You begin with a character. Boy or girl, choose what you want. I roleplayed a girl for a bit, then tried a guy for a bit. Both interesting and fun. You then choose a name. The more the creative the better, yet also the more simplistic the better. Then you choose a face.
Now i did this back when High School Musical was just kicking off. Everyone was Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Zac Efron and Lucas Grabeel. Then the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana came on the scene and everyone choose them. Then suddenly someone came up with the brilliant idea to use models. "Scene" girls, and "Page Models". It's hard to describe all these things, but once you get involved you get hooked.
Next you choose your poison. Para or one-liners. Pretty much everyone starts out as one liners, you get used to how things work. Para [paragraph] is for when you're comfortable and ready to be more descriptive. The more creative people take the route [as did i].
Then, you create your history. Everyone has a background story, they usually put this on their profile so its public, you choose who you want to talk to, and know what their like, their character. Then you start communications.
To most people this will seem stupid and crazy. But for me it was an escape. And i made really good friends. I've been friends with one girl, Molly [her real name is colleen] for about five years, almost six now. We text, aim, myspace. All that jazz. She's amazing. I confide in her, text her when something good happens. And she does the same. This escape...is like no other. It's stepping into another world, another life. A life where everything is fine. And sometimes drama happens. It's like a new life, but you have better control of it. And you do get hurt, you loose people, but in the end it's all unreal. And that's the relief, when it gets to be too much, you can step away.
Before i said roleplaying was like being in a cult. Cult is a strong word, but it fits. Outsiders don't and can't understand until they try it, and once you try it you're hooked.
I've now left this amazing escape behind me, roleplaying every now and then with the friends i've made. But basically put it all to a stop. Now i escape through writing. It's really my only escape. I can control what happens. Me. and no-one else. I can be involved in things that i only can dream of happening to me, or that are my worst nightmare. I go through a high range of emotions while i'm writing. I've been so happy and smiling while writing, then even crying as i write. I have my escape, and it doesn't need anyone's approval but my own.
So what's your escape?
