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Relevant Country's Action/Dark RP Snowflake Test


Anneal

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(edited)

Before I start this I want to credit @Randimaxis first because I obviously based this off of his test which is probably nearby this one. This test was actually made for a different genre completely, considering how...Mary Sues aren't always uniform on each genre, and what is accepted for one is not always accepted for another. So I made this test for two popular genres besides the standard SoL and Romance RPs we have on here: the Action and Dark genre, which is usually represented by universes where there tends to be a bit more violence, grittiness, and trauma. Sometimes they are crossovers.

 

But then again, this is not for Mary Sues, but rather for special snowflakes. Mary Sues on these two genres tend to be far more noticeable, so I picked one that is far less noticeable but regardless will still provoke the ire of some RPers out there. And without wasting time:

 

sig-4570102.special_snowflake_by_keiggy-

SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE TEST

IS YOUR OC...A SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE?

A special snowflake is a character that is built to be unique or unusual in some way. While they may or may not be Mary Sues, inexperienced roleplayers will do anything to make them stand out in any way. If a special snowflake is in an action or dark RP, it may try to have the most outstanding equipment or stats that will favor them the most. And while they are very much an annoyance to the more experienced, they are generally much harder to spot than a Mary Sue, mostly because of the confusion of a special snowflake vs. a "different" character.

 

First of all, a special snowflake is superficial, unlike the "different" character who may be unique but has certain depth and a well made backstory and balance to justify that difference. Therefore, as long as you can establish a well-made backstory and personality, you can still be a changeling or a racial hybrid or even an alicorn without being a special snowflake or a Mary Sue (though you can expect it to be far more difficult to pull off, even for experienced RPers and writers).

 

As it turns out, a lot of inexperienced RPers end up falling into the special snowflake trap as much as they fall into the Mary Sue trap. The test is simple: add points for each question you say "YES" to. This may be less universal since, again, special snowflakes can differ among genres. ;)

 

1. Does your story defy the lore the RP is placed in or establishes? [+3]

"My magick comes from necromancy because I am dead like the ones I summon."

2. Is your character's age too improbable for what he or she does? [+2]

"I entered the Interstellar Academy at 13 and became a badass supersoldier Colonel at 20."

3. Is your story based off the story of a canonical character? [+4]

"I was a Stable dweller...that escaped from the hellish home I called Stable 99."

4. Are both of your parents dead at a young age? [+1]

"Um, can both of you die, please? You're getting in the way of my RP."

5. Are your "flaws" really just special traits? [+3]

"I was blind...and that's how I learned how to echolocate as a pegasus!"

6. If your RP has stats, are you stat dumping to an extreme? [+2]

"My Charisma is 1 and my super Wisdom is 10..."

7. And do you avoid enforcing your stats or traits? [+3]

"...But my Speechcraft is 100!"

8. Does your character defeat mooks (regular baddies) too easily? [+2]

"I smashed the heads of two bandit scum and threw them against the wall like beanbags."

9. Does your character follow typical cliches and archetypes too much? [+1]

"I'm not a hero, I'm a MERCENARY, damn it!"

10. Does your character use exotic weapons or weapons out of context? [+3]

"Face the wrath of my high-frequency katana blade!"

11. Is your character too "foreign" to fit its RP topic? [+4]

"Na ni?"

12. Does your character use overpowered weapons early on? [+3]

"I am armed with a brush gun, Ranger Sequoia, and a teddy bear."

13. And are you using them because you want to? [+2]

"GET THE .50 CAL!"

14. Did you pick a race just for its benefits (i.e magic or flight)? [+1]

"It comes with the description."

15. Are you playing a specific gender for "abuse stories"? [+3]

"I got enslaved and nearby beaten to death, and all I got was this lousy collar."

16. Are you tech-abusing? [+3]

"But suddenly, the tank had APS systems that destroyed the RPG missile!"

17. Do you try too hard to "win" player fights? [+2]

"Damn it, why won't you die?"

18. Did you intentionally make your character to be mentally unstable? [+3]

"JUST GO AWAY YOU'RE GETTING IN MY WAY!"

19. And is your disorder exaggerated or portrayed inaccurately? [+2]

"We need to rendezv – OH HEY A BIRD!"

20. Or are you antisocial, depressed, and hateful? [+3]

"Get away from me. I hate all ponies and they deserve to die."

RESULTS:

0 – 10:

If anything you are probably not a Special Snowflake. You have special traits but it's not built to make them super-unique or superficial, though if you answered NO to very little of them, then great job!

10 – 20:

It's still a good OC, but it may be a bit cliche and annoying to RP with. You should watch out what you post and maybe tweak your character a bit, but if you're going for a more casual RP then it should be fine.

20 – 30:

The OC is not bad but is not particularly good and may not be accepted in high-end RPs. You may want to tone down on the OC "flavor" and go for a more regular story and personality.

30 – 40:

You are walking on thin ice. Parts of your story and personality will need to be heavily changed if you intend to be taken seriously in an RP.

40 – 50:

Textbook definition of a special snowflake. If you find out your OC is a total special snowflake, make sure to draw and quarter it and burn it at the stake. And then dump it into a vat of hydroflouric acid. It's the only way to be sure.

Edited by Sealand
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(edited)

I feel like numbers 13,15,and 11 need to be tweaked.

 

The first two seem a bit too specific and the last one being kind of racist. I'm not being biased here, if it were any other race; too black, too white, too Chinese. I'd still feel the same. Also I think 15 is a little sexist.

 

Overall I still like it, I'm eager to test it out on canon fictional characters as well as my own.

Just tested Deadpool, he scored 42 which is kind of cool . I could be wrong in counting though.

Edited by Vitamin C
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I feel like numbers 13,15,and 11 need to be tweaked.

The first two seem a bit too specific and the last one being kind of racist. I'm not being biased here, if it were any other race; too black, too white, too Chinese. I'd still feel the same. Also I think 15 is a little sexist.

Overall I still like it, I'm eager to test it out on canon fictional characters as well as my own.

Just tested Deadpool, he scored 42 which is kind of cool . I could be wrong in counting though.

I played a lot of action RPs before, so those were things I thought of a lot, but 13, sure (I put it in there because you'll be surprised; a good amount of people put ".50 cal anti-material rifle in their arsenal for no good reason other than "I want to"). And 11 is mostly because of how prevalent people love to plaster Japanese names onto characters that don't really need it, especially if the RP was never anime or Japanese-related in the first place. But I can see where it's coming from; people have used Russian or German or English names for no reason or because "it's cool". If I wanted to be really nitpicky, I think too many OCs use the word "Blitz" too much in their names when there are plenty of other names that are fitting for a pegasus.

 

15 though...the whole question is meant to call in the issue of stereotyping in RP. I know there are plenty of OCs that are likely made to be female to connect to stories of abuse, assault, or something nastier, and end up unintentionally passive and creating unfortunate double standard implications...or if the OC is on the more Mary Sue end it might either disregard his/her traumatic experiences completely or angst artificially about him, both of which have unfortunate implications and in more extreme cases just downright offensive. What I mostly mean is that using gender to play into sob stories is a very dangerous thing to do and doing it is likely a sign of a special snowflake.

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(edited)

First off,  I love your response by the way , it was really well thought out.

 

 

 

I played a lot of action RPs before, so those were things I thought of a lot, but 13, sure (I put it in there because you'll be surprised; a good amount of people put ".50 cal anti-material rifle in their arsenal for no good reason other than "I want to")

 

Apologies, I never realized such guns were so prevalent in action/dark RPs. Having such weapons would make things too easy,

 

 

 

 

Japanese names onto characters that don't really need it, especially if the RP was never anime or Japanese-related in the first place. But I can see where it's coming from; people have used Russian or German or English names for no reason or because "it's cool". If I wanted to be really nitpicky, I think too many OCs use the word "Blitz" too much in their names when there are plenty of other names that are fitting for a pegasus.

 

 

I don't really see a problem with this, though I admit I'm likely biased due to my interests in anime. So long as they also follow the lore I'm quite fine with having Action or even Dark RP allies be named Sakura Blossoms or Cup Noodles, but I understand that everyone has their preferences and quite a number of folks would consider it less immersive compared to names like Cover Fire or Quick Scope. 

 

 

 

What I mostly mean is that using gender to play into sob stories is a very dangerous thing to do and doing it is likely a sign of a special snowflake.

 

This is kind of what I was looking for. The original question would have allowed characters with similar stories but with differing gender or non-abuse types of sob stories to skate by. At least that's what I had in mind when  initially type it. I was really vague, Apologies. 

Edited by Vitamin C
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First off,  I love your response by the way , it was really well thought out. Apologies, I never realized such guns were so prevalent in action/dark RPs. Having such weapons would make things too easy,

 

I don't really see a problem with this, though I admit I'm likely biased due to my interests in anime. So long as they also follow the lore I'm quite fine with having Action or even Dark RP allies be named Sakura Blossoms or Cup Noodles, but I understand that everyone has their preferences and quite a number of folks would consider it less immersive compared to names like Cover Fire or Quick Scope. 

 

This is kind of what I was looking for. The original question would have allowed characters with similar stories but with differing gender or non-abuse types of sob stories to skate by. At least that's what I had in mind when  initially type it. I was really vague, Apologies.

 

Well, it depends on the RP but it's more likely to have it if it happens to be a crossover, post-apoc, or dystopian. I play a good amount of those, from Fallout Equestria to Mass Effect (not so much dark) to Metro 2033, so I have some of my experiences put in there. It's mostly because not having any sort of firearm or energy weapon quickly makes the RP pretty empty (it would be very awkward if you couldn't use any of that in an action scifi RP like Dead Space, right?). And there are plenty of ways to justify possessing them and creative ways to use them (in Fallout Equestria, ponies who use ranged weapons tend to hold it on their mouths, levitate it, or use a "battle saddle").

 

I haven't RPed in anime very much, though, the closest thing I did was Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. XD

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