D&D 5E What is the appeal of the weird fantasy races?

[Snarf Zagyg]

In my example, the author is responding to an interpretation. Like I stated several times before, artists are open to interpretations of their work. They respond when they see an incorrect interpretation. Are you saying alternative interpretations are never wrong?

The artist responds to interpretations. They don't produce something and then say: This is about (fill in the blank). They respond to questions that generally offer an interpretation. Most of the time they are open about the idea. Sometimes they are not. When they are not, they are the authoritative voice on the subject, not equal or lesser than an interpreter.

There are a whole lot of assumptions in this.

If an artist is asked about their work, and assuming it is roughly contemporaneous with the work (see, e.g. Bradbury, with an example above), and assuming that the artist is not lying or ‘messing’ with the questioner, and assuming that the author was able to effectuate their intentions (in other words, that the text supports what the author says), and assuming that the analysis is not of a type that is orthogonal to the author’s intentions (for example, what does the text say about the period in which it was made and/or reflect class structures, even without that being a focus of the work) ....

then sure.

Or ... what I wrote before.

 

[tetrasodium]

can we maybe move the tolkein debate somewhere else & go back to talking about why people play weird fantasy races?

 

[Crit]

Concede? Whole lot of nothing? Non-sequitur?

You must be fun at parties. So go have that conversation at one.

When I'm at a party, I'm having fun with friends, not arguing in a circle with strangers on a DnD forum about human nature, so I don't act there like I do here. Deflect better.

If there's anything that's less fun than my speech, it's you talking without a point. Let it go.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

When I'm at a party, I'm having fun with friends, not arguing in a circle with strangers on a DnD forum about human nature, so I don't act there like I do here. Deflect better.

So you are civil and pleasant? You don’t act like an argumentative jerk who tells people to deflect better? You don’t tell everyone that has a different opinion how wrong they are?

You get what you give.

 

[Mallus]

In the 1950s, Ray Bradbury said that Fahrenheit 451 was based on his fears of book burning in the age of McCarthyism. Decades later he would then say that the book was about television destroying the public's desire to read. So sometimes the author's intent can change over the decades!

Like Jack Burton always says, “never trust what an artist says about their work, trust the work”.

 

[zarionofarabel]

I see, pretty unanimously, fictional species having almost completely identical emotional patterns and specific anatomy fitting within the human branch, so they are pretty much unquestionably people.

Hahaha! You think fictional "persons" written by Humans are valid examples of real actual "persons" or are you making a funny?!?

Or do you not understand what the word fictional means?

Of course fictional characters written by Human minds have minds identical to Humans they were written by a Human mind!

 

[Shardstone]

So should people just never write?

Is all fiction naughty word?

We know what it's like to be human, but not to be other people, not truly, not 100%. At least, going by the definitions here.

Why even roleplay? I'm not a human with magic. I never will be. How could I understand what its like to be a sorcerer or wizard or druid?

 

[Charlaquin]

So should people just never write?

Is all fiction naughty word?

We know what it's like to be human, but not to be other people, not truly, not 100%. At least, going by the definitions here.

Why even roleplay? I'm not a human with magic. I never will be. How could I understand what its like to be a sorcerer or wizard or druid?

I’d argue that there is value - significant value - in imagining yourself as one. The simple act of putting yourself in another’s shoes is very good for your brain, even if they’ll never be able to fit you. Even if they’re imaginary shoes for alien feet.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

So should people just never write?

Is all fiction naughty word?

We know what it's like to be human, but not to be other people, not truly, not 100%. At least, going by the definitions here.

Why even roleplay? I'm not a human with magic. I never will be. How could I understand what its like to be a sorcerer or wizard or druid?

Um ..... what?

I will write a longer post about this tomorrow, but I thought this was self-evident.

We write things, including things about imaginary aliens and races, to further explore what it is to .... be human.

Stories about immortality are usually stories about coping with loss and aging.

The Left Hand of Darkness used alien races to explore (human) concepts of gender and culture.

It was not uncommon in early D&D for some people to play androgynous elves (as in Corellon) as this was a safe way for people to express themselves in what was a very male, very heterosexual community at the time.

And so on. The entire purpose ... is to explore humanity. I thought this was obvious? But maybe not.

 

[Oofta]

can we maybe move the tolkein debate somewhere else & go back to talking about why people play weird fantasy races?

This may be another sign of the coming apocalypse, but I agree with you. People are free to discuss whatever they want of course, but I've pretty much given up on doing more than briefly skimming this thread.

People will interpret literature and see things much like a Rorschach test and see things that may or may not be there. How valid what they see or if there's any deeper meaning is in the eye of the beholder.

Speaking of which ... if you could play a Beholder (assuming you could balance it mechanically) would you? Or do PC races have to be anthropomorphic?