Halicron's Rules For Good RP (which be more like guidelines)

[Arkandel]

@ThatGuyThere said:

@Arkandel
True I never said there were no errors just not a spelling error. I freely admitted punctuation errors which the failure to capitalize is.

And I wasn't referring to just one line in one post any more than you dislike that particular long pose and not others in the same vein.

And yeah I still do not consider the six lines to nod to be well written, different strokes for different folks, but if the point of a pose is He nods, I would rather read it as he nods. If for no other reason then it takes less time.

Much of literature entails using more than one word where one would probably suffice. You'd lose content - and if you read the pose in question there is content to be lost aside from "he nods", especially in terms of subtlety, emoting complex emotions, emphasizing a particular attribute, etc. It's not good writing's sole purpose to take less time.

Now I would hope I as someone in the scene could produce content that would encourage a long meaningful pose but if the choices are long and without meaning and short without meaning I will take short every time.

Although you are of course entitled to your own taste, I am trying to point out your definition of without meaning may differ from other people's.

[TNP]

@Coin said:

P.S. I think that commas are important; that the Oxford Comma gets a bad rap; and that you should always, always use a semi-colon to separate items in a list if that list is in the form of a sentence and one of those items contains a comma in it, even if those commas are helping something superfluous, such as word repetition for emphatization or the explanation of something pointless in an overly long sentence that didn't need to exist in the first place and that no one really wants to read anyway.

[Ninjakitten]

@Halicron said:

remember the Oxford comma is the difference between helping your uncle, Jack, off a horse, and your uncle jack off a horse.

...while I agree those are important commas (although when writing you can generally get away with helping your Uncle Jack off a horse without them if you capitalize, and could solve it entirely by helping him down off a horse or off of a horse), they aren't actually examples of the Oxford comma.

The Oxford comma's the one before the 'and' (or occasionally 'or' or 'nor') in a list. A traditional why-you-need-it example would be "I'd like to dedicate this book to my parents, Ayn Rand and God."

[Arkandel]

@Coin said:

P.S. I think that commas are important; that the Oxford Comma gets a bad rap; and that you should always, always use a semi-colon to separate items in a list if that list is in the form of a sentence and one of those items contains a comma in it, even if those commas are helping something superfluous, such as word repetition for emphatization or the explanation of something pointless in an overly long sentence that didn't need to exist in the first place and that no one really wants to read anyway.

Double post: I'm terrible about my use of commas and semi colons. It's empirical if anything, and I use it when it ... feels... right.

Which is one of the reasons monsters like you get to correct me, and why I don't correct others unless it's really getting out of hand. I'd use the fact english is not my first language as a defense but it's not yours either, so you're making me look bad, so fuck you.

[Vorpal]

On the other hand, let us consider what a powerful bonding experience you would be missing. Colorful uncle anecdotes are always high in demand as icebreakers!

English isn't my first language, either, but I think I manage just fine- outside of the odd Vorpal Effect moment.

[Misadventure]

I am restraining myself from mentioning hovercraft.

I am so good at this.

[Groth]

@Coin said:

Not actually on topic but something I consider to be a worthwhile PSA: Cold water makes burns worse, not better. In fact if you subject your burn injury to too much cold water you'll suffer frostbite injuries in addition to your burn.

[Halicron]

@Ninjakitten Pwnt! Good catch there.

[Coin]

@Groth said:

@Coin said:

Not actually on topic but something I consider to be a worthwhile PSA: Cold water makes burns worse, not better. In fact if you subject your burn injury to too much cold water you'll suffer frostbite injuries in addition to your burn.

AFAIK, it general depends on how cold is "cold". Ice water? Sure, that can be bad. But normal water from the cold side of the faucet? Not really a problem.

[Thenomain]

@Coin

That's why the advice is for cool, not cold water. When your winters dip below 40 F, like over half the world, "the cold faucet" is not good advice.

[Halicron]

I've made some substantial edits. Thanks for the input everyone! I really appreciate the feedback. I hope you continue to find this useful in your RP, or failing that, useful as a way to tell people what NOT to do.

[ThatGuyThere]

@Arkandel
But we are talking about rp not good writing. There is a world of difference, if all I cared about was good writing I would never log onto a game, as there is much better writing out there then any one on a mush is creating.
In reality there are three basic reasons why a pose would basically be He nods.
In the first it fits the dramatic flow, in that case the shorter version has more impact much like Indy pulling a gun and shooting the last swordsman in Raiders.
The other two are the scene having run it's course but no one wanting to end it for whatever reason, or the scene just is not clicking. I don't see how either of those two situations is helped by a lot of filler.
So yes i am more arguing against that particular example more so then in general against longer poses.

[Coin]

@ThatGuyThere said:

@Arkandel
But we are talking about rp not good writing. There is a world of difference, if all I cared about was good writing I would never log onto a game, as there is much better writing out there then any one on a mush is creating.

This is an excuse. Just because MUs aren't and shouldn't be expected to be a bastion of good writing, doesn't mean we can't aim for better and higher. So when people say what you say, I am essentially hearing "I don't actually try when I RP, because it's just RP, it doesn't have to be good writing".

Nah, it doesn't have to be. But it's a lot nicer when it is. Grammar included.

[ThatGuyThere]

When I rp I try to tell a story and evoke emotions, unlike ooc chatter or bb post i do proofread and try to provide a clear reading experience. As far as trying to be "good writing" No that is not a priority in the slightest for me. If that is for you (universal you not anyone in particular) then avoiding me is likely best.
The reasons I play RPGs by online text, console and table top is for story, the stirring of emotions, and playing with the mechanics of the system in that order. What I want out of a MUSH is pretty much what I want out of a Final Fantasy game or a table top campaign rather then out of a novel.

[bored]

@Arkandel said:

Double post: I'm terrible about my use of commas and semi colons. It's empirical if anything, and I use it when it ... feels... right.

This may help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M94ii6MVilw

(It won't help)

[Arkandel]

@ThatGuyThere said:

@Arkandel
But we are talking about rp not good writing. There is a world of difference, if all I cared about was good writing I would never log onto a game, as there is much better writing out there then any one on a mush is creating.

That makes no sense whatsoever. I play basketball although I'm not as good at it as a professional player. People play music although they're not the best musicians.

If you want to compete with someone, compete with yourself and improve.

As for your examples... I honestly don't know where you are going with them. I mean look at this one:

The other two are the scene having run it's course but no one wanting to end it for whatever reason, or the scene just is not clicking. I don't see how either of those two situations is helped by a lot of filler.

What on earth does that have to do with anything?

[Coin]

@Arkandel said:

@ThatGuyThere said:

@Arkandel
As for your examples... I honestly don't know where you are going with them. I mean look at this one:

The other two are the scene having run it's course but no one wanting to end it for whatever reason, or the scene just is not clicking. I don't see how either of those two situations is helped by a lot of filler.

What on earth does that have to do with anything?

He's basically saying it's okay to just reply to something with "He nods." as long as he feels the scene has run its course or if it's not engaging him. Instead of, I dunno, saying either of those things and ending the scene.

[ThatGuyThere]

@Arkandel
I don't consider RPing and writing to be the same sort of thing. A string of words being an example of being good for one is not necessarily good for the other.
To use your Basketball analogy, a movement that might leadto points in basketball would not in say gymnastics.
My examples were to show how I never think six lines is a good substitute for two words. I was speaking about times when I could conceive of actually getting a he nods style response and that in none of them would be improved by greater length.

Coin gets it mostly right, I don't think he nods is a good response 90percent of the time. That is not improved with six lines of fluff around it. If all someone can say in response to something i have posed is he nods, I would rather they says Hey I think we have this wrapped up care to fade? Or hey I don't think this scene is clicking can we fade? Or hey there is not much I can respond to with that, would you mind rephrasing or clarifying? Any of these is far preferable to wasting both of our time with meaningless fluff.

[Arkandel]

@ThatGuyThere said:

I don't consider RPing and writing to be the same sort of thing. A string of words being an example of being good for one is not necessarily good for the other.

Fair enough, but I don't think anyone says they are the same thing, only that they are related - especially on a certain level - and that being good at one translates into the other.

For instance in the analogy above gymnastics and basketball are definitely not the same thing but they share certain skill sets. Someone who's able to leap high, is athletic, strong, has good control of their body, if given time and guidance, would have a better chance at either than another person who had none of those tools.

In fact someone who pointedly lacks one or more of those tools - say, has a walking impediment, which I could parallel to bad grammar or spelling - would probably be severely capped at either thing. In fact the only place the analogy fails here is that, with the possible exception of conditions like dyslexia, it's far easier to overcome the latter than the former.

[mietze]

I have met plenty of great writers who were absolutely craptacular RPers.

I think they are very different skills. Though I do think that great RPers always have excellent writing, the reverse is not true.