Post by Admin on Jan 15, 2012 3:23:14 GMT -5
Character Guidelines
Please review ALL of these guidelines before you submit your character application, which can be found at the end of this page.
Also, as our roleplay has been around for a while now, we've come to establish our own continuity within the greater Sega continuity. We welcome and recommend you to come and take and look at our own personal Wiki. On it you'll be able to easily access information about established characters, what they've done in the storyline, locations, as well as objects or specific events worthy of noting! As it's a never-ending project that's always being updated, newcomers and established players alike should consider looking in (and updating) often.
Approval Team
All characters will be subjected to review by the approval team. During this time, they may make suggestions or ask for certain things about your character to be altered. Don't get upset if this happens, as they're only trying to help keep this roleplay's atmosphere, style, and quality level intact, and keep it fun and fair to everyone involved. Any player is free to comment on applications, but all approval team members must voice their opinion before the character can be approved or disapproved. An application must have the approval of everyone on the team before it passes.
Please also note that if you modify a character's profile after it's been approved, you still must notify the app team of the changes. This can be done by simply leaving a reply to the profile's thread noting what all you changed. If anyone on the app team has a problem with the changes, you may be asked to modify or delete them. If you refuse, your character's profile will be moved back to the application area and the character will be unplayable until the dispute is resolved.
The current approval team members are:
-Jamie
-Val/Mike
General Character Guidelines
Please keep your character balanced - It's no fun for other Players if your character is the best at dodging, attacking, running, swimming, knitting, etc. Keep things reasonably balanced and fair for everybody else. It's all about having fun here, so let's keep things that way.
Please do not make your character related to any official character - If you try to relate your character to (for example) Sonic, through family bonds, relationships or through an intertwined history, we will usually ask you to amend it. There can be some leeway on this though. Speak to the player of the official character and see if they approve of the idea. If they're okay, there's more of a likelihood that we'll be okay. Otherwise, it's going to be a hard veto.
Please do not make a character revolving around the Emeralds - This is a big one. Please don't make a character who is either a) the guardian of any of the official emeralds (or other power gems), b) the guardian of some unofficial emeralds (also, please don't create any unofficial emeralds or other power gems, either), or c) Already in possession of an emerald right from the get-go. We already keep track of the emeralds' placement in the story, so it would be impossible for newcomers to already have one in their possession.
What we Allow, What to Avoid
On the subject of Hedgehogs, Foxes and Echidnas, please see the 'Restricted Roles' sections for further details.
HYBRIDS ARE CASE-BY-CASE: Hybrids are cool and we do allow them, but they are only accepted as long as they don't seem too biologically outrageous. Mammals/reptiles, for example, will not be accepted, but mammal/mammals may be considered - the chances becoming much better if their two species belong to the same animal family (canidae/canidae or sciuridae/sciuridae for example), and if it's a hybrid between, say, two species of bat, than we likely won't even bat an eye. They must present a good design and profile that equally balances hybrid strengths and weaknesses (IE, don't give them all the strengths of both species and none of the weaknesses). That said, with there being so many other unused options for unique animal species out there, we encourage looking into those first before considering a hybrid. This and this are good links to try, if you're stumped on ideas for varying species.
HUMANS ARE ALLOWED: Don't want or can't think of an animal for your character to be? That's fine! Humans are perfectly acceptable here - and no, there's no rift between them and the anthro characters here in the Sega universe - they're treated as equals. Just bare in mind we don't want sayans, mutants or magical girls - IE, don't bring anime or Marvel/DC characters in here.
CYBORGS ARE ALLOWED: Believe it or not, we have a loophole that allows cyborg characters to be able to exist within the Sega continuity. If you'd like information on how we portray them and how to apply for one, check out this article from our wiki. Also feel free to shoot any questions you might have on the subject to Jamie, as it is one of her characters who makes this option possible. If you would like your character to be a member of our Sega variation of the Dark Legion, please contact Jamie to discuss.
NO EXTRATERRESTRIALS: Yeah, okay. There's been aliens in the game continuity. Shadow's part alien. We still don't want them here. Also wisps and zeti are banned.
Whatever isn't on this list, we will most likely have no problems with! If you are unsure about something, don't be afraid to contact us about it, and we'll give you advice as best as we can!
Restricted Roles
A restricted role is, essentially, a player role that is restricted from newcomers and other such players. There are a few types of characters and roles that, while acceptable, are pretty important, and can only be entrusted to Players that have been around for a while, are active and are trustworthy. Having one of these roles is not a right - it must be earned. The stipulations we normally consider are as such;
- You have been around for some time, and established at least two well-developed roleplaying characters in the story.
- Have a strong history of roleplay, replying in timely fashion, keeping things civil and mature, and staying in contact with other players.
- We have become familiar enough with you as a player and your style of writing to feel comfortable allowing you the responsibility.
There may be one or two other minor considerations, but this will be up to the ones in charge of the application process. Here is a current list of things we consider 'Restricted':
HEDGEHOGS, FOXES, AND ECHIDNAS: It's not really a secret - these are all over the place. They're the three most popular species, and it's because of this that we want to limit the number of them allowed in. Usually, such characters are almost never too different from the main cast, thus it becomes difficult to give clearance in a roleplay where we encourage all things creative. However, if you are eligible and you want one, we'll allow you the opportunity. Yes - this includes echidnas. We have a loophole to allow echidna fancharacters provided they come from Blaze's world rather than Sonic's. Also we would like to note that trying to get around this rule by applying for, say, a porcupine that just looks like a hedgehog with messier quills won't fly. If you want a porcupine, make it look like a porcupine.
INDOLES: In a nutshell, "indole" is a term we invented to describe characters who are naturally superpowered. This includes extreme physical feats of speed or strength, or powers such as telekinesis or control over the elements. The most notable examples are Sonic, with his super speed, or Blaze, with her fire abilities. Further information on indoles can be found [[[Indoles|here]]]. These types of characters are meant to be rather hard to come by, and as such, any people wanting to create a character in this category need to speak with us first. They aren't banned, but with so many members of the canon cast already falling under this group, we need to put a leash on how many of these guys we let run around. Further information on indoles can be found here.
ROBOTIC DUPLICATES/METALLIXES: There's already a LOT of these in the canon alone, like Metal Sonic and Robo Knuckles. Moooore than likely if you want one it's going to be a veto, but if you have an idea you'd like to pitch we'll at least give it consideration. Even so, we would encourage robotic characters who are their own unique entities.
MAJOR ANTAGONISTS: Villains are important. Any good story needs conflict, and the best way to cause conflict is to have a Big Bad pull some tremendous stunts to achieve their goals. However, because of how much these heavy hitters can affect a story at any given point, they tend to be very important characters that can't be left just hanging in the middle of a major plot, nor can they be a common occurrence. Due to the importance and the necessary rarity of such a role, we can't just hand these out to anybody, and involvement with these characters will have to undergo much thought and planning before being put to use. If you've been with us for a while, and think you have an idea that would involve something like this, we may give you a shot. Just get in touch, and we can work something out. Keep in mind that this only applies to MAJOR antagonists. You can absolutely make members for the Eggman Empire, Dark Legion, Underground Syndicate or characters like mercenaries and thieves and the like.
POSITIONS OF HIGH POLITICAL POWER: Presidents, governors, royalty, nobles, etc. These are extremely powerful characters with the ability to dictate commands, define laws, declare war or otherwise directly and indirectly affect many other characters in the game. And just like there aren't many people with this kind of power in real life, not very many of them will be allowed in-game. We gotta really trust you if you want one of these.
CHARACTER APPLICATION
Below is the application required to submit a character for the roleplay. Just copy and paste this into a new thread to fill out. It is MANDATORY that all fields be filled out and must be done so in the format presented (IE, with the information placed BELOW the field name). After submission, it will be reviewed by whoever is on the Review staff.
When posting your thread or looking at other character submissions, you might notice or decide to use these tags in the thread title:
(WIP) - "Work in progress". This means that the application is not yet complete. App team members generally won't look at these unless specifically asked, so be sure to remove this tag and post a reply stating that your app is ready for review once it is done.
(NPC) - Non-Player Characters. We're actually MUCH less strict when it comes to reviewing these, since they're meant to serve as reoccurring background characters and wouldn't have much depth as a result. BE SURE to put this tag in the thread title if you wish for the character to be an NPC.
(Adoptable) - Usually used alongside the NPC tag. These are characters we typically need and use as NPCs in the story for whatever purpose, but are allowed to be adopted and applied for as full characters should a player decide they want them.
[u][b]Name:[/b][/u]
Real name. Ie, "Miles Prower". When creating a name, please choose one that will fit within the framework of the Sega universe. Compare "Amy Rose" next to, say "[i]Shadowflux Aeroheart[/i]". Keep it simple - bonus points if it forms a pun (blatant or otherwise).
[u][b]Nicknames:[/b][/u]
Common aliases, pet names or insults. Compare "Tails" or "Rosie the Rascal". Again, nothing too exotic please - keep in mind the sorts of names Sonic characters generally have, as well as the sort of nicknames people in real life might acquire.
[u][b]Species:[/b][/u]
What species is your character? Please no hedgehogs, foxes, or echidnas unless you meet the qualifications for a restricted role... and don't apply for things like, say, a "porcupine" that just looks like a hedgehog with messy quills either. We try to encourage unique and underused species here (including humans), so if you would like something a bit unusual but are having difficulty thinking of anything these websites may be a good source of reference: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html and http://a-z-animals.com/animals/
[u][b]Gender:[/b][/u]
What gender is your character? If genderless or genderqueer, please indicate their pronouns (Example: Metal Sonic has no physical gender, but is generally referred to as he/him)
[u][b]Age:[/b][/u]
How old? Try to be reasonable with this. We know a lot of the canon characters are unusually young to be involved in the things they are, but we don't want a bunch of child prodigies. On that note - if you are applying for a canon character and believe their canon age does not feel right in comparison to their job, experience and/or level of maturity, we will allow you to age them up or down accordingly. Remember, there's nothing wrong with having a character above the age of 20.
[u][b]Alignment:[/b][/u]
Neutral good, chaotic evil, etc.?
http://sthrps.wikidot.com/alignments <-- A reference guide
[u][b]Height:[/b][/u]
Please give your character's height in feet and inches! Here's a rough guide if you're having trouble deciding on an appropriate height:
Tiny - Cheese's size (1'3'')
Child - Cream's size (2'3'')
Short - Tails' size (2'6'')
Average - Sonic's size (3'3'')
Above Average - Storm's size (4'7'')
Tall - Vector's size (5'11'')
Giant - Big (6'6'')
[u][b]Residence:[/b][/u]
Where do they currently live? You can always have them move in-game at a later time if you desire. Here is a list of locations to give you ideas: http://sthrps.wikidot.com/locations-sega
[u][b]World of Origin:[/b][/u]
Are they originally from Sonic's world (known as Gaia), or from Blaze's world (known as Terra)? It's worth noting that travel between the two worlds IS possible in our roleplay. Characters native to Terra are encouraged are they aren't nearly as common as Gaian residents.
[u][b]Occupation:[/b][/u]
Where are they employed and what is their position? If your character is not employed you can just put "n/a" here.
http://sthrps.wikidot.com/world-setting-sega <-- Lists of established in-world organizations, such as GUN or the Eggman Empire, can be found here if you would like your character to work for one of them (Yes, the Eggman Empire allows organic members, by the way)
[u][b]Personality:[/b][/u]
One of the most important fields. What are they like? Be as detailed as you can and try to make it at least two paragraphs long. We especially like to know things like how they relate to others, react to new situations, or how the feel about people important in their lives.
If you're having some difficulty figuring out how to describe a character's personality, the links provided on this page may provide some help: http://jamieswiftrunner.deviantart.com/art/Stamp-MBTI-supporter-167771862 (just please don't copy and paste directly from them).
[u][b]Strengths:[/b][/u]
Where does your character excel? Learned abilities, skills, natural talents and related articles fall here. Bonus points if you include strengths inspired by the real life counterpart of the animal your character is based off of.
[u][b]Weaknesses:[/b][/u]
Where does your character fall short? Physical ailments, allergies, anything they're not skilled at, etc. Bonus points if you include weaknesses inspired by the real life counterpart of the animal your character is based off of.
[u][b]Emerald Abilities:[/b][/u]
Assuming your character had a Chaos or Sol Emerald in their possession, the abilities they'd gain from it would be listed here. Remember though that your character doesn't HAVE to have an emerald ability, and we actually tend to discourage them. Also worth noting, things like Super forms are restricted unless otherwise dictated by administration. Your character MAY NOT have more than three emerald abilities, and MAY NOT use Chaos Control, Chaos Blast or Chaos Spear.
[u][b]History:[/b][/u]
History is extremely important to a character's foundation, as it's what helps to shape their personality, goals, skills and even likes and dislikes. What's their story? We'd appreciate it if you'd avoid giving your characters amnesia, tragic tales where everyone they knew and loved was killed, or having them come from orphanages and the like. It's over-used and rarely done well, so we're not likely to okay it. Remember that it's okay for your character to be an average joe who's still interesting in other ways if you can't think of a "fantastic history" for them to use.
[u][b]Likes:[/b][/u]
Hobbies, foods, colors, places, weather, music, etc. Try to include at least three.
[u][b]Dislikes:[/b][/u]
Jobs/Chores, foods, colors, places, weather, music, etc. Try to include at least three.
[u][b]Appearance:[/b][/u]
Body colors, markings, clothing, etc. Pictures work best but words are a good substitute. If you don't have a finalized design made yet, just give us a general idea.
[u][b]Other Info:[/b][/u]
Do they have any theme songs, accents, unusual habits, etc.? Anything that doesn't fit in the other categories. This includes things like vehicles they own/drive or gadgets they might regularly carry. Just put "n/a" here if there's nothing worth mentioning.
[u][b]Played By:[/b][/u]
What would you like us to call you? Trish, or James, or Moe, or Betty? Specify here.