Alandrah Leighton

Cardboard box > whatever was inside

hello there~

Pros and Tips

• Have A Solid Reason For Being In The City

Maybe your demon got summoned in the city and is trying to find their way back home? A gnoll could be selling trinkets and bobbles in the black market to provide for their tribe. An undead could be picking away at the poor population for food or bodies.

Having a good reason for being in the city makes your character feel more believable and more palatable. Plus, you can use it as a roleplay hook.

• Hangout In Lesser Known Spots

A Gnoll or demon lurking in an alleyway or haunting the graveyard is way cooler and impactful than say one having a shot at the tavern.

Think about where your exotic would feel most comfy when not in the city. They may try to replicate that feeling.

• Disguises

I know a lot of people hate disguises and ask “what’s the point of playing an exotic anyways?”. As someone who rped with a lot of disguised demon rpers, it’s honestly super cool when you DO find out or it’s revealed.

Disguises speak on your characters cunning and intelligence. How easily are they caught? Is it a funny one? A serious one? What’s the purpose and persona of their disguise.

Give people a chance to figure it out. It’s really rewarding in rp for both parties.

• For Evil Exotics

Every rper and character is different, but some exotics have very distinguishable behaviour. Yes, there are exceptions but it’s gotten to the point that everyone is the exception. If you’re writing a traditionally evil race (nagas, gnolls, undead, demons, etc etc) maybe try actually making them evil! Be the bad guy! It’s fun! It’s really jarring at times seeing this genocidal demon talk about loving hugs, sunshine and drinking with their friends when galaxies have fallen to these creatures and literally drove a Titan mad.

That being said, people can also change and grow. Ask yourself what would change this generational trauma and cycle of evildoing for your character?

There’s so much potential and writing with those topics and you can craft a really lovable character with this. Think of Minthara from BG3, Zuko from A:TLAB, or any other characters from media who came from traditionally evil environments and became good guys.

• For Neutral Exotics

This is for exotics that aren’t exactly “evil” but are in a weird grey area due to lore or history (centaur, vrykul, ogres, nerubians, etc). It is VERY IMPORTANT to be able to denote the different factions, tribes and clans for neutral exotics, as many neutral exotics have an enemy version attached to them. Neutral Exotics are on shaky footing, their presence will probably make people feel uncomfortable because of said evil faction. Take this into account and decide if your exotic is of the neutral or evil faction for their race (if evil see above).

Read up on the different factions within the race: know which ones are more hostile. Be ready to defend or shun your clan!

This gives you a chance to share lore too when these conflicts are brought up.

• For Good Exotics

Exotics that have been canonically confirmed to be good and allies (dragons, dryads, tuskaar, etc). Maybe you helped out in one of the many world conflicts: think of the events that have happened around your exotic. They could have even helped the alliance or horde, giving you a connection and hook for them.

Dryads could know druids, from the Dream or living world. Tuskaar could know people from the Northrend Campaign and Dragon Isles. Ask why they would fight for or have interest in non-exotics and leave their comfy home even after. How strong is their bond?

Im glad you all liked the first set of tips. Here’s another. Again, not rules just tips to help those who may be anxious to make an exotic or struggling with walk-ups due to being one.

Pros and tips

• Have a reason

Make a hook/reason for your character to interact with others. Do they need a magical item appraised? Seek out mages or magic users. Noticed they’re of the same nation or faction? Channel that sense of unity and community. Seeking healing for an aliment? Find a priest, druid, evoker, monk, paladin or shaman that can aid you. Looking to rob someone? Find a weaker character and single them out. Searching for a lost relatives? Ask the locals if anyone has seen them.

These can all be as long term or short term as you’d like.

Strongly encourage reading others’ hooks to see if any stand out to you.

• Put your desired themes in your trp and read others

Stating your themes helps you attract that crowd as well as state exactly what you’re looking for. You can branch out into other themes obviously, but a general idea of main themes helps people know what to expect or avoid. Some people may not like noble rp or dark rp and that’s okay.

• Ask questions

Inquire about people’s characters from a in character perspective. People love being given a chance to gush about their characters. It also gives you a better feel for what character and personality they’re trying to write.

• Don’t be afraid of unplanned or planned rp

People have their reasons for not liking one another, but stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to some cool stories. Both have their pros and cons.

• For flirty characters

There’s a line of flirty and sexual harassment. Some of you don’t know the difference. Groping or ass slapping? Assault. Making acomment on sexual features? Creepy. Making a clever joke, saying a romantic line or pick up? Flirting.

Try to be aware of how people are feeling. Remember that boundaries and expectations vary from every rper. If you’re uncertain about something, whisper them. Communication is half the battle.

• For mean or aggressive characters

You can play a mean and aggressive character that is easy to write with, but no one wants to be your rp verbal punching bag. Be witty and clever with insults, get creative. Do not randomly walk up to people and start insulting them or berating them. Remember that mean people still have other ranges of emotions other than asshole. They can have triggers, soft spots and other interactions asides from hostility.

A cool concept or angle would be writing a mean or aggressive person who is actively trying to change their ways. Whether they fail or not is up to you.

• For characters with high ranks positions or lots of power (whether magical, physical, political, etc)

No one likes someone flaunting around their rp titles while expecting everyone to rp their way. Irl or even in the games lore do you see Ashbringer constantly lord over others about it, or Anduin reminding everyone in the room that he is the prince and very important.

People in power never have to speak on their power.

Show your character’s power in subtle ways. Is it the armor or dresses they wear? Maybe a noblewoman is always preened or encased in jewelry. A powerful Paladin who’s seen many battles can have opulent armor and be decorated in medals.

Another way you can express power is the gap between powers. If you’re rich, you may not think about the poor or “smaller” issues in the world. If you’re powerful, you may have experienced within wars or physical effects from your growth (dark veins for dark magic, stretch marks and scars on rippling muscle, an aura specific to your magic type).

Show don’t tell.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Everyone has a specific rp style and no one rper is the same. These are just general tips to help people who may be struggling or wondering why they aren’t getting walk ups, not a set of rules.