New Canon Role Expectations [8-12-17]

[Jade]

There has been some staff consideration into the subject of canon roles and guild leaders recently, and in our discussions, the subject came up as to what expectations come with such a role. As such, the idea of a quality requirement was brought up, and will be implemented. The purpose behind this is twofold: for newer players, it will encourage writing growth and development, as well as make sure nobody can lazily get a role of high importance. This will be based on staff review on both the application and RP sample for characters, and the guild information and leading character’s profile for a guild.



As for those who have taken former canon roles, no action will be taken against them with the exception of severe grammatical negligence. We at Zelda RP want there to be a higher, yet reachable, standard, and in doing this, not only can we keep things concise and entertaining for all members, but also help those willing to improve do so.



Some example guidelines to follow will be listed below:



• If a sentence can’t be said in one breath, it’s too long. Run-on sentences tend to lose their meaning, so don’t be afraid to fragment them out into separate ones. Remember, even adding commas can improve your message.

• Make sure your posts are formatted using double spacing. If all the paragraphs clash together, it can be hard for those who are visually impaired to read (myself included)

• Proper grammar in canon roles is crucial. Remember, a canon role is one people will look up to, and there are those who will judge you negatively for misuse of grammar. Specific examples that I have noticed: apostrophe “s” clauses (dog’s) are possessive while no apostrophe “s” clauses (dogs) are plural; describe objects in as few adjectives as possible (we don’t need to know that the big statue is also ancient, mossy, and shiny). Other examples can be found here: authority.pub/common-grammar-mistakes/

• Proofread, proofread, proofread. Then do it again. I cannot stress the importance of this.

• This isn’t a grammar issue, but don’t powerplay. We are here to write a story for everyone, so let everybody have a piece of the cake. You are merely one part of a whole



Though this isn't everything, it's a good start. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to PM me via Discord. Thank you!

-Jade and the ZRP team

[NOVA]

Following the above announcement, I will be giving you my own personal guidelines to successfully reach the standard that the ZRP team has placed. These are, under no circumstances considered the meta, instead they are more of a personal example on how I format my RP posts to allow for fluid reading and enjoyable writing. On top of everything Jade said above...RPing should never feel like a chore; whether that be from reading a post, to replying to one --If it becomes a struggle on either end, you can expect your muse to plummet. So here are my tips for you to not only enjoy rping, but to continue to advance in the complex artform known as 'writing'.

I reiterate -- I AM NOT A MASTER! These guidelines are only my do's and dont's that I gathered in my 11 years of Rping experience. Please take from it what you will.

• Descriptions:: To me, descriptions are the sweet peanut butter and jelly in a yummy rp sandwich. They easily add flair to any bland post, and fall into two different categories. Emotion Descriptions, and Scenic Descriptions.
  Scenic Descriptions are easy to do; Colors, scents, textures -- all of these can be detailed and will instantly make your post more personal.
  Emotional Descriptions are a step up, and something that most rp'ers tend to forget about. If someone tried to stab you, wouldn't that make you angry? Scared? If you had to face off against a giant spider, wouldn't you feel uneasy? I would, and most certainly so would my character. Describe how they are feeling in the moment, and what facial expression or mannerism they preform because of said feeling.
• Personifying: Speaking of mannerisms, you have several now don'cha! Biting your lip, running your fingers through your hair, grinding your teeth, or perhaps picking the gunk out from your nails? These are normal traits that EVERY human has, and it is safe to assume that your character does as well. Figure out what they may do subconsciously and throw that in your post!
• Personality: We make character apps for a reason -- a couple of reasons actually. But one of those reasons is to get an idea on the character you have in your head. One of the terrible things I see alot of newer rp'ers( not everyone ) doing, is writing out their personality in their apps and disregarding that in their posts. If you put down that they don't like something, I expect to read some hate in posts concerning that subject.
  
• Character Development: This is my most favorite part about rping! The growth that a character has, in which they change their ideals, goals, and fears. As people we learn things everyday, and so will our characters, however there is a proper way to do it. Going back to the character app, there is a portion for likes, dislikes, MOTIVATIONS, and FEARS ( the last two are most important ^^ ). During this portion of the app, think about an end goal for your character to reach, and plot out a road to get there. We as people don't change overnight, and Character Development should never happen in one post. -- also you can always update your application to reflect any changes you bring to the character.
• Details: There is such thing as too much detail, and over-describing simple things such as a rock can be a very dull read. Try to balance out your descriptions with appropriate amount of detail. Unfortunately there is no set in stone method to do this; I personally just try not to use so many adjectives in one sentence, that and I consider the object im trying to describe.
  If it's important, I may put more effort in it compared to something that is more less desired.
• Paragraphs: To add on to what Jade said, Paragraphs are important, as they are kinda like waymarks to a specific subject you are describing or writing about. Speech should always be the start of a paragraph on it's own. ( I kinda ignore this but whatever )
• Point of View: We learned in school, or at least should have, about the points of view in English. There 1st person, 2nd person, and 3rd person. Here on ZRP we use the 3rd person p.o.v format. That means using pronouns as He/She, They, Them, etc. etc.
• Past Vs Present: This is by far the most complex part about writing in 3rd person. ( This is something that I still struggle with in my rp posts. ) By Past vs Present, I am talking about the 'time' that an action, feeling, etc, happens. Alot of rp'ers cant difference the two and find themselves using both tenses in one sentence.
  An Example: "Kura walked down the street of Castle Town, her hair swaying in the wind, causing it to brush against the back of her legs."
  It is hard to detect, but in that one sentence, I used both past and present tenses: 'Walked' is past tense, while 'swaying' is a present principle. It is bad to get into the habit of doing this, as it can make reading your posts more difficult. Try to avoid this as much as possible and only switch tenses with a new sentence or paragraph.
  An Example: "The princess frantically began to gaze through the crowd, trying to see any signs of her brother before running and hiding behind a wooden stall for shelter."
  All present tense.

That concludes all the tips I have for you currently. I may add more as I think of them. If you have questions please feel free to PM me or another staff member. Thank you!

-Nova