ALICATOFRP PRESENTS A GUIDE: TWIN ROLEPLAYS.
This guide will feature various content in the form of how to handle/roleplay and participate in twin roleplays from both an administrator and potential applicant's point of view. Remember that this is just how I see it and not how everyone sees it.
NOTE: This guide is kind of sloppy. There was no way I could place anything into a specific section, so I apologize if it's not easy to read in some parts.
Let's be honest, alright? Twin roleplays are becoming more and more popular than they once were. However, they're not always easy for everyone. Some people feel more at home in them whereas others feel more at home in a regular canon roleplay. In this guide, I will (hopefully) guide you to not only understand how twin roleplays work but to also help you with the various aspects in creating them (as an administrator) or how to interact in them (as an accepted applicant). Other content will also be included.
Twin roleplays have been a huge thing for the past maybe almost two years, I believe. I've been roleplaying in them for that long as well. I can speak from experience that they're not easy to incorporate yourself into. Most people in the twin community know one another, and are pretty acquainted whether they're not friendly or if they're pretty good friends. Trying to incorporate yourself into that while being new or being a wallflower is difficult. It happens all the time in regular Glee roleplays, but with the size of most multiples roleplays, it can be even more difficult.
Let's start off with this: Twin roleplays are roleplays where each character in Glee has a twin (or there's three-four of them). This gives you the opportunity to roleplay with different personalities and gives you the experience to portray a character like a canon character, but isn't necessarily a canon character. That sounds confusing to me so I hope that makes sense to you.
Most people are able to roleplay in both communities and have no problem doing so. From what I've noticed, it's because they have connections in both. Now let's pretend that you don't have any connections but you want them, alright? Don't worry about having those connections, darling. Most people in the Glee community want to roleplay with others. Realize how I said most and not all. Let's be honest with one another-- not everyone can and will get along. Now that we have that on the table, we're going to move on to a potential applicant's perspective.
You're trying really hard to find a roleplay and you've finally found the right one. Now you not only have to choose your character, but you have to type up the perfect application. Don't fret. Administrators in twin roleplays are generally the nicest people I have ever met. Always ask them their opinion and get feedback on what you plan on doing! However, before doing so, make sure that you have an idea of who you want to play.
Some roleplays allow fraternals or original characters. If they do and you want to audition as one, CHECK THE FACECLAIM WITH THE ADMINISTRATOR BEFOREHAND. As an administrator in the Glee multiples community, I can honestly say that nothing bothers me more than someone not checking with me even though I have it stated two-three times on the main page. Even if it's not there, check with them anyway. It never hurts to be extra cautious. When you have the faceclaim you want to audition as (if you're applying for a fraternal), go to the askbox and ask the main. Wait until they give you the okay. If you want, go ahead and start typing up your application, but if you don't have the time to possibly rewrite it later on, don't start yet. Hopefully the main of the roleplay you're thinking about has answered your question by now, and you're able to begin writing your audition.
This is for both fraternal/original character and identical applicants: Copy and paste the audition form from the main page into your drafts on the account you plan on applying from. Never apply from an account you've made specifically for that character. You're never guaranteed a role so you should never flaunt that you've already made the account. Now that you have it copy and pasted into the drafts, start reading over what they expect of you. In general, it's not much. However, some twin roleplays can be more lengthy because of a plot or how much information they want. I know that I, personally, want a lot of information from my players both in and out of character.
Now that you've read it over and it's in your drafts, start filling everything out. Start with your out of character information. Where you're supposed to state your name, try being friendly! Instead of just putting your name, introduce yourself. "Hi, my name is Ali!". Doesn't that sound nice? Not only are you giving them what they want but you're also being polite.
But now you've hit a slow point and you're asking yourself "what should my character's personality be?" Trust me when I say that it's not all that difficult most of the time. Just listen to some music, read some plot bunnies and go from there. The easiest thing to do is to look at the GIFs your faceclaim has available and see what you could do with them. Playing a happy-go-lucky Phoebe Tonkin faceclaim isn't the easiest thing, and trying to pass Lea Michele off as a total badass isn't necessarily easy either.
A quick tip: Always give more than what they ask. Keeping it at the minimum is never a good idea most of the time. Especially if you're applying for a well desired spot. If they ask for three paragraphs for the biography then give them four well-written and lengthy paragraphs. This not only shows that you were dedicated enough to write that much, but you also took the time to think and flesh out your character beforehand. However, if they have tweets or personality traits included, give them what they ask for. Biography and paragraph samples are a completely different story. What I generally do is 6-7 paragraphs for a biography and 5-6 paragraphs for a sample. In addition to that, my paragraph samples are always in character. Most roleplays don't require that but it's always nice to start fleshing out your character beforehand.
Okay so maybe that "quick tip" wasn't quick but it's definitely helpful. Anyway, now that you've finished and completed your audition, make sure to re-read it a few times and fix the issues that you can see. If you have a friend that is around and can proofread for you then ask them if they can! If not, you can always send the main of the roleplay you're applying for a message to see if they'd be willing to read it too. I know of a few people that are willing to do that but it's a long shot most of the time. But let's look at the bright side, okay? You're done! You have now completed your application.
Now we're going to move on towards the administrator point of view. But before I begin this section, I want to just give some advice. If you've never roleplayed a Glee multiples/twin roleplay, I highly suggest not doing it alone. In addition to that, if you don't have much experience in the admin field or this part of the community, I highly suggest not doing it at all or without at least two co-admins. The only reason I say this is because it can get very overwhelming. I was in at least 5 twin roleplays for at least 3 months a piece before I even thought about co-admining or admining in general. It's not easy and it's definitely difficult if you've got a good plot on your hands.
Anyway, let's get down to business. I'm not going to explain making the roleplay because I'll do that later in another guide (more than likely), so let's just pretend you have everything setup. The first piece of constructive criticism I can give you is this: Always reply privately if you can. I've spoken to quite a few people in my days and most of them talk to an admin on-anon because they're afraid the admin will publish their post. I totally understand where they're coming from too. Having an account published is not always fun, so if someone asks you a question off-anon, I highly recommended replying privately.
My next piece of constructive criticism: Always do what you want when it comes to set-up and graphics. Use a gradient if you want. Make your posts small or in code. Use blockquotes, don't use blockquotes. Use a mascot or don't use a mascot. Do what you want and not what other people tell you to do. After all, this is your roleplay and not theirs.
There are several things you have to do as an admin so remember that. Make sure you have the time to do it. If real life is already hard enough as it is, admining a roleplay is definitely not a good idea and certainly not a twins rolelpay. They get hectic and can blow up pretty fast.
**Before opening your roleplay, make sure that everything is complete. I know that I said I wouldn't be adding anything about pre-opening or setup, but this is something that I want to add in from experience. Never leave a page that says "coming soon" or "to be completed". It looks unprofessional and can sometimes turn a potential applicant off. Make sure that everything is completed (including your character's biography) and that everything has been proofread by either you or another person.
That's honestly the only information I can give you. I could go on and on about different aspects of what I've written here, but it would honestly be too long. This guide is a lot longer than I intended it to be but I hope it was helpful. :)