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Old 08-18-2010, 07:33 AM   #11
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Default Re: Pretty Orcs

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Originally Posted by Johnny Angel View Post
I suppose part of the question is whether or not humans and orcs are a similar species.
Do keep in mind that our understanding of biology may have little meaning in a fantasy world. Tolkien, whom you bring up, provides a textbook case. Though elves and humans can mate and produce offspring in Middle Earth, those children don't have a biologically determined mix of human and elven traits. Rather, they must decide to be either human or elven. It was Elrond's choice to live forever and eventually Arwen's to die, not their genes.
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Old 08-18-2010, 08:19 AM   #12
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Default Re: Pretty Orcs

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Are there things which you have trouble envisioning in your head?
Nah, just think of someone pretty or ugly and then give them appropriate traits, after all like Star Trek showed us, Orion/Orc green is beautiful.

Pretty Orc: http://empireearth.free.fr/galerie/p...orc-female.jpg

Ugly Elf: http://www.hp-lexicon.org/images/fil...bby-poster.jpg
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Old 08-18-2010, 08:24 AM   #13
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Default Re: Pretty Orcs

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So, I figured I'd ask the community: how would you imagine a pretty orc?

Likewise, what about an ugly elf?

Are there things which you have trouble envisioning in your head?
Keep in mind as i post this that I still bear the stink of 1e AD&D and it colors my thoughts.

Pretty Orc : Orcs live to fight and breed, I would think that socially they would begin to value those hallmarks. I hate to quote Borat but 'strong on plow', although it doesnt apply literally does apply figuratively. So If I had to pick some features

High body fat - Signals abundance of food/wealth which in raiding can come up in short supply.

Large Size/Strength - Although their large musculature is covered in a thick hide and fat, a big orc woman helps ensure big orc babies.

Ample Boosm - Generally, orcs breed frequently and in large lots. iF they must be suckled, these will come in handy.

Short Bowed Legs : Indicate easy birthing and willingness to mate. THe short legs give them a sturdy appearance.

Addornments/Fashion - The snout sits squarely and largely in the middle of the orcs face and so is a popular place for bones, rings and paint. Teeth/Tusks are also prominent so look for those to be engraved, sharpened, shaped or even stained to a flattering bright red. Look for short skirts that advertise an accessibility to mating.


Ugly Elf: If long lived harmony and grace are what your in for these arent them.

Rounded Features - Elves live in relative plenty and so can forgo gluttony and food hoarding. Rounded features give the impression of a higher body fat percentage and actually being overweight makes you heavy footed in the forest.

Tanned Skin - Elves live in the shade of dense forrest and seldom if ever repurpose the forest area. Tanned skin implies time out of the forest and the hard work of plows and other earth changers that is contrary to elvish harmony with nature.

Big boobs - Elves dont reproduce often and when they do, rearing them to adulthood makes up a relatively small part of their life. Keeping big awkward floppy reminders of a footnote in time is impratical for a race so long lived.

Stubby fingers - To draw a bow and perform graceful needle work, long slender fingers are the ideal. I assume that elvish obsession with hands is as bizzare and inscrutable as the human females obsession with feet/shoes.

Close Set Eyes - Long life grants elves a unique perspective and gathering in the forrest utilizes a wide field of vision. HAving eyes that are too close together makes an elf appear to be brutish and unwise.


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Old 08-18-2010, 09:30 AM   #14
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Default Re: Pretty Orcs

Pretty orc? Benny, of Looking For Group.
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Old 08-18-2010, 09:40 AM   #15
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Default Re: Pretty Orcs

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Originally Posted by Johnny Angel View Post
While working on a character, the thought came to me that I'm not sure how to imagine that certain things look. In particular, I'm at something of a loss when it comes to imagining how a character who defies the racial norm would look. This particular character was an Orc with the 'attractive' advantage.... or so that's what I'm considering. Using the 'impressive' looks modifier seems like it would work, but I'm still left trying to imagine a handsome or a pretty orc. Most depictions of them are unattractive. So, I figured I'd ask the community: how would you imagine a pretty orc?
One name: Thrall. Though he's probably closer to Handsome (Impressive) than to the regular Attractive.
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Old 08-18-2010, 03:32 PM   #16
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Default Re: Pretty Orcs

Hey, some of the Jagger Monsters in Girl Genius would be modles for handsome orcs.
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Old 08-19-2010, 05:06 AM   #17
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Default Re: Pretty Orcs

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Originally Posted by Nymdok View Post
Ugly Elf: If long lived harmony and grace are what your in for these arent them.

Rounded Features - Elves live in relative plenty and so can forgo gluttony and food hoarding. Rounded features give the impression of a higher body fat percentage and actually being overweight makes you heavy footed in the forest.

Tanned Skin - Elves live in the shade of dense forrest and seldom if ever repurpose the forest area. Tanned skin implies time out of the forest and the hard work of plows and other earth changers that is contrary to elvish harmony with nature.

Big boobs - Elves dont reproduce often and when they do, rearing them to adulthood makes up a relatively small part of their life. Keeping big awkward floppy reminders of a footnote in time is impratical for a race so long lived.

Nymdok
Huh, I have an Elf character in an online game that fits those parts exactly and looks quite nice (to a human, of course). Of course the tanned skin is a sub-racial trait and the rest of her figure is, well, I'm a guy playing a woman online, what do you think?

For the record, if I'm going to stare a someone's butt on a screen for hours on end I'd rather be staring at a woman's... In some game roles I'll gladly play a male character.
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Old 08-19-2010, 07:57 AM   #18
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Default Re: Pretty Orcs

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Huh, I have an Elf character in an online game that fits those parts exactly and looks quite nice (to a human, of course).
Yeah, I was just kinda musing on what elves might find unatractive in other elves and what orcs might find attractive in other orcs and what drives them to consider those qualities in that way.

Think of it as a sort of simulationist look at Humanoids Next Top Model.

For an online game, here I assume you mean computer game, the human considerations are in full effect because orcs and elves dont play online games, but young men do so the fact that they would look like comic book heroines suprises me not at all.

Judging humanoid beauty is an exercise poorly suited to my talents as Im not even sure what some humans find attractive in other humans. :)

Im sure in GenChat we could have a long and brisk discussion of 'people who are considered attractive and I dunno why'. :)

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Old 08-19-2010, 09:11 AM   #19
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Default Re: Pretty Orcs

Well, the only attractive orc I have put into one of my games looked like Brittney Spears.

I was running an GURPS IOU game, and I wanted to run a possible girlfriend for one of the PC’s. A singer seemed appropriate, and orcs have a higher base health, and with the cybernetics and all, what was a little extra plastic surgery to make her look like Brittney Spears?

Now she was a Shadowrun orc, not a D&D orc, since her base reality was from the nominally Shadowrun game that one of my players was running that was also set in a college. The two met at an exhibition moopsball game where the player had been drafted to play the wizard.

I doubt that helps you any.
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Old 08-19-2010, 11:12 AM   #20
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Default Re: Pretty Orcs

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Originally Posted by Johnny Angel View Post
I suppose part of the question is whether or not humans and orcs are a similar species. I tend to agree that orc beauty would be measured quite differently than human beauty. However, being that the two races can reproduce, it makes you wonder how similar they are considered to be... which I supposed would be a question that would heavily depend upon the setting. For this discussion, I'm thinking mainly of Tolkien, Banestorm, or D&D style Orcs.
This whole idea came up before once in the GURPS section.

The discussion then was about woomen fighters/warrioors in GURPS, I posted a link to a pics page of Women Bodybuilders. Many went overboard saying that female bodybuilders were ugly looking.

I disagree.
I've always found well-muscled women rather attractive.

That said I could see the average gamer thinking along those lines. So, find a picture of Joanie Laurer(The wrestler 'CHYNA') or Cory Everson, then photoshop then as having orc-fangs and greenish-gray skin. There, now you've got a pretty orc. They would be big and muscled - but still retain attractive feminine features if you do it right.


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