MU Peeves Thread
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@Kestrel Yes! A list of similarly immersion breaking peeves! Like when characters act extremely blasé about the setting no matter how horrific/creepy/suspenseful…nothing affects them ever. They’ve “seen it all”!
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I freaking loved when Norwood came into contact with new stuff. Him trying to keep his composure while freaking out made me happy.
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@howyadoin I’ve been struggling with this, I get that it’s sometimes hard to immerse yourself in these worlds. But buy-in? That’s sort of a requirement to run a horror D&D campaign, so I suspect it’s no less the same for an MU*.
Particularly, I’ve been struggling with how my character is supposed to react to this blasé character in question. Another difficult topic are the characters who have quippy one-liners or otherwise unserious comments in serious scenes. Big scary dragon that’s wiped out three kingdoms is now approaching its fourth along with all its brood of whelps, and a character just blurts out how they want to adopt one as they’re rampaging through the farmlands.
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Like when characters act extremely blasé about the setting no matter how horrific/creepy/suspenseful…nothing affects them ever. They’ve “seen it all”!
literally the only good version of this character is one whose player is aware of just how dumb and boring it is to play it straight and so constantly subverts it. but it seems like maybe only three people tops ever got the memo.
the most frustrating thing about it to me is that it’s essentially just an extremely selfish way to play. it’s all about fulfilling some sad power fantasy, rather than having fun with other people.
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Particularly, I’ve been struggling with how my character is supposed to react to this blasé character in question. Another difficult topic are the characters who have quippy one-liners or otherwise unserious comments in serious scenes. Big scary dragon that’s wiped out three kingdoms is now approaching its fourth along with all its brood of whelps, and a character just blurts out how they want to adopt one as they’re rampaging through the farmlands.
Yeah this gets me most when it is their entire contribution to the scene.
Who doesn’t love a great mid-action, or mid-horror, quip when it integrates well and is incorporated into an overall fitting reaction?
The stand alone quipster though who is otherwise completely unaffected by what’s going down? Big peeve as a player, but even bigger peeve if I’m the ST.
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Another difficult topic are the characters who have quippy one-liners or otherwise unserious comments in serious scenes.
It would be one thing if it were occasional, but it’s very much the MUing equivalent of having something scan as the wrong price at the check-out line and saying “Must be free!” Like, it’s great for you in that moment but that’s just one moment in five hundred thousand that cashier has had to deal with.
I partially blame the MCU, though I can’t really say whether their quip-per-scene quota is an originator or a symptom.
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Another difficult topic are the characters who have quippy one-liners or otherwise unserious comments in serious scenes.
It would be one thing if it were occasional, but it’s very much the MUing equivalent of having something scan as the wrong price at the check-out line and saying “Must be free!” Like, it’s great for you in that moment but that’s just one moment in five hundred thousand that cashier has had to deal with.
I partially blame the MCU, though I can’t really say whether their quip-per-scene quota is an originator or a symptom.
I blame Joss Whedon specifically.
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I think the “I’ve seen stuff” and unaffected character can be a great foil to allow other characters their dramatic moments. However, it needs to be done in a way that uplifts and shines the spotlight on other characters rather than say dismissing the freak outs of other people.
Quips like “First time?” Are dismissive and shitty.
“Yeah this shit is scary”, but otherwise not wigging out? Ok.
Extra points if they’re willing to allow their character to be afraid when something they havent seen comes up.
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There’s also a level of Catch-22 in it.
1:
Abelard, Bridget and Camille look out their apartment window and see a chupacabra digging through the dumpster.Abelard screams, runs for the closet and curls up in there having a panic attack.
OOC, Bridget and Camille bitch about what an attention-whore Abelard is and how his reaction derailed the scene, as if it’s 1994 and he walked into their wedding scene, smelled a peanut, and went into anaphylactic shock.
2:
Abelard, Bridget and Camille look out their apartment window and see a chupacabra digging through the dumpster.Abelard says, “Huh. It’s so ugly it’s cute,” and helps investigate.
OOC, Bridget and Camille bitch about how Abelard ought to be freaking the fuck out, he’s only a mortal after all.
3:
Identical to 2, except Abelard says, “HOLY FUCKING BALLS!” instead.Not that the fearless, blase, too-cool-for-anything quipper PC isn’t a real thing and a tedious drag, but it’s also not bad to examine your reaction, see if really there’s just no pleasing you, or no pleasing you if you’re Abelard, and entertain the notion that maybe Abelard is playing his PC correctly. I’ve definitely seen both ways.
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There does also need to be room for a character who, due to experiences in the game, has earned the ability to be a little blase or otherwise confident around weird shit. If your character has been around for a good long while and they’re still as overwhelmingly frightened by their fifteenth grue encounter as their first that’s just as tiresome, in my view.
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