A Guide to Soaping/Roleplaying
- Locked due to inactivity on Aug 4, '16 4:28pm
Thread Topic: A Guide to Soaping/Roleplaying
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If you didn't notice, some people in this forum have different definitions to the terms Roleplaying (RP) and soaping. Here, I'll use my definition of the two, but you don't have to agree.
1x1 Soap
In a 1x1 Soap, there are only two users that are soaping. Some tags that are used on other sites have a catchy title and the two users names. (E.X.: The Battle for Love; Dark22978 and ThisWriter) There is no limit to how many Original Person (OP) or Original Characters (OC) that you can use unless one of you wants a limit.
1x4+ Soap
In a 1x4+ Soap, or a Group Soap, the creator has offered to allow more than one person join in. Some tags might be a catchy name, the number of people, and expectations for writing. (E.X.: The Evil Ones; 1x6; Expert Writers or Riding with Vampires; 1x3; Beginning Writers) Most of the time, there's a limit to how many characters because it's not just two people.
1x1 Roleplay
A 1x1 Roleplay is when two people bring in random OPs or OCs and have them interact. Some users have different accounts for there OPs/OCs, and start out a thread that is usually very random. (E.X.: User called Ilya (really an OP/OC) starts a thread with the title "I RAN INTO A BRICK WALL.")
The Difference Between Soaping and Roleplaying
You're probably reading this and wondering, "They sound pretty much the same. What's the difference?"
If you think of them as different things, they have a big difference, which is the typing style. In a soap, it's like you're writing a book. In a roleplay, you have your OP/Oc's name followed by : and words or actions. The actions may be contained in the following; *'s, -'s, or x's.
How Do I Soap?
This is the tricky part. Even if you are a beginner, there are ways to start out BAD.
Bad Example:
Lawrence yawned, lazily walking into the ice cream parlor. He pulled out a gun and began to shoot everyone around him. They all died, and thus he was able to get all of the ice cream.
How did Lawrence get to the ice cream parlor? Where is it, outside, in a mall? How wouldn't someone be able to survive? Why did he do it? Another thing to think about is god modding. If "everyone" was also your partner's/s' characters, did you make sure that they gave you an OKAY to kill off that character?
Good Example:
Lawrence stuffed his hands into his pockets, walking slowly to bask in the sun. He was glad his mother had shoved him out of the door, telling him to go breathe fresh air. It occurred to him that he had a strong urge to get some ice cream. He frowned in annoyance after he realized that he was broke. A penny couldn't buy the amount of ice cream that he wanted, even if he tried to convince the owner.
Lawrence grinned as he remembered the gun in his pocket. He was already a great criminal, so why not kill a few people, steal their cash, and take the store's contents as a reward for his bravery? He was nearing the store as a plan formed in his mind. Unlocking and loading the gun, he made his way to the door.
Even though it doesn't have to be this long, it explains something and gives you a chance to ask your partner(s) if they're in the store and if it's okay to kill them. Not only that, but logically, most people would be able to get away.
How Do I Roleplay?
While there is no right or wrong way to roleplay, just like soaping, you don't want to god mod. Don't be a Gary or Mary Sue and spoil it for others.
Unlike a soap, roleplays are usually random, and you don't have to explain yourself unless it's important to.
Examples:
Lawrence: *sneaks into the ice cream parlor* GET DOWN MOFOS. *shoots a few people, eyeing the ones that are running away* *lazily steals money, going to the counter* Can I have some ice cream?
Lawrence: -sneaks into the ice cream parlor- GET DOWN MOFOS. -shoots a few people, eyeing the ones that are running away- -lazily steals money, going to the counter- Can I have some ice cream?
Lawrence: X sneaks into the ice cream parlor X GET DOWN MOFOS. X shoots a few people, eyeing the ones that are running away X X lazily steals money, going to the counter X Can I have some ice cream?
Remember that there is no right or wrong way to Soap or Roleplay. You're making the story come to life. Don't forget; You set the rules, so maybe you want Gary or Mary Sues and God Modding! Be creative, and make sure that you're happy as well as the people you're Soaping/Roleplaying with.
I hope this helps people. :3 Have fun! -
*slow clap*
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*Applause*
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:o
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S_E_ NoviceDo you think people will actually go on my threads if I do this?
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I can't promise it, but most likely.
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The good standards here are considered quite crappy on most hardcore rp sites.
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We have some pretty inexperienced roleplayers on this site. Of course the standards will be.. Well.. Crap. And this is for beginners, I never once said "Okay if you want to be the best of the best use this because it's got the best details ever for hardcore RPs".
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It's all roleplay to me. The only place anyone calls it a 'Soap' is on here.
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^
Since this was the first place I came to, I learned it as soap/roleplay, but I think the reason as to why it's called "soap" is because of the "soap opera". -
Making a Decent Plot
Before you start a soap, you of course need a plot. Unless you plan to go freestyle (in which case all you need is a character), you need to have the story-line all plotted out. What is the soap about? What types of characters should you be seeing? What's the setting, the main idea?
Bad Examples:
1. There is a girl named Sarah. She meets a boy and they fall in love. Sex involved. ;)
2. This person goes to a park and there are bad guys so they beat the bad guys up and fall in love.
3. There's a forest full of magical people and a human runs across them and they fall in love.
Sure, 2 and 3 have a setting, but it's not explaining everything well. 1 is setting you up for a boring short soap!
Good Examples:
1. C1 is a student that has trouble expressing their feelings. In science class, the teacher calls their name and pairs them up with C2 to do an experiment together. They have a month to plot, experiment, and prepare a model to show what they've done. Will C1 open up to C2? Will romance blossom between them?
2. C1 is given the task of babysitting a group of kids who enjoy causing trouble. When they want to go to the park, C1 is relieved that they want to do something normal and walks them to the park. When they get there, a group of thugs are stealing and harming other children, and C2 (one of the thugs) grabs a hold of the children. When C1 offers herself in place of all of the children, C2 and the group happily agree and take her in. Will she be able to escape, or will she accidentally fall in love with C2?
3. C1 is a normal human with no powers at all. However, in an alternate universe, there are many different magical beings that live in a realm full of magic and wonder. When C2- a supernatural creature (or any) that happens to be horrible with magic- opens a portal to the human realm and sucks C1 in, what will C2 and the other creatures do?
(C1 stands for Character 1 and C2 stands for Character 2. You can use other things in place of those, but it's common for RP'ers to use that short term in plots.)
Even though these aren't the best of plots, they are cute and sweet, and they're good for people starting off. Try to make a plot that your partner can go off of! -
*Note that I only used 1x1 plots.
Making Characters
Alright, you've read the basics, learned how to make a plot, what else is there to cover? Wait.. You don't have any characters! Don't fear, that's one of the final steps before you can take off as a beginner (or, if you need a reminder, this might be helpful to you).
The most common way to establish a character is to pick who you are in a RP/Soap. If you saw my method of using C1 and C2, you can use that to your advantage! Someone can claim the character they want.
Once you've established who is who, it's time for you to describe your character. The cleanest way to do this is to use a Character Skeleton/Sheet (or whatever you prefer to call it).
Short Character Sheet
Name:
Sex/Gender:
Age:
Appearance:
Average Character Sheet (Commonly used)
Name:
Sex/Gender:
Age:
Species:
Appearance:
Personality:
History:
Other:
Larger Character Sheet
Name:
Sex/Gender:
Age:
Species:
Appearance:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Powers (if any):
History:
Pets:
Friends:
Foes:
Other:
Some sheets may be even longer than that! It's up to you to decide how detailed you want the sheet/skeleton to be. :) -
I'd like to point out the fact that some people take good advice as insults, when people like Dark are just trying to help them.
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