AMP-GUIDES: GETTING STARTED WITH RPing OCs IN THE RPC
Pointers for new or first-time OC players looking to get the ball rolling with writing original characters on Tumblr.
► First off: why make a post like this?
...Because original characters in the RPC (particularly ones who AREN'T fandom OCs, who instead belong to their own original universe) don't have the starting boost of having an existing fandom behind them. They don't set out already recognisable to other players, so it can sometimes be a little tougher to drum up engagement.
► Tip #1: Make your OC easy to know
Two things to keep in mind when trying to get an OC blog out there: 1: nobody knows your character except you. Ergo, 2: ...it's your number one objective to make your OC knowable and interesting to your hopefully-future-RP partners!
People visiting your blog should have a way to quickly find out the basics of your character and what makes them tick. Keep in mind that having too much information can sometimes be as big of a roadblock to interaction as not having enough. Long bios documenting your OC's entire life-story can be useful to have around, but may be better to have in addition to a shorter and more succinct bio that neatly introduces the core concept of your muse. When you go hunting for a new book at the library or bookshop, do you dive into every book you pick up straight from page 1? Or do you check out the blurb first, to see if the plot even sounds interesting to you? Your muse doesn't need fancy powers or tragic backstory to be interesting, but regardless of if your OC is the plainest everyman or a secret superhero, you still have to let us see what makes it worth getting to know them.
Make sure your pages contain the most basic of basics, such as name, gender (or just pronouns), age, and basic physical details, as well as where your muse comes from/what their world is like, a cursory introduction to their personality, and what they're up to at this point in their life. Establishing a setting and any goals can offer hooks for interactions with other muses. Other things that can be helpful are rundowns of their likes and dislikes, their positive/negative/neutral traits, and information on their strengths or weaknesses, or even the places you'd be most likely to find them.
► Tip #2: Consider visuals
Faceclaims, icons, and fancy graphics are NOT mandatory to finding your OC's niche and having a good time in the tumblr RPC...but they can be nice to have around, and some players feel they can connect easier to OCs when they have a visual aid to help visualise your character. Even if you don't plan on using icons, having just one good quality image for your OC's bio can go a long way. But again: it's optional, so don't sweat it too much.
► Tip #3: Shop around for fandoms with themes or settings similar to your OC's
Is your OC is from a fantasy background? Sci-fi? From a version of our own world? When you're getting started trying to find writing partners, you may find you're most likely to be successful reaching out to muses from canons that fit together well with what you're going for with your own OC. This doesn't mean you can't also shoot for cross-genre interactions, of course, but seeking out muses from fictional worlds similar to your own can be a good place to start.
► Tip #4: Showcase your OC in action
Even if you're not writing threads just yet, in-character posts, open starters or short drabbles can all be a good indicator for newcomers of how your character interacts with others and with the world. Remember: nobody knows your character yet, so something that gives others a hint of your character's vibe can be useful for sparking interest in them.
Writing short headcanon posts can be used to the same effect, as they can be a helpful and fun way to both flesh our who your muse is as a person, and to introduce tidbits about your character that don't necessarily come up in a bio section...which can offer more interesting lore about your muse and help other players identify things your characters might either bond or bicker over.
► Tip #5: Don't forget about your fellow OCs
Don't be a stranger! If you know what a slog it can be to build traction for an OC blog then it makes sense to extend a little energy to your fellow OCs in the community. Take the time to check over other OC players' blogs, see if you might find their character interesting, or maybe even take a chance if you're on the fence...you can always unfollow later if you decide your play styles or your muses don't gel.
► Tip #6: Don't get discouraged
OCs can have a harder time in fandom heavy RPCs. It's just a natural expectation of not having the "brand recognition" and pre-existing affection that canon muses frequently do. Some OCs have an easier time taking off than others, but don't give up if yours comes up on a slow start. If you're passionate about your muse and are willing to be a little patient, you'll find your crowd!
If you ARE struggling to find people to write with, maybe shop around different promo tags and fandoms, and audit your OC's pages again to make sure that there's enough to draw folks in and that you're selling what makes them unique and engaging. OCs can sometimes take a little more work than canon muses to get out there, but don't listen to anyone who tells you the RPC doesn't like OCs or that they can't be really successful out here. It's true that writing an OC often necessitates being the one to reach out first, but it's a rewarding experience, and you'll be surprised how many people will be enthusiastic to get to know your muse and will grow to love them in time.
TUTORIAL: staying logged in on multiple tumblr accounts using Firefox container tabs
As rpers, we are constantly looking for ways to be logged into several different tumblr accounts at the same time. While methods like sessionbox and creating new Chrome profiles are popular, I wanted to share this third option that I’ve been using for some time now : Firefox + container tabs !!
The benefits of this method include being able to have multiple accounts open in a single window without re-logging back in and not needing to re-download xkit when you want to add a new muse. You can also have more than 10 stored containers and more than 5 open at the same time, all for free. I’ve also personally found this to be more reliable than sessionbox ( so far for me, this method has not broken at all and pretty much have never had to re-log back in ).
Detailed instructions below & please like/reblog if you found useful !!
As noted by psyducksgfx, the container tabs extension does not work in private browsing mode. if you are using tumblr in private browsing mode and would like to log into multiple accounts, i suggest creating separate firefox profiles. these function almost identical to chrome profiles. you can find the relevant page in firefox by typing “about:profiles” into the url bar. i have this page on my bookmarks bar for easy access.
Note: All these instructions are as if I just opened Firefox for the first time. Please also note that if you do not already use Firefox, you will have to add the xkit rewritten extension and set those preferences but you will only have to do that once no matter how many containers ( accounts added ) you make !
First, head to the menu in the upper right > settings
Click on “themes & extensions” in the bottom left.
Search for “containers” in the find more add-ons search bar.
The desired extension should be the very first one that comes up: Firefox Multi-Account Containers. Click the extension and “add to Firefox.”
Click “Add” & then “Okay”.
The extension is now installed ! Head back to settings ( you may have to refresh or re-navigate to the page ). On the general settings page, scroll down a little to the “Tabs” section. Next to the “Enable Container Tabs” option, click settings.
You will now see the default containers ! Now you can remove/change these containers to correspond to each of your muses by using “settings” and “add new container”. You can set the container tab name, color, and symbol.
Default view:
Below is an example of what things might look like when changed to correspond to muses. You can have more containers than this, I just stopped here for this example --- there are also only 9 unique colors that help identify which container tab is open as shown further below, so logistically it can get a little more difficult to identify which tabs are open ( because they have the same color ), but technically nothing changes that is limiting.
Example view:
Once last optional step: I recommend checking the box at the bottom “Select a container for each new tab.” What this means is when you open a new tabs, you will get a dropdown asking you to select which container it should go into, as shown below.
If you do not check this, every new tab will be “containerless” or you would have to right click on the new tab button to open a new tab in a specific container. Regardless of the setting, if you ctrl + click or right click on a link directly in a container tab, that link will automatically open in the same container.
When you have multiple tabs open in different containers, you can tell the difference between different ones by the colored bar at the top as seen below. In this example, I can see the first tab ( blue = muse 1 ), second tab ( orange = muse 6 ), third tab ( purple = muse 8 ), and fourth tab ( green = muse 3 ).
You can also always see which container you’re in by looking at the end of the address bar where the container name and symbol are shown in the respective container color ( below, I am on muse 6′s container tab ):
This concludes the tutorial !! You will have to log into the respective Tumblr account in each tab initially, but after that you shouldn’t have to do log outs and relogins anymore.
If you have a lot of tumblr accounts and don’t want to constantly have them all open, I suggest checking out my tutorial here that describes how you can get tumblr notifications for multiple accounts to come into a private discord server !!
I hope you found this useful and please like/reblog if you did !!
I thought I would write this guide as I know how sometimes it can be awkward to tell people that you aren't feeling a thread or maybe you just aren't interested in something any more - perhaps you have social anxiety, either way I wanted to provide some templates that you could use the next time you want to get out or run away but don't want to ghost.
I can't promise that these would work for everyone, and you're welcome to switch them up but it's just an idea if you are struggling on what to say or do in that situation. If you liked this guide and found it useful, let me know and I can do a part 2 or alternatively if you want some other situations done, let me know and I can do a part 2
Situation: You aren't feeling the thread any more but still want to roleplay with the person
Hey, I just wanted to communicate the fact that I'm not really feeling this thread any more. I have given it a shot and tried my best but my muse just isn't working with it any more. Did you maybe want to try another plot?
Situation: You want to drop the plot or thread completely but you don't want to hurt the person's feelings
Hi, I wanted to apologise in advance as I am not currently feeling this thread or plot any more. I wanted you to know that it's not you as a roleplayer but I am just not connecting to the roleplay thread/plot like I thought I would but wish you the best in your roleplaying adventures.
OPTION 2:
Hi there I’ve given roleplaying with you a go but I’m just struggling to connect with the way you write. I think someone could connect with you but right now the threads and writing just aren’t something I’m interested in right now but I’m hoping you can understand my decision.
Situation: You don't think you vibe with the person after writing with them
Hi, Thank you for the writing sample you have sent me / attempting to write with me, but I don't think we are a good fit, I don't see myself connecting with your writing. But I wish you the best in your roleplaying adventures.
Situation: You are checking into one of your inactive servers to see if the person is still interested in writing
Hey, I am just coming in here to see if you are still interested in writing, it's completely fine I'm just doing a check in. Please let me know either way :)
Situation: You have taken on a few roleplay partners but people are still asking you to roleplay
Hi, Thank you for your interest in writing with me, all my writing spots are taken but if I ever have a spot to roleplay I will let you know
I'm working on a full guide to this, but in bullet points I want to give critique on some of the depictions of trans femmes I've seen here in the Tumblr roleplay community.
Tucking when you're putting on tight clothing is a commonplace thing for trans femmes, but don't be afraid to normalize not having your character do this at all. Right now there's controversy as to whether or not a girl needs to tuck to pass, but I stand by the idea that people should be allowed to not do something that makes them uncomfortable. This is comparable to a trans masc who might not bind his breasts.
You don't have to give your trans femmes she/her pronouns strictly. A lot of us are she/her exclusively, but I know many dear trans femmes in my life who go by she/they, or fae/faer, and other sets. A trans femme may even still choose to go by he/him, especially if they aren't out to everyone. It is fine to explore the closet in roleplay, just make sure you don't equate the pronouns with gender. A he/him trans femme is just as much of a woman as he wants to be, and having pronouns that are traditionally associated with masculinity does not invalidate that.
Sexual acts between trans femmes don't always involve her being a penetrative top. When you're writing smut with a trans femme character, remember that many of us are shy about being tops. You might try writing a trans femme who is a bottom, or enjoys muffing, or maybe who doesn't enjoy being touched but instead being the one to touch (sometimes called stone). Try to avoid the 'step on me' tropes, unless you're writing a character whose personality and life story matches up with that dominatrix vibe.
It is fine for trans femme characters to want to get surgery or look the way a traditional woman might, but not everyone is going to feel that way. I have a dear friend who wears lipstick and dresses but she keeps her full beard and doesn't shave her body hair. Experiment with trans femme characters who don't 100% fit a traditionally feminine mold, but who still identify as women or feminine nevertheless.
It is fine for your trans femme character to like women. Trans lesbians aren't any more predatory than anyone else. I know the temptation for a lot of writers who aren't trans women is make your trans femme character be into men, but try experimenting with having a bisexual or lesbian trans femme character. But for the love of the goddesses, have tact. Write her like you would write a cis lesbian or bisexual woman in this way, not like a creep or a femcel, as this is bad and potentially harmful representation.
Lastly, please be cautious when choosing a face claim for your trans femme character. There is no way to 'look' trans femme, but you might want to shy away from using cis males for a non-closeted role. For non-binary trans femmes, this is a looser idea, as non-binary people don't have to look any specific way. However, if you play a trans femme with a face claim, ideally you'd want the face claim to also be trans femme, or a cis woman. I'm not one of those people who say you can't use a cis man because I know trans women who present as men for convenience or because that's the way they want to look. But again, use your best judgement. You know your character.
I will have a lot more to say in the future on the topic but there's a short guide to trans femme experiences in roleplay.
→ link to my scottish male name masterlist
→ link to my scottish surnames masterlist
under the cut are a mixture of 260 traditional, modern and uncommon scottish female names. this masterlist was created for all in one breath rp, but feel free to link on your own sites! names are listed in alphabetical order. as always, it's a good idea to google pronunciations (some of them might surprise you!). my favourites are in bold, just because. please like♡ or reblog if you found this useful.
→ link to my scottish female name masterlist
→ link to my scottish surnames masterlist
under the cut are a mixture of 281 traditional, modern and uncommon scottish male names. this masterlist was created for all in one breath rp, but feel free to link on your own sites! names are listed in alphabetical order. as always, it's a good idea to google pronunciations (some of them might surprise you!). my favourites are in bold, just because. please like♡ or reblog if you found this useful.
AN OOC DISCORD SERVER TEMPLATE : for tumblr based roleplays
Hello everyone !! This is a server template built specifically for an ooc-only discord server used by a tumblr roleplay without an ooc chat ( though one could easily be added ). Of course, every admin team has their own preferences of what channels to include and how to set up their server, and servers will often evolve over time to better reflect the group’s needs. But if you’re unsure of where to start, hopefully this is helpful !
This is a very roleplay & plotting centered server template. Below, I will go over the layout of the server as well as give more detail on certain channels that might not be self explanatory. As is true with all discord server templates, the roles & permissions will be brought though but not the bots themselves. As this server is set up with a verification process ( meaning when a new member joins, they can only see certain channels and must receive a role to see the entire server ), at least one bot with reaction role capability ( eg. reaction roles, carl bot, dyno ) is needed.
If you have no desire for a verification system, feel free to just read through and pick out the categories/channels you’d like in your server rather than using the template link. Again this server template reflects a very personal preference and is shared here as a guide, certainly not a rule. Feel free to change, delete, or add channels to better suit your needs and liking as an admin !!
Read on for more details on each channel & the set up or if you want to grab the template now, see the link in the source !!
Be sure to like and/or reblog if you find this helpful <3
written 07/12/2022
THE OVERVIEW
4 main categories: WELCOME, ADMIN, OOC, & IN-CHARACTER
italicized channels are viewable without the verified member role ( eg. when a new person arrives in the server ), striked out channels are only viewed to those with the admin role
when a new member arrives in the server, this is what they see ( 4 channels, not the rest of the server ):
#welcome-lobby is the landing page, the channel users are popped into as they enter. i like to set up a bot to send an automatic welcome message in this channel that pings the user and ( since there is a verification process ) provides some clear instructions on how to access the rest of the server. for example:
hello <insert user’s @> !! welcome to RP NAME !! before you get access to the rest of the server please read the #guidelines & follow the instructions at the bottom. if you have any trouble, head to #ask-an-admin !
the new member should then understand they should proceed to #guidelines.
in #guidelines, i like to put a few ground rules for the server — even if it does not have an ooc chat. this might include a reminder to familiar themselves with #triggers, to reach out to admins when issues arise, to be kind to one another, & other relevant things for the best server experience.
i always end my guidelines message with the instruction: thank you again for joining & reading our guidelines : react with 👍 to get access to the rest of the server. this is the message i attach my reaction roles command to.
beneath that, i also add another message with a checklist to continue to guide the member through the first steps of establishing themselves in the server. i also include a reminder to read from the top, as unfortunately discord has a habit of putting people at the bottom of the channel. here is an example of this:
in #triggers i include a reminder to put all messages that contain a trigger under a spoiler, and an up to date list of all the triggers in the roleplay. if you do not want to keep two lists up to date ( assuming you have one on your main blog ), then i encourage you to put this reminder in #guidelines !!
CATEGORY: ADMIN
#announcements — for any official admin announcements
#help-your-admin — you can use use this channel to pop in questions you get on the main like “would members perfer X fc or Y fc” or “most wanted from members”. this is also a great channel for any polls ( eg. about events or meme days ) you want to run or basically if you, as an admin, wanted feedback or opinions from your members on anything.
#interest-checks — if your roleplay runs on weekly interest checks, use this channel for that! if you have activity checks, you can tweak the name and link them here.
#ask-an-admin — a space for members to voice any questions to the admins. to allow for anonymous questions, it’s recommended to run confessions bot in this channel.
#suggestions-and-feedback — a space for members to voice any suggestions for the rp or server, or otherwise provide feedback. again, to allow for anonymous message, it’s recommended to run confessions bot in this channel.
#bot-testing — a place for any bot set-up or to run bot commands. the bot role has access to this channel, so be sure to assign bot to all your bots so they have access to it. admin is the only other role with access, members cannot see it.
#admin-chat — if your roleplay has multiple admins, you can chat here about admin-only business. only the admin role can see this channel.
#asks — if you have interest in using webhooks to pull in asks from your main into the discord server, you can use this channel and follow my webhook tutorial here. only the admin role can see this channel.
CATEGORY: OOC
#ooc-updates — also can be called vibe check. this is basically a place for ooc status updates, like you might find on the tumblr dash or in an ooc blog in some rps ( eg. ‘sorry, i haven’t been on the past couple days i’ve been _____’ ). even in ooc servers with ooc chats, i found these helpful so these types of messages don’t get lost in the chat or on the dash. in ooc servers that lack an ooc chat channel, i like to think they provide a bit of personal connection within the server for members without being overwhelming or with the potential for cliquey-ness or requiring another feature to join like an ooc blog. in the template, a 2 hr slowmode ( available in the channel settings ) is already implemented in this channel to help prevent it from dissolving into a chat. i also invite members to say hi/introduce themselves in this channel upon first arrival in the server to help break the ice ( as per the checklist in #guidelines ).
#ooc-info — self explanatory. i’m partial to including a pinned form for members to fill out: NAME, PRONOUNS, AGE, TIMEZONE, CHARACTERS, FUN FACT.
the channels below are optional, but can potentially add additional value or a little fun to your server !!
#troubleshooting — included as a place where members can voice any tech-related issues they might be having & ask for help.
#resources — members sometimes are looking for a certain template, theme, or other rp-related resource and this is a space to do that !!
#change-your-color — lexa and sheep are the most popular color changing bots that allow users to control the color they show up as in the server with no admin help. i’m partial to sheep because the assigned role ( with the color ) is named after your discord handle rather than lexa’s USER-###########, and i find sheep’s convention neater especially when cleaning out role colors after members leave. however, lexa’s icon is prettier ( but with the verification system, neither bot should show up anywhere in the server but this channel, #bot-testing, and the welcome channels ).
if you are interested in adding an #ooc-chat ( not included in the template ), then this is the category to add it to !! be sure it is a private channel with the member role given access.
CATEGORY: IN CHARACTER
#ic-intros — a place for members to link their intros or bios.
#plotting-calls — post plotting calls & members react accordingly
#open-starters — link open starters on the dash
#starter-calls — post starter calls & members react accordingly
#tasks — for members to link completed tasks
#wanted-connections — for members to describe in brief any casual wc they have open.
#taken-connections — sometimes it’s fun to get the general gist of muse’s relationships with each other! it helps to get a more holistic view of the muses’ dynamics within the rp.
#creations — for members to link any edits they create & put on the dash !!
RECOMMENDED BOTS TO EMPLOY WITH THE SERVER:
A REACTION ROLE CAPABLE BOT ( required ) — the reaction roles bot will do the bare minimum for a server verification ( allow a user to receive a role upon reacting to a certain message ), however, i recommend a more diverse bot like CARL-BOT or DYNO which also have welcome message capabilities to welcome new members as described in #welcome-lobby ( as well as many other abilities should you wish to explore them ). as a reminder, the “verification process” roles & channel permissions have already been set up as part of the template, all that needs to be done to finish the verification setup is invite the chosen bot & apply the reaction role command to the desired message in #guidelines.
CONFESSIONS — use in #ask-an-admin & #suggestions-and-feedback to allow for anonymous messages in both channels. if you have carl-bot, you can also set up anonymous suggestions a second way in #suggestions-and-feedback.
LEXA or SHEEP — role color changing bots that allow members to control the color of their name ( their role ) in the server. as said above, i’m partial to sheep because the assigned role ( with the color ) is named after your discord handle rather than lexa’s USER-###########. verify that the chosen bot has access to #change-your-color ( it should show in the online users in that channel ).
OTHER THINGS
here are all discord text formatting commands. you can also now use the usual keyboard shortcuts ( eg. ctrl+b to bold ) or highlight the text and click the formatting you want.
if you are an administrator in a server, you can always check if your roles are correct or if new channels have the correct settings by navigating to settings > roles, and clicking the meatball menu to the right of the respective role you want to view as to see “view server as role.” To view the server as a new member who just joined ( no roles added ) click “default permissions” at the top of the roles page, then the meatball menu in the upper right to see “view server as role.”
if you are interested in learning how to use webhooks to pull any ask sent to your rp main into a channel in the ooc server, check out this tutorial.
many of the channels in the template have the channel descriptions filled out already — please be sure to double check they say what you want them to before releasing the server to your members!
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
thank you for reading all the way to the bottom, i hope you found this helpful !! you can find the link to the server template HERE or in the source.
please give this a like and/or reblog if you found it useful <3
