Community usage varies, so when a group defines a term differently, follow the group's rules.
The basics
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| RP | Roleplay: telling a story together by playing characters. |
| IC | In character: written as your character. |
| OOC | Out of character: a note from you as a player, often in (( double brackets )), // slashes or [square brackets]. |
| BIC | Back in character: returning to the story after an OOC note. |
| OC | Original character: a character you created, not one from an existing story. See our OC ideas. |
| Canon character | A character from an existing book, show or game. |
| PC / NPC | Player character / non-player character: one controlled by a player, or a side character run by the game master or story. |
| GM / DM | Game master / dungeon master: the person who runs the world and side characters in a group game. |
| Muse | The character you're writing, or your creative energy for them ("my muse is gone today"). |
Posting and writing terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Starter | The first post that opens a scene. See how to write a roleplay starter. |
| Reply / response | Your turn after someone else's post. |
| One-liner | A reply of a sentence or two. |
| Para / multi-para | A one-paragraph reply / a reply of several paragraphs. |
| Novella | A very long reply, often many paragraphs. |
| Literate / semi-literate | Community labels for expected detail and length: literate usually means full, descriptive paragraphs. |
| Post order | The agreed order in which players reply in a group scene. |
| Bump | A post that raises a forum thread, or a reminder that you're waiting for a reply. |
| Script vs. story format | Script is mostly dialogue; story format describes actions and surroundings too. |
| Time skip | Jumping the story forward past uneventful time. |
Formats and settings
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1x1 | One-on-one roleplay between two people. |
| Group RP | A scene with three or more players. |
| Open / closed thread | Anyone may join / only invited players may join. |
| PBP | Play-by-post: roleplay on a forum, with slow, longer posts. See text-based roleplay. |
| Plotting | Planning the story OOC with your partner before or during the RP. |
| AU | Alternate universe: canon characters placed in a different setting. |
| Crossover | Characters from different stories meeting. |
| FC | Face claim: an image used to show what a character looks like. |
Behavior terms (mostly things to avoid)
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Godmodding | Controlling someone else's character, or making yours impossible to affect. Almost always against the rules. |
| Powerplaying | Writing actions or outcomes for another player's character without their agreement. |
| Auto-hitting | Declaring that your character's attack lands, instead of letting the other player decide how it plays out. |
| Metagaming | Using information your character couldn't know, such as something said OOC. |
| Mary Sue / Gary Stu | A character who is implausibly perfect and adored by everyone. |
| Bunnying | Grabbing another player's character for your own plot without asking. Usage varies by community. |
Content and safety terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| TW / CW | Trigger warning / content warning, noted before sensitive content. |
| Lines and veils | Lines are content that won't appear at all; veils are content that happens off-screen. |
| FTB | Fade to black: skipping a scene's details and cutting to afterward. |
| Hard / soft limits | Content a player refuses entirely / content they're cautious about. |
Respect each group's content and age rules, and use OOC to check in with a partner if a scene might go somewhere they don't want.
Using these terms with an AI partner
In AI roleplay you'll rarely need most of this jargon, but two habits carry over: keep IC and OOC clearly separate, using brackets for any instruction that's not part of the story, and never write the other character's reactions for them. Our guide to AI roleplay covers the rest.
Frequently asked questions
What does OOC mean?
Out of character. It marks a message as coming from you as a player, not from your character, often written in double brackets, after //, or in square brackets.
What does RP mean?
Roleplay: creating a story together by playing characters, in text, in person or with an AI.
What does OC mean in roleplay?
Original character: a character you created yourself instead of borrowing one from an existing story.
What is godmodding in roleplay?
Taking control of another player's character, or making your own character impossible to affect. Most roleplay communities ban it because it takes choices away from other players.
Sources
- OOC — Dictionary.com; checked October 25, 2026.
- OOC and OC — Wiktionary; checked October 25, 2026.
- Online text-based role-playing game — Wikipedia; script and story formats; checked October 25, 2026.
- Mary Sue — Wikipedia; checked October 25, 2026.
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