Teen Titans Legacy Player Etiquette Guide

Hello, everyone. With the major site reboot, I think it's a perfect time to introduce a player etiquette guide for the old members and the new. Etiquette, for those who don't know it, is simply a word for common courtesy as it applies to any person in any level of society.

Not a lot of people are very respectful when it comes to roleplay. This applies to seasoned roleplayers such as myself and new roleplayers that are finding their place in the world. If you have any topics you would like to show up here, please do not reply to this thread. Instead privately message me or another staff member so they may notify me.

Assuming makes a... You shouldn't assume things in a thread. For example, running into another room and then just assuming someone follows you into it isn't really polite. Their character might have a different approach about things. Try to avoid this by making things conditional, like saying "If they chose to follow them into the room, a bear trap would be waiting for their unsuspecting feet." Either that or ask the other player(s).

You are not the main character. I know that you're writing like it. Hell, I do too. But there's a line. In your own story with your own elements, of course, you're the main character. But it's important to remember that this is a roleplaying community. And a community has interaction. Interaction with other players and characters isn't fun for all parties involved when somebody acts like they're more important than the rest. It can make others feel unwelcome, or unpleasant. If you made the plot or others wanted the story then you're a key player, but they have just as much of a right to be there as you do. Keep in mind while writing with others that this is supposed to be fun for all of us. We have just as much of a part to play as you do. Isn't that the point?

Keep it entertaining. I know that sometimes it can be hard to come up with the content that you want in a response. We all feel it. But taking events and just spitting them back at the other writers gets boring. Quantity is not as important as we make it out to be. We want you to try and commit at least two full lines when you're writing, but quality is absolutely important for writers. For those that have roleplayed a while, you might have heard terms like "semi-para" or "para," or even "novella" when it comes to terms of roleplay style. Some people have a lot of detail to write about. But it doesn't matter if your post is twenty lines long or forty or one hundred and fifty if there are only four lines of quality. If you're finding yourself reaching for some more detail, stop and think. What can my character do that would contribute? Maybe what happened in the previous post(s) affected your character in an emotional way. If it aggravated or frustrated them, they can clench their fists until their knuckles turn white. They can press their lips together firmly and grind their teeth. They can get a swelling pain in their throat that makes it hard for them to breathe. There's always something to write about.

Let your character develop! This is a Teen Titans site. Most of the characters here are supposed to be growing. They shouldn't be the steadfast, firmly set, iron-willed badass that most people would like them to be. Let your character get mad. Let your character experience grief. Let them be happy, even! Let the interactions here have an impact on your character! I'm not saying they should sway in the breeze of whatever wind blows at them, but let your characters change. Imagine what kind of legacies you could build and cherish with other players if you give them a rough rock that needs some work instead of a clean-cut, neatly polished gem.

Commit. We get busy. We get sick. We get bored. These are all very human things that we all experience and feel. But if you're going to get into a thread, don't drop out without notice. Anticipate the changes in your life. If you have a rough schedule, be sure that your partners are aware of it. Make certain of not only that your schedule is established and agreed upon with the other players, but that you also commit to your schedule. If you have one day out of the week to post due to work or some other kind of commitment, and you're in a thread, try to post on that day. Don't leave your fellow member in the dark. But most importantly, don't ignore a thread because you're bored with it or you're disgruntled about the events within it. Have the respect for your other writers and players to leave the thread if you don't like it or you don't have the time for it. Of course, you're going to miss out on opportunities, but don't end the opportunities for other people to enjoy it in your stead.

Skip with discretion. Of course, there are those situations where our members cannot be as responsible as we or even they want them to be. And sometimes, we need to move on instead of waiting for them for the sake of the story. Knowing when you need to skip another member's post can be very tricky. It is my request that each participant of a thread keeps the others updated on any changes in their availability for the purposes of furthering the story. If it has been two or three days since they were supposed to post, then I suggest sending them a message about it to remind them that you're eagerly awaiting their reply. I would wait for a bare minimum of one more day before skipping them, and if they continue to be non-compliant, then just wait for two or three-day periods. If this is a regular occurrence then it may be required to cut them out of the thread entirely. But you should only do this if you know they have had the opportunity to post and have for a reason unknown to you not taken it.

It should be kept in mind that these are merely proper manners, and by no means rules. But it would be great if we all tried to apply them to the best of our ability.