*Roleplay Tutorial*

Black Rose · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 4:34 pm

Introduction

This roleplay will be a tutorial for new and current members to learn about roleplaying in a different way than rules and guides cannot provide. Just like with everything else, some learn by being told while others need to be shown.

They way this will work is just like a normal roleplay, except the members that are participating will add notes to all of their posts explaining why they are having their character(s) do a certain action or why they are writing it a certain way. These will all be in red italics. (Or however else a member wants to make these comments stand out.)

I would appreciate it if no one would post in this topic except for the participating members. if you have a comment, you can post it here.

I hope this proves helpful to all existing and potential roleplayers!

I would like to now give a big, huge, gigantic thanks to all the fantastic members/writers/roleplayers/friends who will be involved in this project:

JerseyCaptain (the person to come up with this amazing idea)
Nobu-Balto
Moki Hunter
Windancer
Godzillawolf

Black Rose · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 7:38 pm

Family [Semi-Advanced]

This title is very short but meaningful enough to attract interest and cause people to click on the topic. Semi-advanced is in parentheses to advertise that this roleplay is not for beginners but is not an advanced roleplay either.

Plot

An earthquake hits the small town of Dwelling, Colorado, an odd and unexpected phenomena in the mountains. Although the natural disaster caused minimal damage, one building's poor architecture leads to the largest crisis this town has ever seen: the escape of dozens of wild animals! Luckily, most of them are caught and sent to other zoos, but a few are still missing...

This paragraph explains the setting and all of the events that happen prior to the actual story.

While hiking in the woods, a group of friends finds the group of animals living in an abandoned farm house. They plan on reporting the sighting to animal control, but then they notice how close all these exotic animals are despite their differences. The humans don't have the heart to call animal control that will surely separate the animals and have them shipped to different states or even different countries.

This paragraph explains the conflict in a clear and concise way to avoid any confusion. It also lists potential characters.

Finally, the group decides to escort the animals with the help of their own pets to a secluded valley where no one ever visits. But there's a reason no one goes there. The trail is dangerously filled with steep hills, sheer cliffs, raging rivers, and poisonous plants. Can this group of teens survive the trip? Will they be able to make it back home?

This paragraph gives the solution to the problem but also emphasizes how difficult it will be to pursue. At the end, I always like to pose a question or two that will be the main focus of the roleplay. Also, noticed how the plot has an ending point: the teens coming back home. This gives your story a stopping point so you are not a hundred pages into the roleplay and wondering when it’s going to end. Also remember to have every element of the plot happen for a reason. For example, the earthquake caused the escape which caused the teens to find the animals which caused them to venture to the valley. Never have an event happen randomly that will ultimately not contribute the overall story.

Setting

Dwelling, Colorado
Spring
Modern Time

Although not necessary, settings can be quite helpful. They limit the confusion on climate, season, weather, and terrain.

Rules

It is always good to have you own list of rules so you can address any issue before it happens.

1. All AS rules apply. They always apply, of course, but it’s good to have a reminder.

2. This roleplay will be rated PG13. I always try to rate my stories. Even though all roleplays are kid-friendly, a PG13 rating gives some wiggle room for romance, violence, gore, and starred (*) cussing.

3. You may join as a human teen, an escaped exotic animal, or as a pet of one of the humans. It's nice for people to know exactly what they can join as and what type of characters you want in the story. This helps prevent people from joining as an off-topic character like an alien or a fairy.

4. Please no one-liners. Writer's block will be accepted on occasion. This states your expectations of the members who join this roleplay. It also gives them assurance that if they have writer's block, they may still post a one-line post so their character is not left behind.

5. Stay on topic. Be creative, not random. Sometimes people like to go off on their own off-topic mini plot. Even though sub-plots are encouraged, this little rule reminds people that being creative isn't an excuse for venturing too far from the plot.

6. Have fun! No one likes rules, so try to end on a positive note. Besides, no one wants to join a roleplay that won't be fun!

Characters

Creating a list of characters helps all the members remember names and who is playing who. It is also a reminder if someone is being left behind.

Teens

Marie Corner - Black Rose
Sam Corner - Black Rose
Jeremy Hero - Moki Hunter
Jacelynn Colpleman - Windancer

Pets

Dot - Black Rose
Shade - Moki Hunter
Nick - Windacer

Exotic Animals

Eira - Black Rose
Dante - Moki Hunter
Niya - Windancer
Kira - Godzillawolf

Sorting the characters into categories helps to organize them. Always put a character's full name, correctly spelled, because people will most likely look here for spelling. And don't forget to put your characters names here!

Bio Form

There are many different names for this section, so use the one you like best.

Human

Not every form will work for both humans and animals, so it’s wise to have different forms for each category of characters.

Full Name: I like having a first, middle, and last name for all characters just in case someone wants to use them.
Preferred Name: Because you cannot post a big long name every time you write, this name will be the one name or nickname used most often.
Nickname: These are fun to have and useful for long, complicated names.
Age: You should always know a character's age because it affects the way they act and how other characters react to them.
Gender: Seems irrelevant, but this clears up any confusion with unisex names.
Appearance: You have the option to post a picture or write a description, so chose the one that works for you.
Usual Clothing: This helps to look deeper into a character by what they usually wear. It also enables more descriptions in posts.
History: -optional- Histories are usually optional because sometimes characters have normal lives that don't require much description or have much relevance to the story. However, when given the option, it is best to at least write a sentence or two.
Personality: This is the most important aspect of a character and should never be optional. Be very detailed here.
Crush: This is sometimes just fun. Usually relationships develop throughout the story, but if you think your character belongs with another character, this gives them a good chance.
BF/GF: Something else for fun. You should always ask permission before putting someone else's character here.
Other: Just in case you forgot something that someone wants to add for more information, you should always set aside an 'other' section.

Pet

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Species/Breed: This helps visualize the character especially if you write a description instead of posting a picture.
Appearance:
History: -optional-
Personality:
Owner: Because you don't want to confuse what pet belongs to which human.
Crush:
Mate:
Other:

Exotic Animal

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Species/Breed:
Appearance:
Personality:
History: -optional-
Crush:
Mate:
Other:

Everyone has their own biography to use on their own roleplays, this is just mine. Find one that works for you and gives you the information you think is important in a roleplay. Just remember that all forms should contain name, age, species/breed, personality, and appearance. The rest you can add or take away as you see fit.

Posting Order

This is helpful in more advanced roleplays. It guarantees that no one gets left behind. It also doesn't rush people to post because are scared of being left behind. It gives each member the time they need to write a well-developed post. It's good to put this in order of who joined, just to keep things fair.

Black Rose
Moki Hunter
Windancer
Godzillawolf

My Characters

As you grow in your roleplaying, you will learn how many characters you can handle at once. I think everyone should be able to join as two in order to be considered advanced. I normally join as three to four characters. I also try to join as a character in every group, especially when in my own roleplay, so I can have influence in every aspect of the story. With time, you will learn what works best for you.

Full Name: Marie Lynn Corner
Preferred Name: Marie
Nicknames: none except sometimes "shortie" or "blondie"
Age: 16
Gender: female
Appearence:Marie
Usual Clothing: Marie likes to wear simple, one color sweaters with dark jeans and a variety of hiking boats. She has many different patterned and colorful scarves that she loves to wear on every occasion. She's not a fan of jackets or coats and owns exactly one of each, both in tan. She's also made a habit of having her vibrant and unusual socks never match.
History: Marie is one of the top students in her class and is friendly to most everyone even though she doesn’t really consider anyone her best friend.
Personality: Marie is the sweet but quiet bookworm of the school, known for her cleverness and kind words. She always sees the best in people, over-looking their flaws, which causes her to trust too easily. Even though she is a great listener and advice-giver, Marie tends to bottle up her emotions and not talk about her problems. This leads to seldom but horrific explosions of emotion, whether it is in tears or in harsh screaming words. Despite this, Marie is a loyal and loving friend who is very passionate about caring for everyone and would gladly put her life in danger to save someone else.
Crush: may develop later on
BF/GF: none
Other: none

Even though I have kept her history short, I still end up with a well-developed character. After reading a character's biography, you should always have a general feel for who the character is. With the personality, I have a certain structure I like to use. I start with how the world would see my character focusing on the group that will be involved in the story most, which in this case is schoolmates. Then, I move on to the worst flaws, which in this case is trusting too easily and bottling up emotion. I end with the best traits of my character, which are Marie's loving heart and selflessness. I also always have the crush space as 'may develop' because I find my characters fall in love without any help from me and if I try to hook up my character with someone else's character beforehand, it usually doesn't work out.

When you read Sam's personality, see if you can notice my trend.

Full Name: Samuel James Corner
Preferred Name: Sam
Nicknames: Sam, Sammy, "Big Guy"
Age: 18
Gender: male
Appearance:Sam
Usual Clothing: Sam enjoys his ratty, old t-shirts and torn up jeans. He is usually in some sort of plaid flannel jacket that has gaping holes and hanging buttons. His footwear contains a muddy pair of hiking boots and a stained pair of sneakers.
History: Sam never had the easiest time at school. Even though he plays first line on the football team, he's far from being one of the jocks. His grades have been slipping ever since he entered highschool as a freshman, and his parents have been very hard on him. Lately, he's turned to alcohol to solve his problems, especially after the horrific and violent break-up he just went through. He is in a very rough spot right now and just can't wait to graduate.
Personality: Sam is the silent, scruffy type that everyone assumes is bad news. Even though he used to be happy and love life, things have changed after a rough freshman year filled with bullies and pranks. Sam is very cynical about the world and tends to lash out at happy people or happy couples. He takes everything to heart and can have a harsh tongue and a quick fist when angered. Still, passed the rough exterior, Sam has a very gentle heart and cares a lot about others, which is why he can be over-whelmingly protective. Sam usually means well, though, and he tries his best at everything.
Crush: may develop
BF/GF: just an ex-girlfriend that someone can join as if they want
Other: none

Sam's history is a lot longer than Marie's because it affected him a lot more. Did you notice the trend in his personality? General: the bad boy/troublemaker. Worst: Anger and taking things to heart. Best: loving and protective. These two characters are very different, but they work as siblings because Marie is the "perfect one" who gets her parents' praise while Sam is the "screw-up" who gets their pressure to do better. Notice how this has shaped their personalities. Marie sees the best of the world while Sam sees the worst. You might have seen that I have left Sam's ex-girlfriend up for grabs. Sometimes, a little insert like that will give a person inspiration to create that character and join the roleplay. Having characters who have a past together can also bring more depth and realism to the story.

Name: Dot
Age: 4
Gender: female
Species/Breed: Eskimo Dog
Appearence:Dot
History: Dot was born to a nice family who, like a lot of people, put their pups up for adoption. The Corner family fell in love with Dot and named her for the small dark mark near her tail.
Personality: Dot is a very loving, energetic, and fun-loving dog. She absolutely just loves life. Dot is not the smartest canine out there and often runs into situations without thinking, her body being led by her heart instead of her head. She also hates making decisions and is very indecisive. Dot is loved by all, though, and her goal in life is to make everyone she has ever met smile.
Owner: Marie and Sam, but mostly Marie
Crush: may develop
Mate: none
Other: none

Again, a simple history that goes along with her personality. One important thing to remember is to have your history and personality match. Things that happened in the past do affect how a character acts. And speaking of personality, did you notice my trend again?

Name: Eira
Age: 6
Gender: female
Species/Breed: Snow Leopard
Appearence:Eira
History: Eira was born in big-name Zoo, but she didn't stay there for long. After she was an adult, she was moved across the country to a smaller zoo for breeding. Unfortunately, the zoo did not have room for a mother and her kits, so Eira came to the Dwelling Wildlife Reserve where she birthed two beautiful cubs. When they were old enough, they were sent off to other zoos. Eira was just about to be sent back to her home zoo when the earthquake hit.
Personality: Eira isn't the friendliest of felines. She likes to spend her time by herself, missing her babies. She isn't fond of company coming to pester her about why she's so gloomy, and she growls at these irritating creatures even though she would never actually hurt any of them. Eira can be a very fast-thinker when she puts her mind to it and can easily puzzle out a situation.
Crush: may develop
Mate: he's history
Other: none

The history is different than the others because it goes through her life without adding how it affected her as each event happened. This is useful for explaining character's who have been changed by a recent event.

Just one more general note about characters. Don't be afraid to use personalities that you aren't very familiar with. Even though I am comfortable with most any personality nowadays, I am still not the best at playing genuinely happy and fun and optimistic characters like Dot. But notice how I still joined as this character even though I struggle with her personality. Never be afraid to challenge yourself or try out something new. It will definitely help your writing skills and you may find something you like better than what you did before.

Last thing, I promise.

Always keep in mind that everything posted here is not the only way to roleplay. I believe this will be a good example of the standard roleplay on AS and the expectation of a good roleplay. As you roleplay more and more on this site, you will find that even though we have a certain way of doing things, everyone has their own style. You just have to find the one that work for you! (And that’s why I keep saying that!)

MokiHunter · **Posted:** Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:02 am

Full Name: Jeremy Ray Hero
Preferred Name: Jeremy
Nickname: “The Savior” (a play on his last name), Jer (pronounced Jay-er) *It’s a good idea to mention how an uncommon or strange/foreign name is pronounced so a potential reader does not mistake the pronunciation and figure out that they’ve been wrong later on; it sometimes changes a persons’ views of a character.
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Appearance: http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lcf7b ... o1_500.png
Usual Clothing: Most commonly, you’d see Jeremy either in a plaid shirt or a neutrally colored t-shirt paired with his favorite brown jacket. He never seems to take the jacket off and never seen without jeans, either.
History: Jeremy recently escaped a period in his life where he kept becoming overly lazy with schoolwork. Once middle school started and they began pounding his classes with hard work to do in order to prepare for high school, he gave up on trying and let his grades slip. His parents aren’t rough with him because they know he is somewhat sensitive. They know him better than anyone and so they suggested putting him in art class at school. As soon as he enrolled he loved it, and let his grades go back to normal in order to stay within art class. He would hate to get kicked out and so his parents used that to their advantage in order to nudge him in the right direction.
Personality: Jer is not the type of person you would want to give orders to because he rarely ever listens to them. You have to plant the seed with him and let it grow. He has to like something enough to be enthusiastic about it, and if he is not, he gives up on it entirely. When it comes to things that disinterest him (such as school work, for example), he’s quick to give up when the going gets rough. It’s entirely the opposite when the situation is reversed, however. Upon doing things he loves such as drawing, riding horseback, interacting with animals, hiking, and other passionate activities, he is quick to jump at the first chance to get better. He is averagely athletic as he is good when it comes to stamina but not one for sports as he thinks they are a waste of time. He would rather be on the sidelines and be left to daydream and watch the scenery than be apart of some stupid game meant for others’ entertainment. He makes friends with a bit of some difficulty, because most people don’t know him well enough to feel comfortable approaching him. He is not shy, however, he is quiet a lot of the time because he is a thinker and a daydreamer at heart.
Crush: Open *I usually do this as a sort of ‘may come later’
BF/GF: None
Other: Is never seen without his shark tooth necklace, his horse, and/or his sketchbook.

Name: Shade
Age: 4
Gender: Male
Species/Breed: Thoroughbred
Appearance: http://www.freewebs.com/fullmoonthoroug ... harmer.jpg
History: Shade was kept in a small, dirty enclosure as a foal so when he was rescued by an animal center and treated with care he quickly warmed up to the people there, considering he was still young. He learned to listen and to hear their conversations, and with not many of his kind as young as he, he never talked much. He wasn’t really all that shy, since he was handled a lot, but by the time he was a year old he had learned to talk anyhow. He was put up for adoption soon after, where the first person to adopt him was Jeremy. He was forever loyal after that, glad to be taken care of in a quiet environment where peace was his sanctuary and a kind person with a love for nature was his forever owner.
Personality: Shade is an eavesdropper. He has learned to be quiet wise by simply listening in on everything around him. Because of this, you will rarely see him speak. He would much rather give you a shake of the head than say yes, and it suffices to say that he’s generally calm in demeanor. He prefers a quiet environment and hates enclosed spaces, which his owner, Jeremy has learned quite well. He loves to roam free and to go where he wants. Shade is a free spirit who is loyal to the utmost when he knows someone is worth trusting. He does not give his trust easily, but it is not impossible to obtain. He is not testy unless he feels someone deserves it, and perhaps his worst fear is being stuck in a tiny, filthy environment like the one he was in for the first few months of his life.
Owner: Jeremy
Crush: None (he’s not very interested in love; he'd rather have knowledge and friends) *I think it’s important to explain in small detail why it is you don’t want your character to have a crush. Simply saying ‘they don’t want one’ isn’t really all that helpful to others. Saying ‘they don’t want one for fear of being hurt’ or some sort of reason behind it is always a good thing to add.
Mate: None
Other: None

Name: Dante
Age: 3
Gender: Male
Species/Breed: African Cheetah
Appearance: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/302 ... 8f012a.jpg
Personality: Dante is a bit naive in most things he does. He likes to believe that the world can't hurt him, but in his heart of hearts he knows that is not the case. He enjoys a good time and loves to crack jokes. He is hardly serious, which isn't necessarily a good thing since hardships are a given. Dante doesn't know much about love, and he would rather hang out with his friends than look for a female he likes. He's awkward around those he crushes on, and he doesn't really respect his elders. Pain is something he doesn't know very well, and although he likes to comfort others, he's not the best at doing so. *Notice how he loves to have fun, so seriousness is something he is not good at. He is good at joking around, not being careful, so situations where joking is not a great option (such as comforting others), he is bad in. He is naive, but not stupid. He knows there are bad things in the world, but he chooses to attempt at ignoring them. No one can block out these sorts of things entirely - it's not realistic.*
History: Born in the wild and captured on account of being ridiculously naïve. He went out on his own despite his parents’ orders and ended up being shipped to America and sent to a zoo in New York. He was badly mistreated there – not physically hurt or anything – but was put on display for people to see and traveled with the circus/carnival folk at one point. A kind woman saw his distressed body language and stole him from the people causing his unnaturally miserable state and boarded him on a plane set for Colorado. From then on, he began to enjoy himself again and got over his troubles. His positive outlook began showing again.
Crush: Open
Mate: None
Other: Wears a tight chain from his circus life that doesn’t restrict his breathing or cut into his skin, but no one can seem to pry it off. They don’t want to risk hurting him in the process of sawing off the chains so the zookeepers left it as is.

Windancer · **Posted:** Sat Jan 07, 2012 4:43 pm

Sounds interesting.

I'd love to join.
Though it isn't necessary, I like to compliment the roleplay a little before posting my characters. You certainly don't have to do this, but it's nice and polite if you do.

Full Name: Jacelynn Amanda Copleman
Preferred Name: Jacelynn, Jace
Nickname: Jace, Jacie
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Appearance: She has a light shade of brown hair that reaches her chin, and has a slightly scruffy appearance due to the ends that tend to curl out randomly. Her eyes compliment her hair and lightly tanned skin tone well. The irises are a darker green color, like a forest near dusk. She has a light spray of freckles across her face, which is often sunburned. Much shorter than average, she isn't often noticed when it comes to her appearance and stature.
Usual Clothing: She's often found in her familiar old hoodie, covering a random t-shirt she threw on that morning. Showing little care about what she wears, her tennis shoes are battered and the knees of her jeans often have grass stains. This gives her a bit of a scruffy appearance, but the look oddly suits her.
History: Information on her parents is unknown, and she appeared at someone's doorstep after a devestating tornado swept through her town. Only three at the time, they had to send her to an orphanage, unable to find her relatives. Jacelynn can't remember anything before showing up at the house, and then being sent to an orphanage. She was adopted when she was five, and ended up having three older brothers, and two dogs. And of course, her cat, Nick.
Personality: She tends to space out a lot, and can end up saying random, irrelevant things within a conversation. She ends up being viewed as a bit of an outcast because of this, but she doesn't mind being called weird, instead embracing her differences and oddities. To her few friends, she is gentle and kind, always willing to listen and give advice. For someone who appears to be so random and disorganized, she is fairly wise, and has a way of seeing through a person's outer layers. She normally shakes things off and gets right back up, but when fully angered, she turns sarcastic and grumpy, refusing to respond kindly to anyone until she cools off.

It can be a good idea to put how others would view your character into the personality as well. This helps the other roleplayers know how to interact with them, and gives further insight into her personality.

Crush: None
BF/GF:None
Other: She wears a small, woven bracelet with three wooden beads on it, painted different colors. She fidgets with it when she's nervous or stressed.

--------------------------------------------------------

Name: Nick
Age: 2 or 3
Gender: Male
Species/Breed: Abyssinian Cat
Appearance: He has the usual, distinctive tawny coat, and large rounded ears that are often alert and curious. His eyes are a gentle blue green color with a subtle hint of green when looked at in the sunlight. He is a bit shorter and lighter than average, giving him a springy, flexible appearance.
History: He was found on the side of a street, along with some other kittens from his litter. Half-starved and by far the smallest, he was the only one left when Jacelynn stumbled upon him. She took him in and managed to convince her adoptive parents into keeping him, saving his life and providing a loving home.

The history can help explain some aspects of the character's personality. Jace saving Nick's life results in his strong sense of loyalty and devotion to her in this case. If a personality trait is a bit unusual, there has to be a reason for it, otherwise the character becomes unrealistic, which is something you want to avoid.

Personality: Calm and level-headed, he has the ability to think of the consequences before acting. This helps him to reign in Jace's slightly impulsive tendencies. Because of this and his history, he has a strong sense of loyalty towards her, and follows her practically everywhere. He can be a bit over-protective of others, and can be thought of as "controlling" because of this, though that is just one way he shows he cares.
Owner: Jacelynn
Crush: None
Mate: None
Other: He wears a brown leather collar loosely around his neck.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Name: Niya
Age: 5
Gender: Female
Species/Breed: Orangatan
Appearance: She has the average orangatan look, with the orange-ish fur and body made for tumbling and climbing. She is slightly larger than average, and fairly strong for her age.
Personality: Young and a bit immature, she tends to be a bit naive in some situations. She can come across as a bit annoying, with her boundless energy and constant need for companionship, but that is merely a result of her young age. Curious and impulsive, she tends to rush into things without thinking, and then relies on others to get her out. But despite her flaws, she is loyal to a fault, and incredibly sweet and affectionate.

Remember, age also influences personality as well. For example, a younger character tends to be a bit more energetic and impulsive than an older character.

History: She was born in a zoo, but her mother died during birthing and her father took no interest in her. She ended up being transpoted to another zoo in Colorado, where she quickly settled in. Due to her lack of knowledge of the outside world and her youth, she relies on others to help guide her, and needs a "motherly" presence around since her own mother died.
Crush: None
Mate: None
Other: None

Remember to try and keep your characters diverse and unique. You don't want to have two characters that have almost identical personalities. Just like real people have different traits, so should your characters. Here, I have an oddball, a calm character, and an energetic, social one. While they have some similarities, they also have differences, which strengthens your writing and the roleplay.

Black Rose · **Posted:** Sat Jan 07, 2012 8:15 pm

Both of you are accepted. Thanks for joining!

It is always important to let a person know when they are officailly a part of the roleplay. And don't forget to thank them for joining!

MokiHunter · **Posted:** Sat Jan 07, 2012 10:03 pm

Thank you, Rose! I can't wait for this role-play to start!
*It's also important to thank the person for letting you into the role-play, so they can be sure that you still want to be apart of it. Expressing excitement for the role-play is also a good thing to add, although not necessary.

Black Rose · **Posted:** Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:43 pm

Accepted! We will start when one or two more people join.

People like to know that they are joining a roleplay that will start in a timely manor, so it is good to have posts where you "count down" how many more members you want to join, characters you want involved, or days until you have enough free time to start.

Godzillawolf · **Posted:** Wed Jan 25, 2012 11:06 am

I apologize for being so late, it's been hectic.

Take note, if you are having time problems on your end that will make posting difficult, it's a good idea to send a message to the one in charge of the roleplay, letting them know you'll have trouble. If it gets too severe, you may want to consider dropping the roleplay. While it may cause some problems and you might not want to, it helps everyone to know you're gone instead of waiting and waiting on you to post.

Name: Kira
Age: Adult
If you're not certain how old to make an animal character due to being unfamilar with the type of creature, don't panic, just be somewhat specific on what stage of their life they're in.
Gender: Female
Species/Breed: Siberian Tiger. White.
Appearance: Kira is a very large animal, as can be expected by her breed. Kira is a white tiger, but otherwise perfectly normal except for a shot gun scar over her right eye.
Personality: Kira is a two sided coin, on one side is a fiercely protective motherly animal who will do absolutely anything to protect those she cares about, but also shows compassion and understanding towards them. On the other, she hates humans with a passion for taking her from her home and giving her the scar over her eye. She does, however, have respect for the caretakers who nursed her back to health at the zoo after the loss of her eye and is willing to accept help from humans. However, she is also more than willing to outright kill humans whom would threaten the safety of the group with no remorse.
While a good story doesn't need a big bad, main antagonist, it's always a good idea to include at least one who will frequently butt heads with the other characters and has a different moral framework. This creates conflict, something any good story must have to be successful. If you don't want to make a true villain, simply having an Anti-Hero is a good way to go, the character who is unquestionably good, but at the same time more amoral than the normal hero would be. Kira here has the same goals as the other characters, cares deeply about them, and is willing to take help from the humans, but at the same time doesn't trust them and would be willing to kill onsight if threatened, which will likely cause tension.

Another thing to note is even when you use the same character in multiple roleplays, that doesn't mean that they're always the same or have to be. Kira here's always had the default personality as a tiger with a grudge on humanity but also a loving maternal side to her. But sometimes she's a merciless villain and a maneater, other times she simply wants to be left in peace and never see a human again, all with different aspects of the same base personality, but some amplified more than others.
History: Kira was captured by poachers in her home of Siberia and taken to America to be sold as an exotic pet, having her eye shot out and losing her family in a fire that started in the process, but was saved by animal rescue workers. Due to her wounds and white coat, she was transfered to a zoo to be rehabilitated and protected. This incident has left her very hateful towards most humans except those to whom she owes her life or who have earned her trust. She's extremely protective of her friends due to the fact her cubs also died in the fire as well.
When constructing an antagonist character, unless they're a complete monster and criminally insane, you want them to have a reason for their actions. Just saying "they're evil" without giving a reason why can come off as shallow or poor writing. Even if the explanation is simply that they're a sociopath, it's still better than no reason at all. It is perfectly possible to make an interesting character who is purely evil. The less evil you want the character to seem, the more justifying their reason should be. Kira here is sympathetic, so her background gives a clear and justified reason for her hatred of humans that doesn't make her seem evil.
Crush: Open
Mate: Deceased
Other: Kira, due to being from Russia, speaks with a Russian accent to some degree. She occasionally uses Russian words as well. While animals are normally not Religious, Kira does believe in reincarnation and an afterlife.
Just because the character isn't human, doesn't mean they don't have their own beliefs and their "language" is still presented to the reader as human language, so giving them an accent will help distingish them, especially if they're from another country other than the one the others come across. Giving them beliefs helps you know how they'll react to certain events along the way.

Black Rose · **Posted:** Wed Jan 25, 2012 6:21 pm

Ooc:// Accepted! Let’s start! We will begin just before the teens find the exotic animals.

If anyone else wants to join, I will still accept one more person!

Never forget to accept that last person or two and publically announce the start of the roleplay. Also, give the exact time in the plot that you are starting from, which should be somewhere in the middle. This helps characters to "stretch out their legs" in this new setting and get a feel for the story before having to create action themselves. The last sentence lets those who missed the start of the roleplay know they can still join if they so desire to.

Bic:// These are very important because they easily let a member know if you are out of character (ooc) and talking to the actual members or back in character (bic) and interacting with the characters.

Before posting for the first time in a roleplay, you should always read over your character's bio. The first post gives the general tone of your character and is critical to how the character will act in other situations.

The sun shone brightly down through the trees of the dense woods, but a chill still clung to the air. Marie wrapped her silky violet scarf closer to her in order to stop the cool breeze from brushing the back of her neck. She had wondered off from her group of friends, distracted by a tiny yellow flower a few feet off the path. Even though she really wanted to at least touch the soft petals, she resisted the urge. One could never be sure how dangerous a harmless-looking flower could be.

Try to start off with describing the current time, so everyone can stay on the same page with their details. This first paragraph demonstrates Marie's personality perfectly. Although she is curious, she is smart about it. Try to create an example of your characters personality in their first post.

Realizing she had been slightly separated from everyone else, Marie stood up from her crouched position next to the flower and jogged next to the path for a few feet. She quickly caught up to the back of the group, which happened to be her brother, without much time for anyone to notice she had disappeared in the first place. Marie trotted farther down the path and returned to her sport on the path next to Jace.

At the end of this paragraph, I end with her coming up beside another character to encourage interaction between them.

Sam barely glanced up as he noticed his sister jump back on the path to join the rest of the group. A scolding touched his lips, but he closed his mouth before saying a word. Even though he hated it when Marie wandered away like she just did, he was thankful she had come back from her quest of curiosity in a timely manner. She didn't always return on her own without some prodding from her friends or himself.

Notice the transition used here to switch from one character’s point of view to another's. And see how I have Sam react to Marie before moving on to molding his own characters. This sets the tone for their relationship.

As he drifted farther and farther behind everyone else, Sam caught the sound of soft-padding footsteps coming towards him. Sam raised his eyes from the ground to spot his little white dog trotting away from Marie's side, a rare sight. She paused beside the path for a moment before running back down the path to join Sam ways behind the others.

This paragraph not only demonstrates Sam's personality, but also Dot's. This is also an example of a smoother transition from points of view compared to the previous transition.

Dot was worried about her male owner, sensing the cloud of gloom around him growing larger as the minutes rolled by. It had been quite a while since she heard a happy exchange between Sam and his parents, and the house had been filled with shouting of words that Dot didn't understand but could sense meant anger and disappointed. Her heart broke every time these arguments ended in doors slamming and music blasting. Even though Dot wasn't as close with Sam as she was with Marie, she still wanted to help him in any way she could.

This shows the relationship Dot and Sam share while also digging more into their individual traits. It also gives more background to the type of home Sam, Marie, and Dot live in.

Dot barely drifted very far from Marie's side, but Dot felt she needed to spend some time with her other owner. She approached him carefully, not to fast or rambunctious. She licked at his hand when she padded next to him. His lips twitched as if they wanted to smile but had forgotten how. His large, rough hand patted the top of her head as gently as it could, but it disappeared into the pocket of his hoodie a second later. Feeling rather defeated, Dot continued to walk beside Sam with her head hung, but she still hoped to bring out some of that affection he used to hold for her, his family, and his life if only she stood by his side long enough.

Even though this paragraph does not encourage other members to have their characters interact with Sam and Dot, it is a very important scene that demonstrates Sam's hopelessness and Dot's eager-to-please nature. Also, note how this paragraph is clearly from Dot's perspective, but you can still tell what Sam is thinking through his actions.

-~-

Eira lazily pawed at a loose board inside the old house, causing the piece of flooring to rise up and fall down like a titter-totter. The wind blew through her fur as it passed through the sad excuse for a shelter, as far as humans looked at it anyway. One entire side of the house was missing, for starters, and the rest of the structure wasn't in the best of shape either. Still, the pile of wood and bricks proved to be the best home inside the whole forest for the group of zoo animals.

This paragraph's purpose is not to introduce the character, but to give a mini tour of the setting. After reading this, you should have a feel for the house the animals are staying in. Eira's introduction will come later.

Though she would never admit it, Eira had grown used to the set-up after their week spent there, and she was actually beginning to like it here. The company could have been better and the weather could have been a tad colder, but Eira couldn't complain too much. She even felt some tenderness towards her strange new family, an unconceivable notion just a few days ago.

This paragraph sets the mood for how Eira views the group of animals she is staying with.

Finally boring of playing around with the ruined architecture, Eira jumped down from the banister and landed on the soft green grass of spring. The days grew longer and warmer, a fact Eira detested but tolerated. Her paws padded silently across the ground as she approached Dante, a seldom action for her. She never willingly joined in on a social interaction. Dante had begun to grow on her, though, which is the only reason she sat down next to him. Perhaps he reminded of her cubs in an odd way. "The summer is swiftly approaching," she said, tilting her head up to watch the clear blue sky. "Perhaps it is time we think about finding a more permanent residence."

This paragraph has a little bit of everything. It emphasizes the shambles they live in. It describes the season and the weather. It develops her characters to give you the sense she is becoming comfortable with these other animals. It explores the way she feels towards someone else's character (Dante), but just a bit which gives the relationship room to form itself. And at the end, it also contains a speaking interaction with a character which adds another layer to the story: some of the exotic animals want to move. This element will make it easier for the humans to convince the animals to go with them later on in the story. It is sometimes key to plan ahead to make the story flow.

MokiHunter · **Posted:** Sun Jan 29, 2012 12:53 pm

Jeremy had been leading the front up until now. He was on his beloved horse, Shade, whom seemed to be observing everything around him rather than caring about the conversations between the others. Jeremy, on the other hand, looked back often. Most pegged him as a daydreamer, and that he certainly was, but Jeremy was not stupid. He knew there were dangers around here, as he had travelled these paths more often than he'd care to admit. One could call him an expert when it came to nature, but Jeremy was far too modest to goad them on.

In this paragraph, it shows Jeremy's position in the group as well as the exact way he is 'walking' (in this case, he is on horseback). In order to show contrast, it provides a simply transition to show how his horse Shade was feeling. This shows that Jeremy and his horse, although similar in some aspects, are not entirely the same. Shade didn't much care about the others at the moment, but Jeremy kept looking back to make sure they were out of danger. As Rose said, you want to display your characters' personalities as best you can. It is also a good idea to provide some more inside information on those personalities without conflicting them.

"Everyone okay back there?" He asked hesitantly. Jeremy was not usually one to worry, but for some reason he was overanalyzing the situation. Being a thinker was not usually such a bad thing, but it did leave more causes to be careful than to be a reckless daredevil. He kept his head cocked to the side, making sure that he had all of his friends in his line of view. Jeremy didn't make friends easily, but for some reason, this bunch did not seem all that bad. He could tell there were flaws in everyone, including himself, but weren't there flaws everywhere in the world? With these thoughts in mind, the cool air began to filter through his jacket, causing him to pull it further around himself. He didn't bother steering his horse at the moment, for he knew that Shade was wise enough to know where he was going.

In this paragraph, Jeremy also provides incentive for the other characters to speak back, asking how they are doing, while also clinging to his over thinking personality. While providing qualities for your character, you must take into account that everything has a flip side. In this paragraph, it shows how Jeremy's daydreaming/thinking traits are good but also bad (example: He has a very creative outlook on life, but he tends to overanalyze things). The paragraph also embraces the weather put out by the RP's creator (Rose said that the weather was chilly, however there is green around. This means that it is most likely early spring). By asking and paying attention to the others, though, there must also be a bit about how Shade can steer on his own. Otherwise, the two would bump into something (which could also be the case depending on the two characters you are using). Also, in my case, I always bold whenever my characters are speaking. This lets it stand out. This isn't necessary, though. It's just something I do personally.

~~~

Three of these (~/i) in a row are usually used in order to separate settings. As the pets and the humans are in a different setting than the wild animals, there must be a differentiation.

Dante had just begun to work out the story he was going to share with the others when he was joined by Eira. He greeted her almost instantly, blinking twice before breaking his lips into a large grin. Dante listened to Eira's suggestion, feeling somewhat mature for the first time in a while. She was entrusting him with helping to decide the group's overall fate for the next week or so, and this made him feel very happy. He nodded, trying to keep his voice level, although it was hard considering he was itching to get on the move now. "That sounds like a good idea. I don't know how much longer we'll be able to keep up in this place." He took a glance around him, noting the rotting wood and the awful smell within it.

He got up, suddenly, looking at Eira with eager eyes. His stomach growled a bit, to which he responded with a nervous laugh. Dante asked as a result, "Want to come with me and see if we can find something to eat? I'm starving... we haven't eaten in a few days. I'm sure the others are too, unless they sneak out in the middle of the night without telling anyone." He raised an eyebrow to improve his joke, and in order to show that it was indeed a joke. Some of the other animals in this group were not too keen on sarcastic comments.

This shows that although Dante is naive about danger, he at least has some sense of how the other animals feel about his personality, even if he is not fully aware of their views. In asking Eira if she wanted to come with him to find something to eat, it provides something for the group to do and more inspiration to write. If we keep them in the same setting for an extended period of time, it tends to get monotonous. Dante's need to go eat is a perfect incentive to change the setting.

Windancer · **Posted:** Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:49 pm

Jace was lagging slightly behind the group, her green eyes hazy, head lost in the clouds as usual. "Mrrp." Nick's gentle chastisement at allowing herself to become so unfocused was accompanied by a gentle head butt, the cat attempting to snap her out of it. The gesture served its purpose, and Jace glanced at him, looking mildly surprised as she was tugged out of her train of thought. Reaching down, she touched him lightly on his tawny head, and he brushed his tail lightly against her leg in response. "Thanks," she murmured, giving the Abbysinian a fond smile.

While it doesn't always work, sometimes it is useful to introduce to characters at the same time, as I did here. Introducing Nick and Jacelynn at the same time not only highlighted some of their personality traits, but also showed their bond with each other.

Marie's approach ended their small interaction, and Jace gave a small nod in acknowledgement of her. "You have a small smudge of dirt on your nose," she pointed out suddenly, staring at the tip of Marie's nose. "But it blends in with your freckles a bit, so it isn't that obvious," she added, elaborating her first comment with an even more random comment.

Jace ends her interaction with Nick here, freeing her to interact with others' characters. Don't let your characters (if you have multiple ones, anyway) only talk among themselves. Make sure to interact and converse with others in order to keep the roleplay flowing. This paragraph, while redirecting the events, also shows some of Jace's more unique traits, like her tendency to point obscure things out, seeming a bit random and spacey. Remember to stay true to the character's personality throughout the roleplay.

"Everyone okay back there?" Jeremy asked, his voice seeming a bit hesitant.

If you start your post a bit before someone says something, it's okay to repeat what the character said again in your post, to keep the events straight. However, don't edit what they say, or even how they say it. If you're going to repeat something within your post, keep it the same as it was before.

"Yes, we're fine," Jace responded cheerfully. "But you sounded a little nervous. It's okay to ask how we are, you know," she added with a smile.

Once again, I'm using dialogue to convey Jace's random, almost eccentric, personality. She tends to point out things that are a bit obscure, or things that other people wouldn't normally point out.

~~~

Niya immediatly appeared next to Dante and Eira, practically bursting with energy. "I want to come!" she interrupted, excitement shining in her young brown eyes. She was practically bouncing up and down as she said this, always excited for a trip that involved going away from the old, slightly run-down house they were staying in temporarily. "Can I come? Please? Can I?"

Again, try to really show your character's personality in the first paragraph. This helps show her energetic side and her young age through her words and her body language.

"I can help," she added, pleading not-so-subtly. "I really can. Please can I come?" Eager to do something to expel her boundless energy, she couldn't help but repeat herself, and she gave a hopeful smile.

This helps expand on Niya's actions before, helping the paragraph to flow. Try not to jump around randomly. Allow each event to flow into the next, rather than letting the roleplay to become choppy.

Black Rose · **Posted:** Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:49 pm

Because of no longer having the time, Poison_kiss can no longer participate in this project! Godzillawolf, you may post now.

Godzillawolf · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2012 8:52 pm

OOC: I'm sorry for taking so long, life was hectic.

Note, I only have one character. This means that, while I only have one character to worry about, to make that character effective, I must put more thought into her and take better care to make long posts than the others do.

"Strength in numbers is always a good idea," said a voice with a Russian accent as one big eye peered out from the shadows of the old house. Kira moved slowly from her hiding space, the boards in the area she was standing creeking from her weight as she moved. She leapt down and walked slowly over to her comrades.

Kira is the antihero, the one who has a darker mindset, thus its fitting her first appearance shows a different feeling than the others, a sense of danger. Thus emerging from the shadows. Also, the first thing we see of her is her missing eye, her most obvious characteristic that shows us what makes her unique physically. Also, Kira is a massive animal, and while none of the group are exactly small, Tigers are the largest big cats and physically powerful. Thus her physical strength and size needs to be showed as well, further cementing her as a dangerous creature.

Kira slowly looked around their dwelling. Destruction, abandonment. Long forgotten pictures laying here and there. For Kira, this place was painful. It made her think of her last sight of her own home in Siberia, when it was destroyed by fires set by poachers, her family inside the forest as it burned. It was very unnerving for her.

While the house has already been established, each character views the world differently. While the others don't eactly love their residence, Kira outright hates it due to the bad memories of her past.

Kira returned her gaze to her friends. "We do need food, but we must be remembering..." she said, looking to Niya. "We're not all predatory creatures, it is making sense for Niya to be accompanying, the hunting party to find food more suitable to her," she said, her voice containing no hostile tone towards the primate. "She can also be being the look out from the trees. That is always being a good idea."

Here we get to see Kira's accent a little better, but also that she's able to tell a member of their group has different needs, as they ARE her family no matter how she acts.

Kira gave a thoughtful look around the room again, her gaze falling on Eira. The Snow Leopard and her were alike in a great many ways. They were both animals more equiped to a colder envirnoment, they were both moved from their home by humans, though in different context. But most importantly, Kira knew how she felt. It was very hard to miss the eyes of a mourning mother if you were one herself.

Kira and Eria have a connection in that they've both lost their cubs, but so far Black Rose has not established that Eira has told the group this, which means assuming she has may be dangerous. However, Kira can identify the same kind of hurt she's experiencing in another. So I replied in such a way as to make Kira know, but not imply Eira has told her or not, just she knows by instinct.

As for Dante and Niya, they and Eria were her new family. They lived together, they protected each other. Kira may have been distant at the times, but she would let nothing take away her family again. Anyone who tried would be torn limb from limb.

This establishes Kira's primary objective, that she wants to protect her new family in any way she could, even if she has to kill to do it.

"And I am agreeing with Eira. We should be trying to find another place to live. This one is being too...dead for my tastes," said Kira, once more finding an unease about her as she looked around the part destroyed house.

While reestablishing her distaste for their home, it also ends the post with something that gives the others something to build on, the fact Kira makes her feelings about their home known.

Black Rose · **Posted:** Tue Mar 27, 2012 2:42 pm

Marie quickly rubbed the end of her nose with the back of her sleeve, smiling in gratitude at Jace for telling her about it. How embarrassing would that have been for Marie to walk around all day with dirt smudged on her nose. At the sound of Jeremy's question, Marie suddenly became alert, throwing her hand back down to her side and turning around to spot her brother very far behind the rest of the group. "I'm going to go check on him," she muttered to Jace, nodding towards Sam. Everyone knew that things back home weren't going well with Sam even if neither he nor Marie ever really talked about it. Still, Sam's recent break-up was no secret and his down fall after it seemed even more obvious.

Sticking with Marie's quiet personality, she doesn't say much in her interaction with Jace. This paragraph also explores Sam's relationship with the group a bit more, noting that although everyone has noticed Sam's change of personality, no one knows the full story. Making things like this is important when exploring a character's secrets so the other members know not have their characters say anything about something that character doesn't know about.

Dot yipped at Marie as the blonde girl separated from Jace and Jeremy, heading down the path she had already walked in order to see her brother. The short dog ran to Marie, her small legs flying her across the ground at an amazing speed. Marie giggled as Dot ran to meet with her. The canine jumped up on her owner, smearing dirt all across her stomach and tearing a small hole in the fabric with her claw. Still chuckling at Dot's over-excitement, Marie rubbed her head for a few moments before pushing her away and facing her brother.

This paragraph offers a striking contrast to the relationship between Marie/Dot and Sam/Dot. It is also a smooth transition from Marie leaving one group to join her brother.

Sam's facial expression didn't twitch a single centimeter as he watched Dot greet Marie. His mouth remained the same permanent frown that had glued itself there about a month or two ago. As he passed his sister and her dog, he barely glanced at them and didn't notice the fall in Marie's face as he ignored her. "I was just seeing if you were alright back here. Alone," she added in a pleading voice, hinting to Sam that he should join the others. But he simply wasn't in a very social mood at the moment.

"I'm fine," he said nonchalantly with an emotionless shrug. Marie chewed her bottom lip, a nervous habit that had been an increasing problem lately. She muttered something along the line of okay before jogging passed her brother and rejoined Jace and Jeremy, this time with Dot at her heels.

This interaction explains their relationship without actually writing out an explanation. It shows that they don't talk much to each other but Marie is very concerned for her brother even though he doesn't seem to care about anything.

-~-

Eira smiled just a little at Dante's sarcasm, but it disappeared quickly as Niya burst in. Even though Eira normally could handle a child because of her experience with her own, none of her kits had ever been this hyper or this chatty. Over the last seven days, the feline had trained herself not to snap or snarl at the young one, but the urge was still very potent. When Kira emerged from the house, Eira sighed in deep relief, glad she wouldn't be the one to have to deal with the little ape.

This paragraph shows Eira's feelings towards Niya, which aren't too kind, but it also shows that Eira has great sense of control even if she is very annoyed.

Eira tried not to be unnerved by the glance Kira gave her, keeping her gaze on Dante and Niya even as she felt the gaze of Kira's single eyes rest on her for a moment. Despite them both being cats, Kira was nearly twice Eira's size and the only creature of the family who presented a real threat for the snow leopard. Besides that, Eira despised the sympathetic look Kira always gave her, as if the tiger already knew that Eira had recently parted with her cubs. She pushed her hesitant feeling away and nodded at the others. "Perhaps we should hunt while moving on to a new place," she suggested.

This shows Eira's feelings towards Kira and is a great example of how she tries to block others out. Instead of taking Kira's empathy and growing a relationship with it, she instead just gets annoyed by her and ignored their connection.

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