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RP 101 Part 2 - Scene Posts, Tags, and Threads
SCENE POSTS
A post is what you'd think it is; it's that thing you do on the post an entry page. This thing I'm doing right now is a post.
In RPing, a scene post is a way of setting up a scene between two more more characters. Each post should have: a title, a header, and an opener. These posts should go on![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
mhrp which you can do by clicking on the dropdown menu by "Post to:" and clicking mhrp.
The title will include the name of the scene--like the title of a story, this gives you a taste of what the scene is about. The title will also designate a scene as "open" or "closed." ANYONE can reply to an open post and start RPing. A closed post only includes the characters listed in the header. Open posts are usually a good way of getting your character a chance to interact with other characters, while closed posts are usually planned between two or more players in advanced and are a good way of developing the relationship between those particular characters.
The header will include basic information to let people know what to expect from the scene. I like to use a Who, Where, When, and sometimes What header. Who lets people know who is involved in the scene. For open posts, just add names as characters show up. For closed posts, just include the characters who will be involved. Where tells the setting. When tells when, approximately, the scene takes place. What is not necessary, but you can include it to give a little more information on what the scene will be about.
The opener is a narrative that starts the scene. For open posts, these should be open-ended so that other characters can easily join in, regardless of who shows up. For closed posts, the opener should set the tone for the scene.
OKAY, so you've got your scene post up. Now what?
This is the part where people tag your post. A tag is a reply that furthers the scene. A group of tags together is called a thread.
Here's a tag:
Here's the thread this tag is part of:
Dropping a thread is when one of the players stops tagging a thread before it's reached a logical conclusion. I would suggest contacting the player you're RPing with to talk about dropping the thread instead of just stopping, because some players will be upset or feel like they're doing something wrong if someone randomly drops a thread with them.
A FEW NOTES ABOUT TAGGING
- When writing a tag, try to consider how someone might reply to it. If your tag is entirely a character's internal thoughts with no action or dialogue, it can be difficult for someone to tag you back.
- People have different tagging styles. Some people tag quickly, some tag slowly. Some write short tags, some write long tags. Personally, I tend toward short, semi-quick tags. NONE OF THESE TAGGING STYLES ARE BETTER THAN THE OTHERS. Do not stress yourself out trying to write longer tags just because your RP partner writes long tags. If you can continue the scene and include plenty of meaning, but few words, that's ABSOLUTELY FINE. The only bad kind of tags are lazy tags!
- Some RPers find it less stressful to RP with "action tags" which means putting brackets around actions instead of quotations around dialogue. For example: Hey, Alex [Brian finished his ice cream cone.] Personally, I don't get this style, but if any of you would prefer it, go ahead and use it! I will be sticking to "narrative tags" (using quotation marks for dialogue.)
Okay, hopefully that's cleared up a few things. If you have any questions about posting, tagging, and threads, please comment here!
ALSO, you can see the sample scene post in full here.
A post is what you'd think it is; it's that thing you do on the post an entry page. This thing I'm doing right now is a post.
In RPing, a scene post is a way of setting up a scene between two more more characters. Each post should have: a title, a header, and an opener. These posts should go on
mhrp which you can do by clicking on the dropdown menu by "Post to:" and clicking mhrp.The title will include the name of the scene--like the title of a story, this gives you a taste of what the scene is about. The title will also designate a scene as "open" or "closed." ANYONE can reply to an open post and start RPing. A closed post only includes the characters listed in the header. Open posts are usually a good way of getting your character a chance to interact with other characters, while closed posts are usually planned between two or more players in advanced and are a good way of developing the relationship between those particular characters.
The header will include basic information to let people know what to expect from the scene. I like to use a Who, Where, When, and sometimes What header. Who lets people know who is involved in the scene. For open posts, just add names as characters show up. For closed posts, just include the characters who will be involved. Where tells the setting. When tells when, approximately, the scene takes place. What is not necessary, but you can include it to give a little more information on what the scene will be about.
The opener is a narrative that starts the scene. For open posts, these should be open-ended so that other characters can easily join in, regardless of who shows up. For closed posts, the opener should set the tone for the scene.
OKAY, so you've got your scene post up. Now what?
This is the part where people tag your post. A tag is a reply that furthers the scene. A group of tags together is called a thread.
Here's a tag:
Here's the thread this tag is part of:
Dropping a thread is when one of the players stops tagging a thread before it's reached a logical conclusion. I would suggest contacting the player you're RPing with to talk about dropping the thread instead of just stopping, because some players will be upset or feel like they're doing something wrong if someone randomly drops a thread with them.
A FEW NOTES ABOUT TAGGING
- When writing a tag, try to consider how someone might reply to it. If your tag is entirely a character's internal thoughts with no action or dialogue, it can be difficult for someone to tag you back.
- People have different tagging styles. Some people tag quickly, some tag slowly. Some write short tags, some write long tags. Personally, I tend toward short, semi-quick tags. NONE OF THESE TAGGING STYLES ARE BETTER THAN THE OTHERS. Do not stress yourself out trying to write longer tags just because your RP partner writes long tags. If you can continue the scene and include plenty of meaning, but few words, that's ABSOLUTELY FINE. The only bad kind of tags are lazy tags!
- Some RPers find it less stressful to RP with "action tags" which means putting brackets around actions instead of quotations around dialogue. For example: Hey, Alex [Brian finished his ice cream cone.] Personally, I don't get this style, but if any of you would prefer it, go ahead and use it! I will be sticking to "narrative tags" (using quotation marks for dialogue.)
Okay, hopefully that's cleared up a few things. If you have any questions about posting, tagging, and threads, please comment here!
ALSO, you can see the sample scene post in full here.