Death's RPH

[deaths-rph]

Hello, it's Death.

Just a friendly little reminder that by just thinking of a character, fleshing out their details, and maybe writing a few drabbles that feature them, you're already being a great RPer!

There are times when I'll create a character and I'll put days/weeks of effort into fleshing them out and figuring them out and then nobody wants to interact with them.

For the longest time I thought it was me. There must be something wrong with me as a writer.

But that's not the case! Some writers have characters that can't/don't want to interact with yours. Maybe your character's from the 1800s and their's is from the present day and their character doesn't have means of time travel.

Maybe your character is potentially triggering to the muns of other characters.

In any case, it's always good to review your character and find ways to improve them (and by improve them I mean make them more 3-D or well-rounded not adding more things they're good at). But, if you find that your character is in fact not a Mary Sue/Gary Stu and you're willing to continue to try to interact with other characters, you go for it!

Thanks!

[deaths-rph]

Just a Tip:

There's nothing more irksome than a character that doesn't stick to their bio. If your character is shy or a push-over and they're off scolding other characters or being a bully, nine times out of ten you're doing it wrong. On the flip-side if your character is confident and witty, God damnit they better be floating around and socializing and cracking jokes.

[deaths-rph]

Emotional Trauma & You

So, your character has gone through/is going through an emotionally traumatic event. Cool. Below the cut are some things to consider when thinking about how this event has impacted your character. There's a lot of negative stuff under that cut, so if you're triggered by death or anything I'd skip this lesson.

1. Not all traumatic experiences are created equal.

The death of a gold fish isn't going to be as traumatic as the death of a parent. Simple as that.

2. Not all characters are the same.

Depending on your character, different experiences are going to cause different reactions. For example, if they're sensitive, the death of the family dog might send them into an emotional slump. Or, perhaps your character will choose to bury their negative feelings when their parents announce a divorce.

3. Experiencing trauma doesn't make you an expert.

Giving someone unwanted criticism or critiques on how to write their character after a big event (or in general really) isn't cool. Hopefully, they've done their research, and they're writing the character to the best of their ability. Who knows, they may be playing out their own personal issues and telling them they're wrong is just kind of douche-y.

4. Is your character behaving OOC?

Your character's personality > Everything

Is your character emotionally strong? Write them as such.

Are they weak? Write them as such.

Are they self reliant? They should internalize their feelings and avoid getting help from others! Do they depend on their friends and family? Well, they're sure as hell going to need that support after the event!

It doesn't matter how your character copes. There is no wrong way. The only difference is how well you fit it into their personality.

5. As mentioned above, RESEARCH.

If you're going to be playing someone who's attempted suicide, had an accidental drug overdose, experienced death first hand, was raped or any such thing. Research everything. Google and the internet are your friends.You can probably find a forum where people who have dealt with whatever you're trying to write about can freely discuss it. 

[deaths-rph]

Roleplay Groups

There's a ton of roleplays floating around tumblr, but how do you know which one you want to join. Here's a few things to consider before applying for an RP.

1. Finding the Roleplay

This is probably the hardest part of choosing an RP. If you want to play something fandom based, all you have to do is search "Fandomname rp" but what if you want something different. You could just search "rp" or "roleplay" in the tags but that brings you to a huge number of possibilities. Try something specific like "asylum rp" or "city rp" or "celeb rp". Check to see when the last post on the main RP page was posted. If it's too old, the RP is probably not active anymore.

2. Read the pages

There is nothing more irksome than an applicant who doesn't know what they're getting into. For example: If you're underaged, you shouldn't be joining a mature RP or you should alert your partners that you won't be able to write sexual NSFW threads. Or perhaps somewhere in the rules it says that NSFW topics are not allowed and you go off reblogging sexy graphics or trying to get into smutty situations. Many RPs will include little "password" type things that need to be included in your app to make sure that you've read the rules and such. SO READ THE FRICKIN' PAGES. KNOW THE PLOT.

3. What's the app like?

If the app is lengthy, you're probably getting yourself into a higher level RP. This means that if you're just going to write one liners and slap a gif on, that ain't gonna fly.

Likewise if the app doesn't even require an IC para sample, you're probably going to look out of place with multi-paragraph starters.

The application for an RP can sometimes indicate what level of RP you're looking at (IF THE RP LEVEL ISN'T ALREADY INDICATED SOMEWHERE IN THE RULES/INFO WHICH YOU SHOULD HAVE READ IN STEP 2)

4. Look at the FCs

This isn't a necessary step, but for me, I often look at the type of face claims an RP uses. Overused FCs and a paper-thin, over-used are definitely a turn off for me. Those two things are usually coupled with gaudy, myspace-esque themes and it all just gives me a headache.

5. I don't like it here!

If you are accepted to a roleplay and you find that you:

1. Don't fit in with the level of writing, whether it's too challenging or not challenging enough

2. Dislike your RP partners (They irritate you, there's too much OOC drama, etc.)

3. Just don't enjoy RPing in the group for whatever reason

Send the mod a message to be removed from the group. No one's judging you. Or, if you feel uncomfortable, I'd say you could deactivate. But, personally, I'd send the mod a message just because it allows them to remove you from the follow list and open up your character for application.

[deaths-rph]

RIP RP Pet Peeves AKA one of the few blogs on tumblr that I religiously browse. You will be missed.

If you've never looked through RPPP I highly recommend it. The peeves can get irritating but the mods are 100% honest and snarky which always lifts my spirits when I'm feeling down

[rppetpeeves-blog]

To everyone out there who reads this, please remember that RP is a hobby. Please remember, too, that it’s not real life. Just like how nobody is obligated to be your friend, nobody is obligated to follow you or RP with you. Be respectful towards your partners and communicate with them, and move on if your efforts are met repeatedly with failure. There are always bigger fish to fry and more fun to be had if you branch out beyond that One Shitty Partner that everyone likes to gripe about.

Remember you are not your character. Your ships are not real. Roleplay is not therapy. Please don’t take anything that happens in roleplay personally, please don’t get jealous over your character’s love interest, please don’t threaten suicide and self-harm because of something that happened IC.

As soon as roleplay starts inciting a lot of stress and causes panic attacks, it’s better to find another hobby. Your friends will still talk to you. Everything will be okay. Please take care of yourself. You’re more important than that.

All of this time, many people would get on our case for because they believed RPPetPeeves to be a rulebook or some sort of guide for roleplaying. This is not, and never has been, the case, as we’ve stated countless times. RPPP has existed simply to allow people to vent anonymously, and through it we have seen words and attacks that have been extremely vile and messages of kindness and support in the reblogs alone.

Someone’s opinion on roleplay is not meant to attack you. These peeves are not meant to dictate how you play, what you play, who you play, or anything like that. They’re just venting. This has always been a vent blog, and it also became partially an advice blog as it grew.

If I had to say there were any “rules" of roleplaying, they would be this:

Remember that your partner is a human being.

Be honest and communicative with your partner.

Be kind. Think before you speak. Think of the impact your words can have.

Remember that it’s fiction.

I think those are simple and that all of your lives would be a lot easier if they were followed. And… all but the last can apply to your personal life, too.

And so, these are my parting words. Maybe I’ll see you guys again as Mod B, and maybe I won’t.

Best of luck, and I hope all of you have a good time playing with one another.

-B

[deaths-rph]

As an Admin/Mod it is YOUR Job to:

1. Maintain the RP blog. This is the most important function.

Answer asks.

Update App count

Frickin' accept or decline apps

2. Make sure crap in the RP is running smoothly.

Deal with OOC drama

Deal with criticism/complaints with the RP

Make sure there are events happening to keep your players happy

Activity Checks!!! Activity checks!!!!! Activity checks!!!!!!

3. Appropriately promote the RP.

Hopefully on a separate promo blog

This isn't as important as 1 or 2

It should not hinder you from performing 1 and 2

It's still pretty important though. Especially when the RP is first starting off.

Do your jobs, please Admins. That's what you're around for.

[gotobali]

[deaths-rph]

Michelle Rodriguez

[deaths-rph]

How to Write a POC (Person of Color)/non-white characters

Write them like you would any other Goddamn character because if you're basing their interests/mannerisms around their skin color you're doing it wrong.

This doesn't apply to characters that are actually from their country of origin. For example, if you're writing for a Japanese girl who has lived in the United States for her entire life and her parents are not first or second generation citizens she probably won't be bowing at people and saying kawaii every other sentence ok. Now, if she were from Japan and was living in the United States, yes, it would be a different scenario (although, she still probably wouldn't be saying kawaii all that often).

Basically, just don't create a character based on stereotype.

[deaths-rph]

Friendly Reminder:

It’s ok to ship your character with just one other character

It’s ok to multi ship

It’s ok to ship a canon character and a canon character of the same fandom

It’s ok to ship a canon character and a canon character of a different fandom

It’s ok to ship canon characters and OCs

It’s ok to ship het/femslash/slash and even selfcest

It’s ok to write smut

It’s ok to not write smut

It is not, and will never be, ok to shame people for doing any of the above.

[deaths-rph]

Asian Men (Aged 20ish - 30ish)

John Cho, Leonardo Nam, Daniel Henney, Steven Yuen

[parrishable-rpc]

Favorite Faces: Janelle Monáe

↠ Known For: R&B

↠ Age Range: 22-27

↠ GIFS: (x)

[deaths-rph]

Once Upon a Pokemon || Review

Beneath the cut is a full review of the extremely creative, and very well done Roleplay group "Once Upon a Pokemon". If you've been looking for a creative cross over RP and you're into Pokemon and OUAT, this RP is definitely for you.

First Impression:

The idea is really unique, which can be good and bad. The good is that it's fresh and fun, the bad is that it caters to a certain fan (You'd have to like both Pokemon and Once Upon a Time.

Theme:

It's visually appealing, but not to the point that it's overwhelming. It's simple, mostly easy to read, and easy to navigate. 

Plot:

The plot is general and I'm feeling like most of the actual plot is going to come from the individual wants and needs of the characters. This is good for role players who enjoy lax environments to write in, but it also opens up the possibility for lulls in the plot. In order to avoid lulls, the mods/admins should come up with events to keep the members entertained and writing.

There are some crucial tidbits in the plot and rules. This is just an added precaution, just in case some applicants aren't inclined to read through all of the links (it sucks, but it happens). Maybe having something added into the bottom of the page "If you've read through this entire page please include: "Pikachu I choose you" to your app" or something. I was a part of a group that had a policy like that and it seemed like it worked really well, but it isn't a requirement.

Characters:

Main characters are outlined very nicely with bios that are well-written and to the point. I like that you encourage players to have bios on their own pages because that helps to get people in touch with their characters. The loose structure you're using is great for people who are creative and enjoy fleshing their characters out. But, beware, it's also a trap for people who are too lazy to get to know their characters. To avoid someone taking a canon character and gutting them and turning them into a Mary Sue/Gary Stu, I'd suggest adding a few positive and negative character traits to the bios you've already written. It provides a basic skeleton for a character so that people aren't tempted to make villains too evil or good guys too good.

Rules:

I like that you're very clear on establishing rules to keep things in check. For example: Not allowing people to start with a legendary Pokemon. It's great to have rules like that to keep power hungry muns away.

What could be a possible turn off for some RPers is that it's allowed for players to interact with people outside of the RP. However, it is good that the characters being interacted with are not allowed to be canon OUAT characters. 

I seriously wish you all good luck with this group because you're on your way to a great start! 

[role-player-problems]

[deaths-rph]

No, no, no. If you are forcing smut or a ship on someone who is clearly opposed to it, stop. Forcing someone to do something against their will is a real dick move. It's not going to be fun for them, and it probably won't be fun for you either. There's plenty of role players in the sea and chances are at least one of them will smut with you or ship the ship.

If someone is trying to force smut or a ship on you, tell them no. Just straight up tell them, "No I'm uncomfortable" or "I'm sorry, I just don't see the ship happening". If they keep bothering you after you've plainly told them to stop they're a dick. Stop interacting with them.

[deaths-rph]

This is actually one of the most helpful RP Help blogs I've ever been on. Thank you so much!

It's really not a problem. Thank you, for the compliment.

[deaths-rph]

Mixed Female Face Claims

These lovely ladies would most likely fit characters that are half asian/half white. Devon Aoki, Christina Chang, and Shay Mitchell

[deaths-rph]

legitimate reminder you are probably one of the most helpful RPHs out there

Thank you very much. This kindness has earned you the right to live.

no but omg thank you so much. I’m really just trying to help people out and this really means a lot