Role play. One of the most used terms to describe taking on the role of another, and pretending to be them. There are many things that role play is used for, like Therapy, and ahem, sexual encounters if you're into that. However, for most teens and young adults these days, role playing has become more so to play out scenarios with their favorite TV Shows, or even original characters.
Role playing allows someone to go to a dream world, where they are in charge of everything around them, allowing them to create scenarios that would never have been possible. It's an escape from reality, and a breath of fresh air from the stress of our lives.
Until you wind up with a bad role play partner.
Or if you are a bad role player.
But never fear! Most people suck their first time. Role playing is a skill, and some people are naturals at mimicking a new role, while others need some practice. And unless you studied for hours, and worked hard on possible plots, and character development, then you probably will suck.
So, since I've been role playing five years now, and as a writer, I've decided to make a little book which will help everyone in their pursuit of being a good role player. After all, just because it may be enjoyable for you, the other person is probably strangling themselves thinking "Oh God, why?".
So let's get started on the basics.
Terms.
If you're new to role play, you'll probably know next to nothing about all the strange acronyms and lingo people are using. OoC? God Mod? Power play? Mary Sue? What are those? That's what probably went through your mind when you first had someone use those towards you. Or hopefully, only OoC, as we'll learn later on.
First off, let's look at what these basic basic acronyms mean.
OoC- Out of Character. When out of character, people normally put these words in a different paragraph, (or brackets like this), {though I use these}. Either way, out of character is where you are no longer role playing, but chatting. Talking. It has nothing to do with the role play. And if you are told information in this form, that your character doesn't know yet... YOU DO NOT USE IT. Also, it can stand for a character not acting like themselves. Like England wanting to have sex with everyone.
OC- Original Character. Do not confuse this for OoC. They are two different things. An OC is the term for a created character. It is nowhere in the original material even stated. Like for Hetalia, if you made a character for Mexico, it would be an OC, because Mexico is nowhere mentioned in Hetalia. However, if you make a character for Scotland, who is named in Hetalia, it is NOT an OC, as long as he is a he, as stated in Hetalia.
OCC- Original Canon Character. Very similar to an OC, only this character has been mentioned in passing in the Canon verse. Since Scotland was mentioned in name, he is an OCC.
Canon- Meaning what has actually happened in Hetalia. Your OC sleeping with France is not Canon. France trying to marry England is Canon.
God Modding- Biggest piss off you can ever do. This is where your character does something they should not be able to. Like if your character is human, and jumps fifty feet, that's not /physically/ possibly, cannot be done, will get you killed, and is not allowed. Ever. Or dodging every single hit. Dodging bullets. Not acting like someone just broke your character's fuc--er, leg. And hitting the character every. Single. Time. And not letting the other have a chance to dodge, or fight back.
Ex: "Mike kicked at Bob, breaking his ribs, followed by a tiger shaolin punch to the face, breaking his skull"
"{That's not fair! God Mod!}"
Power Playing: Okay, now this is the biggest piss off you will ever do. Not God Modding. Well, it depends, really. Power play is when you make someone's character do something, without your character physically moving them.
Ex: "Mike sat down. Bob was standing in the doorway."
"{Unfair! Power play! Bob was nowhere near the door!}"
Metagaming- Briefly mentioned before, this is the usage of OOC information. Say Bob likes ice cream, and Mike doesn't know this. Bob's role player tells Mike's role player this, and suddenly Mike knows! This is metagaming, and should not be done. It pisses people off.
NPC- Non-Player Character. This is like if your characters go to a restaurant, and a waitress shows up to take their order. All characters can control the waitress. She's not important. She doesn't even need a name.
NJC- Non-Joined Character. Much like a more developed NPC, who tends to be played by one person only, and only serves to move the plot along. They'll only come around when absolutely needed.
ICA=ICC- In Character Actions=In Character Consequences. Pretty much the presence of karma. If your character helps a stranger, they'll be rewarded, for kindness. If your character bad mouths a teacher, they get punished. Twisting this simple equation in anyway, is considered a sign of being a Mary Sue.
Mary Sue- Will be saved for a later chapter. Just know, we hates them, we does. A lot.
AU- Alternative Universe. Meaning it takes place in a completely different universe than the one they are in. Like, if it's for Hetalia, Card!Verse, or whatever, is considered an AU. Making the nations humans? It's an AU. It could be anything, really. A large, or small difference.
So those are the acronyms and terms you will most likely come across. Of course, most of these terms can also be used for writing Fanfiction as well.
But here's somethings that I feel you will need to know immediately for Hetalia role play. These two rules are the most often I see destroyed, and utterly forgotten for the fandom, which spurs Mary Sues.
1. You do not need to make a whole new civilization for Hetalia. There are plenty out there that haven't any personifications yet. Just make sure that if you make an OC for them, they have the right skin tone. An African nation should not be white.
2. Nations cannot have children. Sure, there is Egypt, and Greece, and Grandpa Rome, but it isn't known whether or not they actually gave birth to those nations. Especially since it is unknown if the Italies have parents. We could go into this whole big thing, and try to figure it out, but when you think about it, Egypt and Greece are probably the sons of Rome, if female nations can give birth.
This is a very complicated thing to try and make sense of(and is a plot hole in Hetalia, if it had a plot...). So let me get down to what I am trying to say.
If you have a girl nation, a male nation cannot get her pregnant. Two nations do not equal a city, or a state. They are not humans. France angst over this fact. They can't have babies willy nilly. Even if it's to give a personification to say, Andorra. Why? Because they would have had a personification since the start of the freakin' country! And don't even get me started on MPreg. Sealand is England's brother. Not his son.
While you're at, why don't you say South Italy is North Italy's father. That's pretty much what you do, every. Single. Time. You say Sealand is the son of England and America.
Also, if you are doing an AU, learn /how/ pregnancy works, and keep in mind in lasts nine months. Not ten days. You're already making Hima-Papa cry each time your OC gets pregnant.
Any questions you want answered in future? Leave them in the comments alone, and if I don't rant too much, I'll explain them too you, since those little boxes are too short for me to respond in detail. Also, if you need further explanation, leaving it in a comment. Want a topic covered? Leave it in the comment box. Got a deep dark secret? Leave it in the comment box. A bear ate your brother who knew your deep, dark secret, so you set him on fire? Tell us in the comment box! Want more blatant iCarly references? Tell us in the comment box!
