RP Resources - Want to better your RPing? Move up a level?

[Drakie Cakie]

A lot of people have put in their requests to join that they really do look forward to learning something from this guild. Since we don't always have active classes to learn in, I figured we should have something more permanent.

This guide can be added to by any one in the guild but it will still be organized. What you will do is post anything you want added to the guide in this thread. If it belongs in something already posted here, I will add it to that post and delete yours to keep the thread clean. If you post something long, informative, and whatever enough I will link to your post from here. Your post may be edited later if someone else has a suggestion.

Any guild crew feel free to help maintain this guide. And now for what we have so far:

General Writing Help:
http://www.spellcheck.net/
http://lilt.ilstu.edu/golson/punctuation/
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/punct.html
Idea Box
Helpful Writing Tips for All
Commonly Misspelled Words
Description

General RP Knowledge:
http://rbg.freepgs.com/WhatIsRP.ppt
Roleplaying? What is it? by Bartjj
Role Play Dictionary by Final Nova
Advanced RP Dictionary by Final Nova

Character Creation:
The Character Help Thread
The Character Creation Thread
The How-To
Character Creation/Roleplaying Guide
Character Concept by Fenrir Songmoon
Naming Your Character by Fenrir Songmoon
Race of your Character by Fenrir Songmoon
Immortal Characters by Fenrir Songmoon
Class on Villians by Fenrir Songmoon
Character Development Exercises by Penden
How to Create an Original Character by Vincent Darkholme
100 Qs For Your Character Profile
Types of Godmodders.
The Writing Life: Writing 101: Creating Interesting Original Characters
Jane Espenson Blog
Nancy Kress's Dynamic Characters
Screenwriting - The Secret of Creating Fresh And Original Characters
Behind The Name

Joining:
Choosing an RP to Join by Eileen

Creating and Running RPs:
The Opening by Kai Karasurei

Other Roleplaying Guides:
Engaging Other Players
Time in an RP
Introduction to Godmodding
Do's And Don'ts of Being Taken Seriously as an RPer
Tramatic Injury
Integrating Your Character Into Your Posts
Playing a Female Character
RP Combat

*credit for this guide given to The Dedicated School of Role Players  

[Drakie Cakie]

Resources:

General
Dictionary.com
Wikipedia
Out of Print RP Games
Encyclopedia Mythica
Barton's RP Guide
White-Wolf’s Offical Home Page
Cumberland Games & Diversions
A Free online spell checker is available at www.spellcheck.net I recomend keeping it open and running all your posts through it.



Name Sites
Seventh Sanctum
Parenthood.com

Character Creation
Keirsey's Personality Website

About Magic
Ars Magica

Anime Stuff
Anime Shack

GMing
The BIG List of RPG Plots  

[Drakie Cakie]

Eileen's advice on Joining an RP

A)When looking for an RP thread to join, I take in several factors:

The Obvious:
-Is the theme something I've wanted to play?
-Does the thread look active?
-Does the scenario in the thread sound interesting?
-Are all the things mentioned in the first post agreeable to me?
-Are any of the players munchkins?

The Not-So-Obvious
-Are there already too many players?
-Is this part of a guild that I'll have to join?
-Is the thread actively recruiting?
-Do I have the time for another RP thread?

If the answer to all these is agreeable to me, I'll usually have a look. Take in all these factors before you jump in, and you'll save yourself a lot of trouble. In particular, the first post in the thread is vital. There you should find everything you need to know, including recruitment status, rules you need to obey, and the opinions of the thread starter. I also recommend reading through the first 3 pages of the thread, and the last 3 (at least) to give yourself a feel for what they had intended it to be, and what it had evolved into.

B)Within the RP, when you introduce yourself, do something non-obstructive to their current thread, but something that will hopefully interest them into interacting with you (Maybe your character accidentally bumped into a precariously balanced statue, caught the heavy thing, and is now striving with all her might to keep it from hitting the ground.).

C)If you did all this, and posted, and posted, and you were utterly ignored, you have one final thing you can do: PM the player who seems most in charge (and active), and very nicely and politely ask what you can do to get into the thread. Share your concerns about being ignored, and then wait for a reply. If he/she responds, you'll likely have your answer one way or another. If he/she doesn't respond, and is still posting, you may want to consider leaving.

After all, if they display such rudeness, is it really worth RPing there?  

[Drakie Cakie]

Character Development Exercises:

#1.Situational Exercises
One way to elicit a response from your character it to stick them in an uncomfortable situation, or else a situation that would make most people uncomfortable, then figure out how your character would respond. The most common ways to respond to any difficult situation are:
A.Solve the problem
B.Resign self to the problem
C.Hide from the problem

Some basic situations you may want to try are:
A.Being physically trapped
B.Being emotionally trapped
C.Being injured or threatened
D.Having loved ones inujured or threatened

Here is an example prompt for C:
Your character is just outside his or her home when two muscular looking men come up and ask to come in for a drink. Since it's not very hot outside and both men look pretty grissled and mean, they've probably got more on their minds. One of them is stroking the hilt a nasty looking sword at his side, and clearly they expect your character to either fight them or come inside quietly 'to talk.' Once you're inside, though, they'll be no chance of random strangers spotting the trouble.

What you do is read the bit I wrote and respond with how your character would respond. Don't just tell the reader, but actually write it out like you're writing part of a story.

~~~~~
Reaction to Stereo-type Characters
One way to force a response of your character is to have them face a stereo-type character. Stereo-type characters are simple and unbendable in their oppinions, often producing a humorous response from more complex character. Some stereo-types you might recognize are:
A. Hero/Knight in shining armor
B. Defenseless maiden in distress
C. Super-bad guy
D. Super bad guy's frightened minion

Here is an example of a prompt for B:
Your character has been ordered as an escort for a lady of high standing as she wanders on horseback through the woods. You're the only escort because the woods you two are traveling in are supposed to be really safe, but the maiden suddenly slips out of your sight. For a good few minutes there's just no sign of her.

And for C:
You've been captured by *gasp* the super-bad guy! He's been after you for months, and, after tricking one of your friends into betraying you, now has you in one of his smaller lairs. You're just waking up with the affects of the drug he gave you still lingering, and you can hear him pontificating near by to one of his minions.  

[Drakie Cakie]

-Role Play Dictionary-
Originally by Final Nova, Red, and Kimi
added to by kyrana kirri

Below are words and abbreviations common to Gaia and the Role Playing world. If you are searching for a specific word, click the edit button on your browser and go down till you see “find" click that and place your word into the box and click find.

Gaian Slang

AA: Art Arena, a place where you can submit art for gold and ranking.
ALPHA: Alpha Stage, Gaia is currently in Alpha Stage, the first stage of a newly made site.
Barton: Barton, the role play area of Gaia.
BETA: Beta, the second stage of Gaia. Rumors say we will be in Beta stage in the next couple of months, the next to last stage of a fulfilled site.
BB: Blue Box, not to be mistaken as the April Fool’s joke, a Blue Box holds 1k gold, uncommons, or rares.
BUMP: Bring Up My Post, used to “BUMP" up your topic. It is frowned upon to BUMP outside of chatterbox, exchange, and when creating role plays.
C&T: Computers & Technology
ED: Extended Discussion, this is where the detailed talks are to go.
ET: Enchanted Trunk, a leaping-jumping brown box which holds uncommons.
EVIL: Estimated Value Item List; one of the three official price guides.
Exchange: The exchange is where people offer Gaian items for gold or other items.
GavSim: A simulator which you can see your avatar in items.
GD: General Discussion; a board where almost anything can be talked over.
GEN: Gaia Exchange Network, like EVIL, GEN is a price guide of Gaian items.
GGN: Gaia Guild Network, a place where you pay 20k for your own personal boards for RP or whatever.
Gold: Gaia’s currency, you gain it by surfing around the site, posting, and submitting art.
K: One thousand Gaian Gold.
MODs: Moderators of Gaia, if you hear “MOD" outside of the GGN, the person is speaking about Dedicated and Global Moderators.
NPCs: Not to be mistaken as role play NPCs, Gaia NPCs are store owners, like Moria, Ian, and Sasha.
PB: Pink Box, a rare event where a pink box with wings floats around and gives you rare items.
PL: Pink Lin, a glowing pink link which gives you 2k.
SIN: Seraphic Item Nexus, like Gen and Evil: this place is a price list.
Q&F: Questions and Feedback, if you have any questions ask in this sub forum.

In Character Slang

Battle Slang (See section on battles.)
Bio: A profile for your character, usually containing, name, age, gender, species, powers, weapons, and history.
Clan: A clan is a family or guild of characters, for example: a Knighthood would be considered a clan.
DM: Dungeon Master, the game manager.
GM: Game Master, the game manager.
Guild: Like a clan, it is a group of characters, usually having an organized RP.
IC: In Character, when you are playing your character it is known as “IC".
Neophyte, n00b: Vulgar, rude terms for a newbie that are supposed to refer to a person who is unskilled in an RP (being new to it) and refuses to learn.
Newbie: Someone new to role play or new to a site.
NPC: Non Player Character, used for extra characters in RP.
Oldbie: To put it in simple terms a role play hermit, someone who does not like neo-RP. Usually when a person has been RPing for more than four years. Normally used in a vulgar way.
OOC: Out of Character, you yourself. Or it is known to be speaking out of character, usually parentheses are used.
Players: The people who role plays characters.
Post: When you RP you are creating a “post", this means you are typing actions and thoughts of your character.
Profile: Same thing as a Bio.
Role Play: To play the role of a made up character, to pretend.
RP: Abbreviation for “Role Play".

Out of Character Slang

Abbreviations
AFK: Away From Keyboard
BRB: Be Right Back
KK, ‘Kay, K: Okay
LOL: Laugh Out Loud
LMAO: Laugh My A** Off
LMFAO: Laugh My F***ing A** Off
NM: Nothing Much
NVM: NeVer Mind
NP: No Problem
ROTF: Rolling On The Floor
ROTFLMAO: Rolling On The Floor Laughing My A** Off
S’OK: It’s Okay
STFU: Shut The F*** Up
WB: Welcome Back
WTH: What The Hell
WTF: What The F***
YW: You’re Welcome

General Slang
3x4: Yaoi, not allowed on Gaia.
AU: Alternate Universe, used in Fan Fiction.
E: Rating E: For everyone, fairy tales and sweet children stories.
Emotes: Textual smiles.
Fan-Fics: Fan-Fiction. See below.
Fan-Fiction: A story based on original characters, such as InuYasha, Star Trek, or Star Wars.
G: Guidance, the lowest rating for a site, book, or story other than “E".
Glomp: A tackle hug.
Lemon: The same as below, just worse.
Lime: These do not belong on Gaia due to PG-13 rating, but naughty fan fiction.
Lurking: Surfing a site.
Mins: Minutes.
NC-17: Not allowed on Gaia, highly violent and sexual rating.
Net: The “internet"?.
Pen Name: The Author’s nick name, usually from artists, writers, and people who write fan-fics.
PG-13: Parental Guidance, this is Gaia’s rating.
PG: Parental Guidance sometimes needs a parent.
R: Rated “R"?, not allowed on Gaia. Involves violence and sometimes sex.
Slash: MalexMale parings in Fan-fiction or stories.
Smilies: Graphical emotions.

Japanese Words as Slang
Ecchi: 'Pervert' in Japanese.
This is more meant to be in use with low class perverts, those who gape at girls in underwear or leer at them when they wear short skirts or low cut/tight shirts. Ecchi pictures are all over signatures in Gaia.
Hai: “Yes" in Japanese.
Hentai: 'Pervert' in Japanese, or Japanese Animation porn.
This is for severe 'dirty perverts', who stare at naked girls and tend to like kinky things. Hentai stuff isn't allowed on Gaia AT ALL.
Iie: “No" in Japanese.
Inu: “Dog" in Japanese.
Itai: “Ow," “Ouch," in Japanese.
Kitsune: Foxes, sometimes referred as “Fox People."
Kyuubi Nine tailed fox in Japanese. This is a word ONLY for nine-tailed foxes.
Nani: “What?" In Japanese.
Neko: “Cat" in Japanese.
Nekojin: Cat people.
Oni: “Demon" or “Ogre" in Japanese.
Shoujo/Shojo Ai: Literally “girl" love, these are fluffy romance animations or stories involving pretty lesbian girls.
Shounen/Shonen Ai: Literally “boy" love, these are mostly fluffy gay animation or story romances with sexy men or boys.
Yatta: “Yay" in Japanese.
Yaoi: MalexMale sexual relationships. Not allowed on Gaia.
Youkai: “Demon" in Japanese.
Yuri: FemalexFemale sexual relationships. Not allowed on Gaia.

Textual Smilies

Textual Emotions
=) ^^ ^.^ ^_^ ^-^ =3 =D =^^= =^.^= =^-^= =^_^= >^^< >^-^< >^.^< >^_^< -Smiles

=( =C u_u U_U T.T TT T-T ;-; ;_; >{ >( -Frowns

>3 >) >D >:3 >P >} (Kimi's fav.)–Evil

~_~ ~.~ ~-~ -Irritated

>_> <_> <_< <.< >.> >-> <-< -Looking around

o.o O.O x.x X_X X.x x.X xx O.o o.O O.o; o.O; o.o; O.O; XP @_@ =B :B <(o.o)> (>.<) $_$ *.* *_* *-* XD XDDD =P o.~ ~.o –.o o.- >_o <_o >_O <_O ._. ~_^ ^_~ -^_^- 0=) 0=3 ?_? ?? !! -Extras

What’s been covered: Gaia Slang, IC Slang, OOC Slang: Abbreviations, general slang used on the internet, Japanese words used as slang, and textual smilies.  

[Drakie Cakie]

-Advanced Role Play-
by Final Nova, Red, and Kimi

Advanced Role Play, things such as character species/races, classes, weapons, spells, and alternate vocabulary.

Character Species

Aliens
Androids
Angels
Anthromorphs/Furries (Animals with human characteristics.)
Centaurs (Half human half horse.)
Demons
Dragons
Dwarves
Elementals (Creatures of the elements.)
Elves (Drow, High Elves, Wood Elves.)
Faeries (Dark Fae, Light Fae, Sprites, Nymphs, Will-o-Wisps.)
Gargoyles
Giants
Gryphons/Griffons
Half-Breeds
Hobbits
Humans
Imps
Mermaids/Mermen
Mythical Creatures/Monsters (Chimera, Sphinx, Minotaurs)
Nagah (Snake people)
Orcs
Pegasus
Undead (Vampires, Zombies, etc.)
Unicorns
Werecats
Werewolves

Character Classes

Archer: A class which the character usually wields bows and arrows.
Assassin: A trained killer, known to be very sneaky and have quick attacks.
Bard: A singer/song mage, which uses songs to convey attacks.
Cleric: Priest, someone who can use healing spells and the sort.
Druid: Usually seen with a familiar, a Celtic type of mage.
Guardian: A protector, usually protecting someone of royalty.
Gypsy: Sometimes considered a bard, but for the most part dancers.
Knight: A person sworn into fealty, normally wearing a suit of armor.
Magi: A spell caster, wizards and magicians.
Monk: Martial Artists, normally he or she uses her hands and feet as weapons.
Oracle/Seer: Someone who peers into the future with the use of items or his/her own mind.
Ranger: Sort of like a druid, he/she is normally seen with an animal companion, a tracker.
Rogue: Someone who does not abide by the rules of the "land" but his or her own.
Royalty: Kings, Queens, Princesses, and Princes.
Shaman: A holy man/woman for tribes and the such.
Shinobi: A Japanese assassin, very quick and stealthy.
Summoner: Someone who has the ability to summon creatures.
Thief: Simply, as the name implies a thief a swindler.
Traveler: Again, as the name implies, someone who travels.
Warrior: A general fighter.

Magic

Abjuration: Defensive magics. (Example: Magic Shield)
Alteration: Magic which distorts a person's physical structure.(Example: Burning Hands)
Alchemy: Magic with the use of metals. (Example: Defense +5 *On armor*)
Compounding: Magic by use of herbs. (Example: Potion of Life)
Conjuring: Summoning. (Example: Summon Lesser Water Elemental.)
Divinity: Holy magic. (Example: Bless)
Elements: Magic of the elements. (Example: Fire Ball)
Enchantment: Magical charms and binding spells. (Example: Dispel Magic)
Evocation: The same as "Elements" (Example: Fire Bolt)
Hedge Magic: Cantrips, Self taught. (Example: Cast Shadow)
Heraldry: Magic with the use of crests or symbols. (Example: Protection)
Illusion: Illusionary magics. (Example: Watery Double)
Invocation: Ritual Magic, Candle Magic. (Example: Create Pentacle)
Nature: Druid magic, magic based on nature. (Example: Vine Wall)
Spellsongs/Dance: Magic that is based on dances and songs. (Example: Song of Courage)
Necromancy: Magical study of death. (Example: Raise Dead)

Weapons

Swords
b*****d-sword: Straight blade, hand and a half sword- used with one or two hands.
Bokken: Wooden sword, used to train samurai in Japan.
Dao: Single edged Chinese sword, normally called "Broad Swords" in English.
Cutlass: A curved blade sword, sailors normally used these.
Flamberge: A wavy edged sword, typically long swords or rapiers or a large claymore.
Gladius: A Spanish sword used by roman legionnaires.
Katana: Japanese long sword.
Katar: Weapons that were known to sit just above the wielder's knuckles with a horizontal handgrip.
Kodachi: A small sword that should be considered a “dagger."
Kris: Two kinds of Kris; one is a wavy blade used for piercing, the other is a asymmetrical heavy sword.
Long-sword: A sword used to increase armor protection.
Rapier: A fancy hilted weapon that is considerably thin and pointed at the end.
Sabre: A knuckle guarded curved weapon, originally used for cavalry.
Smallsword: A European dueling sword.
Claymore: A Scottish two handed weapon roughly 55 inches.
Greatsword: The largest versions of swords, typically straight and two handed.
Scimitar: A sword made for slashing, a very curved sword, Think Aladdin.
Tachi: More curved and a bit longer than the Japanese long sword, typically worn by cavalry.
Tano: Smaller version of the Katana.
Wakizashi: Normally worn with the Katana, it is similar but shorter to the Katana.
Zanbatou: "Horse-slaying sword" a pole arm with a large heavy blade at the end.

Knives
Bayonet: A knife usually attached to the end of a rifle, used mostly in the Civil War..
Bowie: A large sheath knife.
Butterfly, FrameLock, Lockback, Linerlock, Slip-Join, and Switch Blade: All are folding knives.
Dagger: A special type of knife, where the tang of the knife is place centerline of the blade.
Dirk: A Scottish dagger.
Ka-bar: Seven inch fighting and utility knife used by the US Marines in WW2.
Kunai: Flattened iron nail, it can be thrown like a shuriken.
Kukri: A heavy curved Nepalese Knife.
Leatherman: A little larger than a Swiss Army knife.
Machete: A long wide blade used to cut through plants.
Stiletto: A long sharp narrow knife.
Tano: Smaller version of the Katana.
Victorinox: Swiss Army Knife.

Staffs
Bo: Korean staff.
Hanbo: Martial art Quarter-Staff.
Long: Longer than the Quarter Staff, which is lighter as well.
Quarter: An English staff, normally made of hawthorn, oak, hazel, or ash.
Shakujou: A Buddhist's staff.

Pole Arms
Bayonet: When used on the end of a rifle; a Bayonet can be considered a spear.
Bill: A chopping blade with several spikes on the end, usually six to seven feet long.
Halberd: A two handed pole arm with an axe head.
Lance: Long heavy spear used in jousting matches.
Long Warhammer: A long spear with a hammer like head.
Pike: A spear about 10 to 14 feet long used by cavalry.
Pollaxe: A spear with an axe or hammer on the head.
Spear: A sharpened pole either wood or metal. Or may be fashioned with a "spear head"
Scythe: Typically used for a mowing tool, but can be used as a weapon.

Clubs
Club: A wooden object used to beat people with in battle.
Mace: A mace is a metal club or metal reinforced club.
Mere: A Maori war club, it has almost flat sides and a round top.
Morning Star: A mace with a curved head that has spikes surrounding it.
War Hammer: Close combat weapon resembling a hammer.

Flails
Cat o' Nine Tails: Multi tailed whip, used on ships as punishment.
Morning Star: A spiked metal ball attached to a handle with a chain.
Nunchacku: Two sticks connected with chain or a thong of fabric.
Whips: Leather bound weapons that have a handle and a flexible strip.

Missiles
Ballista: A giant "Cross Bow" that throws heavy bolts.
Cross Bow: A bow mounted on a stock and uses bolts or quarrels.
Long Bow: A common bow.
Miniature Cross Bow: Simply, a miniature version of a Cross Bow attaching to the wielder's arm.
Recurve Bow: A bow which ends curve away from the archer when in firing position.
Shuriken: A tactical weapon, Japanese throwing stars.
Yumi: A Japanese Long Bow, it is larger than its wielder.

Firearms
Cannon: A large, smooth-bored, muzzle loaded gun.
Hand Gun: A small gun used either with one or two hands which uses bullets rather than shot.
Shot Gun: A gun which shoots “shots" tiny balls from the barrel in a large spread.
Rifle: Any long gun which uses a bullet, not to be mistaken as a “Shot Gun."
Submachine Gun: An automatic weapon which combines automatic fire and light weight ammunition of a pistol.

Alternative Vocabulary

Colors
Black: charcoal, coal, dusky, ebon, ebony, jet, livid, murky, obsidian, onyx, pitch, pitch-dark, raven, sable, shadowy, slate, sooty, starless, swart

Blue: azure, beryl, cerulean, cobalt, indigo, navy, royal, sapphire, teal, turquoise, ultramarine

Brown: amber, auburn, bay, beige, brick, bronze, buff, burnt sienna, chestnut, chocolate, cinnamon, cocoa, coffee, copper, drab, dust, ecru, fawn, ginger, hazel, khaki, mahogany, nut, ochre, puce, russet, rust, sepia, snuff-colored, sorrel, tan, tawny, terra-cotta, toast, umber

Gold: aureate, auric, auriferous, aurous, aurulent, blond, blonde, caramel, dusty, flaxen, gold, golden, honeyed, mellow yellow, ochroid, straw, tan, tawny, wheat

Gray: ash, ashen, clouded, dappled, dove, drab, dusky, dusty, grey, heather, iron, lead, leaden, livid, oyster, pearly, peppery, powder, shaded, silvered, silvery, slate, smoky, somber, stone

Green: apple, aquamarine, beryl, chartreuse, emerald, fir, forest, grass, jade, lime, malachite, moss, olive, pea, peacock, pine, sage, sap, sea, spinach, viridian, willow

Orange: apricot, bittersweet, coral, peach, red-yellow, salmon, tangerine, titian

Pink: blush, coral, flesh, flush, fuchsia, red, rose, roseate, salmon

Purple: amethyst, bluish red, heliotrope, lavender, lilac, magenta, mauve, mulberry, orchid, plum, pomegranate, reddish blue, violet, wine

Red: bittersweet, blood, blush, brick, burgundy, cardinal, carmine, cerise, cherry, chestnut, claret, copper, coral, crimson, dahlia, damask, flaming, florid, flushed, fuchsia, garnet, geranium, magenta, maroon, pink, puce, rose, roseate, rosy, ruby, ruddy, russet, rust, salmon, sanguine, scarlet, terra cotta, titian, vermeil, vermilion, wine

Silver: argent, argentate, bright, chrome, lustrous, magnum, mercury, nickel, pale, pearly, plated, silvered, silvery, sterling,

White: alabaster, ashen, blanched, bleached, chalky, frosted, ivory, light, milky, neutral, pallid, pasty, pearly, pure, silver, silvery, snowy

Yellow: amber, bisque, blond, buff, cream, gold, ivory, lemon, saffron, sand, tawny

Body Parts
Arms: appendages, fin, limb, member, wing,
Eyes: hues, opticals, orbs, pools, spheres, windows to the soul
Hair: fiber, fluff, fringe, fur, hairstyle, lock, mane, mop, ruff, strand, tress, tuft
Hands/Fingers: appendages, claws, paws, phalanges, talons
Face: appearance, expression, features, mug, profile, seeming, visage
Legs: appendage, column, flipper, limb, member
Wings: appendage, down, feathers, pinions

Clothing
Clothing General: apparel, array, clothes, costume, covering, drapery, dress, duds, ensemble, equipment, frock, garb, garments, gear, get-up, outfit, rags, raiment, threads, ensemble, wardrobe
Jacket: coat, fur, hide, parka, pelt, trench, tunic
Glasses: bifocals, contact lenses, eyeglasses, four eyes, frames, goggles, rims, shades, specs, spectacles, trifocals, windows
Robes: cape, cloak, cassocks, frock, mantle, shawl
Shirt: bodice, bodysuit, middy, pullover, shell, slipover, t-shirt, turtleneck
Pants: bell bottoms, bells, bloomers, breeches, britches, chaps, cords, corduroys, denims, drawers, dungarees, jeans, knickers, overalls, pantaloons, shorts, slacks, trousers
Shoes: boots, soles

Other
Animals: beast, being, brute, creature, critter, devil, fiend, living thing, monster, wild thing
Area: breadth, compass, distance, expanse, field, range, space, sphere, stretch, width
Forest: backwoods, bramble, chase, clump, cover, grove, growth, jungle, scrubland, shelter, thicket, timber, timberland, vine, wild, wildwood, wood, woodland, woodlot, woods
Man: ape, beefcake, boy, bruiser, buck, bull, chap, dude, father, fellow, gent, gentleman, guy, he, he-man, hunk, jock, john, lad, macho man, papa, stud, tiger, tom, wolf
Tavern: alehouse, bar, barrel house, barroom, beer joint, beer parlour, bucket shop, dive, drinkery, gin mill, grog shop, honky-tonk, hospice, hostelry, hotel, inn, joint, lodge, lounge, night spot, nineteenth hole, pub, public house, roadhouse, rum room, saloon, speakeasy, suds shop, taphouse, taproom, watering hole
Woman: babe, bird, bride, broad, chick, chicken, companion, dame, debutante, doll, gal, gentlewoman, girl, girlfriend, inamorata, kitten, lady, lass, love, lover, maid, maiden, mama, mate, matron, miss, mistress, moll, Mrs., nymph, old lady, paramour, partner, pigeon, rib, she, skirt, spinster, spouse, squaw, sweetheart, tomato, tootsie, virgin, wife

What's been covered: Species/Races, classes, weapons, spells, and alternate vocabulary.  

[Drakie Cakie]

The following is more of an article for the Barton OOC sticky...

Do's and Do Not's of Being Taken Seriously as an RPer

I have been made painfully aware of many 'taboos' being done frequently, even though the person committing such acts swears they are innocent to the fact that they shouldn't behave that way. To help prevent this once and for all, I submit to all Gaians the following list to help them be considered a Literate and Serious RPer, even if they're in college taking their fifth Creative Writing course. Yes, I am aware that some of the following is acceptable within reason, but if you happen to break 3 or more of these guidelines in a single post, think hard about how much attention you've been getting with your RP requests... and by what kind of RPers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DO Read all of the relevant posts on the first page of a thread BEFORE you apply for a character or even ask about one.

DO Keep the settings in mind when you play your character. Don't put yourself in a castle when the main setting is a forest, or stand around in a clearing when everyone is supposed to be in town.

DO Offer to help advertise the RPs you sign up for or help bump the OOC thread for them! You will endear yourself and prove to the owner that you are committed to making this roleplay work!

DO Apply for a character the way you are asked to. Posting when asked to PM, or PMing when asked to post, just makes the owner upset and they'll probably deny you immediately, no matter how well written the application was.

DO Subscribe to the thread the RP takes place on and check it hourly/daily! This goes without saying usually, but it's irresponsible to expect the RP owner to tell you when you need to post. Most roleplays will simply kick you out if you never post on your own.

DO NOT Ask more than once on the thread for a character, if the rules even say to ask on the thread at all. If your response is initially ignored, PM the RP owner to remind them. Repeatedly asking in public can be considered whining, a n00b trait. It's also spam and can get you in trouble.

DO NOT Call yourself an expert in anything you are not! Your bluff will be called eventually by someone who really knows these things. This includes calling yourself an elite fangirl (a taboo to begin with), an "English Major", an expert in the Japanese language, or anything else pertaining to the RP.

DO NOT Post, even jokingly, chatspeak or 733+ posts when out of character, unless the owner of the RP and other players are already doing it. You won't be taken seriously while roleplaying if you don't act serious when not roleplaying.

DO NOT Snub someone who is new to the RP. That's not seriousness, that's elitist and cruel, and if you keep it up you'll never get more than three or four people RPing with you. Word gets out among the community about elitist jerks and even advanced RPers tend to avoid them.

DO NOT Complain to the owner if your character is not getting any attention. Check "DO # 2" and keep in mind: no one is required to go out of their way to meet up with a single character when it's easier to introduce your character where the others are meeting.

DO NOT Post in color code or write in tiny text, especially bright colors. You'll stand out in a negative way and 9 times out of 10 people will not bother to read your post, because it forces extra effort just to read whatever your character is doing. Let your words force your post to stand out, not your post style.  

[Drakie Cakie]

Avoiding Cliches
written by Dlar_Cormar & Friend Dawn


A cliché (from French, klɪ'ʃe) is a phrase, expression, or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its intended force or novelty... ~ Wikipedia

Essentially, a cliché is an overused concept. For example, werewolves and vampires are clichés. Here, I'll be trying to explain that they are very bad to use excessively, and how to use them. Also covered will be working around Archetypes and Stereotypes.

Common Clichés
Common Clichés are what you see a lot in video games and the like. A young boy who has a strange knowledge of swordplay for example, or an androgynous male as the main hero. The concept seen in "Cloud" of Final Fantasy Seven, the Silent, Spiky Haired, Giant Weapon Wielding Hero, has been abused to the point it is a cliché and to use it too closely is punishable by... bad things. Other clichés are simply verbal, like "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" and others are situational. After having so many bad sci-fi movies based on "Giant Snakes," the entire concept is cliché, unless you have some unique spin on it... maybe "Giant Snakes On A Plane"?

Are Clichés Okay?
Sometimes, they are okay. Other times, they're not. Zombie invasions, a giant meteor, an invasion of incredibly large serpents, are all bad on their own. If you heedlessly throw them together ((A giant zombie snake riding a meteor!?)) then it gets even worse. But with the right spin, it can be fine.

For example, the zombie invasion. What if they're not just the walking dead? For some reason, a biological weapon has turned them into brain dead soldiers? Or giant serpents, for another example. Radioactive spills are overused, as are cosmic rays, or genetic experimentation, so what now? Perhaps they are a prehistoric species, that people knew about, but haven't destroyed yet. The meteor hitting Earth doesn't have to be the cliche outerspace meteor. How about a chunk of a destroyed planet?

Fixing Character Clichés
The world has seen enough spiky haired young heroes with amnesia, an acute knowledge of swordplay, or the power to change the world. Lets take "Cloud" of Final Fantasy Seven as our base, and mix him up a bit. Keep the giant weapon, but change it from something like the sword, to perhaps an axe. Change his personality from silent and broody to incredibly talkative. Scramble his appearance around, and tah-dah! You have an original character, with perhaps half the effort. Granted, this doesn't always work. Or maybe you could even just make Cloud a creepy stalker with a pocket knife, sunglasses and the tattoo of a deadly shinobi penguin on his neck. That could make the character rather unique as well.

Other things to avoid are...
• Ninjas. Ninjas are cliché. This is even more so if they wear all black, have issues with revenge, and so forth.
• Anybody with an "Awesome Power". A unique character is all well and good, but when they have a world shaking power, its both godmodding and cliché.
• Stereotypes. Stereotyping race, religion, and so forth is both rude and cliché. The "Dumb Blonde" or the "Stupid Muscle Man" or the "Evil Car Salesman" are all stereotypes.