Hello there it's Galaxy-Star. I have been on this site for less than a year and I love it here.
I'm just wondering if anyone really cares if people update their character info. I am in dire need to update my characters' info and wonder if it's worth all the effort. I just curious how many people actually read the character info before they roleplay with a person. Like some of my characters have kind of cringy backgrounds but they're the most requested or played with. I have a character who is just human and put a lot of effort in, although I'm gonna update her as well just to keep things fresh, and she is rarely requested or played with.
So I am just curious and I am open to any advice or suggestions to how to update or make my characters more interesting.
I'm just wondering if anyone really cares if people update their character info. I am in dire need to update my characters' info and wonder if it's worth all the effort. I just curious how many people actually read the character info before they roleplay with a person. Like some of my characters have kind of cringy backgrounds but they're the most requested or played with. I have a character who is just human and put a lot of effort in, although I'm gonna update her as well just to keep things fresh, and she is rarely requested or played with.
So I am just curious and I am open to any advice or suggestions to how to update or make my characters more interesting.
I for one always read through character profiles, and I tend to update my characters information based on the RPs they are in. It’s one of the cool things about this site. I’m also a fan of leaving guestbook comments from one character to another.
That's so cool I've never had anyone leave any comments, then again I never left a comment either. I'm always too nervous. I am currently updating a character because I changed her back story in a roleplay and like that story better than the one I originally gave her.
I've found that it doen't hurt to get things set with a background and avatars and such, and put the guestbook option in and do the name URL instead of the random one. Only takes a bit of time, and I've gotten into RPs from people browsing chaaracters and messaging when they like what they see.
The one thing about the guestbook is you need to proofread it before posting as it is not editable.
The one thing about the guestbook is you need to proofread it before posting as it is not editable.
Dunedain-Ranger wrote:
I've found that it doen't hurt to get things set with a background and avatars and such, and put the guestbook option in and do the name URL instead of the random one. Only takes a bit of time, and I've gotten into RPs from people browsing chaaracters and messaging when they like what they see.
The one thing about the guestbook is you need to proofread it before posting as it is not editable.
The one thing about the guestbook is you need to proofread it before posting as it is not editable.
That last part sounds like it's from experience. I never browsed characters, I just don't know if the people behind them are in a position for new roleplays
Yeah, I only did one entry that was full of typos.
And if the character is really interesting, it's always worth a friendly PM. I got a good RP going this way. Usually i either don't get a reply, or get a friendly no. It's all good.
And if the character is really interesting, it's always worth a friendly PM. I got a good RP going this way. Usually i either don't get a reply, or get a friendly no. It's all good.
Dunedain-Ranger wrote:
Yeah, I only did one entry that was full of typos.
And if the character is really interesting, it's always worth a friendly PM. I got a good RP going this way. Usually i either don't get a reply, or get a friendly no. It's all good.
And if the character is really interesting, it's always worth a friendly PM. I got a good RP going this way. Usually i either don't get a reply, or get a friendly no. It's all good.
Alright then worth a shot. A lot of my roleplays die on me with no clue why. But I did find some interesting charcters broswing the "Looking for Roleplay" forum
I always read character information. I also keep an eye out for updates, particularly if the character is one that mine is in a storyline with. I also tend to read over the information before making a decision on whether to RP with someone or not.
Cateline wrote:
I always read character information. I also keep an eye out for updates, particularly if the character is one that mine is in a storyline with. I also tend to read over the information before making a decision on whether to RP with someone or not.
Thank you so much. Your information is very helpful. I was nervous about updating my characters but now that I know that other people actually read them it makes me better about putting all this effort. Most of these updates are complete rewrites and more detailed.
I'm not always good at keeping my characters up to date, but I do always read through profiles before I play with someone. It helps me to know how to go into things and if our characters are likely to mesh at all.
It actually bothers me when the person plays the character nothing like what the profile indicates.
The better I get to know both player and character, the better the stories we can build together. I've actually done games I'd have never expected to, and never expected to be so interesting, just from the natural progression of things. For example, there's a player I've built up quite the substantial canon with featuring multiple fully-fledged families, and we've played them going through everything from maniacal supervillains and dystopian governments to pregnancy and growing children to dealing with unexpected job loss and even drug addiction. I did a rehab RP. I nearly cried.
The hardest part is starting out, but a good character profile can make that a lot easier.
It actually bothers me when the person plays the character nothing like what the profile indicates.
The better I get to know both player and character, the better the stories we can build together. I've actually done games I'd have never expected to, and never expected to be so interesting, just from the natural progression of things. For example, there's a player I've built up quite the substantial canon with featuring multiple fully-fledged families, and we've played them going through everything from maniacal supervillains and dystopian governments to pregnancy and growing children to dealing with unexpected job loss and even drug addiction. I did a rehab RP. I nearly cried.
The hardest part is starting out, but a good character profile can make that a lot easier.
I for my part always go through the others´character infos - it helps me getting a feeling for a possible plot and setting and which of my characters would make the best fit (in case this decision still is pending)
And I for my part love to set up proper character sheets, all with layout, pictures, proper information, and if available also provide some drabbles (to give examples of my writing style and perhaps also provide some insight who the character might fare in certain situations/setting/verses)
And I for my part love to set up proper character sheets, all with layout, pictures, proper information, and if available also provide some drabbles (to give examples of my writing style and perhaps also provide some insight who the character might fare in certain situations/setting/verses)
oh thank you that's so helpful. do you guys mind if you go through and read my character's miyuki and kirashi profiles, they're the only ones I've updated so far and would really appreciate feedback
I skim read profiles yeah. I think they not only give you some useful info you can use to inspire certain interactions or plot threads but I like knowing what a character looks like in more detail than most people put into an intro and having that to refer back to. I often forget how tall a character is for instance, and I like to remind myself for certain interactions like, will my guy look up or down at this person? Is there a big difference or not much of one at all? and that kinda thing becuase I think it adds fun little detail. Like, if you know the other character is deadly afraid of horses you could suggest horse riding and see what they do (lol), or have a scene featuring horses for some reason to challenge that phobia. You can have a LOT of fun as a writer with a bit of ooc knowledge of the other character bwahahahah. Ahem.
Also, yeah, i'm gonna admit it, I totally judge a person based on their character profiles. It gives a glimpse of their writing style for a start, and of their priorities. For instance, if I read a character description and it's like 90% talking about her body type and how big her boobs are I can guess this person doesn't want a regular kinda rp but rather something a little more adult's only... ahem. I'll probably steer clear.
If their bio, which they should have spent time proof reading is littered with typos and weird gramatical errors i'm gonna assume their replies will be similarly difficult to read, if not worse because who proof reads their replies? (totally doesn't proof read her replies bwhahah)
And if their characters make me cringe then yeah, i'm unlikely to be that encouraged to rp.
Also I feel like you can tell a lot about the maturity level and possible "age" of a writer. Of course i've known 30 year olds who've come across as children in the way they write, and younger people who write with a great deal of maturity but if something pings my "not sure this person is over 14" kinda radar i'm unlikely to want to rp either. Maybe that's a bit snobbish but really it's more because I don't think my characters are very family friendly and i'm just not overly comfortable private rping with a very young tween. It just.. feels a bit seedy even if you're only talking about dolls or kittens or something. Group rps aren't such an issue there though. It's kinda like the difference between talking to a kid in a park and inviting that kid home for a cup of tea lol. And even if they claim they're over 18 if they just come across as really child-like i'm just not totally comfortable. I dunno, just... yeaaaah.. i'd rather not.
In terms of my own bios, I like to go back every time I have a revelation about a character and add it into their sheet or tweak things about them. Characters generally aren't static after all, they change, they grow, as you get to know them better you learn more about them and things you thought were true turn out not to be. So I do try to constantly update my own bios whenever something changes. I also like to reread my own bios to remind myself of details I otherwise forget. When you have like 70+ ocs it's really easy to forget little details like "so and so is allergic to garlic" or "this guy is colourblind" so I like to skim my own sheets to remember haha. Sometimes I reread and go "wait... I forgot I even wrote this! WTH?" and it's quite funny.
Often i'll go back and skim if a question pops up in the game, like for instance recently in a vampire rp there was a scene with a mirror and I was like "oh gosh, i gotta go see what I said happened in mirrors!" to clarify what i'd decided.
So I think a character bio is useful for you, the creator just as much as anyone else. It's like a nice little reference you can keep referring back to. I find them invaluable for my own personal reference lol.
and ooo I LOOOOVE drabbles! I love writing them. I wish I had more chance to throw them on character bios but i'm never sure where to put them lol.
Also, yeah, i'm gonna admit it, I totally judge a person based on their character profiles. It gives a glimpse of their writing style for a start, and of their priorities. For instance, if I read a character description and it's like 90% talking about her body type and how big her boobs are I can guess this person doesn't want a regular kinda rp but rather something a little more adult's only... ahem. I'll probably steer clear.
If their bio, which they should have spent time proof reading is littered with typos and weird gramatical errors i'm gonna assume their replies will be similarly difficult to read, if not worse because who proof reads their replies? (totally doesn't proof read her replies bwhahah)
And if their characters make me cringe then yeah, i'm unlikely to be that encouraged to rp.
Also I feel like you can tell a lot about the maturity level and possible "age" of a writer. Of course i've known 30 year olds who've come across as children in the way they write, and younger people who write with a great deal of maturity but if something pings my "not sure this person is over 14" kinda radar i'm unlikely to want to rp either. Maybe that's a bit snobbish but really it's more because I don't think my characters are very family friendly and i'm just not overly comfortable private rping with a very young tween. It just.. feels a bit seedy even if you're only talking about dolls or kittens or something. Group rps aren't such an issue there though. It's kinda like the difference between talking to a kid in a park and inviting that kid home for a cup of tea lol. And even if they claim they're over 18 if they just come across as really child-like i'm just not totally comfortable. I dunno, just... yeaaaah.. i'd rather not.
In terms of my own bios, I like to go back every time I have a revelation about a character and add it into their sheet or tweak things about them. Characters generally aren't static after all, they change, they grow, as you get to know them better you learn more about them and things you thought were true turn out not to be. So I do try to constantly update my own bios whenever something changes. I also like to reread my own bios to remind myself of details I otherwise forget. When you have like 70+ ocs it's really easy to forget little details like "so and so is allergic to garlic" or "this guy is colourblind" so I like to skim my own sheets to remember haha. Sometimes I reread and go "wait... I forgot I even wrote this! WTH?" and it's quite funny.
Often i'll go back and skim if a question pops up in the game, like for instance recently in a vampire rp there was a scene with a mirror and I was like "oh gosh, i gotta go see what I said happened in mirrors!" to clarify what i'd decided.
So I think a character bio is useful for you, the creator just as much as anyone else. It's like a nice little reference you can keep referring back to. I find them invaluable for my own personal reference lol.
and ooo I LOOOOVE drabbles! I love writing them. I wish I had more chance to throw them on character bios but i'm never sure where to put them lol.
Purple_monkfish wrote:
I skim read profiles yeah. I think they not only give you some useful info you can use to inspire certain interactions or plot threads but I like knowing what a character looks like in more detail than most people put into an intro and having that to refer back to. I often forget how tall a character is for instance, and I like to remind myself for certain interactions like, will my guy look up or down at this person? Is there a big difference or not much of one at all? and that kinda thing becuase I think it adds fun little detail. Like, if you know the other character is deadly afraid of horses you could suggest horse riding and see what they do (lol), or have a scene featuring horses for some reason to challenge that phobia. You can have a LOT of fun as a writer with a bit of ooc knowledge of the other character bwahahahah. Ahem.
Also, yeah, i'm gonna admit it, I totally judge a person based on their character profiles. It gives a glimpse of their writing style for a start, and of their priorities. For instance, if I read a character description and it's like 90% talking about her body type and how big her boobs are I can guess this person doesn't want a regular kinda rp but rather something a little more adult's only... ahem. I'll probably steer clear.
If their bio, which they should have spent time proof reading is littered with typos and weird gramatical errors i'm gonna assume their replies will be similarly difficult to read, if not worse because who proof reads their replies? (totally doesn't proof read her replies bwhahah)
And if their characters make me cringe then yeah, i'm unlikely to be that encouraged to rp.
Also I feel like you can tell a lot about the maturity level and possible "age" of a writer. Of course i've known 30 year olds who've come across as children in the way they write, and younger people who write with a great deal of maturity but if something pings my "not sure this person is over 14" kinda radar i'm unlikely to want to rp either. Maybe that's a bit snobbish but really it's more because I don't think my characters are very family friendly and i'm just not overly comfortable private rping with a very young tween. It just.. feels a bit seedy even if you're only talking about dolls or kittens or something. Group rps aren't such an issue there though. It's kinda like the difference between talking to a kid in a park and inviting that kid home for a cup of tea lol. And even if they claim they're over 18 if they just come across as really child-like i'm just not totally comfortable. I dunno, just... yeaaaah.. i'd rather not.
In terms of my own bios, I like to go back every time I have a revelation about a character and add it into their sheet or tweak things about them. Characters generally aren't static after all, they change, they grow, as you get to know them better you learn more about them and things you thought were true turn out not to be. So I do try to constantly update my own bios whenever something changes. I also like to reread my own bios to remind myself of details I otherwise forget. When you have like 70+ ocs it's really easy to forget little details like "so and so is allergic to garlic" or "this guy is colourblind" so I like to skim my own sheets to remember haha. Sometimes I reread and go "wait... I forgot I even wrote this! WTH?" and it's quite funny.
Often i'll go back and skim if a question pops up in the game, like for instance recently in a vampire rp there was a scene with a mirror and I was like "oh gosh, i gotta go see what I said happened in mirrors!" to clarify what i'd decided.
So I think a character bio is useful for you, the creator just as much as anyone else. It's like a nice little reference you can keep referring back to. I find them invaluable for my own personal reference lol.
and ooo I LOOOOVE drabbles! I love writing them. I wish I had more chance to throw them on character bios but i'm never sure where to put them lol.
Also, yeah, i'm gonna admit it, I totally judge a person based on their character profiles. It gives a glimpse of their writing style for a start, and of their priorities. For instance, if I read a character description and it's like 90% talking about her body type and how big her boobs are I can guess this person doesn't want a regular kinda rp but rather something a little more adult's only... ahem. I'll probably steer clear.
If their bio, which they should have spent time proof reading is littered with typos and weird gramatical errors i'm gonna assume their replies will be similarly difficult to read, if not worse because who proof reads their replies? (totally doesn't proof read her replies bwhahah)
And if their characters make me cringe then yeah, i'm unlikely to be that encouraged to rp.
Also I feel like you can tell a lot about the maturity level and possible "age" of a writer. Of course i've known 30 year olds who've come across as children in the way they write, and younger people who write with a great deal of maturity but if something pings my "not sure this person is over 14" kinda radar i'm unlikely to want to rp either. Maybe that's a bit snobbish but really it's more because I don't think my characters are very family friendly and i'm just not overly comfortable private rping with a very young tween. It just.. feels a bit seedy even if you're only talking about dolls or kittens or something. Group rps aren't such an issue there though. It's kinda like the difference between talking to a kid in a park and inviting that kid home for a cup of tea lol. And even if they claim they're over 18 if they just come across as really child-like i'm just not totally comfortable. I dunno, just... yeaaaah.. i'd rather not.
In terms of my own bios, I like to go back every time I have a revelation about a character and add it into their sheet or tweak things about them. Characters generally aren't static after all, they change, they grow, as you get to know them better you learn more about them and things you thought were true turn out not to be. So I do try to constantly update my own bios whenever something changes. I also like to reread my own bios to remind myself of details I otherwise forget. When you have like 70+ ocs it's really easy to forget little details like "so and so is allergic to garlic" or "this guy is colourblind" so I like to skim my own sheets to remember haha. Sometimes I reread and go "wait... I forgot I even wrote this! WTH?" and it's quite funny.
Often i'll go back and skim if a question pops up in the game, like for instance recently in a vampire rp there was a scene with a mirror and I was like "oh gosh, i gotta go see what I said happened in mirrors!" to clarify what i'd decided.
So I think a character bio is useful for you, the creator just as much as anyone else. It's like a nice little reference you can keep referring back to. I find them invaluable for my own personal reference lol.
and ooo I LOOOOVE drabbles! I love writing them. I wish I had more chance to throw them on character bios but i'm never sure where to put them lol.
Holy damn your comment was so insightful. That makes me nervous that people judge me based on my characters. So I guess that I am doing myself a favor by updating the profiles and giving more information
I love reading and hearing about other people's characters! It's nice when people open up, and it's fun to browse through RPR and see the creativity and artwork and writing on display. Some don't tell as much as I'd like, but many of those at least show off their players' great template skills. 
Lots of people have strong opinions on profile do's and don'ts, RPR did an article on it a bit back that might help.
https://www.rprepository.com/help/kickbutt-character-profiles
Lots of people have strong opinions on profile do's and don'ts, RPR did an article on it a bit back that might help.
https://www.rprepository.com/help/kickbutt-character-profiles
sland wrote:
I love reading and hearing about other people's characters! It's nice when people open up, and it's fun to browse through RPR and see the creativity and artwork and writing on display. Some don't tell as much as I'd like, but many of those at least show off their players' great template skills.
Lots of people have strong opinions on profile do's and don'ts, RPR did an article on it a bit back that might help.
https://www.rprepository.com/help/kickbutt-character-profiles
Lots of people have strong opinions on profile do's and don'ts, RPR did an article on it a bit back that might help.
https://www.rprepository.com/help/kickbutt-character-profiles
Galaxy-Star wrote:
As a writer I am a lover of the lore, reading a character page is critical to see not only what kind of abilities and things they may have that may or may not be compatible, but also whether or not they will be compatible with my characters personalities for the rp they will be in together. Also I read every bit of lore and background available. If someone has a character with no history or information on them at all I am almost certain to not reach out to them, and would be reluctant if they reached out to me
My opinion is updating the character profile is not only worth it but truly necessary to find good rp partners and great role playing scenarios.
There is my 2 cents, for what it's worth.
My opinion is updating the character profile is not only worth it but truly necessary to find good rp partners and great role playing scenarios.
There is my 2 cents, for what it's worth.
thank you all so much for you input I just have three more charcters to update
i'm gonna admit, this thread got me updating bios ahahahah.
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