Post by Moonie~My Internet is workin~ on Jul 21, 2006 18:58:12 GMT -5
THANKS FLASHY FROM FCOTF!!!
link: silverandstone.proboards43.com/index.cgi?board=SignUp&action=display&thread=1149205564
Hey Everyone Please read this!! It'll benift you! Just giving people a heads-up on what we want with joining forms, as well as other aspects of character creation. Beginner or senior member, make sure you read this!
STEP ONE: YOUR CHARACTER'S PREREQUISITE:
Before you start posting bios, think about your character that you want to make. Not just a quick skim, but an in-depth brainstorming session. BEFORE you fill out a joining form, ask yourself these questions:
Do I have enough time to roleplay this character at LEAST once a week (Especially crucial for apprentices, leaders, deputies, or medicine cats)
Does this character have a purpose? (Don't make it just because you're bored!)
Do I know everything I can about this character? (Think this kitty through!)
Am I ready to start playing this cat? (Let's get it onnnnn . . .)
STEP TWO: ANALYZING THE FORM:
Here on WTFCOTF, we all know each other for our loveable characters. There is an endless parade of favorite characters on this site. Let's use one of my better-known cats, Taco, as an example.
Taco is a sphynx cat, born without hair. His eyes are odd-colored - one blue, one green. His personality is very kind but also very crazy, and he enjoys speaking in riddles.
So why is he so loveable?
Let's take a deeper look. He's very unique, in his looks and personality. His personality is creative. The whole aura is just different.
That's what we admins like to see. We love reading about interesting cats with creative backgrounds.
Here's a quick list of what admins generally look for when reading joining forms:
Name: Is the name original? Sunfire, Silverstorm, Bluefrost, Icespear - those are all very creative and unique names. A name like Brownfur or Blackpelt is rather tasteless and gives the cat a dull feel.
Clan: This has more to do with grammar than creativity. When you're putting down a Clan, please spell it correctly. Thuderclna is not very pretty. ThunderClan is.
Rank: This has to tie in with the cat's age. A cat that is 6 moons cannot be a warrior. A cat that is 12 moons cannot be a leader. A cat that is 3 moons cannot be an apprentice.
Age: Does the age correspond correctly with the rank? Also, please put the age in moons, not years or months. 1 moon = 1 month. 12 moons = 1 year. Pretty simple.
Gender: Girl, female, she-cat, queen. Boy, male, tom. Pretty much anything is acceptable here. Except for Michael Jackson, but that's a whole other category by itself, then, isn't it?
Picture (optional): This is optional, but appreciated. Remember, this does NOT replace the description.
Description: A very critical category. Do NOT put "see picture." Do NOT just put something like "black" "brown tabby" "calico." Describe the cat like it was a new species, and you had to write down everything you saw about it. Eye color? Fur color? Fur length? Leg length? Body weight? Scars? Tail length?
Personality: Another crucial step. Do NOT just put "nice, sweet, a good friend." That's a bunch of crap right there. Tell us everything about your cat's heart. Is it loyal? Any weaknesses or strengths? Is it kind towards others? Kind towards kits? Independent? Dependent? A good leader? The list goes on and on.
History: All cats have a history. Do NOT just put "Clanborn" "Rogue" "Mom died." What trials did the cat face growing up? Any parents or grandparents in different Clans? How did they get to where they are today?
Example of RPGing (IC): This is really more for you then the character. Show us you can write. Show us you know your character. Do NOT put "Fartface got a piece of fresh-kill." Describe what your cat feels, how your cat looks, how they respond, what they say, what they think. If you're brain-dead, here's some ideas:
Your cat is on patrol when they get attacked?
Your cat is dreaming of StarClan?
Your cat is in a fierce battle?
Your cat is hunting?
Your cat is giving orders or mentoring?
Your cat is being trained?
Your cat is taking a walk?
Secret Word: I suggest reading ALL of the rules . . .
Things to NEVER DO IN A JOINING FORM:
+Put chatspeak in. Ex: "Fartface said c u l8er and ran away w/ Uglybutt." NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
+Rush it and make sloppy mistakes.
+Have lots of spelling errors. Everyone makes mistakes, I know. You should check your posts for grammatical and spelling errors anyway, but there is also a "spell-check" button for when you post. Use it.
STEP THREE: THE FORM! DUN DUN DUNN . . .
Okay! You've got your character perfectly in your head. You know what it looks like, what makes them tick, you've got your roleplaying example all thought out. You're ready to make a form!
It definitely takes a few times to get the perfect joining form. When I read forms, I generally sort them into 4 categories:
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Let's take a look at these categories in depth:
Name: Silverwhisker
Clan: WindClan
Rank: Warrior
Age: 18 moons
Gender: Female
Picture (optional):
Description: Silverwhisker is a stunning cat. Her main ancestry is that of Russian Blue, a gorgeous breed of cat well known for their pelts. Her fur is short but very thick and soft, like a dense cloud. The color of her coat is a vibrant, striking gray that is highlighted with slate blue, and shimmers in the moonlight like stars. Her eyes are a yellow-green color, with emerald green circling the sparkling pupil. Her legs are long and taper to delicate paws. Her tail is of medium length and very slim. At times it seems to have a mind of its own, swishing back and forth almost constantly. Silverwhisker's whiskers are her namesake - they are very long and elegant, and shine a striking silver color. Her face is slightly chiseled but gentle all the same, almost always with a broad smile. Her ears are slightly smaller than normal. Her only flaw is a series of scars around her right hind leg, where the fur now grows pale silver.
Personality: Silverwhisker is the kind of cat that everyone likes. Her strong sense of humor makes her stand out in a crowd, as does her bold courage. She can be stubborn and slightly defiant at sometimes, but controls these flares of disagreement. Her loyalty to WindClan is sometimes scary - she would literally be willing to throw herself into a gorge to giver her Clan a better time in leaf-bare. She is sometimes harsh to outsiders, but seems to thaw quickly, unable to resist her desire to make friends and her ever-growing sense of curiosity. Silverwhisker is very fast, and an agile fighter and quick hunter.
History: Silverwhisker was born in the heather of the moorlands, like any other WindClan kit. Her mother, Runningfoot, was pleased at her daughter's birth, but also immensely troubled. Kits are normally born in the middle of new-leaf, when the weather is warming and the rabbits run through lush grass. But this little kit was born not in new-leaf, but leaf-bare. The cold winds whipped at the mother's fur as she nursed her little Silverkit. For two moons the mother and her daughter lived in a small tangle of heather away from the activity of the WindClan camp, being brought food by other Clanmates. But tragedy struck the little family. Silverkit was not the only kit in her litter. There were two more, but these had not been born early. They had not been born at all. They lay for two moons, festering in the womb of Runningfoot and slowly poisoning the she-cat. One morning Silverkit awoke to find her mother dead. Terrified, she tried to toddle over to the WindClan camp. But a fox saw the gray kitten and pounced upon her, digging its fangs in her rear leg. Silverkit was rescued by a WindClan patrol in the nick of time and adopted by another queen.
Example of RPGing (IC): The moorland of WindClan was calm tonight. The long grasses swayed over the hills like long silky fur, each sharp strand tinted silver by the moon's milky light. It was that time of night when the moon was the fullest and all the day-dwelling animals were asleep in their burrows or dens. The owl, with silent wings of death, flew across the moorland, large eyes searching the plains. The crickets were singing their gentle lullabies as the rabbits hopped quietly through the grass, nibbling on tender shoots.
Silverwhisker emerged onto one of the hills, breathing in the fresh air deeply. Was the place she had been born? The few traces of her kithood that remained was being nestled someplace warm, feeling her mother's warmth and hearing her purr. Then came the shock of death, and the flash of sharp fox teeth.
Silevrwhisker shivered despite the warm temperature. For a moment she thought of stepping out, of going to the spot where her mother was buried and the grasses grew full and green.
No . . . not tonight . . . not again . . .
Silverwhisker gave a heavy sigh before turning and padded slowly back to camp, a silver speck underneath the cobalt sky.
Secret Word: (You have to look it up, I'm not just gonna put it here
This joining form falls under the "excellent" category. This character has obviously been well-thought out, and the joining form is stuffed with information. I can really see the character in my head. There are no grammatical or spelling errors, and the information is unique and creative. This would be accepted without question. Unfortunately, we get very few that are this detailed.
Name: Silverwhisker
Clan: WindCaln
Rank: warrior
Age: 18 moons
Gender: queen
Picture (optional):
Description: Silverwhisker is a Russian blue cat. Her fur is silver-tinted and short. her eyes are yellow-green and very bright. She has a smal set of scars on her back leg, and her whiskers are long and very metallic-silver colored. Her tail is long and very swishy, and her legs are long anmd end in small paws. She is a very beautiful cat.
Personality: silverwhisker is a very popular cat. She has a very bright personality and loves to make jokes, always being an optimist. She is sometimes tempted to disagree, but on the whole is very aesy-going. She loves to make friends, even though she can be cold to cats that are not from her own clan. She is abnormally loyal and will give anything for the sake of WindClan. She is very athletic.
History: Silverwhisker was born very early for a kit, in winter instead of spring like most others. Her mother took very good care of her for the first few months of her life. Unfortuneately two other kits had not been born, and slowly posiened her mother, Runningfoot. Silverkit was very scared of being alone, and tried to make her way back to the windclan camp. A fox who happened to be hunting saw her and attacked her, grabbing her back leg. Luckily a WindClan patrol managed to fight off the fox and rescued Silverkit.
Example of RPGing (IC): It was a quiet, calm night on the moorland. Crickets chirped quietly under the starry sky, and owls flew about on silent wings. On the top of a hill, a beautiful silver she-cat emerged, looking out over the grass with yellow-green eyes that reflected the moonlight. For a moment Silverwhisker let her thoughts wander, and found he rmemories drifting away to the night she was attacked by the fox that scarred her leg. For a moment she thought to go and visit her mother's grave. No, she decided, and turned away back to camp, moving silently under the moonlight.
Secret Word: Bananas? Why yes, I would love some bananas!
This is an good form. There are a few grammar and spelling errors, but on the whole it looks like this person did a good job of filling in the form with in-depth descriptions. This would be accepted. The majority of forms we get are these.
Name:Silverwhisker
Clan:windcaln
Rank:warrior
Age:year old
Gender:female
Picture (optional):none
Description:silverwhisker is a russian blue cat. She is very pretyy and has yellow-green colored eyes. her tail and ledgs are logn.
Personality:Silverwhikser is very friendly and likesx to make friends. she is loyal to windClan and a good fighter. she likes others alot.
History:silverhisker was born in the winter, and her mother died after the birth. silverwhisker ran to camp but got bitten by a fox. a winclan patrol came and rescured her
Example of RPGing (IC):Silverwhisker walked onto a hill on a warm night. she thought about her mother's death and how much she missedh er. then she turned and walked back to her camp.
Secret Word: Oh I wish I were an Oscar-Meyer Wiener . . .
Hmm . . . this is pretty yucky. There are several grammar and spelling errors. Besides the fact that the length of this joining form is far below minimum, the age should be in moons, not years, and there should be a space between the colon and the word. This would not be accepted until improvement was made.
Name:silverwhisker
Clan:windcaln
Rank:warrior
Age:6 months
Gender:girl
Picture (optional):
Description:gray, long tail, green eyes
Personality:nice, loyal
History:mom died
Example of RPGing (IC):silverwhikser walked around under the night sk,y
Secret Word: Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar? Flashy stole the cookies from the cookie jar! Who me? Yes, you! Couldn't be! Then who?
This. Is. Disgusting. Besides the age, grammar, and lack of depth, I'm sure that I don't need to explain it, you can figure these things out on your own. XP
STEP FOUR: POST SCRIPT
So now that you've got your detailed joing form rarin' to go, stop a moment and read this little section.
What admins like:
+ Good grammer and spelling
+ Original, thoughtful names
+ A rich and creative personality, history, and description
+ A detailed RP example
+ Willingness to comply to these rules
Do you have all these? Really? Aweseome!
STEP FIVE:THE UNLUCKY ONES
Unfortuneately for this site, dozens of characters are placed into the adoption board every day. Obviously if you're quitting or realize you've exceeded the maximum number for chars, you can put them up for adoption (or kill them, but no one really likes to see that). But most of the characters are put there because the RP-er is bored with them. DO NOT make chars because you're bored. DO NOT make chars without thinking them through. DO NOT kill cats because you want a new kitten.
So remember to take care of your kitties, and get to some RPG-ing!
link: silverandstone.proboards43.com/index.cgi?board=SignUp&action=display&thread=1149205564
Hey Everyone Please read this!! It'll benift you! Just giving people a heads-up on what we want with joining forms, as well as other aspects of character creation. Beginner or senior member, make sure you read this!
STEP ONE: YOUR CHARACTER'S PREREQUISITE:
Before you start posting bios, think about your character that you want to make. Not just a quick skim, but an in-depth brainstorming session. BEFORE you fill out a joining form, ask yourself these questions:
Do I have enough time to roleplay this character at LEAST once a week (Especially crucial for apprentices, leaders, deputies, or medicine cats)
Does this character have a purpose? (Don't make it just because you're bored!)
Do I know everything I can about this character? (Think this kitty through!)
Am I ready to start playing this cat? (Let's get it onnnnn . . .)
STEP TWO: ANALYZING THE FORM:
Here on WTFCOTF, we all know each other for our loveable characters. There is an endless parade of favorite characters on this site. Let's use one of my better-known cats, Taco, as an example.
Taco is a sphynx cat, born without hair. His eyes are odd-colored - one blue, one green. His personality is very kind but also very crazy, and he enjoys speaking in riddles.
So why is he so loveable?
Let's take a deeper look. He's very unique, in his looks and personality. His personality is creative. The whole aura is just different.
That's what we admins like to see. We love reading about interesting cats with creative backgrounds.
Here's a quick list of what admins generally look for when reading joining forms:
Name: Is the name original? Sunfire, Silverstorm, Bluefrost, Icespear - those are all very creative and unique names. A name like Brownfur or Blackpelt is rather tasteless and gives the cat a dull feel.
Clan: This has more to do with grammar than creativity. When you're putting down a Clan, please spell it correctly. Thuderclna is not very pretty. ThunderClan is.
Rank: This has to tie in with the cat's age. A cat that is 6 moons cannot be a warrior. A cat that is 12 moons cannot be a leader. A cat that is 3 moons cannot be an apprentice.
Age: Does the age correspond correctly with the rank? Also, please put the age in moons, not years or months. 1 moon = 1 month. 12 moons = 1 year. Pretty simple.
Gender: Girl, female, she-cat, queen. Boy, male, tom. Pretty much anything is acceptable here. Except for Michael Jackson, but that's a whole other category by itself, then, isn't it?
Picture (optional): This is optional, but appreciated. Remember, this does NOT replace the description.
Description: A very critical category. Do NOT put "see picture." Do NOT just put something like "black" "brown tabby" "calico." Describe the cat like it was a new species, and you had to write down everything you saw about it. Eye color? Fur color? Fur length? Leg length? Body weight? Scars? Tail length?
Personality: Another crucial step. Do NOT just put "nice, sweet, a good friend." That's a bunch of crap right there. Tell us everything about your cat's heart. Is it loyal? Any weaknesses or strengths? Is it kind towards others? Kind towards kits? Independent? Dependent? A good leader? The list goes on and on.
History: All cats have a history. Do NOT just put "Clanborn" "Rogue" "Mom died." What trials did the cat face growing up? Any parents or grandparents in different Clans? How did they get to where they are today?
Example of RPGing (IC): This is really more for you then the character. Show us you can write. Show us you know your character. Do NOT put "Fartface got a piece of fresh-kill." Describe what your cat feels, how your cat looks, how they respond, what they say, what they think. If you're brain-dead, here's some ideas:
Your cat is on patrol when they get attacked?
Your cat is dreaming of StarClan?
Your cat is in a fierce battle?
Your cat is hunting?
Your cat is giving orders or mentoring?
Your cat is being trained?
Your cat is taking a walk?
Secret Word: I suggest reading ALL of the rules . . .
Things to NEVER DO IN A JOINING FORM:
+Put chatspeak in. Ex: "Fartface said c u l8er and ran away w/ Uglybutt." NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
+Rush it and make sloppy mistakes.
+Have lots of spelling errors. Everyone makes mistakes, I know. You should check your posts for grammatical and spelling errors anyway, but there is also a "spell-check" button for when you post. Use it.
STEP THREE: THE FORM! DUN DUN DUNN . . .
Okay! You've got your character perfectly in your head. You know what it looks like, what makes them tick, you've got your roleplaying example all thought out. You're ready to make a form!
It definitely takes a few times to get the perfect joining form. When I read forms, I generally sort them into 4 categories:
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Let's take a look at these categories in depth:
Name: Silverwhisker
Clan: WindClan
Rank: Warrior
Age: 18 moons
Gender: Female
Picture (optional):
Description: Silverwhisker is a stunning cat. Her main ancestry is that of Russian Blue, a gorgeous breed of cat well known for their pelts. Her fur is short but very thick and soft, like a dense cloud. The color of her coat is a vibrant, striking gray that is highlighted with slate blue, and shimmers in the moonlight like stars. Her eyes are a yellow-green color, with emerald green circling the sparkling pupil. Her legs are long and taper to delicate paws. Her tail is of medium length and very slim. At times it seems to have a mind of its own, swishing back and forth almost constantly. Silverwhisker's whiskers are her namesake - they are very long and elegant, and shine a striking silver color. Her face is slightly chiseled but gentle all the same, almost always with a broad smile. Her ears are slightly smaller than normal. Her only flaw is a series of scars around her right hind leg, where the fur now grows pale silver.
Personality: Silverwhisker is the kind of cat that everyone likes. Her strong sense of humor makes her stand out in a crowd, as does her bold courage. She can be stubborn and slightly defiant at sometimes, but controls these flares of disagreement. Her loyalty to WindClan is sometimes scary - she would literally be willing to throw herself into a gorge to giver her Clan a better time in leaf-bare. She is sometimes harsh to outsiders, but seems to thaw quickly, unable to resist her desire to make friends and her ever-growing sense of curiosity. Silverwhisker is very fast, and an agile fighter and quick hunter.
History: Silverwhisker was born in the heather of the moorlands, like any other WindClan kit. Her mother, Runningfoot, was pleased at her daughter's birth, but also immensely troubled. Kits are normally born in the middle of new-leaf, when the weather is warming and the rabbits run through lush grass. But this little kit was born not in new-leaf, but leaf-bare. The cold winds whipped at the mother's fur as she nursed her little Silverkit. For two moons the mother and her daughter lived in a small tangle of heather away from the activity of the WindClan camp, being brought food by other Clanmates. But tragedy struck the little family. Silverkit was not the only kit in her litter. There were two more, but these had not been born early. They had not been born at all. They lay for two moons, festering in the womb of Runningfoot and slowly poisoning the she-cat. One morning Silverkit awoke to find her mother dead. Terrified, she tried to toddle over to the WindClan camp. But a fox saw the gray kitten and pounced upon her, digging its fangs in her rear leg. Silverkit was rescued by a WindClan patrol in the nick of time and adopted by another queen.
Example of RPGing (IC): The moorland of WindClan was calm tonight. The long grasses swayed over the hills like long silky fur, each sharp strand tinted silver by the moon's milky light. It was that time of night when the moon was the fullest and all the day-dwelling animals were asleep in their burrows or dens. The owl, with silent wings of death, flew across the moorland, large eyes searching the plains. The crickets were singing their gentle lullabies as the rabbits hopped quietly through the grass, nibbling on tender shoots.
Silverwhisker emerged onto one of the hills, breathing in the fresh air deeply. Was the place she had been born? The few traces of her kithood that remained was being nestled someplace warm, feeling her mother's warmth and hearing her purr. Then came the shock of death, and the flash of sharp fox teeth.
Silevrwhisker shivered despite the warm temperature. For a moment she thought of stepping out, of going to the spot where her mother was buried and the grasses grew full and green.
No . . . not tonight . . . not again . . .
Silverwhisker gave a heavy sigh before turning and padded slowly back to camp, a silver speck underneath the cobalt sky.
Secret Word: (You have to look it up, I'm not just gonna put it here
This joining form falls under the "excellent" category. This character has obviously been well-thought out, and the joining form is stuffed with information. I can really see the character in my head. There are no grammatical or spelling errors, and the information is unique and creative. This would be accepted without question. Unfortunately, we get very few that are this detailed.
Name: Silverwhisker
Clan: WindCaln
Rank: warrior
Age: 18 moons
Gender: queen
Picture (optional):
Description: Silverwhisker is a Russian blue cat. Her fur is silver-tinted and short. her eyes are yellow-green and very bright. She has a smal set of scars on her back leg, and her whiskers are long and very metallic-silver colored. Her tail is long and very swishy, and her legs are long anmd end in small paws. She is a very beautiful cat.
Personality: silverwhisker is a very popular cat. She has a very bright personality and loves to make jokes, always being an optimist. She is sometimes tempted to disagree, but on the whole is very aesy-going. She loves to make friends, even though she can be cold to cats that are not from her own clan. She is abnormally loyal and will give anything for the sake of WindClan. She is very athletic.
History: Silverwhisker was born very early for a kit, in winter instead of spring like most others. Her mother took very good care of her for the first few months of her life. Unfortuneately two other kits had not been born, and slowly posiened her mother, Runningfoot. Silverkit was very scared of being alone, and tried to make her way back to the windclan camp. A fox who happened to be hunting saw her and attacked her, grabbing her back leg. Luckily a WindClan patrol managed to fight off the fox and rescued Silverkit.
Example of RPGing (IC): It was a quiet, calm night on the moorland. Crickets chirped quietly under the starry sky, and owls flew about on silent wings. On the top of a hill, a beautiful silver she-cat emerged, looking out over the grass with yellow-green eyes that reflected the moonlight. For a moment Silverwhisker let her thoughts wander, and found he rmemories drifting away to the night she was attacked by the fox that scarred her leg. For a moment she thought to go and visit her mother's grave. No, she decided, and turned away back to camp, moving silently under the moonlight.
Secret Word: Bananas? Why yes, I would love some bananas!
This is an good form. There are a few grammar and spelling errors, but on the whole it looks like this person did a good job of filling in the form with in-depth descriptions. This would be accepted. The majority of forms we get are these.
Name:Silverwhisker
Clan:windcaln
Rank:warrior
Age:year old
Gender:female
Picture (optional):none
Description:silverwhisker is a russian blue cat. She is very pretyy and has yellow-green colored eyes. her tail and ledgs are logn.
Personality:Silverwhikser is very friendly and likesx to make friends. she is loyal to windClan and a good fighter. she likes others alot.
History:silverhisker was born in the winter, and her mother died after the birth. silverwhisker ran to camp but got bitten by a fox. a winclan patrol came and rescured her
Example of RPGing (IC):Silverwhisker walked onto a hill on a warm night. she thought about her mother's death and how much she missedh er. then she turned and walked back to her camp.
Secret Word: Oh I wish I were an Oscar-Meyer Wiener . . .
Hmm . . . this is pretty yucky. There are several grammar and spelling errors. Besides the fact that the length of this joining form is far below minimum, the age should be in moons, not years, and there should be a space between the colon and the word. This would not be accepted until improvement was made.
Name:silverwhisker
Clan:windcaln
Rank:warrior
Age:6 months
Gender:girl
Picture (optional):
Description:gray, long tail, green eyes
Personality:nice, loyal
History:mom died
Example of RPGing (IC):silverwhikser walked around under the night sk,y
Secret Word: Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar? Flashy stole the cookies from the cookie jar! Who me? Yes, you! Couldn't be! Then who?
This. Is. Disgusting. Besides the age, grammar, and lack of depth, I'm sure that I don't need to explain it, you can figure these things out on your own. XP
STEP FOUR: POST SCRIPT
So now that you've got your detailed joing form rarin' to go, stop a moment and read this little section.
What admins like:
+ Good grammer and spelling
+ Original, thoughtful names
+ A rich and creative personality, history, and description
+ A detailed RP example
+ Willingness to comply to these rules
Do you have all these? Really? Aweseome!
STEP FIVE:THE UNLUCKY ONES
Unfortuneately for this site, dozens of characters are placed into the adoption board every day. Obviously if you're quitting or realize you've exceeded the maximum number for chars, you can put them up for adoption (or kill them, but no one really likes to see that). But most of the characters are put there because the RP-er is bored with them. DO NOT make chars because you're bored. DO NOT make chars without thinking them through. DO NOT kill cats because you want a new kitten.
So remember to take care of your kitties, and get to some RPG-ing!
