What is a Mob?
- Thread starter Tim_Saian
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NotaNuffian
This does spark joy.
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In my term, cannon fodders, background characters, people who exist to show kill count or how badass other more important characters are.
RepresentingCaution
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OneRanter
Southern Unorthodox MaskMaker
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99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% of chinese characters?
Jamminrabbit
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Nahrenne
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Think of a mob character as an extra in a film; a background character in a game; a side character of a side character/villain, etc...
They usually don't have a significant role, plot-wise, apart from allowing the main characters, side characters and villains to shine. Often, such characters end up dying or suffering due to the bigger roles' actions.
An example can be a person in an auction in a cultivation novel; they complain about not getting to buy any of the good items because the villain/main character flaunts their wealth/power. The mob character could also be a participant in a tournament the main character is in but they get knocked out in the first stage, etc...
In a more fantasy-esque setting with magic, the villain casts a spell that blows up an entire town. The mob character would have been one of the townspeople who died in the explosion.
'-'
A mob character is often nameless due to how insignificant to the plot they are.
X
IvyVeritas
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I think the more recent usage of the word "mob" to refer to individuals rather than crowds came from MUDs (text-based online multiplayer games). MUDs are basically lists of "objects" in programming terms, and NPCs were "mobile objects", which got shortened to mob. How it ended up getting used outside that context, I have no idea.