homestuck-askblog-help

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Template for quitting a blog

Leaving a blog can be a hard thing for some, especially if you are friends with the people on the blog. But leaving a blog can be for the best if you can't find time for it. Here is a template you can fill in and send to the owner of a blog if you wish to quit.

"Hello! I'm (your characters name) on (askblog name) and I have unfortunate news, I have to leave the blog because (insert reason) I had a lot of fun on the blog and I will continue to support the blog in the future! Have a good day!"

Reasons for leaving that you can put:

Too busy with school or work

Stressed with family problems

Not enough time

Can't get on the computer enough

Computer troubles

Always send the message to the blogs OWNER through skype or tumblr, don't send it to the blog or through a group skype chat.

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Once you've quit a blog

When you leave a blog, it might be very tempting to go back on the blog to see auditions for the character that you left as.

DO NOT DO IT

Most blogs wont change the password for the blog if one or two people leave, so getting onto the blog after you left is easy and may be tempting, but in respect to the blog and it's owners please do not do it.

When you leave a blog, do not meddle in it out of respect to the owner. 

Also do not delete auditions, asks, or the blog itself, I don't care how angry you are at the owner JUST DON'T GO ON THE BLOG AFTER YOU LEFT.

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Just a reminder, we also do cosplay advice/ cosplay rates/ audition advice/ask blog rates!

Send them here!

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Asking questions towards a character

How to ask a question towards a character:

Mention the characters name!

Don't be rude/mean/degrading

Don't harass a character if they haven't answered your question

If you think it's been asked before, it probably has

Don't ask anything over pg13 if it's a pg13 blog

If you ask a multi-character ask, it wont be answered for a long time.

Don't compliment the cosplayer through the blog, there are personal blogs for a reason.

Don't ask for personal help

Don't talk about self-harm, suicide, or threaten your life

Be nice and respectful

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Posting for the first time

The first post you make is super important and exciting! It lets the followers finally ask you questions and interact with you!

When posting for the first time, make sure you post something along the lines of "Hi, my name is [character name], feel free to ask me some questions!" because who can go wrong with that?

You don't have to answer all questions you're asked! And if there's a question you don't want to answer you aren't obliged to! I know it's an ask blog but if a question makes you uncomfortable etc etc you don't have to answer it.

Also, don't feel bad if you don't get as many questions as you hoped/didn't get any at all! Keep in mind that if the blog is small and if it doesn't have many followers then you might not get asked many. But you can always ask the other members or a mod to send you some! And you can always ask yourself some questions - there is absolutely nothing wrong with that at all.

Make sure you tag your posts with your characters name! That way you'll be easy to find when someone searches for your tag on the blog!

Happy posting!

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Asking questions towards a cosplayer

How to ask a question to a cosplayer

Blogs usually have a cast page, find the cosplayer, go to their blog and ask the questions! (This includes questions about their cosplays or compliments)

How to ask a question to a cosplayer through the ask blog

Don't.

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Does either mod have any suggestions for good blogs? I want to join one but I can't find any good ones :(

Well it really depends on which character you’re looking to audition for, but I’ll give you a bunch of ask blogs and whats different about them and you can do your own research after that!Regular ask blogs

pester-stuck has a nearly full cast but my favorite ask blog by farcaptchaloguekids really great cosplayers and hardly any cast

ask-shenaniganstuck a large, popular ask blog with wonderful cosplayers

start-gigaplay a growing ask blog with a large cast and adorable cosplayers

Choose your own adventure

command-a-homestuck has a semi-full cast but great potential

AU Blogs

hivetrapped (species swap) hardly any cast, looks great so far.

prohibition-stuck (prohibition era) a super interesting and original au with wonderful portrayals!

Parody Blogs

ask-fanonstuck hilarious, this blog makes me laugh so hard

-Mod Jane & Mod Roxy

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Group chats

If the ask blog you've joined required your Skype name in your audition, you're most likely going to be added and even put into a Skype group along with all the other members!

Now, these Skype groups will have rules, but first let's talk about when you first get added into the group chat! There will most likely be a bunch of other people there, and you may be nervous but don't worry! They're all just cosplaying cutie nerds just like you are! Honestly when you first arrive, just introduce yourself! 

For example: "Hi I'm Leanne and I go by she/her pronouns! I'll be Roxy on this blog and it's super nice to meet all of you!"

Just generally be nice, you know? Consider the blog to be a new family of yours!

Next up, Skype group chat rules. There will most likely be rules in the chats, and those could include no triggers, no spamming, etc etc. Some ask blogs have two skype groups - one for casual talking and another for announcements. The announcement chat shouldn't have any casual chatting within it and should be strictly used for important notices or to say when you're getting online.

Sometimes Skype group chats will get hectic - especially if it's a large amount of people! If you find it overwhelming, you can turn off the Skype notifications or just ask your friendly neighbourhood mod if you're able to leave the chat.

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How to not be a asshole on a askblog

This is going to be super long and cover many topics so stick with me here.

How to be considerate

Understand that your co-members are human too. Members are not play toys and they need to be treated with respect. Don't start drama with them, that will get you kicked off the blog faster than you can say sorry. This means do not vague post about other members, do not talk shit about them, just don't be a asshole. If someone is starting something with you, report it to a mod or the blog leader and they will clear it up. If it doesn't, you have the right to leave.

 What is PG13?

PG13 means everything you post has to be PG13, no exceptions. I don't care if you think that a question would be funny with a certain answer. This means no nudes, no sexually suggestive content, nothing that could get someone thrown in jail for seeing! This is not body shaming this is simply just a matter of truth. If you are asking questions, do not ask anything over pg13.

Here's some example of bad questions:

What are triggers?

Definition: A topic, phrase or word that emotionally sets someone off. Could refer to anger, or reliving a traumatic experience.

If you are posting on a ask blog. Tag. Any. Triggers. Askblogs gain a large following and if for some stupid reason you decide to talk about self harm, or you do blood makeup, or you talk about suicide you have hundreds if not thousands of people seeing it. "But people ask everything to be taaag. People are being pissbabies they can live with itt!" I hear you whine, you are an asshole. Just tag triggers.

Sticking to rules

If a blog head makes rules, you have to stick with them. Don't be that person who gets kicked off a blog for thinking you know better than the blog head. If they tell you not to follow random blogs, don't do it. If they tell you not to like random posts, don't do it. If they tell you not to do something, don't do it. It's as simple as that.

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Being Declined

Being declined can really suck. But take it as a learning experience! Here's some dos and donts on being declined.

Do:

Review your audition and see what might of turned them away

If they cast another person as the character you auditioned for see who it is and see how they did it better

Take it as a learning experience, you know better for next time!

Realize there may be personal reasons they chose another person over you, don't beat yourself up over it!!

Keep on supporting the blog!

At most send them a quick message OFF ANON asking what you could improve on!

Don't:

Send hate

At all

Don't send anything mean because you got turned down

Send hate to someone they chose over you.

Unfollow the blog

Cry, the worlds not over because they said no

Threaten them

Rant about it on your personal blog

Be a asshole to them.

Spam them with messages asking why they didn't pick you.

Basically don't be a crybaby

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Being Accepted

Congrats! You made it onto a blog! Now let's go through the process.

The blog mod should have given you instructions onto what is next, whether they're adding you to skype chats or they gave you the log in details and you're free to go, you should probably read over the rules again.

Whatever the mod says is the next step you have to wait until the mod says you're free to start posting, however long that may take!

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Auditioning

Before auditioning, make sure you have read over the guidelines a few times that the blog may have, to get a sense of what you'll need to know. It's important that you do this. If they have rules, make sure you read them! They're not there for decoration. Someone's taken the time to write them and it wont hurt to read through. If you don't understand a part of the rules, don't be afraid to ask them. The mods are there to help you out!

Once you understand and comply to the rules, then you can start filling out the audition! Many blogs have different ways of auditioning. Some have specific forms you fill out, and some have a guide to follow. Some ask you to submit the audition to them and others ask for you to email it to them. Make sure you understand which ones you're doing! Follow the form/guide as best as you can.

You'll find that every ask blog will ask you to provide a sample of your roleplaying, either freestyle or they'll give you questions to answer. Now, how do you know how much to write? Unless they give you a specific amount, write as much as you're comfortable with. Don't write a sentence for one question - show the mods what you're really capable of! Show off your rad roleplaying skills and catch their attention! It's good to give them an excellent roleplay which will help them decide.

You will also be asked to provide an image or gif of your cosplay. It's highly suggested that you are aware of how to make gifs. Whether you use imageflip or GIFpal - it's required to answer questions with. When providing your image/gif, make sure you send them ones which you can clearly see your outfit in. Most blogs only require waist-up cosplays due to gifs. If you're unsure of how many to show, select a few, or, if you have a tag for that cosplay on your personal tumblr, link them to it!

When filling out the audition, fill everything out to the best of your ability. Many ask blogs require you to have a Skype for easy contact and group chats. It's also good to tell them your preferred name + pronouns if it isn't already asking for those.

When you think you're finished with your audition, read over it and make sure everything is all there! I would suggest that you copy and paste your audition into a word document in case it doesn't send.

What if your audition didn't send? There's no harm in checking. You can simply message the blog once you send your audition, asking them to confirm that they've recieved it.

If a blog is taking a long time getting back to you do not spam their inbox with threats! The most you need to send is a simple "do you still have my audition?" Even that could be a little annoying to the blog's mods so be careful! Bugging the blogs mods can make them angry and lower your chances of getting in!! If a blog takes more than a month to get back to you, you probably didn't want to join their blog anyway.

And then you just have to wait for their reply!

Happy auditioning!

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Choosing the Right Blog

Choosing a blog that's the right fit may take a little searching! Once you feel confident in your cosplay enough to show it off search for a blog that seems like you could enjoy. If you've never been in a blog before I would suggest you join a small blog with little followers, just so you get a grasp on how to do things! Make sure you're willing to keep up with the blog and the amount of times they require you to be online - activity is important for a good blog!

Putting this in bold because it's important: Make sure you read the entire blog before you audition, read all the about, read the rules, read everything you can about the blog. And make sure you read the rating, if you are under 18 do not choose a 18+ blog!

Here is a guide I use when looking at blogs!

Do they have a organized blog?

Do they post regularly?

Is the blog fun? Or are they only serious.

Is it a PG 13 blog? (If you are under 18)

Does it have a au that I like?

Does the blog seem friendly and welcoming?

If you find everything about the blog to your liking then move onto the next step, auditioning!

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Checking to see if a character is open

When looking to join an ask blog, you, of course, want to know who's available to see if you can audition as someone.

First of all you want to see how many cast-related pages the blog has. Do they have a list consisting of all characters that are open/taken/reserved? Do they have cast pages? If so, make sure you definitely check both of those. It gets a little annoying to mods of ask blog's when people ask who's open even though there's a whole list of characters, so check before you ask!

What if the cast list says one thing, and the cast page says another? What if it doesn't clearly show the available characters on the blog anywhere?

Then you should ask! Send a message to the blog asking if the character you want is open and await for the reply!

Happy character checking!

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This is a beautiful thing you have here

Thank you! We hope this blog is helpful to people once it's fully set up!

-Mod Jane

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Advertising Your Blog

Advertising your blog for followers is a great idea, just don't spam your followers! Here's some examples: Do: Promo your blog!

Don't: Be annoying with it.

Note: Posting it 300 times a day will annoy your followers, don't do it.

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Why skype is important for ask blogs!

Skype gives the members of a blog the freedom to talk to one another! It also gives members easy access to talk to you to clear up any concerns one may have! I recommend having 2 chats, one for casual chatting between members and a work chat for a member to post when they are going online. While skype chats are not needed it is highly recommended!!