Posted by sparky on October 04, 1999 at 16:24:25:
In Reply to: Re: oy my head hurts. posted by Dyston on October 04, 1999 at 14:32:29:
The point is, if I roll up a wizard..er..mage named Gandalf or a human shaman named Rand or a drow named Drizt (who wants to turn good) or a prince named Diarmuid (oops..sorry Guy Gavriel Kay...I think that was his character in "tigrana" or something), or a warrior named Conan, or a thief named Matrim, or a ranger named Lan (who becomes a Warder..ok it's a stretch..), or a healer named Jesus, or a bard named Taliesin (damn, they used that one and got away also, huh) or an invoker named Myrddin (or merlin, if you want), or a warrior named Arthur, or an axe spec named Perrin (could also go ranger here), or ...well god I forgot where I was and what I was saying..
If you name any character that, they will be denied. While Pikel may roleplay well (very respectable) the fact that he is not roleplaying his own story frustrates me as a player who must come up with a story of my own. I understand that a few times, these things slip through the eyesight of the imms (see Taliesin, see Diarmuid), but hear me out. Diarmuid is allright..I can only assume because I have not seen him in action that he does not take the role of his namesake. I actually have no problem with using names from books..sometimes picking up an obscure novel and randomly selecting a name is a GOOD WAY of naming your character.
But to use a name that is not yours, coupled with a past that is not yours, a way of acting that is not yours, a life that is not yours...your character is unoriginal and should not make it past the question "Are you sure this is an original name?" Who cares if you react to certain situations in a certain way...that to me is a real poor way of attempting to defend this character. I bet I could roleplay a Conan pretty easily. Just talk with some accent (see third-age dwarf) and carry a big sword. If something comes up and pisses you off, cut it up (unless it's female and wearing a loincloth).
God this is frustrating me now. Sorry for rambling so long...I don't really care either way what Pikel was thinking, and I'm sure I would have a blast with him...hell I wouldn't have known that he was stolen from a book if it weren't for this forum. But in the future, people, come up with your own CHARACTER even if you don't have an original name. Avoid this whole mess, man.
sparky, the non-proofreader