Yo, I'm kiwi/kawi. I am an advanced-literate roleplayer, and I enjoy all forms of art (games, literature, anime, movies, etc). I use this website mainly to post, share, and store my literature and artwork, but I may also use it to chat or browse occasionally. I love to give advice and help to those I can aid with (specifically in roleplay tips and tricks), and my inbox is open if you need to message me. While you're here, please feel free to browse my library and my "Roleplay Advice" bulletin. Have a great day!
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Welcome! I have made up the random idea to start an rp-advice column, due to my experience in RP and my previous relevant doings in not only Discord, but many social platforms. First and foremost, before we get into actual RP and literature advice, I think it’s best to have a review of what’s called “Discord Markdown.” NOTE: This specific section of this column will be specifically for Discord RP servers, as the "markdown" or WYSIWYG can be separate from other platforms. If you know your platform's markdown, you can see if any of these methods work for you as well. Other than that, skip this Discord-specific section if you have no interest in markdown.
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Now, Discord Markdown is probably my favorite part of this platform. It allows emphasis, tone, and even sometimes help in certain texts such as normal chat/speech, coding geeks, and even RP itself! Let’s go over the basics first, and how you can use them in RP. NOTE: THESE USES ARE SUGGESTIONS OF MINE, YOU MAY STILL USE MARKDOWN HOWEVER YOU WANT.
Italics: Done by *text here*
OR _text here_
. Can be used for actions/narrating, as much of RP consists. You will see this in most RPing.
Bold: Done by **text here**
. Can be used for emphasis in speech, narrating, or just to make a good point and have a clear and broad message.
Bold Italics: Done by ***text here***
. This is a mix of bold and italics, obviously. It doesn’t do much, unless you want even more emphasis than normal bold/italics. NOTE: BOLD ITALICS IS ONLY VIEWABLE ON PC/DESKTOP. Mobile users only see bold messages instead, not bold italics.
Underline: Done by __text here__
. This is used for a different kind of emphasis, or just makes certain messages pop out. SIDE NOTE: Underline is a secondary markdown! It can be used in combination with other basic markdowns, such as the ones listed above or below. Ex. Italics Underlined
Strikethrough: Done by ~~text here~~
. This is simply a joke markdown, and can’t really be used in RP. It just crosses out a message. SIDE NOTE: Strikethrough is ALSO a secondary markdown! It can be combined with any of the basic markdowns! Ex: Italic Strikethrough
This concludes the Basic Markdown.
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COMPLEX/INTERMEDIATE MARKDOWN
By complex, I mean bigger and meatier. This is by no means hard to create, it just has weird and different uses.
Quotes: Done by > text here
. The space in between text and the > is mandatory. This can be used for whatever, may it be your own RP style, to fancy up bios, or practically anything you want.
Spoilers: Done by ||text here||
. Again, this one can be used for mostly anything. It can hide gory/nsfw content, actual spoilers, or just joke around. Just click on the black box, and your “spoiler” content appears. SIDE NOTE: Desktop users are able to spoil images uploaded, but only on Desktop. However, mobile users can put spoiler markdown around an image link to do the same.
Now, the even better part.
Code Blocks.
Code Blocks are mainly used as they are told; for coding geeks. However, it’s actually used in RP quite a bunch.
Single Line CB:
Done by one backtick on each side of the text (`). CB’s are only single line, and cannot use return/enter keys to make multiple lines. SIDE NOTE: CB’s are able to block markdown use! If you put *italic example*
under a CB, it doesn’t actually put it into markdown. That’s how i’m telling you guys how to do these markdowns!
Multi Line CB:
This one is like a single line, and just has the ability to have multiple lines. Now, multi-line CB’s have the ability to color text by using code languages. To explain this, a reddit thread shows it better than I can. If you are interested in such, visit https://www.reddit.com/r/discordapp/comments/8lev3t/discord_colored_text_with_code_markup_guide/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
SIDE NOTE: Only Desktop users can view CB colors! Mobile users only experience the default grey text in the block.
That concludes the Advanced Markdown.
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Now, for what we’re all here for. RP! Advice for RP can be straightforward, but to most it may be confusing. I will explain each tip thoroughly and provide examples to allow anyone to understand. That being said...
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Details! You will hear this a lot from advanced, or even intermediate RPers. Details matter. Now, most people are confused on how to add details. Before I get into that, let me explain what’s a bad detail- a response such as “He walked in” is not a very detailed response. What may be better is a response that provides Who, When, or Where. Now, you don’t have to always use every 3 w’s, or your word choice may get boring. Here is an example of a more detailed version of the short, one-liner response above:
“The man walked in, a grumble in his throat and a mad expression upon his face. He sat down at a table, throwing the chair back in anger just to sit down.”
Now, as you see, I just turned a 3 word response into a two sentence response. That’s all because detail matters! You may also have noticed I added tone- or emotion to my response. This may show the mood of the place/location, character(s), or practically anything! Tone can be used by placing adjectives around your subjects. Here are a couple responses without tone.
• “The man ate the food, disgusted.”
• “The woman gave a peculiar stare to the other person in the room.”
• “Chris was not having a good morning.”
Now, to add tone to each response, it helps by adding emotion and adjectives to adjust your speech.
• “The man curled his lips and eyebrows in disgust, immediately regretting his decision of trying the food just from the first bite.”
• “The woman was entranced by the other person in the room, curious and bewildered by such in vicinity.”
• “Chris groaned in frustration; he was not having a good morning, as his bad night’s sleep carried on to his day.”
See? Detail makes a difference. Now, as you may have noticed even more, I added more than just adjectives. I used large vocabulary and punctuation; both which are key to a good response. I suggest you pay more attention in English/Language Arts class, it really does help.
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Now, you may have noticed my speech in the above entry. Although, don't be worried if you can't use words like bewildered, entranced, vicinity, or supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. It is not the end of the word if you're not the best at spelling, the god at grammar, or the master at english at all. It's common to make mistakes, and the best thing to do of it is learn. How can I remember that specific word's spelling? What do I keep messing up? What is out there on the internet to help me? Can I cheat and use a spell checker? All of these questions can be quite common, and you may not know it. I'm going to flat-out say it right now; I'm the top of my class. I know more than the average person in my grade, from math to english. And here, we're talking about literature, of course (don't worry, I won't torture your poor souls with the dreading equations and numbers)! So, what can you do? Here's some tips to fix your bloody rubbish language! (Please do not take offense for that remark, it was a simple oxymoron.)
•Don't know enough words, and you aren't learning much from class or growth? Take time in a dictionary! (I know it may seem obvious and boring, but it can help. Trust me.)
•Can't ever seem to figure out that stupid tense of a word, or can't even put that word in its right place? Use a third-party spell checker, there's no shame in it! Grammarly has always saved my bum in a lot of situations. Try it, it's absolutely free!
•Don't trust your own writing? Proof-read your responses before sending! Make sure your words and sentences make sense by reading them over a second time.
It may not be much help, but speech can truly decide the formality of your writing, the organization/cleanliness, and skill in english itself.
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Now, another thing that slightly refers to details is point of view. Beginners are known to be hated by better and more experienced RP'ers just for this reason. Let me show you why and how you can change if your point of view is “bad.”
First, let’s go over each point of view.
• First Person: This is where you are the narrator, and you are your character. Ex. “I walked in to the room.” or “I took a drink.”
• Third Person OMNISCIENT: This is where the narrator is not in the story; and narrates everything, and everyone. The omniscient part means the narrator knows every character’s feelings and thoughts, and is like a god surveying his own planet. Ex. “Mary was walking down the sidewalk, she seemed quite happy today, as she was thinking about Jeffery.” or “Jon was cooling breakfast idly, as his mind was rambling about the current politics on the side.”
• Third Person LIMITED: This is where it’s the same as Third Person Omniscient, but instead of being “god,” the narrator only know’s one character’s thoughts and feelings (or in this case, all of your character’s thoughts and feelings). Ex. “Susy was wondering about Chris’ mood today, but she had no clue.” or “Jane didn’t know what to do in the meeting; she didn’t know what to say to appease her co-workers.”• (and yes, I know I left out second person and third person objective, but those point-of-views are not used and cannot be used in RP)
Now, which is the best one for RP?
Well, most beginners start with First Person. It’s the most common one among newbies, actually. Yet, as all experienced RP'ers know, Third Person Limited is the choice. Now, why not omniscient, you ask? Because that’s meta-gaming, and you can’t know everything about everyone else’s characters. Why not First Person? First person POV puts you in an odd place, where you are describing your character's actions as if you are your character. That makes it much harder to describe everything and get a clear response out, and it just degrades your formality.
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Dialogue! This is the speech, or language of a certain character. To efficiently use dialogue, surround your character’s speech with quotation marks. Ex. “I don’t believe it!”
Now, most people use this technique anyways, why tell it? Well, in all my RP experience, I have seen many, many people use dialogue without quotation marks. They either treat it as narration, or just use it plain, without any punctuation.
Speaking of which…
Punctuation! It’s another key to having good RP. It helps tone ease in more, and settles your character’s mood easier than having to write it out (as described in the Detail and English/Speech sections). Punctuation ends dialogue, but is also crucial for narration, as well. Periods end statements with a dull, normal ending. Exclamation points end dialogue OR narration in enthusiasm, and puts a point out! One common mistake for most RP'ers, however, is the use of commas, semicolons, and colons. Now, i’m sure your school english teacher could explain this better than me, but here is a brief rundown:
• Commas split two sentences, and make your sentences not only longer, but create room for more detail and adjectives.
• Colons may describe list, multiple actions, etc. This punctuation is less used in RP, however…
• Semicolons. They are actually more useful than you think; they split two sentences like a comma, but add that extra pause so you don’t require all the fancy words to conjoin said two sentences together.
Like I said, your english teachers could explain this better, but we aren't here for your 7th Grade review.
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Following section, credit to Ansari#0490 (Discord)
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Actions and Reactions
Roleplay is co-operative writing. You should be writing to react to your partner, and attempt to set up something for your partner to react to. Don't get too obsessed with details and end up writing nothing of substance.
In a bar? Ask for interesting food, describe what you are tasting, describe what you are drinking. Don't just sit there and ask for a drink and then refuse to interact.
In a PVE fight? Describe the environment, use the environment, figure out why your character would use it or not. Set up an interesting scene. Strategize (or not if your character is a dumb brute).
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Thoughts in Roleplay
Thoughts in roleplay are pretty controversial in some sectors. Try to keep them in moderation (unless your partner enjoys them), because they are monologue-like and cannot be reacted to, unless both characters are telepathic. If thoughts dominate your post, consider whether you are actually padding out your post. Exception: Sometime combat RP uses some thought / justification for why an action is taken.
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Character Archetype to Avoid
Sociopath, psychopath: Roleplay is interacting with other player, making an utter psychopath / sociopath who is edgy, murderous and no one want to stick with is a good way to get no roleplay. That's not to say you cannot make villain or someone edgy, but make sure they are able to interact with other people without showing that side all the time. (Source: Never seen such a character last long)
"Support" class in most RP: Unfortunately any pure blacksmith, innkeeper or shopkeeper type of character in most rp suffers badly. There's usually more people who want to play as them, than there are PC wanting to purchase their services (Source: Seen too many blacksmith character who don't adventure just moan all day about being bored)Tavernkeeper might be an exception, but make sure the server don't have more than say, 1 - 2.
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Following section, credit to Fathons™#4096 (Discord)
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WARNING: MILD LANGUAGE AND/OR TONE
You know I’m usually the type to wanna start these with a dramatic “Hi I’m David Fathons” to like show I mean business, but realistically thats just kinda weird. Anyways hi, I’m here to talk about big shit and big shit problems I’ve found out about rp alongside the help of a beautiful bio, some other community members, and a very salty toaster. There’s two types of rpers. There are the type of people who are looking to write a complex, interesting narrative, with interesting or not all that interesting characters. They wanna story. They want lore, they want interesting stuff, they want to CREATE and FEEL.Then there is the majority: the strategists, the people who make their abilities before the character, the creature before the personality, the being of might before the funny gnome pal. The people who are so careful about what they do, or throw caution to the wind and create the unbeatable. I don’t- think I consider these people to be rpers. I think they’re just trying to play a game and win, to be a protag of sorts and to fight and win and battle and reign supreme.They brag about their achievements, rejoice in their victories, and their ultimately look for the ones they know they can beat, and ignore what they cannot. Or complain. Or ignore. I found this with astral chain: when I’m playing a game- I wanna feel like a badass. I wanna defeat the BBE without my annoying in-game brother whom I hate. It makes sense, and I see why people who game-rp focus on winning and navigating through their attacks. But when I’m writing a story or rping, I want tragedy. I wanna motherfucking watch everyone suffer, to feel fear, to get those emotional waves of genuine, unbridled emotion, as they watch their characters die, or struggle, and occasionally rejoice.I don’t see that in Game-RPers. They don’t want tragedy. They wanna win. They want to be the strongest. So instead of making a person, they make an avatar of strength, focused on beating everyone around them.(edited)
Ultimately, I guess that’s fine. You do whatever makes you happy, right? You have fun being the strongest and beating everyone else, no matter how shitty their bio is, no matter how many amalgamated traits they have built into them. You’re focused on being a hero, protecting the weaker characters that you beat. The strong protect the weak.And to do that, you rp like this is a game. Training, working, building stats, creating end game characters- which is again- fine. But I’d have to argue, you’re not totally writing a story. You’re creating a situation, an obstacle, and a tool of force to over come. I dunno. It’s a weird divide. I’m guilty of it at times, and I was totally a game-rper back in the day with Space Monk Fathons. And I still harbor feelings, feelings that make me want to fight with my little bat boy and defeat beings greater than him through sheer Fathons force-But I also wanna write something neat and interesting. So I focus on characters and stuff, and place them and my friends in situations that require fixing before- uh oh- bad stuff happens.Or I did. Kinda quite dming major plots. Because it doesn’t work. Because Game-Rpers. But that’s just what it is- a different in opinion on how to rp. Or what rp is. What rp is. That’s more apt. Either way- y’all are to focused on beating other people. But that’s just my opinion. I’m about to make a god damn character who’s cursed with strength so powerful enough that it breaks all his weapons mid-combat and makes him suffer a loss. And I think I can write a very interesting story with that. Anyways uh- Yeet.
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This chart can be used to better your detail and description. To use it, simply start from the middle and work out to find the emotion(s) you want to portray in your writing. This chart is extremely helpful for when you can't find a new word to use, or you simply want a more descriptive and specific emotion in your writing.
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This advice column will be under construction constantly, as even I can evolve in my own RP experience. Make sure to check back every now and often for more info!
Last Edit: Word Chart
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