what in the world is roleplay?
well, allow me to enlighten you on the few things i know about roleplay! before i started writing a book, i mostly roleplayed and i had a great time, most of the time i was in the selection rp world and thus my knowledge is limited to that for the most part.
1) let’s start with the basics, most have an idea when someone mentions roleplay. it has a bad name to some degree as most associate it with 18+ content. this can, in some cases, of course be the case, but there’s so much more to it. roleplaying is essentially creating a story together with the characters you both supply (thus usually you need a partner to roleplay with or even a group). for the most part you can do this by writing each other bits and pieces back and forth, interacting with each other’s characters and setting the scene. unlike writing your own story you need some communication as to where the scene will take place etc.
2) you can get to know a great many people and hone your writing skills in another way that writing to yourself, it is super inspiring to write with someone else and have to react to what they bring to the table. this also forces you to actively think about what your characters would do in a situation you, writing on your own, might have never thought about.
3) as i previously mentioned there is such a thing as group rps. these go by the name of rpgs (roleplay groups), academies or selections. rpgs can have any theme and are hosted by a certain person who sets the scene and sometimes comes up with certain characters already. academies are usually more in the sense of actual academies, academy of witchcraft etc. in which you make your own character and get to interact with others that have signed up to be in the academy. selections on the other hand have a competitive edge to them (for those who have read ‘the selection’ by kiera cass might know what’s coming). in this style of rping you can host or join. if you host it you have a member of royalty (usually but people are getting more creative), that people have to fight for. you’d also have to set the scene and come up with plot points in the selection that could bond your characters with those that have joined. if you’d join, you join with your character in the hopes of winning the love of the person you are competing for. this equals being active, being original and of course your character needs to click with their possible beloved.
4) it’s done on countless platforms: discord, instagram, kik messenger and likely others i do not know about.
ps: if you guys want a little more explanation on roleplay, i could perhaps make a bigger post about this if there is anyone that is interested :)
a youtuber that explains a lot about roleplay (mainly on discord) is: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarenTerry