#roleplay advice

[mcflymemes]

remember that there is a person behind the screen. you are not writing with an AI chatbot; you are writing with a real person with a life outside of the blog, with friends and family, responsibilities, work and school, health issues, etc. real life comes first. jobs come first. you are not being paid to be here, and neither are they. this is not an AI chat bot with instant replies; this is a person. remember to be mindful of their responsibilities and irl obligations and be kind.

[waitlexist]

[uchihasources]

i had been meaning to do this for some time and i honestly kept forgetting , but after being reminded by a mutual's post on my roleplay blog , i suppose it's time i dropped my roleplay advice doc !

this was created back when i was roleplaying on twitter , and i figured since there were a lot of people new to roleplaying , it would be nice to give advice <3

doc can be found here ! i will also tack it onto my pinned as well for easier finding .

[biff-adventurer]

roleplay tips: characterization

so it's come to my attention that there's a misunderstanding on what "characterization" actually is. we all know what the phrase implies: we make sure we know why characters do what they do, be it an immediate influence or one from the distant past, as well as the beliefs they hold and the personality traits they display.

however, i've seen people have trouble actually executing the character traits they want to the detriment of themselves and others. this post is meant to clarify the execution of characterization in the context of spontaneous roleplay.

i'll take biff as an example just so no one else feels self-conscious. so biff, poster boy wol, himbo, literal meme incarnate (born from the little comic that goes: i wonder what the wol is doing? while wol is bouncing on the egg mount in the background), hero of eorzea blah blah.

what did i want for this character?

thematic cores: love, adventure. what kind of love? love in all directions; what does it mean to love so fully and so easily? what does it mean to have unfettered compassion for the problems of others? life is an adventure, and i want to see the world. i am full of endless curiosity, i am excited to find all that life has to offer. wherever i go, i love and i learn. because i love you, i will do everything in my power to bring you ease and happiness. (i want to be loved. i want to be worthy. do i matter? i'm sorry. i'm trying my best.)

personality traits: passionate to the extreme, whether it be joy, sorrow, anger, fear, guilt, etc etc. not book smart, but heart smart (he has to be able to make friends somehow). self-effacing, to a fault. temper problems. an insecurity driven need to always be useful to the people he loves, or else he will be irrelevant and forgotten. a strong sense of justice. incredibly stubborn. untrusting toward those he loves, and too trusting of strangers. impressionable. very emotionally sensitive, and wears his heart on his sleeve. pretty standard hero character stuff, anyway.

how do i enact this in roleplay?

spontaneous roleplay often puts roleplayers in situations where they have to make quick decisions while they respond to the simuli around them. since we want to be expedient for the sake of others, it can be hard to see what shape your choices take in the long run.

to deal with this, i look at my character's internal emotional reaction first. then, i go on to consider what possible dialogue choices i have to work with, and what trait each would show about my character. since the telltale games were very popular when i was a younger rper, i tend to map out my characters' responses as though they are part of a telltale storyline.

Biff's Husband: “You have such a soft, tender heart. I love every inch of you.”

the options i can consider here:

"Even the dangly bits?" eyebrow waggle (flirty)

"Yer always so kind to me, husband." (low self-esteem)

"I can't help it. I know how it feels to be a stray." (empathetic)

"And your wisdom protects it valiantly." (grateful)

"I wish I could see it the way you do." (frustrated)

the action or dialogue i choose depends on how i want the RP to go, or what tone we established earlier, or what kind of plots we've agreed to cover. from the above, i chose option 3 because it extends to a greater conversation about feelings and motivations. it lets in the other character while also giving biff a chance to talk about himself in a way that invites someone else to share something vulnerable.

obviously, it demonstrates empathy. the other choices would have lead me down other roads. i usually have a flowchart in my head for how i think this will all play out.

flirty > his husband likely feels dismissed > husband frowns and elbows biff (or worse) > biff is embarrassed for trying to flirt so either he laughs it off or very sadly apologizes > if he laughs, it makes his husband feel dismissed again > suddenly our characters are in a conflict and we're tasked with ushering them out of it, which is a pain > can point toward an unwillingness to open up

low self-esteem > husband feels compelled to comfort him > biff grows upset that he's made it about himself > onus on husband to dispel the situation or let biff sulk by himself > uncomfortable for ooc and ic, and demonstrates a self-absorption trait we don't want (unless this story was originally sought out)

empathetic > husband feels invited into the conversation and shares how he feels like a stray > biff asks him to say more about that > suddenly they're having a deep conversation about their pasts > possible character development or bond deepening

grateful > husband feels appreciated and vows to continue protecting his husband > biff holds him tight > romantic sweet nothings ensue in perpetuity > fluff roleplay activate!

frustrated > husband concerned about biff's temper > biff continues to grow frustrated at his own inadequacies > roleplay turns serious in tone > suddenly i have to find a way to diffuse biff's temper or burden my rp partner with the task > can imply instability of character, which can be dangerous for character and relationship

i apologize if this all sounds very "duh, gwenny, i'm not STOOPID", but i think it's important to make explicit what often goes unsaid, for the benefit of those who can't articulate exactly what they're looking to do. i could give another example involving more conflict, but i think that might be overkill.

all the little choices in dialogue are the actions you're taking in character. not just the literal actions of whether or not you're fighting. what your character says reflects what they believe. if you want them to show up as an empathetic person, you've gotta actively choose empathy or make it obvious to others the way your character speaks that they're coming from a place of empathy. it all adds up to a bigger picture, and suddenly you've realized that you're getting the ending that you wanted, because you worked hard to get there.

obviously, you can't always know how others will receive your character. my character would be a lot louder, cartoonish and unhinged in a closed story than he typically is in roleplay venues. that's because venues are active scenes where we're dealing with other parties who want to have a good time! we don't wanna put a damper on their day unless they're expecting meatball-spicy drama. we often have to give a lot more space for others to be included than we normally would in a fic, where we establish everything on our own.

BUT, having several different choices prepares you for any future misunderstandings. you can tell them your character's motive during that period, but when you are ultimately asked to do something different because of some mistake, you have other choices and a clearer picture of how to have your character create and progress relationships in a story. and you show you are willing to work on both your character and yourself, as well as offer compromises via these other paths, in order to tailor the bond between two characters in a way both parties can agree on.

and it becomes a lot easier to own up to mistakes when you look at your character as both a person that is not you and a literary device meant to convey certain ideas. it's not a personal attack on what you believe, but rather a comment on how people feel from what you've written. that is very useful feedback, for both fics and roleplay writing.

trust me, this comes from years of making incredibly embarrassing mistakes and having to write them into character development unwittingly, because i was an idiot. so unto you i bestow these tools to avoid the shame i suffered......

[kagihiraahh]

I’m starting to think about going back into roleplaying and was wondering if there was anyone that could give me any advice.

Any advice is appreciated !

[abevyofmuses]

RP Advice:

Don't be impatient.

Like I've been before.

See, when an RP partner agrees to roleplay with you, do not push your luck. Wait for them, until they're ready to respond to any roleplay starters or what-have-you that you've sent them.

You may have to wait a while, but trust me, it'll be worth it.

The only exception to this advice that I can think of is if someone says in their rules or on their blog that they do, in fact, need reminders and that you should send them reminders.

Other than that, please wait for them, no matter how long it takes.

It's also not a good idea to chat with someone too often, or if you do chat with them a lot, it's better not to initiate unless you're certain they won't mind. Otherwise, it'll seem like you're trying to manipulate them into replying faster. I learned that the hard way.

EDIT: (BTW, you have my permission to reblog this.)

[boombambaby]

This is actually a question for Mun, if you don't mind!

I'm putting together a roleplay blog myself, and I was wondering if you had any advice? I've never put myself out there in roleplay beyond accumulating small rp communities/friends on Discord, and I'm kinda intimidated by being Perceived on a platform as big as tumblr /lh

Advice on making the blog appealing to other roleplayers and any general rp advice you'd be willing to share would be very appreciated <3

|| Hi there! I don't mind a single bit! Sorry for the delay, I wanted to make sure I made sense and gave you good information :)

First off, it's so awesome that you're looking to start a roleplay blog! I am huge on encouraging people to write and join the hobby, and it's always nice to see new writers getting started and sharing ideas!

As silly as it sounds, my biggest piece of advice is to NOT be intimidated. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there, follow characters in your fandom, share things, post your HC/drabbles/favorite ships/ideas/storyline ideas etc and reach out to other writers or groups for interactions! The more friendly you are, and the more you put your writing out there, the more traction you'll receive as opposed to just lurking around and liking stuff here or there. : ) I'm still new to roleplaying on Tumblr, but the first thing I did when I decided to make a blog here was look at other writers to get a general idea for how my blog should be set up. It's helpful for a writer to see right off the bat who your character is/their fandom/the writers writing style, and rules. Some writers are very cautious about writing with minors and won't interact if you don't have your 'age bracket' right on the front page where they can see it. Your blog doesn't have to be super big or flashy, but I always like seeing a writer with open starters posted, a simple list of rules and hashtag categories so I can easily find something if I look on their page. But the main thing I look for are recent posts with active writing! Someone can have the coolest blog in the world, but if they don't write it's kind of a let down! Even if it's timeline banter-- which I absolutely adore-- it shows you're an active writer, and that's what we're looking for. : ) Other general roleplay advice is this; Don't be afraid to check out other platforms. Tumblr is big, yes but there are other platforms/sites/forums you can write on! If you're on Discord and not opposing to branching out, you can search for your fandom (Disney roleplay for example) on Disboard and it will show you different roleplay groups listed there. When I first started with Kuzco and realized how dead the fandom was, I made an account everywhere. Here, Twitter, Facebook, Roleplayer.me, Aniroleplay etc. And I just started posting. IC statuses, drabbles, headcanons-- whatever came to mind, and started following as MANY people in related fandoms as I could find. You slowly build your friends up as you go, and can branch out and sometimes form connections between characters you never thought would cross paths, which is a lot of fun. I'd also say to keep in mind that it is ALL about the QUALITY not the QUANTITY. If you can write 1500k+ words each reply? That's awesome! But if you can write a beautifully descriptive reply in 500 words, that's just as amazing! Don't pressure yourself to do more than you can just to make someone else happy! Work at your own pace. Last but not least; HAVE FUN WITH IT! There's always something new to learn, but don't be afraid to jump right in and get your feet wet. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you as well, I'd be more than happy to in whatever way I can!

[marquisedegramont]

I'm torn between writing rp which is more fun & easy, but no one except me & my couple of rp partners ever wants to read. And stories that get hundreds of kudos & comments even from people who don't know me, but are way more work even though I feel prouder of it later. I don't feel like I have enough time to do both, what should I do?

You can plan an engaging storyline with your roleplay partners! “Hey, I have this idea, does anyone want to join?” And stuff like that. You can plan it out with your partners, add information or just complete wing it which is fun but will get chaotic so I suggest giving information to your partners in a group chat.

Of course, there is the problem of different timezones which then bounce into people’s schedules and to that, I recommend checking in with your partners on days you will be absent from the roleplay and days you have the time for. Roleplay doesn’t have to have “full on work” to you know, make it cool and enjoying. Sometimes what you need in a roleplay is good chemistry between muses/roleplay partners and an engaging storyline

[mcflymemes]

i don't think that non rp blogs know that they are "personals" when we describe them like that in our pinned posts and our rules. i don't think that phrase is effective in encouraging non-rp blogs to not reblog our stuff - i think, instead, we need to call them "non roleplay blogs" and make it crystal clear to them that we do not want our roleplay content reblogged. maybe in tags we say "non roleplay blogs please do not reblog this post" and see if that helps.

make sure you make posts about canon characters non-rebloggable if you don't want to be inundated with notes (in settings, you can switch 'who can reblog?' to no one).

also, if you're posting about a popular canon character and don't want people to find it and swarm it with likes, i think you can add a period in the middle of their name to help prevent drawing attention. like "s.uperman" "l.ois l.ane" etc etc. i'm pretty sure that helps hide the post (but correct me if I'm wrong).

[brujahinaskirt]

So, I don't really rp, but I used to co-write novellas with internet friends I met in an online fiction community that existed for this purpose. We'd pass a manuscript around and each add a chapter (which we kept secret from each other until its release). It wasn't exactly a roleplay, but I think the process is quite a bit like looking for an RP partner.

Seems to me a ton of writers on tumblr are trying to find partners to write with lately (roleplayers or otherwise), but they're going about it in the worst way possible. I suspect maybe tumblr just... never taught you guys how to do this.

Old-school writing group tip for you to help you find your next writing partner? If you want people to respond to your ads, sharing your wish list and DNI is simply not enough. You gotta share a sample of your writing.

"Hi I'm looking for someone to do an XYZ rp with me! Here are my fave tropes and characters!" is not gonna get any traction because it offers no meaningful information. People can't know if they're interested in writing with you if you don't give them some kind of sample of the experience, even a bite-sized one.

A nutrition list alone isn't helpful in picking your dinner off a menu. That's because this information needs more context to be relevant. On its own, it gives you no idea what the meal is going to look or taste like. What form it will take. How it will be prepared.

You wouldn't try to entice someone to order a meal based on that raw info alone... so don't use this tactic to entice someone to spend hours and hours of their life writing with you.

"But my post has special dramatic formatting and is super visually attractive!" Nice, but not useful for this purpose. GIFsets of canon characters and quotes ripped straight from the script are useless to someone trying to decide if they want to collaborate on a story with you. It's because this stuff gives absolutely nothing in terms of showcasing what you're bringing to the storytelling table.

No wonder so many people are giving up and breaking out crappy AI chatbots. I know we're all hyper-vigilant about scraping and theft right now, and for good reason, but if you want to find someone to write with you... you gotta share just a snippet of a sample. You gotta.

[uttotheegg]

Does anyone have any advice for roleplaying a mute character?

im currently working on a character that i plan on using in a dnd/wanderhome campaign or simply just playing as him a roleplay group but a huge part of his character design is that he cant form common language words due to his mouth.

Hes essentially a thri-kreen from dnd, being able to speak with other people of his own race through mandible clacking and body language and other noises that they can produce, but inter-race communication is difficult.

Im not sure the best way to play as him without just going “hes trying to say this” or “convey this” and im not sure if i can accurately depict how being mute can affect your life as i am not mute and rarely am in-able to speak (there are moments where i do go nonverbal due to places being too loud or crowded but never for extended periods of time and it never affects me for long)

[junuve]

why are ppl rping with bots instead of writing fanfic??? like isn't the primary reason folks are using the bot bc they are socially intimidated by rp groups? (no judgment there ik how nerve-wracking it can be)

but like instead of talking to a cold machine someone COULD be growing their writing skills by... just Writing the whatever, the OC x canon scenario, the silly lil au, the smut etc etc. doesn't have to be grand literature, can just be a script fic even

and then after a while a person might have a piece of Art (generated by their very own meat computer) that they may want to show others??

folks, we can only win here. we can only lose talking to robots!

[cloaksandcapes]

Crawling Clueless in Dungeons

Dear DM Robbie, How can I make a dungeon crawl exciting? Mine seem to drag on for the players and they get bored. -Clueless in the Dungeon Dear Clueless, This is a question I ask myself and still I struggle with a solid answer. Like most things that come with being a Dungeon Master, fixing it takes time, practice, and preparation. Here are a few good, general tips from Sly Flourish! The problem with dungeon crawls is they’re predictable. Most of them devolve into one of two scenarios. Scenario 1, you send the rogue, or whoever has the best stealth ahead to scout things out and they return with information and then you plan an attack. There’s nothing wrong with this scenario! It happens a lot and it’s a tried and true way to safely and efficiently give the party the best chances of survival. When it’s happening once every handful of sessions, that is. But when you’re in a dungeon crawl and it’s happening for every room, it leaves everyone else in the party bored. So, how do you break up the predictability? You don’t want to deny the sneaky character the chance to flex their skills and be useful to the party. But you need to give the other players a chance to do the same. Find ways to include challenges or obstacles that your players have the tools to overcome. Perhaps there’s a trap that is triggered and now the only way through is shutting it off on the far side. The Wizard could Misty Step through, but what dangers lurk on the other side? The Ranger could try to hit the switch with an arrow, but what if it breaks and can’t be turned off? The Barbarian could rage and run through, taking minimal damage. Do any of your players have specialties that don’t get to use often? Maybe the Bard took a feat to learn extra languages and can speak, read, and write in 7 different languages. Give them a chance to help decipher a forgotten dialect. Fending off boredom in dungeons is usually just about finding what tools your players have and like to utilize and giving them a chance to do it. Dungeons don’t have to be a crawl, nor do they always need a map. I find that when you drop them in a dimly lit cave and ask them to explore, they always default to the slow, stealthy approach and have a hard time kicking it. But here is my hot take on dungeon crawls, which lately hasn’t seemed to be that hot, don’t do them. If everyone in the group gets bored during dungeon crawls, you don’t need to put them in your games. At their core dungeon crawls are just a series of events meant to drain the resources of your party leading up to an eventual boss encounter. If the gas tanks are all full, then the encounter is likely to be a breeze. But the fact of the matter is you don’t need to present a full dungeon map for them to explore square by square to achieve this. My good friend Kali and fellow Dungeon Master achieved this with great affected in a session she once ran that featured four challenges, a roguelike mechanic, and a final battle in the Feywild. An entire dungeon crawl can be done using theater of the mind and only busting out the map when combat calls for it. Don’t let the confines of a map stifle your creativity, or funnel your players into a specific playstyle. Find ways to surprise your party, keep them guessing, and keep them using different skills and tools from start to finish.

If you have a question or a situation you'd like advice on from Dungeon Master Robbie, you can submit it via this link, https://forms.gle/d4rib7nR9kiHYf3fA

[justicekylar]

Pro tip: do you have a DnD scene where there are several NPCs all talking in a meeting? You think it's a really cool scene and you want to run it, roleplay it?

Don't run it. Write it.

Really. Write it down if you need to get it out of your system. But running 3+ NPCs with varying agendas and voices and all vying for position is just not feasible. You're already running a lot and doing a lot. That's too much to multi-task

Do write that scene, though. Maybe have it be a cut scene for your players to read between sessions

[mysticjourneys]

What If I Quit?

I have been roleplaying on Tumblr for well over ten years now. I am now at the point of adulthood where I have responsibilities, ambitions, and things I want to pursue. What I don't have as a luxury is time and energy. More often than not, I don't want to do much stuff because work drains me, and I spend some of my past time just trying to write here. Trying to roleplay. And it leads me to just feeling empty.

A thought crossed my mind. I thought of just quitting roleplaying/writing in order to do more stuff. To pursue passions, like art or video game development, which has been a life dream of mine. But, I feel that there are some things that I need to sacrifice in order to do it.

Work is a must. Gotta pay bills and put food on the table.

But, college, editing videos, personal time. Would stopping roleplaying forever be good, benefit my time and energy? Leave me energy, motivation, and time to do other things?

I thought of this and thought, "What would everyone else think?"

I made so many friends, memories, here is how I created my characters: hell, I met my wife on this site through roleplaying.

But I'm not a kid anymore. I have so many responsibilities. Where is the time to develop skills?

That is what has been swimming in my mind all day. I need to know what the benefits of me leaving or staying... and I mean permanently. Never coming back.

[mcyts-rp-finder]

Hi! Any suggestions for first time roleplaying? I think it'd be fun, but I may be a bit awkward. Contacting through Tumblr or discord I suppose..? I'm not sure what else to mention

Hello hello! :D

Roleplaying is meant to be fun! Don't be afraid to ask questions to your roleplay partner once ya got one! It's important to make sure y'all know each other's boundaries too, what their okay and not okay with roleplaying. Ex: some people don't like roleplaying smut or anything too violent. It all depends on the person and it's important to set those boundaries!

Another thing is writing style! Some people prefer to roleplay long messages with plenty of paragraphs and internal dialogue, descriptions, and dialogue, while some other people like to do just one liners! It's pretty good to know what you like and can do.

In my experience, discord is the best place to roleplay on but you can roleplay virtually anywhere. I know some people who roleplay in Twitter DMS or Tumblr DMS. Anywhere you can message you can most likely roleplay on.

Roleplay all really depends on the person and it's fine to be nervous or awkward about it you're not alone! I still get a little worried and awkward when meeting new roleplay partners.

Ways to find roleplay partners is through Tumblr blogs like this one, amino sometimes, reddit I think has some, I'm sure Twitter has some as well. Main thing I use is Tumblr blogs and branching out with roleplay partners I already know, joining discord servers, making friends through friends. It all depends on what you're comfy with.

The main thing with roleplay is to communicate, be respectful, and have fun! I met my best friend through roleplay so you never know who'll you'll meet ^^

Have fun in your future ventures if you get into roleplay!

-Grayson!!