Do's and Don'ts of a RP Character

Is your character a Mary Sue/Gary Stu?

  • Nope.

  • No, it's an Anti-Sue!

  • I think it is, but I like it this way.

  • Oh no! It is! I'll fix it!

  • I didn't read the thing yet :3


Results are only viewable after voting.

faiirycottage

i didn’t grow up to cure diseases like i wanted to
It could be just me, but I've seen so many RP characters like this: "Is the princess of the world, lost parents when was little, can control the moon and the sun and nature, can talk to animals, is so kind and shy and talented."

This is a kind of poor character development called "Mary Sue." (Or "Gary Stu" for boy RP characters.)

Mary Sues and Gary Stus are no fun to RP with. They get past any obstacle with no problem at all, and everyone seems to love them.

However, there is such thing as an "Anti-Sue" or "Anti-Stu." It's like this: "Will dominate the world someday, has hidden powers of destruction, can control fire and explosions, can brainwash everyone, is very evil and cruel and evil."

So how do you make sure your character isn't a Mary Sue or Gary Stu? Run through this acronym while designing your character:

Little Penguins Waddle Backwards So Dolphins Lose

LPWBSDL stands for "looks, personality, weaknesses, backstory, skills, dislikes, and likes."

Looks: Unless it's normal to have a crazy look in the RP, then try to be natural. Your character can have strangely colored hair as long as there's a reason, like she dyes it. Same goes for eye color, but your character can have color contacts.

Personality: This is a big one and it's a really important factor in deciding if your character is a Mary Sue or Anti-Sue. The thing is, (mostly) everyone wants their character to be successful and happy and have a nice life like a lot of people in real life. But if your life is literally perfect and you get everything you want, it's not much fun! So put in some bad stuff like "is stubborn, selfish, lazy."

Weaknesses: This is also important. Just to clear things up, things like "too kind" are not weaknesses! They're positive traits in disguise. There is a way to rephrase it, though. "Too kind" can be rephrased to "doormat." "Too talented" can mean "has a too big ego." Weaknesses are a crucial part of any character and without them, your character is a Mary Sue/Gary Stu.

Backstory: The backstory is a little less important, but it plays a role in your character and who they are today.

Skills: It can be fun to have unique skills, as long as they're not too crazy! Like you could be a martial artist, or a painter, or have great baking skill!

Dislikes and Likes: When doing dislikes and likes--and I cannot stress this enough--make sure they fit the character! I don't know how many characters I've seen that tend to match the RP player instead of the character. The point of RPs are to be someone you're not, and you can't do that if your character's likes are really yours. Be creative!
This is how pinky has great characters thank you so much omw
 

ghostieboo

Cooler than you, I suppose
The two I put in bold are also really good character builds if you pull it off right.
I have yet to see a good character that is built off the one I underlined.
Oh, yeah, this was before Luna's character, Fantome, lol

she pulled it off right :p
 

Brutus___

This is how it feels to drive a Ford F-150 · 17
Thank you @PrincessLego for making this thread. I have done this a few times before and REALLY regretted it in the end. I find that I am the type of person who would, if I was a simple enough character, go along with anything (being mind-controlled, enslaved, turned into an animal, WIPED FROM EXISTANCE OR KILLED (YES THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE), etc.). I have realized that there are a few rules in an RP that can keep Mary Stues and Anti-Stues out of your RP.

Rule 1: To keep players from becoming too OP, make a rule so that everyone has to sign in COMPLETELY before you can begin RP. If someone disobeys that rule they should be asked to re-sign in or be kicked from the RP and kicked or banned from your plot.

Rule 2: Take care to thoroughly read through the characters backstory and their skills, weaknesses, etc. Some people will try to say, "I have no weaknesses" or "I have secret powers" or simply "I don't know". If anyone in your RP tries to do those, politely ask them to come up with something, have their weaknesses and strengths chosen for them, or leave the RP. Again, if the rules are disobeyed, don't be hesitant to remove that person from your RP and plot.

Rule 3: Encourage your RPers to be polite and/or open to others. I have learned from an unfortunate experience where I over-reacted to this, that some people will do something that humors themselves and/or annoys and angers the other RPers, causing the previously wonderful experience terrible for everyone. If you can't find out who did/said something mean in your RP, delete the RP and remove all players from your trust list (/p untrust or /p untrust all should work but I'm not entirely sure. If that doesn't work, do /p remove (username) going through your trustlist to remove them all). You can restart your RP later and re-add the people you trust.

Rule 4: This goes only for the creator of the RP. NEVER add anyone to your RP/plot before they know EXACTLY what your RP is. Make sure you know what the backstory of your RP is before you create one or even consider creating an RP. ask around for ideas if you need to, or you can just go to someone else's RP if you feel uncomfortable managing an RP. If you have ANY doubts about starting an RP, DON'T DO IT! Trust me, If you're not sure about your RP or you're not comfortable with adding/trusting people you may not know to your plot, you probably shouldn't start an RP.

I hope this helps! :D
 

faiirycottage

i didn’t grow up to cure diseases like i wanted to
Thank you @PrincessLego for making this thread. I have done this a few times before and REALLY regretted it in the end. I find that I am the type of person who would, if I was a simple enough character, go along with anything (being mind-controlled, enslaved, turned into an animal, WIPED FROM EXISTANCE OR KILLED (YES THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE), etc.). I have realized that there are a few rules in an RP that can keep Mary Stues and Anti-Stues out of your RP.

Rule 1: To keep players from becoming too OP, make a rule so that everyone has to sign in COMPLETELY before you can begin RP. If someone disobeys that rule they should be asked to re-sign in or be kicked from the RP and kicked or banned from your plot.

Rule 2: Take care to thoroughly read through the characters backstory and their skills, weaknesses, etc. Some people will try to say, "I have no weaknesses" or "I have secret powers" or simply "I don't know". If anyone in your RP tries to do those, politely ask them to come up with something, have their weaknesses and strengths chosen for them, or leave the RP. Again, if the rules are disobeyed, don't be hesitant to remove that person from your RP and plot.

Rule 3: Encourage your RPers to be polite and/or open to others. I have learned from an unfortunate experience where I over-reacted to this, that some people will do something that humors themselves and/or annoys and angers the other RPers, causing the previously wonderful experience terrible for everyone. If you can't find out who did/said something mean in your RP, delete the RP and remove all players from your trust list (/p untrust or /p untrust all should work but I'm not entirely sure. If that doesn't work, do /p remove (username) going through your trustlist to remove them all). You can restart your RP later and re-add the people you trust.

Rule 4: This goes only for the creator of the RP. NEVER add anyone to your RP/plot before they know EXACTLY what your RP is. Make sure you know what the backstory of your RP is before you create one or even consider creating an RP. ask around for ideas if you need to, or you can just go to someone else's RP if you feel uncomfortable managing an RP. If you have ANY doubts about starting an RP, DON'T DO IT! Trust me, If you're not sure about your RP or you're not comfortable with adding/trusting people you may not know to your plot, you probably shouldn't start an RP.

I hope this helps! :D
I feel like this is good but they’re are a little downsides because if you have someone really young playing with you and you kick them out that could be a little rude. And if they don’t know what they’re powers are maybe it adds to they’re character.
 

Brutus___

This is how it feels to drive a Ford F-150 · 17
I feel like this is good but they’re are a little downsides because if you have someone really young playing with you and you kick them out that could be a little rude. And if they don’t know what they’re powers are maybe it adds to they’re character.
True, but if you allow it, they can just NOT have powers or distinct skills. I'm not enforcing rules on specific things you should do, I'm just suggesting things that could possibly help a struggling RP
 

Brutus___

This is how it feels to drive a Ford F-150 · 17
I also think that you are DEFINITELY a mary-sue if you can WIPE PEOPLE FROM EXISTANCE! Who even came up with that?
 

TheObvious1

Something Different
I also think that you are DEFINITELY a mary-sue if you can WIPE PEOPLE FROM EXISTANCE! Who even came up with that?
Beerus:
flat,1000x1000,075,f.u1.jpg
 

Ghost's alt

This account is dead now lol
I feel like this is good but they’re are a little downsides because if you have someone really young playing with you and you kick them out that could be a little rude. And if they don’t know what they’re powers are maybe it adds to they’re character.
eh, I'd still kick a little kid if they weren't listening and being OP

(though for this exact reason I don't really RP with most little kids lol)
 

Ghost's alt

This account is dead now lol
I don't know
This isn't always bad. I often don't list specific weaknesses for my characters, I just kinda roll with what I think would hurt him/her. I also don't write down backstories, ever, because mine are somewhat detailed and I can't really summarize it on a MC sign and I don't wanna take the time to put it in a book, lol
 

Brutus___

This is how it feels to drive a Ford F-150 · 17
This isn't always bad. I often don't list specific weaknesses for my characters, I just kinda roll with what I think would hurt him/her. I also don't write down backstories, ever, because mine are somewhat detailed and I can't really summarize it on a MC sign and I don't wanna take the time to put it in a book, lol
I think it's more fun when each character has a specific background and skill set but that's just me a lot of people just RP cause they like how the story unfolds
 

Ghost's alt

This account is dead now lol
I think it's more fun when each character has a specific background and skill set but that's just me a lot of people just RP cause they like how the story unfolds
*shrug* I prefer things to be a bit more flexible lol

and my characters do have specific backgrounds, I just don't write them out (I tend to let people figure it out through RPing)
 
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