Allot of people are awesome in the forums, and some aren't. Not saying that anyone is bad in particular, but here is something that may change the way some think about role playing:

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Before I begin, I would like to explain why I’m writing this. I’ve been a member of these forums for some time now, and over the time, despite the many efforts of our story-loving veterans, the quality of role playing at this wonderful place began a slow and painful descent to mediocrity.

In the hopes of stopping this trend before we’re reduced to chat speak and asterisks (just like the old days…who remembers Jet Pack Soldiers? I do! ), I’m gathering everything I’ve learned about writing and role playing and putting it all into this guide. These are the things I’ve learned both from my time as a writer and from some of the best writers on these forums, many of whom are no longer here. This is as much my tribute to their amazing abilities as it is a way to help others.

I’m not here to criticize or judge others for being “bad RPers”, I simply believe that a lot of people here could improve greatly if only they could clearly see everything that is part of role playing, from the writing to the characters to the development of the plot. Role playing isn’t supposed to be work, but it is supposed to be a celebration of writing and storytelling. There is no match for the feeling that comes with joining other writers to create and build something great, but if even just one person cannot rise to the challenge, the story will fall, and so too will the people who hoped to have wonderful new story to tell.

If there is just one thing I can teach you from this guide, it is this: role playing isn’t about having the strongest character, the most spells and abilities, or the most tortured and mysterious past. It is not a competition. Role playing is sharing the love and joy of writing with others and together going on a journey to new places, and most all, having fun doing something you enjoy with other people who enjoy it. I believe that besides some other things, role playing is the heart of the rescreatu. It shows us that there is no limits to your imagination, and that the options are impossible to predict what could happen to yourself. Role playing makes you think of different ways to express emotions. Romance, spite, hate, sorrow, bitterness. All just because of one post. In this one role play I was in, I started balling because my character's only friend died, and her parents had p*censored*ed. I felt what my character was feeling, I could feel the way she felt the pain, the hate in the person that killed her friend. I hope I get to experience something like that again...

~This part was contributed by Metachick~

As Crimmy said, roleplaying is a celebration for people to express themselves. They use it not only for fun but can show aspects of themselves without even really knowing it. For me, whenever I roleplay, my characters tend to protray what I wish I could be or what I am now, or what I was like in the past. I can't really help it, the characters just make themselves the way they are and I can never determine them before I can.

I know this may not have anything to do with the post but you have to know that Roleplaying is a part of life. It isn't just a game or something fun to do. Its a way for writers to start their stories, for readers to enjoy and laugh at. For people to learn new things. For me, roleplaying is my life. I've always loved to write and when I started roleplaying, I never knew how much I would come to love it.

I've roleplayed for about three to four years now, and I've seen a lot of different types of roleplayers. Bad, good, horrible, great. And I know for a face that you are not bad at roleplaying.

I roleplay because I wish to be a better writer, and I have become a better writer through roleplaying. Its not hard to do but I'm advance in literature and that made me so happy.

I hope you can enjoy yourself as much as I have with roleplaying

~This part was contributed by Murgy~

In more ways than just the cla$$ic old English course you took in high school. If roleplayers fall downhill and use *asteractions* and "incorrect grammer n spelling," you might as well just burn those bestsellers to the ground. There's nothing different between novels and roleplaying, rather you create the story together and see each point of view of each character. In a way, it's even more powerful than novels and whatnot. I may sound loony right about now, but I'm not. Taken from someone who got bored from the countless illiterate roleplays that drowned the good ones with one-liner posts and the like. Wow. I love how people have something to rant on, in a good way. ^^ Because. Roleplaying is...well. Phenomenal, for lack of better word. It's important. Regardless to its neighbor, the chatroom. That's not quite as important. It teaches you nothing, but that the world is a scary place. See, that's another thing about roleplaying. It's a retreat when you're stuck at home, on your computer and have no money to go anywhere.

~This part was contributed by Metachick~

I hope we can all make people see how much roleplaying is valued by the people who come online and show the people who do use chatspeak that what they are doing is insulting those of us who work hard at being the best we can and letting other help each other with their roleplaying. I absolutely abhord(sp) when people aren't literate on my roleplays. I let them continue because I hope they will learn from what the other roleplayers are writing that they need to step up with what they are doing.

I'm a kind person, I don't like kicking people out of roleplays and I don't think I ever have. But I've told people that if they don't step it up, they will have to leave. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but even so, I wish people could respect others wishes.

When roleplaying, you need to know that you are writing a story, not merely posting just to get on with it. When you act with your characters, you have to be the character, really think about the situations they are in and what they can do to help. Many people do not understand or refuse to comply to these things and it ruins the roleplay.

I want people to know that we who are very good at roleplaying, wish to be in roleplays where people write correctly. I mean, who wants to reply to 'She ran down the hall and into a guy she said sorry and pciked up hre buks be4 rnuning ayway quicly.' or even 'she ran into a guy and helped him up, saw his books picked those up gave them to him and ran away' Who wants to reply to that?

When people do these sorts of things with roleplays, it makes the roleplay less exciting. Even less appealing to others who want to join in. When people see those, they think 'Wow...I really thought the plot was good but I don't want to roleplay with people who can't type correctly' or something along those lines.

I get that and I feel as if many roleplays are ignored because people can't make good plots or good characters. When those roleplays are ignored, we lose roleplayers because they don't see that what they only need to do is put more effort into what they are writing. If they did that, then people can help them with their spelling, their grammer, and make the roleplay a good roleplay.

I've seen people leave roleplays because people are powerplaying or people aren't talking correctly. But what I haven't seen at all yet, are people trying to help the others. I haven't seen people help others with their errors. If a post doesn't seem good, you don't really need to ignore it. It may take longer but if you ask that person to consider what they wrote and try to edit it, then that could make a difference. And if someone is powerplaying, why leave? Tell that person that they shouldn't do that, and ask them to edit their post a little or make a better effort not to do it. I know this goes to one person in particular but I won't say who...

Anyway, really everyone can be great roleplayers if they try at it and I hope you will take my words to heart.

~Contributed by Kate~

Roleplaying is not only a way to socialize, but it is a way to express yourself through your own unique characters. I've found that if I'm having a bad day, my characters may be slightly meaner. I've also noticed that if I'm having a nice day, my characters tend to get friendlier. I've seen some people rp and their characters always have the same emotion. Not yet have I met someone in real life who doesn't have good days and bad days. It's a part of life and it's a part of fictional characters too. It adds excitment and makes characters easier to relate to.

~This part was contributed by Horselova~

Roleplaying is not only a way to escape the real world, but also an art. An art in which one can immerse themselves and be someone who they wish they could be, or do something daring that their own life does not allow them to do. Magic, dragons, elves, a whole new world - there are no boundaries to what the imagination can conjure up. When I roleplay, my emotions follow my characters around, and I pour parts of my own personality into them. Not only can a character be a different race of fantastical invention, but nothing ever has to stay the same. When one person's vampire is adverse to light, another may be completely unaffected by it.

To build a roleplay post is to construct a part of a great adventure, with the beauty that is language. Touch, feel, smell, be the surroundings. Can you feel the dew as it clings to your skin after treading through a field, lit by the early morning sunlight? Can you smell the damp earth, relishing the moisture from last night's downpour? Deion is a way to show others your world, how you envision this peculiar land to look, be it medieval times of this Earth, or the modern advances of a netherworld's technology...

Be it, show everyone, let your imagination and wishes, dreams and hopes, flow from your fingertips, and reveal themselves within your characters.

~Contributed by Nononolick~

roleplaying is where you can see places youre unable to see in the real world,a dragons cave can be youre room, you can be a wizard ,freeze people with youre wand ,and express yourself in a whole new way that you neve could.The dry desert would be a place where unicorns frolicked a secret lair and the high mountans above can now be your pillow to sleep on. Its amazing!

~Contributed by Pandameg199630~

 

 

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