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Socker Mom, back again to cheer on my fellow anons in the upcoming app rounds! Just like last time, I'm here to help give you any tips and pointers you might need in writing a new app or any modly interpretation you might need for revisions requests. I just recently had my two-year anniversary of being an app mod, and I am happily offering up that experience to make yours a little bit easier. Just drop your questions here and I'll get back to them ASAP!

Go, fight, win, anons! You can do it!

Thank you Socker Mom.

You got it, anon, I'm rooting for you!

Socker Mom, I'm writing an app for a character that pilots a mobile suit for about six minutes (if even that) in the entire 50-episode series. Should I go all mecha nerd on its special features and armaments in the abilities section of the application (please note: I'm not a mecha nerd, and I'm extremely apprehensive about getting details wrong), or should a link to a wiki with detailed, accurate information about the mobile suit in question be satisfactory enough?

Edited (more details) 2014-03-31 03:49 (UTC)

serious question: why would a description of the suit even be necessary unless she'd be bringing it with her to the game? especially if she only piloted it very briefly.

It's an AU game where the characters can eventually acquire items/memories from their past (okay, now I'm giving myself away now!). While I have my doubts I'll ever actually bring it into the game (and if I do, it won't be for some time), I want to make sure to cover all my bases in the "abilities" section in case I do decide to bring it in later on, or in case a canon-familiar app mod wants to know why that information wasn't present.

Thanks for asking! Hope this clarifies things for you.

You might need a description of it if the application asks for specific powers to be able to tell whether or not something needs to be restricted. We do the same with some of the tech in our game, though we've been lucky not to have to deal with too many mechas. haha If she is bringing it to the game, though, this information would absolutely be necessary.

That said, you should probably be fine with just a link to the information! Especially if you feel that it would be more thorough and accurate than what you can provide, links actually help a lot more than trying to interpret inaccurate information. Just be prepared to answer any questions the mods might have; worst case scenario, they'll ask you to describe it yourself. Though I wouldn't, myself, if only to save us both time. ;)

Thanks for the answer, Socker Mom! I feel a lot more secure about this app now.

No problem! Best of luck!

would you be willing to check over my apps? i get anxiety about applying to games.

I would be willing to look over one app if you have one in particular that you're feeling uncertain about! Unfortunately, I can't offer to read many more than that as we will be coming up on my game's app round very soon and I'll be busy processing several apps a day. If I become available again at some point, I can offer to take up another but for now, I'll leave it at just the one.

If you want to PM your app to this account, I'll take a look at it for you as soon as possible!

My muse is a main character, but for a lot of early canon, he's in the background. Unfortunately for me, I'm apping somewhere that requires a written history section. So I'm hitting a wall trying to fill the gap between pre-canon and the pull point I'm using, which is after he's become a bit more 'active'. So... how bad would it be to kind of gloss over early canon?

Like, would you look poorly on a mun for not going as detailed into one part of the history section as they do the rest?

I'm probably overthinking this a bit.

Oh, if you would recommend trying to keep the level of detail consistent, any advice for getting the most out of limited info?

Well first of all, I am so sorry they're making you fill out a history section. I am of the firm belief that history sections are a complete waste of time, not just for the applicant but for the app team to have to read through too. Unless it's a super obscure minor character, at which point they probably shouldn't be appable anyway. It's just lame, but you can power through it.

At any rate, I have gone through the suffering of a history section before so I know what most app teams are probably looking for and the only thing you want to focus on is your character in specific. You don't have to summarise the entire series, just your character's experience throughout the series' run. If there are sections where nothing happens to influence or affect them in any way, you should be okay to reference it offhand in a sort of "after Jim and Kate are off doing this, Bob starts his own adventure in underwater basketweaving" or something to that effect. You're writing about your character so don't worry about telling the life story of everyone else.

In the same vein, that means that you need to make sure you don't gloss over anything that is relevant to your character. This is how you get the most out of limited information. If a canon event changes the way your character looks at the world or influences their motivations, it doesn't matter if they were in that scene or not. Now it's important to them, and you'll want to make note of it. History sections are supposed to explain the growth of your character over the stretch of canon up to your canon-point (which is something I think you can do more effectively in the personality section, hence my apprehension of history sections). Regardless of how long or short the story arc is, if it affects your character's beliefs and motivations, it's worth talking about how and why this affects them.

The number one most important thing I want to see in an application is your character's thoughts and motivations. History does reflect that, as it can showcase examples of your character's decisions and the ways their motivations change, so to make the most of a history section, just be sure to talk about things that are significant to your character in specific. This shows us that you know your character's place and development within canon and that's all we really care about. I wouldn't look poorly on a player for glossing over things that are extraneous; I would thank them and give them a gold star on their app.

You sound like you've got a good head about it so just go with what you think is adequate enough and I'm sure you will be just fine. History sections are a pain but I know you can do it, anon!

Oh, yes, that makes a lot of sense. :3 Thanks, Sockermom~ (I feel bad because I read this and was all, "Oooooh, okay!" and ran off to write. And then I remembered today that I never thanked you for your advice.)

Yeah... I'm not too fond of history sections myself, because I tend to gloss history in my personality to explain why the character is how they are. It's hard for me to separate them out. But... this character I'd probably have typed a bit of history for anyways, since the wiki is inconsistent. It's just a lot more pressure when you have to do the whole thing, instead of linking to the wiki and expanding on the inconsistencies. : \

Lol! No worries. I'd rather you get your app done in time!

I think it's okay to weave a bit of personality into the history as well if you really ant help yourself. If nothing else, it'll give you some consistency when you go on to elaborate later on in the app. Just go it your own pace and you'll be aces!

What would be the best format for writing a personality section for a character whose personality shifts over the course of canon? Most of the general qualities of their personality remain the same, but there is a very distinct shift in worldview and the goals that stem from it. Should I outline the general traits that are seen throughout or would it be best to start with a summation of their initial personality then work through how it changes and then touch on the parts that remain the same?

Hey there! Sorry this took so long. My app round just start and I've been busy at the meat grinder.

The answer to this one will probably vary from mod to mod, but I personally like to see this sort of thing in chronological order which is why I think history sections are redundant and a waste of time. If you start your app with how your character was presented at first and then walk us through their development to where they are now, then we will know outright that you understand how your character develops and changes based on their experiences which is the point of RP. That said though, don't waste too much time going into what they used to be like if they're drastically different now. Make note of old things, but put emphasis on the new stuff that is integral at your canon point. Spend more time establishing the key facets of their personality and use previous canon experiences to explain why they are that way. If there are general qualities that stay the same like you said, tell us why these things didn't change and why they're still important to your character even after their worldview shifted.

This is all made much easier when you just work your way through the character arc; remember not to write a history section! Tell us how your character has grown from their history and how they view their future. This will give us a really good idea of what you plan to do with your character and will make for a solid personality section.

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APP HELP FROM AN APP MOD

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