#roleplay tips

create a movie library. if your muse is someone who likes movies, make a list of their favourites on letterboxd or imdb, or even serializd for those that prefer tv. you can make lists for ones they've seen and enjoyed or haven't seen but would like. i use letterboxd for this quite a bit and sometimes even add some notes within my lists detailing my muse's thoughts and reviews of the movies.

make a sideblog. i know that many people do this already, but aesthetic sideblog for your character can be extremely helpful and fun to maintain. you can build these however you like! i like to use mine to post photos that my muse would like, faceclaim content, playlists and songs, ships/dynamics inspo, headcanons, silly text posts, and a variety of other things. if you're unsure where to look for content you can post on your sideblogs, @museinspo has a variety of things for many types of characters and is a really helpful place to start. they have a great detailed tagging system to make it easier to find content best suited to your muse. some tags that you can also look through could be #character inspo, #ship inspo, and #muse inspo.

play a barbie dress up game. most people who know me can attest to how much i love this — building a closet for my characters' style. every muse is different, so this can be a fun exploration activity. pinterest is a frequently used resource, but what i like to do most often is browse resale websites like depop or poshmark because i like the variety of styles and the fact that you can find some things you might not see in every store! i have many muses who like to wear silly graphic t-shirts, handmade, vintage, and eclectic styles, so this tends to be the best place to search. you can also do this with any website that sells styles you like for your muse. i like to think of this as a dress up barbie game since that helps me maintain the fun aspect of it all.

build and decorate a barbie dreamhouse. on the topic of barbies, you can do the same activity with furniture, homewares, trinkets, toys, art and decor. build your muse their barbie dreamhouse, fill it with things they would collect and feel at home with. browse furniture websites. ikea, crate and barrel, pottery barn, anthropologie, and west elm are all great places to look for ideas. if you really want to get into it, architectural design (i particularly like this article listing recommendations for furniture retailers) and dezeen (has the added bonus of being able to search for things based on location, if you're looking for example of interior design specific to your muse's city of residence) have extensive articles on both exterior and interior design. etsy is also a great place to look for antiques, vintage style, and more eclectic items.

feed them. if your muse is a foodie or likes to cook, come up with a menu for them. read food blogs and restaurant menus, think of what they'd like if they went out for dinner or what they'd cook at home. i will sometimes make up an imaginary dinner party for muses when its applicable and plan out what they'd like to serve or be served in that situation. food can be a great way to get to know your muse because it can tell you so much about their personal tastes, their current lifestyle, and their cultural background. while food is something that is prevalent in everyone's life, different people will have different approaches to it. this can be especially fun if you look at the menus for restaurants and shops local to your muse's area! read about what's popular in their neighborhood, take the specifics of that culture into consideration.

consider history. think about the time and place in which your character was born and raised in. how would things like pop culture, trends, media, neighborhood, and society affect them? this will differ with every character's upbringing and background, so take all that into consideration as you explore resources. for example, say that your muse is inspired by something like punk subcultures in the 1990s. what music, movies, and clothing styles would have been prevalent at the time? try looking into the history of the underground scene, you can even look further back than that particular decade to understand its roots and how the subculture go to that present moment. how would current events of the time affect what's being put out there and how would the changes within the world cause your character to evolve in their mindset or interests?

study movement. often times we study physicality in terms of what the character looks like as a static image (their hair colour, face shape, clothing, etc) and less about what it looks like when they look like when they are in movement. consider things like their gait, posture, facial expressions, or even specific tics. how do they move when they're on the go and in a rush, compared to when they're confined to a room? how do they position themselves in a bed or on a couch? what does their face tell you about them when they speak? what does it not tell you? a lot of behavior and emotion is not limited to dialogue, but rather how a person composes themselves through body language. you can learn so much about someone by being observant of them even without dialogue. it can be helpful to watch videos or movies and study an actor's movements with all this in mind. i often find myself watching videos with the sound off, just to pay closer attention to body language and try to understand what they are saying without verbal communication.

Using Chrome's profiles feature since @droplct introduced me to it has been such a game changer for my roleplaying experiance. Being able to be logged into all of my blogs at the same time in their own little browser tabs makes things so much faster and more efficient for muse hopping.

I used to use my browser, an incognito window, the app, and the mobile browser, and it was tedious and annoying. I highly recommend using the profiles feature instead. It's quick and easy to set up, and each profile can have its own Chrome extensions, too.

To set it up, you go to your browser settings and select Add New Profile, then in the popup select Add.

Another popup will open where you select continue without an account.

In the new window that opens, name your new profile [I used the names of my muses] and add an icon if you'd like to. Select Done and you're all set to log into the sites you need for that profile and add your extensions. I use XKit Rewritten, Outbox, Stylus, Stylish, and UBlock for all of my profiles.

whether you’re new to roleplaying or have been doing it for a while, it’s always good and dandy to brush up on some general rules to avoid problems!

1) Communication!

Communication is key when it comes to roleplaying. It can be very easy to overstep boundaries! To prevent this, you should always consult with your partner before sending starters. It’s wise to discuss genres, plots, triggers, and general knowledge for your characters.

2) Tagging and Spam!

Before tagging another blog in your post, you should stop and ask yourself 1. is this relevant to them? And 2. did you ask them for their permission? Tagging people in posts that don’t involve them can be repetitive and overstep a boundary, leading to possible problems down the road.

3) Rules and Carrds!

You should be reading their rules and guidelines! Don’t skim, just take a minute and read them thoroughly! Reading rules and triggers will avoid any possible future slip ups. And read the full carrd! A better understanding of their character will lead to meaningful world building and plots.

4) Canon Blogs and OC Blogs!

Do not always assume a canon blog is going to know your oc! If somebody roleplays as a canon character, then it is best not to assume that they will want to be part of your own muse’s lore! Ask them before involving their blog!

5) Plagiarism and AI!

Roleplaying is all about creativity and originality. What’s the fun if you use AI or copy other people? From the way people design their characters, carrds, or overall blog, it’s not cool to steal somebody’s flow without even crediting. Be cool and original! It is more fun this way.

6) Minors in 18+ Spaces!

I get it, it can suck feeling left out, but it’s there for a reason. Adults can feel uncomfortable too! And making other people uncomfortable isn’t a good feeling, whether you’re an adult or a minor. So if the blog says 18+ only or MDNI, do not interact!

It is for the protection of both parties as minors shouldn’t be seeing 18+ content, and the adult could get into serious problems or feel unsafe if a minor was snooping around their adult content.

Also, don’t lie about your age. 9/10 we can absolutely tell that you’re just some kid trying to write your muse in lewd adult situations.

7) Building Up to the Moment!

In the same way that we as roleplayers have to communicate, so do our muses! You can’t just out of the blue claim two muses are dating (especially if the other person wasn’t aware of this. Communication!) you gotta ease into it! I promise roleplaying the initial meetings and dates and everything leading up to the big question is just as fun, if not more, than the actual status of your muses dating.

This goes for other genres as well! Lead up is very important! And it will make the overall world building much easier.

8) Trigger Warnings!

Does your character or post include some triggering topics? Whether it’s eating disorders, racism, sexism, any type of disorder, puking, smoking, cursing, neglect, abusive behavior, trauma, bullying, or anything, it is thoughtful to add a disclaimer! Think of it like AO3 tags, warning the audience of what’s coming.

You don’t have to follow all these tips, but remember the general etiquette. Making others uncomfortable isn’t going to make your roleplays magically better or any more fun. Boundaries are important in every space <3

I largely prefer and feel more comfortable with interactions and threads that happen on a fairly consistent timeline. Some people like to just do a billion little self-contained one-shot RPs, but I prefer to build actual lasting dynamics between characters that evolve over time. Part of that is limiting threads and making those threads actually carry meaning, but part of that is also not doing a lot of interactions "out of order" or starting a lot of "dead-end" threads that lead to nowhere or fizzle out halfway through, just to drop and start new things without seeing any prior developments through to some kind of conclusion.

So many times I've had multiple interactions with people that felt disjointed from one another and clumsy, where a development of character or relationship would happen in one thread that's supposed to be earlier in time than events in another, but the events of that "past" timeline thread would have drastically shifted the way my muse responded and behaved in a "future" timeline thread. Or alternatively, another "past" thread was heading towards certain developments, but the conclusion of those developments was never reached, left hanging in limbo.

And listen, I get it. Inspiration fluctuates sometimes where you just have muse for one interaction and not another. Some people don't care about building an ongoing storyline with certain muses and are fine with a million little threads that all feel like little self-contained AUs of each other. There's nothing wrong with that, and this isn't about guilting people when they'd like to continue a certain interaction but the inspiration just ran dry. To each their own style of play.

Its just not for me.

I like my threads to be building blocks of each other, where what happens in them actually matters and can be referenced back to in future interactions in some way.

I like to be able to write interactions where I can point and say "due to developments that happened with this specific version of that particular interpretation of a muse, this is how things would uniquely play out in this thread, these are the unique doors that are opened up because of those past interactions", because that's how actual organic interactions between people work. Different events that happen between people shapes how they interact.

It feels awkward and immersion-breaking having a bunch of disjointed timelines where the events happening in each thread have no impact on each other, or I'm suddenly having to scramble to shoehorn in an important and behavior-altering event that only recently happened in one thread, but is supposed to be in the "past" of another thread, where my muse is acting differently as if they have total amnesia of these events.

This doesn't mean never doing threads out of a particular order, or never dropping threads if they're just not really vibing, or never retconning certain things when they don't feel comfortable or meaningful, or that you can't ever discuss or play out certain "past" interactions that would change things after it should have been important.

It just means being a little more selective and thoughtful about the interactions that do happen, not just starting a million-and-one threads that never get finished, and using those interactions as a spring-board to build off of each other as you keep throwing specific characters together.

So you’ve started an Indie and you want to reach out to some potential partners? Or maybe you want some more partners and have seen someone you want to reach out to? These are a few tips and tricks. These are ones that I personally have found work for me (and these are things I have experienced more than once), but they may not work for everyone. So these are just some things to keep in mind, especially if you’re the one making first contact.

First things first: check if your potential partner has a rules page. Read it. An indie roleplayer’s rules aren’t just there for the fun of it. They are there to establish boundaries, and your page is a place for you to establish your own. If your rules aren’t compatible with theirs, this is not the partner for you. Boundaries are very important in creating a cohesive partnership.

Check your potential partner’s muses page. If there is information on the muse that you want to write with: read the bio. If the bio has triggers that you’re not comfortable with, they might not be a character that you want to write with. Remember that the FC is not the character.

Start by introducing yourself. It’s a little thing but I know a lot of players like to know their partners names.

Have some kind of a plot idea in mind. Don’t message them and then expect them to do all of the heavy lifting. It’s okay if you only have a vague idea that can be built on, just have some kind of idea.

If you’re approaching a multi-muse, know which character or selection of characters you would like some kind of plot with. Read their bios and see who would fit in with your plot. If you’re also a multi-muse, know who you plan to use. It makes things a hell of a lot easier for both of you.

At the same time, remember that some people have face claims that they are not comfortable roleplaying with. Look for that list before you message them so you don’t suggest someone they have banned. Also if you see your favourite FC on their banned list, don’t message them asking them to change their minds. Respect their wishes and go looking for another FC or someone else to RP with.

Some people only like interacting with multi-muse blogs, some people don’t like interacting with them at all. If you can see on their rules that they more than likely won’t roleplay with you, you will only be setting yourself up for rejection.

If your potential partner has starters open to non-mutuals, answer one. Sometimes just answering a starter can break the ice a little bit easier. This is also handy if you’re not so much a person who thrives with messaging first. So many people do not have expiry dates on their open starters.

Never ever EVER ask someone who does not know you from a bar of soap to bend their rules or change their muse for you. 

Remember that it is okay for the other player to say no. This is a hobby. Don't be rude if they say no, move on.

If you violate someone's boundaries whether intentional or not and they block you, MOVE ON. Don't make another blog to go and harass them because they did.

On the other side of it, don't let anyone shame you for having boundaries. It is okay to want to be comfortable in the RPC. I personally find writing smut uncomfortable, and cannot tell you how often people try to get me to change my mind. Don't be afraid to block.

We have all experienced, or will at some point in the future, a thread that feels like it is going nowhere. It's that feeling of reluctance to pull up the draft, of realizing it's the third or so time of experiencing dread when you see that other person respond.

You're bored with the thread. That, or you want to continue and just can't seem to think of what to do next!

There are a number of reasons why this can happen, but one of the most common ones is a lack of an actionable response from your partner. In most cases, deciding to wrap up the thread is the best thing to suggest...but most of us are just too "polite" to do that, huh? 😉But that's a post for another time.

So, what is an actionable response? Simply put, it's a reply to a thread that manages to give direction to your partner. This has NOTHING to do with matching length of post! It's just a matter of being aware that this is a collaborative effort.

Here's an example:

Character A: "I think we should invite our friends out to a party." Character B: "That's a great idea!" Character A: "It'll be a formal party. I'm going to work on the invitations tonight. I'll really go all out and make it fancy!" Character B: "Oh, I can't wait to see what you come up with! I'll be sure to wear the red dress I got over the weekend." Character A: "I'm sure it looks stunning on you. I don't know what I'm going to wear yet. I think I need to figure out the venue and the details first." Character B: "You are going to knock it out of the park! You're always so good at organizing everything!"

So, what happened? The conversation above isn't bad! However, there was "burden" placed on the writer of Character A each time. The writer of B has responded each time in similar length, but gives A little to no idea how to continue the conversation. Each reply made it the responsibility of the writer of A to come up with the direction for the conversation. Here's the breakdown:

A: Starts with the opening prompt (the party)

B: Agrees with idea

A: Elaborates on prompt

B: Enthuses about prompt, brings up new subject (dress)

A: Compliments B, brings up new subject (uncertainty)

B: Reassures A

Sometimes your character requires noncommittal responses, and this is OK to do once in awhile! But think about this in real life: If you met someone who was only this reactive to your comments and never really asked about you or your actions... Wouldn't it get a bit exhausting to talk with them? At the very least, they would appear polite but uninterested, and interactions would tend to be short.

Here's a better example for the above, one with actionable responses from B.

Character A: "I think we should invite our friends out to a party." Character B: "That's a great idea! Which friends, though? The ones from work or school?" Character A: "Why not both? I think it'd be cool to combine our social groups. Unless you think they wouldn't get along…?" Character B: "Well, you know how wild I get around Stacy on the dance floor. I wouldn't want it to reflect bad on my performance review …" Character A: "That's true, you two can get pretty unhinged. But I was thinking of theming it up to be more of a formal party. Like, make fancy invitations and everything!" Character B: "Oh, that sounds amazing! And less likely I'll start twerking, although the possibility isn't zero. Do you need any help with the invitations? Or anything else?" Character A: "I should have the invitations under control, but I'd love it if you could brainstorm the decorations. I want to go for a vintage 1950's vibe." Character B: "I am already making a Pinterest. This is going to be great! Oh, and I just bought the cutest red dress that'll work perfectly for the theme! Do you know what you want to wear? We can go window shopping later if you want!" Character A: "That would be great! Do you have pics of the dress?"

The above interaction isn't just more equal in engagement, its flow and dialogue is far more natural and prompts more detailed responses! Here's the breakdown for this one:

A: Starts with the opening prompt (the party)

B: Responds asking for more details, prompting a new subject (guest list)

A: Answers, asks for B's opinion

B: Answers, brings up a third party that A can comment on

A: Makes a comment, but chooses not to pursue subject at length; brings up new point of discussion (formal party)

B: Gives opinion, offers help

A: Accepts help, provides further prompt details (party theme)

B: Gives opinion, offers up another subject of clothing, offers up potential next direction/goal of thread (shopping)

There is a lot more "work" involved on both sides in the above example. And this is just with dialogue alone -- using descriptors and physical actions (i.e B could pull up their phone and show A the photos of their dress, or A could have started to playfully mock imitate B's dancing) also gives the other character something to respond to. This works great for Muses who canonically don't say much or are generally quiet in certain scenarios!

The ultimate goal of writing Actionable Responses is to share the responsibility of the scene, so that one writer doesn't feel burdened with directing everything and eventually associate your threads with fatigue, even subconsciously. Communication also plays a big part, too! Your responses may be actionable, but if the other writer isn't picking up any of them, it's time to pause the thread and communicate ooc and see what's up!

"Oh no! I realized I don't write a lot of Actionable Responses! Does that mean I'm a bad writer/horrible person? Do all my partners secretly hate me? Is this why I don't get any responses?"