|| Definitions for the Beginning Roleplayer ||
We've all been there. Starting off roleplaying, seeing all these terms and requests on that roleplay's page. I remember when I started, I had to google 'what is a para', because I was clueless. Here are the down-and-dirty definitions for the beginner, hopefully this will help! Note: some of these are VERY basic, but I thought it best to cover all my bases.
App - Application, the bit you send in to the admins to see if you are accepted.
Activity Check - admins checking to see which characters are still active, often reopening inactive roles.
Admin/Co-mod - the person or persons who started the roleplay, oversee it, and are the authority and the guides. A good admin will be able to answer any and all questions you have about the roleplay.
AU - Alternate Universe. An AU rp will usually have it's base in a tv show, book, or other relatively well-known story, but will have been modified. For instance, a Hunger Games AU might pretend the Hunger Games kept going after the events of the last book, making it an Alternate Universe of the Hunger Games.
Bio - a biography about a character.
Bio Admin - an admin who only writes/mostly writes bios.
Charrie - slang for 'character'
Dash or Dashboard - the main page of your Tumblr, where you will see all your follower's recent activity.
FC - short for 'face claim'. An FC is usually a celebrity, actor/actress, or singer whose gifs you use for your character.
Gif Chat - One liners, written in first person, accompanied by the gifs of your FC.
Gif Hunt - a collection of gifs, usually done by a rph or rpc, that you use for your gif chats.
Canon - a 'canon character' is a character whose bio was written up by an admin or bio admin. If the roleplay is based off an existing storyline (tv, movie, comic, etc.), then anything that is the same may be called 'canon'.
OC - stands for 'original character', an OC is a character not written by a bio admin or admin, but instead submitted by the roleplayer. Not every roleplay accepts OCs, so watch out for the rules!
OOC - out of character. This is where you, are you. Not the character you're roleplaying. Some roleplays have OOC blogs, where you can meet the other roleplayers and plan things out.
OTP - this isn't just for roleplaying, but you might come across this term. It means 'one true pairing', and is the one ship that you hope for above all others. Often, OTPs are improbable, or even impossible, but they are still shipped.
Para- short for 'paragraph'. Paras are usually two paragraphs or more, written in third person past (usually past, there are some circumnstances when the rp rules will allow present, but for the most part it is in past tense).
Prompt- a piece, usually a para, written off some event or activity the admin tells the roleplayer to do.
RP - stands for 'roleplay'.
RPH - stands for 'roleplay helper'. I am a RPH.
Sample Para- an example of your paraing skills, put on the app. The better the para, the higher a chance you have of acceptance.
Ship - this isn't just a roleplaying term, but again, you might come across it. A 'ship' is a romantic relationship you hope will transpire between two characters. For example, pretend I have a character John and you have a character Mary. Their chemistry is great. So, secretly or not, I will declare John/Mary to be a 'ship'. From then on, unless I change my mind, I will 'ship' them.
There you have it. I tried to remember all the terms you might come across, but if I missed something important, message me and I'll add it. This is a working list, and I'll certainly add more terms when I realized I left them out.
