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Apps: from a member's perspective


Kit the Human
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This is from a staff perspective.

 

Now I want to hear what members think!

 

Purely as a member:

 

Do you like apps?

Yes/no

 

Why not if not?

Your reasons!

 

If yes, what kind do you prefer and why?

Traditional/shipper/freeform/etc

 

Do you find that they help you in creating character?

Do you for example, discover anything more meaningful about the character as a result from writing an app? Does it help you get a grip on them? Etc

 

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Do you like apps?

Yes! I love apps, and probably wouldn't join a site that didn't have them. Does that make me weird? I hope to find out with all these app-related threads. 

 

If yes, what kind do you prefer and why?

I like traditional apps, with an "appearance/personality/history" format. I don't think asking those things is too much, and I feel like if you don't know those things about a character then you probably aren't ready to write them. The appearance section I like for obvious reasons. I think it might be really redundant on boards that require face claims, but I still think it is helpful. Like, if I choose a face because I think it is the most boring face in the world, I'm going to mention so in my appearance section just in case someone sees them and think I chose them because they're attractive. That kind of thing changes your perception of who a person is, whether we like it or not. History shapes so much of who a character is and why as well.  I spent a long time coming up with this character, and I want people to be able to see why they are who they are!  As for personality, I know a lot of people don't like it because their characters change once you start writing them reacting to things, but I like having it there and I like writing my characters' base personalities.  I'll get into all this more in the next section. 

 

Do you find that they help you in creating character?

I do. In fact, if I don't make an app for a character, I never really consider them 'alive' yet. Even the ones I just have in my head, I make an application for. For the history, I feel like if I don't set it down in stone somewhere, my character isn't READY. If I don't know things about their past that shaped who they are now, then why am I even writing them? Who is this stranger and why do I care about their current well-being?  A personality without a history is just an NPC, in my opinion. And speaking of personality... Everyone has a personality. Even if it changes (and it does. Personalities change all the time, even dramatically. You can start out being stoic and uncaring, but one person melts your heart and all of a sudden you're a loving friend to all things that walk the earth).  Any given character isn't even a person to me until they have likes, dislikes, and a way of presenting themselves. That's what a personality is, and if I can't tell you that about my character, then what am I even doing? 

Edited by Bro
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Do you like apps?

Yes.

 

If yes, what kind do you prefer and why?

 

I like traditional applications. They offer structure and everyone can see the same thing in a bio. I think freeform ones (ie journals, letters, surveys, tops, etc) are good only as character extras after approval, for additional character development. They don't ensure a structure and clarity to the character bio. A RPG is a story written by several writers together. It's not like in the novel, where the sole writer knows everything about each character. So they need uniform bios, providing comparable information about each character.

 

Do you find that they help you in creating character?

 

Of course they do. I am writing character bios also for my novel characters, since 25 years before knowing that RPGs exist and require them. 🙂 If I don't have a detailed, periodically updated bio, I couldn't keep consistency and avoid errors, because I can't remember everything by heart. Besides, the bio helps me build the character and develop him properly. 

Edited by Elena
I can;t find proper words :(
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Yes, I run three sites, but I'm also a member at a couple....

 

Do you like apps?

Yes

 

Why not if not?

N/A

 

If yes, what kind do you prefer and why?

Traditional! Not only do I like reading a well thought out character profile, I enjoy building one!

 

Do you find that they help you in creating character?

Absolutely! My characters tend to be very complete before I start writing their profile. However, a "form" helps me organize all that messy information into a coherent format. I find that by writing out the application form, I discover what works for that character in the setting and what sound good in my head doesn't work when it comes to putting it on paper - so to speak.

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Someone somewhere went to sleep and dreamed us all alive.
Dreams get pushed around a lot, and I doubt if we'll survive.
We won't get to wake up, dreams were born to disappear.
And I'm pretty sure that none of us are here.
~ None of Us Here by Jim Stafford ~

 

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Do you like apps?

Yes

 

Why not if not?

N/A

 

If yes, what kind do you prefer and why?

Shipper or freeform. Shipper is a 2-for-1 app and plotter, and I like being able to write them at the same time. And freeform lets me style things however I like. 

 

Do you find that they help you in creating character?

The app itself doesn't help me figure anything out.  But sometimes the process of fleshing out the character's personality and history sometimes gives me ideas for other aspects of them. Especially for shipper apps, when I'm detailing how relationships work for them. Same way that having a character in play, making dev threads, etc. helps me get a better idea of a character. 

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Do you like apps?

Not particularly 

 

Why not if not?

  • They're only worth anything if the player writing the app actually likes and takes them seriously - I've never encountered an app that I can't use what one might call a 'formula' to successfully complete. 
  • A personality description is about as useful as horoscope summary. In other words, its made general enough to fit anything. So its not really good for anything. 
  • They're arbitrary by nature, doesn't matter how cohesive the staff team is. Not long ago I completed an app where the first staff member to review it private messaged me a list of corrections they wanted made - I made none of them, and two hours later a second staff member reviewed and approved the app as it was originally. 
  • If one pays attention to the 'times viewed' count on almost any site's "Approved Application" forum on just about any site it becomes pretty clear that non-staff don't really bother to read apps at all. 

 

 

If yes, what kind do you prefer and why?

If I have to complete one I prefer the traditional style. Shipper and free form apps, to me, indicate that the staff team has no standard to be met - so what's the point of the app in the first place? 

 

Do you find that they help you in creating character?

No. One typically has to already know the character to write an app for them. There are better tools for development and organization. 

 

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Do you like apps?

only when I choose to make them

 

Why not if not?

I don't like the idea that staff need to vet every character I make for consistency with their sites. I make characters that I feel fit, and want to be trusted that they do. I also play a lot of characters including a lot of secondary types and supporting roles that only appear for a few threads, before disappearing until I feel like pulling them out for something else. The thought of having to app them all seems like more hassle than it's worth for me, and discourages my creative process.

 

If yes, what kind do you prefer and why?

Freeform. when I write apps I include what I think they need. I don't like being instructed to do them a particular way. having freeform also allows me to port my apps from other places to start out with such as when I transfer a character from one site to another which I often do when I'm starting on a new site.

 

Do you find that they help you in creating character?

Nope. characters from in my head as a cloudy idea, and then come together further through play. I often know my characters most from seeing how they interact with others and the setting and not from telling their stories in an ooc way.

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Do you like apps?

Yes

 

If yes why?

I absolutely abhor the chaos, in my opinion, that is an appless site. I do not function well without structure and plainly written expectations for the character. I need to know what is expected of me and what is expected of my character. An app does this. I feel that not having an app on a site is akin to a lawless society, a free for all if you will. Can't do it, won't do it. I won't join sites without an app. 

 

Why not if not?

N/A

 

If yes, what kind do you prefer and why?

Traditional or free form. 

 

Do you find that they help you in creating character?

An app, like RPing in general, can help me get a feel for a character before I ever put them down in play. It lets me know whether they will actually mesh with me in RP and whether or not that character will even fit in the world or canon of the 'verse I'm playing. Its a structure and like most people with some sort of conduct or emotional disorder, I thrive on structure. 

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I hate apps because I am lazy and also I just don’t like laying everything out at the start. 

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Reality is an illusion. 


 
 

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Do you like apps?

It depends.

 

On what? What kind do you prefer and why?

As you can see by the way I changed the questions so they fit what I'm trying to say, I'm not really good at giving guided information. So I simply don't know how to write traditional apps. I don't know how to separate history from personality, I don't know five random likes and dislikes of a character I haven't really written yet, and I think people (and characters) don't really have strengths and weaknesses, they have a complex set of personality traits that sometimes work for them, and sometimes against them, and are perceived as good by some and as bad by others. So whenever I stumble upon a site I love but with an application I wouldn't be able to fill for myself or my oldest and closest friends, I'm gonna curse it and cry internally as I write it. Plus, because they just don't fit with the way I think characters work, they're not a very good guide for me to plot with other characters.

 

The same goes for most freeform and shipper apps. While I don't mind, and sometimes even like, to write these, I just don't think they're really useful. Freeform are fun, but they can be a pain to read when you're trying to figure out plots between characters. Traditional shipper (friends/enemies/romance) are just kind of boring to me, and I just think it's much more practical do have plotters by players instead of characters.

 

Still, I think applications do have potential! I've been on some sites with application processes that I found helpful and enjoyable. These usually focus on what your character can bring to the table, where they fit in the site, what plot points and ideas they're bringing along that might be exciting and interesting to other players. This, plus a short blurb on who a character is, is all I really need to know about my characters to play them, and other players' to play with them!

 

Do you find that they help you in creating character?

Freeform and plot-oriented apps do help me a lot. I have a lot of fun with freeform apps, and I usually see them as a kind of test-drive of the character I had in my head. They help me get a voice for them a little structure before I write that first IC post, and even though they're not the most practically plotting-wise, I love writing them for my own characters. Plot-oriented apps are simply the best ! They help me figure out my characters while leaving a lot of space for them to gain a voice through playing, they make me think about the setting, story and plots in advance and they're the most useful for me when going through characters' profiles in search of a plot!

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