My Opinion on Emotes and Narratives [Discussion & Guide]

[Spindle 651]

Spoiler

 

 

Hello!

 

This is the Spindle emote guide 1.0.

 

As a little foreword, I find it’s important to mention that this isn’t a specific criticism or opinion on the quality of writing on LOTC, in fact, the quality of writing on this server is honestly remarkable and isn’t befitting of a children's game. 

 

Take this as some pointers - not that my opinion is more valid, but thoughts to keep in mind that could prove helpful for your writing! 

 

 

Characters & Narratives

Writing

So! Lord of the Craft… One big collective narrative. The clue here, and what I am poorly trying to get to, is in the name - collective narrative. This part is, in my opinion, the most important factor to consider when writing your emotes. The tone of roleplay and the emotes that direct it, and the people involved are what define how you structure an emote. Your writing should take into account the speed and length of the other party's emotes, or the scenario you are adding to.   

 

This is not to issue some limitations or rules with how you write, but to consider the tone. I am all for gaudy emotes, in fact, I am a large offender. 2.4% of gaudiness in LOTC’s emotes are a byproduct of Spindle rp (Christman, 2022). But, it should be narratively appropriate: First meetings, moments of tension, or any scenario that is fitting really. However, a lot can be achieved with simple old dialogue! 

 

This notion of being “narratively appropriate” shifts into the idea of internal monologue, or, the omittance of it. Going back to that collective narrative, you should not be writing from a third-person omnipotent perspective. We do not need to hear the thoughts of your characters. It actually detracts from your emote. This is not a novel - write accordingly. This is to say, a third-person limited perspective is king. If it is important to write and give indications of what your character is thinking, think of creative ways to go about doing this:

 

Netzhal’s gaze grew distant and she drew into her thoughts; the little woman’s eyes grew dark and worry flashed across her face.  

 

Characterisation

Be appropriate with your characterisation! Think on how your character should act in a given scenario. I will give an example:

 

You are a noble caught in the self-contained bubble that is court rp. Would it not then be odd to go pull potatoes out of the ground with a band of halflings? 

 

… Probably. 

 

Again, this may be limiting to the scope of roleplay you can interact with, but it will create stronger, and more well-rounded characters! 

 

Writing & Prose

Honestly, this segment on prose is entirely forgettable. Entirely subjective even! The way you string words together is no ones concern other than yourself. But, here are some things I think makes good prose.

 

Contractions
Poetic contractions! ‘twixt, ‘pon, ‘tis - You have seen ‘em. In my humble opinion, these are not needed. This is not poetry, nor are we in the 17th century. If you want to add some poetic techniques into your writing, which I love to do, here are some alternatives: 

 

Cadence/rhythm
This is the big one. Assonance, consonance, alliteration are your best friends here. Syllables into: Iambs, dactyls, trochees, etc. are other things you can use to add some flavour to your writing. Take:

 

“‘Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!’”

 

Jabberwocky
 

Carroll is writing here in something called iambic tetrameter. An iamb consists of a short syllable and a long syllable. Be(short) ware(long). Tetrameter just means there are four iambs per line. This short syllable into a long one creates rhythm, and, you are most likely writing in a similar way without considering what you are doing. If you think a sentence sounds pretty, you are probably following some sort of metre.    

 

Another one I love doing are allusions - alluding to X. I had a period of addiction where I was writing Pink Floyd lines in my emotes. It took a great deal of time to get over that. 

 

Now, as I touched on before… Archaic words… The great divider! I believe they have a place if done right - think if it fits the theme of your character. Maybe they are an aged and wisen vampire? 
 

Adjectives
This is a Segway into my next point - Adjectives. See what I did there? Aged and wisen!! Adjectives are like sticks of dynamite. Very effective if used correctly, but, they can also explode in your face. The overuse of adjectives will inevitably clutter your writing, mess up your cadence, and just looks generally low quality. Remember, sticks of dynamite! Use them wisely.   

 

 

Lo! We art o’er an’ mine ‘pinions hast been stated. 

 

If you guys want some examples of what I’ve spoken on, go roleplay with the following: @Hephaestus @Lockages @DISCOLIQUID

 

 

Spindle out!

 

Spoiler

I will be taking a break from lore writing for the next good while!

 

[lemonke 1873]

Powerful post. There's always room for me to learn more, thank you!

[Air 649]

awesome post, learned some new things today. thank you

[Spindle 651]

5 minutes ago, lemonke said:

Powerful post. There's always room for me to learn more, thank you!

 

Just now, Air said:

awesome post, learned some new things today. thank you

<3

[christman 2216]

powerful spindle writing

[Borin 5241]

lol rp

[Laeonathan 3919]

Ok but pls no Hephposting

[Spindle 651]

6 minutes ago, Laeonathan said:

Ok but pls no Hephposting

I hear all these rumours... His emotes are top quality now. That is all. 

[Lockages 489]

very sweet much appreciate 

 

(very much convinced spindle is a better rper than me but they claim otherwise, don't listen)

[Bonito 2262]

7 hours ago, Spindle said:

Poetic contractions! ‘twixt, ‘pon, ‘tis - You have seen ‘em. In my humble opinion, these are not needed.

 

you are so real for this

[Hephaestus 1317]