Chaos: What's the worth of mortality?

[Fatty]

For apparently random reasons, because there is the pretty obvious cultural trend of Chaos around here, and probably of any Star Wars RP site, I'm just curious:

How many time has your character died, or lived more than their expected life span due to some body hopping or carbon freezing technique?

It seems to be the most common trope around here, that almost all major villains... even more than a few "good guys", have been prone to experiencing.

So if everyone can live forever, is there any worth any more to dying? Does mortality matter?

 

[Alric Kuhn]

I've had several characters who revived themselves or came back. One of my main characters has an extended life far beyond that of a humans.

I think like everything else, its a tool. When well written and put together in the story it can work out very well. However, it can also be misused and can go terribly awry. Like all things in writing, there's a time and place for such things.

 

[Lief]

I've only ever brought back one character - Kara - from death. I've extended none of their lifespans. I believe that rebirth and extension are purely situational, and it shouldn't be forced. If it seems natural and flows well then I see no issue, as a Writer, with it. But forcing it when it doesn't match the story throws me off a little.

 

[Vulpesen]

I naturally extended Vulpesen's life span, but for the most part, so long as you aren't hand waving your character to life I'm fine with them surviving.

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

[member="Fatty"], is this sudden poll at least partially due to my recent post? Just curious

 

[Fabula Caromed]

I'm counting being revived as a clone. My two biggest characters on this board are both clone-revives.

Which makes me oh-so-horrible because I used death as a starting point, rather than a finale, and thus refuse to think of it as permanent. <_<

 

[Nyxie]

Have you had a character brought back to life, or body hop?
Yes. Twice. Same character.


How many times are said character(s) brought back to life, or body hopped?
Aynea first died to Darth Metus and was summarily brought back by one of the Sith factions through a alchemic serum as an Energy Vampire. The second time was a voluntary "body hop" to a younger, -living- body (as the original was still undead), courtesy of Circe Savan.


Have you had a character whose life has been unnaturally extended well beyond their years through some technique?
One of the effects of being an Energy Vampire is having your life extended virtually indefinitely (provided you are not ever mortally wounded).


How extreme have you had a character's life unnaturally extended through some technique?
Theoretically, she lives as long as she feeds.

Do you think characters that avoid mortality or staying dead, mostly adds, or mostly detracts from their relevance as a believable character?
I'd say it depends on the character and varies from concept to concept, but due to its overall cliche and prone to abuse, it's probably not the best choice for everyone. Part of being on a journey is moving toward a destination. Life is that journey. Death must therefore be the destination if the journey is to exist. More often than not, this concept is what lends to the believability of a character concept or bio.


What is your general opinion of extreme life extension or habitual revives?
It always bites you in the ass. Whether you're a Sith ghost, an energy vampire or said "kark everything" and turned yourself into a Shard-droid, something is always being sacrificed in turn for that which is being gained. No one who tried to attain immortality in the SW-verse ever did so without consequence.




I have insofar voted in the majority in all questions but of whether or not I have used some technique to extend a character's life unnaturally, in which I voted the minority "Yes." I'm actually pleased with that as it means most people aren't Palpatine-ing en masse.

 

[Hailyn]

This character had their natural lifespan "extended" against her will, being trapped in a Sith Oubliette from an uncivilized (in comparison to "today") era. I've never brought a character of my own back to life, though Silara (previous character) did bring someone else's character back into a new body.

I think the extending a lifespan thing is highly subjective to circumstance, as stasis isn't really extending their lifespan - you're slowing down their vitals to a crawl so slow that it becomes nearly impossible to detect those vitals with both the force and through mechanical means (at least as far as oubliettes go, haven't looked into carbon freezing and such), in return for never actually doing anything. All those years that go by aren't gained, just borrowed. That character that was frozen in carbonite for x amount of years? Sure, they are alive 500 years later, but they didn't do anything during that 500 year gap besides sit frozen in carbonite to not age a day. Go in twenty, get out twenty. Your biological clock hardly moves.

 

[Fatty]

[member="Hion the Herglic"] Partially, yes lol

I was already sort of pondering this train of thought since bringing back Voracitos, and my other character Zambrano having an entire backstory of body hopping in order to get a Hutt to be directly related to a Zambrano xD

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

I killed off my main character a few months ago and I don't plan on bringing her back. The decision to do so was mainly writer based, as I had ran my course with writing her, the story line had ended even though she was still young (mid to late 30s). I could have extended her life by way of Iella possessing the Life Jewels but I only really RPed them when needed and now they belong to Kaine (may the force help us all!) .

I think as for characters that are extended by what means the writers deem, it totally up to them. As long as it all fits within the realm of reasoning, and apart of a story line. Sometimes the best stories are the simple ones, where a characters is more layered in thoughts and emotions rather than powers and accessories. And yes I am a romantic when it comes to Jedi and Sith. Love it when someone fights with only robes, their force ability and a saber.

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

Often times I have had characters live longer because I got lazy and forgot to update their ages. Still lazy when it comes to Saki, I can admit it and have not put much thought into it. The only real time I had a character die was on another board and because the board owner got upset we were making jokes so superlaser to the cantina we were in. Other then that no plans for any character, they'll live until they get boring and with some of them they never get boring so their story never ends just starts a new chapter.

 

[Mak Manto]

Mak's never died, but his life has been extended far longer than he expected and has been aged back due to "unforeseen" circumstances.

*Waves his hands spookily.*

 

[sabrina]

I am happy for any characters to die apart from my main, but saying that I have started to contemplat her death. As the rl situation she was created in is no longer relevant, and I would consider her death know if I thought it was right.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

And yes I am a romantic when it comes to Jedi and Sith. Love it when someone fights with only robes, their force ability and a saber.

I will turn Abaigeal to the side of the Force that uses armour, guns and fancy powers. Resistance is futile. You will learn to like it!


[member="Coci Heavenshield"]


On a more serious level, technically Moira got killed off-screen and processed into an HRD. I guess that sort of counts since the human her died! Human Moira came back very recently through the netherworld event. How being in hell affected her is something I plan to work into her storyline once I focus on the char more. Here and there I've contemplated killing Siobhan off. Twice her continued existence was decided by a coin flip.

 

[Evad]

To be, or not to be--that is the question:​

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer​

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune​

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles​

And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep--​

No more--and by a sleep to say we end
​

 

[Darth Ferus]

[member="Fatty"]

You know Ferus died .p.

But do I feel it adds or subtracts? Neither really. Ferus died almost a year or more ago, and I found myself struggling to RP. So now he's back, doing his body hoping thing and being used to provide as much RP as possible to others.

I suppose it's situational.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

In regards to the poll in question:

My character has not been here long enough to even know such techniques, nor is she old enough for mortality to be an issue outside of combat. Yet, I have an opinion.

If everyone can cheat death just because someone can, then I would say it defeats that all-important element of mortality. Death is arguably the most important moment for any character; it is the punchline of the joke and the couplet at the end of the sonnet. It should be able to sum up the entirety of your character. -Or at least, that is how I like my death-scenes-. when you have that, then there should be no coming back.

I am not wholly against body-switching or anti-ageing techniques if this fits your character's style and powers. However, character-death is a serious matter and should be dealt with as such. If you want your character to be resurrected, then I for one would expect some great changes to come with it. Some change of perspective; some new alignment in the Force; perhaps you are resurrected Force Dead? Perhaps you led the massacre of two million people and came into a new body with a stronger affinity fo the Dark Side. That is up to you.

Death is important, and to cheat it should be an equally powerful experience. "With great power comes great responsibility." We all know these words, and as writers we should abide by them in the way we write our characters.

Just my two credits on the matter of mortality and cheating death.

[member="Fatty"]

So that's how there's a Zambrano Hutt! This has puzzled me.

[member="Evad"]

*applause*