Clonus Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 Fire: Tightly disciplined and cool headed. Intense training to avoid making mistakes and starting fires leads to the counter-stereotype leading a life of careful control. Speed: Easy-going procrastinator Patience learned from everything seeming to take forever, and the belief that there will always be plenty of time to do anything. Stealth: Loudmouth Loves to sneak up on people and then shout in their ear. Healer: Sadist You can inflict so much more pain when the damage is never permanent. Brick: Subtle and manipulative While there a lot of smart bricks, there are very few subtle ones. But why can't a mass of muscle be a calculating mind looking for the right buttons to press? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Has already been used Fire: according to wikipedia, Human torch Speed: Sloth form Fullmetal Alchemist Brick: Hulk, when Banner was in Control or he got Banner like intelect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston GM Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Ice: Warm and friendly. Just a sweet, lovable person who gained ice powers. Death powers: Good, virtuous person. Mentallist: Weak-willed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Nice try, but won't work ;-) Ice: Iceman especially the Rouge from X-Men 2 found him very "loveable" Death: argaubly: 90% of the Shinigami from Bleach; Rin from the webcomic "Guests in Purgatory" Mentalist: Psi Footsoldier (otherwise, they'd be leading). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston GM Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Christopher, Nobody is saying that there are no pre-existing exceptions to the existing stereotypes. We're just giving counters to the existing stereotypes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Christopher, Nobody is saying that there are no pre-existing exceptions to the existing stereotypes. We're just giving counters to the existing stereotypes. The problem is: Everything on this list and 90% of the counter stereotypes you can come up with have already been used. The guys at Marvel/DC/whatever and Anime/Manga writers needed something to sell. Or is this about listing "counter-stereotypes that you know of? If that is the chase: A psychic programmer: He actually can read minds/see into the future (well, actually that is only something most customers asume we are able to do already). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping The problem is: Everything on this list and 90% of the counter stereotypes you can come up with have already been used. The guys at Marvel/DC/whatever and Anime/Manga writers needed something to sell. Or is this about listing "counter-stereotypes that you know of? If that is the chase: A psychic programmer: He actually can read minds/see into the future (well, actually that is only something most customers asume we are able to do already). No reason not to play with them more. As to your example are most programmers actually pretending to see the future? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsatow Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Some counter intuitive character concepts Kai (a personal character) - master of the martial art Lua yet is a party down, procrastinating, surf absorbed idiot savant. How many masters do you know would rather do a kegger and surf than use/teach their martial arts. How about these ideas? Ahd-zum: "last accountant of krypton". Was originally sent to a special club-fed prison world but the ensuing explosion of his home world redirected him here instead. He looks like a meek 98 pound accounting weakling (which he theoretically is) but has the strength of Superman. Likes doing white collar crime. Sexy Suzy: Walking bombshell and hanger on of supervillains. Has an acting, charm, conversation, and persuasion skill of 21- and a Int and Pre of 28. Has a slight speech impediment making her sound dumb. Subtly influences supervillains to do grand schemes and spend money on her. Bruce Lee: This just says kung fu martial arts doesn't it? Mystical African American hoodoo spell caster from Mississippi. Shocker: He's a super villainous detective with obscene detective skills. He drive supers crazy by sleuthing. That upstanding paragon of humanity is secretly a pervert cross dresser with a desire for goats. That little old lady you saved, actually a slum lord who embezzled a half million dollars from orphans. Oh the shocks. The Lawyer: Ok, you gots me on this one. A lawyer is always evil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clonus Posted March 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Has already been used Fire: according to wikipedia, Human torch While Johnny Storm does have a phenomenal degree of control over his flame compared to pretty much any other fire user, this isn't reflected in his personality, which is the stereotypical rash and hot-tempered. Brick: Hulk, when Banner was in Control or he got Banner like intelect Smart isn't the same thing as subtle and manipulative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clonus Posted March 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Nice try, but won't work ;-) Death: argaubly: 90% of the Shinigami from Bleach; Rin from the webcomic "Guests in Purgatory" . Psychopomps are a whole different stereotype. They don't really have death powers. They don't kill people or reanimate corpses with their powers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping I like my counters hard and level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Or is this about listing "counter-stereotypes that you know of? The answer is obviously yes. So sorry for the missunterstanding. Let's go on and have fun. As to your example are most programmers actually pretending to see the future? Nope, just customers sometime think/act like we are able to. Some actually ask "Haven't you predicted that?" Some actually say "That is not what I had in mind" (but I never told you what I had in mind). The Lawyer: Ok' date=' you gots me on this one. A lawyer is always evil.[/quote'] Always evil sound like a stereotype. So they obviously need a "Drizzt Do'Urden". I think I know a potential, fictional candidate for that... Smart isn't the same thing as subtle and manipulative. Subtle and manipulative (in the psychological sense) literally say "evil". But how could you build such a charater? Preferibly a good one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobGreenwade Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping One counter-stereotype I did myself was Mental Man. The stereotype mentalist is grim, super-intelligent, and slightly socially challenged. Mental Man is a laid-back surfer dude type -- and I can, like, totally relate to that, dude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clonus Posted March 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Speed: Sloth form Fullmetal Alchemist Good example, although thinking about it, the Japanese don't have the stereotype of the impatient speedster in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt the Bruins Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping One of the (few) things I liked about Heroes was that the telepath, rather than being a somber intellectual scientist, was actually a regular Joe and something of a dimwit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Perry Mason and Matlock are good examples of lawyers with different ways of doing things. Subtle Bricks are harder to do. I can think of one that didn't start a fight by slamming someone with a car. Maybe a brick combined with something else like speed like spiderman for example could be an example. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clonus Posted March 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Perry Mason and Matlock are good examples of lawyers with different ways of doing things. Subtle Bricks are harder to do. I can think of one that didn't start a fight by slamming someone with a car. Maybe a brick combined with something else like speed like spiderman for example could be an example. CES I was thinking more of a brick who had a taste for Hannibal Lectures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karmakaze Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Subtle Bricks are harder to do. I can think of one that didn't start a fight by slamming someone with a car. Maybe a brick combined with something else like speed like spiderman for example could be an example. I've done a pacifist brick. Which falls into the "gentle giant" brick stereotype but also bypasses the unsubtle property damage stereotype. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping A brick who tries to subdue opponents without hurting them is quite possible. Start with high presence requests for surrender, continue through various entangles, try a bit of Judo... eventually it will be obvious if their opponent can take damage or not. And if they can, and nothing else has worked... WHAM! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping In a game I GMed years ago, Lord and Lady Mhoram played two counter-stereotype characters. Gibraltar, the brick, was also the team detective and the only member with stealth skills. Black Cat, the martial artist, was the in-your-face combat specialist and routinely had the highest damage attacks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathew Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping The Lawyer: Ok, you gots me on this one. A lawyer is always evil. Daredevil? She-Hulk? Porter Scott from the Elementals? (He was a good lawyer and a VAMPIRE!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naanomi Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping The Dumb Gadgetter: A technical savant, or just a rich guy who buys all his goodies... but no 'team brain', just a boor with neat toys. The anti-environmental Nature Powers: Weather/plant/animal control... no 'eco-friendliness'. Nature is just my tool, exploited towards whatever my goals are (heroic or villainous), no particular need to work with it (or perhaps actively hostile/manipulative towards the natural world) In a fantasy game, one of my favorite characters was 'the good necromancer': saw no problem with using people's bodies once they were done with them, was constantly confused or argumentative towards people who accused her of practicing 'dark arts' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prestige Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Rainbow Happy type powers: One of two...1) The Big Jock guy....or 2) Goth Chick/guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Certified Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping Forbidden Lore Master - Happy perky and relaxed. There's too much darkness in the world to let it destroy your day. The Causal Killer - While they may kill indescribably to get the job done showing no hesitation in the field alone they suffer and feel great remorse. (Example: Machine Gun Joe, Death Race, 2008) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 Re: Counter-stereotyping The unusual Black Magican (in this setting it meant "someone who would use any magic, regardless of ethics or questions of good and evil"): Played him in d&d. True Neutral. He wouldn't hesistate to use a succubus or undead for a job, but when demons/devils where the foe, angels where the right choice. Both good and evil beeings where just tools for him and he used the right tool for the right job. He detested the classical "evil black magicians" who thought "just because I can summon a demon/use forbidden magic/use evil magic, it's the only way to do something" and entered into demon pacts. "These fools give us true black magicians a bad reputation" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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