OUR APPLICATION CHECKING PROCESS [essential]

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OUR APPLICATION CHECKING PROCESS

Comments on our system

Like all sites, FoF has a system for creating an rp character, requiring a detailed biography and for a member of staff to come and accept that character before you can roleplay in the Canon boards. Now, on most sites there are one of two systems. There is the 'I'm gonna brush though your work and then post an image-version of the word accepted' sites, which require you to make few changes to your bio after the initial writing process, therefore getting your cat accepted quickly and without much effort from the staff's perspective. Then there is the 'Your bio must be a certain standard or please go away' sites, which quite literally have 2 stamps, accepted or rejected, and if you get the 'denied' stamp, you are not allowed to rp on the site. Both of these systems work, serving a site very well, especially from the staff's perspective, either allowing everyone in or weeding out those not suited to a site. However, neither of these systems, in most cases, inspire improvement within the applicant, as their bio faults are either ignored or the person does not have these faults pointed out to them.

FoF uses neither of these systems and we, instead, employ a system which is designed to inspire growth within every roleplayer, beginner or advanced. We take the stance that you never stop learning, so our bio checking process is carefully tailored to every applicant in order to help them achieve their best.

Bios are never rejected on FoF, but at the same time, they are not always accepted straight away. Once you post a bio, a staff member will check it and post criticisms (of various kinds) upon it, which will require you to make changes to the bio. The changes are made, and then the staff member checks it again and either accepts it or continues to post criticisms. On average, a moderator only posts criticisms once per bio, but occasionally this can happen up to thrice. This helps an rper improve in their character making skills, making them really think about a character before they leap into roleplaying it.
Before you click the 'Back' button, thinking it's too much effort, hear us out!

The FoF staff will always aim to:
- Criticise your bio kindly, without patronising you.
- Post only enough things to improve per bio to help you develop and not frustrate you!
- NOT dictate what we think your character should be like, but instead suggest aspects you could include to encourage you to come up with your own.
- Consider factors such as age or literacy level when pushing your literacy level up.

We've been doing this for over 2 years now, and many applicants (probably at least 200 by now) before you have gone through the process and succeeded! Every single person here will have gone through it at some point, including the staff, and trust us when we say it gets easier With every bio, you will understand better how to create a character, meaning we will have less to pick out. Have a little patience and you will benefit from it! Just take a look at the evidence in the 'An example' below.

A Step-by-Step guide to the bio-checking process.

• You join FoF and make a cat using the relevant form. To make the process to acception more seamless, you should definitely check out How to make a good application while making your thread.
  
• When finished, post your cat on the Notification thread. If you don't do this, your bio WILL NOT be looked at. We get a lot of applications and since we often have several being critted at once, it's difficult to spot when you need a moderator to check it.
  
• The moderator will read your biography carefully. They will then post what changes/elements added need to be done. You should then make these changes.
  
• Post on the Notification thread again to get the staff to recheck your bio!
  
• If the bio moderator sees anything more that needs altering, they will post the changes again and the last few steps will be repeated.
  
• If this first bio moderator believes the bio is acceptable, they will then post '[1/2]' on your bio. This signifies that they have given their acceptance to the bio. A second moderator will then need to check the bio, and usually they will let it go through without a hitch. To get them to do this you, you guessed it, post on the Notification thread!
  
• If the second bio moderator things the bio is acceptable, the bio will be moved to the Accepted Cat subboard and you will be allowed to rp in the Canon boards!
  

Level of criticism

After many requesting that we have an option to do minimal criticism, with the move to v2 FoF have added an extra option to the bio form. You are now able to choose at what level you want your bio to be moderated. You will never, unfortunately, be allowed to get through the bio modding process with a poorly-made canon-unsuitable cat, but now you have the option to change only what you need to reach the level of bio we require. It's a compromise, aimed to help those with a lesser patience for bio critting, to still be able to get their cat accepted on the site, or if you are lazy. The two levels are:

Make my bio FoF suitable
This is the bare minimum amount of critting we can give you. It will make sure the name of your character is traditional. It will check to see that your character has a history that makes sense with the plotline, timewise. It will ensure all elements of the bio are realistic and not impossible. We will make sure your character is balanced (we will not ever let a character with too many good or bad traits through) and that the personality is clear. Personality critting, in particular, will be kept to a bare minimum, but if your character has no clear motivations you will be asked to explain more. The genetics and appearance of your character will be checked for realism. It will make sure no elements of your bio are missing (such as the NP and DC signs for relatives). Overall, it's very basic stuff.

Criticise all aspects of my character
Don't be put off by the idea! Trust me, it's not nearly as scary as it sounds, nor as intensive as we make out! We've always matched the level of this kind of criticism to the age and skill level of the bio maker, progressively increasing the level with every bio. We will attempt not to give too much for you at once, seeing your improvement as a progressive thing. When choosing this option, you are allowing the admins to help you develop in your bio making skills and your ability in developing a character. Along with making your cat FoF suitable, we will aim to find ways of making your character more unique, pick out all inconsistencies ('She's a very peaceful cat, but she gets angry really easily') and aim to help your character seem so developed that it feels like a real person. We'll work on linking your character's history to their current personality, and basically aim on just improving everything about your current rp level. Progressively, of course. Time is a wonderful thing. We encourage you to go for this option because, in all seriousness, it does help improve your skills. A lot of rpers have praised this system and have said it has helped them get better. What is a little temporary frustration when you could potentially get so much out of it?

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An example
Need proof that the second system will help you? Well, we could name at least 20 rpers which have surprised even the staff with how much improvement they've shown. Unfortunately, though, most of the evidence of this improvement has been covered over, with those who have improved going back and improving old bios. However, we still have an effective example for you.

Nightfall's bios have progressively improved since she joined the site, along with her rping. Have a look at her one of her first cats (all the unimportant sections have been cut out) made way back in 2009. Remember, these are the bios after criting:

Basics | Paleclaw, Tom, Streamclan, Elder

Beliefs| As a StreamClan cat, PaleClaw believes strongly in StarClan. When he was asleep several nights after the death of his sister Lionpaw, he had a dream about her. Before his beliefs were based all on what his parents told him, and since his parents didn't know about StarClan, they never told him about it. But when he joined the clans, his sister instantly stuck to the idea of great starry cats in the sky, and since Paleclaw believed in his sister, he started believing in them, but never fully believed until that night.

A nice set of beliefs, but not particularly unusual. Perfectly functional.

Appearance | Paleclaw was a very handsome cat in his time. Short-furred and sleek, his white coat is littered with battle scars, some healed, some not. His blind blue eyes show a struggle from long ago that can never be forgotten. His claws are ready and sharpened for any threats. As well, his muscles have gotten slightly weak after joining the elders because of lazing around all day, but he makes sure that he doesn't lose all his strength.

There are all the basics of an appearance are here, but it's not particularly well written. There are only mentions of basic appearance traits, like eyes and pelt colour/condition. No mention of physique or size. Furthermore, there is a little pandering to cliche (with the 'his eyes reflect the trauma he has gone through') and some of the sentences cross over into personality ('His claws are sharpened for battle). Not a bad appearance, by any rate, but the organisation and detail could use some work.

Personality | He was very curious when young, and as a warrior, hasty, eager to fight and impatient. Now he is sobriety itself, only getting excited when recounting past battles to young apprentices. But whenever there is a problem in camp, he returns to his warrior instincts and becomes hasty and impatient again. When starting out as an elder, he was withdrawn and depressed, but gradually began getting out of his shell afterwards.

A very short personality. It is little more than a recounting of basic personality traits. There are no real explanations of how he acts with other cats, or what motivates his actions. Very few traits are even relevant to his current character, recalling past days. It is hard to get a clear picture of how he acts, and there isn't anything particularly remarkable about his character. This is one of the biggest weaknesses of the bio. The personality reaches basic functionality, but doesn't show much originality. However, as this was one of Nightfall's first bios, we only made her add what was needed and then let it through. Small steps still lead towards the destination, after all!

Skills | Paleclaw was an amazing fighter as an apprentice, granting him his warrior name. He also enjoys hunting, but that isn't his strongest trait. He continues to review battle techniques in his head, always ready.

Perfectly fine and functional. No real comment on non-warrior traits, but that's not required. Not much else to say.

History | Paleclaw was born a rogue, along with his sister and brother. He was named Cloud for his white fur.

When the 4 clans came into being, Cloud was the average age of a young warrior. His parents were delighted with the idea of Clans, but were too old for change. They sent their kits to StreamClan, where they were accepted as young warriors. Cloud's name was changed to Paleclaw.

During that time, he met a pretty she-cat by the name of Silvertail, who he quickly fell in love with. They became fast mates, and she told him she was pregnant with his two kits.

Several days later, while on patrol, Paleclaw encountered a particularly vicious fox in the woods. Unable to chase it away, he ran away and unknowingly toppled over a small cliff, damaging his eyes upon landing and killing the fox who had accidentally jumped over the cliff to chase him.

Several Clanmates found him a few minutes later, attracted by the caterwauling and barking.

He woke up a couple of days later in the medicine den. When he realized he couldn't see, he started to panic. The mediine cat told him that he was blind now, and couldn't be a warrior anymore. He ended up in a dreary depression for days on end. He remained in the medicine den for several; days, and at that time Silvertail had his two kits, Black-kit and Whitekit. But that night, Silvertail died of birth complications, sending Paleclaw down an ever drearier state of depression.

He was quickly made an elder after his eyes healed enough. Soon he got over depression by finding friends with other elders and remains vigilant to this day. His blindness are not a hindrance now as he looks to ever new day.

Some grammatical and spelling mistakes are in here, but the staff rarely get people to change these and just encourage care in the next bio. This history reaches all the basic requirements, but is still only functional. The beginning of his life is little explained, giving no real indication of his personality as he grew up, before he joined the clans. The emotional development and the development of his warrior skills are brushed over. Only one major event in his life is explained in detail, and that is the strength of the history. If it were all explained like that, it would be considerably better.


So, overall, a very basic functional bio. Nothing wrong with that Nothing particularly remarkable about it, though.

Now, let's take a look at a newer bio. This cat was made in early 2011, and it isn't her most recent bio at the time of writing, but it most clearly shows how her skills have improved.

Name | Cindertail, tom, warrior, meadowclan

Beliefs |

Cindertail truly is on the fence. On one hand, StarClan gives hope and truth to many members of the Clans. On the other hand, there really is no truth to StarClan, no solid evidence save for some highly questionable dreams that could be written off as hallucinations from a bad piece of fresh - kill.

Often enough, Cindertail ponders how he would be different if he had joined a different clan, like PineClan. He knows that he definitely wouldn't be on the fence; he'd be against the existence of StarClan completely. Maybe Rhea would have followed him there as well and would have some elders to talk to and wouldn't only have the company of a couple of apprentices all the time. And maybe, he would be understood just a little bit better.

These are some very thoughtful beliefs, discussing not only the difficulty of an agnostic but showing awareness of the political aspects of the Starclan debate in the forest. Succinctly written, these beliefs are like that of a typical human. It is also well ordered, giving an easy introduction and progressing logically from basic facts, to discussion of why he believes, to discussion of the environmental influence on his beliefs to the discussion of the political aspects of belief. There is a clear improvement from Paleclaw's basic, ego-centric beliefs.

Appearance |

When Cindertail was young, every cat he met would call him adorable. Rhea was the worst, calling him cute and adorable every day. Even today, she calls him adorably handsome, and poor Cindertail can only shake his head and walk away.

Cindertail is a grey cat with darker grey tabby markings. His toes are white, and there is a white patch at the tip of his tail. There is a white spot underneath his chin as well.

His eyes are somewhat confusing. They are a blue - green colour, and when looked at closely enough and long enough, one seems slightly darker than the other.

Cindertail is thin, with barely any muscle and no fat whatsoever. His fur however, is thick and makes him appear larger than he really is. His head is average, and his eras are slightly larger than usual.

The appearance is, again, more succinctly written, giving a greater overview of the cat. The physique is now discussed in a way which doesn't ramble but gives enough detail. The organisation is clearly better, focused entirely on appearances without pandering to cliche. The only non-traditional aspect is the very first paragraph, commenting on how he was seen when he was young, but this supports later writing, introducing his cutely-handsome looks, so is completely acceptable. A well focused appearance.

Personality |

Cindertail is an extremely passive cat, at least, compared to his excitable, agressive mentor. He is rather curious, and sometimes gets himself stuck in situations that he needs outside help to get out of. One amusing instance f this was when he was young and found himself in a tree with no way of getting down. Rhea believes it is just something that he kept with him from kithood. Because of his silence, this sometimes leads him into deep thinking sessions, where quiet places are appreciated.

Cindertail is surprisingly thoughtful. Kits like him for his patience with them and his imaginative ways of playing. And despite being a warrior, Cindertail would much prefer to talk things out (pardon the bad pun) than fight them out. He disikes large crowds for the loud sounds they bring, and would much prefer sitting in a quiet patch of grass alone than in camp with a bunch of yelling.

Other cats don't look at him for much. He is mute, and thus, not a good discussion partner. However, if cats are ever looking for a cat to let it all out on, Cindertail is the cat to go to. He listen patiently and nod and understand.

Cindertail himself isn't sure how others see him. Sometimes he worries that they may think of him as a freak, or something that doesn't belong.

You can see without my telling you that this is a vastly better personality. A better impression of the character is given here, giving a much clearer overview of what he is like. It's much clearer how he will be rped, how he will act with other cats and how he feels underneath the basic personality traits. Aspects of history are used to support the explanation of his traits, which aids towards showing how his personality developed from kithood and keeping history and personality linked. A far better personality! It is still not as detailed as some other rpers, but it is short and sweet and covers all it needs to in a well balanced way.

Skills |

Like his name suggests, Cindertail has extremely good balance. Too bad there aren'ta lot of trees in a meadow. To be honest, Cindertail is a horrible fighter. He's not strong enough to take down cats and he's easily pushed away because of his light frame.

While an average hunter and tracker, his true talent is strategy. Had he grown up to be a good fighter and strategist, he would have been able to win over cats easily through his ability with deciding courses of action in split seconds. If only he'd been a good fighter...

While it may not be considered a common skill, Cindertail has a unique way of communicating with others through his silence. In common conversation, he may display emotion through his body language and reactions. When actually trying to communicate with another cat one on one, he will either make gestures with his tail or make semi - knowledgeable scratches in the dirt. While not completely successful, it still gets the point across.

These skills are not typical, and they avoid the usual tendancy of making a cat supreme in one skill and horrible at the other(s). Instead, these skills are highly focused on Cindertail's mental skills, while commenting on warrior skills. It is a brilliant, detailed overview of the cat in all aspects. In addition, this section shows off aptly the quirk of Cindertail: His muteness. This is an original trait, giving the bio and Cindertail and edge that Paleclaw never has. The cat is intriguing to read about, and is therefore likely to be interesting to rp with!

History |

Cindertail was born into family of kittypets along with an unknown number of brothers and sisters. His Twoleg owners, being successful show - breeders, became worried when Cindertail did not make the squeaking, mewling noises that his brothers and sisters made and took him to a vet. When they discovered that he didn't have vocal chords, they promptly (and cruelly) threw him out and left him for dead. He was only 2 moons old.

Mere hours after the Twolegs left him for dead, and older she - cat rogue came upon him clawing desperately for warmth and more importantly, his mother. Having had kits before, Rhea, the rogue, decided to take in little Cindertail and mother him.

As Cindertail grew, Rhea began teaching him how to communicate without a voice. Soon after, she began to teach him how to hunt, fight, and track. They never stayed in one place, always moving from area to area. By the time Cindertail was 17 moons, they found themselves wandering in Meadowclan territory. The clans were new and recently established, so Cedarstar gave them a choice upon the, being found by a patrol; join, or leave.

As Rhea was growing rather old and Cindertail knew she wouldn't last much longer traveling, he spoke for the both of them, answering that they would join them. Both Rhea and Cindertail were happily accepted into the Clan and Cindertail was named a warrior after a moon of showing his skills. Rhea settled comfortably into elderhood.

This history is unique. None of the usual aspects of history are in here. The birth at a breeders is highly intruging and unusual, and quite brilliantly original. The fact that he was fostered also brings an edge to the bio. The history is well written and explained, showing his emotional journey as well as how events happened. It is impressively organised. It carefully balances elaborating on Rhea as well as Cindertail. The passing of time is indicated clearly, aiding the clarity of the bio. In conclusion, this history is better in every aspect to Paleclaw!

So, as you can see, there is definite improvement here! The staff cannot claim it is all down to them, but some of this improvement, at least, has been bought about by careful guidance and explanation. When asked if she felt the staff had helped her improve on FoF, Nightfall said that "If it weren't for [the staff], i'd probably still be writing at the level that i did when i first joined fof" so she obviously found it beneficial . So, we encourage you to take all the tips we have on offer, because we're only aiming to help you get better, as Nightfall did!