The Golden Protips of RP

Abstract Debauchery

High Mage of Loathing
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So I decided I'd pop my head back in on the forums, and as I did I got around to reading particular posts in the RP graveyard forum. Now, these posts were made ages ago by me, and I stand by what I wrote. I don't necessarily like what I've written, but I stand by it because it is something that I created, and as such, and after RPing on both forums for years, and then moving on to rping in MMOs since 2012, I figured I'd write a sort of mini-guide on RP in general as someone that's done both for almost a decade now.


I could always update it more later, but I'm a lazy asshole so I'll just start with the rules and work on it more if I want to.


The Golden Protips of RP


I call these the “Golden Protips” because it's something you should all very well know. Well all know about GodModding, Power Playing, and Metagaming, but I've personally taken the liberty of adding onto this list with a certain thing I like to call “Blending”. However, I'll start with the classics and work my way onwards from there.


1)GodModding: We all know what this is. You, player 1, does not get to, under most circumstances, control player 2. I say “most circumstances”because you can very well get permission from player 2 to control his character. There's nothing wrong with that, but consent is a very real thing, and if you don't have it, don't do it. You don't get to control another character's thoughts, actions, or even get to assume what the character is going to do.


Let's say you're in an RP battle with a character by the name of John Turdsenlicks. Your character is about to punch John. Obviously he's going to block, right? Probably. But you don't get to assume that.Your character has punched and aimed said punch at his face. That's it. Your post stops there. The player that plays John Turdsenlicks will post accordingly. It's a simple concept that's not hard to understand in the slightest. Don't god mod, dipshit.


2)PowerPlaying: Unless given proper authorization from the person running the RP, your character is not motherfucking Goku. You are not the goddamn chosen one. You're not all powerful and incapable of being killed. In a fight, you cannot dodge every single hit because “that's how fast your character is”. Every character should have a weakness. Every character should be able to lose a fight. Running around at the speed of sound is great and all, but there are speed limit signs on the road for a reason. Play fair, have fun, and keep in mind that your character isn't a god... unless the RP is written that way and you have permission to do so.


3)Metagaming: What you, the player knows, is not what your character knows. For example, you know about the evil plot that John Turdsenlicks has cooked up for Stephen Poopsocks. However, your character doesn't. Therefore, this means that you, the player controlling Stephen Poopsocks does not get to act on this information. It's like when your significant other, not that you've ever had one if you're reading this guide, is cheating on you. She knows it, the person she's cheating on you with knows it, your entire family knows it, the goddamn neighborhood is probably tapping that, but you don't know it. So you can't act on it, you big turdblossom.


4)Blending: OH FUCKING BOY. Now, I didn't know what this was back when I RP'd on FFF, but boy was I fucking guilty of it. You, the player controlling Stephen Poopsocks, is not, in fact, Stephen Poopsocks. When John Turdesenlicks says to Stephen Poopsocks, “you're an idiot”, he is not calling you an idiot. He is a character insulting a character. To act on that because you're pissy your character got called an idiot is wrong.


There is a huge difference between someone hating your character concept,someone hating your character, and then someone hating you, the person behind the character. In character (IC) is not out of character (OOC), and vice versa OOC is not IC. You're a goddamn twit if you mix the two up like I used to do back in the day.You, the player, need to separate yourself from your character and keep in mind that RP is a fun activity between multiple people, and all it takes is one blendy asshole to fuck that shit up.


A good thing to keep in mind is that a character is very much a living, breathing, person. They act and react to things accordingly. When you're writing one, never stop and ask yourself “what would I do”. Instead, you should be asking yourself, “what would my character do”.


5)Plagiarism: Don't be that guy. Just don't. Passing someone else's work off as your own is a shitty thing to do. Fo realz.


6)Collaborate: And listen, Ice is bac- yeah, fuck that. RP works because multiple people come together to tell a story that is greater than themselves. One bad apple not wanting to play with the other kids in the sandbox can wreck shit quick. When RPing with your buddies, get on your favorite instant messaging platform (I use Steam) and just get to talking. What do you want out of your character? How do you want to see them develop along side others? Who is going to win this long drawn out shitshow battle Poopsocks and Turdesenlicks has going on? We don't know, that's why you IM with the players of the respective characters and find the fuck out, yo.


7)Becreative: So you wanna RP out something you saw in an anime? STOP RIGHT THERE,CRIMINAL SCUM. While it might have been cool in an anime, it reeks of unoriginality. What's the goddamn point of writing if you just want to write out things you saw in a movie, video game, book, etc. There's nothing wrong with looking for inspiration in these things, but there is something wrong if you just want to mimic it and call it original. That pimp-ass scene in that anime? Don't copy it, don't try to match it, look at it and ask yourself “how can I make this better”. What did you see wrong in the scene? What did you see right?


You like the character Cloud from FFVII? I guess there's no accounting for taste... but you want your character to basically be that, right? Why? Write a character of your own that you believe could be better,or even worse if you want to. Just don't look at that character and then write up “generic stoic fantasy character #3082597”. Look at that character and improve on it, make it your own, don't settle for shit that's already there or mediocrity.


8)Don't showboat: You just posted your post, awesome! Now, let everyone else have a turn. Don't post five times in a row on the same goddamn character because you want your character to solve the puzzle first. That's tapping into blending. It's alright to want your character to do well and be awesome and shit, but it's not alright to want this because you want your character to be the “main character” of the RP. Work together to solve the puzzle and wait for your RP buddies to post. Don't be that guy.


9)No,seriously, don't be that guy: Don't be that guy that gets all pissed off because he can't have his way in RP. Don't be that guy that makes the “LOLXDSORANDUM” characters. Don't be that guy that always has to have his character be a special snowflake. Don't be that guy that butts his character's head into RP without asking first. Don't be that guy that has the “super fast character that can't be touched”. Don't be that guy that brings a anthropomorphic rat character to a RP that is being advertised as set in modern day non-fantasy New York City. Don't be that guy that gives your character one single weakness and then write out convoluted battle scenes with you and treats RP battles as some kind of fucking chess game instead of a fun co-op writing exercise.


No one fucking likes that guy.


I've been that guy. Odds are, you've been that guy too. Stop being that guy and start GETTING GOOD.


This is all I've got, but I'll likely write more in the future.
 
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