Staffing Wanted vs Adoptable

[Kaycakes 78]

The age-old debate over roleplay terminologies and what they mean exactly. On my board, I have Character Bazaar which is where the wanteds, adoptables, and exchanges go. I have these three as their own separate subforums and it's causing some confusion, which suddenly has me confused too though I had very distinct definitions in my head. Now it is an ongoing debate and one that I think might over-complicate things.

 

To me, wanted ads are like classifieds. Looking for a tutor! Someone is looking for arranged marriage! You know, that kind of thing. Adoptables are characters within a group or family that already have some history, some background, name/age and some of their personality decided -- kind of like this orphanage of poor characters who just need a player to pick them up, dust them off, and love them.

 

However, being new to RP, this seems to not always be the case. One of my friends is saying that an adoptable doesn't always allow room for the player to grow, therefore even a fleshed out character can be a wanted ad for a player to pick up and make that character their own. I think that's where the distinction is for many roleplayers? The ability to flesh out the character further themselves. If this is the case, I may just combined wanted/adoptable subforums into one, but it leaves me wondering why use two different terms for something that may basically be the same thing? How do you guys treat this?

 

The way I set this up makes my friend and also my admin have to figure out more on how to split up her wanteds/adoptables which makes more work for her, I think. A few of the adoptable threads from my members have a mix of wanteds/adoptables which is fine to me. For instance, one person has two fleshed out characters for a retinue, with a few open wanted positions listed at the bottom. *shrugs* This doesn't bother me but it does make me think, ah, maybe time to combine.

[Guest LOVE ME AND DESPAIR]

See my view of adoptables is more either a partially written or full written character already 100% fleshed and set-in-stone. Some still make people write apps for them in their own words to see how much they understand the setting or the character, but like their personality, their flaws, their everything is firmly set with absolutely no or very little wiggle room. And these people take on writing a character that was basically created by someone else.

 

An example being like if you take on playing a character from a book for a fandom RP that is canon and not AU. Who they are, their personality, their family, their history, their everything is already set by the person that created them(aka the author). Basically that stuff is set-in-stone and not changing. You wouldn't be allowed to do like "oh I want to play x badass female charrie from this book series, but now she's a damsel-in-distress" basically cause who that character is has already been decided.

 

As to where want ads can have specifics to those details, or be non-specific and totally vague, but also still leave room for the character to decide a good deal of information about the character for themselves and flesh them out.

 

So that's why I figured adoptables were like the above. Plus whenever I come across adoptables in RP groups they fall under the type I mention in the first paragraph while want ads(whether specific or vague) are a separate thing.

[CovertSphinx 710]

I draw the line at "Filling a Role" and "Details"

 

To me, a WANTED ad is specifically about filling a role. ex: "Spunky and Sassy little sister needed", or "looking for battle butler type old man mentor to help my character such and such do this that or the other thing maybe save the princess".

 

Once the character desired has even just a name, I consider it an adoption regardless of how many specifics the asker allows the person to make up themselves. Ex: "Spunky and Sassy little sister needed, Named Iris, age can vary, dresses mostly like a Goth-Cute Loli and loves apples. Kicks Ass in a fight." or "Looking for battle butler type old man mentor to help my character go save the princess. His family has protected xyz household for generations. Very serious fellow, main proficiency is firearms and MMA. Widower, his 2 kids don't talk to him and each defected to a different family - insert background Cornerstone moment vital to character's history".
 

[Kaycakes 78]

13 minutes ago, CovertSphinx said:

To me, a WANTED ad is specifically about filling a role. ex: "Spunky and Sassy little sister needed", or "looking for battle butler type old man mentor to help my character such and such do this that or the other thing maybe save the princess".

 

This is exactly how I looked at it. One of my other friends, also another admin, said she viewed adoptables as wanted, mostly because an adoptable is also... "wanted". I love her, but I'm still of the mind that there is a stronger distinction than that and if this were the case of everything being just 'wanted', then adoptable orphans would be more wanted than just 'needing a home'. >.> Yes, I draw extreme parallels.

[VirusZero 176]

Pretty much as stated. The main difference, for me, between them is the amount of info provided. 

Want ads are basic and offer more room for change as long as a few key details are included. Maybe they have to be a sibling to another character (or whatever the case may be). But they don't have to also already have a certain background or skillset. There probably isn't an app filled out for them yet. 

 

Adoptables though, to me, implies there is more info. They may have a partial application already to go. Though they could even have a full app already made (like if they were a canon character).  Someone could already even have been playing them (mostly for canons here) and gave them up (or otherwise left that role). And in that regard staff/that user are looking for someone to retake that role.

Now this doesn't always mean stuff is set in stone... (I know loads of people like taking canon characters and altering all kinds of details. Especially sexuality. People love themselves some guyXguy action.) But it does mean anyone wanting to make changes of already existing info has to approach staff about it first.

 

[Kit the Human 758]

Eh, they're all wanteds to me regardless of how much information people put into it. (Granted, I tend to steer away from any character with too much detail.)

 

5 hours ago, kay said:

The way I set this up makes my friend and also my admin have to figure out more on how to split up her wanteds/adoptables which makes more work for her, I think. A few of the adoptable threads from my members have a mix of wanteds/adoptables which is fine to me. For instance, one person has two fleshed out characters for a retinue, with a few open wanted positions listed at the bottom. *shrugs* This doesn't bother me but it does make me think, ah, maybe time to combine.

 

Why don't you just combine? What do you gain from a couple of subforums?

[Elena 546]

In my opinion, wanted ads are the characters you might need for various plots but they weren't created yet. Even if they have some compulsory aspect (common history, name, eg.) they don't have a bio yet. It is up to the taker to write their bio and make them theirs.\

 

Adoptables are characters who already have a bio and were written by somebody else, who left and put them for adoption. The adopter takes an already made bio, credited to the initial creator (the credit extends to everything the initial creator has written with that character) and has input only on the present and future, while writing the character as close to the bio as possible. (Of course, there is room to evolve from present to future, but don't deny the past because it had happened).

Edited January 4, 2017 by Elena

[Dusty 55]

Coming from an Original Real life RPG we only have two of these terms in play. Want Ads and Canons.

 

Want-ads: Are usually someone wanting a family member, love interest, gang member etc that comes from an original character created by the advertising player. Some are very detailed (almost puppet master style) to very open with the requirements. The former type usually won't get picked up (far too controlling and puppet master like). Want-ads can be re-advertised if the player flakes but only in the original or a completely reworked form. 

 

Canons: Have been written by the admins and give a brief background and name to the character and sometimes a PB but most often they are open. Canons will be made open again if the player flakes.

[Morrigan 1,826]

I'm similar to most but mine has nothing to do with details, although I do believe that wanted ads tend to have more information but here is how I define them:

 

Wanted ads: Wanted for a specific character to further their story.

Adoptables: Wanted for a generic role, not necessarily attached to a specific character. Adoptables, to me, are always site offered as a means to give you inspiration to start with a basic purpose for a character. Not property to the site.

Canon: A character created specifically within the world (often fandom related) based on site history and property to the site (if not a fandom).

[Kaycakes 78]

On 1/3/2017 at 8:32 PM, Kit the Human said:

Eh, they're all wanteds to me regardless of how much information people put into it. (Granted, I tend to steer away from any character with too much detail.)

 

 

Why don't you just combine? What do you gain from a couple of subforums?

 

I did this.  Went ahead and combined the two because it turns out that a lot of people have varying definitions and views on how to do things like this. Might as well open up to having people do their wanteds/adoptables as they wish so their stories get filled in more. Personally, while I'm a fan of organization, I'm even more so a fan of encouraging creativity and nurturing muses. Wanted/adoptables are not that high on my priority of things to organize, anyhow!!

 

But I was super fascinated to get all the replies. Thank you everyone.

[Rune 1,099]

Wanted ads are from members. Adoptables are from the site itself, but not canons, which are established characters in the storyline.

 

But I've also played in Pern where adoptables are only half of a character pair in the form of a dragon/wher, usually.

 

I say combine them. Maybe call them Classifieds so no one can complain?

[Ferret 1]

To me, a 'wanted' is as you said, a classified, to attract the attention of a specific character. 'Adoptables' are characters that are already formed in some way and that are usually related to another character that you can pick up.