Definitions of Commonly Used Terms:
Roleplaying: Basically, roleplaying is collectively creating a story built upon each characters’ individual actions and reactions based upon the actions and reactions of other characters. The collaborative work of fiction starts with a basic foundation from which further things come.
IC:In-Character: The opposite of OoC, where you are acting as or controlling your own character in the roleplay.
PC:Playable Character: Your Character(s)
OoC: This literally means "Out-of-Character". This guild has a specific thread, and even a forum for out of character chatter. Pay attention to your threadmaker's rules, they may allow some OOC discussions, or they may ask for none at all. Some place a special thread in the OOC/Spam subforum that is specifically for out of character questions or chats. To differentiate between OOC posts and character posts most people use repeated symbols like parentheses, brackets, angle brackets, surrounding their post like this: ((This is out of character! OMG *gigglesnort*))
Setting: Where the roleplay is taking place. This includes geographical setting as well as historical or futuristic. Always pay attention to your threadmaker's setting as it will determine to a large extent what will be available for use by your character, and will help you and everyone else in the roleplay understand what's going on.
God-Modding: Sometimes called "Power-Playing". This term is often seen in rules, and is seen in a negative light. To godmode literally means to make your character invincible. By doing this, you close a lot of options for people to interact with you. As an example, I was in a roleplay once in which all the character's were gods. The thread-maker (Ivellias) was very good about making the gods have a human component that caused them to exist. Therefore if the human dies, the god is in a lot of trouble, thus making a god, not god-mod. God-modding is annoying, because it really shuts down a lot of interesting options, in addition, most thread makers include in their rules that you must ask permission before killing another person's character, so there is no reason to god-mod. Also, if someone should kill your character without asking, you can always create a new one, or talk to the threadmaker and see about some form of reincarnation, if you absolutely can't live without the character. Sometimes, it is actually more fun to let a character die, or undergo a major change than to remain static. God-modding can also mean controlling someone else's character. For instance, let's say my character's name is Joe Schmo. And another person's character's name is Jane Doe. Our characters are locked in an epic battle! And suddenly I say:
"Joe Schmo pulled a rope from his back pocket, and tied Jane Doe to a tree. "Oh noes!" she said desperately as Joe tied a complex knot. The rope was a special kind of magic, that made is so she couldn't ever cut it or wiggle out. She was left tied to the tree forever and ultimately starved to death and was eaten up by lots of little worms and other creepy crawlies, finally becoming a useful part of the nitrogen cycle." As you can see I took control of this other person's character, not giving any time for her/him to decide the fate of their character. A revised version of this post would be:
"Joe Schmo pulled a rope from his back pocket, while dodging the swing of Jane's axe. "Ah ha!" he cried as he began to close in on Jane, trying to force her back against the tree, where he'd have the upper hand." This post, though somewhat shorter, is entirely more sensible, and contains places where Jane can work off of. I apologize for that being a really long definition, but now you won't do it. Good for you. *hands you a cookie*
Auto-Hitting: Auto-hitting, is similar to godmoding in that it is when one character takes control of either NPC's or another person's character. It is essentially harming another character without giving them a chance to dodge, block or run away. Similar to the above example but a little different:
"Joe Schmo swung a hefty blow at Jane, and was pleased when he heard her scream in pain as the club connected with her leg." <-This is obviously bad. You should always (unless pre-agreed through OOC discussion) give someone space (to quote that oh-so-popular film Dodgeball) Dodge, dip, duck, dive, and dodge, as well as fight or flee.
Player-Killing: A term derived from most MMO's out there, this is a VERY severe example of God-Moding. This action refers to the automatic killing of another RPer's character within the story WITHOUT the latter's consent to be killed first.
Auto-dodges: The exact opposite to auto-hitting. This scenario is usually best spotted when the RPer is too emotionally close to their character, therefore not wanting them to get hit or suffer damage at the hands of an enemy. It is easy to point this out, especially if the RP character has been evading constant strings of attacks without fail. The only possible scenario that this could happen is with a really, really, really, (and I mean really) fast character, against an incredibly slow one.
NPC('s):Non-Playable Character: This is a character controlled exclusively by the roleplay’s creator.
APC('s):All-Playable Character: This is a character anybody may control. Once you become well acquainted with roleplaying you may find APC's very useful for demonstrating your character's personality. We'll use the classic tavern scene for this example. My character once again is Joe Schmo. The APC is a tavern wench:
"Joe Schmo slumped down in a wooden chair with his back to the wall. "Oi!" he shouted, raising his hand. "What's it take to get a drink 'round here?" A bar maid appeared at his table, she was flustered, and had three mugs in each hand. "I'll take one of those." Joe said gesturing to the beer. She slammed one on the table, sloshing it out of the mug somewhat. "Six pence." she said hurriedly, eager to get to other customers." As you can see, the bar maid, was played by me, and was not godmoding. If another character happens into the same tavern, they are more than welcome to use this same bar maid.
SPC('s): Semi-Playable Character: This is a character whose creator left the roleplay. Such, he is usually dragged along and scarcely mentioned. If he is to do anything major, it is usually left to the roleplay’s creator to decide. They are also referred to as "Puppets" or "Ghosts."
Cybering: Cybering is roleplaying sex. It is not allowed on Gaia. DO NOT EVER CYBER ON GAIA. Romance is allowed in many roleplays (once again pay attention to the thread maker's rules) but under no circumstances is it necessary to cyber. If you get to a point where your character and someone else's feel the urge, you can simply say something like "Fade to black" and then pick it up again with the morning after. And just of posterity sake: DO NOT EVER CYBER ON GAIA.
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