RPG Terminology List

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Activity — This is generally how often you will appear on the website/forum where the roleplay takes place. Such as you'll be able to log on to post maybe once or three times a week, etc.

Admin — The 'supervisor' of the forum, higher up than a moderator.

AU — Alternate Universe. The world that strays from the canon either slightly or entirely. For instance, a what if scenario of Hans from Frozen being an actual good guy, the entire story is changed to your liking.

Canon — The original source information (TV show, book, etc.) that the characters came from. Such as the entire plot of Doctor Who with no deviation from the real story line known. So maybe a small character who is mentioned in the series, etc.

Closed Roleplay — The thread/roleplay is closed off to outsiders and is only welcome to those that are mentioned and already involved. Usually marked in the title with [CLOSED] here on the Muse. So do not just post in there if your name hasn't been included in the description, or invited in.

Doubling — When you and your partner both play one female AND one male. Most often used as a courtesy when both players do not want to play a specific gender.

Face Claim — The “face” of your character. The celebrity, actor, anime person that is used to portray the appearance of your character. Also known as celebrity claim.

Fan Character — An original character created in a canon world. Such as a sixth year Slytherin in Harry Potter that wasn't mentioned in the series, that you made.

Godmodding — A character whose abilities are limitless. Often acts of forcibly causing something to happen, i.e. making someone else’s character move without consent, is godmodding.

Handler — A forum term that means the roleplayer, or the one who controls the character in a roleplay thread. Such as I, Tyler, am a handler of Alex James, a slytherin.

Headcanon — Something that the individual or fandom believes to be true in the story, show, etc. and it generally makes sense, but hasn’t been confirmed by the creators of the media. More or less, a ‘personal’ canon.

Het — Abbreviation used for heterosexual.

IC — In character. That relating to what occurs in game/post by the characters.

[M] - A rating meaning Mature. Do NOT read those threads unless over the age of 17, or capable of viewing mature content (such as extreme violence, sexual content, etc).

Mary Sue/Gary Stu — Used to describe a character that is often times ‘perfect’ in every way, is capable of upstaging other characters no matter what, they can pick up on any task and master it in no time, etc. Usually a perfected self-insert.

MC — Abbreviation for main character.

Mod— Lower in power than an Admin. Someone who monitors either the forum, or a specific area.

MPreg — Male Pregnancy. A character or roleplay allowance that sees males becoming pregnant as acceptable and is used for the roleplay.

Muse — Often referred to either the player’s character, or things that inspire the player.

NPC — Non-playable character. This is when the player controls the actions of a character that may not be tied to the story permanently, such as waiters, office workers, etc. These may also be side characters that are tied to the story, though only played and controlled by one player.

OC — Original Character. One that is not related in any canon material. Made up by the player.

One Line — One sentence of post length.

OOC — Out of Character. Discussions that are done between the players and do not directly consist of the actions happening in the game. Sometimes in the roleplay thread using (( )) as a sign to show it's an OOC note.

Open — This means that the post made is open for anyone to reply to so that a roleplay is started. Sometimes, more than one person is allowed to join, which is specified either in the title of the post, or in the tags.

PB or PlayBy —The “face” of your character. The celebrity, actor, anime character that is used to portray the appearance of your character. Also known as celebrity claim or face claim.

RP — Roleplay.

RPG — Roleplay Game/Group.

Semi-Selective — When a roleplayer will sometimes be choosy with who they decide to roleplay with. Out of person A, B, and C, they may roleplay with B and C, but decide not to roleplay with A for whatever reason.

Ship/Shipping — Short for relationship. The act of shipping two characters together is to engage the two of them in an official relationship. The thought of shipping two characters together is approval of the thought of the two engaging in a relationship.

Slash — Refers to the same-sex pairing of characters.

Smut — The writing of erotica/18+ material. Smut involves sexual intercourse, oral sex, handjobs, etc.

Starter — The opening/beginning post of the roleplay. The very first post of the roleplay, to ‘start’ it.

Thread — The collection of posts and responses from the start or continuation of the roleplay.

UST — Unresolved Sexual Tension

Verse — ‘Universe’ or the world in which the roleplay is set.