How to Roleplay

Lookie What I Found

Miss me? Aha, probably not.

I found a really neat website with an (incomplete) Roleplay Term Dictionary. That means tHIS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. It belongs to the amazing tumblr user i-roleplayer. Find her/him/them and praise her/him/them for the effort put into this.

Here's the link: i-roleplay.tumblr.com/dictionary

Here are the words that you could see if you are too lazy or something to not go to the link:

OOC: Out Of Character. Meaning whatever is stated after this, or around this acronym is outside of your roleplaying and speaking as who you are in real life. (ex: {{ooc I'm heading off to bed, and will get to your comment in the morning, k?}})

IC: In Character. Meaning the statement after this is in the mode of your roleplay character. (ex: {{IC}} It was a Monday morning and Callum was feeling oddly perky. He climbed out of bed and dressed quickly as though he couldn't wait to greet the beginning of his week... etc)

RL/IRL: Real Life/In Real Life. Referencing things outside of the roleplay game. (ex: My character is a total punk but I was actually a cheerleader in higschool IRL.)

Canon: This is not just an RP term, but in RP it refers to any character that is preexisting in any form of media. Movies, comics, books etc. A canon character is someone like Harry Potter, Wolverine, Mr. Tumnus, Edward Cullen, etc.

Head Canon: While 'canon' refers to FACT as stated in the original/published body of work/fandom, Head Canon is any configuration of that fandom in your mind. For instance, in 'canon' Harry Potter ends up with Ginny Weasley, however in your 'Head Canon' Harry may end up with Ron Weasley or really anyone else. Also, Ginny may die in a fire. Head Canon encompasses fanfiction, plot development that deviates from original work during Roleplays, and general canon-screwery. Also, could this definition get any more convoluted and arbitrary? Refrigerator.

Slash: Refers to any same-sex pairing be it canon or head!canon.

Het: Short for heterosexual. The end.

PB: Play-By. This is the 'face' that is used to portray the physical form of a character. Usually a celebrity of some sort. (ex: Her character's really cute but I can't remember the name of her PB. I think it's Natalie Portman.)

SL: Storyline. This is essentially the string of comments back and forth or the general idea/outline of a RP you are doing. Not to be confused with S&L.

OTP: One True Pairing. An OTP is a pair of characters that you fancy as a couple and hold in the highest regard as, essentially, soulmates in your mind.

AU: Alternate Universe. Used to signify that whatever the statement/comment is, is taking place in a universe/dimension that is separate from the normal.

NPC: Non-Played Character/ Not Pictured Character. This is when an RPer controls the actions of a background character. The background character is the non played, as it does not have it's own actual profile/player. Often used to play out waiters at restaurants, police officers, pedestrians, etc.

UMC: Under Major Construction. This one is pretty self explanatory. When you see this acronym it means that someones profile/bio/whatever else is currently being put together.

UC: Under Construction. See above.

MSRP: Multi-Storyline Role Player. This means that the Role Player does many different stories with the same character. They could have four lovers, but they're all different versions of the same characters and so it is not cheating. So they can be with person A and person B but the stories in which person A is with them, person B does not exist.

LI: Love Interest. It means the same it means in the movies. It references the romantic interest of the character. Boyfriend/Girlfirend/Husband/Wife/Friend With Benefits etc. (ex: I'm filling a role for my friend, he needs an LI for his character.)

S&L: Single and Looking. This one is pretty obvious, it means that the roleplayer is advertising that their character is single and looking for someone to be their love interest. Not to be confused with SL.

S&C: Single and Crushing. Again, pretty obvious. It means that the character is still single, but has feelings for someone and letting everyone know.

God-Mod (GM): Depending who you ask this can mean two different things. Either having an all-powerful character or trying to control another persons character.

Power-Play (PP): Trying to control another persons character. This is generally an illegal move.

One-Liner: This is a type of comment (Also used to refer to a type of RPer). A one liner isn't a comment that is just one line always, it is anything under a paragraph. Just because you write 2-4 sentences does not make you a para.

Para: Type of comment (again, used to refer to a type of RPer as well). A para RPer is someone who typically writes a full paragraph as a comment, they are more together than One Liner comments typically with more descriptor words. Some consider para anything from one paragraph to two short ones. Writing a paragraph and a sentence or two does not make you a multi-para, sadly.

Multi-Para: Type of comment (used to refer to a type of RPer as well). A multi-para comment is a comment that is generally three or more full paragraphs long. More descriptor words, generally more substance (at least hopefully) than the One Liner and the Para. Dividing a para post into three four sentence "paragraphs" does NOT make you a Multi Para RPer! Dividing your paragraphs into five or more "demi-paragraphs" does not make you a novella player.

Novella: Type of comment and RPer. There is some debate amongst RPers as to what makes a true Novella roleplayer. Some will say it is upwards of seven or more paragraphs but generally you can get away with it with five (occassionally four) lengthy paragraphs. A novella comment is generally articulate, well worded, and engaging. Novella posts can get VERY long and novella writers often take their writing seriously.