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Post by Kirien Melantha on Mar 20, 2010 11:28:07 GMT -5
After making an account, you're officially a member of this forum. But where do you go from there?
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Post by Kirien Melantha on Mar 20, 2010 11:28:46 GMT -5
- Read the current plot. Knowing the site plot will help you better understand the world and how you can get your character involved.
- Read the rules. Reading the rules gets you familiar with what is and isn't allowed on My Own Shadow, and if you are new to roleplaying, the roleplay guidelines will help give you some direction.
- Introduce yourself in General Board. Letting the other members know you're new and interested in roleplaying can help you find someone to roleplay with. The other members can also answer any questions you PM them or post in the Questions board.
Additionally, introducing yourself allows us to add you to the Alternate Account Listing, a thread where you can see what members roleplay your favorite characters.
- Read the Species List. This will help you with character creation. If you are interested in creating character who is of more than one species, you should read the Halfers thread. If you are interested in creating a Gifted One, make sure you take a look at the Gifts page to see what abilities you can give them. If you want your character to have a Gift that is not listed, feel free to make a Suggestion
[/url], and we will see what we can do.[/li][/ul]Once you think you've got a good idea of what the world of My Own Shadow is like, you're ready to create your character.[/blockquote] |
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Post by Kirien Melantha on Mar 20, 2010 11:29:24 GMT -5
Now that you've got an idea of who you'd like to roleplay, it's time to make a character profile.
A character profile tells the other members all about your character. There can be many elements to a character profile, but almost all of them have sections that explain your characters appearance, personality, and history. Character profiles can be arranged in a variety of ways. Some are written like diaries, case files, and interviews. Some are images of the character with written information about the character on top and some have multiple posts describing their character. Some are in first person, while others are in third. Some are written like lists, where others are written in full sentences.
On My Own Shadow, you are free to create any sort of profile you want, but if you prefer structure, we have two templates you may choose to use or manipulate in whatever way you like: a general template and an interview-style template. Below the first post, you will find two examples of how the template might look when filled out: one is written in third person and list format, while the other is in first person and sentence format.
To create your character profile, go to Citizens of the World, and select either the Boys or Girls subboard, depending on your character's sex. If neither applies to your character, you can use whatever gender your character most identifies with. Click New Thread. The title of your thread is usually your character's name, but you could make it anything you want, such as a lyric you relate to your character. The Message Box is where you will type your character information. When you are done with your profile, click the post thread button. |
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Post by Kirien Melantha on Mar 20, 2010 11:29:48 GMT -5
If you are having trouble with a particular part of the character creation process, you can find some helpful resources below:
Naming Your Character
- Babynames.com
This website provides a list of names by letter, origin, gender, number of syllables, and meaning. For example, if you are looking for a name that has a particular meaning, such as "wisdom," open the search box, type "wisdom" into the meaning field, and search. A list of names with the meaning "wisdom" should appear. You can also use this website to find lists of most popular names by year.
- www.rinkworks.com/namegen/
This is a fantasy name generator that will create lists of names for you. Please try to avoid using the "fun names" generator.
- www.behindthename.com/random/
An excellent name generator that can generate multiple names at a time from many origins and mythos.
Fleshing Out Your Character's Personality
Finding a Character Representative
Many roleplayers use character representatives to depict what their character looks like. Roleplayers may use artwork, pictures of celebrities, or pictures of anime/manga/video game characters to fulfill this purpose. Celebrities and Anime/Manga/Video Game characters must be claimed at their respective character claims, to prevent two characters from having the same face. More than one character can use a representative in the case of twins or with the permission of the roleplayer who claimed the representative first.
Picture resources:To find avatars for your character, try gooling the name of your character with "Lj icons." |
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Post by Kirien Melantha on Mar 20, 2010 11:32:11 GMT -5
Once your character's profile is posted, change your account's display name to that of your character. By logging into your account, clicking Profile at the top of the screen, clicking Modify Profile, and changing the display name to your character's name. We ask that you capitalize both the character's first and last name. Changing your display name to your character's name helps us easily identify who your character is. Your log-in name, however, will remain the same.
If you are roleplaying more than two characters in one account, you should use the name of the most used character. In the case of a group of characters from the same family, you may use the family's name.
Before you begin to roleplay, make sure that you have PMed an admin a roleplay sample showing your character using their Trait, if your character is a demon or half-demon. Your sample must be approved before you can use your character's Trait in a roleplay. If your character is a djinn or half-djinn, you must have admin approval before you can begin to roleplay, as djinn are extremely rare in our world.
After these steps are complete, you're ready to start roleplaying! |
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Post by Kirien Melantha on Mar 20, 2010 11:46:57 GMT -5
You can create a roleplay by selecting any board from the category "New York City" and below. Click New Thread, create a title for the roleplay in the box, and write your opening in the message box. Titling a roleplay should be like naming the chapter of a story.
If you would prefer to join someone else's roleplay, you can find a list of open threads in General Board. Open threads are roleplays that have not yet been replied to, where the roleplayer is looking for anyone to join. Some roleplays are closed, meaning the roleplayer either wants a specific person to join, or no one at all. These roleplays will either say "Closed" or "Reserved" in the title or first post, or have a character's name in the title of the first post.
You can also join a roleplay where two or more people are already roleplaying. Make sure you PM one of them asking for permission to join if you wish to take this route.
Have fun roleplaying! |
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Post by Kirien Melantha on Mar 20, 2010 11:47:40 GMT -5
If you've made an open roleplay, and no one has replied to it after a few days, your roleplay may be too limited. For example, if your roleplay takes place at The Academy, only characters associated with The Academy will be likely to post there. Consider the location and the time of day when creating an open roleplay. If you find your open to be too limiting, you can always create another. Remember that it's not necessary to delete the first open; someone might still reply to it.
If you believe your open is not too limiting, you can reply to someone else's open thread or post in the Plotting Subboard, asking for a roleplay partner. When asking for a roleplay partner, it is always helpful to have a plot idea available. Sometimes PMing individual members to ask if they would like to roleplay with you will be more effective; PMs are harder to miss than threads that can be hidden under a large number of new posts.
Chatting in the General Board is the easiest way to catch the attention of older members. After striking up a conversation, you may find members even more willing to roleplay with you.
If all else fails, share your concerns with a staff member. A list of the staff members can be found on the sidebar to the left of this message. We'd be happy to help you get your roleplaying started! |
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