CFUD Application Guide
Quick first! In Ed's journal I have a beta post. Details within. But in short anyone who needs a beta on an app can go post it there. Comments will be screened and I'll reply via e-mail. It's just an offer on the table, since I know some people might have trouble snagging a beta.
Now, onto the real show:
I've been thinking we needed a comprehensive guide to apping for a while, and due to recent stuff I've decided to write it. My thanks to Shinn-mun for going over this for me, and pre-emptive thanks to anyone who thinks of anything that could be added.
*****
So, you want to submit an app for CFUD, huh?
Well here's the thing, there is no sure fire way to get in. Well, there is, and the answer is "To make them laugh really hard" but there is no sure fire way on how to do that.
Luckily, it's not impossible either. Difficult at times, yes, but nothing to worry yourself into a fit over.
But knowing what works and what doesn't is often just a matter of how long you've been around, how many apps you've read. Experience, basically.
So for anyone new, or anyone just not confident about what needs to be considered when going up to vote? This is for you.
CFUD Application Guide
Let's start at the beginning, shall we?
Who To App?
Deciding who to app can be a hard choice. It's not always as simple as any character you like. But at the same time, you better darn well like the person you're going to be pretending to be for the next few months so lets start there.
Think about characters you love: Who SOUNDS like fun to app? What characters do you just adore? In the course of reading CFUD what have you seen and just gone "Man, it would awesome to have (Random Character A) here"?
Second, what do you know? Obviously you have to be able to play these guys in weird, impossible situations. CFUD is about being in character in an out of canon situation. Sometimes ridiculously so. Your character is going to get hit on by hermaphrodites, grow a vagina (or dick!), grow younger, grow older, fall in love, have their friends die, and be molested by a tentacle monster. Can you imagine what the hell they would do in any of those situations? Can you play it?
Who makes a good character is different for everyone. I can't imagine playing off the wall insane characters like Excel-mun and Ash-mun do so wonderfully, but where would we be without them? At the same time, we must remember that the majority of the crack happy characters get dropped, often within the first month. They have awesome apps that make us fall out of our seats laughing, and then... Something happens. Maybe it's because that level of crazy or funny is hard to keep up, maybe it's because those characters are from shows where the world revolves around them and they never have to evolve, make friends with different kinds of people or deal with anything higher than a PG rating. Maybe they just get repetetive and thus boring.
But that doesn't mean they are bad characters to app. Hopefully you know your own abilities, habits, likes and dislikes better than anyone else. The idea is to app someone you think you can keep up, that you think you could make posts for day after day and still be interesting, still be IC, and still have fun.
A good idea might be to make a list of stuff you want to do with that character once you get in. Who do you want to talk to? Who would make good friends and good enemies? What plots could you have with various characters?
Don't list bandwagons though. I have nothing against them, I enjoy them readily. But while bandwagons are great for crack and boredom, if your list consists entirely with "Making him old, making him a girl, making him a furby..." and you can't think of stuff to do with your character as far as just interacting with other people? You might want to find someone else.
There are also a few characters that would generally be considered bad:
Little kids are usually a bad idea. There are always exceptions, but if camp is ultimately going to become one long "I want my mommy", with your character relying on other characters to take care of them? That probably won't go over well. Voters will usually see stuff like this and vote out not on ICness but simply a matter of "We really don't need that at camp".
Also, characters that have power over other characters present at camp. The best example I have is Akito of Fruits Basket fame. If your character ICly owns someone else's character? It's a good idea to talk to the -mun's of those characters before you app. Run by them what will and won't be okay. Talk with them so they know you don't plan on making their lives a living hell and taking fun away from the game for them. It's perfectly all right to app these characters as long as you understand that RP is about interaction and equality, it's always good to be polite regarding other people's characters. In situations like these, OOC discussion is pretty much a must.
And once you have worked that out, mention it briefly at the end of your canon so that the voters know you've run these ideas by the players of the characters you're dominating.
Writing Your App
Okay! Now that you hopefully know who you want to app, time for the hard part.
One thing at a time:
Series:
If you're apping from an anime or manga that appears in multiple formats with different story lines (i.e. FMA manga vs anime is the most obvious example) it may be necessary to mention so.
Character age:
The character age limit for campers is 21. For characters who are technically hundreds of years old but physically or mentally children (i.e. Hellmaster Phibrizzo, Son Goku, Kurama) then this goes by physical appearance. If your don't know your characters age and it's never mentioned in canon, do your best to find out if he or she can arguably hit the 20 year or below age mark. If he can't, you can always take it up with a mod. Just make sure you don't bother to write out an entire camper application just to get it weeded due to age. That would suck.
Canon:
The big one! Canon can literally make or break your app. I've voted people in just because their canon info was hilarious. I've voted out or abstained because it was so mind numbingly long, or else poorly/inaccurately described a character I didn't want to see played like that.
So here's the thing. We all sympathize that it's hard to condense your character's horribly angsty past into two sentences, but that's what you have to do.
By rule of thumb, I try not to go over 250 words. At that size I've never had anyone complain about giant canon issues. And there’s no reason that shouldn't be enough.
However, I've also noticed that the funnier your canon is, the longer you can get away with. Still, if your canon is topping 400 words the reader is just going to see a giant block of tiny text and their eyes are going to glaze over. That's bad.
Basically, use what you need, and say what is necessary to understand the app. Unless the minute details are important? Leave them out. I summed up Ed's crappy life by saying basically "Hay, he has emo" and often enough that's all you need to say.
More important than how horribly your character's entire family died, you want to include their personality. Load up on adjectives if you have to, or mention in a few words a past event that you think sums them up to a T. Most characters aren't, when get right down it, horribly unique. It shouldn't be hard to give the impression of any character's personality, no matter how obscure their canon, in about 100 words.
Also, humor in canon really can't be underestimated. In the app itself you have to be funny ICly. But in the canon? You just have to explain your character. How you go about that is up to you. And if you can make people laugh and love your character and want them in cause it's just so goddamn hilarious before they even get to the app? That is very, very good. If people want to vote you in before they read your app you're sitting pretty as long as your app doesn't completely fail.
Lastly, if something from your characters canon must be mentioned in the app, explain it in one quick sentence in your canon. Remember, you want your canon to describe the character people will be reading in the application. Don't describe someone quiet and emo and so alone in the world and then show a really chipper part of their personality unless you mention in the canon that your character's favorite thing ever and the only thing that can lift their spirits is smell of rotting flesh in the morning.
Now that's done it’s time to get to the meat of it. Hopefully your canon went over well and the reader has a good mental image of your character. Time to live up to that.
The Entry:
This is the hardest part. It's no secret that it's progressively gotten more difficult to get voted in. Ideas have been used and reused and used again until they really aren't recyclable anymore. It's no one's fault, it's just the nature of things. What old players laughed at the first time we don't laugh at anymore the ninth time.
But let's break this down. What does it take to get in?
Well that's different for everyone. Some people vote on how IC it is, some people vote on if it makes them laugh, some people vote on if it's unique or sounds interesting. I think most of us vote on a mixture of all of this. Generally, funny apps do better. Everyone likes to laugh and it's hard to crack up a wide audience of people. Those apps that manage to do it are rewarded justly.
But for the most part, having a good hold on your character, being decently humorous and being original are enough. So let's focus on that.
First off: Be IC.
Do this especially if you're from a canon that is well known. Don't expect your app to ride in because there are fifteen SEED members here that would surely like to have you. Everyone wants to play with their own canon, yes, but not with someone who is just that character in name. If you aren't IC you're going to get shot down hard and fast, and the more well known your canon is, the more the fall is going to bruise.
Note: When I say be IC, I don't mean be fanon. Fanon interpretations of characters and their relationships generally don't go over well. If you want to play your character gay as the newly risen sun, but they aren't canonically sleeping with their co-pilot? You're better off leaving that out of the app. For every one person who reads your fanon opinion in an app and goes "Yay I want to see that pairing!" you're going to have three more people rolling their eyes and voting you out because of it.
Second: Be funny.
Easier said than done. And I'm not a comedian by a long shot so I can't help with this one much. Some basic stuff to remember though: don't be funny at the cost of characterization. Ever. It will just leave a bad taste in the reader's mouth. Secondly it's always a good idea to have a punch line. Apps are often inconsistent and might start out strong and end flat. If you're going to do that? End with a punch. It's the last thing they're going to read right before they vote you in or out, so make it count. I can't possibly count the number of times I've read "I was going to vote you out until (insert witty line here) sold me". Use that.
And lastly: Be unique.
Chances are if the heart of your app consists of talking about lecherous vines, being gnawed on by a zombie, meeting the tentacle monster, having your mind read by toucans, being chased by gorillas... any of that stuff? We've read it. We've read it not once, not twice, but probably at least a dozen or so times. Really good apps rarely have anything to do with "Lol this camp is nuts" anymore, they're usually about how your character presents him or herself to the camp. What do they think? Why are they here? What do they intend to do? Side notes about the camp wildlife are not bad, no, in fact they are necessary to some extent to make us know and feel as if your character is indeed at camp. But the core of your app should, unless you have a truly brilliant 'camp attacked me' idea, be about the character's actions themselves.
For Easy Reference, he's a list of things we've all heard ten or so characters go on about at length, and we don't want to hear it anymore:
Zombies
Tentacles
Toucans
Gorillas
Any Rapist Flora
Any Rapist Fauna
Most Random Bug Things
Pretty Much Anything That Tries to Rape or Eat or Feel You Up
Random Moster You Found a Picture of On Google
If your big funny joke is about something on this list, or something that might be on this list? The odds are we won't even smile.
Pet Peeves to be Aware of:
There is a rather long list of things that voters just don't like to see in apps and they will often vote you out just because of them. Now note, they are are just pet peeves. I've seen all of these things overlooked or even applauded if done right. But if you're going to format the shit out of your app? Be aware that some people hate that.
'Private' Entries - This is when, at the start or middle or whatever of your app, there is a [locked to self] note. These generally look bad in apps, making them disjointed. On top of that it's a pet peeve to many voters, mostly due to the fact that the point of the app is to show the camper interacting with camp life. It's great to divulge that your character is secretly thinking evil thoughts, but in camp most of the time you're going to have to convey these 'private' moments without a real lock. It's much better to show these facets of your character as it would really be witnessed by the camp's populace.
Over Formatting - This is when you use lots of italics, strike outs, bolds, resizing of font etc. Everyone does it a little bit, and that's fine. But if when someone comes to look at your app they see something formatted every other line? You might want to look for a way to cut that out.
Pictures - A weird and short-lived trend went about a few months ago with people linking to images in their apps/canon. The fact that it became a trend made it A) unfunny pretty fast and B) people started over using it. Pictures really shouldn't be needed to sell your app at all. Again, unless it's going to kill someone with teh funny, don't use it.
Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation - We are not a community of people who talk in game/lamer/l33t speak in our free time. BUT we are also not all grammar or spelling Nazis. I personally fail at the English language, and I've had people comment on grammar issues in at least three of my apps, but I still got in despite that. Still, unless it's IC for your character to have horrible sentence structure, or misspell every other word, you want to avoid these things as much as possible.
Trying to Jump Bandwagons - Okay, so you read CFUD and there's been a gender switching virus going on! Why don't you write an app where your character gets boobs? No. Please don't. Bandwagons are one of CFUD's guilty pleasures, but they should never be the backbone of anything concrete about your character, much less what you use in your app. The app is for showing how well you can play your character, but after you've seen every character in camp turn into a girl five times each, there just aren't any more original or interesting reactions. It mostly looks like you're trying to get ahead of yourself.
Being Canon Heavy - This goes with what I said in the canon section but I'll reiterate. If people can't follow your app from what you wrote in your canon? You have a problem. This includes mentioning events or people from your characters canon. Your funny or interest should not revolve around your canon, or around another character. Generally one canon related paragraph is perfectly acceptable, as long as the app itself moves away from that.
Mentioning Present Characters - Occasionally apps will talk about a character who's already at camp. You know, seeing Ash down by the lake or whatever. Some people are bothered by this, some aren't. It's probably one of those things that's better left out, BUT if you want to do it make sure you get permission to do so from the player of that character. And then mention that you got permission in your canon. Misrepresenting someone else's character in your app has happened before and it's something that will definitely get you shot down hard.
As an additional note to the above: If you're mentioning present characters at all, make sure it contributes to your app. Do not throw them in there because mentioning a popular character is going to get you votes from a popular player. If it looks likes that all the other players get grouchy and vote you out.
After the App:
So now you've written your app, it falls within all the official and unofficial guidelines. You think it's funny, you think it's pretty okay but... you've looked at it and thought about it so many times you're just not sure anymore. Now what to do?
Leave it alone.
Hopefully you haven't waited until two hours before applications close to write this. Obviously if you have, leaving it alone isn't an option. But if you have a week before apps open? Just let it vegetate for a day or three. In any writing it's a good idea to just take time to stand back from your work. Once you've gotten away from it enough that you don't remember it word for word anymore? Go proof read it. Fix your grammar, your spelling. Rephrase things. Make sure the app flows smoothly from paragraph to paragraph. Make sure paragraph breaks come at the right time. Make sure it's IC. Check if those jokes are still funny. See if you can't cut back the canon more or make it more concise.
Honestly, you'll be amazed at how many problems you can find in your app once you've stepped away from it for a few days.
Now that it's proof read, go get yourself a beta. I have a post up where I'll beta for anyone that wants it, but you're just as well off getting a friend.
I personally always try to get two betas. One who's familiar with my character's canon, and one who isn't. Someone who has no idea about your character is going to read any application completely differently than someone who's just as into the series as you. And you need both sides to enjoy the app to get voted in.
Once that's done? Wait for apps to open and send your e-mail in. Make sure you check the CFUD userinfo so that your application fits requirements.
Voting:
So. What is the proper etiquette for being voted on anyway?
Well, first off, post anonymously. This should be a given. It is perfectly acceptable to converse with people about your app, or ask for concrit as to why you got voted out. Just, you know, as long as they can't tell who you are.
Secondly, be polite.
When you ask someone for a reason as to why they voted you out, they will generally go re-read the app. Sometimes this actually results in people getting votes changed to in; a second read of the app was all that was needed. Most of the time the voter will come back and tell you why they voted you out. This can be anything from a page long essay on the problems in your app to a vague "eh, it didn't grab me". Whatever it is. Be nice. Thank them for their honesty. Seriously. Getting voted out should never be a personal thing. If it is you probably either A) have issues or B) let someone who hates you find out who you are. So there's no reason to ever get catty about out votes. Plus, there is a good chance you want to reapply, in which case you need these people to be willing to vote you in next time. Plus plus, if you do get in that means you're playing with these people, and there's no point in making enemies before you're even in the game because out votes hurt your feelings.
Fin:
And that's basically it. I can think of no other hints or secrets to divulge.
Useful Links:
CFUD's User info - If it doesn't fit the submission guidelines you won't make it past weeding.
For Future Appers... - A truly awesome compliation of app relevant stuff by former!Hinata-mun^2. Most noted because it links to all the old application batches.
Betaing Goes Here - When in doubt, you can at least get one person to beta your app here. That person being me.
campfuckuvote - Voting goes here.
Now, onto the real show:
I've been thinking we needed a comprehensive guide to apping for a while, and due to recent stuff I've decided to write it. My thanks to Shinn-mun for going over this for me, and pre-emptive thanks to anyone who thinks of anything that could be added.
*****
So, you want to submit an app for CFUD, huh?
Well here's the thing, there is no sure fire way to get in. Well, there is, and the answer is "To make them laugh really hard" but there is no sure fire way on how to do that.
Luckily, it's not impossible either. Difficult at times, yes, but nothing to worry yourself into a fit over.
But knowing what works and what doesn't is often just a matter of how long you've been around, how many apps you've read. Experience, basically.
So for anyone new, or anyone just not confident about what needs to be considered when going up to vote? This is for you.
CFUD Application Guide
Let's start at the beginning, shall we?
Who To App?
Deciding who to app can be a hard choice. It's not always as simple as any character you like. But at the same time, you better darn well like the person you're going to be pretending to be for the next few months so lets start there.
Think about characters you love: Who SOUNDS like fun to app? What characters do you just adore? In the course of reading CFUD what have you seen and just gone "Man, it would awesome to have (Random Character A) here"?
Second, what do you know? Obviously you have to be able to play these guys in weird, impossible situations. CFUD is about being in character in an out of canon situation. Sometimes ridiculously so. Your character is going to get hit on by hermaphrodites, grow a vagina (or dick!), grow younger, grow older, fall in love, have their friends die, and be molested by a tentacle monster. Can you imagine what the hell they would do in any of those situations? Can you play it?
Who makes a good character is different for everyone. I can't imagine playing off the wall insane characters like Excel-mun and Ash-mun do so wonderfully, but where would we be without them? At the same time, we must remember that the majority of the crack happy characters get dropped, often within the first month. They have awesome apps that make us fall out of our seats laughing, and then... Something happens. Maybe it's because that level of crazy or funny is hard to keep up, maybe it's because those characters are from shows where the world revolves around them and they never have to evolve, make friends with different kinds of people or deal with anything higher than a PG rating. Maybe they just get repetetive and thus boring.
But that doesn't mean they are bad characters to app. Hopefully you know your own abilities, habits, likes and dislikes better than anyone else. The idea is to app someone you think you can keep up, that you think you could make posts for day after day and still be interesting, still be IC, and still have fun.
A good idea might be to make a list of stuff you want to do with that character once you get in. Who do you want to talk to? Who would make good friends and good enemies? What plots could you have with various characters?
Don't list bandwagons though. I have nothing against them, I enjoy them readily. But while bandwagons are great for crack and boredom, if your list consists entirely with "Making him old, making him a girl, making him a furby..." and you can't think of stuff to do with your character as far as just interacting with other people? You might want to find someone else.
There are also a few characters that would generally be considered bad:
Little kids are usually a bad idea. There are always exceptions, but if camp is ultimately going to become one long "I want my mommy", with your character relying on other characters to take care of them? That probably won't go over well. Voters will usually see stuff like this and vote out not on ICness but simply a matter of "We really don't need that at camp".
Also, characters that have power over other characters present at camp. The best example I have is Akito of Fruits Basket fame. If your character ICly owns someone else's character? It's a good idea to talk to the -mun's of those characters before you app. Run by them what will and won't be okay. Talk with them so they know you don't plan on making their lives a living hell and taking fun away from the game for them. It's perfectly all right to app these characters as long as you understand that RP is about interaction and equality, it's always good to be polite regarding other people's characters. In situations like these, OOC discussion is pretty much a must.
And once you have worked that out, mention it briefly at the end of your canon so that the voters know you've run these ideas by the players of the characters you're dominating.
Writing Your App
Okay! Now that you hopefully know who you want to app, time for the hard part.
One thing at a time:
Series:
If you're apping from an anime or manga that appears in multiple formats with different story lines (i.e. FMA manga vs anime is the most obvious example) it may be necessary to mention so.
Character age:
The character age limit for campers is 21. For characters who are technically hundreds of years old but physically or mentally children (i.e. Hellmaster Phibrizzo, Son Goku, Kurama) then this goes by physical appearance. If your don't know your characters age and it's never mentioned in canon, do your best to find out if he or she can arguably hit the 20 year or below age mark. If he can't, you can always take it up with a mod. Just make sure you don't bother to write out an entire camper application just to get it weeded due to age. That would suck.
Canon:
The big one! Canon can literally make or break your app. I've voted people in just because their canon info was hilarious. I've voted out or abstained because it was so mind numbingly long, or else poorly/inaccurately described a character I didn't want to see played like that.
So here's the thing. We all sympathize that it's hard to condense your character's horribly angsty past into two sentences, but that's what you have to do.
By rule of thumb, I try not to go over 250 words. At that size I've never had anyone complain about giant canon issues. And there’s no reason that shouldn't be enough.
However, I've also noticed that the funnier your canon is, the longer you can get away with. Still, if your canon is topping 400 words the reader is just going to see a giant block of tiny text and their eyes are going to glaze over. That's bad.
Basically, use what you need, and say what is necessary to understand the app. Unless the minute details are important? Leave them out. I summed up Ed's crappy life by saying basically "Hay, he has emo" and often enough that's all you need to say.
More important than how horribly your character's entire family died, you want to include their personality. Load up on adjectives if you have to, or mention in a few words a past event that you think sums them up to a T. Most characters aren't, when get right down it, horribly unique. It shouldn't be hard to give the impression of any character's personality, no matter how obscure their canon, in about 100 words.
Also, humor in canon really can't be underestimated. In the app itself you have to be funny ICly. But in the canon? You just have to explain your character. How you go about that is up to you. And if you can make people laugh and love your character and want them in cause it's just so goddamn hilarious before they even get to the app? That is very, very good. If people want to vote you in before they read your app you're sitting pretty as long as your app doesn't completely fail.
Lastly, if something from your characters canon must be mentioned in the app, explain it in one quick sentence in your canon. Remember, you want your canon to describe the character people will be reading in the application. Don't describe someone quiet and emo and so alone in the world and then show a really chipper part of their personality unless you mention in the canon that your character's favorite thing ever and the only thing that can lift their spirits is smell of rotting flesh in the morning.
Now that's done it’s time to get to the meat of it. Hopefully your canon went over well and the reader has a good mental image of your character. Time to live up to that.
The Entry:
This is the hardest part. It's no secret that it's progressively gotten more difficult to get voted in. Ideas have been used and reused and used again until they really aren't recyclable anymore. It's no one's fault, it's just the nature of things. What old players laughed at the first time we don't laugh at anymore the ninth time.
But let's break this down. What does it take to get in?
Well that's different for everyone. Some people vote on how IC it is, some people vote on if it makes them laugh, some people vote on if it's unique or sounds interesting. I think most of us vote on a mixture of all of this. Generally, funny apps do better. Everyone likes to laugh and it's hard to crack up a wide audience of people. Those apps that manage to do it are rewarded justly.
But for the most part, having a good hold on your character, being decently humorous and being original are enough. So let's focus on that.
First off: Be IC.
Do this especially if you're from a canon that is well known. Don't expect your app to ride in because there are fifteen SEED members here that would surely like to have you. Everyone wants to play with their own canon, yes, but not with someone who is just that character in name. If you aren't IC you're going to get shot down hard and fast, and the more well known your canon is, the more the fall is going to bruise.
Note: When I say be IC, I don't mean be fanon. Fanon interpretations of characters and their relationships generally don't go over well. If you want to play your character gay as the newly risen sun, but they aren't canonically sleeping with their co-pilot? You're better off leaving that out of the app. For every one person who reads your fanon opinion in an app and goes "Yay I want to see that pairing!" you're going to have three more people rolling their eyes and voting you out because of it.
Second: Be funny.
Easier said than done. And I'm not a comedian by a long shot so I can't help with this one much. Some basic stuff to remember though: don't be funny at the cost of characterization. Ever. It will just leave a bad taste in the reader's mouth. Secondly it's always a good idea to have a punch line. Apps are often inconsistent and might start out strong and end flat. If you're going to do that? End with a punch. It's the last thing they're going to read right before they vote you in or out, so make it count. I can't possibly count the number of times I've read "I was going to vote you out until (insert witty line here) sold me". Use that.
And lastly: Be unique.
Chances are if the heart of your app consists of talking about lecherous vines, being gnawed on by a zombie, meeting the tentacle monster, having your mind read by toucans, being chased by gorillas... any of that stuff? We've read it. We've read it not once, not twice, but probably at least a dozen or so times. Really good apps rarely have anything to do with "Lol this camp is nuts" anymore, they're usually about how your character presents him or herself to the camp. What do they think? Why are they here? What do they intend to do? Side notes about the camp wildlife are not bad, no, in fact they are necessary to some extent to make us know and feel as if your character is indeed at camp. But the core of your app should, unless you have a truly brilliant 'camp attacked me' idea, be about the character's actions themselves.
For Easy Reference, he's a list of things we've all heard ten or so characters go on about at length, and we don't want to hear it anymore:
Zombies
Tentacles
Toucans
Gorillas
Any Rapist Flora
Any Rapist Fauna
Most Random Bug Things
Pretty Much Anything That Tries to Rape or Eat or Feel You Up
Random Moster You Found a Picture of On Google
If your big funny joke is about something on this list, or something that might be on this list? The odds are we won't even smile.
Pet Peeves to be Aware of:
There is a rather long list of things that voters just don't like to see in apps and they will often vote you out just because of them. Now note, they are are just pet peeves. I've seen all of these things overlooked or even applauded if done right. But if you're going to format the shit out of your app? Be aware that some people hate that.
'Private' Entries - This is when, at the start or middle or whatever of your app, there is a [locked to self] note. These generally look bad in apps, making them disjointed. On top of that it's a pet peeve to many voters, mostly due to the fact that the point of the app is to show the camper interacting with camp life. It's great to divulge that your character is secretly thinking evil thoughts, but in camp most of the time you're going to have to convey these 'private' moments without a real lock. It's much better to show these facets of your character as it would really be witnessed by the camp's populace.
Over Formatting - This is when you use lots of italics, strike outs, bolds, resizing of font etc. Everyone does it a little bit, and that's fine. But if when someone comes to look at your app they see something formatted every other line? You might want to look for a way to cut that out.
Pictures - A weird and short-lived trend went about a few months ago with people linking to images in their apps/canon. The fact that it became a trend made it A) unfunny pretty fast and B) people started over using it. Pictures really shouldn't be needed to sell your app at all. Again, unless it's going to kill someone with teh funny, don't use it.
Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation - We are not a community of people who talk in game/lamer/l33t speak in our free time. BUT we are also not all grammar or spelling Nazis. I personally fail at the English language, and I've had people comment on grammar issues in at least three of my apps, but I still got in despite that. Still, unless it's IC for your character to have horrible sentence structure, or misspell every other word, you want to avoid these things as much as possible.
Trying to Jump Bandwagons - Okay, so you read CFUD and there's been a gender switching virus going on! Why don't you write an app where your character gets boobs? No. Please don't. Bandwagons are one of CFUD's guilty pleasures, but they should never be the backbone of anything concrete about your character, much less what you use in your app. The app is for showing how well you can play your character, but after you've seen every character in camp turn into a girl five times each, there just aren't any more original or interesting reactions. It mostly looks like you're trying to get ahead of yourself.
Being Canon Heavy - This goes with what I said in the canon section but I'll reiterate. If people can't follow your app from what you wrote in your canon? You have a problem. This includes mentioning events or people from your characters canon. Your funny or interest should not revolve around your canon, or around another character. Generally one canon related paragraph is perfectly acceptable, as long as the app itself moves away from that.
Mentioning Present Characters - Occasionally apps will talk about a character who's already at camp. You know, seeing Ash down by the lake or whatever. Some people are bothered by this, some aren't. It's probably one of those things that's better left out, BUT if you want to do it make sure you get permission to do so from the player of that character. And then mention that you got permission in your canon. Misrepresenting someone else's character in your app has happened before and it's something that will definitely get you shot down hard.
As an additional note to the above: If you're mentioning present characters at all, make sure it contributes to your app. Do not throw them in there because mentioning a popular character is going to get you votes from a popular player. If it looks likes that all the other players get grouchy and vote you out.
After the App:
So now you've written your app, it falls within all the official and unofficial guidelines. You think it's funny, you think it's pretty okay but... you've looked at it and thought about it so many times you're just not sure anymore. Now what to do?
Leave it alone.
Hopefully you haven't waited until two hours before applications close to write this. Obviously if you have, leaving it alone isn't an option. But if you have a week before apps open? Just let it vegetate for a day or three. In any writing it's a good idea to just take time to stand back from your work. Once you've gotten away from it enough that you don't remember it word for word anymore? Go proof read it. Fix your grammar, your spelling. Rephrase things. Make sure the app flows smoothly from paragraph to paragraph. Make sure paragraph breaks come at the right time. Make sure it's IC. Check if those jokes are still funny. See if you can't cut back the canon more or make it more concise.
Honestly, you'll be amazed at how many problems you can find in your app once you've stepped away from it for a few days.
Now that it's proof read, go get yourself a beta. I have a post up where I'll beta for anyone that wants it, but you're just as well off getting a friend.
I personally always try to get two betas. One who's familiar with my character's canon, and one who isn't. Someone who has no idea about your character is going to read any application completely differently than someone who's just as into the series as you. And you need both sides to enjoy the app to get voted in.
Once that's done? Wait for apps to open and send your e-mail in. Make sure you check the CFUD userinfo so that your application fits requirements.
Voting:
So. What is the proper etiquette for being voted on anyway?
Well, first off, post anonymously. This should be a given. It is perfectly acceptable to converse with people about your app, or ask for concrit as to why you got voted out. Just, you know, as long as they can't tell who you are.
Secondly, be polite.
When you ask someone for a reason as to why they voted you out, they will generally go re-read the app. Sometimes this actually results in people getting votes changed to in; a second read of the app was all that was needed. Most of the time the voter will come back and tell you why they voted you out. This can be anything from a page long essay on the problems in your app to a vague "eh, it didn't grab me". Whatever it is. Be nice. Thank them for their honesty. Seriously. Getting voted out should never be a personal thing. If it is you probably either A) have issues or B) let someone who hates you find out who you are. So there's no reason to ever get catty about out votes. Plus, there is a good chance you want to reapply, in which case you need these people to be willing to vote you in next time. Plus plus, if you do get in that means you're playing with these people, and there's no point in making enemies before you're even in the game because out votes hurt your feelings.
Fin:
And that's basically it. I can think of no other hints or secrets to divulge.
Useful Links:
CFUD's User info - If it doesn't fit the submission guidelines you won't make it past weeding.
For Future Appers... - A truly awesome compliation of app relevant stuff by former!Hinata-mun^2. Most noted because it links to all the old application batches.
Betaing Goes Here - When in doubt, you can at least get one person to beta your app here. That person being me.
campfuckuvote - Voting goes here.