Anonymous asked: I'm sorry if you've already written about this before... but I kinda need help? I'm new to RPing on tumblr, and everyone here is so good. English is not my first language, and I'm really new with this lit style and it just discourages me whenever someone starts a RP with me and I'm just so bad compared to them. Sometimes it even makes me want to cry... haha. Do you have any... tips or something? If you want me to elaborate on what I need help with, just say that. I'll send a fanmail then.
Well, the only real advice I can offer is just get out and try. You’re not going to improve if you just sit there and wish you were better. Try doing some writing on your own and have it critiqued, to get a better idea of what parts of your writing need improvement. Then, see if you can find a roleplaying group here on Tumblr and submit an application. Practice is what’s really important here- even if you don’t think you’re good enough, there’s always someone willing to help you improve!
Anonymous asked: What is desired FC?
I’ll be honest, I don’t actually know what makes a good play-by (PB) or face claim (FC)! I’ve never done a roleplay where a PB or FC was required, so I don’t know what is the standard, how you find a good one, or how you claim one!
If any followers know about PBs or FCs, please feel free to submit something or drop an ask and help me out!
(Also, goodness, where did all these followers come from, I haven’t posted here in months!)
Who’s got two thumbs and can’t work a queue? THIS mod. Sorry guys, I promised three tips and didn’t deliver. Not only that, I lost the two tips I THOUGHT I had queued up to post today. I’ll have them both up sometime by the end of this week though, promise.
Tip #4: Long Term vs. Short Term
Long term and short term are two phrases you’ll hear tossed around a lot when looking for partners. Generally people will specify “looking for a long-term 1x1” in their search. I’m not entirely sure why, as in my experiences as a roleplayer, long term is the rule, not the exception. But before we get into that, the two need explaining.
Short-term roleplays are not necessarily short. Rather, they are planned. A short-term roleplay is more structured than most roleplays, with a defined start and end point. Short-term roleplays can go on for a quite a long time, but once the plot is finished, it’s done. The partners close the plot, put the characters aside and move on to other things. If you’re trying to co-write a story, making an outline and working a short-term roleplay with the guidelines is a very good way to work on it.
Long-term roleplays, similarly, are not necessarily long. Long-term roleplays are not planned like short-term roleplays. While many long-term roleplays start out with plots in mind, there is never a defined end point. The roleplay lasts as long as the roleplayers keep forming new ideas and situations for the characters to be in. Often, long-term roleplays don’t last after the original idea starts running out of steam, and the partners admit defeat or awkwardly cease communication and the roleplay shrivels and dies. However, if you can find a good partner, long-term roleplays can last for years on end- I myself have a roleplay that’s going five years strong, followed closely by one nearing it’s two and a half year mark.
In my entire time roleplaying, I have never once taken part in a short-term roleplay, so my knowledge on them is understandably limited. It is a good way to get a story written, but does not have a lot of freedom- the plot must stay within the guidelines set out at the start and be guided to the end point. Long-term roleplays are more flexible- much more flexible. Ask anyone who has a roleplay over a year old and they will tell you that long-term roleplays get really weird after the original plot starts wrapping up. Partners in long-term roleplays come to learn each others tolerances, limits, and expectations, and can determine roughly how many shenanigans their roleplay can handle. The answer tends to be surprisingly high, even in fandom roleplays.
Hey guys, did you know this blog existed? I didn’t- completely slipped my mind.
Sorry for the horrible, horrible wait. To make up for, three tips in the next 24 hours. Sound fun?
imploder answered your question: Hey followers!
I know it’s not on the list, but my biggest problem is that I can never think of situations, stories, or anything to RP about.
I will definitely address this one later!
jessafox answered your question: Hey followers!
Long-term roleplays, short-terms, what to expect and how to follow rules.
Oh, that’s a good one.
Hey followers!
This blog is here for you guys, so I guess I should get your input.
What topic should my next tip be about?
I’m still trying to stick with the basics, stuff that newbie roleplayers need to know about.
Here’s some ideas I’m knocking around for the next few tips-
Creating OCs
Mary-Sues
Self-Inserts
Character Applications
Which would you guys like me to do a tip about first?
Tip #3: Terms you should know
Every roleplaying community has its own terms and slang, which you will have to pick up on your own, but there are a few generally universal terms that you should be familiar with while you are starting out. People will sling these around without bothering to stop and explain for you- they have plots to plot, and your clarity is a very low priority.
“Literacy”: How skilled you are at roleplaying. We’ve already discussed the different forms of literacy here.
“OC”: Original Character. Back when I was starting out on the Neopets roleplaying board, these were also called “made-ups”, but OC is the most-used term for them. These are characters from your own brain. They can be based in a fandom, or just a character for a particular genre, so long as they aren’t just straight rips of actual canon characters.
“Fandom”: Something that is not made up. If something has fans, those fans are part of a fandom. Here on Tumblr, there are a lot of members of the Doctor Who fandom, the Sherlock fandom, the Hunger Games fandom, and the Homestuck fandom. A lot of people like to roleplay within those fandoms, using either canon characters or OCs.
“Canon”: Something originally from a source. Events that happen with a TV show are “canon” events, and characters from that show are “canon” characters. All fanfiction and roleplaying is not actually part of a canon- it’s a fanwork. However, when playing within a fandom, or as a canon character, it’s advised to stick as close to the accepted canon as possible.
“Headcanon”: A person’s personal beliefs about something from a fandom. This is something not explicity stated or explained within the story, and a person comes up with a theory or explanation of their own. Always make sure to discuss your headcanon with your partner before inserting it into the roleplay. If they don’t agree, you will either seriously confuse or frustrate them.
“Self-insert”: An OC that is simply an avatar of the writer placed within the world. Either shares their name and appearance, or idealizes it. There is a stigma around self-insert character, as they are considered blatant wish fulfillment and people fear them hijacking the plot for their own needs. Many people will automatically label any self-insert as a Mary-Sue.
“Mary-Sue”: A very badly done OC. Mary-Sues are poison to roleplays, and writing in general. They are too powerful, too pretty, too overly-sexualized, and thousands of other things. They act as wish-fulfillment for most writers and latch onto a character of the writer’s choice and basically hijack the plot to suit their needs. Not all self-inserts are Mary-Sues, and not all Mary-Sues are self-inserts, but the overlap is great enough that most people do not care about the difference. Avoid creating Mary-Sues characters (or their male varient Gary/Marty-Stus) at all costs.
“Play-by”/“Face claim”: I’ll be honest, I’ve never once used a PB (play-by) or a face claim, but they are very common in a lot of roleplaying communities. These are pictures you put along with your character description, to give others an idea of what your character looks like. It is considered to be in very poor taste to pick a person who bears only passing resemblance to your OC and mentioning they “look like this but”.
“OOC”/“IC”: OOC is short for “out of character” while IC is short for “in-character”. These help differentiate between comments by the writer, and comments by the character. For instance, you may begin a post in OOC asking someone about where the plot is going, then note you are back in IC to have your character respond properly. Different people mark being OOC in different way. I use double parentheses (()), some people use brackets or double brackets [] [[]], and some people simply put “ooc” at the start of their comment, then “ic” when they are back in character.
Tip #2: “Literacy”
When you first go onto a roleplay board, or a roleplay search board, there are a lot of terms that are going to be thrown at you, and they can get pretty confusing. What on earth does this person mean by “semi-lit” and what exactly is “advanced”?
As most people know it, literacy is simply the ability to string words together and put them to paper. If you’re on the internet and reading this, you are literate. But that’s not what the roleplaying community wants of you. While roleplaying, the term “literacy” refers to your writing level- not you ability to put words together, but your ability to put words together fluently. Not everyone writes the same way or with the same amount of skill, and so a few odd terms have popped up as an effort to find partners more on the same level.
“Semi-lit” is the lowest level of literacy. You have a good mind, but you might not be able to make your writing flow properly, and typos are pretty common. That fanfiction you wrote back in 8th grade is almost definitely on the “semi-lit” level. Note that despite being the lowest and least coherent form of roleplaying, there is nothing wrong with being considered a “semi-lit” roleplayer. If you are between the ages of 12 and 14, you’re pretty much expected to be semi-lit, and being otherwise is a pretty pleasant surprise. However, if you are over that age, or you have been roleplaying for a while, people begin to set their standards for you a little higher.
“Literate” is just that. It’s higher than semi-lit, but isn’t advanced. This level of roleplaying can be expected in any age group- I’ve met some decent “lit” 12 year olds, just as I’ve met some “semi-lit” college students. To be considered “literate” your writing must be improved on that of your “semi-lit” writing, meaning your words flow better, have less typos, and are generally longer. Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between “lit” and “semi-lit”, and almost everyone has a different idea of where one stops and the other starts. People will generally provide a definition for you (a certain sentence count, a paragraph minimum, etc.) when looking for a “lit” partner.
“Advanced” is the highest form of literacy. It’s moved well beyond “lit” into the full-on novelist mindset. Your writing is expected to be flowing and coherent, and your grammar, syntax, and spelling are expected to be almost perfect. Most advanced roleplayers demand a paragraph minimum for writing, often more. It’s very uncommon to see an advanced roleplayer younger than 17, and generally advanced roleplayers have a couple of years under their belts before they can be considered such.
It is incredibly difficult to judge your own literacy levels. After all, your work seems to flow in your head, and you didn’t notice any typos. But this is the internet, and people will judge your literacy levels, either to help or to hurt you. Before you jump in on an advanced board, try and find someone who critiques writing, and ask them to gauge your literacy level. Don’t be insulted if someone only considers you “semi-lit” when you were sure you were an advanced roleplayer, go back and see how you can improve your work. Rewrite it, and then rewrite it again. Make sure the sentences don’t just cut off and jump topics randomly. Describe your characters movements in a little more detail. The only way you’re going to move up the literacy rungs is to keep writing and keep improving.
Other names!
Script can be known as Persona Play in games like Furcadia. :)
[Mod Note: Roleplaying on Furcadia is a rabbit hole that goes WAY too deep to be adequately or accurately covered on a general blog like this one. The Furcadia website has several pages dedicated to explaining the different kinds and degrees of roleplaying normally done there. Persona Play is when you’re roleplaying on Furcadia and it is not actually serious business.]
