#forumguide.

what’s different about forums?

the focus on aesthetics is not as big. while the site’s aesthetics are nice to look at, going into forums as a roleplayer means you don’t have to worry much. really, the only aesthetics you have to worry about are your character’s graphics, which usually consists of your avatar (your main photo) and gifs for your profile. aside from gifs you may use in interactions, that’s really it! and if you don’t have the resources for it, admins usually offer graphics help on-site. compared to tumblr, it’s a big relief.

it’s more writing and development-based. there are different types of threads (which we’ll go into for the third part); and there are special subforums for character and ship development. some sites even allow you to have your own subforum for all of your characters; and monthly development challenges are quite common. 

html/bbcode plays a big part of roleplaying. this may seem like an intimidating part of forums, but really, you don’t need to do much tweaking for the html templates — nine out of ten times, you just need to know the most basic html functions. most sites also have a cool function that saves template info, so the next time you reply to a thread, you don’t need to copy and paste the whole code in; just change whatever you need to. bbcode might be a new function to most tumblr roleplayers, but it’s pretty easy to get the hang of it. you also don’t use it as much.

all the resources are on-site. tying into the previous point, nowadays most sites have their own custom-made templates to use exclusively on-site, which can range from threads to social media codes. some sites do ask you to use third-party templates, but it’s not often and they’re quite easy to find on resource sites. most times, all you need to supply are photos/gifs and whatever content is required for that specific template. 

longer activity cap. activity is much more relaxed on forum sites because most forum roleplayers are in their 20s-30s. compared to tumblr’s average of a 4 day activity cap, forums usually allow 7-10 days, but the actual number depends per site. they also do spring cleaning of inactive accounts and characters every few months. 

everything is on the main page. sites are very, very organized and easy to navigate — most of the board is guest-friendly so you’re able to access all the important information without an account. some parts are inaccessible/“locked” (e.g. site codes) until you make an account, but everything you need to know about the site? you’ll be able to find it and read it.

it’s not an requirement to interact with everyone. coming from tumblr rp, this might be a bit of a shocker. but on sites, there are a lot of roleplayers, and even more characters. it can quickly become overwhelming, but it’s not required to try and plot with everyone. of course, it’s encouraged to rp with as many people as you can, but most people stick to their plots when it comes to actual threads.

banned fcs are not a thing. honestly, there’s a big chance you’ll come across a few fcs you don’t want to see on a site. the only banned fcs you’ll see are usually internet personalities that haven’t crossed into the mainstream, deceased faces, and minors. so while you’ll see fcs you don’t like in passing, you don’t need to worry about rping with them if you don’t want to. and because sites are so big, it’s pretty easy to ignore them. it’s also worth noting that most sites employ a strict +/- age rule, so you’re only allowed to play fcs as the range closest to their current age.

thirsting for ships is a-ok. honestly, this is one of my favorite things about forums. it’s perfectly acceptable to ask for ship plots; there’s a whole wanted ad forum index just for this purpose. they’re even categorized into what kind of plot you’re looking for. you can be as specific as you want, from the plot down to the fc. they’re the expanded wanted connections you’ve always wanted and more. be thirsty for your damn ships, because you can be! seriously! it’s the greatest thing.

fc reservations are mandatory, and you can work on an app on-site until it’s finished. on tumblr rps, you’re only allowed to send in completed apps. but because forum apps are much more detailed, it’s more common to post an unfinished app. it’s beneficial because if you run out of time on your fc reservation (usually 2-3 days), you can ask for a one day extension as long as you have an app posted. it’s more than okay to post completed apps too, if you’re all done with them! just make sure you have the fc you want reserved, or else someone might take them.

tracking threads and getting tagged in things? super easy. forums allow you to track threads, so you’ll always get a notification when you get new replies. there’s also an @ function, which allows you to tag accounts to whatever post you want. it will never glitch. ever. not like tumblr, oop. if you think it was missed, you can always tag the person on the group discord/pms. it’s really handy! 

you must have an account for every character, but you can link them together. i’m not sure how to explain this, but basically, you can link consecutive characters’ accounts to your first account, so you don’t have to log in and out every time. all you need to do is switch accounts! if you ever post on the wrong account, don’t worry — the option to edit the ‘author’ of the post is always available.

awards, badges and points are super fun. i’ll go into this in the latter parts of the series, but basically? they’re really fun to collect and keep track of. it’s so satisfying to have a profile with lots of badges, trust me.

I. REGISTERING / SETUP

open up the site you’re interested in joining. put on some relaxing music, and take a deep breath. you’ve got this!

read through everything on the must-read forums. make sure ur especially aware of the rules!! they’re super important!!

start by doing your face claim reserve. be sure you’re not reserving an fc that’s already on the face claim list. you can do this even as a guest, just follow the code and remove any asterisks so the code works. most sites have a clock with the date for reserves, so make sure your reserve reflects your post! if it says 2 days, for example, add two days to the date on the clock and follow the time as closely as you can. how do i use a code to post a claim? easy! just copy the code, and click add reply. paste it in, remove the stars, and fill it in. most codes look like this: date — [*code]  [b]first last[/b] for [b]alias[/b] until [b]00:00 am/pm[/b] [*/code] for example, i want to post a reserve, and the site has a 2-day reserve period. i’ll add two days from the date posted on the site clock, and follow the time exactly. so if i’m posting on june 5, 4:55pm, my code will look like this: june 7 — [code] [b]hailee steinfeld[/b] for [b]bettina[/b] until [b]4:55 pm[/b] [/code] when you’re done, click preview to see what it looks like. if you’re sure you filled everything out right, click add reply. i usually wait until my reserve’s been added to the list before going on to the next step.

if you’re filling in a want ad for someone, make sure you’ve got everything cleared with the member! now, register a new account. fill in everything, and make sure to follow the site’s rules on registration — for example, if it specifies to register in all lowercase, please follow that. double-check that you haven’t got any duplicate names!

i like to fill out my profile first before doing my app, so that’s what i do. go to your control panel, because i’m gonna give you a rundown of the ‘important’ things you gotta fill out. note that these are all found under the personal profile section: — edit profile info — basically everything you need to fill out your profiles, from info to the actual photos that’ll show up on your profile. two parts: required and optional. fill out as much as you can, but don’t fret if you can’t fill in specific things (e.g. links to things). if they’re required, feel free to use a symbol (i use a dash) or put in n/a for the time being. if they’re optional, just leave it blank. try your best to fit your gifs/photos to the dimensions specified, and remember that you can ask an admin for graphics help if needed! — edit avatar settings — your avatar (in this case) is the image that shows up in alerts, not the one on your profile. most people use gif icons of their fcs. hot tip: use a link instead of uploading it on the site, this allows you to forgo the size and dimension limits. truth be told, it’s no biggie. — change username — only use this option if you accidentally used a duplicate name. ** if you’d like to toggle alert/email settings, feel free to do so under the options section. customize it to your liking!

check out your profile! make sure everything’s in place and it’s exactly the way you want it to be. here comes the most nerve-wracking part of any rp:

II. APPLICATIONS / CLAIMS

note that there are usually three types of apps:

shipper — most common type of app. gives a short background on your character, as it focuses on a character’s personality and plots.

freeform — allows you to talk about your character’s background! so basically more of a bio-type thing, but you have free reign on how to format it. you can give the basics of the bio, present in ‘acts’ like the summary of a poem, write it in verse, whatever!! go wild!

interview — i don’t see this as much, but you’re usually given a set of questions to answer in-character in supplement to a short stat sheet.

most sites usually have shipper apps, but there are sites that let you pick between shipper and freeform. because sites focus on plots, there’s always a space for connections: platonic, romantic and other. in this section, you can describe what your character is like in said relationships. are they good friends, terrible lovers, people worth fighting? let ‘em know! okay, now on to the actual app:

peep through the application codes and choose one — usually there are different codes for different types of apps, just pick the one you like best, or is the easiest to do for you. copy the code, and feel free to paste it into a word/text document first so you don’t lose it. take note of how you’re supposed to format the topic title and subtitle!

head to the applications forum — here you can choose between complete and incomplete apps. i recommend doing it in the latter bc you can just make a new topic, paste the blank code, fill in some parts, and then polish it up. once you’ve figured it out, head to your chosen forum and click new topic.

fill it in — if you’re familiar with coding, this should be super easy! just fill in whatever you need to. if you’re still a bit nervous, try filling it up in your text document first, or test it out on scratchpad so you know what parts you’re filling out in real time. if you’d like to see what the code looks like before posting it, click the preview option and you should be able to see what it looks like! when you’re ready to post, click post topic. feel free to work on it for as long as you need to, just make sure you make it in time before your reservation runs out. if needed, ask for an extension! if the site has a discord (which it usually does; i’d join after posting my app! get sorted in the sorting channel first and chat up the other members so you get a feel of what the site’s like.) ** make sure to tick the ‘get notifications’ box before posting so you can get alerts whenever someone posts in your shipper! if you forgot to do so, don’t worry — just click track topic, located under the thread title.

bump it up — if you posted a complete app, just wait until you’re accepted! if you finished up an incomplete app, reply to the thread saying it’s all done! most site servers also include a finished app channel, and i would recommend posting a link to your app there. once an admin has gotten to it, they’ll delete it from the server.

acceptance — easiest way to tell if you’re accepted? check out the site colors —  they should be changed into your character’s membergroup’s colors. head to your app, and there should be a reply from the admins telling you you’ve been accepted. if your app is pending, don’t fret! admins will usually send you a message telling you what you need to fix. do what you gotta do, then link them again when you’re all done.

claims — all acceptance replies from the admins will have links to all the claims you need to do, which were mentioned in the second part of the guide. reply to all the claims with the specific codes filled out, and you should be all set!

III. PLOTTING 

with discord set in place, it’s pretty common now to do all the plotting there. most (if not all) site servers will have specific channels for plotting, which is super helpful. what i like to do is post a react message in its respective channel — something along the lines of “i’d really like to get some plots going so please react to this message with [emoji] if you’d like to plot!” then i’ll list down my character’s name, age, job, fc and a small blurb about them, plus any connections i might like for them. plotting can happen on discord or on-site. you do plots on-site in the form of shipper posts. basically, it lays out your plot ideas for your character and the person you’re plotting with. you’re more than welcome to expand on your idea as best as you can — it’s what i do! the more detailed, the better; and once you’ve got a plot going, you’re free to start rping. however, i’ve been using discord a lot more lately (and it’s much more commonly-used, since it’s more direct and i tend to forget shipper posts, oof. but still, either way is pretty good!

IV. THREADS

first, let’s get into the different types of threads:

communication/comms — the most common type of thread. comms are basically your messaging/call threads, and because they’re so easy to do and don’t take much time, it’s the easiest way to get active. if your character has a tinder, tinder messages between them and other characters fall in this category. example here.

rapidfire/rf — think of these as gif chat threads, gif… optional? they’re basically threads, but shorter and easier to manage than a full-length thread. example here.

full length thread — pretty self-explanatory. example here.

once you and your partner have figured out what kind of thread you want to do, head to the specific subform where it’ll be located! you can find codes specifically for threads in the code bank, and there are usually lots to choose from. same goes for comms, where they usually make the code look like a phone or an instant message window! it’s cute. feel free to title it whatever you want, and most people put the subtitle as the character and the player. check the links for examples!

it’s worth nothing than for threads, most dialogue is bolded, which can be achieved through html. as always, don’t forget to @ your partner! remember, it’s @[first last], so if your partner is harry potter, you’d use it as @[harry potter]. to make sure you get the alert every time there’s a new reply, click track this topic, which you can find right under the title.

V. DEVELOPMENT 

basically musings. similar to tumblr rp, they don’t necessarily count towards activity, but are a fun way for you to post things that relate to your character. they can range from musings and playlists to thread and relationship trackers. different sites have different ways to organize dev boards, which can range from character boards to individual subforms per player. there will always be a subforum for ship boards, and group dev boards can be bought with credits. occasionally, there will be development challenges on sites that award points and/or badges to those who participate. here’s an example of my character jae’s dev board.

VI. WANT ADS

mentioned in the previous parts of the guide, but basically to reiterate: wanted connections, but more elaborate and as specific as you want!! you can choose between platonic, romantic, professional or mixed/others for a subforum, and you can choose to do a req for one person or multiple. do it however you’d like! what you usually need to specify are the wanted character/s’ age range, gender, and fc, if you’ve got one in mind. here’s an example of a want ad i wrote up last year for my character jae’s romantic interest, but again, you can make it however you want.

similarly, you can also find interest checks in a site’s discord channel — this is a place for prospective want ads, if you will, and it’s a good place to put out an idea in case anyone would like to save you the trouble of writing said ad. it’s also a good way to see what other people are thinking of putting up ads for, and you can always let people know you’re interested in their ads!

VII. ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS

most sites allow you a specific number of ‘free’ characters, which means you can make these characters one after the other. additional characters after your ‘free’ characters usually have to be paid with points, post counts, or both. this is done to make sure you’re not just hogging fcs and are able to handle your characters; instead of piling them on.

if you’re gonna use them, make use of sub-accounts! go to your control panel > edit sub-accounts > register new account. it’s got the same steps as registering your first account, and you’ll be able to access it from the switch account menu. if you created a new account without making it a sub-account, there’s also an option to link it. if you’d like to de-link a character due to reasons like archiving, you can do that as well!

there are two ways to rp with sub-accounts: you can either switch accounts as you reply, or you can post using whatever account you’re on and use the select sub-account author function before adding your reply. if you accidentally post it on the wrong account, no worries! i’ve done it a number of times myself. just click edit > full edit on your post, and then select the proper account and click submit modified post. super easy!

VIII. POINTS STORE/CLAIMING BADGES + POINTS

almost all sites now employ a point/credit function, and it’s pretty simple to understand: you can be awarded points automatically for posting replies and topic threads; and you can also have them awarded to you for completing a specific task. inversely, you can spend points on things on-site, like custom colors or having a promoted shipper for a week. each site offers different things, and you can find all of them in your site’s respective point store.

another thing you can spend points on? badges! they’re icons you will have on your profile and mini-profile, and can tell people more about your character or any achievements you may have. most badges need to be purchased with points, but some are free. find them in the site store!

VI. CODE BANK

pretty simple, you’ll find all of the possible codes/templates you need here! they can range from threads to development templates. most sites nowadays have their own codes to be used exclusively on-site, so you don’t need to worry about sourcing them from other places. if they don’t have their own codes, don’t worry! you can find codes on resource sites like caution to the wind, wecode, a thousand fireflies and sourced. please note, you’ll need an account to access the codes.

VII. WANT ADS

your wanted connections, but more elaborate and way more fun. there are different subforums for the kind of plot you want: platonic, romantic, occupational, and mixed/other. take a peep through the ads here before registering, as you might find a plot you like! filling an ad is an easy way to grab a connection right off the bat, especially if you’re going into a site by yourself. this forum is guest-friendly, so if you’d like to let someone know you want to take up their plot and talk more about it, you can! 

if they aren’t taken up yet, ads can be bumped up every few weeks or days depending on site rules. feel free to bump them up after a while so people know you’re still interested and admins don’t archive it!

VIII. MEMBER SERVICES / ARCHIVES

multiple forums can fall under here, and can range from graphics help to archiving. moderation threads are where you can ask staff to activate/reactivate characters, threads, badges and the like. you can also ask them to help with graphics, and ask any questions you may have! inactive threads and characters go into the archives. if something gets moved into the archives and you’d like to reactivate it/bring it back to the forum it was in; or inversely move an active thread/character into the archives? post in the proper moderation thread and staff will get to it asap.

IX. OOC FORUMS

these can overlap with member services, but ooc forums usually contain games (where you can participate in chain games like ‘post the song you’re listening to at this moment’) and absences. if you’re gonna be gone for a certain amount of time, be sure to post in the absences thread so your characters don’t get deleted! most sites have a limit of two weeks, so if you’re going to be gone for longer, make sure to message an admin so they can get your absence approved.

X. MISCELLANEOUS

member list —  a log of all the members registered on the site. most sites have strict policies on duplicate names (usually it’s only allowed for east asian surnames); so be sure to check the member list to make sure the name you’ll be registering with isn’t a duplicate of an active character’s!

tracked topics/subscriptions — need to track your threads? you can in forums! i’ll explain on how to do this in the third part, but you’ll find all of your tracked threads in your subscriptions panel, which also gives you info such as how many replies and views there are, plus who replied last. so if you ever missed the alert by accident... you can still get to your thread. 

alerts — when your tracked thread gets a new reply from someone, it’ll alert you here. you can’t miss them! unless you do, then you should consult the subscriptions panel. right that wrong and get to your replies!

points — a good way to think about it is as site currency. you earn a specific amount of points for registering an account and posting, but you can also claim points for doing something on-site (e.g. taking an open thread or a want ad). inversely, you can spend points for things you want (e.g. specific colors in the cbox, making your own badge, fc switch, etc.) points are also transferable to any characters you may have, each site differs as to what they offer, but all points you’re claiming/spending that must be approved by an admin must be done in the point claim thread.

badges/awards — fun little images you can get on your profile. badges usually help people know more about your character (e.g. zodiac signs, personality traits, relationship status, occupation, etc.). awards are self-explanatory; either they’re awarded to you for site participation (e.g. participation in events, posting in specific forums) or activity (e.g. 1000 posts, getting to a specific number of thread pages). you usually get badges through the store (some are free, but most require spending points), while awards are claimed by posting in the awards claim thread. here’s the main difference between them: badges are self-awarded, and awards are given/granted by admins. 

chatbox/cbox — self-explanatory. though most chats happen in the site discord, the cbox is also a good way to get to know more about the site before joining. usually set up for guests in case they have any questions, and are usually answered in real time by members and admins. if you don’t want to join the site or its discord just yet, use the cbox and sign your name as a guest to ask questions!

discord — a recent addition, but incredibly useful once you’ve joined the group. almost every group nowadays has discord, and it’s where all the ooc magic happens. most site discords are incredibly organized, and have channels for everything you need, from an ooc chat to a place to put open threads, wanted ads, etc. you can even link your app to the admins in the finished app channel! it’s also a good way to find other members in case you want to dm them for plots. best part? you don’t need to be active on the discord. each site discord also has a fun way of ‘sorting’ members, similar to membergroups on-site. so before any interactions in the channels, please make sure to get yourself sorted! tl;dr everything you need to get involved with the site is on discord. i highly recommend you join!