Post by Tensei Kaori on Oct 23, 2006 20:35:57 GMT -5
”Who Am I?” The Character Creation Guide for the Konoha Village IF
So, you're ready to create a character, are you? In order to do that, we'll need to know a bit about your character. Let's start out with the basics, shall we?
Biography Basics Explained!
Name: This one's a no-brainer. What is your character's name? Please include given and family names, unless you have a valid reason in your character's history as to why he or she doesn't have one or the other. But if they exist, list them here.
Age: How old is your character? This isn't the place to put “appears to be ______ years old”, please enter your character's actual age.
Gender: Another no-brainer. Male or Female.
Rank: Your character's rank would be written here. The following ranks are open for play:
--Academy Student – The youngest in the world of Shinobi, these children are just starting out on their way. Carefree and innocent – for the most part – these youngsters don't get to leave the village, but get to have the kinds of fun and mischief that are off-limits for most adults.
--Genin – Those who have earned the right to wear the Forehead Protector of Konoha and call themselves Shinobi, these rookies have the least experience out of any of Konoha's shinobi and are often confined to boring missions such as weeding gardens, finding lost pets, or doing someone's shopping. Genin are organized into three-person teams with a Jounin Sensei to oversee them. Ideally, each team member is played by a different participant and everyone gets to interact together as a team. This is the recommended rank for new members, but creating a Genin as your first character is not mandatory.
--Chuunin – the commander class of shinobi. These ninja are more experienced then Genin, but aren't quite considered elite as of yet. Chuunin are the team leaders, serving as captain of a squad during important missions for the village. Chuunin are also eligible to become Sensei at the Ninja Academy if they wish.
--Jounin – the elites, the big dogs, the veterans. These shinobi have gone beyond proving themselves in any and every situation. These are the ninja who are chosen for the top missions – the most dangerous, the most important, and some would say the most exciting – because these guys have seen and done it all. Jounin are eligible to become Sensei at the Ninja Academy, and may also take on a single apprentice if they have any particular specialization. Please note that Jounin as first characters for new members are harder go get approved than others; this is nothing personal, it's just because we don't know you or how you handle your characters. If you wish to show us you can handle the responsibility by crafting a balanced, well-written biography, go for it!
~Ranks Open to Experienced Participants
Members who have at least one active character and have actively participated in at least one story arc may ask for permission to create a character of the following ranks:
--Civilian – while these people are an extreme minority in the world of Shinobi, they do valuable jobs that ninja simply don't have time for. They don't leave the village much, but they are able to get to know many of their home village's shinobi in a way other ninja can't.
--Special Jounin – the elites of the elites, these are the top-notch Jounin with the most experience, the most ability, and the most loyalty. They have put their lives on the line for the village more than once and would do it again in the heartbeat. They almost always have some sort of specialization, like interrogation or medical ninjutsu.
--Jounin Sensei - Those elite Jounin who are chosen to take on a team of Genin, these characters are a great responsibility both in-character and out-of-character. They lead their teams on missions and in training exercises, as well as other activities.
Once a participant has successfully created and played a Special Jounin character, he or she may request permission to create an ANBU character.
--ANBU – often called special forces or black ops, Konoha's ANBU are the elite group of Shinobi who handle the extremely delicate and highly dangerous S-class missions. Under the direct command of the Hokage, this organization exist outside the chain of hierarchy of the “Jounin-Chuunin-Genin” group. Among other missions, they perform assassinations, hunt down shinobi who represent a threat to the village – including missing nins – and can even act as bodyguards to the Hokage.
After successfully handling an ANBU character, a participant may request permission to play an ANBU Squad Leader.
--ANBU Squad Leader – this title is just what the name implies. These are ANBU who command a team, or squad, on the various missions the team undertakes. These shinobi have proven themselves to be the most responsible and capable leaders, even among the ANBU.
~Notes on Special Approval-type Character Ranks
Once an IF participant has proven him or herself through successfully playing at least one character through at least one complete story arc, he may ask permission to create a special approval-type character as explained above. These special cases will be approved on a case-by-case basis and each character will need separate approval from the staff. Remember, the more experience you have, the more likely you are to gain approval for these characters.
Now that you've established your character's rank, let's move on.
Chakra Affinity: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, or Lightning. "Special" affinities - such as wood or ice - will only be granted to experienced members on a case-by-case basis.
Appearance: There's more to this than you may think at first. Hair/eye/skin color, yes; height and weight, yes... but what about build? Is your character lean, stocky, skinny, curvaceous? What kind of clothes does your character wear, etc, etc? This must be at least a paragraph (3-5 sentences). Just a picture will not suffice, though adding a picture along with the written description (in link form, please) is optional. No art not created by the user will be permitted unless accompanied by the express written permission of the original artist.
Personality: This one's another no-brainer. What is your character like? What is their outlook on life? What are their likes and dislikes? Do they have any unusual fears or quirky traits? The more detailed you are on this, the more developed your character will be. But don't force it – characters have a tendency to write themselves sometimes; go with what feels natural for your character. This, however, must also be at least one paragraph.
History: While it's impossible to write out a comprehensive life story for your character, the more thought-out this portion is, the more depth your character will have. What kind of family life did he or she have? Is there any outstanding event in his or her past that has had an impact on his or her life? Be creative! There are a ton of things you can do with this; so many that I can't even list them all. Be sure to think out your character, because this part is what staff members look at most closely. Histories must be at least 2 paragraphs for Academy Students and Genin and at least 3 for Chuunin and above.
Optional Statistics: Anything else you can think of that you wish to add about your character can be added in if you like. Some examples include theme songs and blood types, or listing likes and dislikes as separate categories.
So, now you have the basics covered. But what comes next? Here are a few tips that will help you create a great, original bio for your character – straight from the most experienced role players on the Konoha Village staff.
Advanced Biography Writing – Advice from the Staff on Character Creation
~Be creative! Create your own character with his or her own background, not relying on prefabricated clans or ideas. Step out in a new direction!
~Don't rely on the clans that already exist in Naruto. While we may allow the use of these clans on a case-by-case basis if a character is well-written, we'd prefer you make your own. It's so much more fun, really.
~Create a character with plenty of opportunities for interaction. That's what an interactive fanfiction is all about, isn't it? There's really no point if your character is on their own all the time.
~Stay away from characters who are complete loners. While it's obvious that such people exist, it really takes the fun out of participating in an interactive fanfiction if you create a character who has no real opportunity to interact with other characters. While the most experienced IF participants are given a little more leeway in this area, it's still frowned upon for the most part.
~While pain and hardship help to form a character, try not to be overdramatic about it. While a character who lost his or her parents in the War is fine; someone whose entire 100-member clan, best friend, and Sensei were all tortured to death in unspeakable ways right in front of the character's eyes... well, you get the idea. Well-written angst is all right, but overdone angst gets really old really fast – and besides, no one wants to be around someone who's depressed and melodramatic all the time.
~Be realistic. If your character is 84, he or she is not going to look 17. If he or she is a Genin, he or she will not have the skills of a Jounin. Use common sense and you should be fine. If you're not sure, don't be afraid to ask. The staff would much rather answer questions from an unsure member than warn someone for writing a goddish character.
~Formatting is your friend. Insterting empty lines between paragraphs will make it a lot easier for us to read your biography, and formatting your biography helps a ton. If you look at the biography boards, you'll see a lot of good examples of reader-friendly formatting.
The Rules for Character Creation:
1)Your character must be a Shinobi of one of the ranks listed above, working under one of the Shinobi villages currently open for play. The only exception to this rule is the special-permission “Civilian” rank, which still must operate under one of the open villages. NPC/TPC civilians are allowed for the specific purpose of using them in mission threads, but that is all. Such characters must also be approved as part of a specific mission.
2) Absolutely NO Jinchuuriki under any circumstances. No ifs, ands, or buts. Please note that this includes characters with other types of creatures sealed inside them. If it's sealed in your character, it's a no.
3) NO Akatsuki. This should be a given considering our timeline, but I'm saying it anyways.
4) Absolutely NO Uchiha, unless the player is a Staff member. See " The Uchiha in VoK: The Mythic Genesis" for more information.
5)No Missing-Nins. The only exception to this is if you discuss it with me beforehand, in which case I will consider it and, if approved, I will make sure the other Staff members are aware of this. Please note that if your Shinobi is a missing-nin from one village, they will still need to operate under another village. Also, please note that this is by far from commonplace – and thus, I will only allow a few of this type of character per village. Also remember which villages are allies and which aren't. A Sand shinobi isn't likely to abandon their village for Konoha, as Konoha would likely turn them in to Sand authorities.
Character Biography Posting and Approval – What Happens Now?
Once you've gained approval to post in the Fanfiction (see the Explanatory post for details) and you've completed your biography, head on over to our Bio Boards and post it in its own thread with your character's name as the subject line. Now, as much as you'll hate it, you get to wait again. Because now it's the Staff's turn yet again.
The Bio Approval Process
If you respect the rules and pay attention to the advice we offer, you'll really have no trouble with this. First I'll explain what the approval process is like, and then I'll shed some light onto the things the staff look for in a bio.
Here at Konoha Village, we have a Single Approval rule for character bios. This means that one global staff member must approve a bio before it can be used in the IF. In the case of our IF, these people are the ANBU Squad Leader, Lieutenant Hokage, or the Hokage. If a bio recieves one “no” vote, it's not a permanent thing. Instead of an all-out veto (except in certain cases, such as Akatsuki or Jinchuuriki characters; see below), we'll discuss the problem and offer a solution, sometimes even working towards a compromise that allows the participant to still use an original idea while keeping it within the rules.
Now, there are a few main things that the staff will look for in a character bio. Here are some of them:
*Most importantly, does it follow the rules?
*Is it well-balanced (I.E. Not overpowered or goddish)?
*Does it make sense?
Also, the better-written your character's biography is, the better. Aside from the normal “do your best” advice, here are a few tips.
*Correct capitalization and punctuation are your friends. there is nothing worse than reading a paragraph like this imagine reading an entire biography that uses no punctuation or capitalization this is an excellent way to get the entire staff irritated with you from the very beginning.... and on and on. You see what I mean?
*If capitalization and punctuation are your friends, then correct grammar and spelling are your best friends. We're not going to go through highlighting simple mistakes, but just do your best to spell things properly and put the words where they belong.
*Please, type out your words. “i am goin 2 post my bio now cuz i wan 2 get started on hte if”? Please, everyone. Everyone on these forums knows how to read and write – because if you didn't, you wouldn't be reading this right now. Posting on the forums is not the same as text-messaging your friends at the movies to say you're waiting for them at the ticket counter. If you post like this, you will be asked to rewrite it before the staff will pay any attention to the content.
*Vary your sentence structure! Nothing is as boring or tedious to read (when proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation are used, at least) than “_____ is _____. _______ and ________ are ______; while ______ is ______. _______ is _______ and ______. ______ is ________.” It can be hard sometimes, thinking of different ways to word the same message, but believe me – it's worth it.
What Now?
You're ready to go! Open up a Word document (or an Open Office document, if you prefer, or whatever else you use to write on the computer) and get started! Just remember to save often in case of power outages or computer crashes. There's nothing worse than working long and hard on a good bio and then losing it during a freak thunderstorm. And remember to finish your character before you submit a bio! If you post a character, the staff will assume you want it read, and will review it.
If you wish for a feedback and constructive critique, however, you are welcome to post your character-in-progress to the ANBU Headquarters board for review, where our staff and senior members will help you make your character all or he or she can be.
Happy writing!
So, you're ready to create a character, are you? In order to do that, we'll need to know a bit about your character. Let's start out with the basics, shall we?
Biography Basics Explained!
Name: This one's a no-brainer. What is your character's name? Please include given and family names, unless you have a valid reason in your character's history as to why he or she doesn't have one or the other. But if they exist, list them here.
Age: How old is your character? This isn't the place to put “appears to be ______ years old”, please enter your character's actual age.
Gender: Another no-brainer. Male or Female.
Rank: Your character's rank would be written here. The following ranks are open for play:
--Academy Student – The youngest in the world of Shinobi, these children are just starting out on their way. Carefree and innocent – for the most part – these youngsters don't get to leave the village, but get to have the kinds of fun and mischief that are off-limits for most adults.
--Genin – Those who have earned the right to wear the Forehead Protector of Konoha and call themselves Shinobi, these rookies have the least experience out of any of Konoha's shinobi and are often confined to boring missions such as weeding gardens, finding lost pets, or doing someone's shopping. Genin are organized into three-person teams with a Jounin Sensei to oversee them. Ideally, each team member is played by a different participant and everyone gets to interact together as a team. This is the recommended rank for new members, but creating a Genin as your first character is not mandatory.
--Chuunin – the commander class of shinobi. These ninja are more experienced then Genin, but aren't quite considered elite as of yet. Chuunin are the team leaders, serving as captain of a squad during important missions for the village. Chuunin are also eligible to become Sensei at the Ninja Academy if they wish.
--Jounin – the elites, the big dogs, the veterans. These shinobi have gone beyond proving themselves in any and every situation. These are the ninja who are chosen for the top missions – the most dangerous, the most important, and some would say the most exciting – because these guys have seen and done it all. Jounin are eligible to become Sensei at the Ninja Academy, and may also take on a single apprentice if they have any particular specialization. Please note that Jounin as first characters for new members are harder go get approved than others; this is nothing personal, it's just because we don't know you or how you handle your characters. If you wish to show us you can handle the responsibility by crafting a balanced, well-written biography, go for it!
~Ranks Open to Experienced Participants
Members who have at least one active character and have actively participated in at least one story arc may ask for permission to create a character of the following ranks:
--Civilian – while these people are an extreme minority in the world of Shinobi, they do valuable jobs that ninja simply don't have time for. They don't leave the village much, but they are able to get to know many of their home village's shinobi in a way other ninja can't.
--Special Jounin – the elites of the elites, these are the top-notch Jounin with the most experience, the most ability, and the most loyalty. They have put their lives on the line for the village more than once and would do it again in the heartbeat. They almost always have some sort of specialization, like interrogation or medical ninjutsu.
--Jounin Sensei - Those elite Jounin who are chosen to take on a team of Genin, these characters are a great responsibility both in-character and out-of-character. They lead their teams on missions and in training exercises, as well as other activities.
Once a participant has successfully created and played a Special Jounin character, he or she may request permission to create an ANBU character.
--ANBU – often called special forces or black ops, Konoha's ANBU are the elite group of Shinobi who handle the extremely delicate and highly dangerous S-class missions. Under the direct command of the Hokage, this organization exist outside the chain of hierarchy of the “Jounin-Chuunin-Genin” group. Among other missions, they perform assassinations, hunt down shinobi who represent a threat to the village – including missing nins – and can even act as bodyguards to the Hokage.
After successfully handling an ANBU character, a participant may request permission to play an ANBU Squad Leader.
--ANBU Squad Leader – this title is just what the name implies. These are ANBU who command a team, or squad, on the various missions the team undertakes. These shinobi have proven themselves to be the most responsible and capable leaders, even among the ANBU.
~Notes on Special Approval-type Character Ranks
Once an IF participant has proven him or herself through successfully playing at least one character through at least one complete story arc, he may ask permission to create a special approval-type character as explained above. These special cases will be approved on a case-by-case basis and each character will need separate approval from the staff. Remember, the more experience you have, the more likely you are to gain approval for these characters.
Now that you've established your character's rank, let's move on.
Chakra Affinity: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, or Lightning. "Special" affinities - such as wood or ice - will only be granted to experienced members on a case-by-case basis.
Appearance: There's more to this than you may think at first. Hair/eye/skin color, yes; height and weight, yes... but what about build? Is your character lean, stocky, skinny, curvaceous? What kind of clothes does your character wear, etc, etc? This must be at least a paragraph (3-5 sentences). Just a picture will not suffice, though adding a picture along with the written description (in link form, please) is optional. No art not created by the user will be permitted unless accompanied by the express written permission of the original artist.
Personality: This one's another no-brainer. What is your character like? What is their outlook on life? What are their likes and dislikes? Do they have any unusual fears or quirky traits? The more detailed you are on this, the more developed your character will be. But don't force it – characters have a tendency to write themselves sometimes; go with what feels natural for your character. This, however, must also be at least one paragraph.
History: While it's impossible to write out a comprehensive life story for your character, the more thought-out this portion is, the more depth your character will have. What kind of family life did he or she have? Is there any outstanding event in his or her past that has had an impact on his or her life? Be creative! There are a ton of things you can do with this; so many that I can't even list them all. Be sure to think out your character, because this part is what staff members look at most closely. Histories must be at least 2 paragraphs for Academy Students and Genin and at least 3 for Chuunin and above.
Optional Statistics: Anything else you can think of that you wish to add about your character can be added in if you like. Some examples include theme songs and blood types, or listing likes and dislikes as separate categories.
So, now you have the basics covered. But what comes next? Here are a few tips that will help you create a great, original bio for your character – straight from the most experienced role players on the Konoha Village staff.
Advanced Biography Writing – Advice from the Staff on Character Creation
~Be creative! Create your own character with his or her own background, not relying on prefabricated clans or ideas. Step out in a new direction!
~Don't rely on the clans that already exist in Naruto. While we may allow the use of these clans on a case-by-case basis if a character is well-written, we'd prefer you make your own. It's so much more fun, really.
~Create a character with plenty of opportunities for interaction. That's what an interactive fanfiction is all about, isn't it? There's really no point if your character is on their own all the time.
~Stay away from characters who are complete loners. While it's obvious that such people exist, it really takes the fun out of participating in an interactive fanfiction if you create a character who has no real opportunity to interact with other characters. While the most experienced IF participants are given a little more leeway in this area, it's still frowned upon for the most part.
~While pain and hardship help to form a character, try not to be overdramatic about it. While a character who lost his or her parents in the War is fine; someone whose entire 100-member clan, best friend, and Sensei were all tortured to death in unspeakable ways right in front of the character's eyes... well, you get the idea. Well-written angst is all right, but overdone angst gets really old really fast – and besides, no one wants to be around someone who's depressed and melodramatic all the time.
~Be realistic. If your character is 84, he or she is not going to look 17. If he or she is a Genin, he or she will not have the skills of a Jounin. Use common sense and you should be fine. If you're not sure, don't be afraid to ask. The staff would much rather answer questions from an unsure member than warn someone for writing a goddish character.
~Formatting is your friend. Insterting empty lines between paragraphs will make it a lot easier for us to read your biography, and formatting your biography helps a ton. If you look at the biography boards, you'll see a lot of good examples of reader-friendly formatting.
The Rules for Character Creation:
1)Your character must be a Shinobi of one of the ranks listed above, working under one of the Shinobi villages currently open for play. The only exception to this rule is the special-permission “Civilian” rank, which still must operate under one of the open villages. NPC/TPC civilians are allowed for the specific purpose of using them in mission threads, but that is all. Such characters must also be approved as part of a specific mission.
2) Absolutely NO Jinchuuriki under any circumstances. No ifs, ands, or buts. Please note that this includes characters with other types of creatures sealed inside them. If it's sealed in your character, it's a no.
3) NO Akatsuki. This should be a given considering our timeline, but I'm saying it anyways.
4) Absolutely NO Uchiha, unless the player is a Staff member. See " The Uchiha in VoK: The Mythic Genesis" for more information.
5)No Missing-Nins. The only exception to this is if you discuss it with me beforehand, in which case I will consider it and, if approved, I will make sure the other Staff members are aware of this. Please note that if your Shinobi is a missing-nin from one village, they will still need to operate under another village. Also, please note that this is by far from commonplace – and thus, I will only allow a few of this type of character per village. Also remember which villages are allies and which aren't. A Sand shinobi isn't likely to abandon their village for Konoha, as Konoha would likely turn them in to Sand authorities.
Character Biography Posting and Approval – What Happens Now?
Once you've gained approval to post in the Fanfiction (see the Explanatory post for details) and you've completed your biography, head on over to our Bio Boards and post it in its own thread with your character's name as the subject line. Now, as much as you'll hate it, you get to wait again. Because now it's the Staff's turn yet again.
The Bio Approval Process
If you respect the rules and pay attention to the advice we offer, you'll really have no trouble with this. First I'll explain what the approval process is like, and then I'll shed some light onto the things the staff look for in a bio.
Here at Konoha Village, we have a Single Approval rule for character bios. This means that one global staff member must approve a bio before it can be used in the IF. In the case of our IF, these people are the ANBU Squad Leader, Lieutenant Hokage, or the Hokage. If a bio recieves one “no” vote, it's not a permanent thing. Instead of an all-out veto (except in certain cases, such as Akatsuki or Jinchuuriki characters; see below), we'll discuss the problem and offer a solution, sometimes even working towards a compromise that allows the participant to still use an original idea while keeping it within the rules.
Now, there are a few main things that the staff will look for in a character bio. Here are some of them:
*Most importantly, does it follow the rules?
*Is it well-balanced (I.E. Not overpowered or goddish)?
*Does it make sense?
Also, the better-written your character's biography is, the better. Aside from the normal “do your best” advice, here are a few tips.
*Correct capitalization and punctuation are your friends. there is nothing worse than reading a paragraph like this imagine reading an entire biography that uses no punctuation or capitalization this is an excellent way to get the entire staff irritated with you from the very beginning.... and on and on. You see what I mean?
*If capitalization and punctuation are your friends, then correct grammar and spelling are your best friends. We're not going to go through highlighting simple mistakes, but just do your best to spell things properly and put the words where they belong.
*Please, type out your words. “i am goin 2 post my bio now cuz i wan 2 get started on hte if”? Please, everyone. Everyone on these forums knows how to read and write – because if you didn't, you wouldn't be reading this right now. Posting on the forums is not the same as text-messaging your friends at the movies to say you're waiting for them at the ticket counter. If you post like this, you will be asked to rewrite it before the staff will pay any attention to the content.
*Vary your sentence structure! Nothing is as boring or tedious to read (when proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation are used, at least) than “_____ is _____. _______ and ________ are ______; while ______ is ______. _______ is _______ and ______. ______ is ________.” It can be hard sometimes, thinking of different ways to word the same message, but believe me – it's worth it.
What Now?
You're ready to go! Open up a Word document (or an Open Office document, if you prefer, or whatever else you use to write on the computer) and get started! Just remember to save often in case of power outages or computer crashes. There's nothing worse than working long and hard on a good bio and then losing it during a freak thunderstorm. And remember to finish your character before you submit a bio! If you post a character, the staff will assume you want it read, and will review it.
If you wish for a feedback and constructive critique, however, you are welcome to post your character-in-progress to the ANBU Headquarters board for review, where our staff and senior members will help you make your character all or he or she can be.
Happy writing!
