I’m going to start with some basic acronyms, their meanings, and what you need to do with them. This is just some information to get you started.
TL = Timeline
The stream of tweets everyone can see if they are following you or look into your tweet history. This is your public face.
DM = Direct Message
This is your private face. Storylines are often discussed and planned here. It’s also where RPers go for more private interactions (sex and porn). These messages are private, but don’t ever fool yourself into thinking you can get away with anything in them. If you are creeping taken people in DMs, it will come out. Some people prefer you ask before sending them any kind of private message. I normally don't care because I feel free to ignore any message I didn't solicit or I don’t wish to reply to.
SL = Storyline
Your whole reason for being in RP to begin with. These are your interactions with another, or several characters. You can have long term SLs that stretch over days and weeks, or single scene done over a few hours. Sometimes those scenes are part of your much larger SL. They can be reinterpretations of things that have occurred on the show or entirely original. Please don’t do a word for word reenactment of a scene from the show. We all have the DVDs.
The first thing you need to do if you’re going to RP us decide who you are going to be. Your initial question is MC or OC?
MC = Usually means Mature Content (Do I need to explain that?) but sometimes also means Main Character
This is someone who already exists in the book, movie, or show you are RPing. This person has history, mannerisms, and a personality already established. In RP, you are free to take your character in any direction you choose. You don’t need the same career, mate, or sexuality as the source material. However, if you are changing every single thing about the character why did you choose them in the first place? I caused a bit of a stir the other day by griping about swishy Damons. I have no issue with someone playing Damon as gay, but a giggly and effeminate girly-man is not only offensive to the character of Damon, but an oppressive gay stereotype that does not need to be perpetuated.
OC = Original Character
If you wish to have free rein to create your character, you can come up with a persona totally from scratch. This is something I can relate to as my original, main account is OC. This gives you a great deal of freedom, but doesn’t mean there are no rules and anything goes. You really should create a backstory and reason for your character’s existence. Who are you? Why are you in town? What is your connection? You should have a defined personality and style, a voice if you will. One that is just as clear as an established character. It may help to do a solo (described later) to introduce yourself to the community.
FC = Face Claim
If you are RPing an MC from television or film, this part is easy as there is already an actor or actress to use as the face you present in your RP. An example is from TVD, Klaus would have Joseph Morgan as a Face Claim. If you are OC, you also need to establish an FC. Find someone with many photos to choose from when the mood strikes you, but make sure it is not someone who has ever played a role on the show. There is no real rule against, it but it can be very confusing if your character is Suzie Smith, new to Mystic Falls, and your FC is Nina Dobrev, unless you intend to be a long lost doppelganger. Also, try not to grab a FC that someone well-established in the community has already chosen. Again, there is no real rule, but copying too much of another person’s role is rude and can cause you to have issues fitting in.
UN = User Name
Along with the straightforward name you will give yourself, (ex: Elijah Mikaelson) you will also need a twitter UN. Try to find something that fits the character you have created and be innovative. The thesaurus is a great place to find words to use if what you have your heart set on is taken. Try to avoid numbers that have no meaning (@ElenaGilbert1234) as it is confusing with the 100 other people that have that in their UNs. This will be the name people get to know you by even more so than your regular name so take your time with it.
ACCOUNT = Now it is time to set up your account so people have a feel for you to know if they wish to follow or RP with you. You can constantly modify or update these items and people often are very creative.
BG = Background
You see those clouds floating around your screen on your new account as the twitter default? Get rid of them. It looks like you aren’t seriously into RP and won’t stick around to carry out storylines. You can replace it with a picture of your FC, a collage, or even some kind of mood setting wallpaper.
AVI = Avatar
This picture appears beside every tweet you send. Close up pictures are better, especially for when people are mobile. Personally, I think a gif avi is an abomination, but that is your choice. Think of it as the face people will be talking to.
Header =
This is the area between your Avi and your BG. You should replace this as well. Be aware of how it will look with the Avi on top. This is another chance to sell yourself to other RPers.
BIO = Biography
An interesting BIO alone can get you many followers, but it also is a place to put several important bits of information about your account. There is a lot to cram in, so use space judiciously and every available field.
18+/21+/25+, etc.
These are age requests and please respect them. There is nothing that will piss off an RPer faster than having 21+ in your bio and being followed by 14 year olds or have people bitch that you post mature content. The age number is a warning people! Heed it. And please don’t lie about your age. No RPer wishes to get into a legal trouble by exchanging sexual storylines with a minor.
Taken/Single/Married
An RPers relationship status. This is taken very seriously by good RPers. Do not come on to someone who is taken, either in the timeline or in DMs. It’s very tacky.
Straight/Bi/Gay
Should be self-explanatory, but occasionally a clueless person will ask an Alaric, “Why are you in love with an Elijah? I thought you were just with Elena?” when it clearly says “Bi” in their BIO.
AU = Alternate Universe
Sometimes people feel the need to add this to their BIO if they are RPing an MC that they have taken in an entirely new direction and ignoring canon. My feeling is we are all AU and find it unnecessary, but that is your call.
Multi-SL/Multi-RP/Multi-verse
Some characters have entirely separate SLs going on at the same time. They may be mated to different people on them, different careers, or completely different circles of RPers. Some consider themselves multi-RP because they have so many going on, even though it is the same universe and they actually all overlap. I consider my main account multi-RP because I always have 4 or 5 short or long term SLs going at the same time, even though it is all within the same circle of friends and I will only ever have one mate.
Location
Use this field for where you character lives, but you don’t need to be literal like “Mystic Falls”. For the longest time, I was “In Damon’s Bed”, which was almost literally true. I still am located there, it’s just not in my BIO.
Website
If you have a website, tumblr, fanfiction account, or even a gif that gives your character more color, put it in here as well.
Tips on Getting Started
You’ve created your character and now you wish to get started. First, if you have never RP’d and have no established credibility, wander around the RP community of your choice to get a feel and follow a bunch of people. Some will automatically follow back and others may not. I only follow people I have spoken to or have a bunch of tweets I can look at to judge ability. Sorry, but you will be judged in RP on your literacy and creativity. If you use text speak or very poor grammar, you won’t have talented RPers interact with you. I give a lot of leeway to people with English as a second language, because it is impressive to be multilingual.
Posting a solo is a great way to introduce people to your character and something people can look at to determine your posting style and decide if they wish to follow or RP with you. A solo is a series of tweets directed to no one that tells a mini-story. Start with #Solo on the first tweet and finish with #EndSolo or something similar on the final tweet. When doing a series of tweets, be sure to show that there are more tweets to follow by marking each one in some way (Ex: +, -, or ~). Be consistent with whatever you use. You will also wish to mark internal thoughts or stage direction in some way. I use “*”, but others use parentheses or brackets. You can use whichever you prefer. Here is an example of a series of tweets with internal thoughts and stage direction:
*Moving briskly to the center of the room, I stand firmly between @UN1 and @UN2, prepared to do whatever is necessary to prevent +
+further bloodshed.* I don’t care how angry you are @UN1, you cannot attack @UN2 and expect to come out unscathed. It’s time you +
+accept that your place is no longer here. *I glare at @UN1, hoping my words will be enough.* ( @UN2 )
As you can see from the above, I incorporated the UNs into the body of the tweet, as in a conversation. You don’t have to do this, but it serves two purposes:
1. It makes the tweets more fluid and appear more interactive.
2. If you have a UN at the beginning of a tweet, the only people who will see it are people who follow both of the people in the conversation. This may be what you want, but by putting something else as the first character, everyone can follow your RP.
Etiquette
These are personal to me and many of the people I RP with. Others may vary and you may find your own down the line, but you can’t go wrong with a few tips to help you steer clear of behavior that will run people off.
1. If your very first words to me are “follow back?”, I likely won’t. I don’t know you or what you’re like. However, I will talk to anyone. If I have a nice conversation with you, I will probably follow you without you even asking. If we’ve RP’d and I haven’t followed you, it may just be an oversight on my part and feel free to nudge me. That doesn’t offend me at all.
2. Starters - If you ask to RP with me, please be prepared to create a starter, which is the first series of tweets that set a stage for a SL, either short or long term. If I ask to RP with someone, I expect to do the same. It is only courteous. And for the love of god, if you send a one tweet starter about bumping into me at the Grill, I will ignore you and hate you forever. Kidding! Maybe. This is where you may flesh out thing in DMs, especially if more than 2 people are in a SL to determine the order of replies. If it is just the 2 of you, you can just wing it, which I often do as well.
3. FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE IF YOU RP EVERY RESPONSE SHOULD ADVANCE THE SL!!!!!
I hope you have senses my emphasis on this point. If all you are doing is commenting on what I have said and reiterating the SL to this point in your own words, I may as well just write a solo. It is incredibly frustrating and too much effort to RP with someone who gives you nothing to work with.
4. Don’t bitch at someone that you don’t like their SL. UNFOLLOW. Why would you continue to read something that you dislike? It is your issue and not theirs.
5. Be aware of constantly posting #OOC or Out of Character, especially if you are RPing the opposite sex. There is nothing that can throw you faster than Elijah griping about cramps. That is what your real life twitter is for and not RP.
6. Don’t be so judgmental. This is fantasy RP. Crazy stuff can occur that isn’t anything like RL (real life). Murder, bigamy, adult incest, and sado-masochism are all fair game. If something bothers you, again, unfollow. All veteran RPers know not all of our SLs are for everyone. The mature thing to do is quietly unfollow. The immature thing to do is loudly proclaim all over your TL about an RPer and their SL in an attempt to gather a mob together to attack the RPer. Bullying is ugly, even in RP. Don’t live out your Mean Girls fantasies in RP just because you are a victim in RL. This should be a safe place for everyone.
7. Behind every RPer is a real person. We can easily blur the line no matter how hard we try not to. Don’t do anything to another RPer (lie, cheat, or manipulate) that you would not like to have happen to you in RL. My favorite moment of clarity in all this was when a RL friend commented about my RP life, “Well, as long as it doesn’t interfere or take away from your RL relationships.” It was that moment I realized that these people are part of my real life relationships. It isn;t one or the other for me, but a blending. I have become close to several people outside of our RP existence that I would absolutely consider RL friends and I hope they feel the same way about me. Never forget in RP that someone exists behind that AVI and UN, and maybe people will remember that about you as well.
ABOUT MY RP ACCOUNTS
Main Account - @MaddieBH - Madelena Salvatore
A 500 year old Fae who was trapped within the walls of the Salvatore Boarding House, but now have a body and a life outside of it. I have a core group that I RP with, but I love to bring new people in. I throw fabulous parties under the tag #SBHParty and will even plan them for other upon request. I am married to @BlueSalvatore (Damon Salvatore) and we are expecting our first child @RinaSalvatoreBH (Marina Salvatore).
Secondary Account - @VampQueenBekah - Rebekah Mikaelson
My Bekah doesn’t wish for the cure and I am very attached to my older brother. Don’t screw with my family and please be accepting of my need to occasionally spam the TL with porn. I am currently single.