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Shin Hyakuji High School Tvtropes
The Book that is Hyakuji's Story has come to a close. However, there are still plenty of stories left to be told in the madcap Anime Universe it inhabits. As one book closes, so too does another open. Presented by veteran Hyakuji Staff Members, check out the next generation EVOLUTION of "Anything-Goes" Anime Roleplaying at Senki Academy
The Book that is Hyakuji's Story has come to a close. However, there are still plenty of stories left to be told in the madcap Anime Universe it inhabits. As one book closes, so too does another open. Presented by veteran Hyakuji Staff Members, check out the next generation EVOLUTION of "Anything-Goes" Anime Roleplaying at Senki Academy
| Your Two Cents on RP Advice; Pitch in a few pointers! | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 20 2012, 02:57 PM (221 Views) | |
| Pancake Mix | Feb 20 2012, 02:57 PM Post #1 |
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"OH GOD KILL IT WITH FIRE!" "That reaction is how I KNOW I did a good job!"
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The concept here is that we contribute advice about RP. Hiro suggested I make this topic in General Chat, so here it is. We've all had our share of experiences, so why not share a few tips? I'll start. I welcome people to disagree with and discuss the points brought up here. Character Development: First and foremost, your character is a person. Unless the entire point of the character is that they're irrational, insane, etc., they're going to have to make sense to be well-written. Inconsistency and moments where others scratch their heads and ask "Why did they do that?" are what you want to avoid. Roleplaying is all about telling a story, and every good story has conflict. The protagonist has a goal or at least some sort of motivation, and the story follows them on their journey to achieve that goal. You may have heard of the Hero's Journey story archetype, and if you haven't, I recommend looking it up. Have a Wikipedia link. The character is what drives their story. So have a character that is capable of growing and developing. Imagine a person whose personality never changed or adjusted to what happened around them. They'd be very boring. You don't want to be boring, right? Self vs. Community: Your character is not the protagonist, however. If you're reading this, you're a player at an RPG. Other people are going to be involved, and nothing annoys people more than feeling left out or like one character is the hero while they're just a sideshow. Except maybe forum trolls. If you want to write about your character being the be-all-end-all awesomest thing ever, an RPG isn't for you. However, if you're just part of the herd, you're not going to feel very gratified yourself. What to do? Well, for starters, get used to the art of being distinct and interesting without being a spotlight hog. An RPG should be like the Justice League cartoon, every character contributes something and is capable of carrying a story on their own. Despite Superman being, well, Superman, Justice League was never just The Superman Show Starring Superman. The Flash was funny and interesting, Batman was awesome and interesting, Green Lantern was Being Interesting: If only there were a universal formula on how to do this, we'd all be set, right? The best I can do is offer how I try to make a character interesting. First of all is setting out to be interesting. Sounds obvious, but think about what I'm saying. If you're setting out to design a character and are thinking in terms of pre-existing characters, you're doing it wrong. "I'm going to make a family relative of Vegeta!" Fine, but realize that you've already shot yourself in the foot. Your character isn't defined by themselves, you've created an extension of Vegeta's character. Your character is only notable because they're related to Vegeta, not because they're something you came up with. This also applies to making side-characters for your own character, such as family members. A good character is interesting on their own, not because of who they're based off of or connected to. In my early RP years, I gave my characters family members for the sole sake of killing them off for dramatic effect at a later date. That was a mistake, because then the only interesting thing about them was that they were supposed to die for the sake of another character's story progression. Existing for the sole sake of dying, doesn't that sound nihilistic? "Making a character that's interesting because of who they are? Easier said than done, PM." Yeah, no kidding. But making an effort towards that goal is better than not trying at all. Being Unique: The easiest way to be interesting is to be unique. Disclaimer: Every conceivable type of character has already been invented already. Storytelling and making up characters goes back at least to the Epic of Gilgamesh way back in about 2150 BC. So here we are just shy of 4000 years later, and let's be realistic, you're probably not going to come up with an idea that has never ever been used before. And that's why you need to look at the smaller picture. Your community surely hasn't used every single concept ever, so find a hole and fill it. "This hole! It was made for me!" Now you've got it! Okay, but coming up with a unique character is really hard. Personality, backstory, abilities, the number of possibilities can be menacing. Once again, look at the small scale. If you make a character similar to an existing one in your community, you're going to hit the same "They're like Vegeta!" wall I mentioned before. People will inevitably draw comparisons between the two (or more) characters and cheapen all of them as a result. So first look at your community and see what's already being done. Walk the road less traveled. If you're confident that your idea is relatively out-there compared to what's normal, you can probably skip this part, but it never hurts to make sure. Coming up with unique personalities, powers, and backstories is tough. Fortunately, there's a handy-dandy website that documents every conceivable character personality trait, countless superpowers, and so on. The site is TvTropes, and Shin Hyakuji even has its own page there. It's even linked right below the navigation bar. So my best advice is to go looking around and get lost in TvTropes for a while. Specifically, these pages: Magic And Powers: Your one-stop shop for coming up with abilities if you're in a pinch. Characterization Tropes: Personality traits! If you don't know where to start with your character, just pick and choose ones that seem appealing. Backstory is a bit easier when you have those two. Just work backwards from what your character is at present. |
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| Gluttony Fang | Feb 20 2012, 03:02 PM Post #2 |
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The only thing I can really add is KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR STORYLINE AND THE OVER-ARCING STORY OF HYAKUJI. It's fine, if in your personal character progression, that you do some awesome stuff, that you lead the story, since you're the one making it and others should realize that they DO have a place in there, the general idea is to expand on you. BUT, in Story Events, don't try and de-rail it into "Oh noes! My character's having a huge crisis while super-robot Mavericks from the future are invading! Let's take ten pages to talk about my dark and brooding past!" |
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| Captain | Feb 20 2012, 03:32 PM Post #3 |
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Powers and You: Something a lot of people have trouble with is understanding how strong you're going to be. Let's get this out of the way now. You will not be Goku. You will not be Naruto, not right away. As strong as characters may seem to be on the site, they aren't all powerful. More often than not, you can group them according to this trope. First and foremost, this isn't 100% fact. This is a comparison and not an actual thing for Hyakuji. But if you're comparing your character to this chart, here's typically how it works. Most new people are between Rank 1 and 2. You're still a student, and not likely haven't mastered your powers. That's why you're here. But, through work and progression, you will. You will get stronger, it takes time: A lot of people are in a hurry to immediately get stronger. But that's not how things work, is it? A character can't magically wish to be stronger and more awesome instantly. You need to have your character earn it. All those characters who seem to be so uber strong? They've started out on the same level as you. The longer you're here, the more your character develops, then the stronger they become. Just like any real person, they grow and become more competent. Nobody is invincible: Yeah, you heard me. Even Hiro, the magician who runs a top secret organization isn't invincible. Power isn't everything. You may be at a disadvantage, yes, but that's only natural. You don't expect a day one martial artist to take down a blackbelt. But it's possible. Don't worry about trying to become the strongest, because at the end of the day...nobody ever really is. Keep it consistent: It's not required, but it's generally suggested to follow a theme with your character. What makes sense for your character, power-wise? I don't think many people would expect someone who manipulates the cold, a typical skill for the reserved and calm, to be wielded by someone seeking out challenges and boasting about the roaring fire in their heart. One would not expect a Jock with Ds in all his classes to be a super intelligent wizard. It'd make no sense for the technology user to one day develop the power to shoot fire out of their hands, with no help. That being said, though, there's always exceptions to the rules. If you can come up with something and really make it work, we won't stop you. Just consider how it makes sense for your character. |
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| Cypriss | Feb 20 2012, 03:32 PM Post #4 |
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lol >People who haven't even been active for one week giving advice. Here's my advice. Have fun, don't judge others, quality doesn't exist. Strive for quality anyhow. The only sin is being boring. Meet And Greets suck. The End. |
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