#(tl;dr - RP is a collaborative hobby and communicating is important)

[more-than-a-princess]

@dcviated asked: 29. ❌ing

Munday RP topics meme - Accepting!

Well, let's get the obvious out of the way: the bots are blocked as soon as I see them. I like to think Sonia is denying their visas for Novoselic herself.

But otherwise, there's really only a few things that make me want, or need, to hardblock someone. Mostly, I tend to just use filters as much as I can to weed out what I don't want to see. Mainly, certain ships I don't care for, excessive OOC (the OOC tag itself and some specific OOC tags on blogs because there's so much of it!), and some blogs I just prefer not to see on my dash but I don't really have a need to block. Just a personal preference.

More often, I'm just fine with unfollowing someone I either am not writing with or don't see myself writing with, usually due to inactivity or they've ignored asks and threads I've sent repeatedly. Only if there's a request to soft or hardblock in their rules will I do that: sometimes muns just want to read interactions I think, and I try to keep that in mind.

What makes me hardblock though? Usually one of these things:

Someone has pushed content, plots, or dynamics on me that I don't like or agree with, and I've brought it up to them that I'm not comfortable with the idea and it's ignored.

I've been sent hate, anonymously or by a specific blog. Whenever I'm sent hate to my inbox, I will just block the sender. When that's anonymous but they follow me anyway, that blog is blocked.

Someone has broken a rule that doesn't sit well with me, I've messaged them directly that 'hey, this isn't okay, maybe you could not do this in the future?' and it's still persisting.

But perhaps the most specific or petty, depending on how you look at it?

I tend to block chronic blog remakers/hoppers. And it's nothing wrong with a writing style, or content, or anything else. I just get annoyed when I see the same muns make and remake the same blog over and over again when it's due to the fact that they take on more threads and interactions than they can reasonably handle, get overwhelmed and/or find a new fandom they're into, discard everything, jump to a new blog, rinse and repeat.

It's understandable when it happens the first few times, especially when you're new to RP and/or tumblr. No one's perfect and it's easy to get really eager at first, wanting to write with every blog you can. But it can be hard to keep up with all of those interactions at a time. For some muns, that's fine: they like smaller, quicker threads and don't mind things being constantly dropped or deleted.

But I know my roleplay and writing style (and on tumblr, with this muse? it's been almost four years!): I prefer longer threads with a developed plot over a period of time. I may not be the fastest with replies, but I'll do my best to include plenty of detail and dialogue in them to, hopefully, give my writing partner something to work with and something enjoyable to write.

However, that approach just doesn't work with the chronic blog hoppers/remakers and after awhile, I just have to block them for my own peace of mind. There's only so many times I can send starters or asks hoping to build a storyline with them, only to have them be ignored or forgotten for a new blog/remade blog every few weeks/months.

[doublejango]

Hello! I read your post on being present in roleplaying and it got me curious as I've never done it myself (outside of drama improv, if that even counts, lol), but it's always felt like a formative staple in fandom community even though I've never really understood it.

I wanted to ask a couple of questions if that's okay. Namely, what actually is roleplaying, what it's like, and where one can find a community to try it out.

Otherwise, I thought your post was really good as it also applies to OCs in novels and experiencing real life, so if all else, we can just leave it at that, lol

Aw hi! And thank you, this was so sweet!!!

I mean, I am not an expert on RP or anything, I've only been back on Tumblr since February. I'm also absolutely not an expert on writing, just an enthusiastic lover of spilling words onto the page, so take everything with a grain of salt <3

Roleplaying is basically just shared storytelling. It can take a lot of forms--like LARP, which stands for Live Action Role Play, or tabletop games like D&D. With those, it is a lot like improv acting, I imagine. You have a character, you have parameters, and you shape the story by acting things out as you go--no plan, no script, just doing what feels right for your character while also working to build the "Yes, And" vibes.

Written RP is a lot like that. At least, to me it feels a lot like that. It feels like a game where we both pick our favorite characters and our favorite writing styles, then dive in hard. Maybe we explore whatever aspects of canon (if one or both of us is a canon character) left us howling and sobbing. Maybe we mix worlds--like Blitz hanging out with Cardan, from the Folk of the Air series. Maybe we just become absolute crack monsters. Whatever we do with it, it's essentially collaborative storytelling built on respect of each other's preferences and needs, and love of not just the results, but the process. It's fun, it's like--making a really satisfying with (usually) just one other person.

On tumblr, you can often find roleplaying communities (or RPCs) for just about anything just by checking for relevant tags, like helluva boss rp for me. If there's something you love, there's probably an RPC for it, and if not? There's usually someone who will be interested in checking your character out and talking about inspiration with you.

A lot of RPers--most, from what I have seen--will have a pinned post on their blog that communicates their rules/preferences. For example, since my character is a filth-goblin and a violent little feral monster, I am not okay with the idea of interacting with minors, so I put that in my rules. I'm also very anti-censorship and shaming, so that's in my rules, too. Whatever is most important to you, whatever you know you won't be able to handle in an RP partner, put that in your rules post. If you find the RPC tags for a fandom you like (and Tumblr will often help you with this by promoting other posts and blogs similar to the things you search for, once it figures out that's what you like), you can find roleplayers' blogs and check their rules out to get an idea of what sort of things might be most common, what sort of things other players seem to hope to find in rules.

If the idea of digging into tags overwhelms you, or you take a look around and decide nope, Tumblr RP is not for me, but I still want to try written RP, you can also look for blogs that are designed to help people meet so they can write together, often on Discord. @rphunter is an excellent example of those blogs and can be a great place to start, or even just a way to start seeing how people talk about RP.

TL;DR -- It's like creating fanfiction together (or original fiction, sometimes!), because we love the game, respect each other, and are cheerful nerds who just like to play. Roleplay is a very social hobby, and a lot of fun! If you're curious about it, I hope you give it a try! And hey I may be slow about answering questions, and may just babble and be the worst source ever, but I will always try <3 So please never feel bad for asking.

[aeolian-mode]

aeo’s guide to RP

Hey guys!

I’ve been roleplaying for the better half of my life, and I had the thought today, ‘you know what? It could be cool to make a thing about RPing that may help new RPers or young people learn more about it.’ So I made this. Read if you feel like it ^^ (FYI, this is all for text-based online RP things. Tabletop RPs are not part of this article.)

So, what is RP? I’ve always defined roleplay as ‘collaborative storytelling.’ You take control of a character that you invent, and write what your character will do in a situation with another individual.

Writing a book by yourself is sometimes difficult, because you have to rely solely on yourself, your own life experience, and your own resources. When you write a book with others, it’s a lot different. Your RP partners bring in their own interests and experiences. There is also the layer of mystery- you can’t predict what they will write next, which makes waiting for the next post exciting.

So if you have an original character you want to introduce to the world, RP is a great way to stretch your creative muscles and become a better writer before you try to tackle writing novels or making comics.

How do you RP? There are many ways to find a community of like-minded storytellers. First, you have to figure out what kind of RP you want to do. There are RP groups for fandoms, furries, original universes, and more! If you’re really interested in something, chances are, there is an RP community out there somewhere. This is the most important thing to understand: you should try to interact with others first rather than expecting them to find you. Most people are always extremely grateful and excited for the attention, and they will very likely return the favor. If you have anxiety, that’s ok- TONS of RPers struggle with anxiety, and I haven’t met a single person who has ever been upset or displeased to be approached by someone for RP. You will delight them, they will feel good to be included! 1. You can join an instant messaging RP such as a Discord group. (It’s sometimes more difficult to find these unless you already follow a lot of RP groups and have a lot of friends interested in RP. Post about it on your blog, see if anyone in your friend group is in one!) 2. You can create an RP blog on Tumblr. In order to find people to interact with, you will probably have to interact with other RP blogs first. The way I did it on my TF2 RP blog is to send messages to other blogs, draw the characters of every person that followed me or interacted with me, and tag my RP posts #tf2 rp. People LOVE drawings and direct interactions. 3. You can search for an RP forum to join. One of my go-to places is the RPG Directory: http://rpg-directory.com/ Sometimes, simply googling for something like “pokemon forum RP” helps, too!

4. You can join a MMORPG RP community. Most big-name MMOs have dedicated RP groups on their RP servers. For example, if you wanted to join ESO’s RP scene, check out the ESO RP forum to make connections before you jump into the game. People are usually very friendly and helpful for new RPers and will help you settle in to the community. Here’s some things to help you pick the game that’s right for you (from the list of games I have personally experienced RP): FFXIV ($15 Monthly Sub): https://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/ WoW ($15 Monthly Sub): https://us.battle.net/forums/en/wow/1182815/ ESO (Pay Once, Play Forever): https://www.eso-rp.com/ LotrO (Free to Play!): https://www.lotro.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?539-Laurelin-EN-RP  Wildstar (Free to Play!): https://www.wildstar-roleplay.com/

(As a note, Free to Play RP servers tend to be a bit more come-and-go; the subscription-based games tend to have more player retention. If you want to make long term connections, be sure to get friend requests from people you’ve enjoyed writing with, as they might not stick around forever!)

RP flows differently depending on your medium. Instant messaging generally tends to be more fast paced, but results in shorter posts with less descriptions and exposition. Forum RP tends to be much slower paced, but posts are more detailed and lengthy with lots of exposition. MMO RP tends to be incredibly fast paced, but with very little exposition and description, focusing almost entirely on character actions and dialogue (as the video game environment already provides the visual, reducing the need for description). Pick a pacing that is right for you! For me, forums are currently easiest, because my life is busy and I don’t have to be online all the time to have a good story. What are the rules of RP?

A lot of people will say, “the 3 main things you need to avoid are ‘godmoding’, ‘powerplaying’, and ‘metagaming.’ “Godmoding” is taking control of someone else’s character without their consent. In RP, it’s important to write only your own character during interactions. “Powerplaying” is bending the story around your own will. Such as: writing your character as if they are impervious and can easily take over the world with their unlimited power. (For example, your partner’s character is angry with your character and throws a punch at them. Your character avoids the punch effortlessly, grabs the attacker’s hand, breaks it, then tosses them through a window.) “Metagaming” is giving your character knowledge that you have, but your character does not have. (For example, someone told you about the contents of their character’s secret journal out of character, but your character did not read that journal, you should not assume your character knows that information.)

However, I would say these are only symptoms of one simple issue: lack of consent.

Before doing something that could change the story in a significant way, simply ask the people you are RPing with if it is OK with them.

So, I would boil down the ‘most important RP rule’ as simply one rule: the Rule of Consent. It doesn’t just apply to mature topics. It applies to everything.

Communication is key! Chances are, people will be OK with accommodating your vision for the story, or helping you come up with a way to make it work. Before doing something extreme like instigating violence, coming across sensitive information, or introducing a significant conflict, simply communicate your ideas out-of-character to your partners before pursuing it. You will have a much better experience if you simply communicate!

Are there RP taboos I should avoid? How do I stay safe if I want to RP but I’m a minor?

This is a bit of a touchier topic, but the rule of thumb is: If it’s gonna be weird and hard to talk about in person, in real life, and out-of-character, chances are, it’s going to be weird and hard to approach in an RP context. Many people RP as an escape from real-world drama and difficulties; don’t bog down their fantasy with the sorts of things they may be trying to avoid. Go back to the Rule of RP: Consent. Make sure your partner will be comfortable with exploring heavier, taboo topics in their fiction and storytelling. TL;DR- Some people don’t like Game of Thrones. Some people don’t want their RP environment to turn into Game of Thrones. Some people enjoy writing about heavier, ‘adult’ material, but don’t assume everyone does. Try to assume your partner is a minor unless they tell you otherwise. (Obvious exception being, if you explicitly joined an 18+ forum, community, guild, etc. The admins of said community should be doing their best to enforce that everyone joining is 18+.)

Don’t be creepy. RP is a hobby, community storytelling, and should be fun for everyone.

If it stops being fun for you, tell your partner it is not fun. You are not obligated to RP with someone who makes you unhappy or uncomfortable. It is a hobby. If you’re worried that they won’t be your friend anymore if you stop RPing with them, ask yourself if that is because they are manipulating you. A real friend will not make you feel trapped.

And if you are a minor, make sure that you stay safe. Don’t join an 18+ community. Don’t ever give someone your personal information, even if they seem like your friend. It’s very easy to get emotionally invested in the stories you tell through RP, but predators are very good at manipulation. View RP as a creative outlet. Look for an RP community that is right for you, and surround yourself with like-minded people.

Practice emotionally distancing yourself from the content of your stories. It’s good and fun to get invested, but don’t become so invested in the story that it induces anxiety, stress, or makes it hard for you to focus on your real life responsibilities. If something is causing you anxiety, panic episodes, or difficulty sleeping and focusing, listen to your body. It’s telling you something isn’t right. Talk about it with someone you trust, and start distancing yourself from the RP.

RP is for fun! Always remember that. Everyone you RP with should respect that it is for fun, and not something to lose sleep over!

I’m having trouble finding RP partners, getting people to stay interested in my story, or staying interested in it myself. What do I do?

I’ve found that the best way to stay invested and get people interested in your story is to give your character a very strong, attainable goal. Here is an example of a “difficult to RP” character concept. Tim the Traveller is mute. He goes around the world looking for people to help, because he’s a very powerful magic healer. He has no family and no home. People have trouble communicating with him because he can’t talk. But he does his best to help. This character is difficult to RP with because he places the onus of every interaction on the other person. He is involving himself in their stories, but he has no personal goals or challenges to explore, himself. Plus, being mute, it makes it more difficult for him to carry on lengthy conversations with the people he encounters. This character concept can be done in a fun and effective way, but I’d say it is a challenge for someone who is just starting out. Let’s see what we can do to make Tim the Traveller a bit easier to RP with. Tim the Traveller suffered severe burns all over him from an incident when he was a child: a criminal set fire to his parent’s house, killing his father. He is searching the world for where the arsonist fled to. He only has a loose trail of breadcrumbs to follow in his quest for revenge and must constantly search for more information and change trajectories. He attempts to help those he comes across during his travels, but always takes his opportunity to press people for more information, describing the arsonist and praying desperately that he will find a trace of the man that killed his father. This sort of idea of a plot allows you to communicate to your RP partners OOC what your character’s goals are, give them information that they might help your character continue his quest, and in turn, your character also has opportunities to help them with their own goals at the same time. One RP I’ve done in the past that was fun was a case of a grave robber. My character was an incredibly poor street rat-turned-detective, and he was approached with an unusual case: a grave was dug up by a necromancer, the body tampered with, but it was placed back in the grave and the perpetrator was nowhere to be seen. My character was strongly motivated to find the perpetrator because he needed the reward money to take care of his adopted son. With limited information concerning the plot, my character travelled all over the city asking everyone he encountered for whatever information they might have regarding the tampered grave. This allowed me to involve a lot of people in the community and allowed my GM to construct opportunities for those involved to find more evidence, and developed into a very rich and interesting story.

A passive character is harder to RP with. An active character makes things happen.

 A wallflower RP character can be fun to play in some circumstances, but without an attainable goal, involving others in your story will be harder. Give them goals and motivations, communicate with your RP partners, and see what sorts of stories can be told!

My RP never goes anywhere. I write starters/approach people, but every interaction I have with people doesn’t ever result in anything. What am I doing wrong? I have found, in my RP experience, your connections will feel more in-depth and your RP more rewarding if you try and see how your character and your friend’s character can develop and change over time. This requires some thinking, plotting, and openness to new ideas. It also requires challenging yourself to write lengthier posts for your partner.

For interesting interactions that go deeper than simple introductions and “how’s the weather” RP, it is beneficial to try and include a few things in your starter post or scene. For me, I like to come up with 3 things to include for every starter I write.

1. A clearly defined setting. Like, what’s the time of day? Is it indoors or outdoors? In a city? Somewhere private? Etc.

2. A motive. Why is your character doing what he’s doing right now? What does he want in the scene right now? If he’s just standing around doing nothing, your RP partner has nothing to latch on to. In some way, what he’s doing should tie back to a goal.

3. A connection to your RP partner’s character in some way. Why is their character, specifically, involved in the scene? Know your partner, and try to learn about your partner’s character’s goals. See if both of your characters’ goals can converge.

If you have trouble coming up with an idea for your RP partner, it’s always nice to message them OOC see what you can plot together. If you approach, rather than be approached, and ask questions and try to plot, you will find you have a much easier time easing into RP with them, and you might make a new friend too!

And that’s it for now! The TL;DR to all this is: 1. Follow the Rule of Consent! 2. Give your character goals and motivations! 3. Learn about your partner’s character and actively involve them! If you have additional questions or want to know where I RP at, feel free to send me a message :D