Surely I am not the only one who gets tired of the same old threads, same old business district interactions without much changing but the dialogue and character names. Welp, I thought it might be good to throw together a list of some of the stuff I browse when my brain is stuck or I want to change it up just enough to keep things interesting. You cant post like Philly does without writing outside the box! :p 

1. Writing Prompts: You can google, join a Reddit or two or even follow people on Twitter. But If you're lazy like me you can bookmark this link which has a ton of ideas that you can change up to fit the era or even mash together with another idea or two. 

2. D&D is a huge game to steal ideas from, and nerds all over the world have dedicated years to pulling together lists and guides and all sorts of things to make the game more immersive and fun for the table. So how do you apply this to MR? Easy, creative googling yields some great results. I personally love 100 Tavern Encounters for fun things that can happen in an establishment. It gives a base idea that you can form into something fitting. This site has some great lists of all types of encounters that can help change up what you're doing in your city's BD. 

3. You just feel like writing, you are tired of always being the loud-mouthed, short, and sarcastic person who drinks wine by the color and smokes whilst narrowing your eyes and crossing your legs. Sure you wanna be pretty, but why be like everyone in the game and every character that existed before when you can break free of the mold and do something memorable. 

• NPC Generator: Gives a really solid foundation to build your image and to base your personality around. And the best part? You can keep clicking until something fits in the way you want it to. "Yeah sure I'm a pompous guy with aspirations to rule the city, but I also wear glasses but not in public so while I look tough and squinty I'm actually fucking blind. Not to mention, my home was destroyed by a bad storm in California, which is why I gave up on hurricanes and moved to Chicago where I just have to deal with snow."  THIS is what I rolled and I have one of my more interesting character ideas than I've had in years. 

• Do you wanna be like LG or Keats? Are you insane when it comes to writing? Then there are some Really long and in depth guides/documents that you can go through and answer a handful of questions to get a new type of character. What are your fears? Well, Frances thinks cars are death traps and refuses to ride in one and treats them a bit like the neighbor on Friday night dinners treats his dog, Wilson.   And if you want a guide of sorts, to give you some ideas they exist as well!

• In a rush and just want to get back to it? Well then, much like rolling those answers you can roll a character with one of the simple but really good Character generators with "Who the Fuck is my..."

 4. Aside from the character, if you're going to open a business why not get creative with the outside using a Random Magic Shop generator and only applying the realistic features to it. Unless of course, you believe in magic... in a young girl's heart... Ahem.  There's more to that site that can also spur some creativity if you wanna click a bit deeper. 

Right, there are more links but my neck hurts from tilting my head thoughtfully and my head hurts from thinking. If you have things you use to create a new RP character or location, share them! Sometimes I just look through Pinterest with random words and adjectives. But yeah, hopefully, some of this helps you! 

I was sent a link to a previously written guide by the previously mentioned Keats who is one of the best writers on here. So you should absolutely give that a read, print it out, sleep with it under your pillow and then find Keats and bring him back to us thank you. 

https://mafiareturns.com/comm/thread/862479#129347812

When looking for inspiration I often find it in the past. Some of my favorite places are here

on-this-day

today-in-history

thisdaytrivia 
 



So say I need to write something in Streets and keeping it in timeframe of 1930's

1933 first known photo of Loch Ness Monster (or whatever it is) taken. 
Well there ya go! I could insert my character into this either as someone seeing the news and relating to it somehow or even better be part of a prank that created the picture. Or maybe even going further out there and creating something that involves the character. "Revenant while falling through a time crack inadvertently grabbed the tail of a Pliosauris bringing it back with him!

Also 1933 11/12/33 First Sunday football game played in Philly. Not only makes a great location especially if its your home city but adds flavor. You could be having a meeting there or need to whack someone in the crowd. 

11/12/36 Oakland bay bridge opens. Crew from LA? How does this help or hinder you being able to travel around San Fran faster? Perhaps your crew has its hands in the local unions and someone you knew is residing in the foundations. 

Who knows, it may even save your life one day. 11/12/55 The Hill Valley Town Hall clock will be struck by lightning at 10:04 PM. A good thing to know if you have a time traveling Delorian with a dead flux capacitor. 

Maybe you have had a child today? Just avoid the name Charles. 11/12/34 Charles Manson born.

Most folks think of the 40s when they hear of him but Hitler was arrested today in 1923 for his part in the "Beer Hall Putsch". And in 1933 today the Nazi party got 92% of the parliament vote. A good set of dates to remember for anyone who wants to eventually make him their adversary, a time traveling assassin or even to explain how you got one of his paintings. Being from Armenia, a country who suffered a genocide years before Revenant follows Hitlers rise to power with trepidation.  

Sometimes the smallest thing can grow into a huge idea. Today in 1968 ended the week which saw "With a little help from my friends" by Joe Cocker hit #1 in the UK charts. Coincidence that I read and replied here? Yes actually but with some inspiration it could be the very reason I did.