I'm starting to get a bit confused. It's like the word CELEBRITY means that you HAVE to use someone from off TV. Well, what if I don't want to use any of those overused people? Some admins get pissed off at you if you use someone like Jac Vanec or RyRy Terrify on an RPG, but they love it when you take an overused PB like Disney stars or actors/actresses.

So when the admin gets mad at you for having a model instead of a TV star, what are you supposed to do? Obey and choose a washed-out, overused celeb or keep what you have? I'm confused...

Hmm - strange - for me, I qualify anyone already inthe public eye. I don't allow people to use themselves for PB on rp because of the safety aspect. For my definition of 'celebrity' - it's just someone that has already chosen to have their likelihood depicted everywhere. So, for me, I'd say a model is fine. Also, musicians, actors - both stage and screen, opera singers - those that have chosen to live a public life. Heh - I've used royalty for PB.

So, I don't know why they'd insist on TV star. Have you tried asking why? I try to use obscure people, but still celebrities or public figures.

I've never seen anyone get mad over using a model before instead of a "celebrity", such as an actor/actress. :o

I guess it must happen though. But, uhm... if the admin is being stubborn about you not wanting to use Selina Gomez as a playby or something, then they're probably... well, bad, childish, admins, and not really worth your time, since I imagine that being picky about playbys is really only the tip of the iceberg as far as their bad admining probably goes.

It depends on the board. We don't say celebrity, just request playbys be of known people (not facebook, myspace and not stock photos and not DA/artist work) and that the playby has a verifiable birthdate. This means we should be able to find a number of websources for the name, with the same birthdate. But we're generally more lax with our playbys, cause i don't like seeing TV personalities everywhere...

I normally just say PB. I don't care if it's a model, celeb, musician or Myspace face. I don't really like Myspace face, but ya know, that's just me.

It's just hard to do cause they do say celebs, but what happens when all the good ones are taken?! You have nothing else to do but go for the models or musicians(I don't count them as celebs) and Myspace face.

I would say celebrity is, as Tulojow says, anyone in the public eye. It can be as obscure as you wish I would presume.

In regards to being picky about playbys, I would have to disagree that it is a sign of bad adminning. At one point, I went the other way and banned all the overused disney and tv people. I was just sick of looking at them. Theres something about the overuse that lacks imagination in my opinion. I left a list of obscure or underused playbys for people to choose from. The thing is, I lifted the ban cos I can understand that maybe it wasn't democratic but a lot of sites do it!!

Surprisingly enough, even with the relaxed rules, people still chose underused playbys for themselves. However, if you're being forced to use someone off the TV and you don't wish to, I guess you just have to realise that its not the forum for you!. That's probably about all you can do (if you havent already questioned the admin about it)

I don't understand these restrictions on playbys. Shouldn't the RPing be centerstage? What if I want to use anime or no playby at all?

Personally, I'd stick to what you I choose as playby. If I choose a playby it's because they convey the character as I want it conveyed and they look like each other, why use someone who doesn't? To play out fantasies about Efron and Hudgens breaking up or being together or whatever? If you want that, write fanfiction.

Well, I don't think the admin is angry about it, per se, but she did say that my model 'hardly qualified as a celeb'. It's Nephania, a model someone found for me here a week ago. Heard of her?

But yeah, all these restrictions on PBs are just saying you have to RP the way the admins say. Granted, I don't mind when there's restrictions on book/tv/game based rpgs. Or roleplays where there's an age limit to go along with the plot.

She is a MySpace celebrity, not a regular model, so if they ruled out MySpace celebrities, then that would be why.

I don't insist on celebs. I don't even isist players have a PB. I'm using Gaspard Ulliel (who I've pretty much never heard of, personally) and Sean Bean for two of my characters, but my other PBs are unknown actors, and one is an extra who never even had lines. I'm only using Sean Bean because he's probably best known for playing the character I'm RPing as, anyway.

Some of the other players are using period portraits, but then as it's a historical RPG, that's fine with me.

What a curious topic. I've seen, yet never really been subject to, both sides of this. You have the people who prefer the well-known people, or the high fashion models, actors, ect then you have the people who think it's all a trend, yet use a PB anyway. I haven't encountered a site where you absolutely must have a playby for your character. When it comes to the topic of playby's, many people get haughty for basically no reason.

I will say that some people tend to forget the point of having an avatar/PB/face/whatever is. If you have one, it's to express your character. I chose my playby because he fits perfectly, not because he look good, she's pretty, or even because of a character they portrayed in a movie. I choose a PB because, if a visual is wanted, this celebrity is who would fit the description of my character.

So well put I had to quote it.

Does it matter? Why do admins become so damn asinine (since a harmless term like an@l is censored, yay!) on PBs? A person is a freaking person.

Stick to what you want. Ultimately, an RP should be about the writing anyway. People kill me when they make their sites all about the PBs and the graphics.

...shit.