* Music starts playing as the screen is still faded black. A tasteful fade to colour reveals a giant plush couch with a familiar looking minipet staring into your soul. The minipet turns attentively your direction, and above it you can see the flashing words in bold red HI WELCOME TO THIS IS OOC RP STARTING GUIDE.*
gaia_crown [ Introduction to Seven Kings RP: ]
Minipet: Hello all players and welcome to the Seven Kings event. I am your rp manager, for all those who are newbies in the rp front. You can call me Zoobey.
Minipet: For those who are wondering, the Seven Kings event is an actual IC occurrence that happens in our TiH world. If you have not read too much about This is Halloween, the general setting is that there is a world called 'Halloween' that exists next to the Human world. Halloween creatures of made of a substance called Fear. In fact, you can think of me as a creature from Halloween too!
gaia_crown [ IC, OOC, and quoting: ]
Minipet: Now, heading back to rp, there exist two conditions for rp. IC and OOC. IC means IN character. It means all your actions are as your CHARACTER would do it. OOC means Out of Character. In our shop, we denotate OOC with the markings:
OOC
THIS IS AN OOC COMMENT HERE
Minipet: We use OOC comments to keep tally of things such as HP values, your character's stats, what attacks they use and so on so forth. Make sure you read the event guide here!
Minipet: Now that we have talked about IC and OOC, let us give an example of how this works in real time! Imagine that I own a Human character called Sue and I want to cue to my friend a little more about Sue.
I am an rper
Sue looked at her friend Bob. She wasn't too sure what to do in this situation, but she would defend him!
OOC
Sue is now defending Bob.
Minipet: Now, if I really want to get that RPer's attention, I would also quote the owner of that other rper. We do this in the shop so that everyone knows exactly where everyone else is! Easy stuff. Now let's get to the fun part, the character creation guide.
gaia_crown [ Character Creation Guide: ]
Minipet: The first thing you have to remember about character creation in Seven Kings is that each player is unique to their Kingdom setting. Let's give an example, shall we now:
Let's say my character is part of The Kingdom of Dreams. Let's take a look at their setting:
Kingdom of Dreams Setting
The buildings in The Red Kingdom have stood for many years, a testament to the handicraft and the history of their people. The first thing that most notice upon first arriving is the sheer intricacy and detail that can be found on these buildings. Built from wood, the timber framework of the structures provides a great deal of leeway for decoration and detail-work. Bright colored flowers and dragons swirl around the columns and beams that support the structure, while delicate patterns are etched into the lintels that dip down from the richly colored roofs. Buildings here are not simply seen as mere structures for living in, but as an art-form that must double as a sturdy and comfortable shelter.
There are no large highways here—only simple stone paths that weave through the streets, leading to and from some of the busiest places in the Kingdom. The center of all of the buzz is the marketplace. Packed with stalls and stores that are selling a variety of things—from handmade jewelry to traditional snacks and desserts—it is undoubtedly the life of the town, and it is the first place that greets visitors who pay a visit to the Kingdom of Dreams.
Farther past the marketplace is the residential area, where children can most often be found playing in the streets that are lined on either side with rows of small houses. At the very heart of the Kingdom is the palace[/url—a delicate, deep red structure that is surrounded by a small body of water and a vast garden. It is here where the King and those within her ranks resides. The only way to and from the palace is by crossing the sturdy stone bridge that arches over the lotus flower speckled water.
Minipet: So the area as I read is a palace, rural and ornate. The setting gives a very distinctive asian feel to it. Now, I will take the time to consider how to fit my character into the setting. Please note that even though each Kingdom has listed ranks, all characters are at this point, when they start off in the rps, unranked. They are simply the King's most loyal, and will be given a rank as the days pass by in the RP
Minipet: That is to say everyone is unranked when they start the RP, except for the king.
Minipet: Okay, so I have a character, Steve. He is a student at Amityville, but how do I make this fit the setting? Well first, since Steve is a robot, and we don't have robots in this current Kingdom, I'm going to have to get a little creative. Steve is a mechanical engineer in the Red Kingdom, who likes to use his creations made from metal and bronze to create armour for his friends. He himself wears a lot of armour, making him look slightly metallic, in fact, you can barely see his head through his giant bronze helm! There we go, now we have applied Steve thoroughly into the setting!
Minipet: Please note, if you are unsure as to if your idea fits, please contact your gm. For the Red Kingdom, I can do so by posting in the OOC thread HERE or by pming the GM of the Red Kingdom, who is in this case, Kaiyumi.
gaia_crown [ Character Creation Guide, Part 2: ]
Minipet: Lastly, after I have done this, let us finish reading all the background information and look at the first rp prompt posted. I can view the Red Kingdom's RP prompt here. There is some important information here, but the part I need to note is how much my character knows. It is here that the Red King addresses my character:
Red King's Speech
"I am to select a number of you to fulfill the roles set out by the Voice," Xiu continued, taking a deep breath, "The first is the Phoenix, the counterpart to my role as the Dragon--this will be chosen among my closest of friends and confidantes. I am also to seek out the Tigers of our Kingdom, warriors who are among the bravest and strongest in our land. However, this tournament cannot be won by brute force alone--we will need the help of Tortoises, sharp-minded individual who are able to develop efficient strategies. The Qilins are next, determined hearts who do not strive to destroy, but to protect those around them. And finally, there are the Stone Lions, brave fighters who must be willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of both our Kingdom and our people."
Minipet: Now, I know what I am looking for. Next, I will look at the OOC brackets that the GM has posted to go along with this RP post:
OOC: The Choosing
- Welcome to the Red Kingdom. Make sure you read the above guidelines for the Kingdom before you get started. Your character has been ICly gathered to this event (see above) where the King is now talking about the choosing. Your character now has to prove themselves as a candidate for their King.
- All Kingdom players will have to ICly introduce themselves, who they are, what kind of character they are and ultimately what services they can offer to the king. Even if you were OOCly "promised" a role, everyone needs to write a choosing candidate speech.
- After the King has heard all the speeches and offerings, they will make a choice as to which ones they title.
- OOC THIS MEANS even if your characters have importance/ ranking orders, you have not icly labelled them the sacrifices yet. Today is the day you are doing so.
- The King is also free to quote players and ask them more questions, etc etc during the process. Consider it a free interaction. If your King is shy they might even just hide and mingle and talk around, or hold a social gathering or a party in order to be subtle.
- At the end of 24 hours, the King will choose which ones to be his warriors, and of which rank. The ceremony will begin!
Minipet: I need to both think of a background for my character and now ICly apply my character to the setting. It is time for me to consider things carefully. I give a lot of thought as to what the Red King just said, and then my own IC character reactions. Here is my attempt:
Zoobey Rping Steve
Steve considered the Red King carefully. He had been reserved his entire life, a simple weapons and armours smith, but now, watching the others as well, he felt more exposed than ever, even under his thick heavy helmet. Would the King accept someone like him, someone so humble and low, who had only touched simple weapons, mallets and welding gear, who knew nothing of battle? How desperate were they that they would need his assistance. He waited.
He continued to wait, and was surprised when noone else stepped forward. Was noone else willing to serve their King? Concerned, he looked around, as if silently able to push people forward.
No, he was a humble weapons smith but even the most pious could still do their job. He finally stepped forward. "My liege, I am Steve, a weapons and armour smith. My job has always been to serve in any way I the kingdom sees fit, and if my liege sees fit to bestow me the rank of warrior, then I will do my best to fight for our kingdom."
Nervous now, he kneeled, bowing low. His heart seemed to beat too fast now, as if not just the King, but everyone else was watching him.
Minipet: See? That wasn't too bad. After you have made your quote, that is when the King may address you. If you see yourself being quoted, that means your character is being addressed! Now you can reply accordingly. Pretty fun right? I think you'll get the hang of this in no time.
Minipet: If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them here. Good luck!
