According to Wikihow, roleplaying means "assuming or acting out a particular role." It involves picking out a character from a TV show, a book, manga, an animé series, a favorite band, or the celebrity line-up. You can even make your own! Give him a face, an identity and a back story that will distinguish him from other characters and you have now the backbone for your roleplay. This latter creation is called an "Original Character" or OC for short.
If your character is a real person, know basic information about him/her and let everyone know that you are "fake" and merely roleplaying. Otherwise, people will get the impression that you are posing and might end up with your account getting reported.
To better delineate your character, use the following template (or you can devise your own) and brainstorm for ideas that are detailed as possible to make him appear 3- dimensional and realistic:
SAMPLE CHARACTER PROFILE TEMPLATE
NAME
Full Name:
Pronunciation:
N-Name:
Origin:
Title:
Pet Name:
Signature:
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Species:
Race:
Ethnicity:
Skin Tone:
Complexion:
Eye color:
Hair color:
Hairstyle/ Texture:
Facial Type: (e.g. Oval):
Height:
Weight:
Body type (e.g. Ectomorph):
Build (e.g. Long legs, muscular arms):
Shoe size:
Birthmarks/ Scars:
Distinguishing features:
IDENTITIES/ INFO
Gender:
Pronouns:
Gender Role:
Orientation:
Real Age:
Age appearance
Birthday:
Death day:
Birthplace:
Zodiac Sign:
Religion:
Culture:
PHYSICAL PRESENTATION
Wardrobe:
Equipment:
Accessories:
Style:
Make-up:
Mode of Dress:
Grooming:
Trinkets:
Posture:
Gait:
Coordination:
Habits and mannerisms:
Scent:
LANGUAGE
Languages:
Accent:
Voice:
Speech Impediments:
Greetings and Farewells:
Cussing:
Laughter:
Tag Line:
Signature Quote:
REPUTATION
Reputation (What does the population think of your character?):
First Impressions:
Stranger Impressions:
Friendly Impressions:
Enemy Impressions:
Familiar Impressions:
Compliments:
Insults:
Self-Impression:
HEALTH
Blood type:
Preferred Hand:
Health:
Energy:
Memory:
Senses:
Allergies:
Handicaps:
Medications:
Phobias:
Addiction:
Mental Disorders:
FAMILY
Siblings:
Parents:
Romantic Partners:
Immediate Family:
Distant Family:
Parenting:
RELATIONSHIPS
Crushes:
Exes:
Married Partner:
Marital Status:
Sex life:
Friends:
Enemies:
Bosses:
Followers:
Heroes:
Rivals:
Relates to:
Pets:
PERSONALITY
Sense of Humour:
Pet Peeves:
Superstitions/ Beliefs:
Quirks:
Savvy:
Can’t understand:
Closet hobby:
GUILTY PLEASURE
Strengths:
Flaws:
Perception:
Conflicts: (the character wants 2 things but can’t have both)
Instincts:
Lures:
Soft Spot:
Cruel Streak:
HISTORY
Coming of Age:
Evolution:
Upbringing:
Infancy:
Childhood:
Adolescence:
Adulthood:
Greatest Achievement:
Biggest Failure:
Secrets:
Regrets:
Worries:
Best dream:
Worst Nightmare:
Best Memories:
Worst Memories:
NEIGHBORHOOD
Current Residence:
Home:
Transportation:
Community:
Family:
WORK
Occupation:
Work Ethic:
Rank:
Wealth Status:
Experience:
Organizations:
Career:
Desires:
Wish list:
Accomplishments:
COMMUNITY
Role:
Fulfilment:
Significance:
Alignment:
Comparison:
Symbol:
Song:
Vice:
Virtue:
Defining Moment:
Trope:
Originality:
One word:
Crime Record:
Traditions:
BRAIN FUNCTIONS
Education:
School:
Grade:
Special Education:
Social Stereotype:
Degree:
Intelligence:
ABILITIES
Powers:
Origin:
Source:
Glitches:
(This can go on forever as long as you don't run out of ideas. You may not incorporate all these details in your role-play but it's absolutely necessary to avoid inconsistency and going off your point.)
Understanding the Roleplay lingo and symbols will help you in the long run. Here are the key terms:
• AU: Alternate Universe. According to RP Moans, the relationship between AUs and Canons is like a tree. The Canon is the trunk and the AUs are the branches. AUs may deviate from the Original story but as they go further, you can still see a tinge of the Canon.
• BRP: Boy Roleplayer
• CANON: The original story; the story/ game/ book where your character came from.
• CRP: Cross Roleplayer. If you're a biological male, you role play a female or vice versa.
• (Double slash: //) This symbol is used when writing on another Roleplayer's wall or in writing on other roleplays.
Example:
//Hello! Are you interested to roleplay with me?
• Family/ SBH/ WH: A family is a relationship between roleplayers or Facebook writers (since FB writers also consider themselves part of a bigger RPW) which comprises a grandma, grandpa, father, mother, uncles, aunts, and children. It's exactly what it is— a family. Siblinghoods (SBH) are composed of a "Kuya," "Ate," "Bunso," or whatsoever. To join a writerhood (WH), necessary requirements must be passed which vary according to the desires of the founder/s. Every roleplayer who wants to join those is expected to follow the rules and respect the admin/ founder.
• GRP: Girl Roleplayer
• LB/ RB: Love back/ React back. If they "heart-reacted" to your profile and they commented "Lbdp" on it, it means they want you to "love it back" too. But if you don't want to because you think it's too "jeje," make sure to tell them that you don't do LBs. It's the same for RBs.
• NPCs: Non Player Characters. These are the people who aren't officially part of the roleplay but assumes the role of an absent member. Minimize NPCs though.
• OOC: Out of Character. To post a status about the real you, use the symbols "((" (double parentheses) or simply put OOC.
Example:
OOC: We will be having a vacation. I can't reply till next week.
or
((We will be having a vacation. I can't reply till next week.))
• OP: Overpowered. Almost all roleplayers hate invincible and overly perfect characters. In a fight scene, it will be an endless stalemate if the dueling individuals are all Mary Sues or Gary Stus, meaning, they are all flawless and know-it-all.
The purpose of roleplaying is to have fun. And to have it, we must stick to convention, which is, the character should have a flaw for every strength. That would make it more relatable, realistic, and thrilling.
• RPer: Roleplayer
• RPing: Roleplaying
• RPW: Roleplay(er/s) World
• RS: Relationship. Other roleplayers want to have a roleplay bf/gf. Be careful though if you also want to have one. Make sure that he/she is a genuine roleplayer before respectfully asking him/her to be your ROLEPLAY partner.
I must point it out to you that the anonymity prevailing in #RPW is immensely advantageous for trolls, human traffickers, gender-switchers, and other sorts of people with malicious intentions. Since it is almost infeasible to know the real identity of operators, prevention through vigilance and prudence is of utmost necessity. Avoid interacting with individuals who demand to ask for your real-life photos, bank account details, social media passwords, eyeballs, or even se*ual intercourse. Should this happen, report their account and activities immediately before blocking them. Protect your mental health, buddy.
Oh, another caveat: I suppose you're au courant of the term “ghosting” right? In romantic aspects, having a stable and faithful romance in RPW is very unlikely; although some #roleplayers claim to know someone who found their twin flames in this virtual world, they are very few. I advise you not to be carried away by this romanticization.
ROLEPLAY PROPER
So how exactly will you roleplay?
• Make a new FB account or recycle one.
Usually, it is best if you will not use your actual account for roleplay since that will just make everything messy. But if you don't want to create a new one, there are "give-away" accounts on Facebook that you may use. The original holders typically conduct a "competition" and if you win, the account is yours. If you know someone whose account is on the verge of deletion or lengthy inactivity, you may contact the owner to give it to you. State that you are going to use it for RPing only! No shady activities!
Include OC or RP in the name so that your activity is clear to others.
Example:
Kathryn Bernardo RP or Hamaguchi Yama OC
• Join a genuine Roleplaying Group
There are rooms in Facebook that shelter experienced roleplayers with broad repertoire (e.g. fantasy, action, or mixed-genre). Frequent interaction with them will help you improve your art and you can even discover a true friend! Be not too snobbish and participate in every roleplay beckoning, whatever the genre is, for you to unveil your forte.
However, people with attention-deficiency and an annoying case of narcissism may be flooding those groups, as it was inevitable, and roleplaying with them may seem like a waste of time and effort. In order to bring out your greatest productivity, stick to those who expertly know how to roleplay because many of them are awesome content-creators.
Most of the time, to establish yourself as an official Facebook Roleplayer, you have to introduce yourself first, followed by a brief and creative way of presenting your muse to the Roleplay Community. Once you've completed the “initiation,” you're now free to start. For a beginner, garnering supporters is tough, but the longer and more regular you roleplay, those things will come gradually.
KINDS OF RP STYLE
The media of roleplaying are in a long scroll. And these outlets include, but are not limited to: threads, novelettes, flash fictions, poems, sculptures, videos, spoken-poetry, memes, graphics, skits, theatre, and video games. I've another reminder that not all who do them are necessarily roleplayers. Real Roleplaying is responsible, competent, and believable pretension. It's the art of acting exactly like your Muse/s.
In this article, we're limiting Roleplaying to the medium of fiction-writing.
▶ The Non-Narrative Way
CHRIS:
*stomach grumbles* "I'm so damn hungry, where's food?" *goes down the stairs and opens the ref*
(Note: Use your common sense! A roleplay should be composed of a SINGLE action only. You musn't control other characters that are being controlled by others. You state your character's action and their reaction should be out of your RP partner's own volition, which you would respond to.)
▶ The First- Person Narrative
CHRIS:
My stomach grumbles audibly and I say, "I'm so damn hungry, where's food?"
I don't think I can resist the hunger anymore so I descend down the stairs and sashay toward the kitchen. Opening the ref, I see that there is nothing but stale cupcake.
(Note: If you're writing in a narrative style, make sure that there are no incomplete sentences!)
▶ The Third-Person Narrative
Chris' stomach grumbled audibly and he said, "I'm so damn hungry, where's food?"
He didn't think he could resist the hunger anymore so he descended down the stairs and sashayed toward the kitchen. Opening the ref, he saw that there was nothing but stale cupcake.
(Note: The tenses and style of your roleplay depends on your preference. There is no standardized way of writing roleplays, but if you dislike to appear mediocre, write like you're at par with Tolkien.)
▶ The Professional Writer Way
Chris' stomach tumbled over and let out an audible grumble that ricocheted inside the Spanish-inspired manor. He missed breakfast due to waking up late, and the hunger stung much for him to resist. Brows knitting, he barked, "I'm so damn hungry, where's food?"
Enraged that no one answered him, he descended down the rickety mahogany stairs to get food himself. His face distorted in agitation when he found out that the whole house is empty. And he also found out that the ref is also empty when he sashayed into the kitchen. Only the stench of a stale cupcake wafted in the air.
(Note: So you see, this is much detailed and much more commendable.)
• Add other RPers
Even if you roleplay an #OC, this doesn't mean you can't add animé roleplayers or Harry Potter roleplayers. Being exposed to different variety of roleplayers may add spice to your experience and even improve your writing.
Happy Roleplaying!
Sources: Wikihow, Scratch, RP Moans
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