Hello, so today we'll be discussing roleplay.

Roleplay is a large part of the Bronytales community, But it can be hard to figure out how to roleplay, especially when jumping into existing roleplays or trying to start a new one.

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Roleplay is more than just having an OC and using them as a mouthpiece. It's creating a communal story between yourself and someone else. And like all stories, it needs a starting point. That starting point is the OCs or canons behind the roleplay, which are where most of the conflict and conversations will come from. This is why it's important to remember, there is no main character in a roleplay. Instead, there are 2 people telling a story together.

With that in mind, you know what roleplay is, but. How do you start a roleplay? Well, start by typing /ch RP into the command box. Then type something in character and see who responds. Then start responding to each other in character. Alternatively, if you don't want to roleplay in a global channel. You and the other person can meet up on the server and use /ch local. Local is always helpful when establishing private roleplay.

When starting a roleplay, sometimes having a premise can help. For example, a sleepover or maybe a daring-do style adventure. The premise doesn't matter so long as you're open to it evolving with the character's actions. For example, during the sleepover, you could be showing off your magic. Then the spell goes wrong and you all wake up in an unfamiliar location. There are plenty of good ideas to start a roleplay with, they all don't have to be exciting or heart racing adventures. Sometimes just a normal night with friends or hanging out and picking apples can be fun too.

The last roleplay I was in, was between myself and Applebloom. The whole premise was that Applebloom was assigned to do a report on odd jobs around Ponyvile, and since everyone else was taken. She settled on the Clock Keeper. The premise evolved into Applebloom needing proof for Cheerile that the bat pony in question was as old as he said he was. There was no time traveling or crazy adventures, just a few conversations over a series of days. And one instance of craziness, that didn't escalate beyond a small trip to make sure Applebloom didn't get lost in a thunderstorm.

You don't always have to be that short though, some can go on for years. To provide another example, before Bronytales I spent 2 years working on the same roleplay series, between multiple people over the course of different adventures. I believe the most notable thing, was that Igny and Whooves had a pretty strange rivalry/frienemies type of relationship. There was always a new adventure, some times they were big. Sometimes small. I can remember role-playing with Applebloom back when they did a character called Potato-Battery. And the crazy antics involved with that. The list is endless, and honestly, since this was over 3 years ago. The roleplays blur together. But the key thing is that they lasted a long time.

The important thing is to have fun, and remember that even if you're not a good roleplayer out of the gate. There are plenty of ponies on the server to help you learn and better yourself. So just get out there and do some roleplay.