Add 3 Teaspoons Of Unique

[Valon (Yokey) 168]

Lovely lovely, applicants, hungry hungry hippos, I would like to welcome you to my first application guide. This guide is about choosing how unique to make your character, so that it is a realistic commoner, and a fun character that makes the roleplay interesting. I hope you enjoy it.

 

I wanted to present this in a list of problems many face when making a unique character. These will all be common problems, and a few uncommon ones.

 

Problem 1: The Quirks

Now, all characters have quirks. This being the same in real life, it is essential to a fun character. Now some common problems with this is making the quirks tie in with your bio, making the quirks realistic, or just choosing which one. The best way to avoid the first one is to write your bio FIRST, after, of course, you write OOC info, and name, age, ect. The second problem there can be fixed by making them harmless, non-psychopathic, and overall fun little jolts, or hobbies. The third one can be remedied with a simple series of questions "Is this going to be fun? Will it be a hassle to emote? Is it something that can be considered villainous activity? (Impulsive behavior that could lead to a bad situation)

 

Problem 2: The Dreaded Bio

The bio is always going to be perceived as the hellishly long background, that is strictly early life, and "sorrow stories". This is wrong. The bio is anything and everything that makes the character who he is. Yes, this includes early life, but it also includes odd encounters on the Anthos Highway, or where he picked up his knack for story-telling, or lying. Common problems include: Linear storytelling, Cliche manners of uniqueness, and the occasional skimping out. Linear storytelling is one of the worst ways to do your bio. To add uniqueness, not only to your bio, but to your app, you need to have a bio filled with colorful stories of your characters childhood. Make the App Team Member cry when he reads about your puppy running away, and be filled with joy when you learn to swim in the lake, and help save a baby bird. Things like this, that are not commonly done in bios, can add uniqueness to the app something every App Team Member wants. Cliche uniqueness is very preavlent in the Denied Section. Do you know why? Because people think it's "cool" to be this loner, without a family, on  a quest for vengeance. That is not unique anymore. Just about half the Oren population moonlights as a vengeance seeker, an assassin, or a thief, because "they were pushed to this life by the death of their parents" If you want a loved one dead, kill off your older cousin, who was like the brother you never had. Maybe a distant uncle, who you never really cared about. Death is not always immediate family. Skimping out is just lazy. The bare minimum is not going to get you anywhere. Flesh out the character. Make him a real person. Give his fears, hates, favorite foods, colors, gemstones. Give his a superstitious sign, like being born under some constellation. Make the character real, and you will fill up the bio easily. As I said before, the bio isn't just your life. Its stuff that really doesn't fit somewhere else, but is details and things that makes your character unique.

 

Problem 3: The Final Countdown

As most bring their app to a close, they don't take the time to look over and see if they made any contradictions, mistakes, etc. They also don't look if their character is too unique, or too bland. You can't have a character with a nose that is longer than his mouth. Uniqueness isn't always about being weird. It's about being different. Not alien, individualized. Have fun with it, for instance, I had a halfling with pink hair once. Anything that you could easily explain scientifically is fine, because as long as you know its possible, it can be there.

 

Well, that should draw my guide to a close, and thanks for reading!

[Ventusyr 233]

An excellent guide! If applicants read this, it should help them greatly :D

[Hyperbeem 6]

Sooo... much.... blue...

 

In all seriousness though, great guide! I like the title as well :)

[#Flexave 33]

Really well written, good guide!

[Rhia 936]

Moved to the Great Library. It shall be sorted into appropriate category shortly.