※ 10 tips for replying by yours truly.

so hi :'D 

im not really one to talk cuz honestly, it takes me two years to reply on a bad day.

but anyways, i have a few tips on how to squeeze them muse juices out, thought i should share!

1. piece it out – especially works for the longer replies. if, say for example, you're intimidated by a reply that's 8 paragraphs long, take your time to read everything then start from where you can. doesnt matter if it's in the middle, at the bottom or the very first, write down the response to the first paragraph that you think you think you can answer. then from there, build it up. for example, you find yourself being able to reply to the third paragraph, write that down immediately. then from there, you'll have at least an idea of how it's gonna pan out and how your character is gonna respond or retaliate to the other person.

remember: this is an interaction, play it out as so.

2. talk more – dialogue is a very useful tool, especially if the plot can go / needs to function with heavy dialogue. you can play around with them and use them as the basis of your character's actions or emotions. for example, if two rivals are talking, one might tell the other that they're not intimidated (i.e. "i'm not afraid of you, i've beaten you countless times already.") but their actions (i.e. shaking tone, jittery feet, etc.) says otherwise.

3. read the book and watch the movie – basically, dont just reply; tell the story. this works for when the reply sent to you is heavy on the other character's internal monologue, their emotions, their thoughts, etc. when the reply has an overwhelming amount of detail that you know you cant match, do this: imagine you're reading it as a book. play out what the character is doing in your head, and ask yourself: what is my character doing while they speak/are silent? how does my character respond to what the other person is doing? add to the story, dont just respond. 

4. show, never tell – most of us are guilty of overusing adjectives and adverbs, mostly because they're really great fillers for when we need to lengthen our replies and make them seem more detailed. but believe it or not, doing so actually defeats the possibility of you describing how your character feels at that situation. for example, a girl is excited to see her brother for the first time in a long while. you can of course say that "the young girl had waited so long, she was very much excited to see her brother again." but, there's a better way to say it by showing and not telling. "the lass could not even sit still – every part of her body seemed to tremble with great joy, the smile on her face had been laced with generous amounts of anticipation at thought of finally seeing her brother again." the former told us that she was excited, but the latter showed us that she was. longer, more detailed, and gives more for the mind to envision.

5. push and pull – in connection to number 4, we should never just conform to one way of describing. writing is never a 'one size fits all' kind of thing. mix and match, diversify your adjectives, maximize the kinds of sentences you use (beware of the compound monster, she's everywhere). dont be afraid to experiment with words, they can never go wrong. use common adjectives for unconventional descriptions when you can. you can say "he affected her a lot", or you can say "he affected her dearly." 

6. connect and project – think of your character's relationship with the other person and write based on three main things: that relationship, the other character's personality and your own character's personality. how well does your character know this person? if not by much and this is their first time meeting them, maybe they'd hold back a bit. but what if your character is an extrovert? maybe they'd crack a few jokes here and there and compliment the other person. but what if the other person is of higher authority, like a princess or a king? then maybe they'd smile a lot as they talk and throw in some pleasantries here and there. from these questions alone, we already have a set mood for what your character will be doing, thinking and feeling the entire time.

7. inspire and aspire – for most of us, we have certain things that we can get muse from. songs, other characters, shows, art, anything. use it to your advantage; never underestimate the power of muse-inducing art. need to angst? listen to some emo music. need to drama? watch tea channels. need to do the dirty? there are a lot of hoe anthem compilations. inspire yourself so you can project it onto your character – after all, you are the one playing them. you control your characters, so whatever you need to portray has to start genuinely from your own choices and emotions. as for the aspire, once you do get to the projection part, start asking yourself questions (i've mentioned this up there, but this honestly really helps). what do i want my character to do? is it in my character's nature to be easily angered by what they said, or will they brush it off like nothing happened? decisive and focused writing gives your roleplaying partner muse as well. if they see a set image from your writing, then it will be easy for them to give you that same experience of direct and clear images.

8. break down them walls – this one is simple. it's much easier to write replies when we know the person we're roleplaying with. so if you dont already know this person, then take it to yourself to interact with them outside. get to know them personally, ask them about their characters and talk to them about what they like and don't like when it comes to roleplaying. i'll say this time and time again, but communication is important. you can't work with someone you barely talked to. not only is it gonna be a little uncomfortable for you both, but it'll also be risky cuz you can potentially push a few of their buttons you dont know about. plus, getting to know them allows you to find out how they write, and you can prepare yourself in advance for when the actual roleplaying begins.

9. read, read, read – i'll never be able to stop saying this cuz this is one of my favorite tips. read as much as you can, you can take away so much from it. there might be new words you'll be able to learn, or better yet, new uses for regular words you know. you might see a phrase you'd like to use some time, or a sentence that was written so beautifully that it evokes muse within you. there was this one time where i opened a book before writing a reply, and from the first few pages i already got the words protectress, princely, and a new use for the word "dearly". or if you dont have access, read a few of your own writings or of other people's writings, may it be from the same rp or a different place. 

10. press f for respects – my absolute favorite of all the tips. respect them and respect yourself, above all else. if you really lost muse for the thread, tell them and they'll respect you. nothing's more insulting than never replying to someone who's waiting just becaude you got tired and didn't bother telling them. if you really can't write, dont force yourself – i'm sure that if ever that happens to the other person, you'll understand them too. never force yourself to write something you can't, but make sure to at least exert the same amount of effort as the other person. for example, if they send you a 6 paragraph reply, it's okay if you can't match that but at least write until 4 paragraphs. if you really can't, tell them honestly and you two can work around what you have. communication is key, talk honestly and it will never fail you. 

takeaways from these tips:

• communucate both ic and ooc.

• ask yourself questions.

• experiment with your writing.

• take your time.

• feed yourself some muse.

• read.

• imagine.

• tell a story.

dont be the idle, receptive writer. do not react, interact.

want a little extra help? take a notebook or any piece of paper when you reply, and write down 6 main emotions your character is feeling at that very moment. after that, write 5 things your character is doing while the other person is talking/doing something. then, write down 4 things about the other person's reply that you want to reflect or emphasize on your own reply. write 3 words you've already used too much on the previous replies, or if it's a starter, write 3 words you want to avoid overusing. next, write 2 words that you want to incorporate somewhere in your reply. lastly, write down one phrase or sentence you want to incorporate into the reply. that should be enough to last at least 4 paragraphs.

so yeah, i honestly hope these help djsjsb uwu i'll be posting another blog about pov's later!