roleplay advice, when you need it.

welcome to the roleplay-advice tumblog! a blog dedicated to roleplayers across the world. we are roleplayers ourselves who do so via forums such as invisionfree, proboards, jcink, etc. like all rpers -- we're creative, passionate, unique and most important of all; writers. the rp world has its ups and downs, but we're here to be an 'up'. we want to help you! no question is dumb, no question is small. ask away, and we'll answer you as honestly as possible. just know that any hate asks will be ignored and deleted. let's keep things civil. PLEASE NOTE: we do not do site ads or recommendations. for those, check out all things roleplay. or another site like caution, atf, etc. seeking advice

[roleplay-advice]

I feel like some people don't actually want to roleplay with me they make their characters extremely standoffish. Is it just that they don't want to roleplay with me? They're fine with other people. Should I just cut my losses and make an exit? I know I didn't do anything wrong I guess people just don't like to roleplay with me... Please help.

don't take rp personally. how people create their characters and their personalities aren't going to be about you and not wanting to rp with you. i often find that the difference between people being willing to rp with you is a matter of what kind of plot you are able to devise between the characters. if it is an interesting plot and one that inspires writing, the more likely they are to participate. if you offer up enticing plot ideas and it works for their character they should be more than happy to rp with you. if not, it may be because they're already in plots that take up a lot of their creativity and don't really feel keen to take on more. sometimes there are people in the community who like to rp with their friends and only their friends, that's just an unfortunate circumstance. in that case, find someone that is or build friendships with other rpers. just remember that one group of people is not an indicator of the rest of rpers and is certainly not an indication of whether people like you.

[roleplay-advice]

Hi, I have a question about roleplaying. I used to be a roleplayer on bebo, however, the roleplay I done on there was that everyone made fake profiles for celebs, took the role of that celeb and just went with it (zacs would date vanessas, selenas would date justins etc) It was mostly 1 on 1 intimately between couples. Bebo recently got deleted so I was wondering if there is that type of roleplay here on Tumblr? Do people make fake celebrity tumblrs and roleplay with each other through message?

i don't rp on tumblr so i'm not sure what the environment is like. but i'm sure if you explore around the place a bit you'll find something. often what happens is that people will create characters and use celebrities as "face claims", basically to provide an image of what their person looks like. this also does mean that they don't necessarily always pair celebrities that have or are dating together.

[roleplay-advice]

I RP on twitter and I'm so shy, I only talk to like one person and I really want to branch out more... Should I just go for it and dive right in?

unfortunately we only rp on forums such as jcink or invisionfree so i'm not really sure what the rp environment on twitter is like. however, i say YES. go for it. you've got nothing to lose. rp is an outlet for creativity and should be something fun. never let it get personal cause that's when people tend to stop enjoying it.

[roleplay-advice]

On a forum or thread, how does one go about asking to do a one-on-one roleplay? I usually ask, they say yes, and I don't know where to go from there. Do I ask them what character they want to play? Do I invite them to play with my OC?

generally you'd come up with a plot first or go into it with some idea of what you'd like to happen in the interaction between the two characters. i suppose if sometimes you don't know then you could start an open thread to see where it goes. but basically you'd imagine a circumstance for two people to meet and write about it.

[roleplay-advice]

what does alias mean?

it is the name that you wish you go by. perhaps it’s your own name, perhaps it’s a nickname, or one that you just like to be called. there’s no real rules to it or anything.

[roleplay-advice]

Hi! I want to try roleplaying, since it looks fun, but I just have one question. Ok, I want to roleplay anime, and I was wondering if it's acceptable to use the pictures of other characters from different animes, but have them as your own character (OC I believe?)?

I would assume so but it would depend on the rules of the individual rp that you were joining. they would probably give you the answer to that in their rules or faq, if not then you could easily approach an admin to find out. don't even be afraid of the staff of a rp, they are there to help you with your rp experience and keen as a button to help people join their rp. after all, without people there can't be a rp.

[roleplay-advice]

Hi, I've been rping for a while... For months it's all I did every day... And then... I got so burnt out... But it's like I'm addicted to it and also there are aspects I like even though I don't know if I like the act itself any more. And I have a friend whose muse is very much his own person and he hated me for a while after I left because I took my muse from him and I convinced him to give it another shot. If I take another break and want to come back I don't think it will work and I'll hurt

(rest of question) him and he'll hate me again and I'll lose any chance and I don't know what to do. I want to not be burnt out any more but I don't love my character the way I once did and I'm so exhausted sometimes but I still do it and I can't even tell if I enjoy it any more. I certainly don't like it like I used to. But I'm always asking people to rp and... What do I do? I don't know if I want to leave... I want to stop feeling like this. I thought I was better after my break but I'm crying and...i want the old rping back.answer: i always have been and will always continue to be a strong advocate for the fact that a person will always instinctively know what is best for them. no one else can tell you that sort of information so you should stick to your guns and make sure that you are the best person you can be. sometimes that will mean you have to be brutally honest with the people you love and tell them exactly how you feel and what you need. if you are able to open up and tell them exactly how you're feeling and what you want to do to improve things for both yourself and them in the long run, the people that love you and cherish you may be upset at first but they will come to accept you. if they don't, then they have most likely put themselves first and are thinking selfishly.i've just come out of a very long break from rping and i'm still easing back into things, because sometimes the real world and life just gets in the way and you need time to yourself to process and to feel creative again. that's not a bad thing, it avoids burn outs and the feelings that you're having. it's not ok for something that once brought you joy to bring you to tears because it's so stressful. then it becomes a vicious cycle, by not feeling happy you're not going to feel creative and by not feeling creative you'll feel even more pressure to perform. 

bottom line, as i like to be very wordy, tell them how you're feeling. but don't just leave it at that, your feelings don't provide them will a sense that it's a solvable problem. instead follow your feelings up with solutions that you think would work for you so that there's actions to focus on. for example, "i'm truly not enjoying rping as much as i used to but at the same time there's nothing i want more than to feel the joy it used to bring me. i think i'd really like to reconnect with that by taking it slow and easing into it as i'm really worried that i'm getting burnt out and that's not going to be fun for either of us. i might also like to focus on making my life as a whole happier so i'd really like to just be able to take a few days off here or there. or perhaps come online every other day for serious rps but we could do tech threads in-between. i don't want to have to quit rping because i truly do love it, but i think that every day is just exhausting me out."  or however you are feeling and whatever you'd like to do. i truly hope this helps you feel better soon! :)

[roleplay-advice]

I have this friend who does online roleplays and they told me about this roleplay and they gave me the link and when I got onto it, not only did the 'application' look confusing, I felt like I didn't want to join in, even though I told them I'd be interested in it. Any advice on what to tell my firned since I don't want to join in the roleplay site? (Sorry if this is kinda long)

honesty is always the best policy in anything. just explain to them why you find the site confusing, let them know that you haven't seen an application like that, and share your concerns with them about the site. just be careful not to be nitpicking or express your concerns in a way that would make them feel like you don't think the site is good enough or put down a site they might be very fond of.

[roleplay-advice]

Sooo I've never done RPs involving face-claims... In fact I barely understand how it works. Any tips, like where do I go to find a good face-claim, is it really as simple as picking somebody, do all sites use face-claim?

a lot of sites do use face claims. and yes, at the core of it, it's as simple as picking a celebrity and going with it. however, there are usually rules around what type of celebrities you can use and the rules do vary from site to site. for example, a lot of sites do not allow internet famous people (especially ones who have requested not to be used ie frida rose). you also cannot chose someone that is already being used by someone else on that site unless they are twins. usually the rules are posted in the face claim thread of sites, so just read through them and you'll catch on in no time.

[roleplay-advice]

you might be wondering why we’re not answering questions very much at the moment. you might be waiting for an answer to a questions you’ve submitted. unfortunately neither of us rp on tumblr. our domain of expertise lies in general rp questions (ie how do i make my character interesting? etc) or forum based rps. if you feel you are somewhat of a tumblr rp expert feel free to apply to join our staff!! there’s only two of us here and a heck of a lot of questions relating to tumblr we can’t answer. we need you!!

[roleplay-advice]

Dire need of your great advice!

That’s right! Roleplay Advice is looking for some new staff members! Our ask box is getting a bit backed up, and right now it’s only me and 1 other staffer around here and I’d love to change that and AGAIN get back to providing the advice needed. So with that said, if you’re interested, fill out the questions below and send it in an ask, and I’ll pick some people to add to the group! We specialist in IF, Jcink, and Proboards advice - however, we do receive quite a bit of tumblr rping questions too, so experience there is a major plus.

Name: RP alias: Tumblr alias: (since links don’t work in asks) How long have you been rping: Est. hours online a day: Platforms you RP on: Why do you want to join RPA staff: Do you have MSN/etc: If someone said that they were tired of joining site after site and not getting any plots, but they are reaching out and trying to plots with others - what advice would you give to them?:

[roleplay-advice]

What's a muse ? o.0 I see it being used all the time and yet, I don't know what it is. I feel like a total noob when I see it.

A muse (although technically any of the nine daughters of [Greek Goddess] Mnemosyne and [Greek God] Zeus, each of whom presided over a different art or science) for writers is typically a combination of two things. A guiding spirit, and a source of inspiration. When a writer or roleplayer lacks one of these, or suffering from writer's block, you may hear "I have no muse!" quite a bit. Some writers don't believe in it, some do. It's really a personal belief/opinion.

[roleplay-advice]

I've joined a roleplay on tumblr and I have no idea how to roleplay seen as so far I've only ever roleplayed on facebook. How do you roleplay on twitter and what do you use as your roleplay page? Please help me!!! :)

Sorry, our expertise is on forums, so we can't be of much help!

[roleplay-advice]

Hi! Um, I was wondering, is there anything specific that you should do when followed by another RPer? I've joined an RP group of a certain fandom and whilst looking around the other member's blogs, I saw that when they were followed by other members of the group, they started a RP... Or something. Sorry if it sounds a little confusing, but I'm confused. >_<

I'm... not sure what you mean. We offer advice for rpers with character or site issues (forums) - that's our expertise. Sorry, love!

[roleplay-advice]

I try reaching out to people by asking them if they want to rp with me, and they say they will. Though after a few posts they kind of forget about our rp. :( It especially sucks because my character is an oc, so I can't exactly join a fandom group...I just really want to rp....

Have you tried reaching out to other people you haven't ever RP'd with before? Because if the it's just the same thing over and over, they may just not be as dedicated as you are.

[roleplay-advice]

I know this sounds strange, but I pretty much have to have a picture of what my characters look like and what my rp partners' characters look like. It kind of helps me write, especially if I look at the pictures and listen to a song that reminds me of the rp we're doing. Is that weird?

Hey, whatever works for you! I don't think it's weird at all. I know I have certain songs myself for different ships/threads. If I don't have those, it's pretty much a no-go to writing. We each have our own muse quirks. :)

[roleplay-advice]

As a mod on an RP site, how do I courteously handle annoying players?

Private message them after discussing it with other staff members to see how they feel. Others who may think they're being funny, or outgoing, really have no idea how they come across unless something that bothers you is communicated to them. Just remember to be polite and semi-professional, because it can turn them off if you're rude or immature about it.