Know Thine Charrie

3. A roleplayer's characters must be an extension of themselves. There cannot be distance between the creator and the created. To effectively roleplay a character, one must know the character better than they know themselves.

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN ROLEPLAYING.
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN ROLEPLAYING.
Did you get that?
No?
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN ROLEPLAYING.

Take my character, Damien, for example.

At a glance, Damien is a hyper little pup with no cares. Looking deeper, however - his mother vanished when he was only days old. His father was lucky to find a she-wolf willing to take him with her own litter. He pretends that he doesn't care about anything, that his only interests are having adventures and traveling with his Appa. But inside, he's terrified that his father, whom he idolizes and adores, will get annoyed with his constant energy and abandon him. He's wounded that his Amma left, and desperately longs for her return. He can see that his Appa is just as torn up, can see that he doesn't hold out hope of her even being alive, still, let alone managing to find her. He knows his father has enough to worry about, so he puts up an act that never comes down.

Damien loves to stay up late at night and go out to look at the stars. He wants to be the greatest Alpha ever someday, and made his Appa proud of him because his pack would always be full and happy. He prefers rabbit meat to deer meat, and caribou to moose. He likes to snuggle up against someone when he sleeps and hates it when someone bites on his tail. There was a time when he was four months old when he fell on one of his adventures and fractured one of his legs, but didn't tell Berry because he didn't want him to worry.

I know all this about Damien. More than he has ever shown. His innermost thoughts dictate his every decision.

To roleplay a character well, you must have the same sort of connection.

This connection builds from the second of the character's creation. The instant you think, "I want a new character," the bond begins. It grows over time. I've had Damien for nearly a year. I know him. Not as well as Shadows, whom I've had for many years, or even my once-upon-a-time imaginary friend, from when I was five years old. But I have a special bond with him.

It's a wonderful thing. It's a necessary thing. In order to roleplay a character to their full potential, you MUST have this bond.

Your character should be one of your best friends. Closer to you than your siblings. Not a distinct being at all, but part of you in every way.

Having told you all about Damien, I myself feel bare; I feel as if I have personally told you every facet of myself.

Being Ignored

1. A roleplayer's status is determined by their reaction to being ignored more than the status of their character, the size of their introduction, or their post count.

One of the major problems I see is that, when not directly interacting with someone, a roleplayer were cease posting until someone notices their character.

When you have the house to yourself, and no one to talk with, do you slip into an alternate dimension until someone comes up to you? No? I didn't think so.

What do you do?

Perhaps read a book. Do you JUST read the book? Scan the words and turn the pages? Or do you absorb the plot and react to it? Do you have emotions when you read? Like a certain character more than another?

Guess what? Your roleplay character is the same way.

There's always something to post about, even if no one is interacting with your character. You have to MAKE something to post about. Human roleplay? Pull out a book; tell us what you're reading, and what you feel about it. Wolf roleplay? Go for a hunt, or patrol the land; get used to the setting, and tell us about what you think and feel, see, smell, hear. Horse roleplay? No problem, go for a graze. Watch a bird flying overhead. Stretch your legs, go for a good run.

Interaction is a major part of roleplaying.

But it's not the ONLY part of roleplaying.

NEVER forget that. Even if you can only post a sentence at first, keep at it. The skill will come with time, patience, and work.

And remember - rambling is not a bad thing. -wink-