Special Snowflake - The Terminology

[Mechamorph]

Just a note. I have heard use of the term for a long time but not applied in the way it is now. In many of the RPG circles I am part of (both off and on line), a "special snowflake" describes the kind of player that just had to play a very "unique" character regardless of how reasonable, playable or even sane such a character might be. They are distinguished from munchkins because mechanically the character is not necessarily all that powerful, just often bizarre.

Some examples:
Vampire the Masquerade (long live V20!): Some obscure Bloodline, a "good" Baali, the "last" Cappadocian, Salubri, Lasombra antitribu

Werewolf the Apocalypse (nWod? What's that?): The "last" of the White Howlers, Mokole, Bastet, very strange and often made up Changing Breeds (such as weresquid, vetoed by a Storyteller that did not want tentacles in his game. The werebarracuda was better received until the Storyteller used them as pseudo Deep Ones)

Dark Heresy/W40K RPG: FEMALE SPACE MARINES. Daemonhosts (usually homebrewed), psykers that are an expy of Professor X

D&D: Ugh. Too many to count. Vampire unicorns. People whose ancestry involve dragons, demons, angels and squid with mad SCIENCE! thrown in to make them part golem too. "Good" members of usually evil races, especially Drow since they are both pretty and R.A. Salvatore made the mould with Drizzit. People who hail from the far past such as Netheril or Cormanthor during its Myth Drannor phase. Elven Royalty on the lam. Dwarven royalty on the run. Human royalty, ah heck it, there are people of royal blood EVERYWHERE when the Snowflakes come to the gaming table. Gonzo races like the various kinds of bird people also make an appearance especially the avariel. That is because the only thing better that being a beautiful elven princess sorceress is being a beautiful winged elven princess sorceress.

 

[Steppin Razor]

Usually when I see special snowflake thrown around it is being used as a derogatory term for otherkin and the like on tumblr. The sorts of people that believe they are actually a super special unique werewolf who "changes form" and growls and barks at people. Or who think they have Harry Potter/random anime character living in their head. The sorts of people that form online groups full of one-upsmanship to be the most special and unique snowflake.

 

[Derekloffin]

I've mostly seen it thrown around at those who seem to want to be in as "special" a category as possible, even to the point of being contradictory. Yes, it is often tossed at the LGBT... choose whatever additional letters/symbols/numbers you wish to add... types, but typically not for the actual first 4 of those letters. Instead it seems to typically go after the other stuff, who also tend to add numerous other descriptors beyond that, and there is the stink that these people aren't anything they say they are, they are instead just reverse bandwagon jumpers. These are the types who do X until it becomes "cool" then they suddenly are against X. I guess the going theory is they want to feel 'special' by being rare or unusual.

That said, like all the new popular insult names, it gets thrown around very inappropriately and is ultimately pointless as it is just that, an insult and nothing more.

 

[StatusNil]

As I see it, "special snowflake" is used for people who feel they deserve a unique standard of consideration, as opposed to what they view is the due of the generic masses, and generally loudly insist on it.

 

[CaitSeith]

Snowflakes are already different from one to another. "Special snowflake" is for snowflakes so different that are more precious than other snowflakes, and thus just for the fact that they exist, they deserve protection and praise that other snowflakes never have.

But if we are frank, it's just a derogatory term similar to "spoiled kid" (specially when used towards millennials).

 

[Jux]

I've personally found it to just be a derogatory term usually lobbed from conservatives, generally against younger people, with the implications of undue entitlement needing a reality check (though in my personal opinion, it's usually just people wanting human respect and dignity shown to them). Put it up there with other meaningless pejoratives like 'SJW', hipster, and feminazi.

 

[Barbas]

I've only heard the term used, AFAICR, to describe more notorious and far-out Tumblr bloggers. I don't think it really applies well to groups, circles or communities, because the people who think of themselves like that don't tend to play well with others.

 

[the December King]

Just a note. I have heard use of the term for a long time but not applied in the way it is now. In many of the RPG circles I am part of (both off and on line), a "special snowflake" describes the kind of player that just had to play a very "unique" character regardless of how reasonable, playable or even sane such a character might be. They are distinguished from munchkins because mechanically the character is not necessarily all that powerful, just often bizarre.

Some examples:
Vampire the Masquerade (long live V20!): Some obscure Bloodline, a "good" Baali, the "last" Cappadocian, Salubri, Lasombra antitribu

Werewolf the Apocalypse (nWod? What's that?): The "last" of the White Howlers, Mokole, Bastet, very strange and often made up Changing Breeds (such as weresquid, vetoed by a Storyteller that did not want tentacles in his game. The werebarracuda was better received until the Storyteller used them as pseudo Deep Ones)

Dark Heresy/W40K RPG: FEMALE SPACE MARINES. Daemonhosts (usually homebrewed), psykers that are an expy of Professor X

D&D: Ugh. Too many to count. Vampire unicorns. People whose ancestry involve dragons, demons, angels and squid with mad SCIENCE! thrown in to make them part golem too. "Good" members of usually evil races, especially Drow since they are both pretty and R.A. Salvatore made the mould with Drizzit. People who hail from the far past such as Netheril or Cormanthor during its Myth Drannor phase. Elven Royalty on the lam. Dwarven royalty on the run. Human royalty, ah heck it, there are people of royal blood EVERYWHERE when the Snowflakes come to the gaming table. Gonzo races like the various kinds of bird people also make an appearance especially the avariel. That is because the only thing better that being a beautiful elven princess sorceress is being a beautiful winged elven princess sorceress.

Oh my god...

By this definition, I am totally a special snowflake.

I will not play the standard races, almost never, and the overwhelming majority of the time, I will only play a monster in our Pathfinder/D&D 3.75 sessions, something that makes me unique and different... huh. Well there you go.

 

[Mechamorph]

Oh my god...

By this definition, I am totally a special snowflake.

I will not play the standard races, almost never, and the overwhelming majority of the time, I will only play a monster in our Pathfinder/D&D 3.75 sessions, something that makes me unique and different... huh. Well there you go.

<Hands you a Roleplayer Special Snowflake Card and punches a ticket under that category with others being Rules Lawyer, Munchkin, Loony and Psychopath. Redeem fully punched ticket for your 9999 Nerd Rage Points>

Well there are different degrees. Sure there are players that have a taste for the exotic and it rarely becomes a problem. I think the main gripe groups have is that the character is shoehorned in regardless of how much sense it makes just for the sake of the player running something they feel is unique. Say your DM wants to run an elven campaign set in Evermeet.... and you insist on running a Llothian Drow, a Mind Flayer or an Orc, etc. Not even handwaving the situation by running say, an Elistreean Drow, who is verifiably a follower of a goodly goddess. Not even an orc who worships a good deity like say Tyr or Tymora. Nope the player insists on a worshiper of Gruumsh being part of a campaign where the other PCs are elves (and elf-friends) chosen for a mission by the Seldarine. Now that kind of player can make a DM bang his head on the table.

In all seriousness though, one of these days when your group is in the midst of rolling new characters you should announce that your latest character is a human male fighter who grew up on a farm and learned how to fight from the local watchmen. The look on their faces will probably be worth it.

 

[Terminal Blue]

Unless I'm misremembering, I believe the term originated in the book version of Fight Club where it's used to express an optimistic and positive view of human nature in opposition of the cynical and pessimistic one embraced by the protagonist. It essentially expresses the idea that every person is unique and has inherent worth because of their uniqueness, which the protagonist rejects.

But the book isn't mocking people for being "special snowflakes", it's mocking people for believing that everyone is a special snowflake (that human life has an inherent value because people are individuals). This makes the internet use somewhat baffling, since I would assume the people using the term as an insult still, on some level, think that individuality is a good thing or that personal liberty is important (both of which would indicate a "special snowflake" view of human nature).

If I were to blame anything, it would be the fact that David Fincher's film kind of messed with the book's themes a lot. You aren't really meant to like the protagonist, and his philosophy is basically just codified self-loathing.

In all seriousness though, one of these days when your group is in the midst of rolling new characters you should announce that your latest character is a human male fighter who grew up on a farm and learned how to fight from the local watchmen.

Honestly, I would totally advise doing this.

If you can make that character interesting, if they start to feel like a real and unique person instead of the awful walking cliche they are, then you have demonstrated next-level imagination.

 

[MiskWisk]

Well, since people are giving proper explanations here's a picture of what I would consider a special snowflake.

Spoiler

Now admittedly, I would be far more likely to just call this person an idiot and leave it at that but I feel the term applies. And before anyone brings up Poe's Law, by definition that still gives leave to take this person seriously because you can't tell. It's like trying to tell whether My Immortal was just a massive troll or not, impossible to ever know.

 

[RaikuFA]

I thought it was just another word for hipster.

 

[the December King]

In all seriousness though, one of these days when your group is in the midst of rolling new characters you should announce that your latest character is a human male fighter who grew up on a farm and learned how to fight from the local watchmen. The look on their faces will probably be worth it.

Honestly, I would totally advise doing this.

If you can make that character interesting, if they start to feel like a real and unique person instead of the awful walking cliche they are, then you have demonstrated next-level imagination.

Or an elven princess moonlighting as a swashbuckling cad, heh

Seriously, whenever I play anything 'normal', I have a shitty time. Over the years I have tried many different races and in general the classes (I may not have played a specific class or race combo, but I'll bet I've played an equivalent at some point). All of the standard races, quite frankly, bore me. Even the above example, which would be fun for a lot of people, is too mainstream and common for me. Unless she's a Rakshasa moonlighting as an elven princess moonlighting as a swashbuckling cad, or something like that, I'm napping.

As an aside, if I am forced to play a bog-standard character type, I also will not (or cannot?) play a woman. Of the one or two times I tried, I had no connection to the character at all. Just could not get into the role. EDIT: I'll happily play female monsters, especially if I get to define the culture/gender roles for the race in the process.

As a DM, of course, I can roleplay all of these types of characters as NPCs with confidence and flair as needed. But damned if it doesn't ruin it for me when I'm a player...

 

[Terminal Blue]

Now admittedly, I would be far more likely to just call this person an idiot and leave it at that but I feel the term applies. And before anyone brings up Poe's Law, by definition that still gives leave to take this person seriously because you can't tell. It's like trying to tell whether My Immortal was just a massive troll or not, impossible to ever know.

Well, to be fair assuming so are serious, there are several reasons made very explicit in the text as to why you should probably go easy on sol.

To paraphrase John Locke, there's a difference between being an "idiot" in the sense of someone whose thought process have never been properly trained or exercised, and being an "idiot" in the sense of lacking the physical capacity for thought. The latter can't always be held responsible for their actions.

 

[StatusNil]

Honestly, if we're gonna start pointing out weird people on the internet, we're gonna be here all day

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/view/Calbeck

Hey now, careful with calling fellow forum members "weird". There are rules, you know.

As I recall, Calbeck was pretty cool. Too bad he hasn't been around for a while.

 

[RaikuFA]

Well, since people are giving proper explanations here's a picture of what I would consider a special snowflake.

Spoiler

Now admittedly, I would be far more likely to just call this person an idiot and leave it at that but I feel the term applies. And before anyone brings up Poe's Law, by definition that still gives leave to take this person seriously because you can't tell. It's like trying to tell whether My Immortal was just a massive troll or not, impossible to ever know.

Honestly, if we're gonna start pointing out weird people on the internet, we're gonna be here all day

(Also since this is a bronie, poes law doesn't apply and I assure you they're being 100 percent sincere)

Wasn't #thetriggering making fun of people who got easily offended?

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

I think it's a case of an initially well meaning, and even good, analogy gone wrong via not understanding the point. If you think about snowflakes in general, they're completely indistinguishable from one another aside from size and constitution. Same goes for people, where if you think about them from the standpoint of an alien who's never seen one, we all ultimately look the same: four limbs, one head with hair, same body proportions (outliers aside). When you look closer, there's things like gender, hair length and skin color. Only when you get to know people in depth do you learn what makes them unique from one another, like when you look at snowflakes with a microscope you see that no two are identical. People are utterly unique, but (and forgive my shitting on USA here) the what I would call american hype culture has blown this concept completely out of proportion. In that mindset being unique means being the most special, talented, interesting, cultured and amazing person ever, when in reality being unique means that the combination of all your personality traits, tastes, sensibilities, morals, poltical standings etc. form a unique whole.

 

[RaikuFA]

Honestly, if we're gonna start pointing out weird people on the internet, we're gonna be here all day

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/view/Calbeck

Hey now, careful with calling fellow forum members "weird". There are rules, you know.

As I recall, Calbeck was pretty cool. Too bad he hasn't been around for a while.

if being called "weird" hurts his feelings.....well

#thetriggering

Wasn't #thetriggering making fun of people who got easily offended?

Yepyep, which is extra funny considering its a bronie saying it .

All in all, if I had to point to a specific group as an example of special snowflakes, bronies would be the easiest choice.

I dunno, SU fans are known to throw a tantrum at anything that doesn't align with their worldview. Even bronies trigger them.