Metwally
Helper
Alright, people. It has been long coming for me to write down this guide. I've been DMed by a lot of different people who were wondering how I have fun roleplaying passively and almost completely alone very often.
So, here we are.
(Credit to @Liquid Hound for providing the art.)
An introduction to Passive Roleplay:
By definition, Passive Roleplay is the form of Roleplay that occurs when no one is watching but yourself. In other words, it is the small things you do on your own for the sake of immersion. Such as cooking yourself a breakfast before leaving for work, making some coffee, or even simple things like putting your seatbelt on. All of what's been listed can be considered in the simple category of Passive RP. More complex versions would contain stuff such as cleaning up a gun from the inside out using acids and chemicals, investigating a crime scene (With help of OOC info, of course.), roleplaying an accident where you hit a light pole, et cetera. The point I'm trying to get across here is that Passive Roleplay is a vital part of the immersion process and the only reason you should ever do it is to increase your level of fun. So, how does a seemingly boring and mundane task end up translating in some of the most fun you'll ever have on your own and probably some of the more memorable moments? Well, let's find out!
Attention to detail and its importance:
Paying attention to very simple things, from the brands of your shampoo and perfumes to the feeling that the leather seats of your car brings you can seem like a daunting task, and don't get me wrong, it does take a lot of energy out of a person. But taking the time and effort to turn something as simple as imagining what your character feels like when they splash their face with water, to the taste they receive from that little omelet they made themselves for breakfast, adds on a hint of flavour to your roleplay that you otherwise feel is lacking. Between balancing out what your character likes and dislikes, adding a layer of depth to what your character is doing, and overall enhancing your own connection with them, this accomplishes a greater level of roleplay that allows you to reach the point of having mirrored feelings to your character, which in turn makes roleplay that much more impactful at accomplishing precisely what it set out to accomplish. And there, right there, is the beauty of paying attention to, and then painting said details. The flame that arises from such minor pieces of wood is beyond belief, and you'll see what I mean when you start employing very simple things such as understanding what your character is like, and writing their story, making it up as you go.
Working with what you're offered; the role of imagination:
Now, after saying all of that, the question arises. How does one use the very limited graphics and physics of a game like GTA San Andreas to immerse themselves? Well, the answer is fairly simple. Imagination! Imagination does wonders for what you can and can't do within SAMP, and while sometimes you'll find yourself subconsciously imagining things that have no place being where they are just to keep yourself immersed in the scene, often times what happens is you gloss over some details chalking them up to "Whatever" or "Doesn't matter" which is, frankly, an awful move to do. What you end up accomplishing by that is subpar roleplay that lacks identity. Nothing, absolutely nothing, from what you've done in there, will end up being too different or recognizable from day-to-day RP we see, minus the unique situations of course. Imagining certain things happening without them happening, and believing in it so much that they happen in front of your eyes magically, is the core of this entire process. You need to imagine the expressions and physical reactions your character might have during certain situations. The concept of a person just nodding, smiling, and frowning is so alien, if someone was like that in real life you'd assume they're a psycho of sorts. But a person who swiftly shifts between multiple expressions, of a soft smile to a smirk to a grin to a chuckle. A parsed pair of lips to a simple swivel of the brow to a thinking expression to a downright angry frown. All of these are stages of expression that are much more telling than "/me frowns". What doing this accomplishes is getting your character out of the robot skin they've been wearing for so long, and moving forwards towards a more robust and alive attitude. Apply this to everything. Them being annoyed by simple ambient noises or enjoying them. Them noticing the weather and acting according to it. Them being reactive to their universe. Them having a favourite meal. The list goes on and on and on and I can keep going for paragraphs and even essays on how many things you can do. However, it's always best to experiment with your own taste and style, find where your limit is, push it a little, and get comfortable.
Reliving the game; building your own universe:
By this point, you should have a general understanding of what you prefer when it comes to reacting to the world and what you're comfortable with. Now, you've got a little room, but not a world. Working from here, you start to have favourite parts of every single place you walk in, even if you're going in for the first time. Moving about from place to place and dashing from one street to the other, you start to notice minor things you never had in mind. After some time you start to formulate your own image of the world your character lives in. Your senses have been trained to understand and respond to signals from your brain that are nothing but imaginative feelings. You can now smell that tomato sauce your character is spreading over their Carbonara, you're refreshed when they take a shower. You're angry for their anger, laughing for their laughter, happy for their happiness, lonely with them, depressed with them, partying with them, raving with them, excited with them. You see where I'm going with this? It's a reflective nature that you managed to accomplish between you and your character. Now you can imagine how they sound, how they feel, what they're like. And that bond there, that bond will allow you to produce roleplay that is miles above what you used to. Mundane situations such as eating dinner in a restaurant now is a lot more enjoyable when you're around, or even when you're on your own. Slapping something as simple as buttoning up your jacket as you get up, fixing your pants in that process as well. Few minor things here and there to round about the whole thing. That, that is where true immersion occurs. Reliving the game, and building the universe around you. The world turns into the image you believe it to be.
Finishing touches, and finalizing your realm:
After building your universe in such a way, you turn from a robot/husk of a walking creature who exists for the sole purpose of accomplishing X job, into a walking, breathing, laughing, smiling, frowning human being. One which has legitimate emotions, natural responses, legitimate ideas and ideals. Through mixing this form of roleplay with character development, you start to come a lot closer to understand what your character is about. They are your character at the end of the day, but the conversations that go between the two of you are much more important than any conversations you'll have in game with any other character. You need to understand eachother more than anything else to be able to act naturally. To become your character, you have to know them to the core, to the nitty griddy. The minor things that don't matter to anyone except their own selves. You now live in a realm made up completely of your imagination combined with the imaginations of other people. You don't have full control over things, but at the same time, you don't care. Because everything that happens is a way to add more detail to the gritty, beautiful, grotesque image that you drew out of the simple life of a guy who lives in the rural towns of a county within a state within a country.
So, here we are.
(Credit to @Liquid Hound for providing the art.)
An introduction to Passive Roleplay:
By definition, Passive Roleplay is the form of Roleplay that occurs when no one is watching but yourself. In other words, it is the small things you do on your own for the sake of immersion. Such as cooking yourself a breakfast before leaving for work, making some coffee, or even simple things like putting your seatbelt on. All of what's been listed can be considered in the simple category of Passive RP. More complex versions would contain stuff such as cleaning up a gun from the inside out using acids and chemicals, investigating a crime scene (With help of OOC info, of course.), roleplaying an accident where you hit a light pole, et cetera. The point I'm trying to get across here is that Passive Roleplay is a vital part of the immersion process and the only reason you should ever do it is to increase your level of fun. So, how does a seemingly boring and mundane task end up translating in some of the most fun you'll ever have on your own and probably some of the more memorable moments? Well, let's find out!
Attention to detail and its importance:
Paying attention to very simple things, from the brands of your shampoo and perfumes to the feeling that the leather seats of your car brings you can seem like a daunting task, and don't get me wrong, it does take a lot of energy out of a person. But taking the time and effort to turn something as simple as imagining what your character feels like when they splash their face with water, to the taste they receive from that little omelet they made themselves for breakfast, adds on a hint of flavour to your roleplay that you otherwise feel is lacking. Between balancing out what your character likes and dislikes, adding a layer of depth to what your character is doing, and overall enhancing your own connection with them, this accomplishes a greater level of roleplay that allows you to reach the point of having mirrored feelings to your character, which in turn makes roleplay that much more impactful at accomplishing precisely what it set out to accomplish. And there, right there, is the beauty of paying attention to, and then painting said details. The flame that arises from such minor pieces of wood is beyond belief, and you'll see what I mean when you start employing very simple things such as understanding what your character is like, and writing their story, making it up as you go.
Working with what you're offered; the role of imagination:
Now, after saying all of that, the question arises. How does one use the very limited graphics and physics of a game like GTA San Andreas to immerse themselves? Well, the answer is fairly simple. Imagination! Imagination does wonders for what you can and can't do within SAMP, and while sometimes you'll find yourself subconsciously imagining things that have no place being where they are just to keep yourself immersed in the scene, often times what happens is you gloss over some details chalking them up to "Whatever" or "Doesn't matter" which is, frankly, an awful move to do. What you end up accomplishing by that is subpar roleplay that lacks identity. Nothing, absolutely nothing, from what you've done in there, will end up being too different or recognizable from day-to-day RP we see, minus the unique situations of course. Imagining certain things happening without them happening, and believing in it so much that they happen in front of your eyes magically, is the core of this entire process. You need to imagine the expressions and physical reactions your character might have during certain situations. The concept of a person just nodding, smiling, and frowning is so alien, if someone was like that in real life you'd assume they're a psycho of sorts. But a person who swiftly shifts between multiple expressions, of a soft smile to a smirk to a grin to a chuckle. A parsed pair of lips to a simple swivel of the brow to a thinking expression to a downright angry frown. All of these are stages of expression that are much more telling than "/me frowns". What doing this accomplishes is getting your character out of the robot skin they've been wearing for so long, and moving forwards towards a more robust and alive attitude. Apply this to everything. Them being annoyed by simple ambient noises or enjoying them. Them noticing the weather and acting according to it. Them being reactive to their universe. Them having a favourite meal. The list goes on and on and on and I can keep going for paragraphs and even essays on how many things you can do. However, it's always best to experiment with your own taste and style, find where your limit is, push it a little, and get comfortable.
Reliving the game; building your own universe:
By this point, you should have a general understanding of what you prefer when it comes to reacting to the world and what you're comfortable with. Now, you've got a little room, but not a world. Working from here, you start to have favourite parts of every single place you walk in, even if you're going in for the first time. Moving about from place to place and dashing from one street to the other, you start to notice minor things you never had in mind. After some time you start to formulate your own image of the world your character lives in. Your senses have been trained to understand and respond to signals from your brain that are nothing but imaginative feelings. You can now smell that tomato sauce your character is spreading over their Carbonara, you're refreshed when they take a shower. You're angry for their anger, laughing for their laughter, happy for their happiness, lonely with them, depressed with them, partying with them, raving with them, excited with them. You see where I'm going with this? It's a reflective nature that you managed to accomplish between you and your character. Now you can imagine how they sound, how they feel, what they're like. And that bond there, that bond will allow you to produce roleplay that is miles above what you used to. Mundane situations such as eating dinner in a restaurant now is a lot more enjoyable when you're around, or even when you're on your own. Slapping something as simple as buttoning up your jacket as you get up, fixing your pants in that process as well. Few minor things here and there to round about the whole thing. That, that is where true immersion occurs. Reliving the game, and building the universe around you. The world turns into the image you believe it to be.
Finishing touches, and finalizing your realm:
After building your universe in such a way, you turn from a robot/husk of a walking creature who exists for the sole purpose of accomplishing X job, into a walking, breathing, laughing, smiling, frowning human being. One which has legitimate emotions, natural responses, legitimate ideas and ideals. Through mixing this form of roleplay with character development, you start to come a lot closer to understand what your character is about. They are your character at the end of the day, but the conversations that go between the two of you are much more important than any conversations you'll have in game with any other character. You need to understand eachother more than anything else to be able to act naturally. To become your character, you have to know them to the core, to the nitty griddy. The minor things that don't matter to anyone except their own selves. You now live in a realm made up completely of your imagination combined with the imaginations of other people. You don't have full control over things, but at the same time, you don't care. Because everything that happens is a way to add more detail to the gritty, beautiful, grotesque image that you drew out of the simple life of a guy who lives in the rural towns of a county within a state within a country.
