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Post by Tout-Perd on Sept 4, 2010 20:11:10 GMT -5
So, I can't say that the results are going up without any further delay. Because I've got like seventy pages of the JUICIEST MANNER OF DELAY POSSIBLE. (Provided nobody's ever been delayed by Juicy Fruit gum, that is.) And the first event of this fine evening is the predictions. For those of you who haven't been following, we've picked three of the Exodus' finest RPers, and asked them to put their fingers on the pulse of RP. Their goal? To name what fifth of the ratings each RP character has fallen into, and they get a ten point bonus for calling the leader correctly. They're competing for a small amount of glory, and a bit of extra EP on the side. Choobeh’s Picks: THE D: TIER Achenes Ackerly Ally/Agent Chaos Aquara Belwyn Gideon Hector Illiana Isambard Zonis Jessie Jimmy the Orangutan Kortova Lander Marius Shino Val Armada (PRP)
These guys I feel like just didn't have any kind of exposure. Not saying that they're definitely terrible characters... it's just that no one knows they're terrible characters
THE MEH TIER Algernon Breck Arnold Bernard Fratley Gamboge Garth Haze Jacqueline Mia Mr. Rabbit Ophelia Rhys Sarosin Thyra Wally Creed Ysane
Really, I'm just doing the lower tiers according to how much the name is tossed around in conversation, so again, not that much exposure for these kids, but they at least stand out in some way to me, which means they're in *something*
THE OK TIER Alyssa Avery Dace Emily Kyle Castellani Lacianus Laksha Max (DJKates) Merlin Rance West Rho & Hig Rick Scar Telrien Volkner Yoshimitsu
Here we start having names that people recognize. Some of these are even my favorites. But it again all boils down to exposure. Avery is one of my faves, but she's only in one RP that I know not everyone has bothered reading, and which is also not on the list of required exodus reading. Then we have other characters who are actually big, but don't have as much UMPH. If that makes any sense. I guess the phrase I'm looking for is "presence in the RP."
THE GOOD TIER Antonio Charles Tanner Commissioner Williams Daniel Huckabee Durant Ender Helen Miko Paolo Bianchi The Curator The G-Bros (collectively) Valon Vieve Vincent Waylon Bell Zebedee
Alright, here we have people with presence, or at least personality and charm in the case of Vieve, Paolo, and Waylon. Idk what else to say.
THE BESTEST TIER Alpha Blaise Channery Keigler Faris and Azim al-Burak Jonas Julia Lucas Mandelbrot Natalie Nopcsa Renard Rouletabille Rie Sly Terrian Brogue Yoon Mangjeol
This list was based mostly off of how often I feel like these peoples' names are tossed around. Really, if Lee is pushing something about a character, you know they're important. If Pohatu is pushing something, it's probably his character so he's doing the RP equivalent of jerking off in public. If I'm pushing something, I'm probably hating. If Biscuit is saying something, he's probably saying something smart and no one is listening.
And ch00b's top pick for BEST CHARACTER EVER 2010...!
JONAS
This guy has gotten tons of attention lately, and with good reason. He's a great character; he has proper weaknesses and a mysterious past and he is fat and jovial and everyone knows jolly fat men are actually Santa Claus.
El's Picks: Top Tier: Miko Nopcsa Zebedee Terrian Yoon Alpha Antonio Sly Jonas Rhys The G-Bros (collectively) Rie Blaise Channery Keigler Faris and Azim al-Burak The Curator First and foremost, the curator is wishful thinking on my part. Also my desire for him to be here because he was so ridiculously fun to write. Anyway, the majority of these characters are the most well-known or influentual characters in RP. Miko, Zebedee, Terrian, Sly and Rie are all very well known and well-established characters which have had plenty of time to have been worked on, which really shines through. Nopcsa, Yoon, Alpha, Jonas and Blaise are great characters who really stand out, with their personalities and individual traits and abilities which makes them stick in any reader's mind. They have few flaws, which is why I'ma say they're top tier. The G-Bros, Channery, Faris/Azim and Rhys all have distinctive personalities which really set them above a lot of secondary and main characters, and that, I think, puts them in quite a good position. I've also put Antonio here, because I know at least a couple of members have noticed him and liked where I'm going with him, so here's hoping. High Tier: Thyra Natalie Helen Lacianus Julia Ender Tanner Renard Rance West Fratley Huckabee Sarosin Rick Valon Ysane Illiana Wow, this one was much easier to do. Anyway, a lot of this tier is full of people that I, personally, think we need to see more of. The exception, of course, is Ender. Anyway, Thyra, Natalie and Helen are all great characters, but they seem a bit... non-directional, if you understand me. They're just kind of there right now, and need some kind of motivation. Lacy, Ysane, Fratley, Illiana, Sarosin all need some screen time, be it in their own plots or someone else's, just to help establish them as stronger characters because, as things stand, they're all well written but kind of in the background. Huckabee and Rance both came here for being excellently written, but somewhat lacking in appearences (story of this tier: more plz). Julia is wonderful. The rest of the characters on the list just need to have some finalized plots rounded off and finished up. Mid Tier: Dace Garth Haze Vieve Jimmy Rho&Hig Laksha Yoshimitsu Vincent Lucas Wally Creed Algernon Waylon Bell Val (PRP) Telrien Hector Okay some of these people I wanted to put in High Tier (Dace, Laksha) but I'd already decided on who I thought would be there, so I guess they're here instead. A lot of this tier is made up of characters who just need to do something (Vieve, Wally, Algernon, Hector) or need to retire (Yoshimitsu, Vincent, possibly Val). There's not huge amounts to say here, I guess. Just find a direction for these characters and go in it. Let's move on. Low Tier: Ally Mia Merlin Aquara Isambard Mandelbrot Achenes Commissioner Williams Paolo Kyle Max Mr Rabbit Marius Gideon Aiden (ORP) Volkner Okay, Mia really needs to be in a higher tier imho, but she doesn't seem to really exist without Rick so maybe not. Anyway, these characters are just characters that are very much -there- from what I've seen, without doing anything within a plot (Volkner is the exception, but that was because I don't think I researched him properly). There's really not huge amounts to say here, apart from sorry if I offended you here Bottom Tier: Avery Shino Bernard Arnold Alyssa Durant Ophelia Lander Kortova Ackerly Gamboge Jessie Scar Jacqueline Belwyn Emily Think this is what's left over on this list now (apologies if I've copied one too many or put someone on twice, they shouldn't be). Anyway, these characters are, mostly, the ones that are either extremely forgettable or few-and-far-between appearences. The biggest exceptions would be Jessie, who I think about 4 people remember, and Scar, who was a bit close to Prime's characters. I didn't mean to lump all of Blood's characters into one place, but... honestly, I don't really remember any of them My estimation of the possible number one character this year: I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Terrian. Pohatu’s Picks: Top Tier: Emily, Ender, Lucas, Miko, Natalie, Rho & Hig, Rick, Rie, Sly, Terrian, Thyra, Valon, Vieve, Yoon, Yoshimitsu, Zebedee Very easy and safe choices here. For the most part, these sixteen characters comprise nearly all of the superstars bandied around in the “Big names” topic. Among them, Yoshi deserves mention for being the only character I’m predicting to score significantly differently this year than last, for the reasons I discussed in his rating. Then there’s a handful of secondary characters who’ve carved niches for themselves as perennial B-list favorites: Emily, Rho & Hig, Vieve and Lucas. Finally, I had the audacity to put Yoon on there. I think she’s been quite well received, and enjoyed a spot at the front of RP consciousness, since her scene in Boullogne, and I suspect she may end up joining Emily etc. in that coveted clique.
High Tier: Alyssa, Blaise, Channery, Hector, Helen, Huckabee, Jonas, Julia, Mandelbrot, Nopcsa, Rance, Renard, Rhys, Sarosin, Tanner, Vincent Again, largely intuitive choices at this level. Here are a few dependable standbys like Hector and Vincent interspersed among a lot of the popular up-and-comers who’ve been moving and shaping the RP scene over the past few years – Blaise, Nopcsa, Julia, Jonas, etc. Huck and Rance are risky since their writers are still so new, but I’m guessing most people who know them won’t resist the urge to rate them high. Likewise, Renard and Channery are such fresh faces that they might seem to have a long shot, but with the ratings participants including pretty much everyone who kept up with Boullogne, they probably stand to do pretty well.
Mid Tier: Achenes, Antonio, Aquara, Avery, Bernard, Dace, Durant, Fratley, The G-Bros, Lacianus, Laksha, Marius, Mia, Scar, Telrien, Volkner From this level on down is where things get foggier and where I suspect most of the disagreement among the experts will crop up. Around here we have a lot of the workhorse characters who’ll probably find at least one enthusiastic supporter beyond their own authors, but who’ll otherwise likely receive a smattering of 2s and 3s. Notably, the whole cast of Stray Dogs shows up here, since it’s gotten a lot of esteem despite occupying a fairly isolated part of the RP cobweb; and I’m predicting the Fallfish trio will scrape their way up onto this tier, but no other PRP characters will get ratings this high, as it’s too much of a niche market.
Low Tier: Aiden, Ally, Alpha, Creed, Garth, Gideon, Haze, Illiana, Jacqueline, Jessie, Kyle, Max, Merlin, Ophelia, Williams, Ysane A reminder at this point that I’m not saying the lower-tier characters are at all bad (I have some favorites down here!), but simply that they’re not likely to pull off any surprise victories in the polls. After all, we’re getting down into the characters who are either chronically overlooked (like Merlin and Garth), unsympathetic (like Ophelia and Williams), rare (like Ysane and Jacqueline), and/or still developing (like Illiana and Kyle). And then, of course, there are the dusty old guest characters, Haze, Jessie and Max, whose support from some of the more venerable RPers likely won’t outweigh their indifferent and possibly judgmental reception by the mid-to-newer crowd (myself included).
Bottom Tier: Ackerly, Algernon, Arnold, Belwyn, The Curator, Faris & Azim, Gamboge, Isambard, Jimmy, Kortova, Landers, Mr. Rabbit, Paolo, Shino, Val, Waylon Now we’re in with the real underdogs. All the PRP characters except the Fallfish trio, Ophelia and Max get an automatic place here for probably having no recognition from non-PRPers. Similarly, with all apologies, I dropped all the walk-ons from Boullogne down here because their ratings will probably be hampered by people assuming they’re never going to reappear in RP. Past that, it’s a loose collection of other obscure figures, such as the doomed Paolo, who might score decently well with people who remember him from Ishkazero, but will probably be met with “Huh?” and “You mean Pablo, right? The turtle midget?” elsewhere.
As for who I think has a shot at winning the top prize, I think I might put my money on Rie. It was weird, but I eventually came down to her or Ender. Ender has a chance since people less mean and cynical than me are likely to rate him higher posthumously instead of lower (in my defense, I am just trying to imitate the restaurant rating system, which Ratatouille tells me deducts a star automatically when the original chef dies). But Rie might edge him out. Choobs obviously reaped plenty of accolades for the End Game finale at the Lugiasian Awards last year and I think it’s very possible that tremendous boost of sympathy and good will toward Rie might carry over into these ratings. Plus, I’m pretty sure it’s been a busier twelve months for her than for Natalie, so the Action Girl fetishizers might be inclined to lend Rie their strongest support. This is a really tough call though.
So, anyways, after giving you folks these to mull over, I'm going to set about to finalizing the ratings. I will not accept any more numerical ratings, but anybody with a change/addition to their critiques should PM me very soon, so I may modify the text before it goes up. Expect the final ratings in about an hour.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Sept 4, 2010 21:45:21 GMT -5
90’s RatingsZebedeeI don't really know much about him other than he's Jew(?)ish and uses a tennis racket for a weapon or something like that. However, that is a terrific implementation of a pretty lame object. I mean, seriously, a tennis racket? Who the hell thinks "I've got this dude that can fly and is a total hoss and whatnot; what kind of weap- a fucking tennis racket. But for this distinction I have no knowledge about this cat. 2ThyraI dunno who this is. Tyra Banks is pretty hot but this is not Tyra Banks since Tyra Banks does not spell her name Thyra. 1NatalieThis name is ringing a bell but I think it's just because Lee talks about her a lot. Maybe she's one o' dem PRP folks who are oft-mentioned but escape my eye because pokemon is for dumbos. Unless they're talking about shoddy, then they're cool. Unless they suck, in which case they should all burn in the fires of my wrath. What was I talking about? 1Ok! I read Tri! I like a girl who'll kick a man when he's down and I'll take whip-swords over katanas any day. She's kind of what I was looking for when I was critiquing Rie for being a robot. She had a good sensitivity and passion about her. Very interesting. I'll have to read End Game to see some more of her but I enjoyed the performance in Tri. 3MikoAgain, a familiar name that brings forth no other memories. It sounds like a name you'd give to the female lead in the manga that you write between shifts at Domino's and that your mother thinks is creepy but encourages your creativity nonetheless. Uh… 1NopcsaOoh, ooh! I know this one! Sort of! I remember him from Ishkabutt, back when I was up to date on the series, when he talked to one of Terry's clones in a parking garage or whatever. Ooooh, and he was the dude that was mud-wrestling Optimus Prime in LTR and made me make a surly janitor to clean up their love-filth! I like this guy even though 'ololo psychic.' Good personality from what I remember. 3Hey, another Tri update! He actually made me guffaw a few times in that RP and I really dug what you did with him. You're a butt though because now I have to go catch back up on Ishkadribble. 4DaceNo whammy, no whammy, no whammy…I don't know who you are…big money, no whammy AAAAUUUGHGHGH 1BlaiseHey, I know this broad! Her elocution is grandiloquent and impassive, riddled with impenetrable jargon. She's got a great rack though, if I'm not mistaken. 2AchenesI'd like to poll the audience, Regis. … fuck it, 1, final answer. HelenUno, une, ein, 1 GarthYou know what was a good Metallica song? OneOk, that reference doesn't work now with his new rating! Little pecker was nice. I wish you would have played up the "I'm basically a scared kid" aspect a little more because I teetered between sympathetic and indifferent to him a few times. There's room for improvement but it was a good characterization. Oh, and you should have made him look like Dana Carvey. 2LacianusFrom what I can deduce, this Lacanius is the chick with the laptop that helped Renard in Bologna. For her wondrous achievement in the field of "being in a post that Ninety has read" I award her the honor of 2. Isambard ZonisWow. What a name. That sure is something, dude. 1HazeI never had much use for Haze since a lot of my team were sweepers themselves. 1 RieOh what is this? A character who has been in multiple posts that I have read? What is this travesty? I know Rie is supposed to be this pseudo-sociopath but it's hard to get attached to her because of it. I like her in spite of this but I'd like to see some more evolution from her. Of course, I haven't read practically any of her backlog (though I keep meaning to go through End Game) so it's entirely possible (and even likely(!)) that this is her evolution in which case I guess that's cool. I guess. I know she got shwaysted in LTR for like 6 minutes so that was something. Now she just needs to go GGW and take her top off or something impulsive to remind me that she's a hyoomun and not a robotomatron. Anyways, despite my nagging I do like the character. 4JuliaYEEEEAAHHHHHH 1EnderAgain, I don't know anything about this cat other than what coobles has told me/what I remember reading in the RP Tropes topic. His wiki profile says he has swimmer muscles and wears reflective shades so I guess he's choobeh. 2Aaaand another Tri-player gets an update. Ender didn't show up a lot in here, did he? Other than teleporting everyone to a warehouse because the field was getting too full of bugs or something like that and then dispatching some lackeys off-screen at the end, he was basically MIA. So, Ender gets some more commentary but keeps his rating until I read End Game where he'll probably get a 5 because he dies. (Still) 2VieveUhh… 1MandelbrotI remember him from Ish too. He was fighting Scar and Lucas in the apartment before the apartment turned into Superman's Fortress of Solitude (because it was made of ice and there was no one living inside). He was also the impetus for my current skin so he's cool in my book. 3Jimmy the Orangutanwhat is this i dont even -2Terrian BrogueHeyyyyyy doooooood. I don't really know how to tell you this but I kinda like you a lot. You've got a way with words and a knack for being everywhere at once. You kinda come off as a bit of a know-it-all even though you look like you're talking to yourself sometimes. Your father's probably pretty proud of you and I bet he brags to everyone he knows about you and I bet it gets kind of annoying to them but on the inside they're a little envious that their own children aren't quite so interesting but they still don't think you're quite everything he makes you out to be and you really aren't but you're still quite special. I should probably get to know you a little better but right now I think you're a cutie. 4Rho & HigI read a post in LTR where this thing was talking but I really don't know anything at all about it. The dichotomy is cool though. 2Charles TannerUuuuughghghg I feel like I should know this name but I don't remember aaaauughghghgh I'm not sure who you arrrreeeueeuruuughghghg I'll give a neutral ratinguuguugugghghghh 1 uguggha The G-Bros (collectively)They're a pretty interesting bunch. I don't remember who's who between the three but I do like their relationships. I feel like they fit a little too snugly into the whole "Italian mobster" stereotype sometimes but that's kind of the point now, isn't it? 3Yoon MangjeolYou're the old Korean lady that buys/sells souls information from people. You were possessed or something in Renard. I don't know what the story is behind that. I don't even know if that's been expounded on in other topics since I'm super behind on Ish and olololo I don't read as many RPs as I should. Got a good vibe going though. 2Renard RouletabilleRenard's a fickle pickle for me. I don't know whether I like him so much because of Bologna or if I like Bologna because of him. Either way it goes, I dig this man. He's French but forgivably so. He makes me appreciate the semester of French I took last year because I thought there would be cute girls there but there weren't other than the teacher who was pretty hot but it was so early in the morning that I couldn't properly fantasize about her gorgeous chest because I had to concentrate on not falling asleep. Aaaaaanywaysssss you get a thumbs-up, soap-dodger. I dig his moral fortitude and quirky behavior. I'd like to know more about the whole "hey my tobacco turns into bubbles and my bubbles turn into smoke" thing but I guess that will come in due time. 4Channery KeiglerMehhhhhhh. I like the power and her feist (I really wish that was a word. I want to make feisty a noun, dammit) but I haven't seen much emotion from her yet. Like Rie, I know this is partly the whole "tough chick" persona but I'd still like a bit of a glimpse into the inner workings. There was a little crack in Bologna when Rentard (that's not a typo) said something about her getting killed or something but not much else. I GUESS WE'LL SEE WHEN SHE GETS IN MORE TOPICS THAT I HAVE READ. Have dog; will travel. 2Commissioner Williamsololololo grizzled police chief that's skeptical of and annoyed by the scrappy and inept private eye ololololo gruff demeanor ololo types of the stereo kind ololololo kinda ok but feels like something's missing ololololo 2Alpha"wat" -ch00beh 1LakshaWhoksha? 1Paolo BianchiAnal Biopic Ho. Thank you, anagrams! 1Rance WestNot much to go off here. One completed RP and another just getting underway. I really dig his name and wish I remembered how I came up with that. Anyways, I gave Potato a lot of shit for his stereotypes and then ololo smooth assassin. Last Best Hope is giving him an opportunity to expand somewhat but he was pretty by-the-numbers in Gasoline. LBH shows that he's got a romance going so he's not quite cold-blooded. I'm hoping to dive more into that as well as his past in coming arcs. What kind of sharp-dressed killer with a penchant for guns and gastronomy lives on a ranch in Wyoming? I'm pretty happy with what I've done with him so far though. 3Kyle CastellaniWhat a magnificent premiere for an ancillary character. I made this cat for LTR to dip my toes into the RP waters. I'm not sure how he manages to smoke pot unnoticed on the train but I guess he pulls it off. Maybe he just blows the smoke out the window. Anyways he's been in what, three posts? I guess he's a cool guy. Really need to expand on him though. 2YoshimitsuI dunno who they are 1VincentI dunno who they are 1IllianaI dunno who they are 1FratleyI dunno who they are 1AntonioI dunno who they are 1Max (DJKates)I dunno who they are 1Daniel HuckabeeRance's literal partner-in-crime. We haven't gone much into the two's relationship but expect LBH to shed some more light on it. Being privy to certain information makes it easier to get a context for Huck's attitude. That said, I like the direction he's going in. I want to see more of his history (good thing that's coming up!) as well as working on his relationship with Rance (which is just as dependent on me!) but he's going strong. 4LucasI've only read the one post that he shared with Mandelbrot when I think he was still being written by Prime. I assume he has swords and colored hair. 0Wally CreedPseudoscientific flying trains and cantankery (why do I keep trying to make adjectives into nouns)! He's pretty memorable and a little wacky. 3Algernon BreckPretty lengthy posts for a mailman whose sole role in an RP was to hand over a letter. Good stuff. 3Waylon BellHe's a nice guy. Another of Biscuit's characters whose screentime and characterization is disproportionate to their importance to the plot. Coolio. 3Faris and Azim al-BurakMan, I couldn't stop laughing when I was reading these guys' lines. lol racism. 3The CuratorWe need more pompous asses. Also, anyone that looks like a fire hydrant is automatically pretty dope. 3SlySince Tri is my only exposure to the character I feel like I'm about to undersell him. I dug that he was this pretty powerful character that really didn't get involved with the fights much as well as the whole "sage older brother" vibe I got from him. I really liked how he was hands-off but still integral to the story. Very nice. I didn't see anything that I feel like nitpicking, actually. Solid. 4ValonI wasn't very fond of Valon. I kept getting DBZ flashbacks during his fight with Basilisk and sometimes forgot whether it was him or Prime fighting (i'm so sorry please forgive me). That said, I was torn between giving a 0 or a 2 because, while I didn't enjoy his fighting (which was a lot of his screen-time), I did enjoy reading the posts. The character is good despite me not liking him, if that makes any sense. It seems to me like Valon has a clear sense of self and he's able to stand out because of it. So I'd say there's definitely room for improvement but a great foundation has been laid. 2AveryI dunno who they are 1 RhysI dunno who they are 1SarosinI dunno who they are 1ShinoI dunno who they are 1Let's make this quick: Rick Mia Merlin Jonas Ally/Agent Chaos Bernard Arnold Alyssa Durant Ophelia Lander Kortova Mr. Rabbit Ackerly Gamboge Marius Gideon Aiden (ORP) Volkner Val Armada (PRP) Jessie Scar Jacqueline Belwyn Telrien Emily Aquara Ysane Hector -I dunno who they are 1 Biscuit’s Ratings In the interest of respect, I abstained from voting on characters I had neither seen nor heard of before. If they require a vote for the sake of fair polls, give them a 1 for me.
Zebedee – I’ve enjoyed everything of Zebedee’s that I’ve read. Good all-around powers, uses them well, and fairly. However, I feel that he shines the most in his associations with Natalie. Maybe a little disjointed at times – I don’t get the feeling that he has much purpose. 3
Thyra- Really just don’t know her that well. 1
Natalie- Good stuff here. She’s a serious badass. As with Zebedee, it’s her interactions with him that really bring out her depth. 4
Miko- Not a fan of Summoner Style. He seems forced. Triannual, too. 0
Nopcsa- This guy. THIS guy. Big props for Hulking out in Scene Six. 3
Dace- I want to see more of Dace. I like this character. 2
Blaise- fuckin’ BLAISE. Mm. There is a soft spot in my heart for this character, ESPECIALLY her performance in Scene Zero. Love her technical dialogues. She’s like a sexy, sultry Guilty Spark. 4
Achenes-I liked Bullet. Kaida got a little muddled. But there’s potential. 2 Helen- wat 1
Garth- Funny, funny. 3
Lacianus- Okay, here’s this. I like her in Boullogne. Great supporting cast. As for GnR – I hate… I loathe the ‘engineered youth pilot’ cliché for mecha. I think it’s as used up as a secondhand condom. That Garrelcette was spawned from this ideology makes me twitch. Sorry, Lee. 0
Isambard Zonis- Who? 1
Haze- See above. 1
Rie- I love a girl who can kick my ass. 3
Julia- I think I said this once before, but, ‘sometimes weakness can be a great strength.’ 3
Ender- His death rocked. His life did not. 2
Vieve- wat 1
Mandelbrot – Though the concept and the personality are very well developed, the Rorshach ripoff cannot be ignored. I do not see this character doing anything for RP purposes except what someone opts to hire him for. Like someone ELSE I know. 2
Jimmy the Orangutan- 5. 5. 5. 5. 5. 5. Just for being you.
Terrian Brogue- Ah, yes. Pohito’s main main… er, man. What can I say? Great power, great personality. Clearly just an excuse for Photz to talk to himself. Needs a little work on demeanors NOT involving wry wit and snappy commentaries. I want to see Terrian in a situation he CAN’T grin his way out of. 4
Rho & Hig- Too much for me. A clever pairing, yes, and a good writing challenge, but they don’t fit anywhere. I can see that Pohatu struggles here. 1
Charles Tanner- He’s a good character, but I feel like he should be better established by now. Why is there not an event revolving solely around him doing his Big Bad thing? He needs the publicity. I do enjoy his performance in LTR, though. 3
The G-Bros (collectively)- -Massimo: A good head for this crime family. More Don Rickles than Don Corleone, but that works in his favor, I think. 3 -Nico: MY personal favorite. Cold, calculating, quiet. He’d have you killed without a second thought, but would he be able to perform the deed himself? I don’t know. Maybe I’m just a sucker for glasses. 4 -Cesare: So big and brutish it’s laughable. He’s a cartoon character, and does little else outside of Cro-Magnon commentaries and comic relief. Don’t tell him I said that, though. 2
Yoon Mangjeol- The best damn information broker ever. 4
Renard Rouletabille- The grand experiment. Too French, and at the same time… not French enough. He does get credit for extraordinary development, however, especially in so short a span of pages. 4
Channery Keigler- Clever girl. Waiting to see more of her, though. 2
Commissioner Williams- This is just Carl Winslow, why is nobody seeing this? 2
Paolo Bianchi- It runs in the family. Love this novice mugger. 4
Rance West- If I can get my RP arc off the ground with Rance, I think Ninety will make him into a brilliant character. As he stands right now, he’s in perfect position to develop. 3
Kyle Castellani- Nah. 0
Yoshimitsu- The Exploration has made Yoshi into a top-notch character in my book. I love it every time it updates. 4
Max (DJKates)- Who is DJKates? 1
Lucas - Oh, Lucas. Luke. I gotta admit, I was not all that thrilled to be joining Ishkabibble at the helm of some other dude's character. Still, though, I tried to apply myself to the task, and I'm pretty satisfied with the result. I was able to channel that darker aide of my writing into something that was already set up to recieve it. Big props to Prime of course for the original framework. Ratings for both are below.
Lucas (1st Ed. Prime Publishing) - In Because It's Interesting, Lucas spends the bulk of his screen time spouting off one-liners and brandishing weapons. This of course is different from Prime's other characters because oh wait. In Ish, however, we see more sides of this diamond in the rough. Leeches! Ice! Blood! All the things a growing carnage-machine needs. His chemistry with Scar makes it all work, though, albeit a bit off-center. 1
Lucas (2nd Ed. Revised, Biscuit Publishing) - I saw a great character in Lucas. It took me a while to find him, but I did and I'm happy with how he's turning out. First, I played down the power wanking. I was more concerned with the man behind the purple ice, and in order to get to him, I needed to dispense with the extracurriculars. Lucas, on a basic physical level, powers and leeches aside, is a pretty terrifying guy, a real loose cannon. After that, I started focusing on his dynamic with Scar. His off-kilter controlling nature and fearlessness made him a natural leader in this duo, sort of a curb to Scar's quiet, brooding menace. I hope to expand that dynamic further through Ish. Overall, I'm pleased with what I've been able to bring out in Prime's character. 4
Huckabee - while not my strongest or my most favorite, Daniel has been a go-to character in my arsenal for several years now. His development over the course of those years, across multiple boards spanning different times, spaces, universes, etc. could probably fill a novel and have room to spare. Lot of history with this guy. I nostalge like crazy. 3
Wally Creed - apart from the name, which I've used before, Creed was thrown together quite literally as I wrote that first LTR post. I then proceeded to derail (literally) the entire thread with him. So I guess Wally Creed is an asshole. Which, ironically, is what I was shooting for. 3
Algernon Breck - I like this guy. Old, crotchety, ready to go Falling Down on the world; but at least he likes his job. Proves to me over and over that even the sorest bastard can have a heart. 3
Waylon Bell - big plans for this kid. BIG plans. I borrowed the entire concept from a bathroom attendant's monologue in the not-funny-but-interesting-ish film Brief Conversations With Hideous Men. This is not the end of Bell. Not by a long shot. 3
Faris & Azim - I always wanted to make brothers. Foreign siblings gave me the opportunity not only to write hilarious squabbling, but to do so in multiple languages. I had to fight the urge to throw a 'My cousin!' into the mix, what with the foreigners and the cab and the big city and all. 3, 3
Avery- Stray Dogs has no point. If it ever finishes, my rating may improve. 1
Sarosin – Every time I think of Sarosin in Boullogne, all I see is Oddjob. I don’t know why. Is he even fat? 2
Sly – Y’know, I really didn’t like Animorphs. But Sly was a great Andalite. 3
Jonas – Bulbs does a good job with Jonas, just like he did with Sly. ANY part of your body? 3
Ally/Agent Chaos – With a name like Agent Chaos, it has to be good. 1
Valon- Stray Dogs, right? Eh. 1
Marius- See above.
Volkner – the rape was brutal, and vicious. Volkner COULD be an epic villain, if he wasn’t getting venom’d and shit. Nice work, though. 3
Scar – Couldn’t leave out my P-I-C, man! I think Boomer’s brevity and brawn are a perfect counterpart to Lucas and his shenanigans. Kudos to you, Kuro. 4
Ysane - omfg Cobra. Where's my rating for best bad guy ever? 3
Emily - no idea, sorry. 1
Aquara - Tried. Nothing. 1
The Curator - Great cameo. Loved the little quirks. I can see this character vividly in my mind when I read Boullogne. 4
Hector – don’t know him. 1
Bulbs Hamuu’s Ratings Zebedee: I like this character, but nowadays I'm not really sure where he is going. I miss the times when Ender, Zeb/Lee, and Sly would go off on their misadventures, like when they stopped the evil ice cream man or when they saved the city pool so all the local kids would have a place to go and wouldn't fall into drugs. Ah... those were the days... +5
Thyra: I really wish her and Sly could have gotten more screen time together, especially after her parents death. He could have developed a very nice like-father like daughter kinda relationship. +4
Natalie: Kinda similar to Zeb, I know more about where she is going, and I like it, but still. +4
Miko: I have a Man Crush on Miko. K, I said it. That being said, since Rick and him are about the same age, I really want them to become friends. The time of Sly, ZebLee, and Ender is over, now rise the era of Rick, Miko, and... and... Marius? Rie? +5
Nopcsa: There are gonna be alot of these, characters I should know but can't think of... +2
Dace: Is this from the pokemon stuff? +2
Blaise: The scary science magic lab chick. She's hot, and awesome. +3
Achenes: Who? +2
Helen: ehh, +3
Garth: +3
Lacianus: +2
Isambard Zonis: Who? +2
Haze: +2
Rie: She has always been interesting. Even more so now that she'll be paired with Jonas more often due to Rogues and Brogues! New shipping? No? +4
Julia: I like what little I have seen +3
Ender: I MISSS HIM AND HIS DEATH WAS SAD +5
Vieve +2
Mandelbrot: Want to see more +5
Jimmy the Orangutan: No +1
Terrian Brogue: +1 No seriously, Terrian is a fun character and I have enjoyed Ishkastuff so far. Most people can't just make a new faction but this character seemed a good catalyst to do it. +5
Rho & Hig: A weird interesting character. +3
Charles Tanner +2
The G-Bros (collectively) ehhh +3
Yoon Mangjeol +2
Renard Rouletabille Ok... I'm not actually a big fan of it... there I said it. +2
Channery Keigler +2
Commissioner Williams +2
Alpha: I love Alpha, and I hope to meet some of the others like him. +4
Laksha: Pokemon +3
Paolo Bianchi +2
Rance West +2
Kyle Castellani+2
Yoshimitsu: I like +5
Vincent+3
Illiana +2
Fratley +2
Antonio +2
Max (DJKates)+2
Daniel Huckabee +4
Lucas I didn't care for this character a first, but I kinda like him now +4
Wally Creed +2
Algernon Breck +2
Waylon Bell +2
Faris and Azim al-Burak +2
Avery +4
Rhys: I really enjoy Rhys shadow power. It seems like a more advanced version of the shadow casting Rick does. Though personality wise I am not feeling Rhys is there yet. +4
Sarosin +2
Shino +2
Sly +1 cause he won last year
Rick +1 cause he sucks
Mia +1 cause she likes Rick who sucks.
Merlin +1 cause his powers suck.
Jonas +4 cause his power actually fits with him sucking.
Ally/Agent Chaos +1 she sucks at fire
Bernard +4 because he's gonna be awesome during fracture.
Arnold +2
Alyssa +2
Durant +2
Ophelia +2
Lander +2
Kortova +2
Mr. Rabbit +2
Ackerly +2
Gamboge +2
Valon He's alright, I guess +5
Marius I am curious about him in the future +4
Gideon +2
Aiden (ORP) +2
Volkner +3
Val Armada (PRP) +2
Jessie +1 Her time has passed.
Scar +3
Jacqueline +2
Belwyn +2
Telrien +2
Emily +2
Aquara +2
Curator +2
Ysane +2
Hector +2
Choobeh’s RatingsMy rule was that if I recognized a character as someone I RPed with, then I gave a small boost to score, and maybe even looked into them a tiny bit more. Otherwise 1.000 for being in PRP, not standing out enough for me to take note, or w/e. Zebedee - 3.253 I think he might be the last completely unabashedly goody two shoed person in ORP. I still dig how somber and conservative he is compared to all the other hot-blooded/fast-talking/trigger-happy individuals. He just has less points than last year because I've recalibrated my rater. Thyra - 2.102 Barrier warrior wooo. Otherwise I can't think of anything else about her besides her being so reserved. Natalie - 4.003 Oh Natalie. The only character of Lee's that I feel is yelling at me instead of talking like Sarah Palin. She's great also because she isn't afraid to fuck with people she doesn't like, but definitely has a moral compass. Miko - 2.999 Hello Zebedee the summoner how is your giant godzilla today. Plus almost a point for being a complex antagonist. Nopcsa - 3.031 What a guy. He'd get rated higher if he ever did more than be a bomb ass supporting actor, meaning I don't think he can support his own plots by his lonesome. Fascere, sure. Nopcscscscsca, maybe. Dace - 1.000 Ok I've heard this name but I don't know who. Blaise - 3.019 I don't think I ever fell for Blaise as Lee's latest mauve shirt. Besides being a superflously loquacious, for science, and sexy-fine, I can't say much more about her. Her style of magic is pretty cool, and her style of speech makes her super cool, but I feel like I haven't really seen her much, but I think that's because I missed some important RP or whatever. I did like that little detail about her drinking coffee to continue talking rather than to enjoy it. Also how she expects Terrian to memorize everythin instantly was pretty funny. Achenes - 1.73 Hooray for hitting things with large objects and being all boisterous bruiser but not as intense or deep as Nat. Helen - 3.454 I do enjoy her poetic magic. I feel like casting spells isn't just an effort on her part, but her author's as well, which is pretty cool. It's also pretty cool how she tries to make a living being a Power without hiding it away like pretty much everyone. Garth - 1.005 He was that one guy who was all sick and pooped all over the place, right? Lacianus - 1.391 She's the one who had a giant robot and a laptop and pooped all over the place, right? Isambard Zonis - 1.000 I don't even know, but I'm assuming he/she/it pooped all over the place. Haze - 2.198 No powers but a race car, right? Very unique at the time, and still now, but I never really saw her shine. Rie - 3.169 She's never the center of attention, so I can't say that she would be able to support her own plots very well. She was pretty cool in the extent of her combat pragmatism and absolute coldness, though 90 and biscuit have been redefining the upper limit of combat pragmatism as of late. Also, that coldness always gives me problems. I can't gauge very well just how much she should care in a given situation unless it's life or death, and it's really tough having any kind of reasoning to form a bond with anyone. maybe she and Nat should go shopping together some time. Julia - 4.014 Man I love Julia you guys don't even know. My only regret is how poorly I've been executing Masquerade. So poor. Minus ~half point for that, but would have gotten a 4.108 because of the extent of effort I put into designing her, plus the fact that her background and job and personality means she can be a supporting role or be in something that concerns mostly her. But! Thanks to Yosh, she gets bumped back over the 4 threshold due to the much better handling of the first instance of Masquerade. Ender - 3.072 Yeah he was cool. I have a feeling that I only killed him off for real to spite Prime's power-level games, but what's canon is canon, and I'd like to think I'm the first and only RPer who has kept his main main permanently dead. Vieve - 2.991 Awwww Mandelbrot - 4.111 I really wanted to put Mandelbrot in the first popularity poll, but it just wasn't time. I really really like the 'Bro. Unfortunately, the hidden depths have yet to be explored for everyone that isn't in my head. Poop. I guess it would actually only get a 3 from me despite the lack of combat-centric powers, the semi-logical bloodlust, and the ludicrously analytical mind, but I'm going to stick with 4 because I don't want to get stabbed from my mirror. Jimmy the Orangutan - 5.pie The only character that matters on the internet. But really, I give a 2.eEe Terrian Brogue - 3.980 I'm tired of praising Terrian for being the turning point for RP characters due to his fallibility and non-combat-ness. Also, his author doesn't write him as well as he used to. Also Ish is terrible. Also also, fucking eukaryotes. Doesn't make any fucking sense. what a tool for using powers that don't make sense. And for being such a wishy washy bitch. I have half a mind to give him a -2.000. Rho & Hig - 2.941 Awwwwwww look at that little shadow critiquing RPs and being way too meta and being unable to support or maintain a plot without breaking it. Charles Tanner - 4.109 I still like him. Affably evil etc. But I want to see him do something. But that's in the works, or so I hear. Or if Ishkabibble moves. The G-Bros (collectively) - 3.121 Oh mafia. My favorite is Cesare. I can see them in the future with some wacky cool plots around them. Otherwise, I'm not all that pleased with just how squarely they fall into the Power Trio archetypes. I was expecting at least a tiny bit of deviation. Yoon Mangjeol - 3.453 I want to see more of her. I'm curious as to her breakdown. Beyond that, I like her design, and Pohatu could pull off the info broker better than I could, so yeah, I'm pretty glad that I didn't try to run with the idea when I had it. Renard Rouletabille - 4.128 The idea of suggestions is pretty great. I still am not a fan of idiot savants, but he's been showing more actual skill than idiotness and just an inability to assimilate, which is good for character. And he is pretty funny, I will admit it. I wish the pipe thing wasn't so random though. Channery Keigler - 3.810 It's like Nat, but with a bat! And less morals! But really, I absolutely love her power and the thought put into the mischief she gets into and how she would just live her life with such a thing. And how much of an ass she is. That's pretty great. Not many Powers in ORP really outright think less of people. But besides that, I feel like she is just "bad girl grrrrr." Commissioner Williams - 2.018 I feel like all of Pohatu's secondary characters are angry. But it's nice to see someone "normal" viewing the power situation. More normal than anyone at Saeptum, even. Alpha - 2.007 Alpha is a calm and cool thinking Terrian plus languages and subservient nature. I guess that's neat. Laksha - 1.853 I've heard this name, and I feel like there's a Donphan pooping all over the place with this girl. And crying with Terrian. Paolo Bianchi - 2.222 Cool guy, wouldn't want to be friends with him because of that thing in his head. I also want to see more of this cat, but beyond that, can't say much. I feel like this guy could also take suggestions like Renard. Rance West - 3.875 Bruce Willis is always fun to watch blowing stuff up while deconstructing the glamorous assassin archetype. My one gripe is that "rance" sounds more like an adjective than a name. As in "That shit is so rance, dude." Kyle Castellani - 2.055 Oh hello self insert and barman. Needs more screen time I suppose. Yoshimitsu - 2.884 I've come to terms with his grab bag of abilities because they are used pretty well, and most of the time, Yoshi is just being snarky, which is always good times. Vincent - 1.230 Was this just evil!Yoshi? I forgot. Illiana - 1.523 She feels awfully passive from what I've seen and just kind of does what Yoshimitsu says. Fratley - 1.000 I think your new name should be Fratbroley. Antonio - 2.004 I like how flamboyant he is. That's all that really makes him stand out to me so far, which makes sense because he's flamboyant. Max (DJKates) - 1.000 I barely even remember DJKates. Daniel Huckabee - 4.007 It's always fun to watch Bruce Willis blow up stuff and spout out smart-sounding stuff. It's also nice to see this and that other asshole do a bit of deconstruction of the perfect assassins. Scored higher than Rance because I feel like the Huck has a bit more persona, though I would like to see them both more. Or maybe it's because 90 doesn't post in the RP. Lucas - prime: 2.100; biscuit: 3.439 I absolutely loved when biscuit first used Lucas because those offhanded comments were just so insane and forced-witty. But they've been sounding a little forced lately. Maybe that's on purpose, but that could be played with. I want to see Lucas' motivation messed with to not make him generically bloodlusty, though I do kind of get a sexual vibe from it. Maybe that could be played with more. Wally Creed - 2.311 He's that one dude with a train and is kind of a dick and poops all over the place, right? Algernon Breck - 1.411 He's that guy with the mail that poops all over the place, right? Waylon Bell - 4.007 He's that black guy who po- Oh, wait, I like this guy. The devotion to being a professional is done so very well, especially because he's "only" a doorman. Faris and Azim al-Burak - 2.333 They were pretty funny. A little too much crazy-money-obsessed-foreigner + silly-sibling-rivalry archetyping, though. Like too silly. Even for me. Avery - 1.209 4.482 Is this the girl who poops all over doors? I really like the power, and I'm glad she has a better name than "Door" but other than that I have not read her stuff which is totally unfair for her that I'm doing this. In fact, I'm probably getting the character wrong. So since I typed this much I might as well go all the way. Ok yeah, the door idea is cool, and it's awesome seeing her use it to her advantage in the criminal underworld to such great effect. I like the sexy-hobo route being taken, but not a fan of the "hunted exile" background route; she's weird even among weird people, and that weirds me out. Also golden eyes are silly. The shapeshifting is used amazingly, which is great because it had so much potential for being mary-sue-ish, and you denied it that pleasure. Also, that Volkner scene. Holy shit. Avery: Exodus ensemble darkhorse in ch00b's books. Rhys - 2.649 I like his character description, but really all I've seen out of him is quiet and applying force. I want to see more of his asshole side and his contempt for everyone. There really aren't enough Powers who do that besides Channery, and that makes her pretty cool, so it will probably work for Rhys. Sarosin - 1.224 Guy with the cigarettes and trenchcoat that is all pooped in, right? Shino - 1.000 I don't know at all. Sly - 4.001 Absolutely wonderful history, and it's all been developed in the RP, not in the author's head. Great stuff. I don't really like how often he's been brought to life, but hey, that happens with everyone when they're younger. Your character wasn't "cool" if he hadn't died at least once and then beaten death. Rick - 2.123 Pretty cool guy I suppose. I don't really have much more to say other than "I like him" and I guess he's the obligatory self insert of Bulb's cast? Nothing wrong with that, really. Mia - 1.897 She's alright. She feels a lot like a support-woman, which is a vibe I get from several other RP ladies. I feel like the only times I see her are when she's with Rick, and she is nagging and stuff during those times, which doesn't help her image. Merlin - 2.894 I want to know more about him. He intruiges me with his mysterious past and his vast magical prowess. Minus .401 points for having the name "Merlin." Jonas - 3.988 I dig this guy, but I would have liked it more if there was less rip-off-of-one-piece. I know, I know, I say I'm fine with rips, but only when they're not obvious. As someone who doesn't even watch One Piece, I feel like it's an issue if I can spot this. Also not so much a fan of calling your attack. But his powers are cool, and he's so jovial and oblivious it's great. Ally/Agent Chaos - 1.836 Genlab baby that poops all over the place, right? Bernard - 1.532 "Bernard would have smiled if he had a face" I am not feeling this line; it makes him seem too "I am totes def evil, beware." I'm not really a fan of bad guys who are like "you are insolent, learn manners, blah blah blah." It just seems so... trite. I think that's the word I'm looking for. Trading card power is kind of cool, though. Arnold - 1.002 Was this the mecha pilot guy that poops all over the place? Alyssa - 1.785 I want to see her do more stuff. She's pretty quiet and go-with-the-flow-ish, which means I know absolutely nothing about her, and there's nothing enticing me to know more about her. But upon reading her profile, it turns out she's supposed to be that way, and then it all makes sense so I guess a bump in points for being effective with that. Durant - 1.000 PRP? Ophelia - 1.000 What. Lander - 1.000 Who. Kortova - 1.000 Is that even a name? Mr. Rabbit - 1.000 Ok now you're just joking around with these names. Ackerly - 1.000 What is WITH these NAMES. Gamboge - 1.000 I mean how HiGh do you even have to BE. Valon - 2.942 Oh phew, someone I recognize! Ok, I like the royalty aspect of him. Usually, when that's done, it's kind of silly, but I think it works well for him. Although that makes it a little hard to understand why he'd pop into topics that aren't of a national concern, but that's where close friendships come in, though he ends up doing a lot of problem solving and sitting around at the same time, and that phrase makes absolutely no sense. Plus .319 points for being a name I recognize after such a long lull. Marius - 2.303 I feel like I've seen this name. In Crystal? Okay I read Stray Dogs. The idea of commanding hordes of Trackers is pretty cool. Not that many people who command legions of dragons/animals. Also snakes are pretty cool. Giant snakes are kind of scary. Overall, though, he seems to be lacking something. I dunno what. Maybe it's depth, but I've been throwing that word around a lot, so yeah. Gideon - 1.000 I don't know. Aiden (ORP) - 2.593 I like this guy for giving me an in with Eddie. Otherwise I couldn't work up the effort to finish G&R. Volkner - 1.000 3.198 Isn't this a gym leader from pokeymans that pooped all over the place? Oh wait, that's Falkner.Oh man this guy gives me the heeby jeebies. I would have much rather him kept the smooth, lady's man talk while doing his, you know. Or if there were breaks in his character previously, where his asshole nature almost but not quite came through. If I were handling him, I might have made him an "emotion connoisseur" that liked to sample people's fear judged how delicious they were since he seemed to be into fancy stuff due to dying his hair, colored contacts, and nice suit. But I really enjoyed the use of various syringes. Maybe I'll take that idea and run with it for Mandelbrot. o: Val Armada (PRP) - 1.000 More pokepooping all over the place. Jessie - 1.000 I hope this isn't the TR girl that pooped all over the place. Otherwise I'm rating down to 0.815. Scar - 2.829 Oh Scar! I kinda like Scar. I'm kind of bummed that he decided that drawing blood on Mandelbrot was a good reason to stop trying in the fight despite his supposedly insatiable bloodlust. Also I don't like his name, but w/e it fits. Also minus points for being generically bloodlusty. Jacqueline - 2.901 Jacqueline is a really good idea for a character, but she lacks in execution and depth, but she might just need more screen time. There's got to be TONS of effort put into her ability to socialize and drop in on topics, because I understand that as a mime, she can't talk, and that makes things really hard. Maybe mess with her overall motivations. Belwyn - 1.000 This name sounds like generic fantasy not gonna lie. Telrien - 2.023 I liked her when I read about her exploits of pooping all over the place. The main problem is that the boards have a gigantic influx of sleezy characters, so Tel doesn't stand out as much as she could have. Ysane - 3.108 Those plus points are actually for Insanity. Man that is a great pigeon dove. And Ysane would be cool if she could get into topics, but there are things now in the works for her! Emily - 4.691 She has cake! Plus points for cake. Also she is a ditsily happy girly girl and that makes me smile. Apparently her power is to be adorable and thus defuse any violent situations? I think she might want to bang Nat, and that's always a good time, too. I got to the end of Triannual. Ok, yeah, another ensemble darkhorse here. Hand sanitizer and throwing things really hard. Man. I wish it was Clicker in direct control rather than Lee, though. Lee has enough characters. Aquara - 1.000 I'm guessing this person has pooped all over the ocean with her waterish name? The Curator - 3.741 This guy honestly made me laugh more than Biscuit's foreignbros. It's probably because El is gay and Biscuit is not ethnic. I feel like i've been using the "Because El is gay" reasoning a lot lately. Hector - 1.000 He can control fire, right? And uh, I guess he's spanish. And I vaguely remember his junk getting described once. But besides that, I'm pretty neutral on him. I feel like he's just a holdover from the shonen days of the past, but I also haven't read like anything with him in it so I don't know if he's got that complex personality that's so great today. Oh look at that, no 5s from ch00bs this year. Candy time is over.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Sept 4, 2010 21:52:13 GMT -5
El’s Ratings[/size] So, if I'm not mistaken, our full list is: Zebedee - 4 Great character, great personality, great moveset. I like how he always sticks to his religion and never abuses his powers. The only real issue is he can slow down the pace of an RP sometimes when his devotion doesn't align with what's happening, but other than that he's pretty much spot on. Thyra - 3 Wow, apart from LTR I haven't seen her in a while. Still, she's a good character but she doesn't really stand out much. Natalie - 4 Probably my favourite of Lee's cast. Great personality that really shines through, probably one of Lee's more 'natural' characters (feels very realistic for a character). Just needs more screen time, IMO. Miko - 3 I really struggle with Miko sometimes. Within a plot, it's usually fairly easy to figure out his motivation. In Summoner Style, he wants a new weapon and to lay old grudges to rest, in LaDC he wants to defend the world. Outside of general RPs, though, I can't decide on what his motivation and overall aim is. A good character personality wise, nice movepool, but sometimes he feels less focused. Nopcsa - 4 From the LTR posts, I'm pretty fond of Nopcsa. (Scratch that, read more) Great character, and great way of utilizing his power. It's nice to see a psychic who isn't omgzz powahzzzz mind blastzz, and he has a solid personality to match it. Dace - 3 Man I need to read more PRP. I like Burmy though. Blaise - 3 I really like Blaise, especially how she says things in the most detailed manner ever. She's a tad unbelievable at times (took weeks to detect magnetic fields without equipment? wow) but she's a solid character. Believable reactions to things that happen. Achenes - 2 Not so keen on Achenes. From the bit I read of her in... something... Emet, maybe? She seems a bit Prime-esque a character. Helen - 3 Helen is great. Shaky self-esteem and a nice take on a power, with understandable responses to things that happen both to and around her. Garth - 3 Made me laugh a lot in Bows. Similar personality to Nopcsa, but different enough in mannerisms to make him a good character. Could do with seeing more of him. Lacianus - 3 The sense of voice acheived with Lacianus is great, I especially liked her in Boullogne with her internal monologue about Renard. As with pretty much all of Lee's characters, would like to see more. Isambard Zonis - 1 Maybe I'm just being picky but I never really liked the whole "Happened to have a pokemon friend while not being a trainer" idea. Just not really my thing, I guess. Haze - 2 I sort of know who Haze is, but... Yeah. Apart from her LaDC appearence, I don't know much about her. She was clever though, so she got bumped up a point (GRENADE TO THE ARM) Rie - 4 Rie's a great character. I totally dig the 'amoral, get the job done' personality on any character. Julia - 2 Okay I get that she's got this hypnosis powers thing but... that's about it? I just can't get into her character at all. Ender - 3 Ender was great, shame he's dead. Vieve - 3 Bouncy character who apparently has nothing but positive views on the world, from what I saw. I like her, but I think I need to read more about her soon. Mandelbrot - 5 Mandelbrot is wonderful. I've only read Ishkasomethingearly which Mandelbrot stars in, but it's great. Androgynous, murderous, experimental, informational, wonderful. <3 Jimmy the Orangutan - 1 wat Terrian Brogue - 4 Ohhh Terrian makes me giggle a lot of the time. Just reading through his quotes in his bio makes me giggle. Good character, a nice change from the hardcore beat-em-up which is usually on the boards (yes I realise i am the biggest culprit for this) Rho & Hig - 3 Rho & Hig similarly make me giggle, but I think that's mostly their speech. Charles Tanner - 3 Charles Tanner is a nice mastermind character. It's great to see someone who's not 'evil' as such, rather 'motivated by personal gain'. He just needs to appear more so I can get a better feel for his character. The G-Bros (collectively) - 3 Yeah they're cool, nice dynamics between the three characters and different enough to stand out from each other. Yoon Mangjeol - 3 Yoon's cool, I like her character. She reminds me of a cooler version of Alex, insofar that everyone goes to her for information. Much better as she runs a business based on it, and has her priorities set on monetary value. I like how she speaks to clients. Renard Rouletabille - 5 This character is perfect in every way. From his French to his awkwardness. He should be framed and placed on a museum of art somewhere. Channery Keigler - 3 Channery is cool. Her power is wonderful. I can't decide what sort of accent she speaks in, because she sort of seems like a more common English girl but I'm not sure. Other than that, I like the way she makes Renard squirm a bit, and her big puppy, and the way she sort of taunts Renard with her powers. Commissioner Williams - 3 Sort of reminds me of your typical, get-your-job-done boss. A bit like the Police Chief who gets murdered in OotS. He's a good example of someone who doesn't agree with Powers getting free reign of everything, which is great to see. He does strike me as somewhat one-dimensional though. Half of the time it's his Powers dislike that shines through blatantly, which gets a bit monotonous to read. Alpha - 3 Mr Smart Terrian. He's such a complete 180 compared to Terrian so I sort of struggled to remember that he was a duplicate which is okay, it works, it just sort of gave me literary whiplash for a moment. Which is fine! Nice effect. But yeah. No, he's good, I like him a lot, I was just thrown for a second there. Laksha - 2 Oh man totally getting back into PRP soon. I need to. But Phanpy is bitchin'. Paolo Bianchi - 2 Only really read his Ish appearence. I was thrown at first, because of the whole 'Voice in my head, must obey'. If I hadn't known it was a God, I would have assumed another person who is psychic was controlling them. Sort of confused as to his overall intentions at times. Rance West - 4 Really well established character, and a very strong sense of voice. Thoroughly enjoyed reading him. Very believable, kept the plot moving smoothly. Even had believable quirks, like fantasizing about his equipment (not a metaphor for dick). Kyle Castellani - 3 Yoshimitsu - 3 Okay now is the best part where I systematically deconstruct my own characters into what I like and dislike about them, expect many many essays over the next 5 characters. Yoshimitsu's great and he's been my longest standing character of about 8 years now and he's got an epic history and that's super. Let's forget all that, let's look at him as he is now. As of LaDC it's nice that he has a more defined moveset instead of having bits of everything. Reducing his movepool from elemental control, summoning, super, super speed, flying blah blah blah to Light and Bahamut was a smart move and it makes him feel like a more streamlined, focused character. Personality-wise, he's fairly typical for a lot of my characters - mostly amoral with an aversion to killing, gets the job done but wants to relax and yeah that works but it doesn't stand out overly. Needs work into considering how to focus his personality and character motives before he's a great character. Vincent - 3 A more solid character than Yoshimitsu, easily (somehow). Though definitely haughty and a bit insane in LaDC, his character development for post-LaDC is definitely accurate and a good example of how people can change. A much more sober, serious character which provides a nice contrat to other characters available. Still causes a bit of friction all over the show, slowing down or breaking plots. Definitely needs work. Illiana - 4 WHAT ELLIOT IS GIVING HIS OWN CHARACTER A 4 I CALL SHENANIGANS okay okay chill out for a second and let me explain. I'm giving her a 4 because she's subtley a completely different character to any of my others. Instead of being the typical amoral bounty hunter type, she's the girl who had much expected from her but always wanted to just live her own life how she wanted to. She's a nice character to write, and fairly believable. I'd rank her above Yoshi and Vincent any day. Fratley - 4 WHAT ELLIOT IS GIVING ANOTHER CHARACTER A 4 I CALL SHENANIGANS AGAIN no seriously chill I can explain. Once again, Fratley is a complete change from the typical characters in RP. He's the character who fought his hardest for equality and the safety of his race, and takes his position in the defence of his race very seriously. He's a kind-hearted soul who rarely thinks of himself, and it's refreshing to write someone like that. Antonio - 3 This guy should totally be Pohatu's character. Let's face it, he's a thief with no offensive capabilities beyond running away and hiding and likes to relieve rich people of their worldly possessions. He also has ridiculously expensive tastes. I enjoy writing him, though establishing his sense of voice is fairly difficult. But yeah, I like Pohatu's characters for reasons stated already, and I like Antonio for similar reasons. Max (DJKates) - 2 Max was a good solid character but he had his glaring flaws. There was a lot of black and white morality that broke topics because of his reluctance to agree to something questionable. A great trainer, very strategic, but also a massive Sue. Daniel Huckabee - 4 Like with Rance, a really well established character with a nearly flawless sense of voice created and believable personality and character traits. Great to read, really understood the character's perspective. Lucas - 1 I have no idea who this character was, but I can take a guess and say that he had a sword, was violent, called himself a 'warrior' and had questionable moral issues and overly complicated, unbeatable powers. How close am I? [Lee explains who he is] Ohhh, him. I'm still not keen on his personality, since he feels like Prime-Gone-Bad. His relationship with Scar (i think that's right) is sort of twisted and has weird homosexual undertones which I guess is okay, but I'm still not convinced that Lucas isn't just another Prime clone. I'll read more, quite possibly. Wally Creed - 2 He's cool, but so far I've just really seen him... be there. Not really do anything. It'd be nice to see what he would do in various situations. Nice solid personality though, interesting enough to keep my attention and want to know more about him. Algernon Breck - 2 Another character that I'd like to see do more. Nice character, it's cool that he's not a young'un but I'd just need to see more of him. Waylon Bell - 2 Good character! I'd like to see more please. Faris and Azim al-Burak - 2 Honestly, didn't leave a very lasting impression on me but I had a good giggle when reading them. Avery - 3 Lovely sense of voice created constantly, and a very believable character. I like Avery a fair bit. Rhys - 3 Rhys is cool. I love his power set, to start off with. Shadow stuff is awesome. Now that's out of the way, I really like him in Ishkabibble. His interaction and discomfort in his first appearence was entertaining, but entirely plausible and understandable (so hence, very well written). I'd like to see more of him. Sarosin - 3 Again, very nice character. Nicely written, good personality that doesn't cause friction. There just needs to be more of him. You know what you must do, BFF. Shino - 2 Not overly familiar, even if I am battling him. Very much the standard trainer, if I'm honest. Needs a bit of work putting into him to make him a more rounded, more individual character. Sly - 3 Really need to see more of Sly, though Crystals 2 gives a good insight to his character. Very calm and collected. I like him, but he does just seem to be... there, rather than doing anything. Rick - 4 Great character right there. Not great. Fantastic. Rick has really good dynamics with his character, from his grudge with Miko to his relationship with Mia and his inner struggle with his black magic. He's interesting to read with a good sense of character and voice established constantly. Mia - 3 Good character, but often seems to be in the background to me. Maybe that's just me. It'd be nice to see her shine on her own, instead of with Rick. She'd make a really good character in her own right. Give her the limelight, Bulbs ;D Merlin - 2 I've sort of seen Merlin around and he's cool and not at all what I'd normally expect from a Merlin which is completely fine, in fact it's great. The only downside is that he's still not really doing a lot short of catching lightning bolts and teleporting Rie places. Jonas - 3 Jonas is a great character, and bulbs' style of writing really helps to build a relationship with him. His unique syntax really shines through and his powerset is really interesting. I'm interested in seeing more of his past. Ally/Agent Chaos - 1 I couldn't find her! Maybe I'm being dense? I'm sorry! D: Bernard - 1 See above! Arnold - 1 See above! Alyssa - 1 See above! (Though the name makes me think of Persian's Alyssa) Durant - 1 Totally apologising here for not reading basically any PRP this year. Ophelia - 1 See Ally! Also, he killed me! With poison! In my ear! Lander - 1 I'm sorry Blood! Kortova - 1 I... I'm sorry but I just don't -get- the wolf RP. At all. I'm sorry D: Mr. Rabbit - 4 I'M LATE I'M LATE TO STAB YOU IN THE SHINS...ATE. Ackerly - 2 Is like, the opposite of Squad 11. Sort of okay as a character, could do with being less one-dimensional. Gamboge - 1 Sorry! D: Valon - 2 Would've scored higher if I could remember him doing anything recently that wasn't "Sup Rick, let's go for breakfast". A pretty well known name, but I don't actually know very much about him. Marius - 1 From the bits I've seen of him, he doesn't stand out as a character. He's just... there. In the background. Doing not a lot. Gideon - 1 No idea. Aiden (ORP) - 1 Sorry. D: Volkner - 41 Well he's got a pretty cool electric type team and... what? Wrong Volkner? Val Armada (PRP) - 2 Again, need to see more of him. From what I remember, he was a good character though he felt a little artificial. Jessie - 1 Before my time. Scar - 2 Sort of the same as Prime's characters iirc, though a little scarier. Well written, but those personalities sort of grate on my nerves. Sorry Jacqueline - 3 Interesting moveset. Like, very interesting. Not sure about her personality, but I'd definitely read more about her. She seems sort-of analytical, which is cool, and fits in with her powers pretty well. It's a nice mixture of the two to make a solid character. Good sense of voice achieved too. Belwyn - 1 D: Telrien - 2 Telrien seems like a solid character, but it's hard to get a feel for what she's like when I've only seen her in one RP (there might be more! I don't know! I should read more because I am a silly :3) Ysane - 3 Ysane is actually a pretty awesome character, and very cleverly written at times (especially The Cat's Meow). I only sort of know stuff about her, though, which is a shame. From what I can figure, she's some kind of insanity demi-goddess which is a pretty awesome character basis. I'd like to see more about her and her origins expanded on. Emily - 2 Seems cool! Need to see more though! Someone forcibly shove Emily posts in my face after this, thanks! Aquara - 2 Honestly, seems like standard Kev character, which isn't BAD it's just... not exciting. She's not a bad character by any means, it's just we've seen her a few times before which kind of sucks. THE CURATOR - 5 If you don't know why, you should go and hate yourself a little. Hector - -1 Anyone who complains about Yoshi being all over the show do need to stop and examine Hector properly. Hector, apart from being a depraved bisexual who goes after anything that moves also has a family for no validly explored reason, while is also apparently betrothed to one of Kara's characters... what? And polygamy? Now consider that he has new powers as the plot demands half the time. As a character, he's hard to keep up with because his personality just doesn't seem to gel at all. I've yet to see any character motivation, and he seems to change based on his author's whims and not for a validly explored reason. Lee’s Ratings[/size] Zebedee: He's been floundering for direction, but he's starting to find it. If I ever get enough time to finish Shattered, that the final piece in his puzzle. As is, he's a bit of a quandary. Everybody wants to use him as a solemn, boring foil, despite his nature being that of a playful trickster who gets hit by solemnity HARD when things get really bad. Then again, I've tweaked his tone so he's much less serious than in the days of Prime and BB and Choobs all using him for “The Good Good Guy”/”That Guy Whose Godliness Accentuates How Awesomely Amoral and Ruleless My Guy Is”, and brought him back to his roots. If one takes a look at the most recent LADC posts, they'll notice that he's picked up a softly snarky note to his dialogue and narrative voice (Kudos to Elliot for picking up on that even when autoing him!) The duality between holiness and mischief is what makes Zebedee himself, and to lose that is to make him cliché and weak. Not a 4 yet, but maybe I can say so for next year. 3
Thyra: I'm sad that I can't 4 Thyra. She's unique amongst almost all RP characters with her heavily defense slanted abilities, she's got a romance that actually exists without overriding the character herself, and she fills a subtle role in Cherrygrove that makes her a quiet power almost on the level of Sly. She's got tons of social connections which allows for some fun details and entrances to RPs... She really brings a ton to the table. Something about her just feels flat, however. I suppose that because part of her evolution was from “Wounded Shrinking Violet with Impeccable Speech” to a stronger young woman who can open up to others, she's become too much like the rest of my cast at the end of that arc. (A large detail to her development was the fact that she started copying Zebedee and Natalie's speech mannerisms, even!) Maybe I should have her revisit her roots, start having her try to rekindle her more delicate manner of speech? I've got plenty I could do to improve her, so hopefully, again, 4 next year. 3
Natalie: Yada yada yada, badass chick with issues, yada yada yada, shipteased with Rie, etc. etc. etc. Natalie, in a lot of ways, is a symbol of a new era in RP. She's morally ambiguous, full of moral and mental problems, and is certainly a flawed hero. It's funny how she languished for years behind Zebedee and Miko as my tertiary main, but came shooting to the forefront once a new set of values took over. 4
Miko: I think I've really been improving Miko as of late. His combination of pride and longsuffering friendship leads to a delicately balanced “Father-Figure” sort of guy that helps the brasher members of his alliance cope with life while coming into affairs on equal terms with world powers. He's got a lot of dualities that help him stay interesting, and for the first time since CCGCenter, I'm actually using them. 4
Nopcsa: I feel like I haven't been fully realizing his potential as of late. Granted, the hijinks in Ishkabibble and Emet might redeem him later on, but right now, he's a bit... Eh... I'll need to start working harder, maybe force him out a bit on his own, maybe actually write a bit of solo fiction to bring him out? Mindreading is such an excellent ability. It's truly a shame to waste it. 3
Dace: One of my favorite characters to write, albeit immensely taxing. Not as intense as Blaise, but I really need to fire up my muse to get a good Dace post done. She's a work in progress, but I'm very confident she's only going to improve. I'm just afraid that she's going to steal the scene in Laksha's RP, like Durant did in hers. 4
Blaise: I can't give Blaise a bad rating. She might be every bit the cliché Hollywood scientist chick, but she's OUR cliché Hollywood scientist chick. Once we get Whispers moving again, and her backstory kicks in, she might be a 5. 4
Achenes: I'm working on fixing her from “Natalie with a hatred of guns and crooks instead of Summoners” into something a bit more interesting. A bit of a Lawful Neutral parading as Lawful Good, the type that won't let those around her get away with anything while she conveniently forgets that technically, a lot of her “justice” falls under assault. It'll be tricky writing a character that's so black and white in a likable manner, but it's better than being the exact same as May Grimaldi and a few others... 2
Helen: Again, an incredibly demanding character for me to write. Poetry magic is a pain in the butt, but it really does lend itself to a feeling of something BIG coming up. Her choreography falls into the Yoshimitsu Bag of Tricks style, but the incantations make it feel like she needs to fumble for the tricks and makes it much more excusable for the readers. Another distinctive thing about her is that she really has it together. A solid job, a good public reputation, very little personal angst, a potential romance... Somehow, she takes all of this, and it still works for her. Most characters need some sort of driving darkness, but Helen seems to thrive on the light. 4
Garth: Poor, poor Garth. He's had two topics ostensibly based around him, and each time, he fades into the background. Heaven knows that in AntiBibble and Zodiac Amulets, he'll fade out AGAIN. He's got a fairly interesting set of abilities when everything is said and done (Needless to say, it's not so much “Fire Control” as “Weaponized Serpent Symbolism” which has mostly taken the form of flames thusfar. Y'know, since Rainbows and Flames are both strongly tied to serpents in many mythologies... But I digress...) I'm trying another go at “Weakling becoming Assertive”, so MAYBE, just MAYBE he'll be able to boom up to the top before he dies. 2
Lacianus: She's actually quite fun, and a bit deeper than I was expecting her to come out. I was planning on making her bouncy and optimistic, but I didn't expect her to be so outright kindly and sweet. I did what I could to contrast her with the sterile harshness of her background archetype, and it worked better than I expected. She hasn't gotten enough facetime to warrant better than a 3, but that fits her just fine. Here's hoping she can worm her way into something else solid before too long. 3 Isambard Zonis: I think he's a breath of fresh air to PRP. Slightly incompetent, well past his youth without being elderly, willing to get his hands dirty but not amoral... He's a total mold breaker. Not too compelling on his own, but if PRP ever gets active again, he'll be one of the best foils out there. 3
Haze: I lack the touch Diamond Princess had while writing her. She gave Haze a bit more balance, whereas mine is mostly “Blah blah blah, drinking, blah blah blah, baby, blah blah blah, swearing.” It's like I rolled all the worst aspects of Loogs' cast together and piled it on an existing character. On the bright side, she's a girl that kicks butt, and her fireproof racing suit (reinforced with dragon scales) is possibly one of the most pragmatic outfits in all of RP. 2
Rie: I don't know quite how I feel about Rie. On one hand, the cold-as-ice bit rubs me the wrong way, but she can be very amusing within it with her sheer stony practicality. I've liked her in Ishkabibble and Endgame, but something feels missing to me. And I don't know what it is. I really am torn on if she's a 3 or a 4 for me. But I'll go with the 4. Her antics in Crystal are worth it.
Julia: I like the two aspects bound into her, almost separating her personality on a dangerous level. I hope we see something done with it, since it looks like she might become over-reliant on binding herself into her two niches. Maybe a third persona surfacing against her will? I don't know. I think I'm tampering a bit too much where I shouldn't. She's excellent, and possibly one of the best “Powerless” characters out there. The personality is great, her motive is fairly unheard of in ORP, and she's a fun read. 4 Ender: I hope I'm not retreading what I said last year too much, but he died well, albeit too early. The relationship with Natalie, the aging into oblivion... Both were points that could have been expounded on within their own topics with great success. As was, he died the moment things got interesting. 3
Vieve: Vieve's great. She's not really a combat character, but she functions as a superb Greek chorus for RPs. Her shadow powers let her discretely slip through the topic, only interacting where it best fits, while showing a unique perspective. I don't know how she'd function as a main player, unfortunately, but for a supporting role, she brings a unique texture and aspect that nobody else can really match. 3
Mandelbrot: Mandelbrot will get derided as a Rorschach ripoff, even by his/her/hir creator. This is totally selling the character short. Sure, it's a brutal killer wearing a blank mask. That's the same. But the guts, what makes the character tick? Totally different. Mandelbrot is a chilling monster out to exact a false justice upon anybody that fails to live up to its bizarre moral code, innocents and society be damned. To say it's just a Rorschach rip is to sell both characters short. 3
Jimmy the Orangutan: Needs more screen time. What I've seen so far is totally gold, though. Great execution of an almost stock concept, coming back around and making it awesome and rather likable. It's looking like, by way of the canon, he beat Rob and then Aquara to get to retain his sentience. If so, this is indeed awesome. 2
Ysane: Oh, what a great concept. Oh, what an unfortunate debut. I haven't seen enough to warrant a three, but she totally deserves a good rating. 2 Terrian Brogue: Almost lost me, Pohatu. Almost lost me. Terrian was slipping quickly into “Boring core of an alliance much more colorful than him” (Zebedee and Miko have both been there before, and I know how rough it can be). But that most recent post in Crystal, just... Wow. It really pulled together EVERYTHING great about the character. His regretful nature, his inherent snark, his love for exploration, his outsider view on the Power/Magic Community... Again, wow. It made me recall exactly why I liked him in the first place, and made me like him even more. Keep it up, Photu, you're doing some superb work. 4
Rho & Hig: Oh, this is a hard one. I mean, I like the idea behind them, and they've been BRILLIANT in Urakuni and LTR, but I'm of the opinion that using Hig as a mouthpiece may actually not be the best role for him. Granted, the move I pulled in Kaida was cliché and kinda stupid, but it seems like Hig actually would have been satisfied with the situation resolving in what was an orderly manner, however stupid it may have been. All in all, I'd think Hig would actually be most content when in a cliché plot, since it means everything is moving in a structured, predictable way. So, counter-intuitively enough, a happy Hig would mean a screwed up plot. Huh. It's not easy to really put down how I feel, but I guess the best way to put it would be a 5-1, or a 4
Charles Tanner: Not exactly hitting his stride yet, I'm afraid. An interesting power (I loved the bit with him manifesting striped bandages because of some subconscious bit beyond his understanding), a nice villainous personality that is fairly unique amongst characters on the board (who else would gleefully admit to being a villain?), and a decent enough background (I'd enjoy seeing his family turn up in a future RP, to see what kind of trouble this would sow). He still hasn't really crystalized as a villain, yet, and so is stuck in the void of being amoral. And being amoral is kinda like being vanilla these days. 2
The G-Bros (collectively): I really haven't felt the main thrust of them. They just feel... a bit too cliché. It DOES say something for Pohatu as a writer that he's managed to make them mildly interesting, but conceptually, they feel on the weak side. I mean, they're mobsters, the don's charismatic and menacingly soft spoken, one's a thug, and one's a wise guy. It just feels like Pohatu could do so much more with them. His skills as an author are leaps and bounds beyond the cliché they're stuck in. 2
Yoon Mangjeol: Man, at first I thought Pohatu was going overboard on her. I mean, really, no powers, no combat/action potential... Kinda a totally limited character. But when he went outside that, showing her to be fragile and desperate (and dangerous!) when forced into those situations, it allowed me to really look at her. She's very narrow in focus, but can fit into almost any RP for a scene. She's bordering on a five, though I really don't know how one could improve her. 4
Renard Rouletabille: J'adore Monsieur Rouletabille! Renard is fantastic. Another time where Pohatu plays with power levels and character behaviors, and it comes out gold. By placing him in a role that often skirts the powered community without directly colliding, Renard has been poised to become a an outside perspective on what's normally a fairly insular community. He's got an interesting setup, an endearing personality, and his Power is charmingly useless. I honestly don't know how one can improve him, as he's created a niche he's perfect for. 5
Channery Keigler: She's great. Snarky but sweet, she quite possibly forms the third portion of the Grand Archipelago Exodus Action Girl Trifecta (Some time we need an excuse plot for Rie, Channery, and Nat to get into a three-way fight. Choobeh is going to horribly misquote this, I already know.) Fantastic power idea, further proving my idea that if you took all of Ender's powers and diced them into tiny pieces, he'd make a million great characters. And Mickmack is great. Not exactly a morality pet, but he softens her to a perfect degree. Fantastic character who we could certainly use more time with. 4
Commissioner Williams: I was all about hating on this guy, but the last post in Renard turned him around for me. He's a good guy at heart, and I could see him actually holding a main role in a lower level RP. I think that the key is just showing less of his angry side, and more of his loving side. If you can show what drives him to such lengths, it helps the audience to stop spiting the character based on his bigotry. 2
Alpha: No secret, I actually like Alpha more than Terrian. Feel free to pop your monocles, gents. He brings in a very interesting angle on things, a character who Terrian has screwed over personally on several occasions while still BEING Terrian. It's almost as if he's a personification of Terrian's self loathing. Though people decry him as humorless, I see it much moreso as a dryer sense of humor, and a refusal to go along with the humor of a guy that's been giving him thankless tasks since his “Birth”. (Ironically enough, due to being of a more similar nature to Blaise than Terrian is, he gets along much worse with her. Opposites attract and all, I suppose.) Here's to Alpha, keep on prodding away at that progenitor for us. 4
Laksha: It's a bit hard to see a character like Laksha caught in potential development hell because of being overshadowed by a similar force. Pohatu needs to stop worrying so much about Yoon being similar, and get his act together. Look at what makes them different, and work it for all it's worth. Laksha is TOTALLY into her culture, while Yoon only has it as a footnote. Laksha has a certain dignity, moral boundaries she will not cross. Yoon has entirely different moral boundaries than most anybody. Laksha is a leader of her own private group, essentially her own collection of Powers and servants. Yoon is a lone wolf. Focus not on the similar traits, but instead, the different paths. Laksha is growing into an upstanding citizen, a hero and woman of action, and I think seeing the path that she takes to truly becoming a noble lady of war is worth the effort of looking into. Give her a chance, man. 4
Paolo Bianchi: Paolo's a solid concept. He confused me at first, but I like him. I don't know if Q does any other voices much, but as is, her narrative style is crisp and fresh and really brings him to life. A youth caught between his own dreams of grandeur and fears, he's rapidly pushed out of his comfort zone by a being beyond his comprehension or control. 3
Rance West: I don't know too much of him, though I skimmed Gasoline. Nicely written, but has failed to make an impression on me. Maybe it's just that the amoral mercenary types have become so common as to bore me? Still, nice details with his home. He's almost good enough to round up to a 3, but I'd like to see a bit more of his inner workings first. 2.5
Kyle Castellani: This cat is where it's at. He's coolly charming, unassuming... He might not be much of a big player, but Ninety wrote him just right. I really found him enjoyable to follow in LTR, with a distinctive tone. He might not be at the core of things, but he fits his niche well, and some of the cracks made by a few people have greatly aided my enjoyment of him. (“Bartender ain't gonna help nobody.”) 3
Yoshimitsu: He's a solid character. He's lost his clutter as of LADC, basically switching over to a light based power set and Bahamut. I'd like to see more of Bahamut, learn what makes it different from the Final Fantasy beast. As is, we only know that he's got something wise, powerful, and dragon-y as a summon, which may as well be Valon in a can. So a bit of elaboration might be fun. I'd also like to see him pushed out of his element somewhat. Hard drinking and exploring ancient ruins/mysterious lands suits him well. I'd like to see him dealing with a tricky negotiation situation, or in a run-down industrial setting, or maybe even in something high tech and futuristic (though that might turn into a Final Fantasy game...). It may seem like there's a lot I want out of him, but it's really just that I want more of the guy. Great interactions, sharp choreography, and a fun personality to boot. It's what a character at his level should be, IMO. 4
Vincent: He's... simplified in a bad way, as of late. The jealousy, the attempt to destroy the world... It can make sense within the framework, but it's really just a bit too cliché for making a great antagonist. Of course, on the other hand, before and after LADC, he's great, so I can't wallop him too hard. (But don't think that I wouldn't like to see him give a bit more depth to his Boring Invincible Villain persona in LADC.) 3
Illiana: I like a lot of what has been done with her, but she's always stuck in the background. I'd suggest reviving the RP with Helen and Rhys so that we can see more of her running solo, and actually finally see her cut loose in combat. As is, it's kinda “informed abilities” left and right going on with the lass. 2
Fratley: I haven't seen very much of him. But he's a nice guy in El's cast, and has had some sharp choreography. That's worth some loving, in my opinion. 3
Antonio: Have seen very little of this guy so far. But it's a clever concept for him, and the aesthetics are spot on. I loved the bit with the trendy masks being used as a cover. 3, but it's more 3.5 rounded down than anything. If he was around longer, I'd give him 4. 3
Max (DJKates): Oh, Max was... Well, he was a good character, in his own way. Solid morals to foil the more amoral PRP Zebedee, grounded nature to foil the flighty Yoshimitsu, a nice guy with a unique background. But on the other hand, he was kind of clunky. While the rest of us had stepped up to PG-13 levels of maturity (even in Fallfish!), he kept his writing for the most part, in the PG range. It was sorta surreal, watching him call somebody a “Sneak Thief” like it was a grave insult, while Zebedee had just been talking about deposing a gigantic government agency. Not that PG style stuff can't be done (I think Fallfish went 7 pages with no swearing, whatsoever.), but not-meshing with a setting can be the kiss of death. 2
Daniel Huckabee: I don't know how I feel about him. In most RPs, he doesn't seem to distinguish himself too much beyond the typical mercenary in action. But at rest, between the Formspring and the bio... He really is something ELSE. I guess if he brought a wee bit more of that distinctive intelligence to the forefront on screen, I'd be rating him at least a 4. 3
Lucas: Ironic that Prime's villain he gave no press to managed to become immensely popular, while the one he kept trying to push for became a joke at best. It's pretty clear why, of course: Lucas, besides his love of swords, is totally beyond the realms of a normal character in his cast. He's berserk in a gleefully twisted way, associated with a character who he'd gladly let take the lead in a battle, and twists the typical unfortunate implications of some things that turn up in Prime's writing into some serious high grade nightmare fuel. And when Prime promised a changed Lucas from getting the Soulmorne, the readers were shocked and horrified at the possible loss of this excellent villain. Little did they suspect that it merely meant that Lucas would start indulging in coldhearted torture, and begin picking up an ability to actually plan in combat that helped make him even more sinister. Biscuit's takeover was okay, but I think he needs to be willing to concede more to Prime's original style of writing. Lucas isn't some cultured torture expert, not by a long shot. He likes using whatever is at his disposal to ruin, desecrate, and horrify everything around him, and brings methods to the table that no other can match. If Biscuit can get over this hump, I'd consider Lucas a perfect character. 4
Wally Creed: Eh, somewhat cool. He's grizzled, a bit of a jerk, and filling an interesting role on Luxury Train Ride. He might actually get more of a chance to shine when the train inevitably comes under attack, though exactly what kind of heroics he'll indulge in are beyond my imagination. 2
Algernon Breck: Biscuit Wudged out on his post. While most people would have just done a short exchange with a generic mailman in shorts and armpit stains, Biscuit conjured up a genuinely likable character that tied exactly into the themes of the RP. It really brought the RP to life, gave Renard a person to interact with that first showed us his innate likability, and was a darn good read. I honestly doubt that the other guest stars would have been of anywhere near the same quality, had Biscuit not set such an excellent precedent. 4
Waylon Bell: Waylon has immense amounts of promise. His comments, his handling of a fairly undignified situation, the potential for future plots? He's got all the makings of an excellent recurring character. I hope we get to see more of him at some point, sneaking into some other RP while sowing more seeds of greatness. 3
Faris and Azim al-Burak: Interesting guys. Not sure if they'll ever surface again, bar getting slipped into Ishkabibble as late entries or cameos, but still fun and very likable. 3
Avery : I haven't fully read through Stray Dogs, but what I've seen has been very solid, and the character has a great personality. Feel free to ask me for a more in depth critique when I've finished the thread. 3
Rhys: Rhys just seems like he's too easily pushed around. It could just be me, but he feels slightly amorphous. I'd like to maybe see some playing around with his role working for the paper (howabout using sciomancy to create his own dark room for developing photos?), a look into where his abilities came from (are they inborn? Was he trained? That's gotta be worth at least three or four great flashbacks.) On the other hand, besides his unused potential, he's great with Helen and is an excellent balance to the more dramatic members of the R&B alliance. Not to mention some fairly fresh choreography from SV. If he can stop being a jellyfish, he's an easy 4. 3
Sarosin: Not as commonly noticed by me as Rhys. I guess he's cool though. If somebody could point out more plots with him, I'd be much obliged. 2
Shino: Seemed pretty weak at first, upon debut, but his recent posts have been picking up speed. I especially liked the most recent post with him. He interacted with the aftermath of an attack, which is a bit of flavor most RPers tend to omit, and more impressively, he made a “mistake”. This humanized the character greatly, and is much more likable than the typical “Well, sorry Salamence, but you're just going to have to suck it on the recharge turn.” Though he's still new, he's improving in leaps and bounds. 3
Sly: BB has refreshed Sly's purpose with the coming arc he's doing. He's managed to wring some more drama and development out of a well that seemingly has been pumped dry, while being one of the biggest forces for ushering in a new era in RP. As everybody inevitably declares, Sly has a great history, a great personality, and is headed towards even greater things in his near future. 5
Rick: Rick's a fun character. Feels a little bit cluttered at times (the ability to morph a wolf, while a cool idea tying into his heritage, really doesn't seem to bring anything to his character, and shadowcasting, while neat, seems slightly incongruously subtle for a school of casting otherwise mainly for blasting things). Still, he's not 2009 Yoshimitsu by any means (Curious, considering that the two have almost developed a close rivalry now). Rick's personality is solid. Though the angst is a bit much, I like the fact that he's willing to be an unrepentant jerkass when it suits him, while still managing to be a fairly decent guy. The other self is a fun way of playing around with the superpowered evil side concept. Maybe not perfect, since the trope itself is over done, but it still is fairly fresh and I liked the “Monster of Shin-ra's making” angle that he's been playing at. 3
Mia: She's kinda stuck in the background for most RPs, but I like what I see of her. She's responsible and kindly, a mother-hen figure who hasn't become matronly. I'd like to see her interact with Hector, a bit, actually, since I think the two could play well off of eachother (Team Mom meets The Unfettered). Hopefully, before Hector makes his anticipated break from Summoner Style, she'll get a chance for this. So, essentially, great personality, decent enough powers, but we need to see more of her away from Rick to really have her become anything more. 2
Merlin: He keeps falling through the cracks in every plot. He should be top tier, jumping into all sorts of stuff, but it feels like he just keeps getting batted down. On the bright side, cool powers and personality with a few neat ideas coming up. 2.5
Jonas: BB truly excels with Jonas. He's sweet, guileless, and possibly the morality pet of the Rogues and Brogues despite his tarnished backstories. Bulbs writes him with flair and an intimate touch, making him easily relatable despite being such an outlandish figure. I'd say he's actually the easiest character in all of Ishkabibble to sympathize with, besides maybe the hapless Paolo. Calling his attacks is a bit on the hokey side, unfortunately, but Jonas executes it better than almost any other character, except maybe Zebedee and Helen. 4.5 Ally/Agent Chaos: In Shattered, she wasn't all that spectacular. She had a nicely tragic backstory, and her loyalty to George is much more interesting than the mostly professional relationships the other have with him. There's a slight creepy undertone of a really twisted (possibly physical) relationship between her and her boss which I'd like to see played up. In Crystal, though we only glimpse her, she does some good stuff. She manages to be creepy, leaving the readers with an ominous foretaste of the possible happenings to come. 3
Bernard : Sorry Bernie, but your motives just don't seem to really click for me yet. On the bright side, some decent aesthetics to the fellow, and Bernard is a surprisingly great name for a bad guy. 2
Arnold: He has a backstory about a mountain and apparently abandoning his post and so on and so forth, but really doesn't click into an interesting role. He just sort of drifts around GNR, being bandied about by the plot and the motions of other characters. He gets a good moment with the revelation that tips the battle in the group's favor, but I think he needs some serious work. Blood knows it too, so hopefully, he'll find some direction in the epilogue. 1
Alyssa: Alyssa... I strongly disliked her in the beginning, when she let Prime dominate her and the RP in Shrinking Feeling, but she's grown on me. The small ammount of initiative she started to show in Shrinking, her much more charming writing in Ishkabibble... She turned around from a spineless jellyfish to a shrinking violet who hides incredible amounts of emotional strength beneath her quiet exterior. Not to mention that Blood keeps hinting about her getting higher level, which sounds like it could be extremely interesting with her power set. Keep at it Blood. Even if you feel like you're not making any headway, she's going great. 4
Durant: Durant's a fun character in PRP. He's got a similar personality to what Max sported, extremely moral and apt to befriending his Pokemon on a deeper level than most people do. But Blood swung Durant in a way that actually made him quite superior. He made his protective nature towards Pokemon go from a subtext to outright busybody behavior (which somehow makes him feel less sanctimonious than Max is, oddly enough. This may be due to the fact that Durant outright lives his ideals and is totally dedicated to them, to the point of pushing away friends that stray from them.), and showed why Durant was developing into such an upstanding youth with such a strong code that he follows. The angst was a bit much, but upon rereading it and understanding what exactly Blood was trying to do, it really isn't that bad. If the angst had been just a bit more restrained, I think I might actually be considering giving him a 5. He's subtly written in a way that Laksha and Dace aren't, but is every bit as cleverly done, if not moreso. 4
Ophelia: Good ol' Ophelia. She's mean, but not just in a standard way. She's got a petulant, cruel drive to her torture of her brother, and indeed, his Pokemon as well, which is just as bad, if not worse, in his eyes. Her party is a little generically “bad” (A Gengar, a Muk...) Charizard is a nice break from it though, typically being a Pokemon used by protagonists only. She needs a bit more depth outside of her brother, as right now, it seems he exclusively defines her, so maybe she should show up in a future plot and kick a few dogs even while Durant is not around to be kicked into Angst-gear. 2.5
Landers: I got a bit more Landers than the rest of the board. Blood talked over a few ideas about him, but it seems blandness is hereditary. Let's see some more of him, and maybe some development beyond “Irritation with Prime's character for doing something stupid.” As is, that's an understandable reaction for almost any personality that has sentience, and some of the more intelligent species of lichen. 2
Kortova: The only name on this list I don't recognize. Blood takes the Stump Lee booby prize for 2010. (Previous holder: Kuroboom.) 1
Mr. Rabbit: Some people thrashed on Mr. Rabbit for being what he is. I see him as both embracing absurdity and bringing a bunch of fun tropes together in a unique way. He's a killer rabbit, yes, but he's not a ravening savage. He's a stone-cold killer, a being on a mission. He doesn't explain why he's killing things. He simply is, almost as if he was born for the sole purpose of doling out death. I'd rate him a 2, mostly due to his lack of screentime yet, but I think giving him a 3 will help balance out the inevitable hammering he takes. 3
Ackerly: Kinda fun to see Blood playing a competent trainer. But then again, he's nothing fresh as a trainer for the boards, so he might need some more work. If we can see some backstory that makes him interesting, it could be just what he needed. (Also, some time after Fallfish's sequel, we should have him face Durant. That'd be a fun match, pragmatism vs. the power of friendship!) 2
Gamboge: Not exactly worth entering her in these polls, since she's not a big character. Her bratty behavior is VERY different from most anybody in RP, which is worth something, and I'm pretty pumped for the “Day in the Limelight” plot that she, “headphones”, and maybe Ignatio might get together someday. So, give her some more screen time and this might go up. 2
Valon: It's kinda hard to really rate Valon. He's an establishment, a key figure in RP history. He's the benchmark for high power characters, only surpassed by Vincent (V names make you strong! Take note, Vieve!) and few... inadvisable characters used by Prime. He's felt stagnant since coming to the Exodus, but that's mostly the same sense of boredom that comes to almost every higher level character. One needs to either keep moving forwards socially, or physically, or somehow else, and there isn't much for Valon to do. He's the strongest, he's in a favorable political position, etc. I'd like to see more of him being shaken up, more of Valon besides dignity and righteous wrath. The post in Crystal recently was a good step, giving him a foreboding omen to deal with. I also know some of the future, and that the status quo WILL be shaken, but right now, he's a 3.
Marius: I haven't read much with him, but serpent motif is totally awesome, and he's got a decent enough personality. If I was DL, I'd play up the Lady's Man aspect and his other factors that push him away from Valon. As is, he seems too similar, a bit too much like a sidekick instead of a protege. 3
Gideon: I like Gideon. Kinda generic DL, but a fun twist on a different way to do werewolves, and an interesting backstory. His overlap with McCrowley makes me think that G names may be cursed in RP (see: Garth). A pity that the “All people that can turn into wolves” topic never got off the ground, though I think it was part of what inspired the “All shadows” topic Shadowplay (which is certainly on its way, along with a shoutout.) So, for being fun in Shrinking and sparking a few nice ideas for me... 3
Aiden (ORP): One of DL's better characters. The personality feels a bit generic amongst his cast, but he's got some drive, and it feels more sincere than a lot of other “Vengeance Driven” characters. Possibly my favorite in DL's cast, provided he gets more screen time. 3
Volkner: Haven't seen much, but I only skimmed the topic. Still promising, though! 2
Val Armada (PRP) : Eh, hasn't stood out much. Uses a few nice species, though, and the serious-DL type of personality is more unique in PRP than ORP. 2
Jessie: Not sure on much about her, but I remember hearing about DBZ style battles between her and Kara. If I'm not mistaken, she helped usher in the more serious, alliance based days of RP. I'll tip my hat to that. 2
Scar: I'd feel bad rating him less than Lucas is getting. He's really just as essential to the success of the duo, the straight man to an absolute nut. The two need eachother to be as entrancingly terrifying as they are. Also, Scar using explosives is kinda neat. A lot of Powers just forget about mundane armaments, but Scar manages to have it both ways. The pragmatism really adds to the horror of the character. Sword, bare hands, magical bullets, explosives, whatever. fuck it. He wants you dead, and he'll enjoy it the whole way. 4
Jacqueline: Kuroboom took a big gamble on her, but it paid off. She's a dynamic, fun character, and he manages to write her in a sweetly endearing way without saying a single word. I'd love to see her be the star of a topic, since she's really quite fantastic. She diverges totally from 'boom's roster of dark characters, and it's amazing what he's managed to do with her. 4
Belwyn: She has a great power set, and a nice personality. Her uncertain nature is fun to work with, since it allows her to change her perspective and angle at various points in an RP, depending on where the plot is taking her. She's a very interesting character, but could use more screen time. 2
Telrien: Now, THIS is where it's at. Sharp writing, clever personality, a superb power set. She's everything that an RP character should bring to the (breakfast) table. Cendra really, really showed her stuff here, and actually managed to wrench the spotlight away from Nopcsa. This is not an easy thing to do. Her writing is just a wee bit rusty, and it'd be nice to see more of her, but Telrien is EASILY a 4. Curator: Oh, excellent writing by Elliot. Total divergence from his typical cast, and then some. His comical descriptions and (sadly) realistic actions for the character result in a scathingly accurate portrayal of the bloated, pompous layer of “Small name, big ego” that floats around most upper level circles these days. Absolutely brilliant. Shamefully, the only topic he could fit into at all that I see is Shrinking Feeling, and that's moved far enough to close the poor guy out. 3 Emily: Miss Schwartzwald is great. She foils almost anybody well with her bright, talkative nature. And her underlying moral vagueness gives her an unnerving but likable method to her madness. It's a very unique code she follows, seemingly gauging her morals based on the people around her and preexisting commitments to friends and such, instead of any isolated moral code. She fits into a very unique spot, and only she can do the job so well. 4 Aquara: Aquara has always been brilliant in a few aspects. Slick fight scenes, stylish looks, a fun power... Up until recently, she's been riding on that. But Kevin's caught wind of the one issue the bruiser had left: A lack of depth. He's been working to change it (look at the last handful of posts with her), and it's been going well. She's gone from a big name with a glaring flaw to a real big player on the stage of ORP. I hope Kevin gets active again, because I'd love to see more of her. 4 Hector: While Yoshimitsu was having issues with focusing his Powers on a single facet, Hector is still having issues focusing himself socially/mentally on a single facet. He's a womanizer that possibly wants to be decent, but just discards that at any moment of convenience. He wants to be powerful, to be able to top his old colleagues and demand respect, but he doesn't train. If Loogs is trying to capture a directionless, hopelessly flawed character, she's succeeded. If not, she needs to give him some motivation before I'd really consider him a solid enough character. On the bright side, he has one of the few transformations that I actually like, his fire powers are done well (or should that be... WELL DONE), and he's got a great plot on the way. 2
Steph's Ratings[/b] Helen – 3 ½. Probably one of my favorite power sets ever, I just wish she could hold a spotlight every once in a while and go through some more character development. I feel like I barely know her. If I am completely wrong on this and she’s actually got some major screen time in some topic somewhere, punch me in the face with your rocket fist. (Lee’s comment: She’s the main character in the duel topic Chains, Lips, Voices. So, I guess, yeah, rocket punch.)
Zebedee – 3 ½. He’s kind of Lee’s very own Gary Stu, which is kind of weird, but oddly it works as well as Gary Stus can. I feel like his personality is too much like Lee’s, and he talks too much like Lee. I like his fighting style though, it’s unique and original.
Yoon Mangjeol – 3 ½. She has a ton of potential, and I hope Pohatu uses her more. I like the part where she has this little impish kind of side to her even though she’s this old Korean lady. I’m especially interested in how she’ll respond and interact with the upcoming espionage plot.
Yoshimitsu – 2 ½. I think Elliot borrows too heavily from established canon like FF for my taste. He could also go for a little less angst, but that’s just me. It’s getting there, but it’s not completely clicking for me.
Vincent – 2. Same as Yoshimitsu, same blatant ripping from other canon, same angst. I like him less than Yoshi though.
Haze – 0. She’s just Miko’s potty-mouth wife. Yawn, boring, let’s move on.
Waylon Bell – 1. wtf is this D:
Faris and Azim al-Burak – 1. srsly wtf
Renard Rouletabille – 4. He’s a pretty simple charming detective, and a clever dynamic from Pohatu. Which makes him super super FUN. EAT THAT COMPLEX CHARACTER TRAITS. EAT IT.
Aquara – 2. Aghhghghhh she’s a sweetie I guess but all of Kevin’s characters seem to be cut from the same “magical fighting bimbo” cloth. I’m sorry, but I don’t find her very interesting.
Max (DJKates) – 0. DURR HURR LOOK AT ME I’M A POKEMANSTRAINER.
Rho & Hig – 4. Oh my god what is this and why do I love it so much please. I’m mad I didn’t think of him first because his speech and his powers and personality must be so darn fun to use.
Fratley – 1 ½. As far as I know Yoshi has never done much to really flesh out Frat, and that’s totally ok with me given my new found hate of canon-rips. Also I never found him very interesting even back in the Power Wars era.
Hector - 3 ½. Oh come on, I can't rate my own baby like this, I'll either rip him to shreds with my lack of self-confidence or lavish him with copious extravagant praise like Pohatu a big fat narcissist. Alright, here goes: as fair as I possibly can be, I think he's going under some serious improvements. As the big Raiixian arc progresses, he should finally be maturing and not be such a royal pain to write. That being said, I think his fighting style and powers could use some work so that they're not the same old "look at me I make fire from my hands" routine. To conclude, I'm pretty sure there's got to be some reason he's been around for seven years.
Lander – 0. I searched and literally found absolutely no mention of him in actual RP. What the hell.
Valon – 3 ½. I always liked how he’s been kind of a father figure to a lot of the younger characters. I also like the part where he makes dragon motifs not cliché somehow.
Miko – 3. He’s still a solid character, it’s just that the whole “I’M GONNA AVENGE MY PEOPLE SOMEDAY” thing got old way long ago. He’s definitely something to watch during fight scenes though.
Vieve – 3. Adorable. Reminds me a little of my Final Distance days with Epsilon. I think I would definitely like to set up an RP with her someday.
Jessie – 0. I’m sure somewhere out there, this character existed, but not here and therefore unrateable. Why do you guys add characters like this to this list anyway?
Kortova - -2. Hey, it has a pretty cool nam—OH GOD NO NOT THIS CLICHÉ WOLF THING OH GOD NO KILL IT. KILL IT DEAD. LEAVE THIS SHIT TO THE 13 YEAR OLD SOCIALLY INEPT LOSERS WHO THINK THEY'RE COOL BY WRITING THIS SHIT. NO NO NO NO NO.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Sept 4, 2010 22:01:01 GMT -5
SV’s RatingsAchenes: A strong character, but just a little too overtly tough-girl for me to really be crazy about her. Rating: 3.5 Ackerly: Seems like a pretty alright character. Rating: 2.5 Algernon Breck: Aww, what a sweet old mailman. Well played. Rating: 3 Avery: A promising character with an interesting ability. I'm excited to see what Iron Mouse does with her. Rating: 3.5 Belwyn: She hasn't quite impressed me yet, but I can't help but like her. Rating: 3 Bernard: Another interesting ability, but a little impotent for a villain from what I read. He could be a total hard-ass but he just seems a little hollow to me. I'm confident, however, that Bulbs can do some cool stuff with him. Rating: 3 The Curator: If El was going for a pompous, takes-his-job-too-seriously angle for this guy, he hit it spot on. A very nice addition to the museum scene. Rating: 3.25 Commissioner Williams: He is one intense dude. I quite like him. I hope he'll make future appearances and that we'll eventually find out why he's so got it out for Powers. (Unless this has been expressed elsewhere and I didn't find it, in which case, shame on me.) Rating: 3.75 Daniel Huckabee: There's nothing to say. This guy's just way too awesome. Do want more. Rating: 4 Lucas: Biscuit taking over Lucas was undoubtedly the best thing to have ever happened to this character. I kind of feel bad to say that. But I mean. Biscuit's taken him and done brilliant things that Prime just couldn't quite manage, at least not yet. Unfortunate but understandable that it doesn't sound like Biscuit wants to make him a permanent cast member. Oh well. Rating: 3.75 Marius: New as of Stray Dogs, yes? Off to a pretty good start. I suspect he'll get better the more we see him. Rating: 3 Mr. Rabbit: Is...is he actually a rabbit. With a spear? I...I don't know... Rating: 2 Paolo Bianchi: Oh my goodness, what have we been doing without Q for so long? This is a beautiful, beautiful start. I seriously cannot wait to see what happens with him in Ish. Rating: 3.5 Rance West: Rance West is the handsome character on the Exodus and I is the want to creator his greatest and sexy babies. Yet another bad-ass new character. Rating: 3.5 Shino: Not really anything about this guy that jumps out at me. Rating: 1.5 Val Armada: Not bad by any measure, but he hasn't really done enough to impress me. I imagine I'll like him a little more as the Carillon Tournament progresses. Rating: 2.5 Valon: DL's signature character, without a doubt. Valon, and his entire culture, are always a delight to read about. The time and effort that DL put into them is evident in the detail and nuances that make them engaging and interesting. The biggest problem with these old-time big-time characters is that it's often difficult to get them into RPs, which is why Bulbs's Crystals series and all that are wonderful. I'll be keeping an eye on them, that's for sure. Rating: 4.75 Sly: Wow. What else is there to say about Sly than that? He’s been around longer than most characters around here, has he not? He’s grown and experienced so much as a character that it’s almost a tragedy that we don’t have an archive of all the RPs he’s been in (because I can guarantee you it would be a great read). Even among Bulbs’s other big name character, Sly stands out. I’m sure that all of us hope to have such well-developed, deep characters one of these days. Rating: 5 (Would you expect anything less?) Merlin: I like Merlin. He seems to be one of those amusingly grumpy wizard types, which I wholeheartedly enjoy. Unfortunately, I've only seen him in The Crystals Pt. 2, where he doesn't seem to have that prominent of a role. Could just be this RP, I dunno. Anyway, keep him around. He's delightful. Rating: 3.5 Volkner: He just...eh...He didn't really do it for me. And then he got set on fire. Is he dead? That's not cool. Rating: 1.75 Wally Creed: Yet another example of Biscuit's ability to write highly engaging bit characters. He's got my thumbs-up. Rating: 3.25 Faris and Azim al-Burak: Oh my goodness. The best minor-character cabdrivers ever. Way to make what would have otherwise been a very dull ride across town a very funny and amusing experience. A wonderful contribution on Biscuit's part. Rating: 3.5* Jimmy the Orangutan: I can't actually find any RPs featuring ol' Jimmy, but I find myself inordinately annoyed at the thought of an orangutan as an RP character. Sorry choobs. Rating: -1 Jonas: I'll go ahead and admit that I didn't care for Jonas too much at first. The only thing I could think as I mucked through his cumbersome dialogue was “What was Bulbs thinking, making a mentally-handicapped character?” That said, the more back story I read on him, the more I like him. Bulbs has succeeded in making what appears to be a very simple character into a deep character whose glimpses of history make you crave more. Over the course of just Ishkabibble, he has become one of my favorite of Bulbs's characters. I would love to see Jonas in an RP of his own soon. Rating: 4 Renard Rouletabille: Renard is a brilliant, quirky, and altogether endearing character. He and his suggestion-style writing may not revolutionize ORP as we know it, but he did well to freshen the place up a bit. I look forward to his next adventure, whatever it may be. Rating: 4.5 Rhys Whitticker: Is it lame to rate your own characters? Oh well. Rhys. You poor thing. You could be such a great character. Rhys's problem is that I am having a very difficult time developing a unique personality and voice for him. It doesn't help that of the 5-7 RPs I've stuck him, only like 3 of them have actually gone anywhere (CLV, Emet, and Ish, of course). I personally feel that he's getting slightly better as Ish progresses, but I feel that he's too passive a presence and that his interactions are awkward at best. Rating: 3 Sarosin Narita: I would like him so much better if his name were different. No lie. In a lot of ways, I like him better than Rhys, though I think this is mostly due to the fact that he's been my brainchild for six or so years so I've had longer to establish a voice for him and whatnot. My problem with him is that I'm trying to turn him into more of a Ladd Russo type sociopath and I can't stop making him more like Jack Sparrow. Hopefully, the plans I have involving him and Rhys will remedy this somewhat. Rating: 3 Alpha: Ahh, our favorite doppelganger. Alpha's development into his own unique character was a really cool thing to do with Terrian's ability. His personality echoes Terrian's just enough to remind us where he came from, but is just different enough to remain distinct. I am personally curious to see how Alpha would do in an RP of his very own, with little to no Terrian involved. Maybe? Possibly? Pretty please, Pohatu? Rating: 3.75 Blaise: Okay, so, at first I didn't care for her. My first impression of her was that she was a very arrogant walking brain in a pencil skirt and heels (though this is probably because (if I recall correctly) she wasn't supposed to be a recurring character). The more I read of her, however, the more I like her. Under her burgeoning intellect is a real person that I for one am very interested in learning more about. Rating: 4 Fratley: So, all I could find on Fratley was in LaDC, wherein Fratley is a total bad-ass but doesn't get an awful lot of screen time. Still, he seems to be on par with El's general level of awesomeness. I'll have to go learn more about him now. Rating: 4 Gamboge: I wasn't able to find anything about this character, so I wasn't really able to give him a fair rating. Sorry =( Rating: 1 Garth: I like him from what I've read, but I can't see where he's really taken any strong role in an RP. If Lee were to address this, I'm confident he would make a fine addition to his character repertoire. Rating: 3.25 Isambard Zonis: An interesting take on a Pokemon trainer. I'm curious about him and interested in how he'll develop through and after the Carillon Tournament. Rating: 2.5 Jacqueline: Mimes/clowns kind of weird me out, but that withstanding, she is way cooler than a mime should ever be, if the Ulima tournament is anything to judge by. Interesting concept and an altogether pretty solid character. Rating: 3.5 Jessie: Um...Who? Rating: 1 Kortova: Alright for a wolf, I guess, but nothing about him really stood out to me. Maybe it's just not really my thing. Rating: 2 Kyle Castellani: An engaging and amusing bartender, but unfortunately, that's all there is to say about him so far. Rating: 2 Nopcsa: I am ever enraged by his name and my inability to figure out how it should be pronounced. Regardless, I like him. He compliments Terrian nicely, from what I've seen of the two of them together, and his reputation for being kind of flamboyant is silly and enjoyable. (But seriously, how in the hell are you supposed to pronounce his name?!) Rating: 3.75 Ophelia: She is SUCH a bitch. I don't even know what her motivation was for coming after the Fallfish kids, except for maybe to be a pain in the ass. I could just be forgetting it, though. Anyway, she makes a good antagonist, but I'd like to get to know a little more about her so I could understand her motivations and whatnot. Rating: 3 Scar: Scar is a total scary maniac, and a well-executed one at that. Kuroboom's ability to write what is altogether a convincing psychopath falls somewhere between the realms of “uncanny” and “unsettling.” Still, he's a great contrast to the majority of other characters who can rarely if ever be considered at all villainous. Rating: 4 Telrien: As far as first characters go, Telrien is definitely one of the better ones I've seen. Cendra seems to be a very able writer and I'm certain she can do brilliant things with this character the longer she sticks around. Rating: 3.5 Terrian Brogue: What a guy, that Terrian. He seems to me to have started the trend toward more believable characters, which is a rather positive trend in ORP. Terrian just seems like a more-or-less regular guy. He's not particularly brave, he's got realistic flaws...and he just happens to be a Power, which seems to cause most of his problems. He's got this acutely human quality to him that isn't so immediately evident in a lot of big-name characters. All in all, probably one of the most beloved characters on the Exy to date. Rating: 4.75 Vieve: Vieve is pretty much adorable. Choobs manages to pull off her childlike-ness in such a way that she still fits into ORP, and I don't know that anyone else could trump it. She and Rhometer and precious in Kaida, but it would be nice to see her in more RPs. Rating: 4 Yoon Mangjeol: An exceedingly intriguing character. There's so much I want to know about her! Like, why did she choose to work as an information broker? What had her so flustered in The Burgled Boullogne? And most of all, when is she going to break away from her more marginalized role? She deserves more than to be a consultant here and there! Rating: 3.75 Ysane: Seems like a very interesting character, but I didn't turn up any RPs she's been in. Maybe you should fix this, Choobs? Rating: 2.5 Waylon Bell: Yet another ray of minor-character sunshine Biscuit brought to The Burgled Boullogne. He took this lowly doorman and made him into something memorable. Kudos to you, sir. Rating: 3.5* Aiden: There is no such thing as an in-character Aiden post in two years. Sorry, but I can't really rate that. =( Rating: 1 Ally/Agent Chaos: I skimmed through all of The Crystal Pt. 2 and found two bits involving her before I decided I was taking way too long. She seems intriguing. I'm not sure I feel particularly strong about her in one way or another, but I'm definitely curious. Rating: 2 Alyssa: Here's a character that I think has an awful lot of potential that hasn't yet been tapped. I certainly don't dislike her. I find her rather interesting. I would really like to see more done with her, though. Rating: 2.5 Antonio: I found the bits of “The Exploration” that I read to be the best to judge Antonio by. What is there to say about him? He holds to the standard of excellence expected of Elliot, while being unique enough to stand out from the rest of El's cast. He is, however, disappointingly absent from ORP for the past two years, save for Entertain the Masses. Give us more Antonio, El, and I'll be happy. Rating: 3.75 Aquara: She's not horrible by a long shot; I'm just not particularly biased toward her. Rating: 1.75 Arnold: There's nothing about him that's really grabbing me. =( Rating: 1.25 Channery Keigler: A very strong introduction in The Burgled Boullogne for our Ms. Keigler. I did find her a little peculiar, though; she seems so straight up...antagonistic at first but then totally softens. It kind of left me a bewildered. Anyway, I very much want to see her again soon. Rating: 4 Charles Tanner: Tanner is a really cool guy, but unfortunately, he seems to get the least love out of all of Pohatu's cast. While Rho and Hig have an admittedly smaller post count, they're responsible for several memorable posts; the rest of his cast are either new or big-name characters. Tanner strikes me as having fallen to the wayside a bit. I did enjoy him in That Shrinking Feeling, though, and he plays a significant part in Ish. Will we start seeing him more frequently now? I hope so. Rating: 4 Gideon: He is a silly. He's quite the fun trainer to read (decode?), but I find myself having difficulty taking him seriously. I think that's the point though. Anyway, he's got my thumbs-up. Rating: 3 The Proper Gideon: I suppose that the reason I rated Pohatu's redneck pokemon trainer in the first place is that I am incapable of finding anything with DL's Gideon in it. This makes me sadface. Rating: 1 Julia: Julia is not something that I readily attribute to choobs, but he writes her very well. Her hypnotism is very unique, and everything I've seen of her has caused me to like her bunches. Rating: 4 Lacianus: I will never not read her name as “Lacy Anus,” which I wholeheartedly regret. What I've seen of her, I like; but I haven't seen a whole lot of her. Rating: 3.25 Lander: Another no-post-in-two-years deal. Sadface. Rating: 1 Max: It's a bit of a bummer that we haven't seen more of this guy recently. While maybe not the most memorable trainer in PRP (*cough Gideon cough cough Fallfish trio*), Max is definitely one of the biggest names in it. He is the trainer. While his absence probably won't cripple PRP, it will certainly be felt in it. Rating: 4.25 Dace: Dace is absolutely adorable in Fallfish. You could see her (as well as the other two) grow throughout the RP, and her childlike energy and innocence is nothing short of endearing. She is an absolute pleasure. Rating: 4 Durant: Another of our Fallfish alumni. Durant fits well in between Dace's energy and Laksha's seriousness. He is a promising trainer, and I'm sure many of us can relate to his quietness and hint of insecurity. Like the other Fallfishers, he is a very convincing child-trainer. Rating: 4 Emily: Emily is the sweet sister-figure of RP. Always cheery and compassionate, she's a fun blend of spazziness, kindness, and kick-assery. It's a shame that Clicker isn't around to play her as much recently, but Lee does a commendable job auto-ing her. Rating: 4 Ender: Having been familiar with Ender since waaaaaaay back on the Pokeschool boards, to me, he is as quintessentially choobs as Rie is. I always found him to be an extremely interesting character, and it still kind of bums me out that he got killed off. D: Rating: 4.75 The Giarrettiera Brothers: Wow. These guys are seriously some of the most interesting things to happen to RP recently. Each brother remains very distinct from the other two and would function just as well, I feel, on his own. The hints of sibling tension between them are a nice touch. I'm looking forward to getting to know them all better. (Especially Nico, but that might just be me.) Rating: 12. That's, erm, 4. 4 each. Yeah. Laksha: A wonderful player in Fallfish. She rounds out the trio very well, sometimes keeping the slightly younger kids in line. There are certain things that make me wonder about her, such as why she's so self-deprecating at times in Fallfish, but I imagine these things will be touched upon in time. Rating: 4 * - Please note: I've decided to set 3.5 as my “Damn, what a good minor character/un-NPC!” rating. For anything that isn't likely to appear in a more major role in a future RP, read this as close to a 5.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Sept 4, 2010 22:03:40 GMT -5
Everybody, hold onto your butts. Pohatu’s RatingsZEBEDEE: 3 A solid character who still has yet to really take off in my perception… I think you probably have to know Zebedee “from the inside”, so to speak, in order to really appreciate him. I mean you have to work directly with him in RPs, instead of just reading his material in RPs you haven’t participated in. His speeches in the likes of Sea God and LaDC must mean a lot more to people who are doing work in those topics. (I have had characters in a couple of RPs with him, but we’ve scarcely brushed shoulders. That’s got to be fixed. I wonder if he and Esther would get along?) THYRA: 2 I’d like to have pushed up Thyra’s grade from last year, but she still has yet to make a really strong impression on me. In his comments last time, Lee described her as “distinctive” while also “flowing well with most RPs without causing friction”. The latter is true, certainly, but then again it’s true of almost all Lee’s characters bar the likes of Ms. Euler. It’s on the former point I’m not so convinced. Thyra’s power is quite unusual and cool, but her personality – in spite of the tragedy she’s suffered in the past – comes off as kinda middle-of-the-Lee-road in Urakuni so far. If that were the first Archie Exie RP I read, I wouldn’t be able to tell you much about what she’s like. Up to this point, at least. NATALIE: 4 The problem with rating Lee’s A-list characters is that it is a little like reviewing classic games. Or in other words, “Here’s your review: SHE IS F*CKING NATALIE!” The commentary doesn’t get a whole lot more insightful. This chick drives stories, forms intense relationships, and (this part is more unusual than it should be) manages to kick quite the truckload of ass while still inciting us to care about her on an emotional level, instead of just going “wow, she’s cool.” But you don’t need me to tell you any of that. Because she is fucking Natalie. MIKO: 3 One of many slippery characters about whom I realize I should know a lot more than I’ve ever managed to retain. I don’t really follow Miko, which I know must be a source of chagrin to Lee who’s quite vocal about Miko being his most underappreciated cast member. It’s the characters with the amount of depth Miko boasts that make me wish Lee did more to promote his characters. More work on the tropes page, at least! Still, I’m giving him three points just for the line “You can tear my limbs off, you son of a bitch, but you know what? I'll spit in your fucking face.” NOPCSA: 4 It seems odd now that Nopcsa wasn’t in the poll last year, given that he was already very much in the process of earning himself a secure spot on Lee’s B-list. Needless to say I’m a big fan of ol’ Nopnop and his wry, sardonic manner; I heartily support his having won the Best Personality award last year. And Ishkasix showed us a very distinctive combat style for him, involving as much The Reason You Suck Speechifying as predicting and dodging attacks. I’m looking forward to seeing what Lee has planned for him in Emet. (I really know nothing about the plot of that RP.) DACE: 4 Not much more to say about Dace now than last year, but that’s hardly a bad thing. As strong a statement as it was, I don’t think Lee could have been too far off the mark at all last year when he described hers as the best characterization he’s ever written on the RP boards. Her sweetness, enthusiasm and sense of fun are infectious and I say easily make her the standout of the Fallfish trio. Plus, her scene when the Clamperl was introduced? Adorable.BLAISE: 4 Still one of my favorites of Lee’s cast. It’s true what Lee indicated in his own ratings last year, that it takes a certain kind of character (the talky thinky boring kind) to play off Blaise well, but when she has a good opposite number the results are really interesting. This wasn’t a huge year for Blaise outside of Ishkabibble – oh if only Whisper had moved more – but she’s got a couple of great scenes coming up on that front, so her future is as bright as that immaculate Cleavage!Labcoat (disclaimer: I have no idea how clean she keeps her labcoats). ACHENES: 2 I already talked about her on the Formspring recently so no reason to hash all that out again. Put briefly, I just don’t think she offers anything narrative/dialogue-wise that any other Lee character doesn’t. Same problem as Thyra, in other words, except that while I know Thyra to have had a distinctive and tragic history and therefore am confused as to how she levelled out, Achenes just gives the impression that her characterization hasn’t truly hit its stride yet. (Not that quite a few of my characters aren’t in the same boat.) HELEN: 4 Lee works hard on Helen and it pays off. That poem in his epic latest LaDC post must have taken a solid hour to put together all by itself. But Helen’s in a problematic position where while her spells take a lot of effort to write, her theoretical abilities have quite a considerable range, thereby making her by Lee’s confession too powerful for a lot of topics even though it’s not easy to write her. I wish there were some way to rein her in a little so she wasn’t in danger of breaking plots. Maybe practicing with Esther, whose form of magic is also verbal and versatile, will yield some insight. Regardless of her handling problems, though, Helen is still a grade-A character with a look and feel all her own. GARTH: 2 The hapless Garth always manages to get overshadowed, whether inadvertently by Terrian in Triannual or quite systematically by Nopcsa in Bows, so I’m withholding judgement until we really see him come into his own. I do really like his unbalanced friendship with Nopcsa, but the personality on its own hasn’t spoken to me yet, and as for his powers… Well, I hope they’re a little more complicated than just “rainbow flames” which is all I understand of them right now. A little more complicated and maybe a little less homosexual. LACIANUS: 3 What a choice of character to drop into Burgled Boullogne at Demitasse! And yet the contrast between her highly futuristic vibe and Renard’s antiquated stylings didn’t create any dissonance at all, and actually achieved a great balance which paid off with that unexpectedly sweet “You’re halfway to being Bill Gates” line. As if this were going to sound remotely surprising, I find Lacy more interesting when her earnest, efficient, tech-savvy attitude is applied to everyday situations like playing games at a coffee shop, as opposed to when she’s in the cockpit of a mecha. Ol’ Killjoy McPohatu strikes again. ISAMBARD: 2 He gets credit for making me like Exeggcutes and for the phrase “even if it came in a bunch of folklore-spouting, dowsing-rod rattling trappings” (This is probably the first time in the history of English that six words, four of them gerunds or present participles, were strung together in a charming and effective way), but overall I feel he might not be… I don’t know. If he’s supposed to be a loser I’m not quite sold – he’s mostly got his act together from what I’ve seen of him. And once again, his narrative/speaking voice is nothing remotely new from Lee at this point. I’ll be keeping an eye on him, and I’ll probably find more to like, but the moment I’m kinda indifferent. HAZE: 1 It’s possible I have never actually read a single RP including Haze. Unless Lee’s taken her over (maybe he has in SS or somewhere, I forget), her inclusion in this poll is confusing since she doesn’t seem to be… you know… a part of RP anymore. (Future Pohatu says there’s more of this stuff on the way though!) RIE: 4 Much respect. I appreciate that she’s been pulling more than her weight in Ish so far, picking up the extra wrinkle of knowing the Giarrettieras already from LTR and so taking a good bit of the initiative in terms of negotiating with them. Unfortunately this has put us in the difficult position of retroactively establishing an introduction between two characters with some of the least conversational chemistry imaginable, Rie and Nico. These are challenges to hone the skill and leaven the craft. JULIA: 4 Hard worker, isn’t she? And smart too. Lot of thoughtful writing going into her, despite what Choobs would have you believe. I’m completely in favor of her taking over Ender’s spot as Choobs’ other primary character. I really wish Choobs had held off longer before revealing her as Masquerade, though. At least I think he needs to bring Masquerade back, but she’ll probably assume the guise again in Entertain the Masses at some point. That’s good. We need outgoing Julia as well as pensive Julia. (We also need Huckabee’s wife to have a name other than Julia. Oh well, I’m assuming she won’t show up onscreen anyway.) ENDER: 3 Last year I gave him a four. He loses a point this year. For being dead. (He’ll lose another point next year if you enter him again. This is called decomposing.) VIEVE: 3 Needs moar Vieve! I want to give her an extra point just for going so vividly against Choobs stereotypes (not that Choobs stereotypes are bad but there has got to be a character that goes against them), but I’m reluctant since she is so direly underexposed. The search engine informs me that despite having been around since at least 2007, she’s been in only two RPs ever. Kaida and the Amarante, and that other one. By contrast, Julia has showed up in about four or five RPs in the year-and-a-half-ish since her introduction. And yet Choobs lists those two equally as his “only easy-to-insert characters”! Let’s have a little more Vieve please! She’s PReTty w0ND ERlfful!!12 MANDELBROT: 3 Really cool bad guy. He knows how to rock Awesomeness By Analysis like nobody’s business, as Ishkatwo neatly showed with him actually framing his attacks upon Lucas and Scar as experiments to test their capacities! And mirror mobility is a tried and true way to make a character awesome, although it seems strange that he supposedly has a thing for going after Powers when he’s also (by any normal human’s estimation) a Power. Maybe self-loathing plays into this. Maybe Mandelbrot has all the issues. All of them. JIMMY: 0 Doesn’t really do it for me, sorry. P.S. Orangutans are apes.YSANE: 1 I like her fine, but it just doesn’t seem right to give her anything higher when she hasn’t shown up at all since her debut topic years ago. I think the idea is that she’s supposed to resurface soon, but I don’t get why we’d be rating her now if that’s the case. She needs to be on the poll next year. RANCE: 3 Ninety’s extremely attentive, detailed style serves Rance well indeed, but I’m not sure his characterization is nailed yet. When he and Huckabee are separated (as they are for most of Gasoline) I feel like they act like the same character. There’s supposed to be a rookie-veteran dynamic between them and yet reading that topic I’d have a hard time guessing which was which if Huckabee hadn’t stated it outright. Between the two, for the moment, I prefer Huckabee, but that is 100% bias due to him popping up in Boullogne. KYLE: 2 Not very much to judge Kyle on yet, but he’s made a good first impression. Same rock-solid Ninety writing style but a character who’s a little bit less composed than Rance, which was the right decision. I guess his inclusion in this survey is proof that Ninety intends to keep him around in some other capacity after LTR, which is good news. TERRIAN: 4 Rough year for Terrian. Ironically, even though so much of Ish revolves around him, it ended up being a very low-profile year for him anyway. I overcompensated for Ish by tightening the knots on his RP participation in other ways, such as the decisions to toss the first match of the Ulima Tournament, to withhold him from LTR even though it had his name written all over it, and to cancel his planned participation in SWRP. I also feel he may have been a bit overshadowed by my surge of new characters recently, especially Renard. I was actually seriously considering bumping Terrian down to a 3 this year, but then I remembered that he did have a few outstanding scenes in the not-too-distant past, especially the fight against Summer, that latest Whisper post, and the confrontation with Paolo. (By the time this goes up, he’ll hopefully have had another candidate in the form of his conversation with Esther.) So whatever I guess I’ll give him a 4 after all. RHO & HIG: 3 I didn’t go into this year expecting to give Rhometer and Higgledy Piggledy a point higher than last year, but actually it was a good year for them despite their very sporadic activity. I nailed Hig’s speaking mannerisms and overall snobbish, critical, closed-minded personality (Author Avatar ahoy!!!!), and Rho had, I thought, nothing short of a beautiful character moment in this post – really the whole thing but particularly his resentfully cheerful obedience to Hig’s specifications and then almost savage invitation to the other heroes once he’d made what to him must have seemed a completely unnecessary revision to the door. I’m finally getting the hang of these two, I think. CHARLES TANNER: 2 And then there’s Tanner at the other end of the spectrum: Stagnating, and fast. Tanner needs to move, and striking up adorable conversations with stupid little kids at art museums is not going to cut it with Pohatu! Ishkabibble ought to do some good things for him (and maybe Entertain will too, I have no idea what Elliot’s planning there), but that doesn’t excuse how static he’s become at this point. My fault for not making him a difficult and dynamic enough character in the first place. He’s congealed. I’m having much more of a hell of a time writing his assorted accomplices than the King of Clubs himself. THE G-BROS: 3 One point each? Or an average of three? You decide. I think the Giarrettieras taken as a whole deserve a 3 although there are ways in which I’ve been lazy about all three of them. Massimo is my stereotypical writing voice personified (yes, I have one! I am not blind to it!). I’m too relaxed when writing him, and I don’t push him hard enough to be scary, hoping too much that his more menacing moments will come through under the surface of his friendly demeanor. Cesare is actually my favorite of the three to write, but… Well, I still think this is a hell of a post, neatly fleshing out not only Cesare’s character but also the other brothers and their father, but now I’m pretty sure I’m just riding on that post and not making any effort to develop him more in Ish. (Actually there is a bit of subtext to the latest Ishkaseven post which I’ll have to explain a little later when we start seeing the events from Cesare’s perspective.) As far as Nico goes I’ve just been taking his characterization way too slowly. It’s kind of the opposite problem as with Cesare: I know he’s got steps to take in Ish, so I’m barely developing him at all in LTR, treating the whole thing as one long setup. That’s not very nice and it isn’t something a more morally upstanding writer would do. YOON: 4 Oh, Yoonie. I was worried about her at first! I was afraid that since the information broker who has the dirt on everything dirtworthy is a popular archetype, she might attract acclaim without really deserving it. That was before her scene rolled around in Burgled Boullogne and she somehow became cooler, scarier, sadder, and more human all within the space of about three posts. She worked that appearance for all it was worth and I’m very proud of that scene. Now I’m persuaded she could actually deserve to become one of my more popular characters in the long run. RENARD: 3 Burgled Boullogne has been such a rough, demanding task that I will freely admit to being a little sick of Mr. Rouletabille at this point. I’ll feel happy about him again once it’s all over, though. That RP is such an intensive debut for him – his characterization is about as detailed as Terrian’s now, even if he doesn’t have nearly as much RP history, and Renard’s blown right past most of my other characters in that regard. (For the moment, anyway.) Truth be told, I didn’t know that much about Renard when I started Boullogne, but somehow everything just clicked for him. And his unique position among my characters respective to level of diction vs. level of honesty still makes him quite interesting to me, even if not as much pure fun to write as he was when we started. CHANNERY: 4 Channery’s got a tough road to walk. Two of the forum’s most popular and acclaimed characters are Action Girls, and any new face who falls anywhere near the category therefore has to be careful. If she’s too brash, emotional and aggressive, she runs the risk of encroaching on Natalie’s territory; if she’s too aloof, snarky and dispassionate, she can look like a ripoff of Rie. It’s up to the rest of you how well Channery has succeeded in staking out her own corner of Action Girldom, but I’ll say I’m quite happy with her debut. Her conversation with Renard, when not clogged with exposition, has gone in a lot of directions, and their relationship’s been painted with many more colors besides boring ol’ “hero and villain”. WILLIAMS: 3 What? Do I really think Commissioner Williams is a better character than Charles Tanner? Well, maybe not, but I figured no one else was liable to give him anything as high as a 3 so I thought I might as well step up. Williams is essentially in the opposite position from Yoon, where his archetype – the grumpy authority figure who hates minority X (in this case, Powers) – stacks the audience’s opinions against him from the start. He will probably get a lot worse in Due Parole if that RP happens, but I still think he has some redeeming qualities, the biggest of which being (and this is something I’ve tried to hint at here and there so far) the fact that he’s a family man. He has a loving wife and two young daughters whom he fawns over, and a big part of his vendetta against Powers stems from his concern for their safety. But I shouldn’t say stuff like that here, I should show it in the RP. Sorry. ALPHA: 2 On the poll by Lee’s request, but I don’t blame most people if they either forgot about Alpha or never knew who he was in the first place. He’s a tough one. He’s supposed to be Terrian with all things equal except minus the sense of humor. This is tricky since humor is an integral part of Terrian’s personality, and not as a push for crowd-pleaser status: he relies heavily on humor as a defense mechanism to help cope with all the weird shit he runs into. Take that away from Alpha and you get a much more difficult character to write. I don’t think I’ve been too successful yet. LAKSHA: 3 Don’t get me wrong, I think the post introducing Jatayu was pretty great, but otherwise I’ve cooled quite a bit toward Laksha this year. With all Lee’s talk of Fallfish’s sequel, I’ve faced the ugly discovery that I really don’t know anywhere near as much about Laksha’s past, present and future as he and Blood do about Dace and Durant. And around the same time, along comes Yoon Mangjeol, who (as I’m sure I mentioned once on the Formspring) takes Laksha’s same very broad personality mold – the kind, gentle, reserved lady – and infuses it with way cooler, darker and more complex undertones. Kind of leaves Laksha out in the cold. She looks a bit like a beta-Yoon now in the same way that Orsini was a beta-Cesare, Jud was something of a beta-Channery, this guy talking to Terrian was a definite beta-Massimo, and you could argue that Alpha is a beta-Nico (especially if you just wanted to call a guy named “Alpha” a “beta-something”). But I digress. Laksha. She’ll pick back up in my esteem, but I need a while to think about her. PAOLO: 3 I know. Needs moar Paolo (he’ll reappear in Ish at some point, I promise), but I really liked his debut in Scene Zero. Q doesn’t do as much creative writing as I do, I think – she’s too busy excelling at one hundred other creative activities – so I kind of lost track of what her style feels like, but this was a pleasant surprise. Spare, never lush, but efficient and very effective. Paolo is Made From The Right Stuff. YOSHIMITSU: 4 Jesus, what a turnaround. I’m not sure the board’s history holds a better example of someone getting a public slap on the wrist and, instead of whining and defending themselves, just going ahead and stepping their game up. Remember how Yoshi got the second lowest rating in the polls last summer? I can’t be the only one assuming it’s gonna be a different story this year, right? Elliot took the cries of “cluttered” and “overpowered” like a champ, streamlining Yoshi’s abilities and doing a ton of work with him (both in RP and, even more so, in fiction) that emphasized his personality and relationships over his powers. Attn: This is how it’s done (it is taking criticism). VINCENT: 2 I don’t really know him well enough to rate him higher. All I can say is I like him in The Exploration and not so much in LaDC. In LaDC he’s too… generically evil. We’ve heard lines like “You’re the one to challenge me? Is this some kind of joke?”, “This world will burn. Make no mistake. And you can't stop me” and “You really think you're the one who’s going to stop me?” many times before. He’s more interesting as the topic gets further on, but that doesn’t change the fact that Prime – Prime – was the fresher and more engaging conversationalist between them in their opening fight. That’s… That’s tough, Elliot. ILLIANA: 2 Again, don’t really know her, but I like her well enough. I dig the mix of combat magic and healing magic in principle, even though to the best of my knowledge we haven’t actually seen her do her stuff in a fight yet. I guess it’s too bad that she’s kinda gotten shoehorned into the role of the Watson in Elliot’s story. Happens to the best of them, though. FRATLEY: 1 Ooh. Uh. He’s… a rat person. I don’t really know. I guess I’m speciesist. I don’t take well to nonhuman (or at least non-human-looking) characters in ORP. But that’s not actually why I didn’t rank him higher. What it comes down to is I just don’t feel especially compelled by his personality. He’s obviously very kind and friendly and he has his act together and usually knows the right thing to do… and… that means I find it hard to pay attention to him in The Exploration. I want characters who are mean and standoffish and falling apart and usually wrong, god damn it! ANTONIO: 4 I’ve already expressed in more than enough detail my concern that Antonio comes off a bit too perfect when he’s in his element, but as I predicted in that post, now that Antonio’s out of his sphere and united with Elliot’s other characters, we can see past the excessive flair and apparent infallibility to the real guy. And I like him. He’s got a serious superiority complex, he’s in a position of mutual distrust with the other heroes, and his personal agenda is hard to gauge at the moment. And his deck of trick cards is mad cool. All of these things get a thumbs up from my direction. THE CURATOR: 3 Maybe I was exaggerating when I included him in my top ten list, but this cat is mad funny. Elliot employs the tried-and-true method of counterbalancing Mr. Wood’s over-the-top squawking with a totally deadpan narrative voice. It pays off. Great walk-on; it’s just too bad he’s another one unlikely to reappear, at least on the job. MAX: 2 Odd choice for Elliot’s guest character, but I guess arguably less odd than fossils like Jessie, so fair enough. Max is a pretty good character and I harbor no grudge for having lost my first PRP match to him. But I do kind of begrudge Djkates writing his Delibird as if it were a Pidgeot or a Staraptor, all swooping around and dive-bombing Ganesh etc. Delibird is a penguin! They are not known for their aerial capabilities! I mean I know Delibird technically can learn a few flight-based moves (like… Fly), but that still seems pretty cheap to me. So nothing more than a 2 for you, Max Milen. Maybe if your last name were Andurin you’d get a bonus point. (Out of pity.) HUCKABEE: 4 Us does love we our Huckabee. And for more than just his memorable cameo in Boullogne, either. After that rockin’ bio pretty much set the new gold standard for forethought into a character, Biscuit went on to shock us like an electric eel with Huckabee in action. I have the same complaint about him as about Rance, which is that I think there needs to be more differentiation (or at least more shown rather than informed) between their personalities, but as I also said, Biscuit’s done more to carve out Huckabee’s own niche, including not only the Boullogne cameo but also the Formspring (I really want character Formsprings to be a thing but I will have to push them harder once these ratings are done). It’s easy to look at the likes of Rance and Huckabee as the final stage of evolution from back when people RPed as Pokemon years and years ago. I hope that’s not true only because I hope RP never stops evolving, but if this were the plateau I think it’d be a pretty good one. LUCAS: 4 It’s no secret I’m a Lucas fanboy. And I didn’t even know what I was talking about last year when I gave him a four. I was just breathless upon seeing a Prime character who was consistently fresh, interesting, and not stereotypically Primy (the “consistently” part is what rules Ryuu out. I direct your attention to this post). This year, he really deserves it. It’s been obvious since his first post in Ishkanine: Biscuit taking over Lucas is the best thing. For all of us. Forever. But I hope Biscuit doesn’t grow too impatient with Lucas’ more supernatural aspect, because I also thought Prime used his icy power to exceptionally good, disturbing effect in Ishkatwo. CREED: 1 I gave him a 1 before I remembered who he was. Then I wanted to give him a 2 because it almost seems wrong to default to 1 for a Biscuit character. They just arrive pretty well done is what I’m saying. But I’m sticking to my guns after all. I don’t think Creed really stands out among his cast at all because he pretty much just reads like – wait for it – the stereotypical Biscuit character! Ahahahaha you knew it was comin’, didn’t you? You – Oh man. You knew it was on the way. ALGERNON: 2 Good man. I’ll always remember Algernon fondly as the first external character to enter Burgled Boullogne. I was really happy to see Biscuit take up the task of the mailman with such thought and care. And I really like how he’s picked up familiarity with the surface details of Renard’s life by hand-delivering him his mail every day. I wish it were more likely Algernon Breck was destined to show up again in RP someday. WAYLON: 3 Waylon, on the other hand, I’m much more confident we’ll see again. Of all the supporting characters introduced in Boullogne he’s the one with the strongest hook for future appearances: “Waylon Bell would let them play at keeping him down until then. He was not another piece of furniture. Waylon Bell would own this town one day.” That’s what I like to see. Ambition. I hope by Biscuit’s hint about his possible appearance sometime in FRP what he means is that at that point in history Waylon Bell is ruling Ecruteak with an iron fist. ‘Cuz I’d be down. FARIS & AZIM: 2 Love these two crazy guys. I like to think that their bouts of (often obscene) Turkish were an authorly dig at Renard’s propensity to drop French words everywhere. Also, mad ups to Biscuit for picking such a tough language! I’m curious whether he’d studied any Turkish previously or whether this was all off the cuff. Even the latter is really impressive, honestly, since most people wouldn’t have the balls to write speakers of a language they’d never looked into. RHYS: 3 Needs moar Rhys too. Well, needs moar SV in general. But needs moar Rhys. I don’t blame him for feeling a bit swept along in Ish so far (although his appearance in Ishkaeight should mark the turning point as far as that goes) but I wish he’d spoken more than one sentence in Emet so far. (Really. One sentence. This is it, folks.) He’s definitely a quiet one and I can respect that but the dinner table is a little awkward right now with Nopcsa and Giguere and Terrian trying to make conversation, Julia and Charlie Muttering Significantly to themselves, and Rhys just sitting there! SAROSIN: 3 More like 2.5 rounded up. He’d get a legit 3 if he were as Japanese as his name suggests. I’M SORRY! I want him to actually be Japanese and not just have a Japanese name for no reason!! To me Sarosin will always look and sound exactly like Darker than Black’s Eric Nishijima (earliest appearance I can find within a single episode is here. He shows up within the first minute; he’s the guy whose first line is “Thank you”). But even if Sarosin is actually a white guy (sigh), I still give him mad cred. He picked Cesare Giarrettiera’s pocket and confronted Yoon Mangjeol with polite menace. These things are aces in my book! SCAR: 3 I’ve never really heard much from Kuroboom – who’s a quiet one when it comes to RP, at least publically – regarding how he feels about Lucas and Scar having coagulated as a pair. (Not a romantic pair, you twits.) I hope he’s okay with it. I think it helps them both, personality-wise. Lucas needs someone humorless and businesslike, and Scar needs someone who’ll do most of the talking. What I wonder though is whether they’d both have been received so favorably if they hadn’t ended up debuting together in Because It’s Interesting. I’m afraid I doubt whether a lot of people would still remember Scar. With Lucas’ freaky, fawning divergence from standard straight-faced Prime character stereotypes, Scar works wonderfully against him by dialing up Kuroboom’s usual stone-cold character tendencies, but if he’d been by himself in Interesting, we’d probably all just now think, “Huh. Another Kuroboom character… being a Kuroboom character.” Again I stress that what’s working for Scar right now is working for him excellently, but he doesn’t stand out as much as Jacqueline. JACQUELINE: 2 Of course I say that and then give Jacqueline a lower rating. She falls into two recurring categories across these ratings: “distinctive concept helps set her apart from other characters” (a plus!), but also “needs moar” (a minus). With her versatility, Jacqueline ought to fit into a lot of plots, but we’re just stuck with her in Ulima and poking about very briefly in Crystal 2. Let’s see… she puts a supernatural spin on a profession within the entertainment industry… MAYBE THERE IS A PLACE FOR HER IN ENTERTAIN THE MASSES? Maybe! Maybe. SLY: 4 Explanations for why Sly, my only 5-star rating last year, loses a point this time are many and various. They range from “lack of Sly activity this year” to “should he win twice in a row?” to “I’m just a more negative person this summer than last” which is definitely true and finally, the harshest, “not as much sympathy for Sly’s grandfather-clause status ever since Bulbs revealed how heavily all of his characters borrow from pre-existing sources”. Ironically, once the Andalite stops looking like the exception, he starts looking a little less acceptable. RICK: 2 I guess I am doomed to never really understand Rick. He’s lost me with all of the this and that about having an evil twin whose fetus he absorbed when they were still in the womb or whatever. That’s his deal, right? Okay, I guess I need to pay him more attention. But the “darkness within” trope never really appealed to me. (To be fair, I like Paolo, but quite apart from sibling bias, “guileless Mafia wannabe harboring a petty and malicious god” is a little fresher than “Final Fantasy hero grappling with a dark side”.) MIA: 1 I really don’t know Mia at all. I keep wanting to know her but I keep forgetting her. I’m sorry Bulbs! She really needs to… be… present in Crystal 2. I mean on stage instead of off in the wings pulling ropes. I feel like she’s been mentioned a few times but we haven’t actually seen her since the first post there. That had better be building up to a payoff! JONAS: 4 It is not even a kind of secret that Jonas is my favorite out of Bulbs’ crew. I love his Large Ham behavior, relentlessly good attitude, and the clever applications of his power. And the flashbacks Bulbs has been scattering throughout Ish so far? None too shabby. In case anyone had any doubts, none of that stuff was requested by me – it’s all material Bulbs is bringing to the table on his own initiative. Let that educate anyone who says Ish is nothing but what I tell it to be. When you’re a thug like Jonas, you go beyond Pohatu’s objectives. MERLIN: 3 I was all set to give him a 2 because I know him but don’t have any particular sense of his personality, but then I reread Crystal 2 as it stands so far and I decided that I like the stern “this is for your own good” disciplinarian role he adopts with regard to Rie. I don’t like him as a person for it, since what he does is basically kidnap her with magic, but it helps him a lot as a character. I wish interacting with Bulbs’ own other characters drew out his personality to the same degree, though, because I’ve felt ever since LAR that he just comes off a little blah when talking to Sly or others. Bulbs obviously knows a lot more about the character than he’s letting on though so we’ll wait. ALLY: 1 Wasn’t she a good guy in Crystal 1? Or is she still one? I don’t know, “Agent Chaos” sounds kinda villainous to me. I really don’t know. Bulbs’ female characters! They are such a mystery to me BERNARD: 3 He’s a pretty cool bad guy. I like that he draws power from others’ negative emotions, which sounds cliché but I don’t think we have any other characters on the board right now who can do that. I wish more specific stuff could be done with the idea. Like if Bernard himself were forced to feel, internally, the emotions he draws from others, not just sense them coming in from without. Maybe he does work that way and I wasn’t paying attention. But I doubt he could be such a smooth operator then. He’d probably be kind of messed up, experiencing terror, wrath, despair, etc. at the same time that he inspires them. And not “messed up” in the “cool bad guy” way, but in the “wow I think this person might actually not have any control over himself” way. AVERY: 3 Well, shit! She got raped! And it was actually handled capably, in a quite horrifying yet not inexpert and sledgehammery way! So, uh, points for that. I thought the only person willing to tackle rape in RP was Prime. And no one. no one. wanted to see that happen. IronMouse was way more mature about it. Oh, incidentally I guess Avery is also an actual human being too. And a great one, with a very strong debut. I like her style. Plus, if this (the “German” part) was a stab at Justin Bieber, then I might need to revise her rating to a 5. ARNOLD: 1 Boy, he sure is a character named Arnold. ALYSSA: 3 So, Alyssa is pretty much Blood’s main, isn’t she? Is this… Like, I know he put Arnold at the top, but that must have just been by chronological order of introduction or something, right? Never mind, I probably shunted Alyssa to the front of the board’s consciousness by grabbing her for Ish, but even just looking at her stuff in Shrinking she’s easily Blood’s standout character outside of PRP. She has a really cool, Darker than Black-esque power (that’s twice I’ve namedropped the same anime in these ratings. I’ve been rewatching the series in the past few weeks, that’s why. Great idea) and draws on a personality archetype that surprisingly doesn’t get that much mileage around here: someone who is Quiet, but in a way that doesn’t demand respect for how badass or elegant she is, but simply inspires affection for how kind and sorta awkward she is. But what do we need? Moar Alyssa. Blood’s insistence on restricting the participation of his entire RP cast strongly cuts down on their potential appeal. Let’s see Alyssa in at least one more topic while Shrinking and Ish are still underway! LANDERS: 1 Landers mo’ like Blanders OH SNAP DIGGITY. Seriously though all he has done so far is brush sand out of his (blue) hair and be pretty forgettable so I can’t honestly rate him higher. KORTOVA: 1 Who? MR. RABBIT: -1 Same story as with Jimmy, except Jimmy gets one extra point for not being named “Mr. Orangutan”. I guess Lee thinks Mr. Rabbit is a pretty dope fly character or something but honestly I could do without the anthropomorphic animals in ORP, especially the anthropomorphic animals adapted from old comics in which they killed cats. DURANT: 3 Ouch. I gave all three Fallfish kiddies 4s last year and Dace is the only one to keep hers this year. In Durant’s case I think it was just his mega angst blast on and off throughout the last couple of pages of the topic that grated on me a little. Blood got a lot out of that topic – landing the Granbull (even if it ended up in Ophelia’s hands), evolving Taraek, and introducing Ophelia in what was basically the story’s climactic fight scene, Venomoth be damned – and yet Durant spent the whole third act of the story in mope mode. Kind of a bummer. Not a huge fan. OPHELIA: 2 It’s nice to see Blood writing someone mean. I give Ophelia props for that, especially for stirring Dace into total rage mode the way she did. As an antagonist, Ophelia works great. I just have to question whether she works as an older sister. I mean, obviously she’s not supposed to be a good older sister, but she just… doesn’t talk the way someone her age ought to, somehow. Things she says like “So be it!” and “We’ve no need for it”… No one under the age of forty says those things, and even then they usually have to be supervillains. Ophelia would be more successful I think if Blood had resisted the urge toward standard badguyspeak and stressed that she’s not really a mature human being either, yet, even if she’s closer to it than the Fallfish kids. Then again maybe she would have been in danger of sounding too much like Gamboge. Whatever. I’m sure we’ll get to see Ophelia fleshed out more in due time. ACKERLY: 1 See Gamboge. GAMBOGE: 2 She gets a point for her yelling brat characterization, but I wish that Nidoran F had used some more Nidoran Effy moves. Like, it’s awesome that PRP allows Pokemon to use any move in their extended pool (that is, TM moves and such) and I’ve drawn on that a lot, but an Ice Beam and two Aerial Aces? For Ackerly’s Sentret… Surf and Solarbeam? With such abstract move choices, these could be any Pokemon; there’s no reason why they’re a Nidoran F and a Sentret. I know, I know, Pohatu’s just bein’ dogmatic again, but I feel like it’s kind of a point of honor to mostly stick to TM/egg/tutor moves that are either anatomically specific to that Pokemon (like Poison Fang if the Pokemon has fangs) or in its elemental ballpark (like Steel and Ground moves for Rock-types), rather than pile on the generic beams and blasts. And the only reason I’m railing on this at such length about Blood’s characters is that Blood is so good about this so much of the time – Taraek is extremely Bulba/Ivysaur-y in the moves that he uses, and so are Durant’s and Ophelia’s Pokemon in general. Except when Sludge used Thunderbolt, but that’s exactly when the further-reaching moves are okay – when they’re the exception. VALON: 3 Valon is… Valon, I guess. (I think tautologies make me sound wise/clever.) Maybe I’m just not that sympathetic toward characters who’ve hit the power level ceiling, because I don’t look too favorably in general on the classic Pokeschool system of power escalation. So the overall consensus seems to be that Valon’s the strongest character on the board which is okay I guess and obviously someone has to be. I just want to see interesting stories built around Valon, not stories in which he and his dragon army come in and kick everyone’s asses. He’s a king, right? There should be all kinds of cool stuff to do with him that doesn’t hinge on fighting. Let’s have a Season of Mists plot starring Valon! (Ask Bulbs.) But I do think he’s probably got something unusual cooking up in Crystal 2 so I’m optimistic for that. MARIUS: 2 It’s-a him, Marius. Valon the Lesser. Hard for me to think of him any other way. His whole vibe seems pretty much the same as Valon’s, except replace dragons with snakes. Marginally more uptight, but that only comes through in peaceful situations; in times of confrontation they act the same. Oh! You know what? Based off this line, “Easily flustered around my male friends,” I say make Marius quietly gay. Oho. Wait. Good idea. GIDEON: 2 Oof. Totally forgot about this guy when I named my hick trainer Gideon McCrowley. I went back and replaced all instances of “Gideon” by itself with “McCrowley” in the tournament battle, so let’s pretend “McCrowley” is the primary working name from now on. Anyway! Original Gideon. The werewolf. Who… talks exactly like every other DL character. Okay I know I know I’ve been going on and on about stereotypical voices by member, but if there’s anything I’ve discovered while writing these ratings it is that this is a really important part of RP theory! And of course it’s completely natural and logical for each member to have a particular voice they gravitate towards, and there’s nothing inherently bad about that. But you start to notice when too many of a member’s characters have the same voice. DL pushes it. He really needs to show he can write a character who doesn’t talk all serious all the time. AIDEN: 1 Don’t really know him although I will acknowledge that he is a little less formal in terms of his speech than most DL characters. But it seems only in order to make him more badass, so the effect – to demand our respect instead of letting us decide whether to respect the character – is the same. VOLKNER: 3 The Crimson Butterfly! Soon to do battle with Elliot’s character Antonio, the Butterfly! Two lepidopterans, one survivor. Personally my money would be on Volkner. Antonio’s a tricky one, but Volkner’s a lot more… rapey. Plus he’s German, so automatic Nazi cred for that. He would probably run Antonio over with a mile-wide tank (after raping him). VAL: 1 Hmm. Much as I raised an eyebrow upon learning that Elliot’s cast includes both an Alex and an Alexxia, so did the old eyebrow get to it when I discovered that DL was introducing a character named Val. Of course, unlike with Alex & Alexxia, I can’t very well pretend that Valon & Val are a pair of loving thinly-veiled fictional portrayals, one normal and one gender-flipped, of our favorite friend Dr. Oak, but – I mean, I could, but – oh what the hell, I’ll admit it, I do pretend that, with all my heart, but… where was I? Right. Valon & Val. Unfortunate. Unfortunate indeed. JESSIE: 0 Another 0 given to an old old character! But do I have a particularly good reason to give Jessie a 0 as I did was going to do to Wudge? Hnoooo! I just don’t like the sound of her! Hahahaha sorry, past!TELRIEN: 3 She had me at “Gee I don't know, Gar. Your cushion looks about an inch closer to mine than it was before.” Okay, maybe she had me a little sooner than that, but that line exemplifies how smart, funny, and above all responsive – how on it – Cendra is in that RP even despite the lack of polish lingering in her technique. Plus, while ORP isn’t short on dextrous pickpockets, it could totally use more archers, and I’m a sucker for trick arrows of all degrees of plausibility. So overall I would say Telrien is pretty great. BELWYN: 1 Won’t pretend to know who she is. SHONI SHINO: 0 A point off for calling his Porygon2 “Porygon”. Because, you know, that keeps making me think it’s an actual, you know, Porygon, not a… you know, a Porygon2. I mean jeez, of all the nicknames! What about “Porgy”? Then Shino’s Porygon2 and McCrowley’s mad Tauros could fall in love! EMILY: 4 A sterling demonstration that Flanderization in a serious work can be positive. When (see Shattered and other contemporary RPs) Emily had a fairly average and well-rounded personality, if a bit talkative on certain subjects, she wasn’t really anything special. Now that her portrayal has narrowed into an adorably cavalier Cloudcuckoolander full of goofball observations, she’s wonderful. (Just too bad that some of her best moments come courtesy of Lee instead of Clicker, although I may be underestimating how much her own input factored into his Triannual posts.) And she is also THE STRONGEST CHARACTER ON THE BOARD. She throws stuff and YOU BETTER WATCH OUT. I am not even kidding. HECTOR: 3 Needs less Mary Sue. (I think. If a female author's male protagonist is overly idealized, is that a Mary Sue or a Gary Stu? Does the author's or the character's gender take precedence? This is deep.) Where are his actual flaws? The ones that are not glamorized, the way alcoholism and reckless behavior etc. are? I guess if you were to show him in that kind of light it would ruin the fundamental rock star image of Hector. AQUARA: 80085
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Post by Tout-Perd on Sept 4, 2010 22:10:41 GMT -5
44.730 Terrian -44.000 Average Rating of 4.000- 40.003 Natalie 39.253 Zebedee 38.001 Sly 37.919 Rie 36.628 Renard 35.634 Yoshimitsu 35.488 Jonas 34.822 Ender 33.781 Nopcsa 33.007 Huckabee -33.000 Average Rating of 3.000- 32.249 Miko 32.019 Blaise 31.692 Valon 31.611 Mandelbrot 31.121 Nico 31.089 Lucas (Biscuit) 30.991 Curator 30.121 Massimo 29.982 Avery 29.203 Yoon 29.121 Cesare 28.853 Laksha 28.810 Channery 28.454 Helen 28.014 Julia 27.875 Rance 27.850 Lucas (Prime) 27.829 Scar 27.691 Rhometer & Higgledy-Piggledy 27.109 Tanner 27.102 Thyra 26.722 Paolo 26.507 Waylon 25.991 Vieve 25.833 Faris and Azim Al Burak 25.649 Rhys 25.000 Dace 24.691 Emily 24.523 Telrien 24.303 Marius 24.255 Garth 24.123 Rick 23.968 Volkner 23.768 Williams 23.757 Alpha 23.730 Vincent 23.411 Algernon 23.250 Max 23.000 Durant 23.000 Belwyn 22.894 Merlin 22.754 Antonio -22.000 Average Rating of 2.000- 21.641 Lacianus 21.500 Alyssa 21.250 Aquara 21.002 Bernard 20.811 Creed 20.401 Jacqueline 20.224 Sarosin 20.023 Iliana 20.000 Fratley 20.000 Mr. Rabbit 19.858 Ysane 19.397 Mia 19.230 Achenes 19.055 Kyle 18.593 Aiden 18.500 Ophelia 18.000 Gideon 17.698 Haze 16.500 Isambard 16.500 Ackerly 16.500 Val (Honestly, guys, did y’all plan this?) 16.000 Hector 15.532 Ally 14.500 Shino 14.000 Gamboge 14.000 Jessie 13.000 Landers 13.000 Kortova 12.035 Arnold -11.000 Average Rating of 1.000- 11.000 Jimmy
That's the ratings for this year. Nobody took home negative ratings, some of us jumped up over 20 points, and things are good.
As you all can see, publicity is key, very much so. The PRP trainers almost universally got oned, but tended to get great scores from anybody that had read them. (Dace basically worked out to "Don't Know Her" or "4!", for example, and Durant was similar with even less press). It seems the best way to publicize a character is to find a good event, and hang on for the ride.
Anyways, thank you all for your time and effort, you've all been great. Congratulations on the higher ranking roles (Rock on, Pohatu! Good to see Terrian taking a well deserved first!), and I wish those of you who aren't yet satisfied with your scores better luck next year, and plenty of opportunities to improve.
Refreshments and EP awards will be found in the cafeteria.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Sept 4, 2010 22:12:14 GMT -5
HAHAH YES I WIN.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Sept 4, 2010 23:05:44 GMT -5
And now for the predicitions… As of the first round, El has called 9 correctly! Pohatu comes out to having 9, right on the nose! And Choobeh, not to be left behind, has called 9 as well! P: 9 C: 9 E: 9
Going into the second tier of popularity, can they widen the nonexistent gap into reality? Elliot comes up with a 5! Pohatu matches his brilliance, calling the same number correctly! Choobeh digs deep, reaching into the depths of his wisdom… and gets 4 right. Denmark must be dulling our snarktastic hero! P: 14 E: 14 C: 13
Now, we’re coming upon the middle tier of the ratings. Most characters gravitated towards closer scores in this range; will it help our experts discern the underlying patterns? Elliot gets 4 right! I’m guessing that the Felix/Julia conversation was spiked with something odd, because the participants are looking a little sluggish! Pohatu pegs another 5, holding onto some of his dromedary dignity. And Choobeh staggers up to the board, and picks a whopping 6 as if he had the answers written on his forehead! We may be looking at a comeback, people! P: 19 C: 19 E: 18
We’re nearing the end of the contest, folks. Only two more rounds to go, and one bonus round. Pohatu steps it up and snags an impressive 6. Choobeh won’t be outdone, though, and picks seven characters perfectly! That’s the most successes since the initial round! Elliot, still under the influence, comes in with a cockeyed 4. C: 26 P: 25 E: 22
This is it, everybody! The final round is here! Elliot comes lunging back from oblivion, picking half of the tier correctly. Pohatu, never one to be outdone, one-ups his fellow with a 9! And Choobeh seems to have caught on fire, picking a jaw dropping 10, the best score in the contest yet! C: 36 P: 34 E: 30
Finally, the bonus round. Will Pohatu or Elliot come lunging from behind, or will Choobeh cement his lead? Pohatu’s Pick for 1st: Rie: Rie came in at 5th place. Still impressive, but not good enough! Choobeh’s Pick for 1st: Jonas: Jonas came in at 8th, though I’m sure he’s happy enough with that spot. Choobeh seems fairly settled upon winning, but wait! Elliot’s Pick for 1st: Terrian: Terrian came in 1st! Elliot picks up a bonus 10 points!
The final scores: Elliot: 40 Choobeh: 36 Pohatu: 34
Elliot takes home the grand prize of 15 EP, with Choobeh getting 10, and Pohatu taking 5. Thank you gentlemen! Can we get a round of applause for our volunteers?
Other EP rewards: 20 EP for thorough ratings to: Pohatu, Lee, Biscuit, Choobeh, El 15 EP for thorough, albeit incomplete, ratings to: SV 10 EP for ratings to: Ninety, BB, Blood, Cendra, DL 5 EP for thorough but very incomplete ratings to Loogs
I’ll handle the EP updating, Blood. Thank you all again for the effort and help you’ve all put into the ratings this year. They were fantastic!
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SV
Friendliest Member of ALL TIME
The Friendliest Member Of ALL TIME
Posts: 2,250
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Post by SV on Sept 5, 2010 2:47:53 GMT -5
Aw maaaaaan. =( I was really hoping Rhys and Sarosin would do better than they did. At least everyone's complaints about them were things I already recognized, Expect better next year.
Grats, folks! Or whatever I should say here.
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Prime
Saeptum Agent
1%
Agent of Truth
Posts: 399
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Post by Prime on Sept 5, 2010 3:33:16 GMT -5
Sorry to kill your mood on Lucas Pohatu, but I am taking my character back. If he's anywhere you need him to be, please let me know so I can take up what would otherwise be slacked.
EDIT
Choobeh has made it known that I need to clarify this.
I AM choked that no one asked me if they could use my character before they went ahead and did so. However I'm not going to just take my character back and leave everyone hanging, I understand why you wanted to. And I will fill the holes in the RP's that would otherwise be left open, which is why I ask that you all please point them out.
But I'm not ok with leaving my character is Biscuits hands.
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Post by Kuroboom on Sept 5, 2010 3:42:08 GMT -5
I really should post more.
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Post by ch00beh on Sept 5, 2010 6:38:30 GMT -5
SV you mentioned Rie as a ch00b character but you didn't actually rate her D:
PS. Gg everyone
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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Sept 5, 2010 10:29:32 GMT -5
He's all yours, broseph.
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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Sept 5, 2010 15:43:50 GMT -5
Also, what is the stereotypical Biscuit character? I only ask because I've felt like I've been in a rut since before I joined this board and that statement clarifies it. If I'm already setting a precedent for my characters less than a year in, that tells me I'm not challenging myself.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Sept 5, 2010 15:49:47 GMT -5
Someone a bit older than the average RP character who projects an aura of grizzled experience. He's seen a lot and he is getting too old for this. He relies mostly on informal speech patterns like "buddy". He can be grouchy like Huckabee, friendly like Algernon, or kinda in-between like Creed, but the foundation is similar. Those are the only three that really fit the model though.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Sept 5, 2010 15:59:43 GMT -5
Hey, don't forget his Greek guy in SWRP. Though he's only had one post, he indeed falls under "Older Grizzled Guy".
I don't know how old his Imjimminycricket guy in Fun'N'Games is, but he may or may not fall under it as well.
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SV
Friendliest Member of ALL TIME
The Friendliest Member Of ALL TIME
Posts: 2,250
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Post by SV on Sept 5, 2010 17:06:09 GMT -5
SV you mentioned Rie as a ch00b character but you didn't actually rate her D: PS. Gg everyone I did rate her, but she was one of the ones that I didn't have time to write a little blurb-y thing about. Sorry!
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Post by ch00beh on Sept 5, 2010 17:11:33 GMT -5
D:
That's ok.
But now I'm curious as to what everyone thinks is the standard ch00bs character. I feel like that idea just exists because I default to my detached snarky observer voice with mild deviations here and there until I can find a character's actual voice.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Sept 5, 2010 17:28:44 GMT -5
Typically cold personality. Female, with some attributes that tend to stray from conventional beauty. Uses the coldness to mask some very emotional problems held deep inside.
That covers Rie, Julia, Mandelbrot, and possibly Masquerade, Ysane, and the Blood Sorceress.
Vieve and Eddy, for a large part, are very loved for straying from that.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Sept 5, 2010 17:37:14 GMT -5
Standard ch00bs character?
Female.
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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Sept 5, 2010 18:02:14 GMT -5
Huh. I guess they are all cut from the same cloth.
I'll work on that.
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Post by Ninety on Sept 5, 2010 19:30:25 GMT -5
Algernon Breck is now thirty years old with bionic legs.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Sept 5, 2010 19:36:06 GMT -5
And he's a chick.
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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Sept 5, 2010 19:37:32 GMT -5
Ok, 'breaking from my norm' does not translate to 'be choobs'
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Post by Loogs on Sept 5, 2010 21:08:08 GMT -5
Blegh
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Post by ch00beh on Sept 6, 2010 1:02:28 GMT -5
Algernon is now made of diamonds
maybe we should trade character archetypes. You make a cold, emotionally broken chick and I'll make a grizzled war veteran
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