Introduction to Roleplaying and Roleplaying Terms, Styles, and Skills.

INTRODUCTION

First Post. Wow. So since this is my first post, I'm going into the basics of roleplaying.

When roleplaying, you're gonna have to know the lingo. There may be phrases that you don't know or understand, and they're the fundamentals of roleplaying. I'll go through a few of the basic ones, but later on in my posts, I'll describe more complex ones. Terms are important to know, especially when you are describing your character from head to toe, or when you interact with those advanced roleplayers. This blog is all about helping you become the best roleplayer as quickly as possible by minimizing your "newb phase".

ROLEPLAY TERMS

• RPer = roleplayer. 
• RP = roleplay
• RL = Real Life
• OOC = Out Of Character
• BIC = Back In Character
• Charrie = Character
• God-modding = Taking control of some one's character, events, having your character be perfect/invisible (like a God), and basically being  a jerk.
• Shipping = fantasizing about two characters having a relationship with one another
• Fan Fiction = a fiction story based off a favorite character of yours from either a roleplay, movie, or book, magazine, TV show, etc.
• IG = Instagram, website with roleplaying communities that uses a picture for RP posts and can also be used for saving and sharing character photos.
• VS = Virtual Space, a app for iPad/iPhone/iPod specifically for roleplaying or meeting strangers online.
• PB = Photobucket, website to upload and share pictures of characters.
• Yaoi = Japanese term that is a genre for manga about manXman
• Yuri = Japanese term for a manga genre of womanXwoman
• Tsundere = a personality type that represents a person who is outwardly cold/harsh but can slowly show their warm/lovey-dovey side to a special person.
• Yandere = a personality type for a person who is psychotic/violent yet develops deep feelings for their significant other.

These are extremely basic. You probably knew all of them, except the Japanese terms. These will be important to know because many times, RPers are obsessed with anime. Knowing these terms will just make your roleplay experience easier, and help you interact with others better. If you have some knowledge about the yandere or tsundere characters out there, then you can protect your own character through specific traits. There will be later posts about this, since I haven't even gone into character development yet.

ROLEPLAY STYLES

1. Fast-Chat RPs

If any of you are between the ages of 10 to 13, you're roleplaying skills are crappy. Why? Because most likely you have been introduced to roleplaying like this:

Person 1: *claps*
Person 2: yayyyyyayayayayayayyayyyy
Person 3: ...............................
Person 1: aw wuts wrong?
Person 3: ...... ........ .....
Person 2: *gets pie and throws pie at people and laughs cuz its funny*

Horrid isn't it? Now, you may be wondering what is wrong with this form of roleplaying, and I will explain why. Good roleplaying is considered to be in either 1st or 3rd person, although 3rd is always preferred when roleplaying with a large group because some RPers may be confused when reading posts. Good roleplaying also has to have detail, not dialogue. Many times, people express their skill through extreme detail, and being able to use that detail. The style you have just witnessed above is considered a fast-chat style. People who RP like this are looking for quick and easy RPs. There's not a good plot or character development, and the RP is mainly executed through dialogue.

I've roleplayed like this for about 6 years, while also doing advanced RPs. The difference is the experience. Spelling isn't an issue, and neither is grammar in most cases. Actions are portrayed through *'s or -'s, and are short, simple and to the point. So what's so bad about this style?

It's immature. Have you ever read a book that had an author writing like that? No, never. Chat rooms are your gateway to more advanced roleplays, but sticking in this style will hinder you in the long run if you aren't exercising your skill. You'll find that people will have multiple characters, with very similar personalities, terrifying pasts, plenty of sexual activities, and are always looking for their significant other. The drama never ends with this style and it's an exaggeration of life. It's fun though if you can't roleplay long but will demand you are on a computer since most chat rooms can only be accessed with flash- which androids/iPods/iPhones don't have.

But never fear. If you truly love roleplaying and want to get a better experience, then you'll leave this style and explore a better one. You can always roleplay like this if you don't have time, but trust me, you'll deeply fall in love with forum RPing.

2. Less Than 3

Less than 3 isn't an actual style. But it's how most 12 to 14 year old's roleplay. This type definitely describes your skill level. I'll give you a few examples below:

"But I love him!" Sara shouted, tears coming to her eyes.
"I know... but... Sara..." John said slowly, "He was cheating on you."
"How do you know?!" She screamed. Her hands turned to fists and she glared at her brother evilly.
"I saw him. Why don't you believe me?"
Sara started crying. "Because you lie to me.... Everyone always lies to me!"
"But..."
"But what?" She looked at him.
"This time I'm not. I promise." He smiles at her.
She looks down.
"..... Sara."
She ignores John and walks away.

There's not much difference between this style and the first one I showed you. Yeah, the people aren't using the symbols to describe their actions, but it's mostly dialogue. I'll say this many times throughout my roleplaying career: lots of dialogue is not good in roleplay. Now I don't mean a paragraph of text is bad. Sometimes your character will have to describe things to someone else's character and to do that, you'll have to write a lot. But look at the example! This isn't a script for the play, no one is going to act this act so someone can visualize exactly what you mean.

What I find usually in these rps is that it's centered around relationships. Lots of drama, pregnancies, deaths, and crying. It focuses around teens doing adult things. It's a giant soap opera, but it's a start to get to be where you wanna be.

Now, to improve yourself from this style, all you gotta do is a few things:

1. First off, don't start your post with dialogue. Describe an action first- fluidly.
2. Secondly, try to use your character's name at least 2 to 3 times in your replies. The whole he/she thing is amateur.
3. Thrice- Stop using all the ".........." to show emotion! ........ is not something you're going to see in an actual book. Use only THREE dots sparingly in the middle of a dialogue sentence and FOUR at the end of a dialogue sentence. But don't just keep on doing your ...........'s, because it's not accurate or mature.
4. Lastly, describe some setting or how the person is moving. Describe how (this) looks when (this) is happening. Give yourself more sentences, and try making complex sentences.

If you try your best and follow these rules, you'll realize that your style will evolve to something like the next one.

3. Out Of The Noob Zone

Yep. If you use the last two RP styles, members of the roleplaying site/chatroom will instantly label you as a newb unless they all RP the same way. Now that you aren't a newb, you probably roleplay something like this:

->Hollycloud rushed out of camp, her white tail fluffed up as she ran through the forest. She was going to the river and at the rate she was going she'd be there in no time. Running up a grassy hill, Hollycloud felt a breeze go through her pelt, and then she raced down the hill. She could see the blue waters of the river just ahead. With excitement coursing through her, she was able to get another burst of speed and then she was there. "Finally!" She breathed.
->Bramblemoss raised his head as he heard a cat meow. Turning his head into the direction of the voice, he spotted a young she-cat. Quickly, he sat up and padded over to the warrior. He tried not looking like he had been sleeping, but it was obvious that he had.
->Hollycloud saw Bramblemoss and smiled, her whiskers twitching. "Oh, hi Bramblemoss!" She mewed nicely, raising her tail and giving a soft friendly purr.
->Bramblemoss's whiskers twitched and his tail twitched as well. "Hey, Hollycloud," Bramblemoss mewed back, staring at her before smiling.

Now this isn't bad. Let's see, what was good about this piece that distinguishes it from the previous two? There was detail, there wasn't a glob amount of dialogue, it expressed movement and thought of characters and was saying the character's name more than he/she. However, this isn't perfect. Reason numero uno: technically it's a mediocre introductory, but 13 to 15 year old wise, it's pretty good. There was 6 sentences, and you need at least 5 sentences for a full paragraph. There were some complex sentences, and they used proper spelling and grammar. There was also description of the cat and of the setting, and then an ambiguous purpose. It allows someone to post knowing the character the person is using and the setting of the environment. Yet, the person could have done better in describing the scene. The RPer of Hollycloud could have mentioned temperature, season, sounds, thoughts/reason of the cat or some information about why the cat was running. This would have made the post much longer but given much more information for the other RPer.

Also, after the introductory paragraph, the length of the posts after it just faded away. I'm not saying that more is better (although it usually is, as long as it is done right), but they went back into the 3 sentence mode, because it was quicker or they thought they didn't have to describe much anymore. Doing this usually makes RPs die off because of the lack of inspiration and/or dedication of making a post purposeful. If the first person had made a better introductory paragraph, then perhaps the second person could have accentuated the setting through their character. Say it was a hot day: Bramblemoss could have fell asleep near the water because it was cooler there and Hollycloud was excited about swimming so she ran all the way there; then Hollycloud could ask Bramblemoss to join her and they can become friends. Now, if the RP were to continue as it is, most likely they'll go hunting or on a patrol together and it'll be considered a cliche RP-- or in other words, a BORING RP.

Lastly, my last problem with this RP is that whoever RPed Bramblemoss is copying Hollycloud. Copying how? In the actions of course. Bramblemoss's RPer mentioned the tail, whiskers, greeting and smile after Hollycloud. Bramblemoss's RPer even went as far as "mewed". It's a mistake we all make. Try to not copy someone's actions, especially an advanced RPer's. They notice it. Trust me, they do, because I notice it. It shows your skill level, and of course, you want to seem like you're on top of things, not below things.

4. Advanced Roleplaying

Between style 3 and this one, there's like a puberty stage. Some roleplays will be amazing, while other's will have you go back into a rut. You'll blame it on writers block, but in reality, you're still transitioning into the Advanced stage. Most likely, people from the ages 15+ roleplay like this. Now, let me give you a good example of a truly advanced roleplay:

"Dusk was ending, leaving it's twilight color scheme and turning into the dreary darkness of blues, purples and blacks. The grasslands took on a deep plum hue and as a soft gale blew over them, the grasses brushed together to create a faint whisper from the shadows. It was beautiful in a melancholy way, and quiet. Everleigh moved through the grasses, more silent than the thin stalks were as the wind blew through them. The hybrid girl was wearing all black, as she always did: black tights thoroughly ripped throughout the expanse of her thin legs, with an over sized  plain black t-shirt covering her torso, mid forearm and fell almost to her knees. Everleigh's thick mass of long, wild obsidian black hair blew behind her- looking like a ominous black smoke swirling behind her. She would have looked like a person born from the shadows or the essence of fear manifested in a human form if it weren't for her pale skin that showed she was human.

Everleigh continued her path, holding no expression on her pallid face. Her features were emotionless although her thick bangs covered her large, dark eyes. Any creature in the grasslands, prey or predator, stayed away from her. The animals could sense the lethal aura that Everleigh naturally emitted and knew that she was basically Death itself. It wasn't long before the young woman found her favorite spot: a circle of large rocks with a flat stone in it's unshapely center. Everleigh sat down on the flat stone being completely immersed in the tall grass which was surprisingly due to her height. She slouched over, her legs crossed in front of her, and closed her eyes, focusing on nothing in particular except the atmosphere that surrounded her."

Now, this is just the introductory paragraph of a roleplay, but as you can tell, it's very different from the last three examples. Good spelling, grammar, lots of character description and environment- mentioning time, colors, and area. Whoever was going to reply to this would be able to figure out what type of character this is-obviously someone dark and powerful, antisocial, cold- and could describe how their character enters a scene because they know the time and area of the place, and where the character exactly is. You do NOT have to do something this long. Sometimes I've written beautiful things. And I mean BEAUTIFUL beautiful things. And amateurs wouldn't read them because they were too long. Obviously I was on the wrong forum, but still, it was a lessen I needed to learn. Try not to go over three paragraphs. Think about what is important now and what will be important later. You can always mention things later, like a person's past experience or relationship with a person. You could use dialogue to mention some stuff as well.

FORUM VS CHAT ROOM

This is probably the last section of my introduction. Okay, I've gone through terms and styles, and some skills for you to improve your roleplaying. Now it's time for the comparison of forum RPs and chat room RPs. Whichever one you choose will give you a different experience, both good, and you'll probably prefer one over the other. Each one has it's pros and cons, and I'll go over each one for you.

Forum Roleplaying

This is my favorite way to RP. Just because it's accessible on my iPod or computer. Forum roleplaying is where you RP on a website, blog, or forum and create threads/discussions which allows people to reply to. If that's a bit confusing, it's kinda like this:

Topic: Waiting For Love

Post: Nettie was waiting on bench in central park, looking down at her brown knees. It was hot outside so she was wearing a short white summer dress. Her hair was in braid but she could still feel the nape of neck produce sweat as the sun's hot rays poured down on her dark skin. Although she looked lonesome, Nettie wasn't. She was waiting for her boyfriend, Elliot, to finish up his shift at the local cafe and come over to meet her. It was their three month anniversary today, and Elliot promised her a small surprise. Nettie remembered how she had told him how she didn't want him to do anything special but Elliot was adamant about celebrating their relationship success. Absently, the small girl picked up her cellphone and looked at the time, seeing that Elliot was five minutes late.

(now, usually the person will post this and then whoever RPs Elliot would reply. It'd look something like this:)

Topic: RE: Waiting For Love

Post: Elliot was running through central park. He knew he was late. He always seemed to be late whenever he wanted to do something nice for Nettie. If only his boss wasn't such a jerk all the time! For some reason, Mr. Porter was always having private conversations with him right when he wanted to leave. It was annoying but Elliot couldn't do a thing. He needed his bust boy job. (and it continues...) 

(Now the person who is replying to it will post it and then somehow the RPer for Nettie will get a notification or something and can reply back to it.)

What's great about this is that you can go through and revisit the roleplay. Did you forget an important detail that happened 43 posts ago? Never fear, you can just read back and instantly remember what happened exactly. You can also take your time in writing replies because the person is technically not waiting for you to reply right away and give yourself more access in writing a lengthy response. As I mentioned before, you can access a website like wikifoundry (formerly known as wetpaint), blogspot, forum, goodreads, instagram, roleplaygateway, proboards, chickensmoothie, (even email) and many others just on your android, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and computer. You cannot access these sites through your school's wifi, just to inform you all. The topic/discussion/thread will not be deleted unless breaking site rules or something rare like that, and it's always there for you to refer to.

Yet, there's cons to this. If you're in a major RPing mood and your partner is not, then you'll have to wait around for posts. You'll have to wait all day, or two days and sometimes a week. You'll be able to RP with others, sure, but the one RP you're truly excited back could be on hold for who knows how long and you'll never know unless you know the RPer in RL. Also, if you make an open roleplay, forum RPers are always on the website and could attach themselves right into your RP. And if they're not pass Level 3 of roleplaying, then be prepared for some cliche plot coming your way. You could always pick who you want to RP with, but if they take a mental break from the website in general then you may be waiting a long time for a reply.

CHAT ROOM ROLEPLAYING

I used to do quite a lot of these when I had time. If you don't have a lot of time on your hands due to work or school, then you may want to focus more on Forum Roleplaying because it will suit your schedule better. But if you do have a lot of time, then chat room RPing may be perfect for you.

It's similar to what I showed you in the Forum RP. Except you don't write a topic because you are on a chat room. If you just like RPing with one person at a time, then this is easy to do. You can just have your own private chat session with them, when you are both online together. You can RP any style above, from newb to advanced (just like in forum) and create a variety of plots and characters. With chat RPs, you'll most likely have a PB or IG to show what your character's look like or send pictures of links to your RP Buddy. You can quickly RP for about an hour or two, and then get off and schedule a new time with your buddy for the next day of RP or RP throughout the night, pulling on an all-nighter. You can also RP with many others, or do private chats. You'll also communicate a lot easier with the other person, preventing the time gaps of when you and them will RP next.

What's bad is that to RP, you have to be on at the same time as your RPer. It will also be hard to find an RPer that you'd like because your level may be above someone else's, and the other person may not like RPing with you--which is also true for the forum RPs. Finding appropriate chat rooms may be hard since usually there is no moderator to protect you from online harassment  and they can delete the evidence. Or, you can delete the evidence by leaving the chatroom. Chat rooms do not save your past RPs. You'll be loosing your "stories" with the other person. Also, you can't really post a character description.

Websites that hold chat room based RPs are wikifoundry (certain websites though), chattango, IM, XAT, meebo, and a few others. Chattango chat boxes on websites do not save chat data. There's also many different chat boxes that you can use, but none of them ever save chat data or RPs.

FINISHING STATEMENTS

Finally. I'm almost finished. I hope this first post was useful to you. I'm going to try to post at least two or three times a week, and hopefully you'll get plenty out of this blog. In future posts, I'll do website analysis on different websites that you can join and partake in, character descriptions, and give a few more tutorials on how to correctly RP. If I missed anything or you want me to go over something specific, just send me an email or message or comment or something, and I'll go over that topic for you. I've been roleplaying for 7 years, so trust me, I know what I am talking about. I have more knowledge in wikifoundry, instagram, tumblr, roleplaygateway, xat, and chattango but I know lots of stuff about all the other websites and forums out there.

I'll give out more examples, and may even do a small commentary about my RP experiences. I know this post was very long, so I tried splitting it up into sections for all of you. I can assure you that most of my posts won't be this lengthy, and some will actually have a few pictures to brighten up the post. It was just all the examples and the basics. Man... I'm glad I finally got through this.

So remember. Follow this blog if you're new at roleplaying or even an expert, because you might find an amazing community to RP with or figure out how to make your writing skills come to life. Give me comments for praise, hate, or suggestions- I read everything and I consider everything! 

See you next time and happy roleplaying!

                                  -SC