How to RP

[«MªÞlεδtǻr»]

Fresh Thread, or Joining a Thread[/u]

With a fresh thread you're lucky enough to have an opportunity to really describe everything and have lots of text in your RP. When you start a thread, describe the surroundings, how you cat feels, how the surroundings are affecting your cat, what happened in the last thread your cat was in, etc. A simple post like

"MapleWhisker padded into the warriors den smiling because she was so happy after meeting CinderCloud. She layed down with a content sigh, she curled up and fell asleep"

could be changed by adding more actions and descriptive words,

"MapleWhisker padded into the den, almost floating on air from her encounter with love. She bent over her moss bedding and adjusted it as she thought about what had happened just moments ago...though her mind had fled from her, it had caused her to bump into her true love, CinderCloud. MapleWhisker curled up in her bed and let out a content sigh and looked up at the reeds surrounding the Warrior's den, imagining CinderCloud's deep turquoise eyes. As she curled her tail around her nose she could smeel his scent, and did not realize that she hadn't washed off the ShadowClanner's scent, but at the moment it didn't matter to her, and she drifted into a dreamy sleep."

Long Thread[/u]

When you've already done your descriptive joining thread, it's really tough to keep something going and have long posts. My advise for this is to just try to think of actions your cat can do before responding to the previous post. Try to think if you can interprate the surroundings into the post, or what the other cat id doing (keep in mind not to power play, but if their cat does an action, then have your cat comment on that action in their head or something).


Other Gerneral Things

- When RPing instead of using the cat's name or a pronoun (he, she, her, him, etc.), you can use part of a noun phrase, meaning you replace the noun, the cat's name, with something about them, here are some examples ::

"Maplewhisker padded across the clearing" becomes "The calico she-cat padded across the clearing"

"BreezePaw eagerly bounded up to his mentor" becomes "the eager apprentice bounded up to his mentor"

You can add to this, and I high suggest you do, my RPing is pretty good, but not the best here,
so go ahead and post some advise!

[elmkit]

Well, you should try to use some really awesome word choice! Like, stay away from blah words like 'nice, good, ran, got, get, then... For instance:

Bad: Then Icecloud got a mouse from the fresh-kill pile. It tasted nice.

Good: Next, Icecloud felt a rumble in her belly and she padded to the fresh-kill pile, licking her lips. She selected a savory mouse and brought it over to the othre side of camp to feast. The juices of the mouse spread over her tounge and her taste buds practically burst with the flavors.

[trace]

Okay, well I'm definately not the best rper, but I've noticed a few things that seem to make a post better, first, it's a really good idea to use cat terms. A lot of people don't, so they end up sounding like Twolegs in cat's bodies .
So
"Moonkit walked into the house." becomes "Moonkit stalked into the twoleg place." Or "Moonkit carried a mouse back to his bed and lay down." Becomes, "Moonkit padded back to the den with a piece of fresh-kill in his mouth."

Here are some good terms (I know most people know them, but it is RP School.) :
Padded
StarClan (Like 'For StarClan's sake!' or 'For the love of StarClan!'
Fresh-kill
Paws
Muzzle
Every-Cat/Any-Cat
Pelt
Mousebrain (As in 'You mousebrained idiot!')
Fox Dung (As in 'Oh Fox Dung!')
Crow-Food (As in rotten prey or an insult, like 'You stupid, mangy, crowfood eater!')
Thunderpath
Silverpelt

[Ivy No Deleting Plz]

um...i think Maple feels the same way, but i really hate it when people spell things wrong in RPing...OOC is okay to spell whatever you want however you want but it's hard to understand stuff when you're spelling stuff wrong in RP's...also, some people don't use any punctuation...or some people don't capitalize anything...and some people don't have quoattion marks...that also makes your posts to understand...it's difficult to RP with someone if you have no idea what they're saying...((this is OOC of sorts...hence my bad punctuation...my RPing isn't like this...))...I actually have a thread in OOC where i've put soem misspelled words that i've noticed that are really distracting...also, if you notice theres a word that someone can't spell correctly, you could ignore it or kindly correct ehm...some people might get a little angry if you correct them, but other people may really appreciate it if you help them spell a word that they continue to get wrong...for example, i was proofreading a paper in english and the guy continued to spell this one word wrong...i underlined it each time i saw it and at the end in my coments i put the correct spelling...when he read over my comments, he leaned forward tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Thank you! You were the only person to put the right spelling. 'So and so' kept saying I had it wrong, but you told me how to spell it right."...also, if you are concerned about your spelling, there is a spell check you can use if you go back and modify your posts or whatnot...okay...just saying it...

((also, i misspell some stuff sometimes, but often it is because i hit the wrong keys...))

[bubblepaw]

Sorry for the spam... But... how DO you graduate from RP school?

[-Åsheh-DO NOT DELETE]

When your RP mentor declares you ready, you graduate and go off to the grand world of RPing without lessons...

[vine152]

~Do as I say, not as I do~

I think a few things that make a post are to do thing like have your character think before they do anything. (Unless they are a cat who thinks before they act) and to have them do it in a way that their personality would allow. That's why I save all my bios in Word. Just so before I post I can sorta see what they would do in that kind of situation. That's why I also save some of my better posts. I know I'm a bit younger than some of you, but I still think of myself as decently mature and a good RPer.

[robinheart]

Hi! Robinheart here. I've been told I'm a pretty good RPer *cough* Silvertail *cough*. So here are some of my tips as well.

1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1

Say, in your application, you say your cat is 'dark, not easily distracted, and unfriendly.' Make sure your cat ACTS dark, not easily distracted, and unfriendly. I've read many posts that contradict the application of the cat completely! Here's an example. This cat should be dark, not easily distracted, and unfriendly. Let's call this cat Fluffyface.

BAD : Fluffyface paced past Poofytail and gave her a friendly smile. Fluffyface noticed a butterfly out of the corner of her eye and gave chase, reaching up and pouncing on it. Then she called out happily to Poofytail. "I caught it!" Fluffyface meowed.

GOOD : Fluffyface padded past Poofytail, shoulders hunched, not even pausing to look at him. Poofytail called out a greeting, but Fluffyface only growled. The creamy she-cat noticed a brightly colored butterfly flutter by, but only sniffed and kept her green gaze locked ahead. She extended her claws and dug them into the dirt, letting out an annoyed sigh. I can't believe I have to go on patrol with a mouse-brain like Poofytail. Ugh.

See? Now, Fluffyface really does act mean, especially to Poofytail.


2.2.2.2.2.2.2.2.2.2.2
Another Tip ; Act as if you ARE the cat. No, I don't mean go into first-person. See everything the cat would see. Feel the cats emotions, and express them. If your cat is angry, let the other cats around him know it! Unless your cat is quiet or shy. Then, think angry thoughts, kick up some dirt! Anything to let the other RPers know your cat is upset.

3.3.3.3.3.3.3.3.3.3.3.3.3.3

NEVER go boring. There is always something more to say, to see. Words are power. Here, let me show you.

BAD : Robinheart walked in the grass. He looked up and the sky in boredom. The tom walked over to the fresh-kill pile and took a piece of prey. Then he sat down to eat.

GOOD : Robinheart padded into the short green grass. He dug his long claws into the stuff, feeling it between his toes. He could almost feel it growing under him. Letting out a satisfied purr, the brown tabby looked up. A blue sky stared back at him, a single cloud rolling across it like a tear. Boring, isn't it? I might as well go eat. Heaving himself off the ground, the tabby padded over to the fresh-kill pile. It was well stocked, Robinheart noticed. He scanned the tall pile with his ice-blue eyes, searching for the best piece. There. Robinheart spotted the rabbit and yanked it out of the pile. He looked around for a suitable spot, and saw one near Twilightstar. Pleased, Robinheart padded over, gave Twilightstar a polite nod, and settled down. He bit into the rabbit and felt the blood well into his mouth. Mmmm. With that thought, Robinheart began eating.

SEE? See how much more interesting the second example is? This is all just describing Robinheart going to get a bite to eat! This really helps if you need to lengthen your posts.

HOPE I HELPED!

~Robin

[»ƒrozengold«]

As Ivy said before, spelling and grammar are my worst pet peeves. I hate it when somebody doesn't capitalize or punctuate correctly. (I'm not saying by accident if you forget to press shift key or press the comma key instead of the period key. It's if it's throughout the post and constant.)

Also, read over what you just wrote! After every paragraph or so, go back and re-read it. You might think of a better word (As Maple said: substitute Maplewhisker for "the calico she-cat.") It makes reading your post easier and more fun!

Finally, italicize and bold your words! Example:
Frozengold peered into the gloomy den, looking for Aspenleaf. "Aspenleaf," she hissed. "Wake up, you great lump!" Then the she-cat darted back outside into the burning sunlight.
Oh, I wish she would just get UP! the white-frosted ginger tabby growled to herself.

In other words, italicize the cat's thoughts, and (to make it easier to read) bold the words that the cat is speaking. And don't be afraid to capitalize words! (Ex.: "GET OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW!" Icythroat roared at his apprentice. The unlucky Minkpaw stumbled out with fear in her blazing blue eyes. Her brown fur was spiked up in fear.
"I'm here, Icythroat! See? I'm awake!" she mewed pitifully.)

And posts can NEVER be too descriptive (unless it's three pages long. THEN you kinda need some help...hahaha.)

P.S.: Using dictionaries/theasauruses REALLY helps, whether online or the actual books, they are amazing resources and expand your knowledge of synonyms so you don't constantly type: 'The black she-cat did this. Shadowheart licked her black pelt. Shadowheart had black fur.' Use sable, ebony, dark, shadowed/shadowy, deep, dusky, dim, murky, gloomy...et cetera. The possibilities are endless! (Until you get to the end.)

[[..rushfur..]]

There are several important aspects to creating an efficient, well written, detailed post. Below are the ones that have been pointed out by the members who have posted above:

• Good grammar
  >> Always make sure your sentences do not run on with one another, and use the correct punctuation.
  
• Detail
  >> Never skimp on the details! Don't be afraid to talk about their surroundings a little bit more, or how they are feeling. All of this can make your character seem real and gives the reader a good visualization of where they are.
  
• Spelling
  >> Misspelling words is frustrating to the reader, and slows them down. If I were to have a post that was dramatic and intense, then proceeded to spell every other word wrong, it loses its impact. Always spell check and read over your posts before you post them. If you feel like something is not spelled right, then ask someone to look at it for you.
  
• Word choice
  >> Using the same words over and over again can get boring. As Frozengold suggested, use a Thesaurus to help you find synonyms to the word(s) you would like to use more, especially ones that help describe your cat. "Black cat" just won't do it in every situation.

Now, I know that Robinheart went into this some, but I feel that without making your character realistic all of the above is simply useless and a waste of time. You MUST stick with your characters personality, and not just using their words, but their actions and the way they view the world as well. If you don't...well, every character will be the same.

Say your character is fairly friendly, but is not quite the morning cat. Here is how you would effectively portray them (I will use Rushfur as a warrior.):

Sunlight. It was a wretched thing to behold when one was trying to sleep so peacefully. Most of the warriors den was empty, save for a few cats who were snoring away in the far corner. Grunting in frustration, Rushfur pulled himself up into a stretch. He was not exactly the heaviest of sleepers, and even the faintest light would awake him. So much for staying in a comfortable nest.

As he padded out of the warriors den, one of his fellow clan mates greeted him cheerfully. Rushfur could not comprehend how this cat could be so incredibly happy in the morning! There was nothing good about being disturbed from a deep sleep. With a less than friendly stare, Rushfur pushed himself past and made way for the fresh kill pile. Maybe that would help get him moving.

In the post I let the other posters and characters know that he has an issue with waking up. I made him irritable, frustrated, and in my post made the sun "wretched". This put the reader in a place of understanding how much Rushfur hates being woken up by the sun.

When you create your characters, be sure you create ones that are easy for you to work with. Then, once you are comfortable with those characters, create one that is the polar opposite of what you are used to. So if you can roleplay a cat that is super cheerful and loves everyone, then try creating a cat that is prickly and anti-social. Once you adjust to it, they are fun to write about and gives you more of a challenge. Push your boundaries! Try out something new.

Make your character realistic to give your posts more depth. Saying that he is anti-social and actually portraying it are two different things. He will have his talkative moments, but if you give him the trait of being withdrawn then allowing him to be social and friendly all of the time ruins that part of his personality. It takes some work, but it is worth it in the end.