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moon

they/them
Seen 11 Hours Ago
Posted 23 Hours Ago
37,443 posts
15.5 Years
In truth... with how personality is done, I wouldn't be against simply making the personality section a roleplay sample with the character. Like roleplaying the character in their daily life and perhaps doing a good three paragraphs to show how you intend to play the character. Not only that, but it would show the GM how well you rp and how you intend to play your character as.
I think that's what Skymin does in her RPs lately, so maybe those who have signed up for them can testify whether it works well or not :) At one or a few times, I've just made a field called "Biography" in the SU sheet, forcing RPers to merge history and personality into some kind of background where they can state whatever they feel necessary for the GM and the other players to get a feel for the character before the RP starts. That option could be a bit too fluffy and undefined, though. Again, it can vary from RP to RP. For "journey" RPs with pokémon, maybe history isn't as important as personality for example.

Hey guys btw did you notice that there are now prefixes for threads in the RPC? 8D
paired with Ivysaur

Crunch Punch

fire > ice

Age 25
Male
England
Seen March 18th, 2019
Posted January 16th, 2017
1,374 posts
10.2 Years
The thing is, though I like the idea of roleplay samples representing a character's personality, I use SUs personally to see what my character is like, whether it's their appearance or anything else. Taking out the personality could make writing harder if you've had a break, are juggling with several different rps or just easily forgettable like me. Just my two cents.
>> paired to gimmepie · last.fm

Mana

Age 31
Male
UK
Seen March 25th, 2023
Posted August 18th, 2021
10,075 posts
14.3 Years
Hey guys btw did you notice that there are now prefixes for threads in the RPC? 8D
[Pokémon] [Other] HEY LOOK A THING.

:D
Private property what the heck are you doing here get out
Seen 6 Days Ago
Posted 4 Weeks Ago
693 posts
11.1 Years
{D:} AAAHH NEW THREAD! It's so lovely and shiny... I'm a little late here, I guess, I kept forgetting to subscribe.

I'm in two RPs, and I GM one of those. Except the one I GM isn't actually up-and-going yet, but RAISINS. (Insert shameless advertising here)

I think I answered the sandbox/structured question, or something similar, in the non-shiny RPD thread, so on to number three! SUs are pretty fun, for me. Usually, though, it's not so much creating a character in signup format as it is forming a character beforehand, or while reading the RP (to get a feel for it) and then putting the character into SU form. I generally like the characters I come up with, so I've no problem with writing about them. Gives me a better feel for the character, lets me write things about them that I usually wouldn't consider.

NEW THINGS? Oh, lordy, my thread is an Other, I feel so special ^^
Woah holy moly this boi's got a funky old signature

Mana

Age 31
Male
UK
Seen March 25th, 2023
Posted August 18th, 2021
10,075 posts
14.3 Years
They're still being tweaked (very slowly) bear with! I'm gonna slowly edit up peoples threads <_< PM me any protests.

Names like Pokémon: blahblah will probably become [Pokémon] Blahblah.

Kranic

What did you say about my hair

Male
Seen July 31st, 2014
Posted April 2nd, 2014
191 posts
12.6 Years
Regarding the personalityhistory discussion, I personally really using a sign up to develop a character and both of those sections really help with my brainstorming, since I know otherwise I would probably just leave things be. History is a good means for finding motivation for your character and having appropriate reasons for them to responding to certain things.

For example, when I first made a wrote a sign up for Anise, in her history I had her be attacked by a Houndoom, a very traumatic event for her, this had led having a reasonable (though maybe not negative) response to Houndooms in particular.With this I have a lot I could do to develop her character forward, give her a challenge to overcome or a weakness she can't deal with. If I had not written out her history for the sign up, this little trait would have probably never existed and any opportunity to expand on it would never have existed.

And the only reason I had this event first occur in her history was because I needed something to catalyze her personality. Anise was originally just going to a very happy looking kid while being very manipulative. She needed a reason to be manipulative, so I decided to make her insecure and why was she insecure? The train continues and soon enough I have a much more well rounded character. Because she had a traumatic event in her childhood. I'm a lazy person so if I could have just left it at just "happy but dark person" I probably would have and put more focus in her development through the journey rather than her back story. I feel like having a proper history planned make decision making a lot easier for characters which also ultimately prevents plot holes when it comes to meaning behind actions.

I just feel like you create a much more complete character if you actually take your time to write out their personality and history, though this may just be more effective for me personally.



Roleplay Characters

__________


Anise Briar

___

Apollo: A Journey of the Gifted

Dawn

Queen of Magical Girls

She/Her
East Coast, USA
Online now
Posted December 13th, 2022
4,594 posts
14.7 Years
Personally I find that a good character's personality is nothing more than a reflection of their history and how it helped shaped them as people. As a GM, usually I use the personality field for one very specific thing: Quickly identifying whether an RPer has given their character any clear flaws. That's something that can be a lot harder to identify using history or even a sample post.

I've seen RPs that use a simple biography field instead of a split history / personality and that's great too, except some people will take that as an excuse not to write much if at all about their character's actual personality resulting in the same problem listed above.

I think that's the primary reason the personality field has been such a long stay in SUs. It's direct, leaves little room for incorrect interpretation and solves a problem most other types of SUs don't necessarily.
Don't let your guard down
just 'cause we're cute!

We'll eat you right up!
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[1] Hisui Legends

Nakuzami

Age 24
Female
The Forgotten Crossroads
Seen October 17th, 2022
Posted December 31st, 2020
6,896 posts
12.7 Years
What new prefixes I don't even my world is changing


As for the current topic about Sign-Up Sheets / Personality sections: I believe that I prefer it if a SU Sheet has a Personality section. It lets others get an idea of your character, even if you don't play it out exactly how you may have described it. Beyond that, a lot of times I don't have every detail of my character down beforehand. Even with characters I've established in the past, sometimes I come up with new ideas and quirks for the character when writing out the personality.

Personally I find that a good character's personality is nothing more than a reflection of their history and how it helped shaped them as people. As a GM, usually I use the personality field for one very specific thing: Quickly identifying whether an RPer has given their character any clear flaws. That's something that can be a lot harder to identify using history or even a sample post.
And I also come up with flaws I may not originally have thought of, so I agree with this.

When an SU Sheet doesn't contain a Personality section (I think one of Skymin's RPs was the only one like that that I ever joined.), I tend to just add one when writing it anyway.



How many RPs are you part of right now? How many of them do you GM?

I'm only in one roleplay at the moment, considering my activity levels don't really allow for too much roleplaying at the moment. I am currently GMing none, but I do have one ready to submit. I'm still not sure if I should. It's just a journey roleplay, so I'm not sure of the interest.

Do you prefer sandbox roleplays or more structured roleplays? Why?

Aaaaaaaaaaaah depends on my mood, I guess. They can both be fun for vastly different reasons. I enjoy both.

Do you enjoy writing sign-up sheets?

Yes and no. I have a tendency to take forever writing anything, so having to do the SU Sheet can be tedious. At the same time, though, the SU Sheet helps me develop a character so much, sometimes in ways I wouldn't have originally taken with that character.
"Sure, there're probably infinite dimensions, but I'm with you in this one, so why would I try to find them?"
~Neil Hilborn


System 32
Seen January 24th, 2017
Posted January 24th, 2017
311 posts
11.8 Years
You know it has my interest, Nakuzami. I helped you develop it after all!

Although I'm in the same position. Heart Stealer is pretty much definitely ready to go but I'm postponing it a week (maybe) so I can clear a few personal things out of the way and give it my full attention. Regardless it's pretty much set for posting!

Nakuzami

Age 24
Female
The Forgotten Crossroads
Seen October 17th, 2022
Posted December 31st, 2020
6,896 posts
12.7 Years
Okay! But, um, when I first wrote out The Lost Islands League 2.0, I guess I decided to give Professor Rowan a first name. Does anyone think that would be awkward?

Like, is it weird or just plain wrong to assign a first or last name to canon characters that never officially received one? I think it would be awkward to have the Professors not be on a first name basis, and only half of the regional professors have first names that we're aware of.

'Cause now this little detail is making me question whether I should post the roleplay at all. Agh! It's all ruined because three people don't have a first name. Oh my lord.
"Sure, there're probably infinite dimensions, but I'm with you in this one, so why would I try to find them?"
~Neil Hilborn


Mana

Age 31
Male
UK
Seen March 25th, 2023
Posted August 18th, 2021
10,075 posts
14.3 Years
I think it's about time we had a new event up in here.

/hinthint

/intheworks

moon

they/them
Seen 11 Hours Ago
Posted 23 Hours Ago
37,443 posts
15.5 Years
RPs are pretty much like alwaysgoingon events. Did you have something forum-spanning in mind again?
paired with Ivysaur

Mana

Age 31
Male
UK
Seen March 25th, 2023
Posted August 18th, 2021
10,075 posts
14.3 Years
It's much more contained than our last one, and hopefully it'll please those who miss/missed the RPOs. Small, mini-roleplay/writing events.

moon

they/them
Seen 11 Hours Ago
Posted 23 Hours Ago
37,443 posts
15.5 Years
Looks cool! Hopefully even people who feel busy can participate in this~

Exam times sure are unforgiving. My douchebrain thinks up RP ideas and tempts me to join RPs every day when I've filled it with too much chemistry formulas. But I shall resist. Maybe.
paired with Ivysaur

disciplish

supreme meme machine

Male
under the rpt floorboards
Seen June 17th, 2020
Posted April 13th, 2020
880 posts
10.7 Years
YAY FIRST POST IN THE NEW RPD *shot*

How many RPs are you part of right now? How many of them do you GM?

Like, 7:0, RPs part of to GM'd. I posted an advertisement for the RP I'm still devising atm in the old RPD, but I won't speak of it because I might change the name :#

Do you prefer sandbox roleplays or more structured roleplays? Why?

More structured roleplays. From personal experience, sandbox roleplays are hard to write for, because usually if I'm joining a roleplay, my character needs some kind of goal or a reason to do something. I can't really write when there's no reason to write, because then I'll be bothered by the old question of "is the GM bothered by this?" or "should I ask the GM this?" or "is this too cliche?" to the point where I'm just lost on what to do. On more structured roleplays, many times I'm able to give my characters an initiative pretty easily.

Do you enjoy writing sign-up sheets?

Yup! Well, it depends. Sometimes SUs are a drag for me, because it takes some time and NAMES AUGH. I'm bad at names. But usually in histories and personalities is when I can sit down and have some fun.

Is it weird or just plain wrong to assign a first or last name to canon characters that never officially received one?

Not exactly. I mean, as long as you don't call Rowan, like, I dunno just something totally weird or wrong, that's fine.
homestuck fan club | ethersworn | minimalist theme
I have no idea anymore
Seen December 12th, 2016
Posted December 12th, 2016
1,007 posts
12.7 Years
So I edited my RP's story a little bit (Ok really I just skipped the Prologue and jumped straight into the actual meat of the story). So hopefully worth another look if you thought the original seemed a little boring...



"Our past is a lie, our present is destroyed, we are being hunted, and our home is 47,000 light years away."
System 32
Seen January 24th, 2017
Posted January 24th, 2017
311 posts
11.8 Years
Just a question for everyone. Persona RP. Thoughts on that I have been conjuring it up in my head and thought that each character chooses an S.Link that kind of relates to their personality and they chose a Persona... not sure how to completely go about it.
I've been spending an awful lot of time recently discussing with a friend about the potential of a Persona roleplay so I actually have plenty of ideas for this if you want help with it. Maybe I'll be able to kick you into high gear with it if you're willing to let me throw a bit of myself into the mix.

Regardless I would be interested. I call the Emperor arcana!

gimmepie

Age 27
Male
Australia
Seen 7 Hours Ago
Posted 16 Hours Ago
@Chuckles - Whilst I don't know much of Persona, what I have heard sounds really interesting. Definitely worth a shot.

@Dusk - Soulbond looks great I don't know how it hasn't gotten more attention then that! I might join myself but I'm working on bringing out some RPs of my own and on maintaining my activity in others. So yeah, those who aren't too busy join Dusk's RP already it looks awesome.
RPWLA&MVGGaming Journal
Seen 2 Weeks Ago
Posted January 2nd, 2021
1,549 posts
9.8 Years
Thanks Gimmiepie and Grif of Hearts. This is just a preview of what I have been working on.

I am thou... Thou art I... From the sea of thy soul, I cometh…

Welcome to the velvet room. My it would seem you have a most unusual destiny lying before you. Some introduction I am Igor and I am quite pleased to make your acquaintance. You see, this realm exists between mind & matter. It separates dream from reality. Generally speaking only those who have forged a contract are allowed to visit this room and maybe soon such a fate will be awaiting you as well.
To expand you are no ordinary individual, you have a great power tucked away inside of you. As you will find out soon, you will be required to use a Persona. You see A Persona is a manifestation of a person's personality. There are many Persona’s one can have but I cannot simply hand them because then that Persona would become violent and difficult to control possibly killing the user and we can’t have that especially for such a fine young person. It seems my time is up, now if you want to proceed, please sign your name there. It's a contract don't worry it won’t bite, oh I almost forgot pick a card….


tell me what you guys think and if there are any errors please tell me.

machomuu

Stuck in Hot Girl Summer

She/Her
Take a left, turn right at the next stop, bear left for a few mil
Seen March 4th, 2023
Posted April 26th, 2022
10,505 posts
15.1 Years
Hmm...I think you might want to sharpen that part about what a persona is. In Persona 4, the personae are described "facades used to overcome life's hardships", and that's a rather simple way of putting it, but it's true enough. This isn't to say that a persona isn't the manifestation of one's personality, it definitely is, but only when it's awakened does it truly become one's personality. Otherwise, a persona is simply a mask that one wears because they're not willing to open up, they're being repressed, they aren't comfortable with themselves, or that they don't know themselves well enough to know what their "true self" is.

Also, you say "There are many Persona's" when it should be "There are many Personas" or "There are many Personae". That sentence is also mostly run-on, you might one it to go like this:
You see, a Persona is a manifestation of one's personality. There are many Personas one can possess, but I cannot simply hand them out; if I did that, the Persona would become violent and difficult to control, possibly killing the user. We can’t have that, especially for such a fine young person.
There are also word changes and the addition of punctuation, so use it as you see fit. I changed some of it to sound more Igor-ish, hopefully nothing too objectionable, though. There are also some other changes that are needed, such as the capitalization of Velvet Room, a comma after "My" in the second sentance, possibly a semicolon after mind & matter (but that's optional), and a comma after "Generally Speaking".

Other than that, though, it seems pretty good. I'm interested in seeing where you'll take the idea.

Skymin

Age 30
AU
Seen February 18th, 2023
Posted March 16th, 2018
5,114 posts
16.7 Years
Persona is great and all, but with my experience with the game they very much like to be complex and (well to me anyway Persona 1 was weiiirrddd) confusing.

what's great though is that persona, the fighting and the character relationships are both important things. which is what RPing does very well. but yeah good luck with the plot because if you wanna make it persona-able just have multiple subplots happening at once with 400000000 open ended questions until the end AND EVEN THEN

/cries.

maybe i'm just bad at persona.
Seen 2 Weeks Ago
Posted January 2nd, 2021
1,549 posts
9.8 Years
I hear you but at least when it comes to heaps of subplots they will all be controlled by the characters (S.Links). I am still working on the plot and I don't have a complete idea where I want the story to complete it's difficult if I want to make a complete new story but I could just use a generic Shin Megami Tensei plot where it's like demons want to invade or its time for us humans to rebel against god etc. etc.