Rp Culture etc

[slim]

Hey guys! I was just wondering how often do you I include characters with different cultures, ethnicities, and disabilities? For me, introducing characters with these is really important, but I know some people are wary of it due to them worrying that they won't portray it correctly, which is understandable. However, a lot of people simply don't do it because they're too lazy to look it up at all or simply don't want to use a POC. 


Also, characters with disabilities are important as well and aren't portrayed either. It's understandable too, but they actually used a lot and not even correctly, like schizophrenic characters portrayed as aggressive and always talking to themselves. I made one character with face blindness, where they couldn't recognize a person by their face but had to use things like clothes, body language, etc to recognize the person. I find it extremely satisfying to look more in depth into things like these. However, romanticizing isn't the way to go when creating characters with illnesses and stuff Do you play characters will disabilities and mental illnesses? 

 

[eclipsa]

yesyesyesyesyesyes i make diverse characters literally all the time

 

[call me rae]

I live and breathe either fantasy or superheroes. So in fantasy since I make it all up from scratch it doesn't really matter what skin color or ethnicity is since I made the last one up anyway. 


And with appearance i am I am usually so exhausted after a week solid building a world from scratch I just put some like two word description up and call it a day. People are usually to busy fighting the villains of the plot to worry what my character looks like anyway.


Superheroes I do play different ethnicities ( well different than Caucasian ) as I'm Hispanic I usually stick to that because again character creation is like bottom on my list of priorities after creating an entire world and social system.


But I have played characters with disabilities ( most notiablly a superhero who was paralyzed and selectively mute ) and I love me the fiesta latinas flying though space and punching out their super villains.


hell one of my favorite re-occurIng side characters for my hero verse is the black male drag queen with rainbow powers, is he cliche ? Probably. He also exists in a world where being s superhero has essentially be monetized so stereotypes work.


like his most normal side kick is the bisexual stage magician with psinic abilities and a tendency to speak in Shakespearean english. Play the world your in.


And most of my worlds are either totally fictional or camp explosions.

 

[call me rae]

Stupid iPad won't let me finish my thought so sorry for the spam. 


Anyway defensive triade aside for me characters should be enjoyable first. I burn myself out with world building so my characters are simple and designed purely to bring me joy. It doesn't matter to me what they look like, where they're from , or if they have some mental/physical set back.


Have I made characters that check all those boxes


- not white


- disabled


- not american


- not straight


hell yeah but I never set out to make them that way. That was just the character I created because Ithought they'd be fun to play.

 

[Pendragon]

Almost all of my characters are black and all of them are either bisexual/pansexual or asexual. In most RPs, their sexuality doesn't actually matter as they don't get involved in romance. I recently made a character with depression, which became the cause of her inferiority complex. Not to say that all people with depression have inferiority complexes, of course. I'm thinking of making an OC that is either mute either because they chose to be, or because they cannot actually speak. I'm not sure how much of a cliche this is though, so I haven't decided yet. I do intend on making more mentally ill characters in the future, because I enjoy having varied characters with strong personalities.


At the end of the day, I don't actually care what anyone's character looks like. As long as they have an interesting personality/storyline then it doesn't matter to me. I'm pretty indifferent, although it is nice to see diversity. *shrugs*

 

[TPBx]

I just make cs sheets according to the setting tbh. If its anime fandom in Japan, I make a reasonable Japanese character. If its a fantasy rp thats based on European mythology, then I make a white character. If its modern and realistic, I'll just pick at random from the rainbow of cultures. My philosophy is that Characters shouldn't be forced to be diverse, but should naturally fit the story and lore in place, because as much as I'd like to see a bisexual Japanese, Black trans-man in a Nordic town in Engranussia or Aarthdon that speaks fluent Spanish, Dwarf, and Arabic. It will be so out of place that it makes absolutely no sense.

 

[Umbrie]

i typically play fantasy or science fiction settings. where a character's ethnicity, gender, or culture isn't likely to come up more than a handful of times at most. there are some exceptions to this. but i try to look at who the person is as an individual rather than codify them into simple categories like trope or culture. i mean sure, i might incorporate some tropes and some aspects of a character's culture and i might sometimes build a character who has a strong conflict with their home culture. but i prefer to use either nonhumans or at least humans of cultures that aren't from the real world, so i don't intentionally offend real world people of those cultures. i might have a culture of humans called the Draconians, who are an honorable and polite race of humans who worship a series of Draconic Rulers and seek to embody the culture of the dragon. to some, this might sound like they were Chinese but the truth is, they are not a China Stand in. they are Draconians. while a great deal of Draconian Culture might have been inspired by China, a Draconian is not the Same thing as somebody from China. completely different world, so the Draconians can actually have a handful of differences that separate them. it would be the Same to me if somebody called an "Elf" an "Egyptian" because Egyptians are a highly advanced and artistic culture, much like Elves. an "Elf" and an "Egyptian" are 2 completely different things. they might both be advanced artisitic cultures, but that is where the similarities end.


the key when writing a fantasy world is to not steal a culture wholesale, but to take the elements you want to focus on when designing your fictional culture.

 

[Count Gensokyo]

Sounds pretty gimmicky and "affirmative actiony" to me. I don't think characters should be forced to fit a diversity checklist or what have you. I just do whatever works naturally in the rp, like what @TPBx said.

 

[Jaye]

I'm a pretty big believer in branching out in character types. I used to mostly stick to my own race (white) though I messed around with ethnicity because most settlings aren't Australian - but these days I mostly play POC (with a significant chunk of research prior to the app). I think my latest one was my Filipino merperson called Chito   I'm not great about including disability, but I am getting better that. More research goes into that when I do portray people with disabilities (physical, mental or both).


Also I have to disagree with saying it's not relevant for Fantasy settings - I like to try think of what features fantasy characters have, too. Minorities aren't restricted to humans.


I think important to filter stuff like this into all our media - even user generated media like roleplays. Helps to make diversity common place.

 

[Jess Buck]

While I do think this is important, I tend to lean more towards the LGBT+ community.  I've made a trans OC and lots of Gay OCs.  I have one deaf OC and I love her so much! Her name is Rosie and she's adorable.  Her best friend his this fabulous gay man whom I took inspiration from Manny MUA on youtube.  He's gay, and he wears makeup but he wears very masculine clothing and he's very assertive in relationships and I love him.  He always does Rosie's makeup and hair and they have heated debates in sign language about the stupidest shit like why Rosie is a hufflepuff and why Max is slytherin or something dumb like that.  


My absolute favorite OC is my French baby.  He was raised by his single mother and his grandmother and all he knew about his father growing up was that he was an englishman who had a one night stand with his mother and she never really spoke to him after that.  Which was a lie his mother just told him so he wouldn't go looking for his father.  He, his mother, and grandmother all moved to the states when he was 10 and so when they moved Lyle. (Thats his name I just realized I hadn't said his name this whole time)  Anyway. Lyle was picked on alot because english was his second language and he had an accent so he lashed out and started making trouble, which caused trouble for his mother and Lyle became very close to his grandmother because she understood what he was going through and she didn't yell at him like his mother did. (Not to say Lyle resented his mother, he's the biggest mama's boy you'll ever meet)  But when he was 15, his father asked his mother if he could meet Lyle while on a business trip in the states. Lyle didn't want to at first but his grandmother convinced him.  So Lyle went out to lunch with his father and there he learned that he had a half sister and a half brother.  He actually spent quite a few days with his father while he was in the states.  And when he had to leave, he promised he'd keep in touch but he never did.  This made Lyle angry and he started lashing out even more.  A year later, when he was 16, his grandmother died, leaving Lyle completely distraught.  That woman had been his rock for so many years and then she was just gone.  When he turned 17, he got a tattoo of an iris on his forearm in her memory.  The iris was his grandmother's favorite flower.  


Wow i went completely off topic......

 

[eclipsa]

I think it's funny that someone mentions diversity and there's a chorus of "don't force it!!!!!!" when literally no one said anything about forcing anyone to do anything lmaooo. This thread is about celebrating diverse characters not "forcing" people to do anything.

 

[TPBx]

... I think my latest one was my Filipino merperson called Chito   ...

DONT YOU DARE APPROPRIATE MY CULTURE /S


But for real, I'm Filipino and I want to know where's the cs sheet for that. If he/she is not a nurse with an accent, I'll be disappointed.

 

[The Mechanist]

DONT YOU DARE APPROPRIATE MY CULTURE /S


But for real, I'm Filipino and I want to know where's the cs sheet for that. If he/she is not a nurse with an accent, I'll be disappointed.

I've never met a Filipino with an accent, and where I live accent I hear Mexican accents all the time, I fear my own accent is prominent at times 

 

[Lemon Boy]

Eh, I usually try to make a character for what's appropriate for the RP, as mentioned by someone before.


However, I do like playing characters different to myself, I personally find it really fun and interesting to do research on Cultures, Disabilities, Religions, and Ethnicities! 


It makes me feel like connecting to the character more because I actually HAVE to do some research for them, which I find lots of fun because character sheets are among one of the best parts of an RP for me. 

 

[Sibelle Grey]

@TPBx a nurse with an accent I'm dyiiiiiiiing


So, the characters I've played since joining RPN who aren't white, aren't straight, or are neither:


-Amira: Dutch-Egyptian rich brat with a superiority complex and insane ambition, biracial and bisexual. (Realistic)


-Mateo: a Spanish aspiring writer who loves the arts, my awkward, gay cinnamon roll. (Realistic)


-Caleb: nerdy sass master, short guy with a short fuse. Thin, freckly, sweary, sort of girly-looking, will fight anyone. Also bisexual. (Urban fantasy)


These last two are from a fantasy kingdom in a fantasy world, so from a fantasy race, I guess. 


-Ashir: spy, scholar, second (and illegitimate) son of an ancient aristocratic family. Disarmingly charming, very handsome, shrewd and self-serving. He has brown skin, sleek dark hair and dark eyes. He's pansexual. 


-Elleseere: probably the most snowflake-y of all my characters (why yes, she is of the orphaned and traumatized variety). Absurdly young queen of a kingdom that isn't excessively powerful. Elleseere's  stubborn and eager to leave an impressive imprint on history. She suffers from PTSD. And I do mean suffers from it, I didn't toss it in there just to make her interesting or some bs reason like that. I did (and continue to do) a lot of research to be sure that I realistically roleplay the ways in which her disorder affects her. I don't often think about her sexuality, but when I do consider that aspect of her character, demisexuality seems most fitting.


Can you tell the last two are among my favorites? I started typing this on my phone but I feel a rant coming on, so I'm gonna post this and switch over to my laptop. 

 

[Sibelle Grey]

So, every time there's a conversation about roleplaying diversity, I always see a lot of "Don't Force ItTM" and it kind of irks me. No-one is saying "You must create characters that are POCs, non-cis-het, disabled, etc." Nobody's forcing anyone to do anything. And I'm sick of seeing RPers act like the simple acknowledgment of lack of diversity in roleplaying is attacking their preferences. Like . . . why do you feel like someone calling attention to the fact that there aren't enough characters of other sexualities, races, etc. is a bad thing? Why does that bother you? Why does it make you uncomfortable? Why do you feel the need to defend yourself, when you are literally not being called out? I feel like some of those people are the same who feel like "All Lives Matter" but I'm not gonna get 'political' here. 


Representation is important, and as storytellers, we need to take that into account. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with playing only a certain type of character, I'm saying that we need to stop treating certain things as the 'default'. I want to live in a world where a character is not immediately thought of as white, or straight, unless otherwise specified. And for me, that starts with the characters I create. No-one's pushing diversity for the sake of diversity. I encourage diversity because the world I live in is diverse. Representation is important. Representation makes people feel heard. It makes people feel seen. Diversity isn't a fad, it's reality. Which brings me to my next point. Let's all say it together: People Are More than Their Race. That goes for characters as well. 


Some research is necessary for some when creating characters of races different from theirs. Race and sexuality influence parts of our lives, so I, myself, encourage research. However, a middle-eastern character does not need to live their middle-easternness every second of every day. It isn't their defining trait. Being South Asian, for example, does not affect every part of someone's character. In other words, a character of any race should not be reduced to their race alone, because that's how stereotypes and fetishization come about. This all comes down to realizing that while race and sexuality do impact many people's lives, it doesn't define every aspect of it. Depending on where a character lives and what their community is like, race isn't this gigantic, huge, scary deal where people are oh-so-different and I can't possibly roleplay as that ethnicity because I don't know what being Black/Asian/Latino is like. For example, say I create a character who's interested in astronomy. This character lives with their mother and little sister, plays the trombone in the school band, and is arguably Deadpool's biggest fan. They live in a pretty 'progressive' town (because I've yet to see an RP on here that explores social issues, but then again, I haven't looked). Now, tell me, what's it going to change in the story whether that character is brown, black, or white? Nothing, really, will it? If I make that character a white, freckled redhead, would they be dramatically different from a black-haired, Indian version of that character? Am I even making any sense here, is my point coming across? I'm suffering from school-fatigue so I may edit this later, I'll just hope for the best for now. 


The bottom line is this: we need to do better, and if you think pointing that out is making waves, you're probably part of the problem. If you're making a character of a race different from yours, do some research, and make your character as three-dimensional as you would make a character of the ethnicity you're used to roleplaying. Roleplay them as a person first and foremost, not necessarily as a POC (Token POC characters are annoying and insulting, and tend to veer into stereotypical territory). And by all means, ask for feedback. Very few POCs will actually harass you for approaching them to ask for their opinion. If you aren't sure, ask for feedback. (This is my opinion. It is valid. Yours is valid, as well.)

 

[eclipsa]

So, every time there's a conversation about roleplaying diversity, I always see a lot of "Don't Force ItTM" and it kind of irks me. No-one is saying "You must create characters that are POCs, non-cis-het, disabled, etc." Nobody's forcing anyone to do anything. And I'm sick of seeing RPers act like the simple acknowledgment of lack of diversity in roleplaying is attacking their preferences. Like . . . why do you feel like someone calling attention to the fact that there aren't enough characters of other sexualities, races, etc. is a bad thing? Why does that bother you? Why does it make you uncomfortable? Why do you feel the need to defend yourself, when you are literally not being called out? I feel like some of those people are the same who feel like "All Lives Matter" but I'm not gonna get 'political' here. 


Representation is important, and as storytellers, we need to take that into account. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with playing only a certain type of character, I'm saying that we need to stop treating certain things as the 'default'. I want to live in a world where a character is not immediately thought of as white, or straight, unless otherwise specified. And for me, that starts with the characters I create. No-one's pushing diversity for the sake of diversity. I encourage diversity because the world I live in is diverse. Representation is important. Representation makes people feel heard. It makes people feel seen. Diversity isn't a fad, it's reality. Which brings me to my next point. Let's all say it together: People Are More than Their Race. That goes for characters as well. 


Some research is necessary for some when creating characters of races different from theirs. Race and sexuality influence parts of our lives, so I, myself, encourage research. However, a middle-eastern character does not need to live their middle-easternness every second of every day. It isn't their defining trait. Being South Asian, for example, does not affect every part of someone's character. In other words, a character of any race should not be reduced to their race alone, because that's how stereotypes and fetishization come about. This all comes down to realizing that while race and sexuality do impact many people's lives, it doesn't define every aspect of it. Depending on where a character lives and what their community is like, race isn't this gigantic, huge, scary deal where people are oh-so-different and I can't possibly roleplay as that ethnicity because I don't know what being Black/Asian/Latino is like. For example, say I create a character who's interested in astronomy. This character lives with their mother and little sister, plays the trombone in the school band, and is arguably Deadpool's biggest fan. They live in a pretty 'progressive' town (because I've yet to see an RP on here that explores social issues, but then again, I haven't looked). Now, tell me, what's it going to change in the story whether that character is brown, black, or white? Nothing, really, will it? If I make that character a white, freckled redhead, would they be dramatically different from a black-haired, Indian version of that character? Am I even making any sense here, is my point coming across? I'm suffering from school-fatigue so I may edit this later, I'll just hope for the best for now. 


The bottom line is this: we need to do better, and if you think pointing that out is making waves, you're probably part of the problem. If you're making a character of a race different from yours, do some research, and make your character as three-dimensional as you would make a character of the ethnicity you're used to roleplaying. Roleplay them as a person first and foremost, not necessarily as a POC (Token POC characters are annoying and insulting, and tend to veer into stereotypical territory). And by all means, ask for feedback. Very few POCs will actually harass you for approaching them to ask for their opinion. If you aren't sure, ask for feedback. (This is my opinion. It is valid. Yours is valid, as well.)

I have never hit like on a post so hard in my life. This.


Saying "diversity for the sake of diversity" irks me so much. It's not "for the sake of diversity" it's reality. Thank you so much

 

[slim]

@TPBx a nurse with an accent I'm dyiiiiiiiing


So, the characters I've played since joining RPN who aren't white, aren't straight, or are neither:


-Amira: Dutch-Egyptian rich brat with a superiority complex and insane ambition, biracial and bisexual. (Realistic)


-Mateo: a Spanish aspiring writer who loves the arts, my awkward, gay cinnamon roll. (Realistic)


-Caleb: nerdy sass master, short guy with a short fuse. Thin, freckly, sweary, sort of girly-looking, will fight anyone. Also bisexual. (Urban fantasy)


These last two are from a fantasy kingdom in a fantasy world, so from a fantasy race, I guess. 


-Ashir: spy, scholar, second (and illegitimate) son of an ancient aristocratic family. Disarmingly charming, very handsome, shrewd and self-serving. He has brown skin, sleek dark hair and dark eyes. He's pansexual. 


-Elleseere: probably the most snowflake-y of all my characters (why yes, she is of the orphaned and traumatized variety). Absurdly young queen of a kingdom that isn't excessively powerful. Elleseere's  stubborn and eager to leave an impressive imprint on history. She suffers from PTSD. And I do mean suffers from it, I didn't toss it in there just to make her interesting or some bs reason like that. I did (and continue to do) a lot of research to be sure that I realistically roleplay the ways in which her disorder affects her. I don't often think about her sexuality, but when I do consider that aspect of her character, demisexuality seems most fitting.


Can you tell the last two are among my favorites? I started typing this on my phone but I feel a rant coming on, so I'm gonna post this and switch over to my laptop. 

i love you ok and you shut everyone down so you deserve a cookie

 

[Sibelle Grey]

@Syzygy Totally welcome, that annoys me to no end, as well. It's so dismissive of the actual problem. " for the sake of diversi--" no, because diversity is a real thing that needs to be acknowledged and represented. 


@Chrysalism yayyyy, a cookie :3 Thanks

 

[eclipsa]

@Syzygy Totally welcome, that annoys me to no end, as well. It's so dismissive of the actual problem. " for the sake of diversi--" no, because diversity is a real thing that needs to be acknowledged and represented. 


@Chrysalism yayyyy, a cookie :3 Thanks

It's so nice to see people who understand this. Even where I live - a very rural part of Western Kentucky - there are people of multiple races, sexualities, and religions. It's not fair to say "well, based on the area." There were black aristocrats in Europe during the 17-1800s. This isn't a new fad, it's life. It's always been life.

 

[call me rae]

@Syzygy Well damn now I gotta stop shitting on Kentucky  


from rural Indiana and we Hoosiers like our sense of superiority to you rednkecks in Kentucky. 

@Sibelle Grey


All kidding aside in fairness why people get knee jerk defensive is because the loudest people calling for diversity are the people that will tear you down if you don't write your characters life story exactly how they think you should based on whatever.


and as I told one of my friends on a slightly unrelated topic, I just get tired of it all. I've already screamed my self hoarse, defended myself to the tee, and now I'm just done with the argument. It's like you hate to think bigots and whiney little self entitled brats can effect you like that ( I'm a grown ass woman who will make whatever the fuck fictional characters I want ) but they really do.


i haven't gotten to that point with diversity but there are plenty of people who have, People who have been screamed at and abused so much for daring to have an opinion or trying to step out of their comfort zone that by this point even the mention of diversity has them reflexively getting defensive and bracing for the screaming wrath of some little snot on the internet that thinks they have the right to police people thoughts and feelings.


now I am not saying you are one of those people. Far from it. 


but when you get torn down enough times it's hard to even see a neutral topic without getting emotional and remembering all the people that tore you down, even if the person in front of you is trying to build you up.


its not about you guys I promise.


its about all the hateful assholes that let their narrow minded agendas ruin diversity for everyone else.

 

[ARSENIC]

Well, as someone who lives in a veritable mixing pot of different cultures, I definitely enjoy diversity in my RPs and portray it well, and while I don't think it's something that should be forced where it isn't in-setting I'm happy to see how well it's catching on!


One thing I do find a lot of people don't do too well, though, is in the understanding of how personality and ideology is affected by that shift in culture, rather than just clothing or food or the color of your skin.


To give an example, I once mad a drow (dark elf) male who was extremely ambitious and power-hungry (that last bit is unsurprising to anyone who's played with me since most of my characters are power-mongers). Now, as anyone who has heard of the drow will know, they are a very matriarchal society who see men as fully and utterly subservient to women. Which means anyone exposed to that culture for long enough, particularly during their childhood, would come to associate femininity with power - meaning this guy dressed and acted in a way that was far more feminine in nature, not because he had any disconnect about his gender or sexuality, but because he firmly believed that these were traits that showed him as more powerful than others.


Another thing is the concept of moral relativity based on culture. This is why many of Hitler's nazis didn't genuinely feel like they were doing wrong - due to massive amounts of what they called cultural heritage and we now know as propaganda that predisposed them to the belief that Jews weren't really people; and that gays and the disabled were faulty and broken in a way that removed their right to be people, too. While I rarely make my characters as far-fledged as Nazis, the notion that everyone believes in the same universal standard of right and wrong is something I like to toy with, particularly with isolated cultures or aliens who may have developed in vastly different ways from us.

 

[Jaye]

@TPBx - I think I missed the reference of a nurse with an accent <_< I can post the CS if you really want?


@Sibelle Grey - Heck yes, you are all over it. That's basically it - diversity is a reality. It should be mirrored in our creations.

 

[Grey]

I rarely play anymore, and most often GM. 


So when it comes to world-building, I just try to construct internally consistent and well-defined cultures, allowing players a diverse selection of character types - sometimes with the explicit intention of their characters clashing with their home or host culture. These things can make for richer characters and more interesting stories, more complex motives and unique perspectives, and often can be a great way to facilitate character growth. When I write pre-made characters for these settings in convention games, I try to make characters who both have a personal stake in the narrative and a role in the group - this can often hinge on cultural aspects of the characters. 


I bring that up first, because it illustrates my principal motivation - better characters, more interesting stories, opportunities for representation.


When it comes to stuff set in the real world, I research the demographics of the time period and location in which the story is set, and get an idea for which characters fit the story while representing the 'truth' of the location, if that makes sense. For example, when writing a scenario involving academics in the 1930, I checked whether it would be historically accurate for a black man to have a professorship at a USA university - turned out that wouldn't happen for quite a while yet, so I stuck to wealthier white dudes and made a note of the year it'd be accurate to include a black man in USA academia. In a similar scenario before that, however, I'm not sure I did the same research because I included a woman who'd spent her inheritance getting into a small university because I expected it to provide some good narrative beats (and also, admittedly, because I was still honing my craft and thought it was a necessary concilation to my audience), and a Guatemalan man attended the university due to diplomatic ties - which was just an extrapolation from some other research and may not be historically plausible. I should really go and check up on that.


When writing scenarios in modern Baltimore and Seattle, I looked up the demographics and how they related to the story I had planned. I did some reading on historical events and cultural trends, because I'm on the other side of the pond and don't know all the little details of living in a major USA city. I then tried to make characters who broadly represented the populations of those cities and still fit into the narrative neatly. That goes for race, religion, and gender. I think the only time I wrote a disabled character was a young veteran who lost a leg.


And this made for better stories, I think. Better characters. Diverse motivations and perspectives that could clash dramatically, work together, deal with the ugly realities of modern life, and so achieve immersive, emotional engagement. And then use that to disturb and terrify, because I am a killjoy. 


From my perspective, lack of diversity is more often lazy than malicious, I suppose. Do research. Write better. If you're not inclined to do either, might as well admit it. When it comes to roleplaying you only have to satisfy your own quality standard.

 

[TPBx]

@TPBx - I think I missed the reference of a nurse with an accent <_< I can post the CS if you really want?

Just pm it to me (unless you really want everyone to see it).


The nurse with an accent is a long running stereotype about Filipinos. BS statistic inc., but it seems like 80% of Filipinos that pursue medical careers choose to become assistants or nurses. And if you don't believe me go to any American hospital and even in the least diverse parts of the country, it will somehow still be staffed with 50% Filipino nurses.