Joining the LNH

To join the LNH one simply has to come up with one character that they feel epitomizes their life - drab, simple, fun, or what not - that usually has something to do with the net or with comics. For example, If people accused me of having a drab and boring personality that was limp and not very exciting I might become Limp-Asparagus Lad! (Yes, the man with the powers and personality of LIMP ASPARAGUS! ) Generally those more fun and more unusual in character type are the kind that make the best characters.

Many people think to join the LNH you must have something to do with comics. This is not necessarily the case. Many readers, at least people on my campus who I have been trying to get join, don't read comics, and at times, this can be a pain, because they don't get the jokes, but for the most part, they have lots of fun as well. The LNH is steeped in comics. It was born in the now defunct newsgroup rec.arts.comics and still is crosspost to rec.arts.comics.creative (all messages in that group should have the prefix LNH: ) and therefore characters such as Lost Cause Boy, Kid Kirby and Marvel Zombie Lad are some of the most popular characters in the LNH.

Likewise, since the net is the home of the LNH, the net and net based characters have become a mainstay! Characters that are associated with computer types in general are great fun. Multi-Tasking Man, Lurking Girl, NetLurker and Captain CoreDump are all names that come to mind that follow a more netbased type of story. If you are on a machine that spazzes occasionally and locks the CAPS on you become CAPTAIN CAPITALIZE in an instant!

Other characters that don't follow this mold also work. The LNH is a chance to become a whacky hero that perhaps seems stupid but is a part of you, and that others will relate with.

The LNH Character Creed

"The secret to acceptance in LNH is getting your character used!!!"

Other Things that Keep a Writer from Using Your Character

1. If you refuse to let them use your character or tie him (or her) into a really complex plot that no one dares mess up. (Rebel Yell and Lurking Girl are currently in Lurk of Faith, and are untouchable. If you try to write them into a story, SCAV will bite your head off, then spit it out, stomp on it, and then shoot it with a bazooka! [needless to say this wasn't a pleasant experience for me --MFP])
2. Make your character OMNIPOTENT! Yes! That's right! We realize that many want to play Munchkin roleplaying with their characters, but the LNH is not a place for such shenanigans. We are not a roleplaying forum, there are already too many of those on the net, and this just isn't the perfect place for it. There are too many seemingly-omnipotent beings in the LNH already and they are a pain to write for... You may like your Dungeons and Cyborgs and Horror RPG, but this group is not the place to live your characters... We are not a forum for roleplaying, there is no advancement or levels or any other of that senseless drivel. The LNH provides a forum for creativity, a chance to write a comic book of your own using some really fun characters... A chance to relax and meet other heroes on this petri.net we call home...
3. Get upset when something bad happens to your character. If your character gets trounced for a plot point, the best way to turn others off to your character is to make a big fuss about how it was incredibly out of character and that there is no way your character could be put in this situation. Usually when someone kills or mangles your character, they intend a rematch with your character and the same set up where your character wins!
4. Do something tasteless! The LNH has a simple moral base under which few things are really tasteless, however we do have our limits. Although it is now only LNH legend mention is made to the Integrity Questers and the "Woody Scandal!" One of the few times the LNH has come together to say, "Whoa!!"
5. There are plenty of ways to make people mad and make them not want to have anything to do with you. Usually the polite thing to do is to send the character's person an email message about what you intend to do.
6. Orphan the character. Introduce him/her, write a small story, then never touch it again. One of Drizzt's personal pet peeves. Don't introduce a character unless *you're* willing to write them.

Joining

Second, write some type of introduction to your character to the LNH. If you have chosen to be a villain, write some plot that will help you to be introduced in that way. Either way, you need to be introduced to the group so that others can start writing your character into their stories, as saying that you are so and so of the LNH! That will spark others into getting involved. If you can convince them to use your character in the stories, then you have more than one person writing your story!

Third, well, likewise, any type of publicity to the LNH is greatly appreciated. We want this to be a fun place for people to come and enjoy themselves. To have a chance to vent their frustrations about school, comics or the net! Be a Mover and/or a Shaker! Have fun with it!