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yagami_light (yagami_light) wrote in chaosu_ooc,
@ 2008-05-06 20:05:00

Entry tags:

important discussions

Someone Help My OCD-Ness Please?
I wanted to bring up something that annoys me a bit, and I hate to inconvenience other people, but..well..

Since this RP has so many OCs, I notice that it's common to use icons of characters from other shows.

Thing is, this includes Death Note. So, I've seen several icons of Light, L, Mello..etc. Thing is, since I play Light, it feels weird seeing people use icons with my character in it....yes. It's like I have twins I didn't know about.

Is there any way we can have a rule that forbids people using icons of characters already in the RP?

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silverknight
2008-05-07 01:53 am UTC (link)

I see that this could be pretty annoying, but could it be that people just didn't realize that they were using an icon from your chara?

I happened to me quite often that I found a pretty icon but was not able to find the maker or which show it was made of. With sci-fi and life-action pictures it is realatively easy but of manga/anime there are so many that those who do not actively read/watch them have no idea where to start.

That said, I am with you with the rule request.

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pyro_madness
2008-05-07 07:05 am UTC (link)

I don’t know what it’s like to have OCD. But this rpg is not about the icons, as fun as they are to have. If a Kyou (Fruits Basket) or Ichigo (Bleach) ever join, then you’ll notice that I am kind of screwed for Mitch for icons. So, actually I would the user with the worst offense, really. Yes, I could look for new ones, but I like the ones I have now. As for other characters, I think they have very few icons with Light. Cat I believe removed the two she had already.

I think that everyone here can read (excuse the sarcasm). No one here would ever mistake Sal for Light, for example, because Sal writes much differently, Sal is definitely not Light’s twin, and Sal most importantly has a different user name than Light. I’ve written rpg’s in forums where icons were not an option, but no one mistook characters because we had usernames.

In my opinion, this is not a big deal and I don’t think there should be a rule on it. Pretend that no one had pictures – you’d just have to read the post.

Just to add, I’m not trying to be mean, this is just my opinion and definitely not anything personal. Also, of course I'm not the moderator, so I'm sure that when she sees this, she'll straighten things out.

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my_private_life
2008-05-07 02:12 pm UTC (link)

Also not a mod, but popping up with my experience with things like this. :D

The general way OC icons are usually handled in the other games I'm in/have run is, to avoid things like that - because it can be jarring and lead to some confusion, since icons are what we have to make a mental picture of the character - is it's seriously recommended to use model stock photos for characters that have no actual PBs.

Storm Models, Why Not Models, Models.com and a bunch of other sites have tons of random models with pages full of photos. There's tons of variety, so you can easily find someone who fits your mental image of your character (general you FTW!) and doesn't lead to any little bips of confusion. :D And for me I've found it helps a lot because it's easier for me to fully develop and connect with my OCs when there's no other character/person/whatever that their image is connected to. But like I said, that's just me. :D

And speaking as someone who has rather extreme OCD, it sucks, and the most random little things can set me off immensely. I know for me, if things aren't perfectly symmetrical or certain completely random things don't match exactly, it makes me shaky and I can't focus and I have to either fix it or get away from it if I can't fix it. It's a serious pain in the ass.

Anyway, just basically saying I can understand where Light-mun is coming from, on both accounts. And as you said, once our awesome mod gets back, she'll make whatever ruling she decides is best for everyone. :D

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yagami_light
2008-05-07 03:47 pm UTC (link)

That sounds like a very good idea. I even offered the other player who took down her Light icons that I'd make new icons for her if she couldn't find any replacements. She hasn't taken me up on that offer yet, but it's still there if she ever needs it.

Just seeing icons I have used by other people in comms, even in non-RPs, mess with me, but I ignore those, as many people could have those and it not be a problem. So I pass by them and try not to think about it.

But I'm (hopefully) going to be here much longer and be seeing posts in this comm more, so seeing icons of Light (or L, actually, since I have a friend who wants to try out for L here) makes me twitch a little.

I won't say i have EXTREME OCD, but it's enough to where people tell me I'm irrational about certain things that I simply can't let go. I have to arrange the dirty dishes just right in certain stacks before I can even start washing them, and my dad can't stand it. So when he washes dishes with me we usually start arguing because I want to get everything arranged and just right and he just dumps all these random dishes in because he just wants to get done.

And when I was in a Danny Phantom RP, my character died and became a ghost. His appearance changed because of this. Since that happened, I couldn't stand having all my old icons made from screenshots as he didn't look like that anymore. So I went and drew/inked/colored/resized/made all new icons for that character so it wouldn't mess with me.

Just..some examples..went on a little bit of a tangent. xD; Haha...

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my_private_life
2008-05-07 03:55 pm UTC (link)

Oh yeah, I get the irrational thing all the time. I can only eat certain things at certain times or in certain situations, wear certain clothes at certain times/situations, etc etc. To the point where there are times where I will stay in rather than go out just because it's such a problem. And I know it's insane and it interferes with my life, but it's not an easy thing to get over at all.

For me, in RP, it manifests as having to have an even amount of everything. I need an even amount of icons, an even balance of characters - has to be an even number, and the ratio of male characters to female has to be exact - and kooky things like that.

Wheee, tangents!

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	strix 2008-05-07 04:04 pm UTC (link)
	Well then Chaos must be driving you crazy! Heaven has more people the Hell currently, and we are nearly all female! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	my_private_life 2008-05-07 04:07 pm UTC (link)
	It makes me a little twitchy, but not too badly. BUT I DID SUMBIT AN APP FOR A HELL CHARACTER! ~~Female, but, only because I already have a guy so I needed a chick.~~ (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	strix 2008-05-07 04:12 pm UTC (link)
	lawl (Reply to this) (Parent)

franksunderland
2008-05-07 09:03 pm UTC (link)

Off this topic, but I've been thinking of apping a Hell character too. Except the only ones I can think of are also chicks, unless I go with a character who isn't so evil in canon. (They do have one or two of those and Hell doesn't necessarily ask so it could work.)

I also need more pics I can use as Frank. I picked up some pictures of Richard Dean Anderson on a friend's suggestion, which I might use provided no characters played by him actually show. Not that Frank looks that much like him. ~~Richard Dean Anderson's way hotter, unless you're nuts like me and think Frank is hot.~~ But there just aren't many pics of Frank since he gets almost no screen time.

Er, sorry for the tangent. (I also have OCD but it manifests as obsessive thoughts, but that's a long story...)

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	my_private_life 2008-05-08 12:12 am UTC (link)
	Poor Hell is going to be overrun with womenfolk! :D (And that's very true.) I went for...well, basically evil. Man, now I'm picturing young Frank as a Macguyver type. Which is vastly amusing to me. And I can honestly kind of see RDA as Frank, actually. Tangents are fun! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

franksunderland
2008-05-08 12:19 am UTC (link)

Well, Frank does know how to fix things! XD Though I doubt he can make a machine gun out of a toothpick and a rubber band or that sort of thing. I was thinking of giving him a certain mechnical aptitude if it comes to it though. I will upload that PB later though.

I'm still trying to think of someone good for Hell who is a guy, but most of my fandoms have bad guys that I don't think that I could rp well, or who are too superpowered. (Legato Bluesummers comes to mind... he's excellently creepy but I'm not sure how to tone down "I can kill you with my brain... and the entire town you live in...")

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yagami_light
2008-05-07 04:33 pm UTC (link)

Yeah, sometimes I get that bad, but not too often.

The main things it shows through in me is my need to keep my collections in extremely mint condition, keep all my papers unwrinkled, keep my make-up completely tidy, keep my computer's files organized, keep my drawings organized, yadda yadda, yadda.

But, at the moment, my desk is pretty untidy....I should clean it. Yes.

Tangents are fun!

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my_private_life
2008-05-07 05:05 pm UTC (link)

I've gotten a lot better with it - which is good, since, hello, almost 30 and can't be dropping everything because my shoes aren't the exact shade of black - but there are still some things which just stop me dead in my tracks and I can't get beyond.

Oddly enough, I'm not bad about neatness. Things still have to be symmetrical and evened up, but as long as there's an organization to the clutter, I'm fine.

INDEED!

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1st_lord
2008-05-07 06:02 pm UTC (link)

I've been seriously considering this, and here is the lead up and my current decision, with an explanation of why or why not.

One, to establish background because i'm sure people will notice - though my characters do use random anime icons, I don't mind if I have to find new ones for them if it bothers a player or two that much - but they do have to point out to me which icons and why. I am, for one, NOT familiar with Death Note beyond the basic summary of the show.

Now that that's over with. I can sympathize both your side and, say, what the Mitch-player has said.

The problem here is, icons are icons. They are dress up, not an actual important part of the game. You have icons to be cute and look pretty, just like makeup. Is it bothersome when someone wears the same shade of lipstick? Icons are not meant to be a major, important part of the game. The key piece of the game of CU is writing.

Yes, I could say no and have characters use PBs. But there would be the same problem. If two people have a character who resembles, say, Anthony Hopkins, and both tried to use the actor? Then again there would be the question of "but which character is it?"

Ultimately because of this believe that people can use the icons they want, as long as they somehow are valid to the character being used, either in the message of the icon or the appearance of the character or actor.

Players who read, as i'm sure we all do, are intelligent enough to realize who is who. I do not assume people are the characters I see in the icons. The intention, usually, is that the character in the icon, or actor in the icon, somehow resembles the character or the mood works with the character.

You may request that people remove the icons, but ultimately it is that player's decision. If they don't mind taking them down, sure. If they want to keep them, then sure.

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	1st_lord 2008-05-07 06:04 pm UTC (link)
	However, I will make a post filled with links of potential icon places to grab from for PBs (since Henry-player mentioned them - I didn't know, honestly), so that people have the option to avoid this messy area if they desire. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	1st_lord 2008-05-07 06:05 pm UTC (link)
	And if you wish to continue to discuss it with me, feel free. (Reply to this) (Parent)

yagami_light
2008-05-07 07:02 pm UTC (link)

The thing about make-up is..it's not your entire face.

I know what you're saying, and I know what everyone else is saying, and we can avoid a whole rule being made of it..but is there any way we can have Light and L icons just taken off? It's not that I can't read and know who it is, and it's not that I have someone imitating me..it's just once of those quirks, you know? Seeing it gets me twitchy. Other chars from Death Note that don't include Light, L, and Matsuda don't annoy me, as I don't feel as close to those characters. But seeing someone that's completely different with that face (if you catch my drift) is like...I don't really know how to explain it, but it just really messes with me. Imagine if Marilyn Manson got plastic surgery to look like Britney Spears or something. It would really mess with some people, especially Britney Spears fan who hate Marilyn Manson or Marilyn Manson fans who hate Britney Spears...That's about the best way I can think to explain it....and it's not a very good way either.

I get EXTREMELY in-character when playing RPs, so seeing my character's face makes that character's muse in my head go nuts, especially with characters like Light who would feel like it's a mockery of him. And with Light, he would feel even more offended seeing L's face being used by someone else, as L was the only one he ever felt was as close to as perfect as he (again, a mockery). Like in the last volume of Death Note when near wore a mask of L, Light got really ticked about that. It's basically just that personality bleeding over into this rp. And I know that he wouldn't actually see that icon (would he?) but it still gets the same reaction.

I don't really know how to explain it, and I've tried my best in this reply...but that's what it is.

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my_private_life
2008-05-07 07:12 pm UTC (link)

The problem here is, icons are icons. They are dress up, not an actual important part of the game. You have icons to be cute and look pretty, just like makeup. Is it bothersome when someone wears the same shade of lipstick? Icons are not meant to be a major, important part of the game. The key piece of the game of CU is writing.

I think this may all basically be about different people's experience with RPing. For a lot of games I've been in, the icons are a relatively important part of the game, because oftentimes players will rely on icons to convey the visual of their character. In games where purple-prose is looked down on, it can be difficult constantly describing your character to give other players a visual image of what they look like. So the icons are the major aspect of visual representation. It's not they're more important than the writing - as I fully believe every RP should be predominantly about the writing - but for those of us who are used to relying on icons as visuals, it can be jarring and a little 'wait, what?' when characters have multiple icons of different characters, or the same icons as other characters. Not saying that it's a big deal or anything, just that it can be confusing since some of us are used to the icon being the character. Especially in games with scenes.

Basically just saying I think it's all a matter of different background and experience. But the explanation that in this game, icon = character is not the case, clears some things up for me. :D

As for resources for random PBs: <http://models.com/</i>Models.com</a>, Storm Models, Why Not Models, and the LJ community

character_pics is an entire community devoted to helping people find good PBs for their original characters and characters from books, for those who would like to use these resources! :D

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1st_lord
2008-05-07 07:18 pm UTC (link)

Yeah, I think it really does have to do with background. I've been in games like the ones you speak of, but i've also been in forum RPs where icons had no part. In the end, to me, icons are only an 'extra'. An icon doesn't have to BE the character, as long as it either resembles the character physically or expresses an emotion important to that character.

(Also, with Lucifer the NPC, things would get confusing regardless because his physical appearance changes constantly. Thus he has one of the strangest combination of icons ever.)

And thank you so much for the random PB sources - I think it'll help everyone if I make a special post indicating those places for people who want to avoid this problem or have wanted to use PBs but never could find the sites.

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	bring_god_down 2008-05-08 03:41 am UTC (link)
	quick note: Another good place to find PB icons is hollow_art over at livejournal. Granted all of the PBs are of celebrities, but I've used this site a lot to PBs for RPs that require it. (Reply to this) (Parent)

bring_god_down
2008-05-08 03:39 am UTC (link)

Well said.

I'm someone who's in a few RPs, who has been in past RPs on livejournal. To me icons are an important part of an RPG. As Henry mun said, they serve as a visual. I can't speak for anyone here, but for me, the icons serve as a visual cue for how the characters feeling.

In fact in some RPs, they make it so as the other characters can see the icons. So if say, Alessa typed up a rather blunt note, and used an icon where she looks pissed, then the other characters would probably think she's pissed.

I've also been in RPs where people have used completely irrelevant PBs for their characters. Trust me when I tell you that the actress who plays Druscilla from Buffy, does not make a good PB for Princess Tutu from the anime of the same name.

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