Post by Dani on Aug 16, 2010 22:05:56 GMT -8
HOW TO FILL AN APPLICATION
Hello new player and welcome to TAAR! Before you post your character application, have a look at this document and ensure you understand it. Thanks! (:
Sometimes filling out an application is hard. While we all want to be imaginative, sometimes keeping it simple and realistic (in as much as that can be in a HP RPG) is the best way to go. Now, we are aware that most applications regardless of the level of the writer, have some Mary Sue and Gary Stu ideas in it. That is the nature of RPG. No one wants to have an ugly character apparently. Most characters are pretty or cool or an attitude filled loner, but anyways... Here are our Top Twelve Tips!
Hello new player and welcome to TAAR! Before you post your character application, have a look at this document and ensure you understand it. Thanks! (:
Sometimes filling out an application is hard. While we all want to be imaginative, sometimes keeping it simple and realistic (in as much as that can be in a HP RPG) is the best way to go. Now, we are aware that most applications regardless of the level of the writer, have some Mary Sue and Gary Stu ideas in it. That is the nature of RPG. No one wants to have an ugly character apparently. Most characters are pretty or cool or an attitude filled loner, but anyways... Here are our Top Twelve Tips!
Good: Arrogance | Selfishness | Impatience | Anger | Moody
Bad:
- Doesn't know she's pretty| he's handsome: Yes- this is a flaw in real life and a sad one. But... a lot of players use it as an excuse to worm compliments and attention from other characters. This doesn't happen in real life with this flaw so don't use it unless you are going to play the character appropriately with it.
- Clumsiness: Actually, this is a bit of a clichéd flaw so we would prefer not to see it. Specifically if it means, she just trips over in front of guys so they help her up. Or a guy who spends most posts being embarrassed about things he did.
- Overly Self Sacrificing: No need to be a complete martyr, dearies!
- Is bullied because s|he is so independent| brilliant| studious| pretty| and doesn't stand up for herself or himself.
:: Unless already written as such , please don’t apply as a Veela, a Seer, a Metamorphagus or an Animagus. We will not accept any "heirs" or "long lost relatives" of Canons either.
:: Physical appearance… we are laughing as we write this but it appears that it needs to be brought up. If you were filling out an application form for the doctor or for university or whatever it is, you would say:
Eyes: Green- not "Green eyes filled with the mysteries of the universe".
Hair: Brown - not "a smouldering chestnut red blonde mane that sways with my every move".
:: Try and avoid the following Mary sue and Gary Stu characteristics!
Example of Mary characteristics: looks almost too thin, is stunning beautiful, is a loner but is popular, is considered a babe, and steals the hearts of her friends' boyfriends but doesn't mean it!
Example of Gary characteristics: tall, dark, handsome, with a tragic past, and the ability to brood darkly for most of the time!
We had seen some of the above in one accepted application on another site. Seriously... there are no words... LOL!
:: Since a lot of players are female, it goes with the territory that a lot of applications are female OCs. Please consider playing a male character, an adult, or a professor!
:: Please remember the Era and the Genre. It is 1990's Scotland and when back in Wizarding London, it is England. We do not need to hear anything about Salem Witch Trials or Fairy Tale sorcery. It is completely different and nothing to do with this Genre. We also don’t want references made to things they hadn’t been invented yet. Thank you.
:: If applying for a student: uniform must be wear in school and no bright dyed hair or visible tattoos or piercings. If applying for an adult: please keep it realistic and according to the character. We don’t know how many times we have to repeat this and people still ignore it.
:: Adult characters only may apply as Occlumens or Legilimens. Even then, it is preferable if they are Canon as such.
:: Please ensure you have read the rules and the Canon List before you apply with a character. It wastes time, including your own if your application has to be edited or redone because you didn't read anything about the site before you applied. Which brings us to my next point...
:: We are a Canon site in the sense that we follow the Canon plotline. However, some things are different. Some of our members, due to their abilities as writers, have been approved to take canons in slightly AU directions. We like to be creative and challenging and think about things which makes it fun. If you post an application, it indicates that you understand this and so it will not be an issue.
:: We all have baggage and problems. That is part of life. But your character does not have to have a tragic awful violent background or past. S|he does not have to be an orphan or self harm or be a grumpy loner. It's overly done in the world of Harry Potter and is usually viewed as Mary Sue-ish. Also, playing grumpy loners would be hard because who would you RP with? A lot of people have average or happy childhoods and go on to have exciting lives. It doesn't make your character less interesting. It is of course fine if you feel that your character really should have this tragic past or if you think it helps your writing. But you should really think about whether this will be the case. An example of a well written HP character with a tragic past is Severus Snape. He is really the only one we can think of.[/ul]
Last but not least, please PM Dani & Britt with any queries or difficulties you might be having. The list above is not exhaustive by the way! Feel free to PM us ideas on an application before you post it. You are welcome to do so and we will help you as best we can. We are here to help you!
Credit goes to Laoise.
Take without permission and the Admins' mentally unstable muses will hunt you down !
Credit goes to Laoise.
Take without permission and the Admins' mentally unstable muses will hunt you down !