IC vs OOC ... All of life is a Stage!

One of the things that I saw time and again not only in actual role
play, but within peoples misinterpretations of role play in places like
SL and OpenSim ..... is the inability to separate fantasy from
reality. Character from Operator.

OOC is an acronym for Out Of Character. It's what you use to make
absolutely sure that what you are saying is not taken as any sort of in
character word or action. A dead simple example is:

[[brb]]

But also OOC is inside the rules of role play. Some players will
include things that cannot be interpreted ICly. For example:

<>

Buni Chuku looks at her newest employee with a casual shrug. "No, it's
alright. She didn't upset the workplace or anything, so it's all
good." she gives him a soft smile, carefully hiding her conversation
with his wife and the herbal tea she gave her to ... help.

<>

Now in playing, you can see anything physical (unless you're playing
someone that is blind or temporarily blind) hear anything audible (same
rules ... if you are deaf, partially deaf or temporarily deaf, you can't
hear or have to play with that diminished hearing) within a reasonable
range. You can't hear through solid walls etc etc etc ... remember
reality! But most importantly ... you CANNOT READ MINDS!!

Now granted .. if you're playing in a magical Harry Potteresque land, it
may be possible to do, but your character background would have to
reflect that. In a modern day setting like Gati, however ... you can't
read minds. Period. End of discussion.

One of the things that seems to frighten people is sex .... and how
people confuse IC with OOC ... to which my reply again is .... remember
that this is a character .. not you. Buni can take a lover fall in
love, whatever, but you damn well better believe that it will remain
IC. Some of my best sex scenes involved the sex in local chat and
friendly conversation in IM.

If you want a RL relationship don't look for it in a place build
completely on fiction.

Now, I think I covered it all ..... Questions, comments, suggestions?

Fwd: Email & emotes from /me

I love Blogger because I can post from my email, which means I can post
from my computer, my tablet or the web ... life does not get better for
the busy, lazy or those of us with the combined condition.

ANYHOO!!!!!! Imma get started on explaining emotes as they relate to
role playing.

Many who have ever had a pixel in Second Life .. the grandaddy of them
all (abusive parent, but that's a whole nuther rant) are familiar with
/me. It basically removes a semicolon and makes things smoother.

Buni Chuku: laughs
vs
Buni Chuku laughs

That's your bare bones emote and completely inadvisable in a role play
scenario, IMNSHO. The shorter the emote, the less that emote
communicates. Lets take a short example scene that will lob your role
play off at the knees.

<>

Jane Doe walks into the cafe and steps up to the counter. "Is John here?"

Buni Chuku looks at the newcomer. "No." she replies

Jane Doe sighs and leaves the cafe.

<>

End of scene .. took less than a minute .... and to me, very unsatisfying.

Now lets try a better, more detailed emote.

<>

Jane Doe walks into the cafe and steps up to the counter. "Is John here?"

Buni Chuku looks at the newcomer and bites her lip then looks at the
counter, which she begins to wipe, mock-casually. "No." she replies

Jane Doe frowns slightly, as she watches the woman begin to act very
strangely. Nervous, like she is hiding something. "What is your
name?" she demands to know. "I'm Jane Doe. John is my husband. He was
supposed to be home two hours ago and I am worried!"

Buni Chuku bites her lip and swears softly under her breath. In a few
seconds she looks up at the lady. "I'm Buni Chuku. I own this place."
she sighs and begins to hit the counter with the rag, as if its been
bad. "Listen ... Jane, did you say? John did his job and about five
minutes before he left, some chick comes in. I assumed SHE was his wife
... I mean .... yea .. well ... I thought SHE was his wife. They
walked out of here as soon as John clocked out, got on the ferry and
...." she shrugs, helplessly.

Jane Doe listens with growing disbelief, indignation and anger. "That
little ....." she murmurs, more to herself than to the woman who owns
the place. "Thank you .... you've been ... more helpful than you
know...." and with a sigh, she turns and leaves the cafe, marching to
the pier and sitting, as if waiting for the next ferry to the mainland.

<>

Longer scene. More detail and still leaves the characters open. Buni
could rush out and continue to talk to the woman ... Jane could log at
this point, if the scene is over for both of them for the now. But also
Jane has found things out about her husband ... which can potentially
add to at least four storylines.

John's .... he's been caught, it sounds, in some kind of affair,
depending on how Jane opts to take the words and body language of Buni.
John's female friend .... she could be in the middle of some serious
nastiness once Jane catches up with John, if they are still together if
and when that happens.
Jane's .... she can go and confront John and his little friend. She can
go hire a lawyer. She can go hit Chippendale's and have her some fun of
her own ... Who knows where the ferry will take her!
Buni .... John may be a great new hire, but it seems he can also be
trouble. Will she want the wife coming in her place trying to catch the
female friend? Will she talk to the wife and try an calm her down?
Will she pay for the trip to Chippendale's? Will she secretly provide
Jane with a list of assassins for hire ... I mean divorce lawyers?

That one little scene alone can spawn MONTHS of role play all by
itself. It may even bring in new and interesting characters. The
characters can live happily ever after, or someone can start role
playing at the Gati Clinic cause they get beat up. The possibilities
are almost literally endless. Even Louise .. the quirky Jewish Grandma
Reporter might get involves somehow.

Role play is what you make it. Your world, your imagination .... as a
grid that once had a TON of potential said ... only to basically become
a brothel.

OK now lets see if that even made sense .......

Role Playing for ... whoevah!

[[Originally posted on opensimcity.org earlier today!!]]

My first disclaimer is that this is ALL +virtual christine 's fault!  She put the bug in my ear, and like Checkov ... bad things resulted.

I am not a profesor .. I've never even role played one before.  So all ima be doin is ramblin on and on about role playing and what I know about it.  And if you got questions, ask way.

One of the first thing I've noticed is how people are often mistaking OOC (Out of charcter) with IC (In character).  You created a character ... and frankly you did that when you created yiour avatar.  OOC is YOU .. you in RL ....  IC is the character you create for Role Play.

Example ... and I will use Virtual Christine, because this is, after all, all HER fault!!  Lets create an example character for her.  nOW WE ALL KNOW WHT THE "real" Christine is like ....  so lets see what a character is like.

This new character ... hmmm ... is .... lets get creative .. everyone wants the perfect size 6, young sexy girl.  I think if Christine tried to play that shed be laughing so hard, she wouldn't be able to type.

So ....... We got a ..... 78 year old Jewish grandmother from ... hmmmm  Jewish Harlem instead of Spanish Harlem.  Now .. Louise Rothenberg ... that s her name .. has outlived 3 husbands!  All died ..the poor lamb!! She speaks highly of all of them.  Her eldest son is a lawyer and she cannot stop talking abut him.  He is a defense attorney in Los Angeles.  They still speak once a week at least.

Louise has come to live on the island of Gati (cause I may as well toot my own damn horn!!).  She complains loudly about the stairs and maybe she will see if the can live in the lighthouse in the twn common, where there are every one of 5 steps.

Now ... this is Louise ... Virtual Christine may not know a DAMN thing about being Jewish, being widowed, or anything.  Doesn't matter cause this is a CHARACTER .. not a real person.  And in fiction all things are possible .....

Is her son her counsel whenever a husband dies?  Including his own father?

Is the looking for victim .. I mean husband #4?

Did her husbands die of natural cuses ... or did it just LOOK like they died of natural causes?

OK that's character development .. next time .. if I can remember .. we can talk about emoting ......

Have a great day!!  They only last 4 hours ... make the most of it!!!