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IMPORTANT NOTICE 18/02/2009
This guide is ridiculously outdated, and as such has a plethora of mistakes and general coding problems. I do not have the time or energy to fix such mistakes, nor to make any updates in the foreseeable future. I have, for all intents and purposes, abandoned this guide.

Feel free to use this guide if you still want to. However, I imagine that better guides have sprung up over the years (and probably ones that aren't as patronising, sorry, I was so immature when I wrote this >.> ) so I encourage you to seek those out.

Happy roleplaying!


THIS IS VERSION 2 OF MY GUIDE TO LITERATE/ADVANCED ROLEPLAYING. VERSION 1 WAS EATEN UP BY THE GAIAN ARCHIVING BUG.

THIS IS NOT A ROLEPLAY. THIS A GUIDE TO ROLEPLAY. READ THE FIRST PAGE BEFORE YOU POST ANYTHING.

Introductory Note: Over the past few months, roleplaying has been my obsession. But, I am appalled to see the lack of advanced/literate roleplayers! Therefore, I have created this guide in the hopes of 'transforming' bad roleplayers into great ones. Also, this guide will probably help people who can't roleplay and/or want to learn how to roleplay.

Notes: DO NOT IM/MSN ME LOOKING FOR A CHAT OR TO BECOME FRIENDS. I will not accept friendlist requests unless I know you properly. I do not want to chat. I do not want new friends. I am a loner. You should know that by now (seeing as I had the time to write the guide in the first place...).
In real life, I am not an English Teacher, nor will I ever be.
I am not a preacher.
I only RP in threads if I think they're good enough and if I have the time.
I spend 2 - 6 hours online a day. The rest of the time, I'm at school or I'm sleeping.
I am in GMT time. Do not try to talk to me at midnight. I will be cranky.
No, I will not give you gold/items.
I am not 't3h s3x' and nor is my avi. What sort of compliment is that?
I will not give general English lessons. Only lessons that involve one aspect in the English Language.

Index

Section 1:
I - Why Advanced/Literate Roleplaying?
II - Advantages of Advanced/Literate Roleplaying.

Section 2:
I - Starting Off
II - Sentence Structure
III - Elaborate, Don't Exaggerate
IV - Punctuation
V - Spelling
VI - Grammar
VII - Paragraphing and Spacing
VIII - Writing Techniques
IX - Thesaurus and Dictionary

Battle Section (section 3):
I - Basic Battles
II - Weapons
III - Godmoding
IV - The Hit-Points Strategy (needs Judges)

Section 4:
I - Character Creating and Profiles
II - Originality
III - Description
IV - Names
V - Appearance
VI - Equipment

Section 5:
I - Roleplay Creating
II - Originality
III - Name of your RP
IV - Description
V - Rules of Your Roleplay

Section 6:
I - Types of Roleplaying
II - Story Mode
III - Action Mode
IV - Other

Section 7:
I - Symbols, Words and Their Meanings

Section 8:
I - General FAQ
II - Character FAQ
III - Questions Asked by Fellow Gaians

Section 9 (basically, anything else I can't fit anywhere because I didn't reserve enough posts xp )
I - Stereotypes
II - Prejudice
III - Age Differences
IV - OOC Chats and Chatspeak List

Section 10
I - News and Updates
II - Banners and Advertising

WALL OF SHAME

Oh dear, I can't believe I have to start a flame counter! Anyway, I will only list your username if you continually flame me (2 or more flames). One flame will just add to the counter.
Flame Counter: 1

I cannot believe I have to start this counter. I just...can't believe it. I'm starting to lose faith in the online race. I will only list your username if it is particularly spammy (oooh! a new word!).

Spammage Counter: 3
Missinglink - For sending me a chain letter. They are stupid and count as spam.

Just to let you know, I enjoy feedback and C&C biggrin I do prefer if you post the feedback in this thread (because it bumps the thread XD) rather than PM me but I don't really mind.
Can I just take the opportunity to say that the amount of feedback I've got is incredible! I really love listening (and responding) to your feedback! ALL comments are appreciated and even if they are flaming me, at least then you'll have bumped the thread! Bumps will ALWAYS be appreciated in whatever form they come in (pictures, text etc.) but please don't spam.

May I just emphasize something that I find extremely annoying. There IS a difference between n00b and newbie. May I repeat that? There IS a difference!
n00b is someone or a group of people who are immature, illiterate and generally annoying. They do NOT have to be a newbie to be a n00b.
Newbie is someone who is new at something or somewhere. They do not necessary have to be like a n00b.
Please do not make this mistake. I will get very angry and get launched into a lecture about the differences. I know it's stupid to get angry over small mistakes like that but I just do, ok? I probably wouldn't flame you...just lecture.

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Section 1

Why Advanced/Literate Roleplaying?

Well, I believe that people will respect you more if you roleplay at a higher standard. Plus, advanced/literate roleplaying is much more fun. Here, which one is better?

Bad Roleplay

Quote:
*walks in and chops ur head of* Ha ha your dead

Note: Edited to avoid people's eyeballs falling out.

Good Roleplay

Quote:
-insert name here- walked towards the person cloaked in black. [insert name here] was a fighter on a mission. He was not to be toyed with. There was a dagger in his pocket; as he walked towards his victim, he fingered the dagger anxiously. Making sure no one was around, he took out his dagger and attacked the man mercilessly. The man fell to the ground - his life gone.


Well, obviously, the good roleplay. See what I mean? When you're a literate roleplayer, you can do so much more! And your literacy skills will probably improve - I know mine has.

Advantages of Advanced/Literate Roleplaying

Here is a list of great advantages for those who are still not convinced.
1. It will help you (if you?re still in school) on your literacy skills.
2. You're respected more.
Note: This is because if you're literate, you tend to come off as less lazy and therefore taken more seriously.
3. It's fun.
4. It'll probably help you on your typing skills.
GO FAST TYPING! XD
5. FACT: It will, I repeat, WILL help you on your literacy skills if you're still at school. I have/am living proof. I, myself, wrote a story based on one of the roleplays I have participated in and I got myself a certificate from the head (it's the highest award you can get) and a pretty sticker (XD).

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Section 3

Basic Battles

Sometimes, a roleplay involves your character to go into battle. When you are battling, you have to be aware of weaknesses, resistances, weapons etc. Forget one of these and you're likely to be flamed.

When you are battling, only use ONE offending (action which is directed at an opponent) action per post. That way, you can wait for the other person's response. It is ok to do many actions as long as it doesn't affect your opponent (so you can power up for an attack and launch your attack in the same post). Remember, you are not god, you cannot assume someone else's character.

Weapons

Does your character wield a sword? Or maybe a magical wand? You have to decide what weapons your character has before you start a battle. I try to include this in my character's profile (more on that in section 4).

Make sure that your weapon suits your character. There is no point having a cheerleader with a gun. Also, you must know about this weapon first. I, as a girl, do not know much about guns and I try to show that if another character hands me a gun to use. You cannot automatically assume that your character can use a heavy machine gun the first time they see one.

Next, if you can, assign an element to your weapon. For example, your sword could be a fire element because it can go up in flames when you press a certain button. This is more for fantasy RPs rather than real-life situation RPs.

Now, decided on your weakness. Yes, all weapons have a weakness. And make it quite a bad weakness as well. You can't say that your sword's weakness is that it is allergic to praying mantis urine. That's plain stupid. You can, however, say that your sword's weakness is that it breaks easily or it is rather heavy so it slows down your character.

Then, ask yourself, what is your weapon good against? Can it banish demons? Or can it kill humans? What is it strong against? You can't have a weapon that never ever breaks and can kill anything in one attack. Unless your RP has a storyline which involves having to find this weapon. Sure, you can quest for this almighty weapon but try not to use it. You can't have one character that can kill everything in one attack (see Godmoding).

Now, you've basically got your weapon. Try to describe it in detail. Maybe your sword has a giant, crystal embedded on its hilt? Or perhaps it has your initials written on it? Try to make your weapon distinct from others. This will help if your character suddenly loses the weapon. Also, make sure you state what material your weapon is. If it is a wooden magical wand, then obviously, wood burns; therefore, if your wooden wand is exposed to fire, it will burn and be reduced to ash.

Godmoding

Godmoding is when your character:

1. Is invincible (cannot be destroyed or is never ever injured).
2. Can block every attack your opponent makes. (example: Good roleplayer sends a gigantic ball of lightning towards godmoder. Godmoder merely steps to the side and dodges it. Good roleplayer gets out his machine gun and starts shooting, with precise aim, at godmoder. Godmoder dodges every bullet and is unharmed.)
3. Always uses a one-hit KO move and kills the opponent. (example: Godmoder launches an unblockable attack which will kill good roleplayer instantly.)
4. Has a weapon which has no weakness and/or is super strong and will kill anything in one attack. (example: Godmoder's sword is invincible to every substance in the universe. Godmoder slices good roleplayer and kills him instantly.)
5. Controls your opponent (example: Godmoder cuts good roleplayer and good roleplayer runs away, never to return.)
6. Making a ridiculous amount of time pass in one post (example: Godmoder takes good roleplayer captive and keeps him in a dungeon for 7 years. Eventually, good roleplayer dies of malnutrition and Godmoder, after a further decade, buries him in the church graveyard. Good roleplayer is found centuries later by robots.)

Godmoding is forbidden in most threads. Please do not godmode as it takes away the fun of RPing.

The Hit-Points Strategy (Judges required)

During my life as an RPer, I have come across a special method of battling called the 'hit-points' strategy. For this method to work, you need either one or more unbiased judges (they can be other RPers, other friends or anyone who you know would be unbiased and be able to judge a battle fairly).

This involves each player being set a number of hit-points depending on their stamina, defence ability and other aspects. A judge decides the amount of HP each battler has.

After every two moves, the judge/s decides how many HP each person loses. It is the judge's job to keep track of each person's HP. Whoever reaches 0HP first loses.

There are ways of gaining more HP e.g. healing, battle items, potions etc. The amount gained is also determined by the judge/s.

This method is effective as long as the judge/s are impartial. Also, things like poisons can damage a person each turn or may be slow-acting and damage hugely in one turn.

Judges must decide how much HP each move damages by determining how well they think the attack was, how accurately described, whether the move hit the opponent or skimmed it or missed it and how much time the move took (moves that take time to charge up should generally do more damage). Also, any weaknesses and resistances take a part in the move's damage.

The way the judge/s state how much HP has been lost or gained must be inbetween 1 post X the number of contenders. During this post, judges must state WHY they chose the attack to do so much damage and HOW things affected it.
Example:
Judge's Comment
BlackKnight lost 10HP to Jordan's magical attack. It would have done more damage but BlackKnight's armour has a resistance to magic.
Jordan healed 20HP to his potion but then lost 5HP to BlackKnight's attack. BlackKnight's attack would have done more damage if his sword wasn't so damaged.
Stranger attacked BlackKnight and hurt him 25HP. Stranger also suffered 2HP damage due to his sword snapping and cutting his arm during his attack.

As you can see, it is better to list events in the order that they happened.

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Section 4

Character Creating and Profiles

If you're going to roleplay, then you have to create a character. To understand this further, let's start with what the word 'role' means.

From Dictionary.com
Role - A character or part played by a performer.


So, when roleplaying, you take on the form of a character and control his/her/its actions.

When creating a character, there are many things you should consider. See the other parts to this section.

Profiles are very important as well if you want your fellow RPers to know what your character is. Profiles are like forms. Some RPs will provide a base profile for you to fill out. Others, however, automatically assume you will post a profile.

A normal profile would be something along these lines:

Name of Character:
Age:
Race/species:
Appearance:
Personality:
Equipment:
Other:

Now, that?s a good profile to start with. Like I said before, some RPs already provide you with a profile form, but if they don't, feel free to use mine.

Suggested by Setera_Johannahs: Under other, you should list things that you ought to mention. Like certain triats your character has (e.g. biting nails when nervous). Just put whatever you feel is neccessary (like, your character could be claustrophobic).

In certain RPs, you may be asked to choose a clan or something like that. In some RPs, you have to provide 'Bios' which are like a history of your character. You should either place your profile in your first post or - in some forums - there are special threads for placing character profiles.

For those who think profiles are below you?they aren?t. It is a very good habit to post a profile in your first post. It will alert people to your character and help the RPers understand your character more.

There are some, though, who manage to describe their character fully without the need of a profile - I, for one. But that doesn't stop me from posting a profile - unless, the RP starter specifically asked for no profiles.

Profiles? They're great. What can I say?

Originality

By originality, I don't mean the origins of your character. I mean how creative your character is and whether it's been done before. Nowadays, there are far too many nekos (cat people) and kitsunes (I'm guessing they're like foxes?).

Here is a general list of characters that have been 'over-done':

1. Nekos
2. Kitsunes
3. Vampires
4. Royalty Characters
5. Slaves
6. Faeries/fairies
7. School girl/boy
8. Characters from animes and mangas
9. Characters off TV programs
10. Characters off video games (yes, that includes FF)
11. [insert name of animal/specie] hunter
12. Demons - normally angel hunters
13. Angels - normally demon hunters
14. Wizards/witches
15. Mages

There are plenty more, I know. But those are the ones I've decided to list. When creating a character, try something that has never been done before. Don?t stick to the old school girl who has had a tragic break-up with her boyfriend and now discovers she has magical powers.

Even if you change the name of the species, it's still not original.

Example of Unoriginality: Vampyres are not vampires. They are a breed of fire demons that need blood to keep them alive. They will turn into dust at signs of light. I repeat, vampyres are not vampires.

You have to be creative when creating your character. Try to go somewhere out of the box. Step in places no one else has been (and if it means a boy going into a make-up salon, so be it).

Description

When describing your character, you have to be very blunt and to the point. Describe their clothing and appearance clearly. Use powerful adjectives instead of just 'beautiful' or 'pretty'.

Also, when describing her personality, perhaps you should say why she is like that. Is she cheerful because she's an outgoing and active person?

If you make up an entirely different race (to be original), describe your new race. There is no point saying your character is a Karaby if no one knows what it is.

Names

When creating a name for your character, make it mysterious. Don't call your character Tom or Bob. Those names are boring. Try something like Pyrite or Felicity. Make it creative. This will make your character stand out more. Unless it's some really boring RP about real life, stick to made-up names.

Note (based on feedback from shimmercat): This is a little note about japanese names. Thank you shimmercat for pointing this out to me. Japanese names can be really annoying at times. Especially ones ripped off anime/manga. Things like, Inuyasha. How many Inuyashas have been RPed on gaia? Sure, it's ok if the RP has a central japanese theme to it by why would you get a japanese name appear in a City RP? When choosing names, make sure it would be a valid name according to the theme of the RP (e.g. In a Victorian RP, there would be names like Alfred and Elizabeth)

Appearance

When describing your character's appearance, you have to be ever so creative. So, we're going to look at each 'topic' in detail.

Hair:

When describing hair, include these few points: hair colour, length and straight or curly. You might want to describe the fact that it gets frizzy easily or it is always neat and tidy no matter what you do to it.

Eyes:

I have given this a topic of its own because your character?s eyes are very important. Describe their colour or anything mysterious about them. Be sure to put in the size of the eyes too. This is more for those puppy-love RPs where people stare into each other's eyes and see deep inside their soul.

Face:

There is nothing better to base a first impression of someone then by looking at their face. If your character has a scar, it implies its had a hard time or its been in battle.
On your face, you might want to put any distinct features. Perhaps your character suffers from acne? Or it has many freckles. Don't just put your character as 'drop-dead gorgeous'.

Clothing:

Now, here comes the complicated bit. I tend to describe upper body garments and work downwards (leaving shoes 'till last).
You must include the colour of the clothing (the material?) and anything else you can think off. Even include the colour of the buttons on it.
For shoes, you should put its type (whether it's sandals, boots etc.). Also, describe material and colour and any other tidy-bits you want to add.

Accessories:

Ah, here's the fun part. I adore describing accessories. Accessories are defined as anything that is decorative or an extra part to your outfit. Such as hand-bags, ribbons, bow-ties etc.
Your accessory doesn't have to be realistic. You could have a hand-bag made out of dragon skin!

Equipment

It's important to let people know about your equipment. Whether you have explosives in your bag or just a tube of lipsticks, this step is essential. You can't suddenly pull out a rifle from your hand-bag. It's good to know your equipment before-hand as it creates realism. Otherwise, you're always going to have the right piece of equipment at the right time. That's sometimes Godmoding.

When having equipment, be sure to know what time (medieval, modern etc.) the RP is set in. You can't have a laser gun if you're playing a stone-age person.

Also, you might want to check with the maker of the RP if a certain weapon is alright. For example, some RPers don't want you to have a gun in their RP because it's supposed to be a peaceful RP.

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Section 5

Roleplay Creating

When creating roleplays, you should have a storyline. Putting *sits on a rock waiting for people* is NOT a storyline.

In the first post of your thread, explain what the whole RP is about. Is it a quest for a magical sword? Or is it just a high school reunion? If needed, you should put in a background of the RP so that your fellow RPers know exactly what has happened so far.

You also need to include some rules. You also need to think about what the actual forum or RPing place allows. For example, if a PG-13 forum does not allow cybering, then you shouldn?t allow cybering in your thread.

Originality

Originality is essential if you want your RP to live on and on. Don?t see a RP and copy its storyline and characters. Try not to make a RP that you know has been done before. Keep it very original and tons of people will come flocking to join (although this might not be a good thing...).

Name of Your RP

The name of your RP is one of the things RP finders look for first. If your RP title is *sitting on a rock* then I doubt anyone would like to join. Put something creative like Mysti's Revenge or The Legend of the Sakrac. When making your title, don?t put it in all caps. Don't put it all lowercase either. Keep the case of the letters consistent if you know what I mean.

Also, don't make your title meaningless. If your RP is about a fairy who has lost her wings then make your title something like "The Missing Wings". Don't put "Giant Dragons and their Nightmares". Also, keep your RP titles relevant to the actual topic.

If the place you created your RP on allows you to change the title, then you might want to put something like, "Quest for the Elemental Stones: 3 Already Found". That way, you can let new RPers know a little bit about the RP just by looking at the title. Of course, it's no use putting a title like that if you can't change it - it'll confuse people. I know a few RPing places where you cannot change the titles or your RP or your first post (*snarls at neopets*).

Another thing, I get really fed up of seeing RPs with titles like Literate RP or Semi-Literate RP. Aside from the fact that half the time these names are completely wrong, it tells people NOTHING about the RP itself. I would suggest putting something like, 'Angry Turtles - Literate RP'. At least then you know what the RP is about AND you know whether it's literate or not.

When titles have things like, 'LITERATE RPERS ONLY!', please respect them. They were put there for a reason you know.

Description

There are several things which I find important to the description of the RP.

Setting:

You must set the setting. You have to say whether your RP is set in a forest or up in the sky. If you don't, then people will end up confused and totally ruin your RP. It's ok to change the setting after a while (for example, your character moves to Spain) but you must put where your characters start. Also, you might want to describe surroundings so if someone's character wanders off, he/she will know what to expect.

Time:

Most RPs will say whether the RP is set in medieval times or in a futuristic time. That way, people can keep up to date. There's no use having someone mentioning a computer when it's the stone-age. If you are unsure of a certain time-period, then look it up!

Storyline/Plot:

This is very important unless you want your RP to turn out scattered and unorganised. Tell your fellow RPers the point of the RP. Whether a mad scientist has escaped or you're on a quest for a special recipe, you must tell your RPers!

Characters:

For characters, you should say what species are allowed, whether magical beings are allowed, if there are any 'trademarks' all characters have to wear, what sort of dress code etc.

Rules

Rules are used to put your RP under control and to your liking. I tend to make my RPs rather loose than strict. I only put a couple of essential rules and then a few specific rules.

Essential rules are like 'reminders' to what is allowed or not allowed in the place your created your RP (Gaia has a few very distinct rules being a PG-13 site).

Specific rules are rules tailor made for your RP.

For example (on a PG-13 forum, a medieval RP):

~No cybering
~No marriages
~Romance allowed but only puppy love
~No guns
~No futuristic items which haven?t been invented in medieval times

The more generic rule is 'No cybering' as it's a PG-13 forum. The other rules are more specific to the RP.

There are also things called 'invisible' rules. These are rules that haven't been written down because they are just so plain obvious that the RP maker does not need to say them. These are things like:
~No Godmoding
~No spamming
~All the generic rules of the place you're making the RP in (no cybering, more than 3-words-per post etc.)
These rules do not need to be said. They are plain, obvious things you should abide by. As a safety precaution though (for any stupid n00bs who don't know the 'invisible' rules), you might want to list these 'invisible' rules. Don't forget, there might be a newbie (note: newbie, NOT n00b) somewhere who doesn't know the generic rules of the RPing place.

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Section 6

Types of Roleplaying

Different people roleplay in different ways - it's a fact of life. There are many ways of RPing - just like there are many ways of creating art. I personally prefer to use Story Mode as it's convenient and known worldwide. However, there are many people who like to use action mode because they're used to it.

Just because you RP in action mode doesn't mean you're an n00b. That's what people are led to believe and it's NOT TRUE.

Story Mode

Story mode is when you RP using " " to separate speech and leaving actions on their own. So it looks like a passage out of a book (hence the title, Story Mode). Story mode is what you use in school; thus, roleplaying in story mode will help improve your literacy skills.

In story mode, you should keep your character in third person. As your character is a character of it's own, treat it like that. Don't put:

I walked silently along the corridor.

Put:

[insert name here] walked silently along the corridor.

Of course, you can use pronouns (he, she etc.) so you don't have to keep typing your character's name.

So, a typical story mode post would go like this:

Tim walks onto the balcony, wearing nothing but shorts. His long, uncut hair shivers in the cold breeze as the wind blows across his face. He was tired but he wasn?t going to quit yet. Just then, a sparrow flew onto his hand.

"Hello there, little sparrow!" he said. The sparrow flew away, leaving Tim all alone.

(heh, a bit pathetic but it'll do)
So, you can see where the speech is (inside the speech marks) and the action. As you can also see, it is starting to look like a story.

Action Mode
Action mode is when you use symbols to separate actions. You may use any of these symbols:

* * (most common)
- - (most confusing)
[ ] (most annoying)
( ) (confusing)
/ (confusing)
~ ~ (most pretty XD)
:: :: (pretty)
And all the other symbols you can use.

There are many different symbols you can use. So, a typical extract would be:

Action Mode
*Tim walks onto the balcony, wearing nothing but shorts. His long, uncut hair shivers in the cold breeze as the wind blows across his face. He was tired but he wasn?t going to quit yet. Just then, a sparrow flew onto his hand.*


Thank you Setera_Johannahs for bringing this to my attention:

In action mode, you can mark out speech in many ways. Some people just leave it whilst others mark it out. Here's a few ways people mark out speech in Action Mode:

" " (common)
BBCode (i.e. using colours, italics, bolds, size etc.)
And any of the actions above that they didn't use before to mark out actions.

Marking Out Speech
Hello there, little sparrow.

*The sparrow flew away, leaving Tim all alone.*


OR

Another Way of Marking Out Speech
"Hello there, little sparrow."

*The sparrow flew away, leaving Tim all alone.*


As you can see, all the description and action is within the symbols and the speech is either out of the symbols or within other symbols.
Note: People tend to use a present tense when RPing in Action Mode.

Other

Those are the types of RPing that I know of. If you know another method of RPing, don't hesitate to PM or Email me.

Email: moonlightmish@aol.com

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Section 9

Stereotypes

Stereotypes are common in the RPing community. A few of these have already been mentioned in the originality section.

An example of stereotyping are elves. Who said elves have large, pointy ears? Who said they wore forest clothes? Huh? No one did. It's just the image you get in people's minds.

If you want to be original, then try to go away from the stereotypes. Maybe your leprechaun doesn't give gold, it gives away bad luck?

Just because a character doesn't follow the stereotypes, it doesn't mean it's not part of that species.

Prejudice

What is prejudice? Well, it's when you have a fear of the unknown or when you have a unreasonable dislike of someone/something.

Prejudice can happen in many ways. Prehaps in OOC chats or even within IC posts.

People can be prejudiced if you're new to gaia, you don't have a lot of gold, you avatar doesn't look good etc.
They can show their prejudice by disallowing you certain advantages, banning you from the RP etc.

Prejudiced people are a real bother sometimes. So just ignore them. DON'T LET THEM GET UNDER YOUR SKIN!

Age Differences

Bah. Age differences.

There's many out there who stereotype pre-teens (like me...remember, I'm 12...13 in October) as illiterate, bad and stupid rpers. Some even stereotype older members as boring and bad rpers.

To avoid prejudice over your age, just don't tell people your real age unless they ask. And if they do ask, just tell them to guess.

Their guess will probably reflect how you RP. If they guessed something like 6, that's not a good sign (but then again, I shouldn't be stereotyping 6-year-olds).

OOC Chats and Chatspeak List

Ok, I decided to add this little section about OOC chats. An OOC chat basically means 'Out of Character'. This is when you step out of roleplayin your character and just being yourself.

OOC is marked out in many different ways. Here are a few:
OOC: (the basic and easiest to use)
(( )) (quite common though a bit confusing)
[[ ]] (quite common)
{ } (pweetyness!)
- - (confusing)
~ ~ (confusing)
BBCoding (such as different colours, italics, bold, underlined etc.)
More to be added soon...

OOC doesn't happen a lot in a good, literate RP. And most RPs only want OOC posts which relate to the actual RP. If you're confused about something but you don't want to use your character to ask that question, then OOC is the way to go!

There are quite a few rules for the literate use of OOC. Different RPs may be more lenient/strict on the rules, depending on the RP maker.

1. OOC must be defined clearly. Either using one of the symbols above or something else. As long as it's clear that it's supposed to be OOC not IC, that's ok.
2. OOC cannot be responded to IC. For example, someone asks a question in OOC mode. Some IC answers it. Characters can't hear OOC. Decisions made in OOC should be carried out IC.
3. Make OOC rare and seldom seen. A good RP should clear up all the questions you really need. Only resort to OOC when absolutely neccessary.
4. Don't clog up the thread with OOC posts. I've seen a lot of threads with 1+ pages of OOC. There's no RPing whatsoever! Use a different forum for OOC.
5. OOC marking only happens in roleplays. In other threads, you do not need to mark out OOC.
6. When you type up comments in OOC, it's best to put something IC AS WELL as OOC. Like this:

OOC and IC
((I'm a little confused. Are we questing for the ring or the sword?))

Ray seized the moment. He held up his dagger and used it to penetrate his enemie's skin. In moments, yellow, thick blood was oozing out of the wound, making a wide puddle on the carpet floor.
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah


Someone could respond to both the OOC post AND the IC post in one post like this:

OOC and IC Responding
((Sorry, I didn't make that very clear! Well, we're questing for the ring but on the way, we have to pick up the legendary sword. Hope that clears up any confusion.))

Mai watched helplessly as Ray stabbed her father. Her deep, throbbing sobs were filling the apartment. Soon, the police would come and she would be questioned. Every nerve and cell in Mai's weak body was shivering in hatred. She could kill Ray right now...if only she could summon the courage.


7. OPTIONAL RULE: Only discuss in OOC the actual roleplay. Not anything else like that great party you went to last night.
Wrong: ((Oooh! I went to this huge rave last night. It was soo rawkish!))
Right: ((Hey, when's this IC meeting supposed to be held? I'm in GMT timezone so please don't make it in the middle of the night.))

Also, in OOC, people tend to use small amounts of chatspeak. Small amounts. May I stress the words, SMALL AMOUNTS? By small amounts (god, I love those two words XD), I mean things like LOL and OMG that is used in controlled amounts. And OOC chats aren't an excuse to start 'tYpiN lyke dis'.

In OOC, certain amounts of internetspeak is allowed. Small things like, lol and OMG in controlled amounts is alright.

RIGHT
((Hey guys, this post was inspired by my daughter when she was reading a children's bible and asked me, "Is God purple-powered?" LOL XD))


WRONG
((XD XD XD XD XD XD OMG dis iz sooo funey!!!11!one! i hash diz bible and me daughta woz redin + se sed iz god purplepoower!!!11! XD XD XD LOL LOL))


Here's a list of some useful chatspeak vocab. Just remember what I said about 'controlled amounts'...

LOL - Stands for Laughs Out Loud. This is used when you want to express that something is funny/when you respond to something funny. You don't actually need to laugh out loud. That's just plain sad.
XD - A smilie. Tilt your head to the left and squint. You might be able to find the face. But anyways, it means that you're laughing really hard. xd
LMAO - Laughing My A** Off. See LOL.
ROFL - Rolling over floor laughing. See LOL.
ROFLMAO - Rolling over floor laughing my a** off. See LOL. (It's amazing what people come up with...)
o.0/o_0/o~0/o-0 - You're basically opening one eye bigger. This can mean, "That's strange/weird/bizarre." or "You're just strange/weird/bizarre."
0.0/0_0/0~0/0-0 - Your eyes have widened in shock. eek
Glomp - Sort of a tackle thingy.
And of course, you can use the gaia emoticons:

biggrin smile redface crying stare xd 3nodding blaugh gonk scream stressed sweatdrop heart domokun xp whee wink sad surprised eek

REMEMBER, DON'T USE THE EXCESSIVELY!

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Section 10

News and Updates

Note: Dates are given in d/m/yr format because I am British and that is the system I'm familiar with.

26/7/05
Feeling kind of ill at the moment but whatever. Added a banner that is 200k so it won't be allowed in your signatures. You can use it in a journal or a thread though.
Re-aligned everything so that it was left-aligned rather than centered because it looked cluttered. Hopefully, this way, it looks a bit better. Maybe sometime in the near future, I'll change around the colours and make banners for every section but it's Summer, I'm lazy and it's way too hot for me to do anything. Sorry.

25/7/05
Added two blinkies (more will come soon) and one animated banner.

23/7/05
Added some banners that Literate Yodelling Vacumn made. Made a new section for the banners.

3/6/05
A new thread. A new start. Hopefully, this thread won't be eaten by another evil Gaia bug (has anyone noticed that something is always wrong with Gaia?). Unfortunately, a lot of things were eaten up by the bug. I had to revert back to an older version which was saved on a floppy disk. Spent over 20 minutes trying to find it. Heh.
The following sections have vanished:
II - Links to Other Threads
III - Link Banners and Buttons
IV - Credit and Thank Yous Where Credit and Thank Yous are Due
V - Loyal Subscribers and Donators
Very sorry but I didn't have these on my floppy disk for some reason. I may try to restore these sections but no promises!
Anyways, hopefully, a rebirth of this sort could attract more people. Hopefully.

Banners and Advertising

Thank you to Literate Yodelling Vacumn for these brilliant banners!

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Blinkies were made by me, Vitamin Crack.

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Or, if you prefer, the non-blinking one.

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Animated Banners made by meh, Vitamin Crack.

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[/url]


The following banners is 200k. You cannot use this in your Gaian signatures because it exceeds the limit! If you wish to use it, you may use it in threads or in journals. Don't come crying to me if you put it in your signature and it gets banned!

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[/url]


~User Image

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Ok, everyone can post now! =D

~User Image

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xd FINALLY SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT!

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I am so subscribing to this! Thank you for making this thread! I do not know if many people who can't RP will read it though, they just seem to refuse to want to get better. It is really annoying!

Anyway, good work! I am definitely going to refer people to this thread if they need it.

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How impressive. Nice work. surprised heart I applaude you.
Gaia Forums » GAIA Community » Barton Town (Role Play) » Barton OOC

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