Guide to Roleplaying

Hey guys. This isn't a roleplay; it's a guide on making one. I think this section needs it, no offense to anyone. But when you post a long and detailed post, you expect someone to do it back, right? And when they post a single sentence, doesn't it get on your nerves? It does mine. Everyone should aim for at least ten lines when roleplaying. Here we go. I'm starting with the basics: Grammar.

Grammar is very, very important, no matter how boring you think it is. No one will ever understand you if you don't use proper grammar. Grammar isn't even that hard. All you have to do is capitalize the first letter of each sentence, put quotation marks when someone's speaking and put a period at the end. Is that so hard? I thought not. Please, please use proper grammar. People will respect you that way, not to mention understand what you're saying.

Now, let's get to the actual roleplaying.

Replying. Let's say the poster above you is hunting. Do not, under any circumstances, do this:

"Hi," Pokemon1 said.

No! No one wants to post a detailed post and read that in response! Instead of doing that, write down your character's feelings. What were they thinking? Were they impressed at what the poster above them did? Not impressed? Worse?

Impressive, Pokemon1 thought as Pokemon2 killed the Rattata swiftly. She dipped her head and padded forward. "Hi."

Better, but still not ten lines. Let's include some backstory. Maybe a memory? Or we could include some more thoughts. Maybe even a few movements the character does without realizing it.

Impressive, Pokemon1 thought as Pokemon2 killed the Rattata swiftly. But it'll take more than that to feed the Clan. She swished her tail, remembering the day she had taken down her own first prey. The thrill of hunting had followed her ever since, even now. She dipped her head to Pokemon2 and walked forward. "Hi."

That's a lot better than just saying hi, no? But it's still not ten lines yet. Let's include some more things. What about the setting? Sounds? Feelings? Anything else that might be interesting to the reader?

Impressive, Pokemon1 thought as Pokemon2 killed the Rattata swiftly. But it'll take more than that to feed the Clan. A bird called in the distance, and wind swept the sand as Pokemon2 looked over his catch proudly. She swished her tail, remembering the day she had taken down her own first prey. The thrill of hunting had followed ever since, even now. Dipping her head, she walked forward, the sand crunching beneath her feet and wearing down her tired paws. "Hi."

Now we're getting somewhere, right? However, it's still not ten lines yet. Think of how you feel in real life. In real life, you don't just say hi. You have feelings and emotions, thoughts that run through your head, images of the person. Incorporate that into your post.

Impressive, Pokemon1 thought as Pokemon2 killed the Rattata swiftly. But it'll take more than that to feed the Clan. A bird called in the distance, and wind swept the sand as Pokemon2 looked over his catch proudly. She swished her tail, remembering the day she had taken down her own first prey. The thrill of hunting had followed ever since, even now. Looking at his eyes sparkle at his newly caught prey, she felt a pang of envy. She wished that she was as young as he, being able to run in the wind and worry about nothing. However, she was beyond those times, and she was content being her age, herself. She never was carefree, always weighed down with something. But now those days were over. Dipping her head, she walked forward, the sand crunching beneath her feet and wearing down her tired paws. "Hi."

See? See how we put the character into the post, instead of simply saying hi? We told that Pokemon1 was an old but respected member of the Clan, maybe a bit prickly at times, but definitely wise. Critical of his catch, but easing up as she remembered her own first catch. Nostalgic about earlier times. Wouldn't you rather read that than "hi"? Yes? Good, because that's the reason I wrote this guide. Remember that the above post was really the bare minimum, and you can play with your characters and your posts as you wish. Happy roleplaying.

--Sunny
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^^ Miss Sunny wanted me to share some Roleplaying tips with everyone. I did too. Sunny said she'd be happy to but...I had to do it myself. But remember. You don't have to use this! I'm sure none of you are expert yet, even I'm not a ten lined expert roleplays. Of course you're smart enough for roleplaying. You don't have to post 10 lines every post, it's just a guideline. The trick is to imagine you're writing a book; your character does things, feels things, sees things and thinks things among others. Try to incorporate that into your posts.

I stickied this! It's a really good guide....when I was reading it I thought you had written it though because you didn't start it off by mentioning it belonged to someone else >_<;

Thanks Showers for posting, and Sunny for writing!