Example post (closed)

[cloverborn]

WHO: Fox & Sparrowmoon
WHERE: Skyreach Flats
WHEN: The first week of Fawn Moon 1, 6th Era
WHAT: Fox you can't just break a guy's leg for fun (this is NOT canon, btw)

(You can change cut text too!)


This is where cut text appears!

If this were an open post, you could include writing prompts here, such as:

i. prompt name

This is a writing prompt. You can make this about how your character will be interacting with others, openings for interactions, or maybe something related to your character for others to encounter and learn about. Certain events may invite you to GM for certain prompts, too!

You could also just add exposition here, like explaining current story context or setting the scene. This can be a good way to get lurkers up to speed and possibly interested in joining in your plots! Some folks will also outline things that have been handwaved about post context too, such as decisions characters made off-screen or other off-screen events that might be affecting how participants are behaving here.

For some other fun dwrp ideas--

You can add (closed) or (open) to indicate whether you're cool with other players starting threads on your post. (OTA) also works instead of (open), as does (private) for (closed).

You can make catch-all toplevels if you want to! A catch-all would just cover everything your character (or characters, even) gets up to for a given period time, and can be a good way to save on space for private interactions. Those could be a bit like this:

WHO: Sparrowmoon and others
WHERE: Wherever he goes?
WHEN: Year 1 of 6th Era
WHAT: Catch-all for Sparrowmoon's private threads!

Alternatively, you could also host ALL private interactions on your own journal through a character inbox TL -- but I suggest running at least the stuff others might know/hear about on the comm!

Comments

FOX | Example toplevel (closed)

[cloverborn]

This is where you describe what your character is doing! It could be a straight RP starter if you already know what's going on, but for event posts, you would want to include a broader breakdown of where and how others might find your character during that event's happenings.

Make sure you specify in your toplevel's title who you're posting as, as well as whether your post is open to unplanned responses or not!

Toplevels can generally be either straight narration/exposition OR prose with "dialogue", whatever works best for you.

Some folks also keep their TLs super simple if people already know what their character is doing, for example:

Yes, she actually did that.

SPARROW | Example comment

[cloverborn]

This is where, if it hasn't already, RP starts! You should be doing full prose with "dialogue" at this point.

If you want to experiment with other rp styles, [ You can use < small > tags (without spaces) to put your narration in brackets. ] In this style, dialogue would have no dedicated punctuation. [ It can be a little clunky if you're used to book-style prose, but it's pretty excellent for things like comedic timing; a lot of people will use brackets to emphasize a dialogue between narrators and characters, or as a way to more clearly state what a character's current thoughts are. Usually with brackets you also wouldn't narrate every action, only the most important stuff -- the rest is implied. ]

Remember to edit your reply title! For first comments it's best to include your character's name and, if applicable, the name or marker for the prompt you're responding to. Further replies can be untitled; I recommend deleting the "Re: Title" for a tidier look though.

What are you gonna do about it? :]

[cloverborn]

You can put OOC commentary in untitled reply titles too! It's a good way to separate OOC from in-character.

(example) cw: that leg is SO broken.

[cloverborn]

After a given number of replies, Dreamwidth will automatically hide them behind links so the comments section is a little easier to read. Longer threads can still stretch the page even with that help though, especially on mobile.

You can also fetch direct links to specific comments for various purposes! Just click the little red (link) in the comment's header (the gray box).

[cloverborn]

This is what an untitled reply looks like!

[cloverborn]

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CLOUDTUFT | Fox why

[cloverborn]

This is what additional replies to the same toplevel look like! You can start multiple threads from ANY comment.

Replying to a closed or ongoing thread with an uninvited character is generally called "threadjacking", and unless a player specifies that they're fine with it, it's rude to do without asking -- though it CAN be very funny, especially for threads happening in public settings.

Fox why (2)

[cloverborn]

You can also double post for emphasis or dramatic/comedic effect, just don't overdo it.

This is also a great way to apply expressive character icons, if you have different ones for different moods/expressions.

IMPORTANT:

[cloverborn]

Once you've gotten a reply on a comment, you CAN'T edit the original comment. Proofread with care and use your preview button liberally, and if you need to correct something past the point of being able to make edits, you'll have to just let your rp partner know in chat.