Getting Started on LAW — A Step-By-Step Guide

[Ichi]

Getting Started on LAW — A Step-By-Step Guide

     This guide is meant to help new users get started in LAW. By following this guide, you should be able to get your start on LAW. For convenience, everything is laid out in a step-by-step format. Essentially, the process for getting started in LAW boils down to making a character and getting said character approved. Details are given below.





PREREQUISITES: Before moving on to STEP 1, make sure that you can check all of these boxes off.

• ☐ You are at least 18 years of age.
  Due to the sometimes suggestive nature of this website, you must be at least 18 years of age to participate.

STEP 1: Obtain a character reference

1. Obtain a reference image for your character
   • A reference image is any image that shows what your character looks like. This image should be from an anime, manga, video game, or other drawn/rendered medium—it must not be an image of a real life person, however. Here are some examples of reference images:
          
     
     
     
     
     Reference images can be found on sites like this and this. They can also be uploaded to image hosting sites like Imgur or even Discord. Basically, any link to a suitable image will suffice.
   • Acceptable sources for character reference images include:
     • Anime characters
     • Manga characters
     • Video game characters
     • Original characters in a drawn/rendered style (examples below)
       • Commissioned art
       • Create-a-character art (e.g. create-a-character in a video game, Kisekae, Koikatsu, etc)
     • Basically any drawn/rendered character
   • Unacceptable sources for character reference images include:
     • Real life photos of people
     • Drawn/rendered depictions of people who exist in the real world
2. If the character in your reference image is an original character that you own,
   An original character is a character that is not from an existing medium and/or is a character that you created and own. For example, if you commission art of a character that did not exist in any other piece of media before, or if you make a character in a character-creating program/video game, then said character is your original character.
   move on to STEP 1 CHECKLIST. Otherwise, continue down this list as normal.
3. Check if your reference is available by posting your reference to the reference checker thread
   • Here are some templates for asking if a character/reference image is free:
          

     Code: Select all

     Is this character free?
     {INSERT URL/LINK TO REFERENCE IMAGE HERE}

     Code: Select all

     Is {CHARACTER NAME} from {ANIME/MANGA/VIDEO GAME/ETC NAME} free?
     {OPTIONAL: INSERT URL/LINK TO REFERENCE IMAGE HERE}

     
     You do not have to follow the templates exactly, but your post to the reference checker thread should be similar to one of these templates.
4. Wait for another user to tell you whether or not your reference is free.
   • If the reference is free, another user will usually post something along the lines of "X is free" or "Free, {YOUR USERNAME HERE}".
     In that case, you can move on to the next step.
   • If the reference is not free, go back to the beginning of STEP 1 and try again with a different reference image.

STEP 1 CHECKLIST: Before moving on to STEP 2, make sure that you can check all of these boxes off.

• ☐ Your reference image is from an anime, manga, video game, or other drawn/rendered medium
• ☐ Your reference image is not of a real life person
• If your character is NOT an original character (see earlier definition), then:
  • ☐ You posted your reference to reference checker thread
  • ☐ Another user has told you that your reference is free/unclaimed

STEP 2: Make a character profile and post it to the relevant section(s)

1. Write up a character profile for your reference character/image from STEP 1
   • This part is more open-ended. At minimum, however, you should include the following information in your character profile:
     • Reference image (can be a link or an embedded image)
     • Name
     • Age (MUST BE 18 OR OLDER)
     • Height
     • Weight
     • Personality (can be short, e.g. one paragraph)
     • History (can be short, e.g. one paragraph)
   • A barebones template for a character profile can be found here. More advanced templates can be found here, here, and here.
     • Note that you are not required to use a profile template. They are merely there to serve as an optional starting point for writing your character profile.
   • For more information on writing character profiles, read this post.
2. Post your character profile to any relevant sections in this part of the forum.
   • If you want your character to compete in the women's division
     The women's division is purely female versus female.
     , you should post your character profile to either the Women's Lightweights section, Women's Middleweights section, or the Women's Heavyweights section, depending on your character's weight.
     • If your character weighs 120 lbs (54.5 kg) or below, post your character to the Women's Lightweights section.
     • If your character weighs between (inclusive) 121 lbs (54.6 kg) and 169 lbs (76.657 kg), post your character to the Women's Middleweights section.
     • If your character weighs 170 lbs (76.657 kg) or above, post your character to the Women's Heavyweights section.
   • If you want your character to compete in the mixed division
     The mixed division is purely female versus male and male versus male.
     , you should post your character profile to either the Male Wrestlers section or the Female Wrestlers section, depending on whether your character is male or female.
     • If your character is male, post your character to the Male Wrestlers section.
     • If your character is female, post your character to the Female Wrestlers section.
   • Note that you can post your character to multiple character sections if they are applicable.
   • Note that there are more character sections than what was mentioned here. The women's and mixed division sections are the most basic sections, however.

STEP 2 CHECKLIST: Before moving on to STEP 3, make sure that you can check all of these boxes off.

• ☐ Your character profile includes the reference image/an image of the reference character that you obtained in STEP 1
• ☐ Your character profile includes the basic information mentioned in STEP 2
• ☐ YOUR CHARACTER IS 18 OR OVER
• ☐ You posted your character profile to the relevant section(s)

STEP 3: Get your character profile approved by an admin or a moderator

• Once you have made your character profile and posted it, you need to wait for your character profile to be approved before you can start roleplaying on this website.
• Your character is approved when an administrator or moderator gives a "thanks" to your character profile.
  • You can see who thanked your character profile post by looking near the bottom of your character profile—the users who have thanked your post will be listed there.
  • The "thanks" will also show up as a notification on the website.
  • Administrators have a RED name on the site and moderators have a GREEN name on the site.
    • As of 2023/02/04, winner3 is the only administrator and CaptainL is the only moderator. These people can approve your character profile by giving a "thanks" to it.

STEP 3 CHECKLIST: Before moving on, make sure that you can check all of these boxes off.

• ☐ Your character profile was approved by an administrator or moderator

NEXT STEPS:

• Once you have made it this far, you are now ready to roleplay on this website!
  • Note that once you get your first character approved, you DO NOT need to get approval for any subsequent characters you make.
• Your next step is to reach out to people for roleplays (RPs)
  • WAYS TO FIND ROLEPLAYS (RPs):
    • Reaching out to people via Discord
    • Sending private messages to people on the site
    • Posting an RP request in the Thread Requests section of the forum.
  • It helps to be proactive in seeking out RPs.
    • Even if you made a character, you might not get RP requests.
    • It helps A LOT to reach out to people directly for RPs.
• (OPTIONAL) Additional reading
  • The guide section of the forum
  • This post (pointers for new users)
• (OPTIONAL) Join the LAW Discord server
  • Joining the LAW DIscord server is highly recommended, but is not mandatory. You can still roleplay without joining the LAW Discord server.
  • However, joining the LAW Discord server can greatly help with meeting people and getting RPs. Discord is also useful for planning RPs as well.
  • You can find an invite link to the LAW Discord server in your site messages/inbox on the site.

[Lonzo29]

Hello,

Thank you for this guide to getting started on LAW. It's essential to follow the prerequisites and checklist, obtain a character reference, create a character profile and have it approved by an administrator or moderator.

[Hino]

Hello and thank you for this comprehensive guide. It's very helpful for beginners like me. I hope to progress quickly and I'm sure that your advice and sharing will help me enormously.