Post by Morion on May 4, 2017 20:44:16 GMT
Roleplaying 101 - Yet another jerk telling you how to play your game.
An Introduction:Welcome to roleplaying 101! This will be yet another thread where someone tells you in a stuck up and haughty manner why you suck at rp and how to fix it, so by all means ready the flamethrowers and burn this thread to the ground.
In all seriousness if that's your views, feel free to go read another thread. If you want to learn, well hopefully I can teach you something in my handful of years of roleplay. If I can't teach you something, well I can say I tried. And if I can't say that, I can at least say I wasted a good chunk of time facerolling this keyboard for you all.
For those of you that dislike long threads: that's too bad. I'm writing this thread in order to create a roleplay environment rich in immersion and character development that pertains to lore accuracy.
If your reaction at this point revolves around the word "elitist" you're probably right.
For those of you who I haven't chased off yet: lets cut to the chase! The very...very long chase.
What this aims to accomplish, and for who:
Who am I talking (typing) to in this thread? To anyone who wants to expand their roleplaying character to be a rich and developed individual, who feels like a real person who actually exists in the Steven (alternate) Univerese RP of this site.
What this thread aims to accomplish is to be a comprehensive guide to creating a character who is fully developed and inserted into this game's lore. This thread may not be for the casual roleplayer or someone who is not really interested in making a basal rp character
What is a “good roleplay” and a “great roleplayer”?
Roleplaying
–noun
-To assume the attitudes, actions, and discourse (of another), especially in a make-believe situation in an effort to understand a differing point of view or social interaction.
–noun
-To assume the attitudes, actions, and discourse (of another), especially in a make-believe situation in an effort to understand a differing point of view or social interaction.
Following the above description is a little misleading. We're not just here to figure out someone else's point of view (but that is a BIG part of it) we're also trying to have fun.
Some people find it to be fun to play as a Ruby, Amethyst (insert filler here) Pearl, so they do so. But what makes a good roleplay, or a great roleplayer?
Good roleplay has immersion. It means you really feel into it. You don't even notice the real world around you. Your connection to your character's mindset is instantaneous. You're drawn in. Like a good book where you can't stop turning the pages and hours might pass without you realizing it, you become “in the zone”.
Great roleplayers create immersion and situations that promote it. A big part of immersion is to be able to believe what is going on. This doesn't mean it all has to be serious, after all, humor is a big part of life and you can be just as immersed in a fun situation as a serious one (time flies when you're having fun after all) but it does require some things.
Good roleplayers tend to follow lore, and promote roleplay that fits within the world. They draw others in, and have rich vivid characters that don't detract from other player's fun. They're there not only to entertain themselves, but others. Great roleplayers build off each other, and in the end can even draw in the most shy, quiet roleplayers to become enlivened in their presence.
I make no promise that I can do that for you, but hopefully this thread can improve us all to be a little bit better in doing such things.
Lore Accuracy: Your pre-first step to making a character
Lore
–noun
-the body of knowledge, especially of a traditional, anecdotal, or popular nature, on a particular subject: the lore of herbs.
–noun
-the body of knowledge, especially of a traditional, anecdotal, or popular nature, on a particular subject: the lore of herbs.
Accuracy
–noun, plural -cies.
the condition or quality of being true, correct, or exact; freedom from error or defect; precision or exactness; correctness.
Now that we're on the same page, any and all lore I refer to in this post comes from one of three sources:
1. The Show
2. The Wiki
3. and first and foremsot, The Site
Why is lore accuracy important you might ask? Why do I need to learn all of this stuff? And how does this pertain to my character?
Lore is extremely important in a roleplaying game. It's one of the biggest parts of roleplaying in the first place. Without following lore, and having some kind of structure, the roleplay found on a site would be little better than that found in some freestyle roleplaying chatrooms - they are NOT bad mind you, just not what we aim for
Why do you need to learn it? Well to put it short:
No matter how badly you desire it, your Pearl does not share the same values as you. Your Jasper does not like Justin Timberlake. And Peridots do not watch Snooki on T.V.
Everything about you: what makes you mad, happy, sad, what you would and would not EVER do, laws you follow, things that make you embarassed: That's all defined by the world you live in.
Asking why you need to learn the lore of this world in order to roleplay in it, is like asking why you need to know any history or laws before becoming a politician. You need to know something about the world before you can be a part of it and affect it. (insert "lol politics")
Everything your character is, has been shaped by the lore they're a part of. They aren't you, because you didn't grow up in Beach City
And last: how can you learn this lore?
It's pretty simple. There's a handful of ways you can do this but:
Read.
Feel that? That's learning. Like a muscle that hasn't been used in ages, that burning sensation in your brain (is probably a serious infection, go see a doctor) is knowledge being forced by the bucketful into your brain.
Another good way to learn about lore is to ask more experienced players, or, simply, to play the game.
Start from the beginning, and finish at the end:
By now you might be asking yourself where you start, and how to tackle this monumental task. After all, what I've been essentially leading up to is that you're about to take in an entire other society, and use that society to develop a whole new person. A new Pearl/Ruby/Jasper who grew up here and reacts as if they grew up here, and has a decent idea what's going on.
My only suggestion is this:
Start at the beginning, and finish at the end. Don't skip around. This thread is in a certain order for a reason. Don't start by going "I want a Pearl in the Yellow Court." start by figuring out who she is. Guide her creation, follow her society, and figure out how she -got- to be in the Yellow court, not the other way around. You can't change society to fit your character, make the character fit in the glove.
Now, if you're still reading this (are you awake?), feel free to read the rest of this guide below. Or not. After all, you can just start flaming a sentence in. Everyone else does it!
Goals: What do I want?
So, lets get down to business!
Before you even start making a character you need to look at yourself. What do you want from this game? What are you expecting?
Your character needs to be something fun for you, not some job you do on a daily basis to rub in other people's noses about how awesome it is. If you aren't having fun, you're doing it wrong. If your means of fun doesn't include lore, and serious roleplay, then again, this isn't the thread for you. If it is however, start by asking yourself: “What do I want to roleplay?”
Do yourself another favor, and don't answer that as “A badass with a high rank, epic title, and who everyone worships and listens to no matter what, because he's just that awesome. Cool leaks from every pore on his skin, and he gets all the girls. He's skilled with every weapon, and can blow you up with a flick of his finger because he's epic mage man.”
Mary Sue:
- A Mary Sue in literary criticism and particularly in fanfiction (your roleplaying character is essentially a fanfiction character of SU) is a fictional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author or reader.
- A Mary Sue in literary criticism and particularly in fanfiction (your roleplaying character is essentially a fanfiction character of SU) is a fictional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author or reader.
Nobody wants to rp with that. Set some realistic goals. Want to play a war hero of the Home World that's seen it all and is a grizzled war veteran? Be ready to play an older character. You aren't a war hero at 22. You might be a veteran, having seen war, and fought, you might even be a hero of the land having defeated some great evil, but you aren't a general. This is called realism.
Realism:
-noun
1. Interest in or concern for the actual or real.
2. The tendency to view or represent things as they really are.
-noun
1. Interest in or concern for the actual or real.
2. The tendency to view or represent things as they really are.
Keep it vague at this point. You aren't fleshing out yet, you're jotting down what -you- hope to get from this, not what the character will be. That comes next.
Step One: So many choices, what to go for first?
Here's where we finally start making some choices. Vague as they might be. Remember, at this point we're starting bold, big, and broad. We aren't doing defining touches yet. If you were painting a picture, right now you're priming the canvas and once it's dry, painting a solid background color. That's it. There isn't even a picture here yet.
Always remember when going through this: big to small. Details will come later.
A shattered Mirror: All the pieces that make your character a whole.
It's been stated before, but I'll reiterate it here:
Your character is a part of this world. Not yours. Be ready to leave behind your preconceptions and worldly views and to replace them with the conceptions, viewpoints, and ideals of your character. That's part of being a good roleplayer, and making a good roleplay character.
Remember, we're starting big and working small. Here's an overview of how we're going to create this character:
Figure out character goals. Broad ones. Character Race and Class (I am a Pearl. I am a warrior.) and who the character will most likely be affiliated with in the end (Crystal Gems, duh) and what the basis of my story is (I was the servant of a Quartz...).
In the end this is all going to be vague. This is on purpose. We want bold, blunt statements right now.
What's my Story?
We want to lay a basis for your story. A foundation if you will. Here's where you're going to place the very first building block of your character. Anything prior to this is what -you- want. Now we're going past you, and into this new being, this new living person, and what they -are-.
What is their story? Keep this short and sweet. A sweeping general statement works best at this point because later, once you understand them better, you'll fill in all those blanks.
(I am the only servant of a somewhat poor Quartz. Seeing the Jaspers leaving the Spire I wanted to one day be a hero like them, and protect the people. A simple life was not for me.)
Who do I know?
At this point all of these choices fold into each other. Broad to specific:
Broad Story Background leads to Known People leads to What I do (perhaps one of the people you know taught you!) to What I am (specific race, class).
Who do you know at this point? Start basic, and the most basic is people who are close to you.
Once again, bold sweeping statements. If you want to flesh them out, wait! Don't make the mistake of building background characters who don't fit your societal and personality conceptions that you're giving your character. Build her first, then use her and the things you learned making her to fill in everyone else. Right now you just need a general idea!
What do I do?
Basic basic basic. Don't think of this in terms of class yet, but aspects of such things. If you're planning on making a warrior, then what does your character do before he becomes a warrior that makes him fit for that lifestyle and leads him to it? How does that impact him after he becomes that and specifics come later.
Warriors - usually - need to be physically fit, how did you become strong? Strength doesn't come naturally, no matter how much you want to believe it. You work for it. (of yourse, strength is not always in the muscles)
Let ideas flow, but don't get lost in them. Eventually you'll take all of those ideas and weave them together into the tight net of an amazing character.
What am I?
Now we get more specific. What are you? Are you a Sapphire? A Pearl? This might already be decided, but fill it in a little more.
Jot down some vague ideas. Keep them floating for now, nothing is set in stone. How you "grew up", where you came from, what you are, all modify the society you grew up in. A warrior is a warrior, there's ideals and traits for your character there, but they all add in to the wonderful world of society. Where you grew up. And that's what we're covering next.
Step Two: Socialites and interacting with the public.
So now you've got your character's rough background. You might know who she is, what she does. You might even have some idea who her friends are, and how hse got to be what she is today. But all of that has to be filtered through the lore and impacted by the area she lived. Society plays a major role on shaping us for who we are.
Racial Backgrounds and Stereotypes
Stereotypes can be good and bad. Good because they give a sense of racial identity, and bad because it can trap novice roleplayers into becoming copy/paste versions of the race rather than developed characters in their own rights.
Your race has a broad background that determines who they are, and how that shaped them. Each Gem-race has their own society. Read your race's background, try to find social qualities they'd have as a people, then expand on it to figure out what they would think of other races/Gem-Types.
All of those traits tell you a plethora about the race, and could be used to put twists, and flavors into your budding character's ideas.
Social Mores and Laws
Mores:
Mawr-eyz, noun
-Ways of living, thinking, and acting that are of central importance and are accepted without question embodying the fundamental views of a group (or society)
Mawr-eyz, noun
-Ways of living, thinking, and acting that are of central importance and are accepted without question embodying the fundamental views of a group (or society)
Social Mores and Laws are two different things. A more is more of a societal view of what is okay and what is not. Breaking a more will get you weird looks, but breaking a law will get you in trouble. Sometimes, mores and laws go hand in hand. One such example would be murder. In our society it is both illegal, and immoral to commit an act of murder. People are uneasy around murderers, and dislike them. That's society shaping your views. In another society, someone who murders another in a right of manhood might be viewed as a hero or celebrated.
Mores and Laws play an extremely important part in creating your character. It defines what they find taboo, acceptable, and defines what they themselves will and will not do. If your character lives in a society that finds homosexual activity taboo, and has a more against it, your character will more than likely not approve of any gay couples he comes across, regardless of your viewpoints in the real world.
A great roleplayer can suppress his own social mores and opinions, and play his character fully through the character's societal stimuli and mores, acting on them, and playing them out.
A good roleplayer realizes that this character is not them, and can act out anything this character might do. Look in your character's society, the society of his race. What mores would they have? What laws? Can you find any examples in game? In the books? On the wiki? If so, how does your character view them, and why? How did society shape your character's personality?
Radicals (fanatics) and Moderates (conservatives)
Once again we come to the problem of all things being a double edged sword in roleplay. Thankfully, people in society are so diverse that we prevent the common problem of copy/pasted individuals in day to day life. This occurs in roleplay as well. Even your society is influenced by your own views. Both go hand in hand, spiraling in on each other in a circle. One changes the other changes the other. Like a snake swallowing it's own tail.
Every society has it's people who take the views that are imposed upon them, the mores and laws, and twists them to a degree. These people are radicals (fanatics) or moderates (conservatives). People who are radical tend to take something and blow it out of proportion. A human who takes the racial trait of appreciating valor to a radical level, may hate, or look down upon those who are not valorous in all things.
The opposite of that is moderate people, conservatives. Conservatives can go one of two ways: they can approve so much of the status quo (the standard social mores of their race) that they do not wish for it to change in the least, lest they deviate from the safe path, or they become radical in their own sense, that the status quo is not enough, and it needs to be receeded further. This can even cause xenophobia (a fear of outsiders) in that they may not share your same views. You may be wary of elves, fearing their long lives in that they might not share many human ideals that you grew up with and came to depend upon.
Who shaped my opinions?
As strong as society is, another major playing point in developing your character's opinions, views, and personality, are those of his Gem "family".
Step Three: An Empty Mind
Now that we have some understanding of the society that your character grew up in, and the people around them, we need to understand the character itself! That's the most important part of your character is his own thoughts, feelings, and personal mores that impact how he acts. Society, family, everything influences how this might develop, but your character as a whole is how your roleplay. You assume your character's mindset, and decide what they do, and how they react to situations based on their thoughts and who they are. In real life you might not flinch at all at a spider, but if your character is terrified of them he might scream and flee like a child.
Filling Your Character's Head
Now we're getting to the finer details of your character finally. Now that we understand the big picture (friends, society, race, history) we can pick those apart to make a truly interesting and realistic character. Looking at everything your character had around it growing up, how it grew up, and what it became, what did that do to impact how he thought? I could type for hours on this part, so I'm going to give you some guidelines and leave it at that, because the concept of how your character thinks is so vast that it's almost limitless.
How does your character react to other races? Other people? Other classes? Other social classes (rich, poor, common, noble)? You have to think through of all these things. However you don't need to make a tell-all list. If you understand your character enough, you can pull these out of your head without a moment's hesitation when put on the spot. Once you reach this level of connection with the roleplaying persona you create for your character, you're taking the first steps to roleplaying mastery.
How did all the things your character experience in his life effect what he likes to do? Did it change them? Or does he still read all the books he can get his hands on, just like when he was younger? Did the harsh reality of the "adult" world drive him to drink? Or is he able to face the dark future of the cataclysm with grim determination? Is he a commoner seeking to be a hero? Or a person forced into the shoes of heroism, who just wants to live a normal life, but can't because of the greater forces in the world acting upon it?
All of these things provide depth and dimension to an otherwise flat and boring character. Toss in the societal inputs, family, and your character becomes real, and deep. He becomes a part of the world he lives in rather than just a character that goes to the Pig and Whistle to toss bombs and get in fights. Add depth to your character, and people will react to it.
Emptying your character's head
But you just told us to fill it! I know, I know, and to every rule there's an exception, and a contradiction, and a lawyer that knows how to turn it into a profitable lawsuit, but that's not what we're here for.
What I mean by empty your character's head, is to ditch all your real life, real world emotions, thoughts, social mores, and the like, to truly mesh with the character.
Clear your preconceptions and everything from the real world. You aren't in the SU universe, your character is. And you are not him.
Personality Traits
Your character has all of these thoughts, these conceptions, but who is he? What is his personality? Now that you understand how your character thinks, and how he reacts and to who he owes loyalties and hatreds towards socially, you have to figure out how he is personality wise.
Does he flit around like a social butterfly? Always willing to make new friends? Or is he a lone wolf, sitting in the corner enjoying a drink at the end of the hard day, wanting to just relax and unwilling to partake in the tavern banter. Does he say what immediately comes to mind no matter what? Or is he thoughtful, speaking only when he finds it suitable?
All of these things flesh out a character's personality. Without personality your character is a blank slate, a list of what society made a Quartz warrior into, and how he feels about things. But that's all that is, a list. A personality is how you project those things to everyone around you. Even the dark brooding and evil Pearl who doesn't want to be spoken to has personality traits. If she didn't, she wouldn't have a reason to not wish to speak to people. Perhaps one of the traits he has is guilt over the people she killed while under the control of a Quartz, so now she pushes people away to avoid hurting anyone else.
Physical Habits and Mannerisms
Mannerism
–noun
a habitual or characteristic manner, mode, or way of doing something; distinctive quality or style, as in behavior or speech. “He has an annoying mannerism of tapping his fingers while he talks.”
–noun
a habitual or characteristic manner, mode, or way of doing something; distinctive quality or style, as in behavior or speech. “He has an annoying mannerism of tapping his fingers while he talks.”
Habits and mannerisms allow us to take something mundane the character does, and make it memorable by adding flair to it. If my character just leans against the wall when he stands there, it's pretty mundane, but if he flips a coin while doing it, or frequently spits to the side of him, it becomes more memorable.
Some of the most common mannerisms a character might have is an accent. Most roleplayers pick up on this easily and accent their character's speech to add some depth to their characters, but this often isn't enough to save a poorly constructed character in the first place.
Add some habits and mannerisms to your character's basic actions to make them more memorable, but don't over do it: too many mannerisms, and it just bogs down what your character does, becomes hard to remember them all, and makes them more annoying than memorable. Nobody likes the rogue that has to add something special to every. Single. Post. They. Make. In roleplay.
Step Four: An empty life
Wonderful, so we've got your character a family, a society, a race a class, how he got there, some background information, how he thinks, acts, speaks, and all that jazz. But he's still incomplete. He's a person, he's got personality, but he's still lifeless, because we haven't given him a life yet.
Nobody in the world does what they do twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. So what does your character do in his down time?
Look around you in real life. Think of all the things people do in their down times. Some do carpentry. Some garden. Some people fish, or just go driving around. Some like to hike through the countryside. There's a veritable mountain of activities your character can enjoy
Education: What do I know, and who taught me?
So you're a warrior (yes, I'm using warrior a lot), but when someone begins talking about astrology, he hops into the discussion without pause, citing extremely advanced astrological knowledge. How does he know that? It isn't something he “just picked up along the way” more than likely, so who taught him that?
It's useful to have somewhat of an idea as to your character's intelligence. Do they know math? Are they good at it? How about biology? Geology? Geography? Did they get formalized education?
Step Five: Hey everybody: Come see how good I look!
So now you've got your character as he is: his life and mind and background are so full of great information and storytelling, that they're bursting at the seams, and you've sworn to yourself that if I mention “society and how it influences {x}” one more time you'll stab me...
(P.S. I will mention it a few more times, and no matter how much you kick and scream, I will drag you by your ankles back to it. No matter how much you want it to be different, your character is a part of society and you're a much better roleplayer if you accept that fact and make your character fit in rather than making him a six armed monster that's disguised as a human.)
But how does he look? We're finally to the smallest part of your character: physical details. Small as they may be (a wrinkle on your forehead is pretty small) they're a big part to your character, and can be used just as much for storytelling and background as anything else.
Physical Appearance and Characteristics
Your character can be just as interesting as a Beach City Bum or the most influential Empire City Politician with the right roleplaying story, background, and persona. We've already covered that though. Don't forget: Not everyone is super important and great. On that same note: not everyone is super beautiful and sexy.
Your character can be just as visually appealing (but maybe not beautiful) if he was described as a “scarred war veteran with worry wrinkles on his forehead, a recent fading bruise over his left eye, and slightly graying hair, peppered with youthful black” than if he were a “Strong, well built young man, with no shirt on, a perfect tan, and flowing blonde hair, his well oiled skin glistening in the sun as he swings his axe into the tree and...” you get the point. Don't forget, just as a personality can make you a mary sue, so can a bad physical description; nobody is perfect. We all have physical flaws in some way shape or form.
Start Big, then go small
You've seen this phrase before, and just like society, it will come to haunt your dreams and rule over your life. I've seen so many people get lost in the translation of putting what they want their character to look like, all because they've got so many details they want to put down, and can't think of where to start, and thus lose most of them.
Start bold, big, broad, then work your way down. Do it in categories even, you don't have to do all the big descriptions first then move smaller. You could just as easily describe your character as having tan skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, as starting with tanned skin, and working on scars, tattoos, and the like before moving on to hair, hairstyle...
Descriptive Words
Write down everything you want for a physical description, then look at it. You're not done yet. You've written down blonde hair, medium length, brushing against his shoulders but he sometimes pulls it back.
That's bland.
Always look at your description and add some spice. A lot of times it can use some. Too much description can be bad though, so find a balance. “Blonde waves of sun-bleached hair frame his square-jawed face and brush his shoulders as the breeze blows” is much better.
Touching bases (again): Society and tattoos, piercings, ect. And how you want to kill me if you're still reading this. (society society society)
This is more of a reminder than a full thought out point of character creation but don't forget the impact of your lifestyle, background, job, profession, and SOCIETY on your character's appearance. It all can effect how you look.
Describing my garb: What do I wear?
Your mind is set, your body is set, but you're naked. Unless that's one of your character's shticks, he's probably gonna need some clothes. But not just any clothes, -his- clothes. What does he in particular wear? I mean, after all, he probably doesn't march around in armor all the time, so what are his normal clothes?
Also, don't forget the impact society has on your clothes! Look at the npcs!
Final Step: Affiliations and my place in the world
So your character is dressed and mentally prepared, and has a story, a background and makes sense, ready to go right? Well, yes, you are, but you can add some other things as well!
Certainly now that you're character is here, it'd be nice to give him some aspirations right? Something to aim for? It's always good to have short term goals, but a long term goal is great as well. Make it something that can't be completed fully, such as “I will study and categorize all the strange creatures I see.” or “I will explore all the strange places in the world.” something that will still give them a push and a goal when they have no short term ones so they don't suddenly flounder.
This is where affiliations come in as well. Affiliations give your character a nearly unending supply of short term goals. There's always something to do for the Crystal Gems, or the HomeWorld...
Set your character up in roleplay to have joined the group. Have them support ideals. Don't forget how this might impact their thinking, ideals, dress, and everything. Have them work at becoming closer to them. Maybe give them little rp goals, have them attempt to convert people, or search for help in dealing with day to day problems the group has.
Who am I now? (ranks, titles, and other affluential tomfoolery)
So now that you belong in the world, and have everything done, what more could you do? There's one final step of detail you can add to a character, and that's titles, or ranks, or other such things. Don't ever just make yourself a Guard Captain of the Spire without supporting it with roleplay (after all, the more people that support you as a guard, the more influence you have. If you just show up, nobody will listen to you if you try to arrest them, but if 50 people back you up as a guard, and say “yes he's a guard” then you'll have the pull to actually accomplish something!
Don't be afraid to go off the track either. Maybe you're a vicious murderer, and the people of Beach City begin to speak of rumors of a murderer that stalks the misty nights and mornings of the woods, and you become known as “The Beach City Ripper”. That's a title you didn't even give yourself, and it has more meaning. Be sure, like all things, that the title adds something to your character, and isn't just a shiny bit of gold fleck you threw on to make them seem more important. After all, that gold fleck is meaningless if it doesn't have something to back it up, and when it does, it's a million times more important.
In Closing:
I realize this is getting quite long, and that I probably will have to edit it twenty times because of errors people will find in it once they read it, but it's basically all I know about how to make a roleplaying character. I hope in earnest that this will help people make better, more interesting characters that follow lore and add to the world rather than just throwing bombs in the Pig and Whistle because they're bored and have nothing better to do. I also hope this helps some people who were struggling with roleplay become better roleplayers.
Feel free to contact me in game if you have any questions or comments
Final Tips
Above all, this game is about having fun. If serious roleplay isn't your idea of fun, don't think I'm talking down to you, or saying you need to be better at roleplay. This guide wasn't made for that.
Always stay true to what you want your character to be. Don't let anyone else tell you how to play your character. Accept tips, accept criticism, but if you really don't want to change: don't.
Perhaps my biggest personal rule for roleplay is easily shortened into an acronym: ICA = ICC. In character actions = In character consequences. There's too many people who are afraid to let bad things happen to their characters. Lighten up! Bad stuff drives story too! Would it have been interesting to read Lord of the Rings if there was no danger? No bad stuff happening?
Overall, just try to have fun, and try to make sense. Logic is your friend. If in doubt, ask others, and take opinions.
(For any of those who've managed to read this far without falling asleep, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read all of this, especially if you can help me improve on it. I'm not claiming to be the end all of “how to roleplay” threads, but I'd like for it to be a large comprehensive knowledge base for roleplayers to use and learn from if possible.)