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6 hours ago, Kit the Human said:

So I guess what I'm asking is: what do you get from a writing sample that you don't get from a bio? (Anyone who supports writing samples for canons could answer!) The way I see it, the only unique thing a writing sample provides is a snapshot on someone's writing. A bio, for me, is enough for me to see if someone actually knows the canon they're writing. 

 

I agree with @CovertSphinx, and I'm just going to add a little~ (But I'm apparently long winded by nature. o_o;)

 

I think that (other than for style reference/basic grammar check) for OCs, the bio is generally enough. For canon/fandom characters though, there is a way to play them wrong. As much as it's nice to say that everyone's interpretation of any given character is equally valid, if you play a Sherlock Holmes (from Elementary cause it's fresh on the mind) who loves to read bed time stories to babies, hates solving mysteries, finds science/experiments boring, and is generally the snuggliest, most selfless bear you've ever met ... that is just not Sherlock. You're playing him wrong--at least if you're not writing the world's cutest AU. (Someone, please write this AU and link me. <3)

 

I'd posit that in many ways, writing samples are more useful for canon characters because the bios, personality, etc. are all premade. (I think someone said they even allow the wiki to be linked.) We don't need someone to tell us what Sherlock Holmes is like and what he's done, we need someone to show us that they can capture this character that we all already know and love. (The problem is how you would go about then determining if someone is an appropriate fit to play Sherlock (because the likelihood that they give a baby-snuggling, science hating sample is incredibly low) and that's where the complexities occur, and all the egos/judgment/confusion starts. I always recommend "grading" rubrics. That's the teacher in me. Rubrics are great and less biased than 90% of tools~)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I don't really care one way or the other about samples. 

 

Generally I find that samples are only useful for fandom canon characters as they are the best way, in my opinion, to see if the person has a good grasp of the canon they want to play and will be playing them in a way that the admin(s) except as in character.

 

When an app does have a sample required I'm a believer that the sample should absolutely be of/for the character being applied. Otherwise, it seems pointless to me as the rest of the app should give a good indication of the player's overall writing ability/style and a sample should be about that specific character voice.

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Do you use RP samples? What for?

We do require an RP sample for the first ever application. I have seen people who write wonderful apps, but aren't good at rp, and vice versa. App makes you cringe, but the rp is great. I just like to know what I'm getting into, as an admin and a player.

 

Do you like or dislike joining sites that have RP samples on their app?

I am indifferent.

 

What requirements do you put on RP samples?

None. You can c&p posts from other sites for your sample. We just ask for one for the first app.

 

What requirements make you roll your eyes?

Word counts. Because they annoy me anyway.

 

On a site where the characters are animals (cats, wolves, horses, ect), should samples be required to be of that animal, or are human samples okay? On a human RP, would you accept a wolf rp sample?

I wouldn't care either way. It's all rp.

 

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On 1/4/2018 at 4:14 PM, Raven said:

Do you use RP samples? What for?

Do you like or dislike joining sites that have RP samples on their app?

What requirements do you put on RP samples?

What requirements make you roll your eyes?

On a site where the characters are animals (cats, wolves, horses, ect), should samples be required to be of that animal, or are human samples okay? On a human RP, would you accept a wolf rp sample?

I use RP samples. I use them to gauge how well a new player writes, as well as how much they write and what their style appears to be. With that, I can start getting a handle on what kind of player they are, which other players they may mesh well with, and what plots they might like. And if they write really badly, I can gently tell them that I don't think they're going to be a good fit for this RP

 

I consider an RP sample a normal part of joining a group, based on my own practices. I don't think I would join a site that requested a very long sample, because I don't like writing long posts - but it's not a dealbreaker, it's just part of the game.

 

Typically in my RPs, I provide three writing prompts for new players to choose from. Their RP sample must be a response in-character to one of the writing prompts, and it should be about the same length as their usual post. My prompts usually have failure built into them. Seeing people squirm when they're forced to write their character failing a challenge or going through a hardship is a good way for me to figure out who is more likely to give me godmodding grief (and who's more likely to bask in MANPAIN).

 

"Samples must be at least 600 words!" Yeah okay Susan, what-the-fuck-ever, you're going to get a 300 word sample and you're going to like it. I hate writing long posts, and you're either going to be okay with that or you're not.

 

That's a question up to the GM. I've never written as an animal, and I don't care for animal RPs. BUT, if I ran one, I would want to see an RP sample in-character... which means the character would be an animal. If I'm running an RP where I'm looser about RP samples (for example, just asking for links to a previous RP), I wouldn't sweat the species. That's such small beans compared to everything else I'm looking for.

 

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On 05/01/2018 at 8:09 PM, Kit the Human said:

 

Hey dude, I hope you don't mind me quoting you here. I just wanted to get a better understanding of why you use rp samples. 

 

It sounds like (to me) though you're baulking at saying you judge, you still are. Someone at the beginning of their writing hobby presumably hasn't developed their writing ability to capture a character's essence as well as someone who has been RPing for years. Presumably! 

 

So I guess what I'm asking is: what do you get from a writing sample that you don't get from a bio? (Anyone who supports writing samples for canons could answer!) The way I see it, the only unique thing a writing sample provides is a snapshot on someone's writing. A bio, for me, is enough for me to see if someone actually knows the canon they're writing. 

 

I appreciate the insight! 

A canon bio can easily regurgitate the information from a wiki. I find them useless tbh. I have seen dozens of bios for Marvel canons for example that had all the facts right but in play the characters sounded nothing like themselves.

 

A canon RP sample will show how the character thinks, acts, and feels. It requires much more of a grasp of the character and in my opinion shows if the writer has enough understanding to write the character responding to new situations while still sounding like themselves.

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To be clear, I actually think that you don't really grasp your character (original or canon) until you write them and have found their voice. This might not happen in the first post, but I assume it will happen in due time. Which is another reason why I'm not a fan of RP samples, sometimes you might take a while to find a character's voice. The same is true for canons too, I think.

 

I assume then, that canon samples are just for cases where people are playing their canon the exact opposite of their depiction in the original text. I-is that common??

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It probably depends on the fandom but in my experience with Marvel, most canon players come to a board having already played their chosen canon before. So there isn't that feeling out period. The canon sample is to evaluate that players interpretation of the canon. Sometimes there is a lot of difference between comic and movie versions so the sample is good to see which angle a player is taking and if it will work with the board.

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This is actually  really good thread because it's made me think a lot about RP samples and why we use them.

 

Back in 2011 or so I ran a Gifted genre site and we used RP samples. No word count, but I was definitely using them to judge the writing of others to see if they were a good fit for the site, seeing if they have a basic understanding of grammar and the likes. I was a total RP snob back then, and I cringe thinking about it. Now I don't give a fuck. If I can understand what they're trying to say, I'm good.

 

Do you use RP samples? What for?

We use them for the first application only. Any other character app by the member doesn't need a sample. I actually have no idea why we use them, tbh, since we allow members to copy/paste examples from other sites they've written on. This is actually a really good point of discussion I'm gonna bring up to the other admins because... why do we use them?

 

Do you like or dislike joining sites that have RP samples on their app?

If I can copy/paste my samples, I'm fine. If I have to write out a new one each time? No... I don't have time for that...

 

What requirements do you put on RP samples?

We have no requirements. It can be a short sample, a long sample, it does't even have to be about that character!

 

What requirements make you roll your eyes?

Word counts. My biggest pet peeve. Sorry Karen, I don't have time to count out how many words are in this sample.

 

On a site where the characters are animals (cats, wolves, horses, ect), should samples be required to be of that animal, or are human samples okay? On a human RP, would you accept a wolf rp sample?

A sample is a sample, imo. If someone wants to break into a new genre they might not have any samples of animals. Let them use their human samples. Let them learn through RP!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Do you use RP samples? What for?

 

No, and never will. 

 

Do you like or dislike joining sites that have RP samples on their app?

 

If I absolutely LOVE the site. I will join. But silently grumble to myself the whole time I have to write the damn sample. 

 

What requirements do you put on RP samples?

 

I've mainly seen word limits. 400+ on one site. 

 

What requirements make you roll your eyes?

 

The concept of it in general. You can usually tell how an rper will write through their application. 

 

 

On a site where the characters are animals (cats, wolves, horses, ect), should samples be required to be of that animal, or are human samples okay? On a human RP, would you accept a wolf rp sample?

 

I always thought writing samples were to see if a player could write? 

 
 
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