@redsixwing So… How do I actually interact with your muses? Would love to RP with you but I’m always too shy to ask this stuff.
:’D Aw, babe! I had no idea or I’d have pounced long ago! XD
Hope you don’t mind, I thought I’d turn your reply into a new post in case there are other hesitant would-be-RPers out there who’d like a starter-kit for interacting with RP blogs. 🙂
Keep in mind that all RP blogs are different and have a variety of preferred styles! Some popular formats include:
A) The Traditional Ask Blog: Anyone, with or without an RP blog, can send questions to this blog and receive in-character answers. It’s like a Q/A booth for the character. Usually they operate in first person, and in my experience, they cycle through bursts of activity and down-time. They tend not to do RP threads. Sometimes use RP memes and other prompts to initiate interaction.
B) The Traditional Paragraphers: Tend to only interact with other RP blogs. RP posts usually begin with a long, formal starter that sets the scene and introduces the characters. Replies tend to be long and in third person, and they usually keep all separate interactions and threads methodically tagged.
C) The Chain Askers: These blogs send and receive in-character asks from the people they’re roleplaying with, and rather than consolidating the RP into a thread using reblogs, they send their reply directly to their RP partner’s blog. These blogs can be difficult to keep track of if you’re not following all parties involved in the RP, but they are also usually more open to quick replies, improvised interactions, and casual RP. They usually, but not always, use first person for their in-character posts.
D) The Mash Up: (That’s me). These blogs use some or all of the above methods. There are varying levels of in-character posts and OOC posts. Sometimes functions as an aesthetic blog for their character. Often use memes and other “canned” starters to initiate RPs.
E) This Is A Side-Blog I Never Check/I Only RP With My Squad Blog: I have a couple of these. These are niche RP accounts that usually house a secondary RP muse, or a mun that is only really interested in RPing with a particular set of other RPers for their character. Activity levels may vary. Sometimes secretly crack blogs.
F) I Am Dead: this blog is dead. Check when the last posts were made. No one lives here anymore. To send asks to this blog is to shout into the wind.
–A good first step to interaction is ALWAYS to just look at the blog! 🙂
Read whatever “rules and guidelines” pages they have up, check out their headcanon tags, and just generally see what other people are posting. Also, sometimes blogs will used“Open/Closed” signs to indicate whether or not they’re ready to play.
–Second step: determine whether this blog is open to interacting with anons or non-characters. If they’re open to taking questions from the public and you want to just shoot their character some questions or prompts, go for it!
–Wait until they post an open prompt, meme, or starter, and just jump in! 🙂 RP memes a great way to break the ice and shake things up. That’s WHY people do RP memes: to explore new kinds of scenarios and throw together characters that wouldn’t meet otherwise! This makes a perfect opportunity for you and/or your muse to introduce yourself and get an in-character repertoire going.
–If it looks like the muse you want to interact with only RPs with other RP accounts, think about whether you’d like to start an account yourself. It depends how attached to the fandom you are, and whether you have a character that really speaks to you, or if you want to make on OC that can play in the same sandbox. Sometimes it’s worth it, sometimes it’s not. XD That’s a lot of work if all you want to do is play with one muse! But hey! Man! That could be fun too! No one is stopping you. 🙂 Making RP blogs is fun and there’s no Cabal of Tumblr Roleplay that’s decides how you should do it.
–An alternative to this would be to contact the mun you want to play with, and see if they’re amenable to RPing privately on Skype or on chat! This is a GREAT option if you’re kind of “meh” about making a whole blog for RP, or don’t have a solid idea for a muse, or want to experiment with a bunch of different muses, or what have you. 🙂 Skype RP moves a lot quicker than Tumblr RP, and can be much more fluid and forgiving if you’re just starting out. Also, privacy is nice for some of us. Not everyone wants to make their RPs available to the whole world, and that is 1000% Absolutely Fine And Okay.
–Contacting the mun you want to play with is always a good option if you have questions about what they are, and are not, open to RPing. Sometimes it’s good, even necessary, to have a chat beforehand about headcanons and styles and squicks to determine whether or not you two are compatible RP partners. If you’ve got an idea for a long, complex, threaded RP with a sweeping story arc and a particular scenario that you want to plot out– you gotta do some meta gaming with your partner, or you run the risk of bad communication ruining everyone’s fun, or potentially hurting feelings.
😀 I hope this helps assuage any fears of potential RPers and answers your burning questions about how to interact with the lawless playground of sin and heartbreak that is Tumblr RP. Go forth with my blessing!
MisbehavingMaiar: Tumblr Archive 