#sorry if this is bad ettiquite or something

[somiemoved]

HELLO FOLLOWERS

Hey! There is somehow like 1300 of you that came out of me drawing block men (and occassionally women) and it would make me sad to leave all of you without a word! So if you are seeing this, I have moved to @somie !! Please go follow me there instead. I loved having this blog but also it came with many inconvienences like being unable to interact, comment, or even follow back since this is a sideblog. I hope to move my art over there soon, it’s a work in progress. Hope to see you there!! (if anyone has tips on moving blogs,, that would be much appreciated thanks!)

[tetranocular]

What rp ettiquite do you wish everyone knew?

oop sorry this is way late since i took a nap

i’m gonna ramble so im putting it under the cut

but anyways it’s not really one thing. it’s more just... there used to be a lot of unspoken rules back a few years ago that a lot of younger rpers just don’t seem to know. most of it is just how to behave out of character. being respectful of your partner and your rp partner’s time, and things like that. there’s also bits and pieces about how to take turns carrying the weight of the rp, because if you’re making only your partner have to lead the roleplay, it gets VERY tiring very fast

like, one of my biggest pet peeves from a lot of roleplays i do nowadays is having to be the one to keep the roleplay going. and it happens ALL the time. i’m on rolechat and cherp fairly often, and i almost always have to carry it. a vague example of this, where lets say im character a, is this-

character a: have you heard of this movie? i really enjoy it

character b: yeah it’s good.

replies like this make it hard to respond. where’s someone to go from there? when people make these curt responses that have no questions, no segue into another part of the conversation or even a new conversation, you’re forcing your partner to do it for you. it’s fine once in a while, if you don’t have any ideas, but it’s always just polite to share the burden. and it’s not that hard to do, too! the way i make sure my responses aren’t dead-ends is i try and always include something my partner can respond to. usually, a question, or some kind of prompt for them to talk. so instead of “yeah it’s good”, a more proper response would be something like

character a: have you heard of this movie? i really enjoy it

character b: yeah it’s good. did you hear about the scandal with the director though?

character a: oh no, i didn’t! i hope it’s nothing too horrible

character b: it’s not that bad, just interesting to read about. i think we should rewatch the movie anyways sometime

and so on. obviously this is like.. a silly little example with just dialogue, but you get what i mean. i feel like people ought to learn a little bit about how improv is done, because in improv, people would get really mad if you gave them responses that were such a halt in the flow. i think there’s really something to the improv rule of “yes, and”, along with some other rules

“1) Say “Yes’and!”

For a story to be built, whether it is short form or long form, the players have to agree to the basic situation and set-up. The who, what, and where have to be developed for a scene to work.

By saying yes, we accept the reality created by our partners and begin the collaborative process from the start of a scene. The collaborative process or group mind helps make us giants, animals, villains, saints and more importantly put us in situations that we would normally avoid.

2) After the “‘and,” add new information.

An improvised scene can’t move forward or advance unless we add new information. That is why new information is added after the “Yes” of “Yes ‘and!”

Example:

Yes, I washed big dawg and I fed him your steak too!

Rather than:

Yes, I washed big dawg. (SILENCE)

Example:

Yes, I accept being your assistant Heir Doctor and will gladly get you the princess’s body from the morgue tonight.

Rather than:

Yes, I accept being your assistant Heir Doctor. (SILENCE)

Saying “Yes’and” does not mean there will not be conflict or that we would accept something our character would not accept.

3) Don’t Block.

The opposite of saying “yes’and” is blocking or denial.

Denial destroys or stops the addition of new information or worse negates what has already been established. Blocking is a way of minimizing the impact of new information. It is also a method for the performer to play it safe. The performer maintains control and avoids vulnerability by blocking. But in improv we say the opposite of what we would say in real life, “go there.”, rather than don’t go there.

Blocking at its simplest levels involves saying “no,” or avoiding a subject. At a more advanced level, blocking is something that keeps the action from moving forward or the players from changing.”

(from here https://www.pantheater.com/rules-of-improv.html)

now of course, i feel the need to mention that “yes” doesnt mean you always agree to things like questions, but rather, you agree to the setting your partner has laid out for you. likely, they have ideas for how they want to proceed, and blocking their story from unfolding just makes it more difficult on the both of you. keeping the flow going is important for both of your enjoyment, so when you block or refuse to fully engage with what your partner is giving you, it makes the roleplay stutter a bit, and your partner suddenly needs to find some other way to keep it going, or else it’s just going to die out

now, obviously you don’t NEED to do what i say, i’m not some big authority on roleplay, but the amount of times i’ve dropped roleplays because my partner was dragging their feet through the whole thing, expecting me to carry the entire plot, or constantly blocking every idea i feed them is WAY too much. if you rp, consider how fair you’re being to your partner, and whether the rp is fun for them, or a chore. and if you’re uncertain where to go, there’s nothing wrong with talking to your partner ooc to figure out where you guys want to go and how you’re supposed to get there. things like timeskips are your friends, but it’s usually polite to ask before going ahead with them

all in all, the main thing is just to respect your partner, and try and make it fun for the both of you. roleplaying shouldn’t feel like a chore, and being educated about how interesting dialogue unfolds in stories and improv can actually help both you and your partner really enjoy your rps more!