February 8th, 2015 - Edited Post Template. June 25, 2015 - Added "Using Anime vs. Actors as Character Images" on FAQ
▉ Welcome to A Roleplayer Prepares, a guide that covers the highly imaginative and infinitely possible world of roleplaying! Whether you've been roleplaying for years or it's your first time hearing about it, this guide is for everyone interested in becoming a better writer and roleplayer. A0
This guide is organized into the following sections: ▉BASICS: The general aspects of roleplaying, such as vocabulary and point-of-view. ▉CHARACTERIZATION: Defining your character, who they are, their goals and dreams, etc. ▉WRITING: Focuses on style, dialogue, and incorporating your character into the plot.
▉NAVIGATION (Press CTRL + F, enter the designated section letter and number, then hit ENTER until you reach the section.) Note: Do not include the hyphen between the letter and the number when typing in the section code.
► HOME - A—0
BASICS ▉Vocabulary - A—1 • General, Acronyms, Genre, Literary ▉What is Roleplaying? - A—2 • Point-of-View, Interaction, Dialogue, Aesthetics • Roleplay Post Template - A—3
CHARACTERIZATION ▉Creating a Character - A—4 • Background, Conflict, Behavior - A—5
WRITING ▉Writing Within the Plot - A—6 • Introductory Post, Advancing Your Storyline, Realistic Dialogue, Scripted Events - A—7
▉ FAQ - A—8 ▉ RESOURCES - A—9
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 3:47 pm
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LEGENDA1 gaia_star - Denotes special usage emotion_bigvein - Should be avoided when roleplaying emotion_bandaid - Not allowed in the NSTG
Note: The terms "roleplayer" and "player" are used interchangeably. Use CTRL + F to find definitions.
▉ GENERAL
• Activity - [on roleplay applications] how often you post • Admin - the person in-charge of the roleplay • Auto-hitemotion_bigveinemotion_bandaid - when a character throws out an attack that is assumed to automatically hit or land on another character/creature. (See Godmodding) • Barton Town - the main Gaia roleplaying subforum (Link) • Canon - the original source information (TV show, book, etc.) that the characters came from • Closed Roleplay - a thread/roleplay is closed off to outsiders and is only welcome to those that are mentioned and already involved (See Open Roleplay) • Fandomgaia_star - Fan Domain, referring to a community or group of fans of a television show, movie, book or other media • Godmoddingemotion_bigveinemotion_bandaid - (n.) a character whose abilities are limitless; (v.) making someone else’s character move without consent, etc. (See Autohit) • One Lineemotion_bigvein - one sentence of post length • Open Roleplay - a roleplay that is currently accepting other roleplayers • Profile - a character's form or application; a thread reserved for such forms • Shipgaia_star - short for relationship; (n.) two or more characters engaged in a relationship, either an official one or an envisioned one; (v.) to pair two or more characters as love interests (See OTP) • Walk-In - a roleplay that doesn't require an application before posting
▉ ACRONYMS
• Alternate Universe (AU)gaia_star - strays from the canon either slightly or entirely (see Cannon) • Face Claim (FC) - the “face” of your character; the celebrity, actor, or anime character that is used to portray the appearance of your character • IPC - Ignore Post Count • Non-playable Character (NPC) - (n.) a character not being played by a user/roleplayer, or (v.) when the player controls the actions of a character that may not be tied to the story permanently, such as pedestrains, waiters, office workers, etc. These may also be side characters that are tied to the story, though only played and controlled by one player • Not Safe for Work (NSFW)emotion_bigveinemotion_bandaid - any material that would not be suitable for general audiences • O/A - Open and Accepting • Out-of-Character (OOC) - discussions that are done between the players and do not directly consist of the actions happening in the story • Original Character (OC) - one that is not related in any canon material; made up by the player • One on One - a roleplay that consists of only two players, trading back and forth • One True Pairing (OTP)gaia_star - a player's personal favorite pair of love interests between characters, usually within a fandom (See Fandom) • Roleplay (RP) - (n.) the storyline or world in which your character is set to be in; (v.) to act and speak as if you are the character you're portraying
▉ GENRES
• Arranged Marriage - where two characters are arranged to be married • Slash - same-sex pairing of characters • Slaveemotion_bigveinemotion_bandaid - a roleplay where the slave is required to comply with all demands of the master • Slice of Lifegaia_star - a realistic representation of everyday experience in a movie, play, or book; describing the use of mundane realism depicting everyday experiences • Yaoigaia_star - a slang meaning 'boys love' or homosexuality that is used in the Japanese language • Yurigaia_star - Japanese slang for the genre and content involving love between women in manga, anime, and related Japanese media
▉ LITERARY
• Archetype - a very typical example of a certain person or thing; a constantly recurring symbol or motif in literature, painting, etc. (See Motif) • Dialogue - conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie • Mary Sue/Gary Stugaia_star - an archetype used to refer to a generic, often mundane, character (See Archetype) • Motif - [narrative] any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story • Tropegaia_star - a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression; used for describing commonly recurring literary devices, motifs or clichés in creative works
▉NAVIGATION
(Press CTRL + F, enter the designated section letter and number, then hit ENTER until you reach the section.) Note: Do not include the hyphen between the letter and the number when typing in the section code.
▉ HOME - A—0
BASICS ►Vocabulary - A—1 • General, Acronyms, Genre, Literary ▉What is Roleplaying? - A—2 • Point-of-View, Interaction, Dialogue, Aesthetics • Roleplay Post Template - A—3
CHARACTERIZATION ▉Creating a Character - A—4 • Background, Conflict, Behavior - A—5
WRITING ▉Writing Within the Plot - A—6 • Introductory Post, Advancing Your Storyline, Realistic Dialogue, Scripted Events - A—7
xxxIf we break down the word "roleplaying," we would get "role" and "play." It's the act of playing a character.
xxxRoleplaying bears a resemblance to theatre. It's a craft that reaches deep within the artist's heart: the instrument is the whole being. The depth and perplexity that goes into an artist's work; the insatiable need to create - to write - and build a life more interesting than the one that surrounds us is the prime idea that this guide builds on.
▉ Point-of-View Roleplay posts should always be written in third-person (he, she, it, they) because you'll frequently refer to your roleplay partner in dialogue, action, etc. Dialogue is in first-person. Past and present tenses depend on the roleplay, but the rule of thumb is to stick with either one or the other, not both.
• Do use pronouns to avoid repetitive use of a character's name. • Don't switch between point-of-views or tenses, as it will confuse your reader and make your writing seem unpolished. "You" is a second-person pronoun, while "one' is third-person.
▉ Interaction
The basis of roleplaying is replying, acting, or reacting. How your character responds to a situation is based on their personality. (A—5)
• Do read your roleplay partner's posts thoroughly, taking note of what questions are asked and their responses. • Don't disregard a question or ignore your partner's actions, unless it's intentional. It will make it seem like you didn't read their post beforehand. • Do keep up with roleplay events. If you're lost, read the recent posts to see what you've missed. (A—7)
▉ Dialogue
Dialogue is usually in bold with quotations, while thoughts are italicized.
(See A—6 for more in-depth information about dialogue.)
▉ Godmodding
Godmodding is controlling another character's actions or responses. It is not allowed in roleplaying - you may only control your own character. Dictating a person's reaction to an action (ie. automatically landing a punch) is a form of godmodding. Allow the other roleplayer to respond.
▉ Aesthetics
Your post style should include the following: • Character Name • Character Picture (optional) • Out-of-Character Section (optional)
Roleplayers usually designate a specific color to their character's dialogue or thoughts. (BBCode Color List)
Below is a roleplay post template. You are free to edit and use this anywhere on Gaia.
Note: The [list] code justifies/aligns your text. Please read the rules of the roleplay before using this form, as it may or may not be allowed.A3
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam accumsan egestas tellus, vitae lobortis tellus bibendum nec. Proin pharetra pretium auctor. Integer dui est, tempus at lacinia eu, gravida ut magna.
OOC: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.
▉NAVIGATION
(Press CTRL + F, enter the designated section letter and number, then hit ENTER until you reach the section.) Note: Do not include the hyphen between the letter and the number when typing in the section code.
▉ HOME - A—0
BASICS ▉Vocabulary - A—1 • General, Acronyms, Genre, Literary ►What is Roleplaying? - A—2 • Point-of-View, Interaction, Dialogue, Aesthetics • Roleplay Post Template - A—3
CHARACTERIZATION ▉Creating a Character - A—4 • Background, Conflict, Behavior - A—5
WRITING ▉Writing Within the Plot - A—6 • Introductory Post, Advancing Your Storyline, Realistic Dialogue, Scripted Events - A—7
▉ FAQ - A—8 ▉ RESOURCES - A—9
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 3:48 pm
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ▉ Creating a CharacterA4
xxxThe character you'll play, whether it's one you've played before or you feel is beyond the realm of your imagination, will be at first nebulous, and vague; they may reside in your mind only by name and appearance. Our first section is called Creating a Character.
1. Create a character around the setting.
Setting comes alive partly in its details and partly in the way that the story’s characters experience it. Either element alone is fine, but both working together deliver a sense of place without parallel. (Source)
2. Take snippets of interesting dialogue and go from there.
How would my character think about this? What would he really say here? Whether you are using first person and your character’s voice, or third person and narrative, you are using your character’s perspective, and filtering every detail through the colored lens of that person’s feelings and experience. That is one of the most important aspects of characterization. (Source)
You can read a more in-depth analysis on dialogue and action at post A—7.
3. Explore one or more universal literary themes.
Frequently, a work of fiction implies a few ideas about the nature of all men and women or about the relationship of human beings to each other or to the universe. These are called universal themes. Universal themes can range from existentialist questions (Who am I? Will I be remembered?) to more general aspects of life (love, death, lost, etc.)
A theme may be exemplified by the actions, utterances, or thoughts of a character in a story. (Source)
Universal themes create a more realistic and relatable character. Below are a few common ones: • The conflict of good vs. evil • The individual’s ability to confront fears • An individual’s struggle toward understanding, awareness, and/or spiritual enlightenment
4. Select a character trait and build around it.
Character traits are all the aspects of a person's behavior and attitudes that make up that person's personality.(Source) Common character traits include loyal, pessimistic, adventurous, etc.
In literature, an archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature. (Source)
Wikipedia has a List of Stock Characters that lists some archetypes and stereotypes, with examples next to each. A few from the list are:
• Anti-hero - a cowardly, antisocial or honorless protagonist • Byronic hero - a proud, moody and cynical man, yet capable of deep and strong affection • Geek - a generally not athletic fan of super heroes, science fiction and fantasy, especially of Video Games, Comic Books, Films and Roleplaying Games.
Utilizing archetypes and prominent character traits will make it easier for your roleplay partner's character to relate with you.
5. Visualize your character's appearance.
• Hair and eye color • Height and weight • Facial features and other prominent visual traits
Describing a character's appearance may or may not provide sufficient details about their demeanor or background. Physical attributes alone might constitute only a minor part in character development, but if combined with a memory or some sort of justification (ie. the reason behind a scar, etc.), they can provide ample details into a character's life.
6. Let your character's thoughts manifest in writing.
A third-person narrative can carry your character's tone of voice, or "intonation of the voice as expressive of some meaning." An expressive narrative along with direct first-person thoughts will build a connection with your reader and roleplay partner, as well as embody the overall spirit of your character.
▉ BackgroundA5
1. Childhood What kind of childhood did he or she have? As with real people, many things about your character's personality will be determined by his background. Did his parents have a good marriage? Was she raised by a single mom? How your character interacts with other people - whether he's defensive or confident, stable or rootless - may be influenced by his past. (Source)
2. Birthplace Where did your character's life begin? Did she grow up running around the woods in a small Southern town, or learning to conjugate Latin verbs in a London boarding school? Obviously this influences things like the kinds of people your character knows, the words she uses to communicate with them, and the way she feels about a host of things in her external world. (Source)
▉ Conflict
A character must have either a external or internal conflict. Conflict moves a three-part story structure forward, eventually reaching its peak at the climax, when the conflict reaches its resolution. • External - a conflict that occurs between a character and outside forces (ie. another character or the environment) • Internal - a mental or emotional struggle that occurs within a character
▉ Behavior How to Craft Compelling Characters on Writer's Digest compiled a list of the most important emotional incidents to explore in a character’s life:
The moment of greatest fear This is perhaps the most important emotional trigger, because almost all of our limitations, failures, frustrations and disappointments—and thus our secrets and vulnerabilities—can be traced back to or relate to some fundamental fear.
The moment of greatest courage This may be physical valor, moral isolation or simply persisting in the face of some dread.
The moment of greatest sorrow Think of death, grief, loss.
The moment of greatest joy It’s strange how nebulous moments of joy can seem—and what a loss. At what stage in your character’s life (or in your own) did the golden moment occur? What’s happened since?
The worst failure All our travails, sorrows, embarrassments and screw-ups—embrace them.
The moment of deepest shame Shame is connected to self-image, and this moment will be when that image was seriously undermined in a particularly personal way in front of others.
The moment of most profound guilt This involves some violation of a moral code. It may also make us ashamed, but guilt involves having knowingly done something wrong.
The moment of most redemptive forgiveness If you’ve been forgiven for some serious wrong, it’s not likely you’ve forgotten it. It’s permitted you to regain your place with some crucial loved one.
These collective human moments contribute to the emotional aspect of your character, and how they behave in the presence of others.
▉NAVIGATION
(Press CTRL + F, enter the designated section letter and number, then hit ENTER until you reach the section.) Note: Do not include the hyphen between the letter and the number when typing in the section code.
▉ HOME - A—0
BASICS ▉Vocabulary - A—1 • General, Acronyms, Genre, Literary ▉What is Roleplaying? - A—2 • Point-of-View, Interaction, Dialogue, Aesthetics • Roleplay Post Template - A—3
CHARACTERIZATION ►Creating a Character - A—4 • Background, Conflict, Behavior - A—5
WRITING ▉Writing Within the Plot - A—6 • Introductory Post, Advancing Your Storyline, Realistic Dialogue, Scripted Events - A—7
xxxThe beautiful part about writing in a roleplay is collaborating: the anticipation of reading your roleplay partner's response. Something unexpected happens: you're asked a question you don't know the answer to. That one spell doesn't work. You fall in love.
xxxPart of roleplaying is integrating yourself into the given plot - collaborating with the writer to create a grander story that interweaves the roleplayers' individual storylines. Our second section is Writing Within the Plot.
1. Analyze the genre and setting of the roleplay. Read the description of the roleplay and, if it isn't specified, determine the genre. Researching written works within that genre will help you when experimenting with tone of voice and style of writing. Analyze works of fiction that you've read in the past: what themes or motifs are prominent in certain genres?
A motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative or literary aspects such as theme or mood. (Source)
Listed below are a few common motifs in literature: • Madness - the loss of sanity or the downwards spiral of a character's mental well being (Shakespeare's Hamlet and Macbeth) • Bread - symbolizes abject poverty (Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck) • Censorship - the act and process of controlling ideas and information dispersed within a society (V for Vendetta by Alan Moore, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)
2. Remain within the roleplay-verse.
Think of every opening line you write as a pebble tossed down a mountainside: The stone may jolt back and forth within a limited path, building up force, but the trajectory of its initial release largely determines its subsequent route. Never forget that the entire course of a story or novel, like an avalanche, is largely defined within its first seconds. To craft a compelling story, you must first launch it in the right direction. (Source)
You cannot make significant changes to the roleplay-verse, or the roleplay universe. Contribute your own ideas and interpretations to the overall storyline by collaborating - roleplaying - with other writers. Plot relevant side stories and re-imagine the world through your character's eyes.
3. Convey a sense of continuity between you and your partner's posts.
The introductory post is your first post in a roleplay. (A—7) It should introduce both the setting you're given and your character, as well as any other characters you are planning to interact with. There should be continuity in your posts. For example, if your partner rides in on a bicycle and interacts with you, make sure to keep track of it.
4. Interpret the story in a meaningful and relevant way.
Roleplays encourage creativity. Take the time to develop a character for the storyline. The heart of interpretation is imagination: visualize the setting you're in and explore it as if you were truly there. Use the 5 Senses to describe your surroundings.
5. Develop your character's arc throughout the roleplay.
Your character's place in a roleplay is an important one: only you will be able to tell their story.
Revisit the beginning once you reach the end. Sometimes a story evolves so significantly during the writing process that an opening line, no matter how brilliant, no longer applies to the story that follows. (Source)
The character you've developed should change significantly from your introductory post to your conclusion. Their influence on the roleplay-verse, or the roleplay-verse's influence on them, should be evident in your posts.
A character arc is the status of the character as it unfolds throughout the story. Characters begin the story with a certain viewpoint and, through events in the story, that viewpoint changes.
• What was your character's initial viewpoint or outlook within the roleplay-verse? • Do you notice any character growth or decline as the roleplay progresses? • What significant events have impacted your character? How did it affect them?
▉ Introductory PostA7
Your introductory post should establish the following: • Character • Setting/Roleplay-verse • Character Perspective on the Roleplay-verse • Character Interaction (optional) Interacting with another character in your introductory post, either through action or dialogue, is optional. You may wait for another roleplayer to approach you.
▉ Advancing Your Storyline
Your posts should always be going somewhere, not standing still. Make sure to advance your storyline - not the roleplay-verse's - through a series of actions or events in your character's life. It doesn't have to be significant or life changing: missing the bus or spilling coffee on a favorite pair of pants can set off a chain of events that will keep your storyline compelling and moving forward.
• Your beginning sets up the story. • Your ending pays it off. • Your middle has to do everything else:
• Show progress in character arcs so we can see the protagonist has changed (or had the opportunity to change and refused to) over the course of the story • Show characters trying and failing to solve the story problem—or succeeding and making things worse • Show things that may be genre specific — for example, the detective talking to witnesses and looking for clues in a mystery ▉ Realistic Dialogue
In life we do not stop to wonder whether our words are beautiful, coherent, and literary. We know what we need and we express our thoughts simply, often awkwardly, just as they come.- Stanislavski,An Actor Prepares
Writability provides great insight on How to Write Realistic Dialogue: • Think about context. A high-class 18th-century woman is going to speak very differently from an uneducated man of that time, or a teenager in today’s society, or a king from another world. How your characters speak, what they choose to say and to whom is very much dependent on the setting, your character’s background, and personality, which are all important to remember while writing dialogue.
• Remember everyone speaks differently. If you removed all of your dialogue tags, you should still be able to pick out which of your characters said what. Every one of your characters should have a different voice and viewpoint that should come across in the dialogue.
• Read it aloud. Dialogue should sound natural and flow easily, and sometimes, what flows in our minds when we read, doesn’t actually flow as well as we think. Reading our writing out loud solves that problem, because the awkward phrases your brain doesn’t trip over, your tongue will still catch.
▉ Scripted Events
Roleplays may introduce scripted events to keep the main storyline moving forward. Make sure to keep up with these events whenever you can, especially if your character is idle.
▉NAVIGATION
(Press CTRL + F, enter the designated section letter and number, then hit ENTER until you reach the section.) Note: Do not include the hyphen between the letter and the number when typing in the section code.
▉ HOME - A—0
BASICS ▉Vocabulary - A—1 • General, Acronyms, Genre, Literary ▉What is Roleplaying? - A—2 • Point-of-View, Interaction, Dialogue, Aesthetics • Roleplay Post Template - A—3
CHARACTERIZATION ▉Creating a Character - A—4 • Background, Conflict, Behavior - A—5
WRITING ►Writing Within the Plot - A—6 • Introductory Post, Advancing Your Storyline, Realistic Dialogue, Scripted Events - A—7
▉ FAQ - A—8 ▉ RESOURCES - A—9
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 3:48 pm
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Feel free to send a PM to Eternal Rebellion if you have any questions, or quote me here directly using: A8
[quote="EternalRebellion"][/quote]
▉ Using Anime vs. Real-Life/Actors as Character Image/Face Claim:
xxx Some roleplays specifically mention the use of Anime or Real-Life images only, others may not. If there's no specification, there's nothing wrong with using either. Below are pros and cons for both. As with all images, please make sure that you give credit to the owner.
ANIME IMAGES Pros - Countless images available to use online. - PNGs are easy to come by, making it easier to adapt for post styles. - Anime images are preferred by the Gaia community, and are more widely used in Barton Town RP than real-life/actor images. Disadvantages - Lack of ethnic diversity among characters - Some images are easily recognizable from popular animes, which makes it harder to make your character unique.
REAL/ACTOR IMAGES Pros - Availability of .gif files to express an exact emotion or depict an action - Gif hunts from sites such as Tumblr make it easier to find (make sure to read rules on using .gifs from other sides.) - Ethnic diversity that is not available in anime images Cons - Not widely used by Barton Town, which may make you stand out from other characters. - PNGs are harder to find, which give less flexibility for post layouts.
You can keep these in mind when deciding to use Anime or Real-life images. Remember that drawing out your character or not using an image is also an option, allowing you to truly develop your own original character.
▉NAVIGATION
(Press CTRL + F, enter the designated section letter and number, then hit ENTER until you reach the section.) Note: Do not include the hyphen between the letter and the number when typing in the section code.
▉ HOME - A—0
BASICS ▉Vocabulary - A—1 • General, Acronyms, Genre, Literary ▉What is Roleplaying? - A—2 • Point-of-View, Interaction, Dialogue, Aesthetics • Roleplay Post Template - A—3
CHARACTERIZATION ▉Creating a Character - A—4 • Background, Conflict, Behavior - A—5
WRITING ▉Writing Within the Plot - A—6 • Introductory Post, Advancing Your Storyline, Realistic Dialogue, Scripted Events - A—7
• Rainy Mood xxxRainfall sounds to write or draw to.
This is a growing list of resources. If you have any suggestions, feel free to quote me!
▉NAVIGATION
(Press CTRL + F, enter the designated section letter and number, then hit ENTER until you reach the section.) Note: Do not include the hyphen between the letter and the number when typing in the section code.
▉ HOME - A—0
BASICS ▉Vocabulary - A—1 • General, Acronyms, Genre, Literary ▉What is Roleplaying? - A—2 • Point-of-View, Interaction, Dialogue, Aesthetics • Roleplay Post Template - A—3
CHARACTERIZATION ▉Creating a Character - A—4 • Background, Conflict, Behavior - A—5
WRITING ▉Writing Within the Plot - A—6 • Introductory Post, Advancing Your Storyline, Realistic Dialogue, Scripted Events - A—7
