Now that you’ve got the types of roleplay down, you might be thinking you can just jump right in and start wherever you like. I hate to break it to you, but… not quite. Before you can really dive into a roleplay, there are a few important steps to take. You’ll need a partner or maybe a small group to work with. You’ll want to discuss the plot, the setting, and the tone of the story you’re going to tell together. But before any of that, you need to create a character sheet.
A character sheet is your foundation—the blueprint for who your character is. It’s how you figure out what they look like, how they act, and what makes them unique. Without it, you might find yourself fumbling through scenes, unsure of how they’d react or what they’d say. With it, the roleplay will flow much more naturally.
Some experienced roleplayers can skip writing one because they’ve used that character for so long, they know them like the back of their hand. But for beginners? I strongly recommend making at least one. It’s like putting training wheels on a bike—it gives you stability until you’re steady enough to go without.
Here’s what to include when you’re building your character sheet:
Name: Hopefully self-explanatory. This obviously includes first name and last name (if any), and may include aliases, nicknames, and other names which the character may be known as. Aliases and nicknames might be included in the name section, or in a separate category depending on the community or on your preferences.
Age: This is self-explanatory as well, but if your character's species is one that has a different lifespan than a human's, you should include more than just the actual number, or the fact that its age is unknown; mention how old they look, or how old they would be if they were human if so. Example, an elf aged 300 wouldn't look like a human aged 300 (which is impossible in the first place...). Since we, the roleplayers, are humans, we need references we can relate to.
Gender: Though it may be obvious enough with the name section most of the time (unless it's a fantasy name), this is still important; male, female, non-binary, unknown, or none are the usual choices (male and female more often than any other, since the others are very rare in society and we are much less familiar with them). This is not based on what your character looks like; a boy that looks like a girl is still a boy, for example. However, you may mention "looks like a boy/girl" and/or "prefers to be referred to as a male/female" if your character's gender is unknown or ambiguous.
Species: What your character actually is; their genetic origin. If you are using a scarcely known species or a custom-made species, be sure to mention something about what the species is apart from the name; this should include general appearance for the whole species (height, stance, body structure and frame, etc.) as well as any outstanding characteristic the species may have. This might affect the other sections a lot, since certain species may have special habits or needs which the character would have to bend to. Make sure you don't overdo "half-" species, with a one-eighth here and a quarter there, since after "half", the genes most likely will not be important enough that it would affect the character in any significant way.
Appearance: You need to let others know what your character looks like. Describe them in enough detail to let others get a mental image, but try not to stretch it out too much with tons of details. You may mention that they like this or that item or clothing they have on themselves at all time or a small description of how they obtained it, but do NOT mention anything which is not relevant to the way they look. A tutorial will be made specifically for this soon.
Personality: The way the character acts. Even if they are shy or try to avoid social contact, you should still mention how they act when they have to interact with others. Likes and dislikes, phobias, and other such things also should be written down in this category. Make sure to include at least a few characteristics about the character; a personality of only one or two characteristics will make a flat character. A tutorial specific to this section will be submitted soon.
Bio: What happened in the character's past. This section usually spans from the birth or childhood of the character to the present day, although it may begin even before their birth. If you mention something about the way they act (I.E., they were feared by other children because they were extremely aggressive), be sure it was also mentioned in personality, and make sure it still is relevant to what happened in the character's past (don't just start about how they act like this or that if it doesn't affect anything about the history). This section is NOT made to add more to the personality section. I will submit a tutorial explaining this section more in detail soon.
Others: Anything that you couldn't put in any other category for whatever reason should go here.
Here’s an example, using Kris—my assistant in these tutorials:
Name: Kris
Age: Appears 16 years old in most forms.
Gender: Non-binary
Species: Shapeshifter
Appearance: Varies greatly, though usually humanoid—human, elf, anthro.
Personality: Can shift depending on the situation, but most often shy and defensive, keeping people at a distance while still meaning to help when possible. Direct when it matters, dislikes people who reject advice, and can become hostile if someone refuses to listen.
Bio: Created for a series of roleplay tutorials, Kris seemed to appear from nowhere, fully formed and ready to serve as an example character for roleplayers around the world.
Others: Resides in the tutorial world but can appear elsewhere through special rifts.
A few final notes:
Try to know your character well enough to write at least 3 lines for appearance, 4 for personality, and 6 for their history.
You should get attached to your character — the more you care about them, the easier it will be to write for them.
The order of these sections isn’t set in stone, and you can add extras like “powers,” “weaknesses,” or “weapons” depending on the roleplay.
Think of your character sheet as your compass — it won’t tell you exactly where the story will go, but it’ll make sure you never lose your direction.
UIt’s no lie that Tumblr updates fuck us roleplayers up constantly. Luckily, the New XKit program helps to fix or correct these updates that Tumblr has been so graciously granting us. New XKit may seem intimidating at first, but it has a lot of helpful extensions. So here’s a post no one asked for of my Top 5 Favorite New XKit extensions that I recommend everyone in the RPC should download! If they haven’t already, that is.
5. Header Options - This one may not seem so useful, but it’s the best thing that’s happened to me. It’s especially helpful if you have sideblogs onto your main account. It helps to easily sort through which blog’s posts you’re staring at. I like it better than clicking the little person icon on the far right hand side to be able to get to my posts, drafts, activity, etc.
4. Tweaks - This is the best because you can get everything just the way you like it. It especially helps with unwanted buttons on the dash. There’s a ton of ways you can customize your dash experience with Tweaks, but my favorite options are “Hide Explore Link at Top of Page” and “Hide Tumblr Radar,” among others, of course.
3. No Recommended/Anti-Capitalism - I’m counting these two as one because they hide the clutter from your dash. Anti-Capitalism has options for you to click that made any sponsored posts disappear, hide Yahoo View links on posts, as well as hide the Ask Time banner on the dash. Nothing’s more annoying than seeing unwanted posts and ads on the dash.
2. Tag Tracking+ - RP groups often have you track tags so you can easily find the posts the other members and the main account are posting. RPH/T/A’s might track tags that are relevant to them, to see if anyone is talking about them or making posts for them. It brings you back to the golden age of 2013 when our tracked tags were on our sidebar on the dash! Plus, it gives you a count of how many new posts are in each tag.
1. Editable Reblogs - Finally, topping off my list at #1 is Editable Reblogs. It is essential that everyone uses this. This extension allows you to cut posts and reply without having to copy & paste your partner’s response or having posts that take up three pages. No one wants to scroll for forever. Be sure you install Editable Reblogs and not Edible Reblogs!
So there ya have it folks! That’s my top five favorite New XKit Extensions. Most of you probably already have these installed, and if you haven’t, I hope I helped. Feel free to like and reblog this post if you found it helpful or think other people might find it helpful. It was fun to make and I’ve been wanting to share my New XKit favorites for a while now!
The quintessential dictionary for the new RPer, or the veteran RPer who wants to get caught up on all the new-fangled slang them young folks are using.
(Note: does not actually come with any particular melody, but feel free to make one up as you go and hum it.)
1x1: A roleplay between just two people, you and your partner.
2x2: A roleplay between four characters. Not sure why it’s referred to this way. I guess the characters are all supposed to have paired up by the end of it?
4x4: Wait, are we stilling pairing them up, or can this just be eight characters?
32x32: Apparently we just like dividing by two in this neck of the woods.
Activity Check: A time when the admins go through the characters of a roleplay and make sure that they’re all still posting and haven’t run away from home.
Admin: The manager or moderator of a roleplay group; the one who’s in charge of creating the roleplay and keeping it running.
Angst: Piling on the hurt - usually emotional, sometimes physical - for your character to endure. Really fun. You should try it. Be a malevolent god.
Anon Hate: A message someone sends anonymously detailing why they despise you and what they’ve done to your mother, or threatening you in some way. Honestly, it’s hard to be threatened by that little gray fella with the sunglasses, but okay.
Apartment RP: A roleplay in which all or most of the characters live in a single apartment building.
Application: A description of your character to submit in order to be considered to join a roleplay group. Like a job interview, but not as painful.
Appless RP: A roleplay where you don’t have to fill out an application. Just insert a couple of details about your character onto a little form and you’re in. Quality may vary.
Ask Meme: A post containing a list of questions for others to send to your character.
AU: Alternate universe. This is where the characters of the work are placed in a setting or scenario not present in canon. For example, characters who are superheroes in their canon work meeting as ordinary high school students instead.
Backstory: The events of a character’s life that occurred before the beginning of the roleplay. Doesn’t have to be tragic. Is usually tragic.
Bandom RP: A roleplay in which the characters are in a band. It’s a pun, see. A portmanteau of “band” and “fandom”, I think. I’m assuming. I mean, I’m not a roleplay etymologist or anything.
Bio RP: A roleplay in which a detailed description of the character’s background and personality is required in the application.
Blogroll: A page which displays all the blogs that a user is following.
BroTP: Like an OTP (see below), except for best buddies instead of romantic partners.
Bubble Roleplaying: Roleplaying with only a select few characters or members in a group RP setting and ignoring the others.
Canon: The stuff that the original writer of a work made. For an RP group, this consists of the plot, additional info, and any characters made by the admins intended to be a part of the overall story. For other works, it’s simply everything that occurs in the work.
CBR: Could be related. Two faceclaims who could play biological family members.
Celebrity RP: A roleplay in which you play actual celebrities as characters. These exist for some reason.
Charrie: Short for character. Not to be confused with Carrie, a Stephen King novel in which a girl gets a bit power-crazy with her telekinesis.
City RP: A roleplay in which the plot takes place in a single city as its primary or only setting. Like a town RP, but the buildings are taller.
Closed Starter: A starter made for a particular blog to reply to. Sure, you can still reply to it if it wasn’t intended for you, but it’ll just lead to secondhand embarrassment for all involved.
Contained Theme: A theme that is frightened. It tries to hide from predators by curling up and making itself smaller.
Crackship: A relationship between two characters whose pairing seems unlikely or absurd.
Crackship Gifs: Gifs of two characters edited together so that it appears the characters are interacting with each other.
Crossover: A work consisting of elements from two or more works or fandoms.
Cross-tagging: Tagging a post with related things that are not actually in the post. For example, tagging a picture of Wonder Woman with ‘#superman’. Don’t do this. It’s all of the annoying.
CW: Content Warning. Same as trigger warning. See below.
Defiantly: Definitely, but misspelled.
DM: Dungeon Master. The person who is in charge of - wait, hang on, wrong type of roleplay. Sorry about that. Move along.
Drabble: Technically it’s a story of exactly 100 words, but it’s more used to just refer to a very short standalone piece about a character or characters in a particular single scenario.
Dry Docking: The opposite of shipping. When two characters who are a couple in canon are either broken up or were never together in the first place in your fan work or RP.
Event: In a roleplay group, an occurrence in the story in which all characters can participate. Also can be several days in which the verse is altered, such as a Future Week or other AU.
Exclusive: In a fandom-related independent RP, when the mun will RP with only one version of a particular character. For example, an indie RP playing Hermione Granger only interacts with a single indie Ron Weasley blog, and others who play Ron must go elsewhere.
FxF: A romantic pairing between two female characters, usually in 1x1 roleplay.
Face-chaser: Someone who pursues a roleplay or ship with a character based on their faceclaim instead of their characterization or the writing.
Faceclaim/FC: A real-life person used to represent what a roleplay character looks like.
Faceless Gifs/Images: Gifs or images that can be used in roleplaying regardless of the character’s faceclaim, since a person’s face is not visible or present in the gif or image.
Female Ban: An element in some works of dystopian fiction wherein the government or other higher power attempts to suppress a population by eliminating females and thus making it hard to procreate... Hang on, no, I’ve just been informed that it’s when an RP doesn’t allow any more female characters to be added to the group. Presumably, male bans exist too, but I think that’s just an urban legend.
First Look: A type of review based on a quick glance over the roleplay and what first impressions the reviewer gleaned from it.
Floating Timeline: A concept in roleplay that suggests that events in threads that are being written at a particular time do not necessarily take place in that time in-story. So, if a character has multiple ongoing threads, they are not actually in multiple places at once.
Fluff: Scenes that do not involve any significant obstacle and instead are intended to give the characters time to just have fun and be cute together.
Gif Chat: A type of roleplay thread in which each post is accompanied by a gif to illustrate the character.
Gif Hunt: Collection of gifs gathered from throughout tumblr or from various sources.
Gif Icons: Collection of gifs that are 100x100 pixels in size. Sometimes people make them 90x90 or 75x75 for what I can only assume are unsavory purposes. Don’t let your guard down around those things.
Gif Pack: Collection of gifs in which all of the gifs are made by the person posting the pack, and usually are all from the same source (the same movie, TV episode, etc.)
Godmodding: Collectively refers to powerplaying, metagaming, or both. See below.
Gore: Explicit and/or graphic violence and blood. A challenge to see how many synonyms for “red” you know.
Gossip Blog: A blog affiliated with a roleplay group that talks about and passes judgment on the characters. Sometimes can be fun, if managed well, but often creates all species of drama.
Headcanon: Something that an individual or fandom believes to be true about a story or character, even though it is not shown to be the case in the canon work.
Hiatus: Taking a break from roleplaying due to real life occurrences taking priority. As if anything could be more important than finishing those replies, pfft! The nerve.
IC: In-character. The actions, thoughts, and posts of the character; the stuff that occurs in the roleplay proper.
Icons: Also called static icons, a 100x100 image of the character or faceclaim used to illustrate the character in lieu of gifs.
I’m sorry, what did you say?: An extremely vague starter. For some reason, people keep making this starter, despite it annoying and frustrating people. Like an Alvin and the Chipmunks film.
Independent RP/Indie RP: A roleplay blog or character not associated with any particular established RP group.
IRL: In real life. Don’t worry, you won’t have to use this one often. Nothing ever happens in real life.
Kik: Something that I recently learned is not a dating site, as I had thought. This is all I know.
KRP: A roleplay that uses K-Pop artists as faceclaims exclusively or nearly exclusively. This community has some terminology of its own that I don’t know, but most of it’s similar to the rest of the RPC.
Label: A brief descriptor or trope used to describe a character in an application. Some examples are The Scholar, The Heartbreaker, The Intrepid Reporter, The Lizard Tamer, etc.
Literate RP: An RP that is highly writing-focused and requires longer posts and replies than other roleplays. Despite the misleading name, it is not actually saying that other roleplays are illiterate.
LSRP: Legit Serious Roleplay. Same as Literate RP. Yes, this acronym is ridiculous, just roll with it.
MxM: A romantic pairing between two male characters, usually in 1x1 roleplay.
Magic Anon/M!A: A post for which you invite others to make your character take on a certain trait or action for a select period of time.
Main: In a group, the blog that contains all of the information and updates for the roleplay. Home base, basically.
Manip: A graphic edit of two faceclaims in which they are photoshopped to look like they’re in a picture together.
Mary Sue: A character whose unreasonable ease or difficulty in overcoming obstacles, forming relationships, and/or gaining accolades runs contrary to the intent of the writer and makes it difficult for the reader to get invested in the story or character arc. Also, apparently, a term used to refer to any female character you don’t like.
Mature RP: A roleplay that may contain dark or adult themes, and thus doesn’t allow players under the age of 18. Seriously, if you’re under 18, don’t lie about your age. That’s a dick move.
Meme: A post that features small prompts that others can send in to begin a thread. Elsewhere on the internet, this term refers to drawings of sad frogs.
Metagaming: Letting your character have in-character knowledge that they shouldn’t logically possess, just because the mun has it.
Mod: Another term for admin. We could never settle on one term for them. It’s like the couch vs. sofa dilemma.
Moodboard: A collection of images or gifs used to sum up a character’s personality.
Multifandom: Similar to Crossover, although usually used to refer to a work with elements from three or more works or fandoms.
Multi-Storyline/Multiverse: In independent roleplay, when the character exists in more than one universe at once, such that threads with a character do not impact the events of threads with a different character.
Mumu: Multi-muse. In which a single blog is used to play more than one character.
Mun: The writer/roleplayer. The person who’s controlling the character. You. This is you. Use this power wisely.
Muse: The character that you roleplay. Also, a Greek goddess who presided over the arts, although this definition is usually irrelevant in roleplay.
Musing: Posts that represent the character’s personality, history, or thoughts in someway, such as aesthetic photos, songs, or philosophical rants.
Mutuals: Blogs on tumblr that are both following each other.
MW: Most wanted. A character or faceclaim that admins or members in a group would really like someone to play.
NoTP: When some people think that two characters would make a good couple, and you would like to stab those people with a fork for being so stupid.
Novella: Very long format for roleplaying, in which responses should contain several paragraphs of writing. Don’t worry, you don’t actually have to write a novella; a reply shorter than 20,000 words is still acceptable.
NPC: Non-playable character. A character who is present in the roleplay’s universe, but is not played by any one particular writer.
NPH of RPH: That’s me!
NSFW: Not safe for work. Nudity, sex, graphic violence. Basically, the stuff that you absolutely don’t want to come across while browsing at the public library.
OC: Original character. A character you make that is not part of the canon or not pre-written for the RP group.
One-liner: Roleplay consisting of only a single line or a few short lines. Sometimes referred to as “action roleplay” wherein actions are interspersed with speech. For example: “*Enters the room and throws confetti into the air.* I have arrived!”
OOC: Out of character. Can be used to denote that the writer is currently speaking or posting as themselves, rather than as a character, or be used to point out that a character does not act that way in canon, what are you doing, goddamnit.
Open Character: A pre-made character in a group who is currently not being played by any member of the group.
Open Starter: A starter that any character is allowed to reply to.
Original RP: A roleplay in which the plot and characters come from the admins’ and players’ creations rather than another source.
OTP: One true pairing. The ship that you love more than all the other ships. Except that most people have at least twelve OTPs, so...
OT3: One true threesome. Like an OTP, except there are three people.
Para: Relatively longer posts, consisting of full-bodied paragraphs or multiple paragraphs.
Playby: Another word for Faceclaim. Used more outside of Tumblr. See the couch vs. sofa debate.
Plot Bunny: A story that you would like to play out or see others play out through roleplay.
Plot Drop: A significant detail or event of the overarching story in a group RP that causes some change to the lives of the characters.
Powerplaying: Controlling another player’s character without their permission.
Private: In indie RP, a blog that only interacts with mutuals.
Promo: A post used to advertise a roleplay group or account.
PSD: Photoshop Data file. A type of file that’s designed to be edited on Photoshop or other image editing programs. It comes with the image separated into layers, so that different parts of the image, such as a background, a border, or text, can be edited separately.
Revamped: Extreme Makeover, Roleplay Edition.
RP: Roleplay.
RPA: Roleplay Advice. Like roleplay help, except, I dunno, maybe fewer resources, more questions answered? This one’s falling into disuse a bit. Oh, also Roleplay Assistant.
RPC: Roleplay Community. The group of us weirdos here who roleplay instead of just posting funny text posts and photographs of flowers like normal people. Alternatively, Roleplay Critic, a blog that reviews roleplays.
RPCHA: Um, Roleplay Critic/Helper/Advice. Seems a little over the top, but all right.
RPCW: Roleplay Critic Writer, I guess? I think. Same as roleplay critic. Think it’s used to differentiate from Roleplay Community.
RPG: Roleplay group. A group. That roleplays. Also can mean roleplaying game, or rocket-propelled grenade.
RPH: Roleplay Help. A blog that offers resources and answers questions to help people with roleplaying.
RPO: Roleplay Opinions. A blog that reviews roleplays. It doesn’t count as RPO if you just have opinions; you need to share them with the class.
RPT: Roleplay Talk. A blog that talks about roleplays and the roleplay community.
RPWCTOHA: This doesn’t stand for anything yet, but it’s only a matter of time.
Sample Para: A few paragraphs of your writing you include as an example as your work when you apply for a roleplay group. Do not just copy and paste a passage from Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado.” The admins will probably notice.
Secrets RP: A roleplay in which every character has a secret. These secrets are all listed together on a page in the RP, but it’s not revealed which character has which secret; that’s up to the other characters to figure out on their own through interactions.
Selective: For independent RP, when the mun does not roleplay indiscriminately with every blog or character that offers, but rather picks and chooses partners based on personal preference or certain criteria.
Self-insert: A character who is a fictionalized version of the mun/author, with little to no change from their actual self. If they die in the game, they die in real life.
Self-para: When your character wanders away from the group for a bit to engage in their own sidequest or navel-gazing. Good times.
Semi-appless RP: A roleplay that sits on an ever-sliding scale, requiring more detail in an application than an appless RP, but less than a bio RP.
Semi-hiatus: Like a hiatus, except that you might still show up to the blog on occasion and do a little bit of activity. When your real life is busy, but you’re just that determined to roleplay.
Semi-selective: For independent RP, a blog that’s not quite as selective as a selective blog, but still maintains the right to refuse service to customers should they so choose.
Semi-truck: A truck that’s not as much truck as a regular truck.
Shipping: Holding up hand-puppet versions of two characters and forcing them to make out.
Shoutout: A brief advertisement for a roleplay group (or occasionally other blogs) that can be submitted to the ask box of a help blog.
Skeleton RP: A roleplay in which some details are given for the roles being offered by the group, but the applicant fills in the rest, usually writing the body of the character bio. Alternatively, a roleplay in which every character is literally a skeleton.
Smut: Sex. Doing the do. The horizontal tango. Bumping uglies. Woohooing. Written out in all of its gory detail. Not worth going to jail for, so for the love of all that is holy, don’t do it if you’re under 18.
Starboarding: Shipping a one-sided ship. When you want one character to be in love with another, but don’t necessarily want the feelings to be returned. The most relatable type of ship, honestly. More people should RP it.
Starter: The first post in a thread, one that is used to kick off a scene in roleplaying. Usually, especially in a group, anyone is allowed to reply and start a thread from that point.
Starter Call: A post that people like or reblog in order to request a starter from the person who posted it.
Supernatural RP: A roleplay consisting of paranormal elements such as magical creatures, witchcraft, etc. Not a roleplay about the TV show Supernatural, although I guess such a roleplay would use this tag too. This is a problem the showrunners should have foreseen.
Taken Character: A character in a roleplay group who is currently being played by a group member.
Task: In a group, a (usually optional) prompt or project that can be used for character development.
Thread: The series of posts and replies to said post that make up a scene between characters in a roleplay.
Time Skip: Usually indicated by a line break, this is when a thread moves from one scene to another without covering the time in between.
Town RP: A roleplay in which the plot takes place in a single town as its primary or only setting. Like a city RP, but the buildings are shorter.
Trigger: Something that makes a user anxious, panicky, or otherwise very upset when they see it on their dashboard without warning. Tag these. No, I don’t care if it doesn’t fit your tagging aesthetic, just tag them.
Tumblr: You are here.
TW: Trigger Warning. Used in a tag to indicate that the post contains content that may be a trigger. Please format as “#[trigger] tw”. Not “#tw: [trigger]”, and definitely not “#☾-*.:｡-❝✿~~ tw ~~✿&&♛”.
Twitter RP: A roleplay that uses Twitter as its primary platform. Don’t ask me how. I can’t even figure out how to use Twitter for its intended purpose.
Urban RP: A roleplay focused primarily on PoC (person of color) characters in a city setting. Often uses musicians such as hip-hop or rap artists as faceclaims.
UTP: Up to player. An acronym used in skeletons to indicated that part of the bio can be chosen by the applicant.
Verse: Short for universe. A character’s world or timeline.
WID: What I do. A list or page on a help blog that lists what services the blog offers.
X-kit: A browser extension that’s popular within the RPC. It works to make tumblr usable again every time the staff creates a new bug and calls it a feature.
Hey there, my name’s Clark Kent. I’m a journalist by trade, but in my spare time and especially around here, I like to think of myself as a storyteller, just like many of you.
On Tumblr, roleplayers make up the heart of our community. It’s a thriving, ever-growing space, and new faces join every day. Some are seasoned veterans, but many are stepping into this world for the very first time full of wonder, excitement, and a thirst for adventure. I remember that feeling. The rush of possibilities. The quiet hope of finding a place where your characters belong.
But let’s be honest, we all start somewhere and that “somewhere” often includes a lot of trial and error. I’ve walked that road myself. Spent more time than I care to admit in unsatisfying roleplays, not knowing what worked or what didn’t. And I’ve seen plenty of good people—passionate storytellers—struggle to find their footing.
So I thought… maybe I could help. Maybe I could offer a shortcut, something I wish I had when I started. A few tutorials. Some guidance. A nudge in the right direction. Nothing too heavy-handed. Just the basics to get you on your feet and help you grow into the kind of roleplayer you want to be.
Let’s start with something simple: the two main types of roleplay styles. Chances are, you’ve seen them around already: Script and Paragraph. Both have their place, and both can be fun, depending on what you’re looking for.
𝚂𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚝 𝚂𝚝𝚢𝚕𝚎
Sometimes called “bracket” or “casual” roleplay. This is the easiest kind of roleplay to pick up. It’s casual, quick, and straightforward perfect for short interactions, goofy scenes, or when you just want to dip your toes in without diving headfirst into a full-length story.
You usually list the character’s name, toss in some emotion (usually in parentheses), and write out a line or two of dialogue or action. Here’s a quick example:
*Kris: (shy) Hi… fiddles with the end of her skirt*
It’s lighthearted and fun, but it doesn’t leave much room for character growth or storytelling depth. Think of it like chatting in character, rather than writing a scene from a novel.
🔹 One-liners are common here, but be careful. A one-liner might be easy to send, but it can make it hard for your partner to build off of. Less isn’t always more when you’re trying to tell a good story.
𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚑 𝚂𝚝𝚢𝚕𝚎
Also known as “literary,” “multi-para,” or “novella” roleplay. This is where things start to feel like collaborative storytelling. It’s detailed, atmospheric, and thoughtful almost like writing a novel with a friend, one post at a time. Here’s that same Kris example, rewritten in paragraph style:
A young girl stands in the corner of a plain, unfurnished room. Her features are softened by a hazy veil of light, the outlines of her nervous figure barely defined. She fidgets with the hem of her skirt, her fingers twisting gently as she speaks. “Hi…” The word slips from her lips like a secret, her voice a tender whisper laced with uncertainty.
See the difference? Same character, same moment but the atmosphere is richer. You know what she feels, how the room looks, and what your own character might be witnessing. It gives your partner something to react to, and helps the story flow.
🔹 Semi-Paragraph: Still gaining confidence. One or two sentences gets the point across, but may be a little underdeveloped.
Kris blushed. “Umm, hi…” She tapped her fingers on the chair.
🔹 Standard Paragraph: Three to five sentences. You’re building emotion, setting the scene, and showing growth. Great for moments of dialogue or slower-paced scenes.
Kris’s cheeks flushed over. “Umm, hi…” she murmured, tapping her fingers against the chair. Her nerves fluttered in her chest like butterflies. She didn’t want to say the wrong thing, but silence felt just as dangerous. Still, she hesitated.
🔹 Multi-Paragraph: Two to five paragraphs. This is where most experienced roleplayers settle. It’s full of feeling, motion, and narrative weight — and a great balance between quality and quantity.
Kris stood just outside the café, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag. The soft clink of a bell sounded as someone exited, but she didn’t move. Her eyes were fixed on the pavement, watching the way sunlight danced in fractured lines across the cracks. She felt like those cracks held together, but only just.
Clark watched from across the street, shoulders squared beneath his coat. He could see the nervous energy radiating from her, the way she bounced slightly on her heels. It wasn’t the usual kind of fidgeting, not the playful kind. This was different. Heavy. Quiet. Like she was trying to make herself smaller in the world.
He stepped off the curb, crossing the street in three long strides. “Hey,” he said gently, not wanting to startle her. His voice, as always, was soft—the kind of voice you leaned into. “You okay?”
Kris blinked up at him, startled at first, then managed a faint smile. “Yeah. Just… thinking.” She didn’t look him in the eyes, but he didn’t press her. Not yet. He just stood beside her, close enough to be there, but far enough to give her space. That’s the thing about Clark Kent. He doesn’t rush you, he waits until you’re ready.
🔹 Novella: Six or more paragraphs. Deep introspection, heavy backstory, elaborate settings. It’s a commitment, but it can be incredibly rewarding. Especially for emotional scenes, flashbacks, or big plot twists.
The clouds had started to roll in sometime between the late afternoon and the golden hour, casting a gauzy filter over the city skyline. Kris didn’t notice the shift in weather at first too caught up in the storm brewing inside her. She sat at the far end of Centennial Park, on a weathered bench that had seen better days. Her sketchbook lay open on her lap, but the pencil hadn’t moved in nearly ten minutes.
Clark found her there, just as the breeze began to pick up. From a distance, she looked like a portrait herself—still and silent, framed by a rustling canopy of leaves. He slowed his pace, not wanting to disturb her, but something in the tilt of her shoulders made his heart tighten. Even without X-ray vision, he could see she was carrying something heavy.
She didn’t react when he approached, not right away. But when he sat beside her, the bench creaked, and that was enough to pull her from whatever thoughts she was drowning in. “You always find me,” she murmured, not looking up.
“You’re not that hard to find,” he replied gently. “Especially when your silence is louder than usual.”
A pause. “It’s my mom’s birthday today,” she said suddenly, the words dropping like stones into still water. “She passed away thirteen years ago. I only got visitation, but… it still hurts. Every year, it’s like this hole opens up again. And I just keep falling into it.”
Clark didn’t speak at first. He reached out instead, his hand resting gently over hers. Warm. Steady. Human. “You don’t have to pretend with me,” he said, his voice low. “Not today. Not ever.”
Kris finally looked at him, eyes brimming but unfallen. “I didn’t want to ruin your day.”
He gave her a soft smile. “You could never ruin my day. You’re part of what makes it matter.”
Roleplaying is like dancing; you move in rhythm with your partner. That’s why clarity, creativity, and communication are key. Think about the setting, the emotions, the actions. What does your character see? What do they feel? What do they want?
Every detail is a signal. A bridge. An invitation to respond. Whether you’re brand-new or returning after some time away, I hope this helps you feel more grounded. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to care enough to keep going. And who knows!? Maybe someday, you’ll be the one writing tutorials like this for someone else. Because storytelling is a gift, and this community? It’s one of the best places to share it.
sometimes people are too nice to say no, even when they are uncomfortable. they don’t want to come across as being an asshole or rude. however, THEY are not the ones being rude, it is the person forcing the ship for their own personal gain. it’s not fair to the person who isn’t for it. so please remember that!
