04-29-2005, 06:41 PM
Jackie Chuns guide to knowing ones character
V. 1.0
Introduction:
When you saw the name of this article, you probably asked yourself: Why is Jackie making a guide about characters when there is already one? And why did he name his guide after those stupid seminars, that are supposed to help you know yourself, but dont and even take money from you? Well, character details are a very wide subject and it helps to have as much info about it as possible. Also, this guide just might reveal to you aspects that you havent even thought about. I doubt it, but lets stay optimistic. Anyway, back to the subject. It is a fact that people are not all alike. Every person is an individual with his own looks and personality. This even goes to twins. No matter how two people are similar, they can never be the same. This also applies to any of the Dragonball serieses, but to a limited point. Beacuse they are anime, the characters in them are developed to a minimum. There are exceptions, but overall the characters are simple. At Chubbs, we try to fix that by making our characters as realistic as possible and as pleasing to us as possible. Want to know how? Countinue reading this guide.
Chapter 1: Looks
Your probably confused as to why is there a chapter, devoted to looks when every Dragonball character already has them? If you belong to the majority of people, you can calmly skip this chapter. But there are people on Chubbs who are interested in changing their characters appearance, one way or the other. Besides, you dont have many limitations. The first limitation is the name. Even if you do change your appearance, you cannot change your name. The only exception to this rule is if your character had other names in the series, besides his real one (this does not include the names the character had if he fused). A good example of this is me, since I RP Jackie Chun, who is basicly Roshi under discuise. The second limitation is gender. You cannot switch the characters gender, neither can you dress your character as the opposite gender. The last limitation is race. You can go to extremes and be a energy-supported corps like Raziel (Soul Reaver) or have some metal body parts like Frieza did after his regenaration from the battle with Goku. But no matter how much you look like as a member of another race, you will still remain the race your character originally was. So even if your characters body had as much metal as a body of an Android, that still wouldn`t make you an Android. And thats it. Besides those three boundries, you are free to change your characters appearance. But you probably ask yourself: can appearance be useful in Rping? Of course! A persons appearance might show his background or his personality. For example, scars can signify a violent lifetime, while a neklace with animal teeth might represent the characters wild nature. The choice is yours.
Chapter 2: Background
This chapter was only made for those who have barely started their Rping on Chubbs. Every character, no matter if he had a major or a minor role, still did something in the series and acted in his own way. However, there are Rpers on Chubbs who feel bound to their characters nature and acts. If you are one of them, know that you are not.. The events that took place in the series hold no importance in the RPG. That means that there was no Namek or Buu saga. But this does not mean you can`t use past events as RP material! But these past events are mostly those that where never drawn on paper. I remember that Garlic Jr. used childhood memories in one of his RPs. I, too, use Roshis memories of his training with Master Mutaito. You also can RP the way your character acts any way you like. While you cannot change any family relations (Gohan, no matter how he is, is still Gokus son), how your character acts is completely up to you. If you want your character to be a cheater, go ahead. Or if you want your character to be a noble warrior, that completely fine. I mean lets look at Raditzu. He acts as a good guy, even though in the series he was evil. Which brings me to our next subject...
Chapter 3: Alignment
Lets face it. Alignment is a important aspect when it comes to Rping your character. It is the alignment you choose to follow who will determine if you will be a savior for all, a destroyer of worlds, a guy whos simply looking for something to do or something else.But in the series, most of the characters have what I like to call ?cartoonish personalities?. This mean that they are either completely good or completely evil. The only exception is Dragonball who had some diversity, but not much. A good example of this are Yamucha and Bulma who where good guys, but at the beggining where very selfish. Lets not forget that the only reason Bulma made friends with Goku was beacuse she was weak by herself. Now back to our topic. On Chubbs, we try to break these ?cartoonish personalities? and try to make our characters as realistic as possible. Even if you are leaned to either good or evil, that doesnt mean you have to go to the extremes or always stick to your alignment. Even a good character has mistakes and even a evil person can be sometimes inspired to do a noble deed. Of course, you can also choose the middle path and be neutral. Also, you should know, like I mentioned in the previous chapter, you are not bound to the alignment your character had in the series. I once Rped Gohan as evil, even though in the series hes a good guy. You also dont have to stick to one alignment. If you ever feel you want to change your characters alignment, feel free to do so. It will only tribute to the quality of your RPs. In the end, its your choice. But I do advise you follow that famous saying: Nobody is perfect.
Chapter 4: Stats
When you saw the name of this chapter, you probably raised an eyebrow or both of them. What to stats have to do with knowing your character? Usually nothing, if we count out spars and fights. But if you have diverse stats but need a hint as to how to roleplay your character, they can be used as a guideline. For example, if you have a high Determination rate but low Luck rate, you can RP your character as a unlucky person, but who is determined to push on. Or if you have a high Speed rate, but low Intelligence rate, you can RP your character as a person who takes a long time to realize what to do, but when he does, he does it quickly.Other then that, there is no other use connected with stats and personality. But while using your stats as a guideline for personality is ok, I dont advise you use your personality as a guideline for stats. When it comes to distributing TPs, just follow your instinct.
Chapter 5: Environment and race
The einviorment in which a person grew-up and/or lived in effects that persons personality. A person like Roshi, who comes from a lonely island, far from civilization, would probably be bothered by the noisiness of the cities. On the other hand, a person from a city might be scared in the quiet countryside, since there isnt much people around. Enviorment can also be used as a factor when Rping since diffrent people come from diffrent places. For example, when Jackie first came to Namek, he was amazed to see blue grass and green water, but that probably wouldnt be a suprise to someone who has already been there or stayed for a certain period of time. Einviorments can also effect a persons mood, since people are usually scared of dark places. Another factor, that can be used for Rping is race. Diffrent races have diffrent traits and diffrent personalities. Nameks are famed for their wisdom and strentgh, while Saiyans are known for their awesome power and determination. While your character might be quiet diffrent from the people of his kin for some reason or the other, he still might sometimes do what is usual for his race. For example, in the show Goku is a good guy, but still accepted when Vegeta offered (well ok, demanded) to fight him, beacuse he could not resist a thrill of a fight. Something which is usual for Saiyans. Oh and dont forget that while a character belongs to a certain race, he might be diffrent if he grew up among diffrent people.
Chapter 6: Experience
Experience is the most important factor of all and is quiet useful when forming a personality. If you have barely started Rping on Chubbs, you dont have to determine your characters personality immediatly or to stick to it. Through time, your character might change as he will make friends and enemies alike, join alliances, visit places and so on. A person also might be effected by certain events for example if he falls in love or losses a friend. Dont always play on the same tune. Let your character grow and evolve, like real people do.
Epilogue
Dont worry, my epilogue will be short, preety much like the last chapter. RP your character as you want him too. This guide is only ment to help raise the quality of your RPs and develop a personality for your character. Also, invest some time in the developing of your character, otherwise you immediatly wont like him. Belive me, after a while you will grow fond of him and really get to know your character.
V. 1.0
Introduction:
When you saw the name of this article, you probably asked yourself: Why is Jackie making a guide about characters when there is already one? And why did he name his guide after those stupid seminars, that are supposed to help you know yourself, but dont and even take money from you? Well, character details are a very wide subject and it helps to have as much info about it as possible. Also, this guide just might reveal to you aspects that you havent even thought about. I doubt it, but lets stay optimistic. Anyway, back to the subject. It is a fact that people are not all alike. Every person is an individual with his own looks and personality. This even goes to twins. No matter how two people are similar, they can never be the same. This also applies to any of the Dragonball serieses, but to a limited point. Beacuse they are anime, the characters in them are developed to a minimum. There are exceptions, but overall the characters are simple. At Chubbs, we try to fix that by making our characters as realistic as possible and as pleasing to us as possible. Want to know how? Countinue reading this guide.
Chapter 1: Looks
Your probably confused as to why is there a chapter, devoted to looks when every Dragonball character already has them? If you belong to the majority of people, you can calmly skip this chapter. But there are people on Chubbs who are interested in changing their characters appearance, one way or the other. Besides, you dont have many limitations. The first limitation is the name. Even if you do change your appearance, you cannot change your name. The only exception to this rule is if your character had other names in the series, besides his real one (this does not include the names the character had if he fused). A good example of this is me, since I RP Jackie Chun, who is basicly Roshi under discuise. The second limitation is gender. You cannot switch the characters gender, neither can you dress your character as the opposite gender. The last limitation is race. You can go to extremes and be a energy-supported corps like Raziel (Soul Reaver) or have some metal body parts like Frieza did after his regenaration from the battle with Goku. But no matter how much you look like as a member of another race, you will still remain the race your character originally was. So even if your characters body had as much metal as a body of an Android, that still wouldn`t make you an Android. And thats it. Besides those three boundries, you are free to change your characters appearance. But you probably ask yourself: can appearance be useful in Rping? Of course! A persons appearance might show his background or his personality. For example, scars can signify a violent lifetime, while a neklace with animal teeth might represent the characters wild nature. The choice is yours.
Chapter 2: Background
This chapter was only made for those who have barely started their Rping on Chubbs. Every character, no matter if he had a major or a minor role, still did something in the series and acted in his own way. However, there are Rpers on Chubbs who feel bound to their characters nature and acts. If you are one of them, know that you are not.. The events that took place in the series hold no importance in the RPG. That means that there was no Namek or Buu saga. But this does not mean you can`t use past events as RP material! But these past events are mostly those that where never drawn on paper. I remember that Garlic Jr. used childhood memories in one of his RPs. I, too, use Roshis memories of his training with Master Mutaito. You also can RP the way your character acts any way you like. While you cannot change any family relations (Gohan, no matter how he is, is still Gokus son), how your character acts is completely up to you. If you want your character to be a cheater, go ahead. Or if you want your character to be a noble warrior, that completely fine. I mean lets look at Raditzu. He acts as a good guy, even though in the series he was evil. Which brings me to our next subject...
Chapter 3: Alignment
Lets face it. Alignment is a important aspect when it comes to Rping your character. It is the alignment you choose to follow who will determine if you will be a savior for all, a destroyer of worlds, a guy whos simply looking for something to do or something else.But in the series, most of the characters have what I like to call ?cartoonish personalities?. This mean that they are either completely good or completely evil. The only exception is Dragonball who had some diversity, but not much. A good example of this are Yamucha and Bulma who where good guys, but at the beggining where very selfish. Lets not forget that the only reason Bulma made friends with Goku was beacuse she was weak by herself. Now back to our topic. On Chubbs, we try to break these ?cartoonish personalities? and try to make our characters as realistic as possible. Even if you are leaned to either good or evil, that doesnt mean you have to go to the extremes or always stick to your alignment. Even a good character has mistakes and even a evil person can be sometimes inspired to do a noble deed. Of course, you can also choose the middle path and be neutral. Also, you should know, like I mentioned in the previous chapter, you are not bound to the alignment your character had in the series. I once Rped Gohan as evil, even though in the series hes a good guy. You also dont have to stick to one alignment. If you ever feel you want to change your characters alignment, feel free to do so. It will only tribute to the quality of your RPs. In the end, its your choice. But I do advise you follow that famous saying: Nobody is perfect.
Chapter 4: Stats
When you saw the name of this chapter, you probably raised an eyebrow or both of them. What to stats have to do with knowing your character? Usually nothing, if we count out spars and fights. But if you have diverse stats but need a hint as to how to roleplay your character, they can be used as a guideline. For example, if you have a high Determination rate but low Luck rate, you can RP your character as a unlucky person, but who is determined to push on. Or if you have a high Speed rate, but low Intelligence rate, you can RP your character as a person who takes a long time to realize what to do, but when he does, he does it quickly.Other then that, there is no other use connected with stats and personality. But while using your stats as a guideline for personality is ok, I dont advise you use your personality as a guideline for stats. When it comes to distributing TPs, just follow your instinct.
Chapter 5: Environment and race
The einviorment in which a person grew-up and/or lived in effects that persons personality. A person like Roshi, who comes from a lonely island, far from civilization, would probably be bothered by the noisiness of the cities. On the other hand, a person from a city might be scared in the quiet countryside, since there isnt much people around. Enviorment can also be used as a factor when Rping since diffrent people come from diffrent places. For example, when Jackie first came to Namek, he was amazed to see blue grass and green water, but that probably wouldnt be a suprise to someone who has already been there or stayed for a certain period of time. Einviorments can also effect a persons mood, since people are usually scared of dark places. Another factor, that can be used for Rping is race. Diffrent races have diffrent traits and diffrent personalities. Nameks are famed for their wisdom and strentgh, while Saiyans are known for their awesome power and determination. While your character might be quiet diffrent from the people of his kin for some reason or the other, he still might sometimes do what is usual for his race. For example, in the show Goku is a good guy, but still accepted when Vegeta offered (well ok, demanded) to fight him, beacuse he could not resist a thrill of a fight. Something which is usual for Saiyans. Oh and dont forget that while a character belongs to a certain race, he might be diffrent if he grew up among diffrent people.
Chapter 6: Experience
Experience is the most important factor of all and is quiet useful when forming a personality. If you have barely started Rping on Chubbs, you dont have to determine your characters personality immediatly or to stick to it. Through time, your character might change as he will make friends and enemies alike, join alliances, visit places and so on. A person also might be effected by certain events for example if he falls in love or losses a friend. Dont always play on the same tune. Let your character grow and evolve, like real people do.
Epilogue
Dont worry, my epilogue will be short, preety much like the last chapter. RP your character as you want him too. This guide is only ment to help raise the quality of your RPs and develop a personality for your character. Also, invest some time in the developing of your character, otherwise you immediatly wont like him. Belive me, after a while you will grow fond of him and really get to know your character.
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