Difference between revisions of "MUSH Survival Guide: Apping"

Chapter 1: Bare Bones Minimum- wherein Mushing is talked about in comparison to other mediums, and clients are listed.

Chapter 2: How Do I Shot Mush?- wherein basic mechanics of communication are described.

Chapter 3: So How Do I Get A Character Here?- You're here!

Chapter 4: Everyone was Kung-Fu Fighting with Headgods???- Getting your character ready for csys 2.0, combat RP advice, and other goodies.

Chapter 5: Wait, What's This Thing You Call 'Roleplay'?- Where we discuss the ins and outs of obtaining roleplay and the tricks behind scene-planning.

Guestly Behavior

While we're all pretty easy-going here, we want to make sure guests feel the same way. Many of these suggestions come from past experience. Feel free to add any tips you may have here!

• You can use the guest channel for guest-related things. To do this, type +guest or +g to speak on the channel. It should look like this:

+g I love you all!

The OOC lounge gets spammy, so it's easy to lose questions. The guest channel has a handy color to it, making it easier for people who are on it to see your question. Don't worry about bothering people on it since that channel is there for you to use!

• Even if the +guest channel is quiet when you log in, it doesn't mean no one's on it. Feel free to let people know if you need help!

• If the OOC lounge spam is too much, type 'n' to go to the Quiet Room. The room is rigged up so that no one (including you) can speak there, so it's a useful tool if you need to concentrate on something, but want to be open to pages from other people or chatter on channels.

• No matter how silly or small you think it is, ask questions! This is a good idea no matter who you're apping, or even if you have your character.

• If you're apping an FC, staff can see if anyone from your cast is available to chat if you feel you need it. If you're apping an OC, staff can see if some people from your city, faction and/or school can help you get a sense of what's going on.

• If staff rules 'no' on a part of your character concept, such as their persona, or an aspect being something that may be too sensitive for the setting, don't worry- people may be able to help you find an alternative that's even better!

• Weird tidbit: ~_~ on Personamush generally tends to mean 'flutter eyes' rather than irritation. So, when someone goes 'These brownies are heavenly! ~_~' they're not annoyed with those brownies. It's sort of an extension of adding a ~ to the end of sentences to indicate a singsong tone, innuendo, or playfulness.

• PersonaMush is constantly evolving, so you'll see news files bork up, different sources contradict each other, or files suddenly updated in reference to a ruling staff had to make on the spot. Let us know if you find something, and if policy doesn't reflect what's in one news file, let them know so they can change it! They'll <3 you for it.

• Even if this is a MU* set in modern Japan, you do not need to know how to read or write in Japanese. If there's any concepts off in your application staff will make sure it's more in line with the setting. That said, you can use the the Notable Links page to do some research of your own. You might stumble on a great idea!

• If you do something wrong and someone corrects you, it's okay! It's nothing personal. Some things you won't know about unless you're told and we all make mistakes, no matter how long we've been roleplaying.

• If you have an app sent in, be patient. A good rule of thumb is to ask after a week. Feel free to hang out in the OOC lounge in the meantime! Catch up on board posts so you'll be partly caught up. Faction boards are not be available for guests to see, so just use +bbcatchup <board numbers you've read> when you get your character. Observe the zoo that is the OOC lounge. It's all good.

• Be nice! Seems like simple advice, but remember, you're a guest. Certain things are going to seem bewildering and even annoying simply due to being new, and there's nothing wrong with asking questions to clarify things. It's better that than let frustration get pent up inside you. We don't want to scare you away!

General Application Tips and Hints

Here on PersonaMush, we have an application system, as opposed to a @pcreate system where you can create your character right out of the gate. We do this to make sure concepts fit within the game. The application is available here. While application styles can vary from person to person, here's an example of one from one of our veteran players.

Here's some critical tips to ensure a good application:

• Read the news files, either on here or on the MU* itself. It doesn't matter if you've played all or none of the games- the articles here are written to explain everything regardless of your knowledge, especially since there are differences between what's canon in the games and what's canon here.

• Do you want an OC (original character), or a FC (Feature Character)? If the latter, make sure that character is can be apped. On the other hand, if you want to know about someone who isn't on the banned FC list -or- on the cast list at all (like social link characters and NPCs) feel free to ask if they're available!

• As the MUSH has been around for a while, some FCs have gone through some players. Don't worry! You don't have to match their RP style, and we're more interested in knowing your take on the character. You will need to find out what crucial events have or have not happened in that FC's history, however. For example, if it is a character from Persona 4, have they been thrown into a certain electronic device?

• Keep in mind that the application staff is very thorough on apps; applications are more a collaboration than a job interview, especially when it comes to original characters. Even if your character is awesome on paper, staff wants to make sure it'll be easy for your to jump on the grid.

• While people will help you, it helps to do research! While no one here is an expert on Japan, Japanese modern society not a mirror reflection of western culture. The Notable Links page has tons of links to help you, and no question is too stupid or obvious to ask! A well-researched and well-thought out application is more likely to be approved much faster.

• Persona-users don't have to have dark pasts or secrets in order to be interesting or qualify themselves as Persona-users. The cast of Persona 4 were people you could find in any suburb setting, but their problems and fears were just as legitimate as the cast of Persona 3 or Persona 2. Sometimes it's the more subtle characters that get the most attention due to how they interact with others.

• Roleplay a character type *you* want to play. While this can be subjective, don't play a cheerful outgoing female high school student when you have no interest in playing such a character.

• By the same token, try to make sure you provide yourself roleplay hooks to help get your character started. If you're apping a quiet, reserved character, give them several means to thrust them into scenes, like a job, family member, pet, hobby, being elected to some student council position, etc.

• Put any character secrets into your application. They may be a secret to most of the MUSH, but staff needs to know everything important about your character. Don't worry, though- staff can keep secrets well, and it may help them sort of... insert things into scenes or news items that may be relevant to your character.

What's in a name?

If applying for a character with a Japanese name or surname, make sure it exists! If you're not sure, ask on the guest channel. Keep in mind that while a list of names may say a name is used for a man or a woman, in Japanese one name can be used many different ways, allowing it to be for one or both sexes, or as a surname.

- If you want to use the big guns to find a name, your best bet is to use [|this dictionary]. It may look scary, but it's powerful, and I'll tell you how it works!

1. Click on the box next to 'names', as well as any other dictionaries you want to search.

2. Tell it how it should search- for example, if you're searching for 'Ken', do you want it to just show results that are just 'Ken' ('word matching pattern'), that have Ken as the first part ('word starting with pattern'), or don't care where it appears ('pattern anywhere')?

3. Make sure it's set to Japanese, plug in your name (ie 'Ken') and click the search button!

4. Now, here's how to read the results: do you see a result with, say, an 'f', 'm', or 'u'? These show whether this spelling is used for a female, male, or unisex name. For example, you'll see that different spellings of 'Ken' can be used as a man's, woman's, or unisex name. If you see 's', that spelling is used as a surname.

5. If you're just checking, you can stop here. You don't need to pick a spelling! If you want to know what each spelling means, continue on to 6!

6. The first one or so results give you ways to read the name in hiragana or katakana. These are like our alphabet- they're meant to be used to sound out a word (correct this if this is wrong T-T). After those, you get results that use kanji characters. By copying and pasting the characters into a [dictionary], you can see that 'Ken' can be spelled with characters that mean 'healthy', 'intelligent', 'to undertake', or 'pure'.

Arcana...?

FCs and OCs are set up on the MUSH via 21 of the 22 Major Arcana of the Tarot, much like in the games. While a character can fit into many tarot at the same time, the tarot you pick for your original character (as FCs already have theirs set in stone) can be considered a frame for the overall portrait your character presents, rather than the core.

If you type out the command +arclist and then the name of the arcana, like Strength, you'll see a listing of people with that Arcana. Various sorts of people can fit within the same arcana- remember, Nanako Dojima from Persona 4 has the same arcana as Katsuya Suou from Persona 2!

You can also app for the reverse of an arcana, though this should be considered if the meaning of that reversed Arcana fits you more than simply you fitting some but not all the aspects of an upright arcana. Remember, the characters of Persona 2 and 3 had upright Arcana, and some weren't exactly the most well-adjusted people on the block. It's better to apply for a Reserved Arcana when the character, while they still exemplify that arcana, is especially failing to live up to the lessons the arcana is meant to be teaching them.

People on the Guest channel can give you suggestions, but try not to be too set on one Arcana versus another. It's generally better to get the character set up first (with maybe an Arcana in two in mind), then pick an Arcana, though some have done things the other way around. Sometimes a character you make up will surprise you with where they fit.

PERSONAPERSONAPERSONA

If you're apping an original character, you will need to make up your own main persona. Since personas derive from ideas that circulate from the collective human subconscious, it's not quite like, say, summons from Final Fantasy. You are not summoning a god. A persona is an abstracted part of your core self made visual, and thus, uses parts of your personality and symbolism from its real namesake. That's often why personas end up looking so bizarre.

Sources that personas come from can be:

• Mythology/Religion: Norse, Welsh, Judeo-Christian, Hindu, Shintoism, etc. Gods, demons, and various shades inbetween and beyond. These are usually strictly religious in nature, or explain how an aspect of the world came to be.
  • Examples: Baldur, Sint Holo, Ereshkigal, Gremory

• Folklore/Ballads/Heroic Tales/etc: While some tales straddle this category and mythology, this means things like fairy tales, urban legends, ballads, and things that are not specifically religious in nature.
  • Examples: Beowulf, Little Red Riding Hood, Snallygaster, Firebird

• Literature/Plays/Operas/etc: Make sure these are about at least around 100 years old. While this isn't a hard and fast rule, as there's been sources used in canon that are less than a 100 years old, it allows for some distance.
  • Examples: The Tale of Genji, The Wizard of Oz, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Swan Lake

• Historical Figures: Make sure this figure is far enough in the past. They should have died before 1900. Carl Sagan is awesome, yes, but it would be awkward to have him as a persona.
  • General examples: Elizabeth Barton, Joan of Arc, Zhuangzi

Sources that personas *cannot* be from:

• Heavily copyrighted characters from recent media within the past 100 years. No Batman, no Mickey Mouse, no Napoleon Dynamite. It's not that we don't think these characters are awesome, it's just that it doesn't fit in theme.

• Purely from your own imagination. You cannot invent your own mythology.
  • Examples: "The character has a stuffed rabbit they really like, and that's their persona!" A way to better incorporate this is to take a figure from the sources above, and combine the symbolism of that source with symbolism that is personal to the character.

• Objects. While this isn't a general rule, as objects can sometimes be representative of various tales, often allowing lots of leeway, you cannot have your persona be primarily an object.
  • Examples: "My persona is the Spear of Longinus." Here, we'd suggest Saint Longinus, or ask what qualities of the object draw you to it. Another: "My persona is the Holy Chalice." Again, it'd be better to go with a saint, or, as with the first suggestion, ask what qualities make you relate to this specific object.

• Made-up mythology. While sources older than a century can fall under literature, you cannot app mythological beings from settings like, for example, D&D, Tolkien, and Ultima.
  • Examples: "I'd like my persona to be a drow from D&D." Here, we'd suggest seeing where the creators drew inspiration for that race, as many researched various folklore and mythology to come up with their ideas.

Make sure you do your research; it may lead to some surprising conclusions, and many, like folktales, often have several versions. If there's a concept you want (like, say, a fallen hero or the ignored seer), there's many, many nerds on the Guest Channel who will search.

Since people often come across or come up with various ideas they can't use but want others to see, we've created a page for it called Persona ideas.