Your approach to role playing

[cv]

OK most of us here do it so, I am sure you have different setups. I am just wondering how many of us do it in similar fashion.

I think depends on the mood I am in but usually I tend to read a response or opening RP a couple of times. Noting various things placement, what was said etc.

Normally figuring out how my character will enter takes only a few moments, then I open word up and type. Sometimes with music but mostly without I am not sure if it affects my role plays or not.

Length equals better role plays? For me not always, when I read a lengthy RP I need to be interested throughout when I'm not I tend to skim the rest. I try to keep mine interesting whether I succeed or not is a different matter but mine tend to be longer than average.

Format I tend to keep a relatively simple format centered and italic with each of my characters having a different color for speech. Actions and thoughts I put into one with the default color. I have also recently within the last month or so tried to insert pauses in the speeches to match how wrestlers deliver their lines so they have the dramatic impact you see on TV.

Also I try to describe the places and add some more detail, though I do leave somethings left out I am looking to improve my writing skill and yes some may notice my grammar is far from the best but in my defense I failed English

With me and I think this counts for a lot of people here playing the heel is a more natural role for me, as most of my more memorable characters were heels and not baby faces.

So that is pretty much mine so how do you prepare or get in the mood to RP?

[Chris Lionheart]

I actually think Faces are easier to RP, or at least RP over a period of time. If a character is heel and is cocky, saying he'll win but then looses... that can create a bad situation of egg on the face for that character, and is sometimes where some roleplayers 'get stuck'.

With me it comes down to time most of the time. I love to sit down and RP, but sometimes after I've done with Real Life stuff, or the staff end of Efed stuff I don't have the energy to RP... that's when I like to sit and read people's stuff before logging off for the night, to hopefully RP the next day.

[Haven]

A lot of what you all said I tend to do as well.

I think I RP too quickly for others to be honest. It feels like right after I RP something, someone then makes their (OA) topic that I could've jumped in lol

I like making an entrance with Haven, so coming in after an O2A fits him best to me.

I tend to write a lengthy RP at times, but try my best to keep it interesting. Though I'm not sure what grabs people yet.

If the topic is old, and in need of a rushed RP to get the match in, I'll say a few quick words and then leave though.

My format is pretty much the same as what was said above. I color the words of different people to separate them.

Haven's thoughts are colored in red, without quotations around them to separate them from his quotation surrounded blue colored speech.

I have to say, I believe that RP'ing as a heel is easier in being bad and saying wrong to someone else without remorse and trying to be PC is easier to do, than saying the right words as a face that would cross the lines.

Of course, some people probably don't care enough about how their character is perceived and will have a face replying with something that clearly a heel should have.

But I do agree that if you talk crap with the heel, and then lose the match, it leaves you with egg on your face. (Haven should know right?) But the same could be said for a braggadocios face as well when they lose.

I think it's all in how you as the handler take the loss. I do not like seeing Haven lose. At all. But, I try to play off what happened in the match to get what I want still. Examples///

"My foot was touching the rope and the ref didn't see that, and counted me out! I want...NO! I demand my rematch!"

"You used an illegal move (poke to the eyes) and then hit me with <insert finisher here> to win! You cheated the rightful winner out that match! I demand my rematch!"

...Haven demands a lot lol But that's how I work it.

Some handlers are too thin skinned to handle certain things I've noticed as well. So at times I send them an PM letting them know that it's only Haven's IC words, and that they don't necessarily reflect my own lol

I also love setting up a quick PM to those who aren't in to much of a rush, and set up how the topic will go.

Like if Haven is to be attacked, which I don't mind as long as we've talked about it, or vise versa, or if Haven is supposed to make a certain action.

A lot of the best topics to me have been the matches where it wasn't even a focus on the matches honestly.

I present Stacie Wilson and Haven's Magic City topic for Exhibit A.

I look to others topics for inspiration sometimes too. Misty is a favorite of mines, on how to use your words to "shock" and keep the reader interested in the topic.

Dupree, as I've told JL, is hilarious and ALWAYS worth a read. I look to add that to my RP's...Well, not all of it lol

Lauren on the background and realness to her and her family as well as her proteges.

Blaze, Sylas, for how well their often cocky words flow to get their point across.

Addy, with her unique and wild imagination on using her characters. I always find myself enjoying them regardless that they're supposed to be heels.

Joe B, for his comedy and lightheartedness with his "BWAZAAA" and all lol

Pyro, for his almost insane approach to how his character, Pyro, handled being the champion.

Murda/Knox, on his carefully worded dismissals to would be challengers, and reclaiming his title.

DJ, for how Xavier has said the right words, and backed them up, to rile Haven up. I'll use that against him if I can lol

I could go on, but I wont. Also, don't feel jaded if I didn't name you or your character lol This was for how I plan to use Haven and Justin for now. I do read everyone's RP's though.

[spyder]

My approach.... Hmm try to do the best I can and not fuck up basically.. Most of time I am rambling off random thoughts =P

[Sylas Styles]

With Sylas, I've always played him off as calm, cool, collective, methodical and often leaving people wondering what happened to him in his past, that made him who he is today. I've been using him as my main character since I was in my first smackdown simmed fed (Shut your mouth). His first year, he was 2nd in wins in one fed. Something like 76 - 30 - 4. So when he basicly stayed around the same w/l ratio the next year, I knew I was on to something with him, so I added a confidence in himself that began to show in his promos. His 3rd year, he was in VWE (only mentioning it for an example) and did what he did, which was alot of firsts for the fed, and forced new rules to be made. He then was voted in to become a LEGEND by his peers (Everyone in the fed, including staff). So that added on to his confidence in his abilities, and himself. He's also young, and extremely successful, thus young/cocky comes out in his posts. He's also very old school in wrestling belief... he'd rather wrestle technical, with submissions, and some good planted strikes, then to fly all over and rely on weapons.

- To actually write as him, I often sit and just pound it out, no prep, no nothing. I just sit, and write. If it's something of the darker variety, or something that is supposed to be well thought out, and methodical, I'll listen to Moonlight Sonata on repeat and write.

Now for Starr/Josilyn I read what someone has said before me in the thread. See if they made any mistakes, like talking without a mic, mispronouncing words, or leaving anything open for me to exploit, or use against them. There is ALWAYS something that can be used against them, either in their posts, or their character, or their matches. Both are a branch off of me, how I would think, how I would act, how I would talk in their scenario. Being a heel is the easiest thing to do... all you gotta do, is say all the wrong things, with all the insults, and make a caw that can back it up. And.. well... Starr backs it up.. I've made him the exact same since 2006. Same moves, or the closest to them if they have been taken out. Josilyn is me, if I was female.

- Both are easy to promo for me. I read it as myself, reply as myself, and do it with as many underlined insults as I can think of.

[cv]

Sept 18, 2009 19:12:55 GMT @spyder said:

My approach.... Hmm try to do the best I can and not fuck up basically.. Most of time I am rambling off random thoughts =P

Probably the best answer yet

I guess the face/heel thing is preference as I am normally more a fan of heels.

[Lilith]

As some of the people who are closer to me well know; I have zero self confidence when it comes to RP'ing. This has been true ever since I was in LXW, and it is true today.

As for the character control situation.. due to the previous handler of Lilith - and her incarnation of being able to gain absolute rage thrown at her/the character from any given angle /Be it IC or OOC/ I find myself somewhat sketchy on how to exactly play things out. That on top of the lack of confidence when I write tends to make some tense moments in any given thread I'm in. Trying to keep the brash, arrogant, egotistical, power hungry, lustful, sexually destructive and mouth-all-mighty side of Lilith in tact--

While adding a more 'human' side to her actions, characteristics and personality is... definitely the biggest challenge I've had thus far in my 'career' of RP'ing.

I have a lot of 'Role models' I look up to in terms of RP'ing, however I'm also aware that at the end of the day... these are all just characters. Even if someone screws up royally... it's not exactly life affirming.

[Adrian Taylor]

When it comes to RPing for me? It usually depends on the character that I'm RPing. Sometimes I like to go with a font that I think reminds me of the character I'm RPing. Or sometimes I just go with what is my current favorite (which is Rockwell right now. I used it for Kenisha's RP, and is Knox's font). When it comes to picking colors, I tend to go with black/white (whatever the forum color dictates) and a color that may be on my CAW. Sometimes it's the eye color like gold for Remmy and cyan for Alice. Or sometimes it's whatever the color attire they're wearing. Red for Knox and Blue for Kenisha. That's usually how my formats tend to go. Sometimes I'll shrink the font to size 1, if it's a whisper. Since I assume the size of the font implies how loud they speak. Or if it's in caps. lol I usually save italics for thoughts. Don't know why, but I've always associated the italic fonts for inner thought speech.

As for how I approach an RP? When I'm replying to people, I usually read over the RP atleast once or twice. Then I quote the post so that I have it there when I'm replying. Incase I forget something along the way. I'll have it quoted there and instead of scrolling up and down to read the post or switching windows, it's right there when I need it. After I feel like I've make a sufficient response, I delete the quoted RP from the other handler and make my post. That's almost always how I respond to another person's RP.

As for starting out my own? It depends on the character I'm RPing and the mood I am in. A lot of my characters aren't the same as one another. So, there are some scenarios that you most likely won't find one in. Like for example, you will probably never see Kenisha in a bar because she doesn't drink. Whereas, you'll probably find 187 or Remmy in a bar because they do drink, and excessively. XD lol Sometimes I churn out your typical cafe' entrance or the typical open challenge stuff. Kind of find it difficult to start up speech sometimes depending on what's going down. But once I get going, I get it going. Sometimes I'll turn on some music. Maybe even my characters theme music that I'm currently RPing to get 'into character' for it. lol

When it comes to the length of my RPs, I usually go for medium to longer RPs. Just because I like to get a visual image in my head of what the surroundings are, what is going through my characters head at the moment, and sometimes dropping my own commentary about the character and the situation. Or sometimes I'll drop in my characters own commentary, like an inner monlogue within my actions parts of my RPs. When it comes to responding to other people's RPs, I have found that I tend to adapt to people's RP lengths. Like if someone is a rather long winded RPer, I might make a long winded response. If someone keeps their RPs short and sweet, I might respond with a short and sweet RP. I think I just subconsciously do it without realizing it, but it was brought to my attention awhile back that I do it. lol

As for the Face vs. Heel thing for me? I think I do a good job of both. With someone like Crack or Remmy, I think I do a good job of being the 'good guy.' Then we get my tweeners who can do either like 187, Knox, and maybe even Smiley. I don't remember if I've ever RPed a full blown Heel. I know I've RPed some pretty nasty guys in the past, but they were usually storyline purposed and not really in the ring.

That usually my thought process most of the time. lol Think I touched up on a lot of what I do.

[simmer]

My RP's do tend to be very lengthy. I do my best to keep them interesting, or grab people's attentions. Way I learned from guys like Avenger & Lionheart (two of whom are my best friends, and also mentors whenever I came onto the efed scene in 2006). I learned that you have to be as detailed as possible, and never half ass anything.

As to how my RP methods usually go ? Well, some like I've seen Jay comment on above. It depends on my mood and whom I'm RP'ing with. If I'm in a very good mood. I can go in and deliver my best work usually (and keep on going for hours on end with a thead. Considering of course if the person I am RP'ing with is online & able to keep it going that long ). But anyways, I try to stay away from the *cough* 'Clique RP'ing' *cough* groups. I don't think its a problem at all to RP with friends. Just don't make a habit of it. Learn to go out and explore other avenues. RP with different people, and different characters. Not everybody can gel and pull off something cool. Thats just the way it is sometimes. But if you can ? Roll with it until you can't roll no longer.

Other then Genesis. Unfortunatly for me. My BIGGEST problem/issue is that I have never to date been able to get another character established, and out there like other people around me have done. I've just never been able to capture the same fire & magic that i've had with Gen. all these years with other ppl like a Damien Ortiz, or Jimmy Vain. To name a couple. Maybe with Terra, that will change. But its a wait & see at this point.

I'll probably add more to this thread later. But for now. That's some food for thought from your fellow 'king' .

[Morgan Bon Horney]

I just roll with whatever idea pops into my head upon reading the others' responses. If I'm unsure, I just pop on some music, to try and fit the mood I'm currently in. I have to be in the right mood to write something decent, otherwise the role-play just turns into a mess.

[The Natural]

Well for me I can pretty much roleplay any character weather its a face or a heel. Ive realized that overtime after being able to be Johnny Phoenix one moment, then going to Joe Bruiser the next, then Michelle Tosso, then Jean Bordeux. Only bothered me in the very begging to rp a face cause I was so use to Johnny being a heel that being a face character was unreal to me at the time. But I feel fortunate that I can rp pretty much anyone lol.

My rp's are different for every character but I always use italics and always use color for each character and the color depends on what color attire the character has. Johnny however for 09 I still use red since that was my old color for him and I just feel like he is to known for having red when he talks. The length of my rp's depend on the situation. If Im a dinner or bar thread they don't need to be long. But if its for a match. You bet your ass that it will be long enough to make it worth it.

I normally go with what I feel when it comes to rping. If I have an idea? I roll with it, if I don't? I go with what I feel lol. I enjoy rping character that come from different background. Johnny a male model from VA, Joe an ex boxer from Miami, Jean EVERYONES knows that story, Michelle Tosso the fresh out of high school girl ready for the world. All very different from each other. I am always up for a new challenge and ALWAYS open to storylines and feuds with anyone. I think that Johnny and Joe are very established characters in the fed world. Some will say that Michelle and Jean are established as well but I honestly don't think so.

My main goal after every post is to let the audience always wanting MORE> I know I fail at that alot but oh well it is my main goal lol.

[Haven]

^Hey!.....I didn't know that was you, Joe!