can do with inanimate objects really).

tl;dr - Rocky was purposely made as a counterpart to Woody; that was completely intentional.

[Visla Eraclaire]

Even if it had been ripped off, that wouldn't make you any different from anyone else on the site. There's nothing new under the sun, and no one should pretend otherwise.

I think the Mr. Smith addition to the Darkness joke makes it sufficiently original to be mildly interesting, but the odds remain low. I think they are even further lowered by the fact that whoever is writing this joke finds this topic discouraging enough to consider giving up.

People who want to be funny need to be bold and not care what people think. If people stopped doing things I thought were stupid or unfunny, this site would have ceased to exist years ago.

[Saxon]

So there is such a thing as a slow news week, even for Althanas. This thread is proof. ;)

[Amaril Torrun]

I think we should all come away from this thread with a lesson...

START WORRYING AND WORKING ON YOUR OWN "IN CHARACTER" THREADS!



On that note...

I think I'll post in the Magus.

EDIT: After reading this post, I realize it came off a bit more jerk-like than I meant for it to be. "Worrying" about other people's threads is something absolutely essential to what makes Althanas work. Reading threads other than our own can help us improve in ways we couldn't without our peers. So yeah... (I ... quite a bit, don't I?)

[Josef ben Loewe]

I was quite shocked when I saw that Stone character, mainly because in my first solo for this char which I am writing at this moment will introduce my familiar: a sentient stone.

The thread will be intended to be at least partly funny (I hope I succeed) with it yet the rest of my character is in fact serious. I thought about making a fun char, but like Visla I figured that I will probably never be active with it. As such I created a slapstick familiar :).

[Letho]

Once upon a time, there was a talking cupcake on Althanas and it had a flamethrower. I think that beats rocks and trees any day. :cool:

[Amaril Torrun]

I was once in a powergroup led by an owl, with absolutely nothing special about it. Needless to say, its hard to keep a bunch of characters in a group led by a simple animal that can't communicate or understand anything going on.

[Alydia Ettermire]

I resent the notion that all joke characters will be unsuccessful. :)

This joke character has seen more action lately than even my most serious one. >.>

[Visla Eraclaire]

I suspect 9 out of 10 of the characters registered in the past couple of weeks will never complete more than one thread.

I left room for 1 in 10.

[Sighter Tnailog]

Yeah, I make joke characters sometimes, usually for the sake of one joke, but not an extended joke.

My, I seem to be in the business of resurrecting threads these days.

But I wanted to add that there have been other inanimate characters; I recall Pedro_Possessed_Map, one of Manda's old characters. Also one of Treslizn's characters, who was a sword that controlled destiny around itself and, like Rocky, infringed on the minds of those who came too close.

Also, I'd say Chumley was a particularly great joke character. I mean, I pretty much believe that this (http://www.althanas.com/world/showpost.php?p=14207&postcount=4) is the best post ever written in the history of Althanas.

[Jericho]

He has a point. Want to bet on how long before someone registers paper and scissors?

But that would just be ridiculous.

http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=3705