A question, if you will.

[Hydronine]

I've noticed that Iwaku's members have become more and more diverse since I have returned. It's neither a good or bad thing to me, and I'm glad to see so much activity on this site. I've noticed a LOT of changes, so when I first came back, I was quite surprised and unsure of how to take it all in.

Though, after looking through many RPs and watching many different RPers, I have noticed something rather interesting to me, so, if you'll allow me to take a portion of your time by explaining this curious event and then answer a small inquiry, I would be most pleased.

What I've come across is not something incredibly profound, but it is curious. Its common for RPs to have a certain theme that runs through everyone's posts, whether it is something that is explained, or unspoken. People change their styles of posts slightly, to fit in with every RP. This is quite normal, and it occurs with almost everyone. It's a basic tool to make the RP run smoothly, from post to post- even though it might not be recognized by its participants.

Now the basics are pretty simple. You change some portions of your style to fit the genre of the RP that you're in, such as Modern or Scifi, or Jump-In. Other changes can come from the style of the GM, or what the GM asks of the participants of the RP, such as a preferred amount of paragraphs or a simple request that everyone puts a summary at the end of their posts. If the GM uses a particular form to his or her posts, the participants are likely to follow- such as, for instance, if the GM is breaking out the big words and trying to make their wording a little more extravagant- there is a bigger chance that the other participants might follow in suit.

The opposite is true as well. If the GM posts short replies that are curt, without much description, and perhaps a few spelling or grammatical mistakes, it is more likely that the participants will also post messages that are short, curt, lacking description and making a few mistakes here and there.

Most people would like to think that they are either categorized as "Literate" or "Illiterate", which is a common trend on some other RPs, where it might be labeled a certain way, to warn people that the GM is looking for a certain type of knowledge of grammar and experience and respect for other RPers; But it's not that simple on this site anymore.

Iwaku's never been a site to have to worry about segregating the various members into different levels of "literacy", though it might be useful to notice the change in your styles in accordance to each RP you're in.

Talk to your GM of what they want from their RPs- perhaps they have a goal or a requirement for the RP that they didn't put down in the OOC, or something that they'd prefer. Talk with the other participants of the RP, not just for ideas, but to figure out what they're comfortable with.

Now, here is my question, after all that text, I'm sure all of you are feeling like this post is never going to end, and perhaps its boring- that wouldn't offend me- If you go into an RP and do pick up on some of these styles, perhaps that the GM might be a little more descriptive than you, or uses background colors, or pictures (or other ways to make their posts stand out), are you more inclined to follow their lead and do as they do, or do you try to keep with your own style, if it differs?

 

[TheFoxMaiden]

Personally I'll post maybe one picture of my character to give a better description with out going in complete detail to save length of post. Sometimes in different post I'll change my word color's. However, I'm kinda boring to begin with so I don't go out of my way to make my post noticeable. Though I do see what you are talking about. I guess it depends on the people who want to be better writers or who wants to stand out. I'm just the Fox Maiden I have this thing where you either like what I write or not.

 

[Church]

I find I do tend to try my best to model my RP after the GM. I do not always achieve this, for sometimes the GM's post surpasses minein both length and quality, while other times they lack. I will not purposely make mistakes or curt sentences just because the GM does it, but I will try to limit the length of my post. Also, if GMs tend to throw up images with each post, I will try to include one every now and then unless I cannot find one that suits my needs. For example, if my character is a faery with green skin, but I cannot find an acurate picture, I will not put up another one and have (With green skin) below it. So, in other, less confusing words, I am one to stick to my own style unless it regards length or occasionally pictures.

 

[Hirohashi]

I am very guilty of this. I mainly adjust my writing style from RP to RP to help ease the flow of reading from one post to another. If I notice my partner(s) writing a certain way post after post I will attempt to copy it for the above reason. Also, it helps each RP I'm in feel unique to me.

 

[Kitti]

I find less that my shorter posts are attributable to fitting in and more than when my posts are not descriptive and/or short in length it has something to do with the shorter posts of the others (especially the GM) but for a different reason. With less description and fewer actions, dialogue lines, and details it is harder for ME in turn to write a post in response. It also, I think, depends on whether or not the GM writes enough to inspire emotion in me. The more feeling I have for the character I'm playing, the more likely I am to expand upon their perspectives, their actions, and what they might say. The more I connect with the character, the easier it is for me to write them.

 

[Sakura]

As for normal posts and pictures, I usually have my character's image on the left alignment like you've seen Diana or Asmu do. We like using the bbcode and the style tags for boxes ,D

Unfortunately, as much as I'd like to same that I'm dynamic, I'm usually the same. I have a consistency to churn out the same kinds of posts.

Sometimes, it bothers me.

Unless under pressure. In situations like Iwaku World or Iwaku Shattered, where I have to work harder to focus and really make a post that changes the flow, I think my writing is affected by the GM's presentation of the plot. Grumpy, in Iwaku Shattered, for example, gives me sensory details, smells, sights, and sounds to work with, which I can then incorporate into my post.

Overall, I think you are right. I think the GM has the important role of setting the pace and writing style of a roleplay.

That being said, I've learned from other GMs like Grumpeh, Asmupuu, Roreh. Putting pictures in your post makes it more descriptive and allows the reader to gain another level of focus, a visual one. If the scene is particularly difficult to just imagine or if you don't have as active an imagination, example pictures of scenery, faces, machinery gives the reader a chance to delve further into the roleplay.

Essentially, we're not writing stories, we're "role-playing." So what you've noticed is probably the GM setting up the boundaries and the style, and the players trying it on for size.

It's pretty cool :DD

 

[redblood]

I often change my style after the person I'm roleplaying with if we are doing a one x one. If the other person describes a lot of emotions and how it looks around and such things then I get more inspired to do the same thing but if the person doesn't describe so much then I don't do it either. My posts are often about the same lenght as the other persons posts, it's not like I notice that I do it while I'm writing it's first afterwards that I notice that they are almost the same xD

The only time I don't follow my partners writing is when my partner seems to be a bit off in the rp (doesn't do anything to bring the story forward, makes really small posts and such) or when I am really stressed or something like that. If it is the first one then I write a lot more and explainning and trying to do something exciting to wake the person up, and if it is the second then I write much less than I usually do because I'm to tired to think xD

In group roleplays it's so many people so I either follow the persons post my character is talking to or doing something with or I doing my own style without carring about the others.

When I told this to my friend then he called me a chameleon xD hahaha I'm a roleplaying chameleon moahhaha

 

[Zen]

I came back to Gaia when the crazed 'Lets put an image into every single post!' hit the website...

I absolutely hated it because it made me focus more on the pictures and making my posts look pretty than the actual content. Iwaku has slightly toned down that hatred for me because the pictures in the rp have some point to it. (The posts on Gaia had all of these ridiculous and unnecessary borders and repeatative pictures.) Now my roleplay posts reflect what the roleplay is about.

For example in the Z-day roleplay I think I will be using pictures in my posts to better describe the world. It's a very visual roleplay. In the Zethrex and Azazel roleplay I stick mainly to text. I don't care to use a lot of pictures in action packed scenes. If I am GMing a roleplay though, I tend to use a lot of pictures because my eyes like it and it tends to give off the message that I'm serious about the roleplay.

 

[unanun]

I'm a pretty consistent guy, so my style is rather constant across the RPs that I .. used to participate in. Also, I'm probably not the greatest at writing. Although my english is fine.

Edit: To elaborate, I come from a real time RP forum where posts were often made within minutes of each other. If you wrote too much it felt like ab-lib on the other's behalf. So people from that place tend to keep their posts short. We describe our actions in a back and forth way.

 

[Karsikan the Berzerker]

I've taken to altering my character speech's font slightly, typically by making it bold or perhaps a different size, just makes it easier for me to see.

 

[Hecatoncheires]

I WILL MONOLOGUE AT YOU AND YOU WILL LIKE IT. >:[