Okay, I have noticed this is a really BIG problem among RPers.
Do you know what it is?
STAYING IN CHARACTER.
First of all, if you go OOC (Out Of Character) every few MINUTES, DAYS, MONTHS...you get the point. If you decide to go OOC, you lose the effectiveness of your character. EPICLY.
I'm not saying you can't be yourself.
I'M SAYING, YOU SHOULDN'T BE YOURSELF WHEN YOU'RE PLAYING SOMEONE ELSE, YOU DIPSHIZZ.
If you are a cannon character, obviously, you're a cannon character. But when you start acting like yourself in the middle of it without putting anything like () or [] or anything to distinguish you speaking as a person from your cannon role, I just wanna ask:
WHO ARE YOU, YOUR ROLE OR YOU BECAUSE I CAN'T TELL FROM THE WAY YOU SPEAK. STUPID SCHIZOPHRENIC.
*calms down*
In all seriousness, you took the role to be IN character. If you can't do that at certain times...well, don't call yourself an RPer. You stick to your role. If you want to be yourself, create an OC or something that you can be yourself with. Your RP role is JUST THAT. YOUR ROLE. YOU PLAY IT.
So...if you break character...you just stabbed your role like...six times.
Oh blah blah I've been told "It's harrrrd to stay in characterrrrrrrr!"
SUCK IT UP.
YOU WANNA BE AN RPER, YOU DO IT RIGHT.
STAY IN CHARACTER.
NO.
STAY.
You can even meet it HALFWAY. Say for example, you want to talk about how a certain actor or actress is, or the weather in your current location. You can STILL talk about it, but say it the way the CHARACTER would. Besides, for more "reserved" people, this could mean cursing your lungs out. And you know what? IT'S OKAY BECAUSE YOU'RE TECHNICALLY NOT YOU. That's what RPing is mostly about.
Ex: You play Naruto. You HATE the way your laptop keeps screwing with you and your internet, so you can say, "FUUU I need to do more missions because THIS DAMN COMPUTER ISN'T WORKING! D< Sheesh, when did internet in Konoha get so BAD?!"
Key words: Missions and Konoha.
I mean come on.
IT'S EASY.
If you have such a big problem with it, talk to someone else on the side, someone who knows who you really are. BE OOC THERE. Better yet, DON'T RP AS A CANNON CHARACTER AT ALL! Just remember where you're talking and don't make it public by accident. That jacks everything up. But in front of other people? Oh no no no. You maintain your poker face. THAT is what distinguishes the suckish RPers from the good ones.
OH YEAH.
I WENT THERE.
~Hime
Here's one that people often forget: When it comes to RPing as certain characters, your spelling and punctuation count. DEFINITELY. If you don't make proper sentences, you lose all affect your character may have on another person, not to mention you totally lose the character in general. To other people, misspellings and grammar mistakes among certain RP roles are just disgraceful. To other people, you look incompetent, ignorant, and overall inaccurate. I'm not talking about small mistakes like not putting a ' (apostrophe) when you're spelling "don't". I'm saying you shouldn't talk like you never went to school.
When you present your character, think about how it would fit with their personality. Your avatar (if there is one needed for your RP) should reflect how the character would want to present themselves. A character like Itachi would never put a "cute" picture up (i.e., a picture of him as a neko) but Naruto would. The reason is not "masculinity": it is simply the character's sense of humor.
ANYWAY, BACK TO THE SPELLING AND STUFF.
For example:
If you are playing someone like Kaname Kuran from Vampire Knight or Itachi Uchiha from Naruto, your grammar should probably be almost perfect.
Why?
Those characters have a "dignified" aura about them. You may TOTALLY lose their "voice" if you have EPIC FAIL English. So....aim more for:
Itachi: It was a pleasure meeting you, Hime-san.
And not:
Itachi: taht wasn't what i was trying to say.
THE EFFECT IS GOOOOONE.
For certain characters it's OKAY. Naruto and Luffy, for example, probably don't really CARE about proper English/Japanese as characters! Still, it's best to keep some sort of dignity.
Naruto: EXACTLY! I'M NOT TOTALLY ILLITERATE- TTEBAYO!
Itachi: *nods*
Naruto: But I HATE EDITING STUFF soo...erm. I'll just leave it. ^w^
Itachi:....
Naruto: WHAT?
Itachi: Nothing, Naruto-kun. Nothing at all.
Hope this helped!
The lovable Pervy Sage, JIRAIYA FROM NARUTO! *claps*
For Jiraiya, I didn't actually PLAN to play him. It just...came up. XD AND IT WAS SO FUN.
*Note: This is simply how I played him and how I succeeded in interpreting certain areas of his personality myself. An RPer/Actor will interpret a character differently depending on what kind of person they are.*
**PLEASE NOTE: MANY OF THESE "How to Play___" POSTS HAVE SPOILERS IN THEM**
Jiraiya of the Sannin is a PERVERT. He enjoyed peeping in the ladies' hot springs on occasion, even though he was also playing a dual "teacher" role. While in his "Teacher" mode, he wasn't the least bit perverted, but if he was, he always put his sensei-ship first. That's the deal with Jiraiya. Balance. While he has that "ero" in him, he's also a Sannin, a very skilled and intelligent shinobi and sensei, so he isn't just a perverted old man all of the time. The balance is usually the downfall for RPers when it comes to Jiraiya.
His speech is usually that of a mature person, but when it comes to the ladies or gathering research- sometimes, even with Tsunade- it switches from "No, I didn't think it was possible. I'll have to update you on my findings of Orochimaru later, Kakashi." to "BE QUIET! I'm gathering very important research. *nosebleed drips down his chin*" or even "OH HO HO, NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!
Another note: Jiraiya may be a pervert, but he's not a pedophile. He would never hit on young girls (and certainly not young boys, or any males in general). Also, there are times when he pushes aside his pervertness and becomes a man people can look up to. A hero. *small smile*that was a pun 8D
THERE IS A TRANSITION! XD
Facts that you should know about Ero Sennin:
What Ero Sennin really means
Jiraiya's birthday
Jiraiya's favorite foods
How he died
Who he is to the protagonist
Who he is connected to
His weapons/techniques
His "REAL" "love interest" (but that is in question.)
If anyone would like me to give advice on certain characters that I have played (just ask for Charries) just ask in the comment box! If I've never played them, I will try to find someone who has! *has a lot of RPer friends* XD
HOPE THIS HELPED!
Jiraiya: You know, that's not a bad picture of me up top, but...maybe you should've shown a little more...skin? You know, for the ladies? This old man's still got it, ya know. ;]
Hime: Go back into your cave, Hermit.
*Ciao*
Today I'm going to give you all another tip, but I'm also going to address a certain character. *points at title* If you understand who says that, you probably know. 8D
If you already have your character and you can "hear" them, you're pretty set to play them!...there's only one problem:
Even if YOU can hear the "voice" of your character, other people may not be able to.
WHY?
DO YOU EVEN KNOW THEIR FREAKING BACKGROUND?
NO?
S.O.B., GO READ OR WATCH THAT ANIME/MANGA AGAIN. THE BACKGROUND INFO CONTROLS THEIR ACTIONS.
You CANNOT, I repeat CANNOT play a character without knowing their ins and outs. Even if you know a LITTLE about your character, unless you can emotionally "connect" with them, you're doomed. I DON'T CARE IF YOU CAN HEAR THE VOICE. YOU SUCK. GO HOME.
All joking aside, if you, as an RPer, have no "connection" with your role and/or their "history", you cannot play them accurately!
For example:
To play the Sannin, Jiraiya (From Naruto), you must know that he is:
A. Tsunade and Orochimaru's comrade
B. An erotic novel writer
C. An AWESOME shinobi (you must know his techniques)
D. Hiruzen Sarutobi's student
E. Deceased
There are more, but those are the fundamentals! You must know them almost as well as you know yourself! You are trying to bring your role to LIFE. You cannot brush it off like some prick who doesn't know what he's doing! RPing is fun, but doing it right makes it even more fun! 8D Besides, then no one can criticize you as "not being accurate enough" and stuff. >:I People are mean, you know.
I'll post "How I Played Jiraiya" after this :D
HOPE THIS HELPED!
~Hime
Allo, allo, how do you do? ;D I'm glad you looked here, especially because Imma start putting up tips...starting...NOW. XD
First off, I know the biggest problem when people RP is deciding who to RP as!
Obviously, no one can play every anime/video game character in the world. No one knows EVERY series, EVERY move, etc, of EVERY known character in the universe. That would be weird. What you need to find is a character compatible to you!
How?
First off, who are your favorite characters?
Got them?
Good!
Second step: Which ones can you describe best?
PICK THEM. DO IT.
Good...
Now...how do they speak/act?
This is the hardest part because this is where playing the actual character comes in. However, if you've watched an anime or played a video game and heard the voice, write out a sentence you think the character would say and imagine "that" voice saying it. If it seems off either A. The character is not "alive" inside of your mind or B. That's simply not something that character would say.
FOR EXAMPLE:
Naruto (I love using Naruto for examples) can easily be "heard" when someone types something like this: "HOMEWORK!? WE HAD HOMEWORK!? GAAAAH!"
You could "hear" that, couldn't you? If not, go look up a video of "Naruto" with Uzumaki Naruto's voice in the audio. NOW compare it.
Try it with some other character that you want to RP as! GO AHEAD! You can continue with others until you enjoy one enough to want to stick with it!
FIRST STEP OF RPING?
Done.
;D
