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IC, OOC, Wha-?
Don't know what those terms mean? Well, IC is short for In Character. This refers to anything within a post that the character does. Such as an action, thought, or speech. OOC is short for Out of Character, and this part of the post refers to you, the roleplayer. This is used for you to explain what happened, ask questions, or alert other roleplayers to a possible issue with you being able to finish the scene.

IC and OOC should always be distinguished from each other. It should be quite clear when you are typing your character and when you are typing yourself. They should never mix. Just cause a character is an a**, doesn't mean that the user is! In order to keep things running smoothly, it is important to understand the character and the user as two separate beings, since they are.

Control
Calm down. You are not the Captain, and you most certainly are not God. You are not the only person in this guild so sit yo' butt down. There are things that you can and cannot do as a roleplayer.

Auto-hitting is something that you should never, ever do. Basically, this happens when you just assume that your character hits another and describes the effect that it had on said character. Not only is this against the rules, but this is highly rude.

Also, you may not Godmod. This is when you think that your character is the greatest thing ever and that nothing bad could ever happen to them ever.

Lastly, you only control your own characters. And only yours. Not mine, not his, not hers. Just yours. You cannot decide how other characters react to your post.

Realism
Yes, there are elements of science fiction in The Hunger Games, whoever it isn't overwhelming. There are no aliens, and for the most part, people in the Districts could just live like you and me. Therefore, please try to stay as true to the story as you can when creating your character. Creativity is one thing, being absurd is another.

Basically, don't go overboard. Find balance. Then you won't bore or annoy us.

Fitting In
I get it. You want a one-of-a-kind character. However, you need to make sure that they actually would exist in Panem. Not Hogwarts, not Camp Half-Blood, not Narnia, not some anime, and for all that is good, not Forks.

This is Panem. Panem has rules of the universe. Break them, and you break apart everything ever created. So don't do it.

Take your crossovers elsewhere!

Concept
Do you know how boring it is to have nine million characters with parents who tragically passed away leaving them to fend for themselves causing them to become the biggest badass most people have ever known?

Well, after years of looking over profiles in various roleplays, I certainly know the feeling. In fact, since it doesn't bring up any fond memories, I won't go into much detail on how I feel about profiles like that. Let's just say, I will probably be overly critical of your character.

So, how do you fix it? It's simple really. Get a concept. Something like daughter of a former gamemaker, son of a victor, caught rebel turned avox. Maybe even an innocent looking rebel or a cruel, twisted tribute.

Just put your thinking cap on. I'm sure you'll get a great character. And don't worry. If all else fails, I still do accept a few badass orphans. Just do it well.

Names
I don't care if you're from the Capitol. You probably won't have a really ethnic name. No matter what. Things like Yuki Haruno are not going to fly no matter where your from.

Yes, names in Panem are, what many would consider to be, weird. A way around this is changing up the spellings or searching for unique names. Here are some examples of names that have been rearranged.

Dakota to Dakote
Darrien to Darren
Maya to Maia
Jackson to Jakson
Anna to Annia
Esmeralda to Emeralda
Jason to Jayson


Helpful Questions
Sometimes, asking yourself these questions about your character will help you fill them out.

- Where were they born? How does this affect them?
- In what circumstances were they born? Out of wedlock? True love? How does this affect them?
- What are their habits and hobbies?
- What are their likes, loves, dislikes and hates? How were these gained?
- What are their goals?
- What are their weaknesses? How do these affect them?

"I'm Alive, Awake, Alert, Enthusiastic! Woo!"
Are you? Are you really? I mean you don't have to be enthusiastic in your post, but the others are important.

First off, while it's cool to make a really awesome, detailed post in which your character takes their last breath, they did start the post alive. So if you aren't dying, then you should be living.

Secondly, your character doesn't have to be awake. They can fall asleep and have a really cool dream. Just realize that you probably won't hear that tribute sneaking up on you.

Most importantly, you need to be alert. Be aware of not only what's happening to your character, but also what's happening around them. For example, if you're having a conversation with someone, and a fight breaks out a few feet away, you're probably going to notice the fight. This helps move the plot forward and, by noticing other stuff, your post length will increase.

Reactions
Depending on the situation, your character could act in a variety of ways. If they're at a calm lake, they're probably not going to be freaking out about things. If they're trying to outrun a Mutt, they're probably going to be freaking out. As far as people go, if someone's within earshot, at least acknowledge them. You can say "He ignored the girl," but do not ignore your fellow roleplayer!

Make New Friends, But Keep The Old
Sometimes, in a well-established roleplay, cliques will form. When this happens, old members tend not to be as accepting of roleplaying with newer members, just cause they don't know them.

Sometimes, when joining a roleplay, new members think that everyone's in a clique and nobody will ever pay attention to them just cause they're new and everyone else has known each other forever.

Both situations suck, and should never happen here. So, if you see a lonely character that could use some excitement, try some interaction with them. Make some friends!

Actions
This just in, your characters can do stuff! Always have an action in your post. Something as simple as sitting on the ground is fine. They can help lengthen your post depending upon how well you describe them.

When in doubt, DETAIL!


Talking
Ask yourself these questions to help you describe your character's speech.

- To whom are they speaking? How do they feel about said person?
- What's the character's tone?

Detail is key.

The Five Senses
Sight, Smell, Touch, Hearing, and Taste are all things that your character probably has. Use them when writing your post. Don't just say they ate bread. Talk about the bread!