The parade of "perfects"

So recently, I've been noticing a lot of new characters that seem to be perfect at a lot of things. They're adored by others, they're great at school, they're good at sports but not really interested in them, but they don't feel like they're being themselves or they aren't happy being perfect and maybe once in a while, they'll have a breakdown but bounce back quickly thanks to one of the adorers.

What happened to the angsty, down on your luck kind of characters? Or the awkward anti-social types? Or the downright goofy and dorky types? What's so fun about having a character that is good at everything but remains aloof?

I enjoy getting down to the nitty gritty of my characters and really finding out what makes them tick. They're bad at things, they learn new things, etc. I get the most enjoyment out of that kind of character development.

Is the "perfect" parade just roleplayers wanting to live vicariously through their characters, or is there some enjoyment out of it that I'm not understanding?

Some people's lives are actually like that. =p

I know quite a few people who are better than I am at sports and are forced to do it by their parents, while I quietly work my ass off and am still worse because I'm unlucky enough to have zero natural talent at it. These kids hate it but could go to college for it, and I love it and I only have a shot at one sport. =P It's just how the dice roll sometimes. Especially in a school setting, which you seem to be talking about, athletes who are good are obviously going to be popular - they're winning in front of the entire school. =P Especially in a school setting, if I were to play in one, I sure wouldn't want to play a character modeled after myself. xP The tryhard chronic underachiever - I'd want to play something different enough from myself that I derive enjoyment from it. Maybe that's just what others are doing.

They're still out there, you just have to find the sites where characters with flaws and such are not only embraced, but expected.

As for the perfect parade... Sometimes you have to give the player a little bit to show where they're taking it, not all characters that seem perfect are going to stay that way! My friend, for example, plays a character right now that's in college to be a teacher, used to be on her high school track team, is pretty and blonde and friendly, but she's going to take her in a darker direction soon. It's really great!

Wouldn't the fact that they don't like what it is they are good at be considered their flaw? The fact that they are struggling to break away from the 'legacy' or what not that is forced on them?

It isn't that they don't have any flaws - it's that character after character, this idea is repeated of being great at everything but unhappy. I suppose you could say it's a trend?

I'm not complaining or anything, just curious about others perspective on it. You all have brought up good points!

I've never actually seen a character like that in the last few months, at least not one I can remember. I believe they exist, but apparently I haven't been active enough in site browsing to see more characters like this.

But anyways, I'd expect characters like that, because I know personally that at least one person in every sport at my school is like a prodigy but hates playing that sport. So, I think that is one person makes a character like that because maybe they happen to know of somebody in RL like that, then it's likely at least one person will use that idea from them, and eventually it could become a trend. That's my two cents.

The problem with playing anti-social characters is, well, they're anti-social. 'Forced' threads are only fun for so long -- having your character not want to be there every single time gets a bit dull.

Y'know, I'm not bothered at all by "perfect", competent characters. I like them, and I feel a game needs them.

I mean, I'm sure IRL everyone has known That One Person who seems perfect at everything they do. They touch it and it becomes gold! They can pick up some random hobby, just because they're bored or curious, and excel at it right away, like they're just naturally talented, while meanwhile the diehard people who have been doing it for years and are actually invested in it are like "-__- Wtf, man? No fair." They get straight As! SOMEHOW they have a friggin' 4.8 GPA, are a leading member of their sports team, do volunteer work, have a job, AND have a social life on top of it all! They're friendly and helpful and popular and GOOD AT EVERYTHING THEY DO.

...I know I've known people who fit that exact description. D

These people exist! Are they actually good at everything they do? Probably not, but it sure looks that way from where I'm standing. But they're just human, and since we're not privy to everything in their lives, we can't see their failures, or how much they struggle, or how sleep-deprived they are, or how stressed they actually are, or how much time and effort and hard work they devote to these things, so it all just looks like it's effortless. How much of their perfection is pressure from other forces, such as family? How much of it is their own perfectionism? How are either of those things affecting them? We don't get to see the things they're bad at--because maybe they actively avoid the things they're not good at or they keep their failures hidden.

That and, well, some people are just naturally talented.

I find these characters interesting because I want to get to know them on a deeper level, because the "perfection", to me, is just the first layer. What's going on beneath it?

I also think they provide a good foil for other types of characters. I mean, these people IRL are often the subject of a lot of jealousy and resentment, even though they may be a really nice person. (Or maybe they're not--maybe they let it go to their head.) They also tend to get put on a pedestal a lot, so maybe other characters strive to be like them, because they're the character always used as a good example?

I dunno. Perfect characters can never be 100% perfect because they're people--and because they're played by flawed people. ;D It's hard to play perfection when you yourself are not.

But I feel they have a perfectly valid place in RP. I tend to play a lot of not-so-competent characters, or characters who are striving for greatness. These are characters they can look up to--or envy/clash with. And I find that awesome.

I think, like with sites, most every base character type is some sort of trend. With how many rps and characters there are out there, it's a bit hard to come up with a fully original back story and even a few minor personality traits. I think were the originality comes from is what you do with the character. The growth of the character. You could have three 'perfect' characters on the same board. A spirals into the world of drugs and alcohol to escape it. B says screw it and decides to embrace it and thrives in the area they had initially hated. C decides screw it, and pulls away from it and goes against all expectations and does their own thing. So there's three characters that were pushed to be perfect in every way, but all three handled it differently. In all honesty, as much as some things might drive me nuts when I read an app or even make one of my own [I sit there and go, I can't believe I'm using this!], it really boils down to how that character develops that makes them break away from the trend. At least in my opinion.

The characters that you described in the first paragraph, I've seen them but they're nothing to rip hairs out because of. I think it depends on what genre you're looking at, I mean if you're seeing them a lot. On one site that I am on, I don't see any characters like that and there are a wide variety of characters there! The characters you described are not all that bad, they just sound like an archetype but some of those characters might just be that way because that's how they were thought up (and there's nothing wrong with that because people like that do exist) and there's more to a character than their archetype anyways!

People always claim that there are so many dark, angry and angsty characters but then people also claim there are too many 'normal' characters as well as too many glittery happy-go-lucky characters... This is a trend, that is a trend. This is over used and that is over used to the point that they can't find the perfect place for their own 'different' character. I don't care if something is being written again over and over again because a lot has been done already (even though some things haven't been touched as much and there are still some mystery things to write about), but who cares if people are re-writing something that has been done before? If there's a new spin to it the great! Something to look forward to but if there is no new spin then wonderful, we get to reminisce If it's truthfully a trend then let people tear away at it until they want to feed on something else, I don't think it should bother or affect you in any way. How other people make their characters should be of no concern, it might be a bit annoying that all these characters are the same but whatever. Someone might even claim that one of your characters are over used and a trend.

If other people want to play the 'perfect' characters then let them, it's not hurting anyone, and they can do their own thing while I play my own style of characters. Some might want to live vicariously through their characters, yes, but not all of them and there's nothing wrong with living vicariously - in most cases.

As long as the RPer shows me that this character is perfect rather than telling me, then we're good =) I like it when it's believable.

Man I vastly prefer "perfects" to the people who are loners with dark angsty pasts. Angst is the most boring thing in the world to read about thread after thread. SNOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRREEE. "My family died when I was little and then I was abused by my uncle and my only light in this world was my dog Spot and he got hit by a car and then I lost all my friends ~because they didn't get me~" god just freaking gag me already.

Perfects are, in my experience and measuring by how much entertainment I derive from reading them, so much more interesting in every way. Especially when they have their odd little crises.

I don't believe there is such thing as an absolutely "perfect" person. To me, true perfection is unattainable in life and it's only what you make it out to be in your head.

Someone may appear perfect because they're good-looking, have a successful career, had good grades in school, have great relationships with their family, friends, and lover, and/or because they're famous, etc. But do those really make a person "perfect"? What is "perfect"?

No matter what we all have flaws whether it's clear or not, it's what makes us human.

When someone tells me that they're good-looking, they've got amazing grades, and/or they have a high IQ, I'm immediately sceptical. I think, "well, prove it". Just because you say or have good grades tells me nothing unless you show it through your actions. It's the same with perfect characters, if they're described as perfect, to me, it doesn't mean they're perfect at all unless they actually appear to be so in role-play, which is hardly ever what happens anyways.

Topic makes me think of Shinon from Fire Emblem 9 and 10.

"Shinon lazes the days away in his old haunts. An expert at all he put his hand to, he chose none as his calling."

I adore this type of character, if they're done well. The guy who is perfect at everything, searching for a challenge at every turn: Something he actually needs to try at. It's amazing to me. Perhaps because of a spot of envy, as there is hardly a thing I'm good at. XD

If you're finding these perfect characters everywhere, you must be rping with a bunch of teenagers. Who, despite the absolute belief that they are all individuals who walk to the beat of a different drum, are an amazing herd of sheep. Try rping with adults.

Okay, bring on the vociferous voices of outraged teenagers everywhere telling me what a horrible person I am XD.

This quoted bit pretty much does it for me @Upper Class Twit I like believable characters. So long as the player makes me believe a character is a certain way through portrayal and writing then there is no real argument against them being any said way.

More often than not, I don't think 'perfect' characters are really ... well... you know... perfect. I mean, you can read an app that might sound like a 'perfect' character, but once in play there is usually a trait, or interaction that dooms them to the very humanistic quality of imperfection. I'm not sure any player is truly capable of playing a perfect persona no matter if that is the intent behind characters.

I think the perception of perfection is also subjective. What one player might find perfect might resister a reverse opinion in another player, and so on. For example, even if a character is 'good' at everything and seemingly popular, yet they actually come across as aloof and emotionally removed from other characters... right there that's a huge social flaw. So.... that isn't a perfect character.

All my characters have flaws, some more obvious than others. I know, I even realized certain flaws that I might not have intended at first, just from developing and playing them. I think a lot of times it takes awhile to 'flash out' a character (something I personally struggle with from time to time) so early concepts might appear less well rounded than what later comes through after playing awhile. I've had characters who changed after I played them, and in a lot of cases they grew to have more flaws and issues than I originally had counted on.

Ehh...this kind of thing really depends on genra and PB type more then anything else. Certain genres are prone to producing these kind of characters more then others, as are sites that use celeb PBs. The latter is simple to see, EVERY celeb looks glamorous. It's why I dislike celeb PBs so much. It is impossible to find a celeb who looks totally ugly. Even the celebs who are not perfect still dress in fashionable cloths and keep themselves spotless and immaculate. So needless to say on a site that uses celeb PBs chances are all the characters will range from "good/in-style" to "drop dead gorgeous" appearance-wise, and that can be a catalyst for characters who are "perfect."

Likewise, certain genras will produce more of these kind of characters then others, I have figured out, but ALL genras have them. High School RPs tend to be full of them, though this is kinda well-known. RL RPs also attract them if they are all about partying and upper class lifestyle. If their about gritty city life or crime, however, you usually see less of them, so RL tends to vary depending on the focus. Sci-fi and fantasy sites, despite being logically most prone to this(MAGIC! and SCIENCE! seem like they would lend themselves to this) tend to not have as many of them as some other genras, BUT this is mostly because the vast bulk of sci-fi and fantasy sites tend to have VERY tight rules and systems for their magic/superpowers(some even use actual stats) to prevent people from making their characters godly powerful. As a result, people looking to make "perfect" characters tend to shy away from such sites as soon as they see they can't be the strongest magic-user or most ****** swordsman in the world.

Of course, a lot of this is probably my bias for anime/comic/drawn PBs and non RL sites talking, but hey, some of it may be valid!

Another good one is the warrior who is eighteen years old but has single-handedly mastered not only karate but fencing, kick-boxing and rugby

Hrrrm.....

Look at the necklace! The jacket! The shirt! It's still fashionable clothes, with a cocked eyebrow to boot!

The cocked eyebrow, the meticulously maintained stubble, good god. Stud.

So I believe he's totally in style. =D Just like This fellow who you might recognize from Home Alone!