Web chats,Text Messages & Roleplaying

[itsaplane]

Currently, I'm writing an MS about two boys who cosplay, live online, fall in love, etc. Cosplay (for those who don't know) is costume play...basically dressing up as characters and going to conventions or being a model for companies or just having photoshoots or meetups.

Since they do a lot of their communication via internet through chatting ,blog replies and text messages, I wondered how to go about writing it? I've only read a few stories that had chat logs in it, and it was like

[
username: alrite! sounds gud 8D
username2: cool ttyl.

so and so signed off. ]

but would this possibly get a little annoying especially if the messages got long-winded?

the second part of my question related to the roleplaying/cosplaying aspect. Should I avoid using real licensed characters (ie Mario, Link, etc) in favor of made up ones? Can you even get in trouble for using/mentioning licensed characters?

thanks in advance. I think my questions are sort of weird. Sorry for that!

[The_Ink_Goddess]

Originally Posted by itsaplane

Currently, I'm writing an MS about two boys who cosplay, live online, fall in love, etc. Cosplay (for those who don't know) is costume play...basically dressing up as characters and going to conventions or being a model for companies or just having photoshoots or meetups.

Since they do a lot of their communication via internet through chatting ,blog replies and text messages, I wondered how to go about writing it? I've only read a few stories that had chat logs in it, and it was like

[
username: alrite! sounds gud 8D
username2: cool ttyl.

so and so signed off. ]

but would this possibly get a little annoying especially if the messages got long-winded?

the second part of my question related to the roleplaying/cosplaying aspect. Should I avoid using real licensed characters (ie Mario, Link, etc) in favor of made up ones? Can you even get in trouble for using/mentioning licensed characters?

thanks in advance. I think my questions are sort of weird. Sorry for that!

I can't answer the cosplay questions, but the text speak/Internet chat would get on my nerves SO BADLY. Even those couple of lines get on my nerves. If it's a significant part of your book, I advise that you throw this element of realism to the wind and make them at least a little more comprehensible.

[kuwisdelu]

Originally Posted by The_Ink_Goddess

I can't answer the cosplay questions, but the text speak/Internet chat would get on my nerves SO BADLY. Even those couple of lines get on my nerves. If it's a significant part of your book, I advise that you throw this element of realism to the wind and make them at least a little more comprehensible.

I don't think textspeak has been realistic since about half a decade ago anyway.

[itsaplane]

I think it would depend on what community you're a part of. I spend a majority of my time on tumblr, 4chan, etc... they have a lot of internet jokes and typing quirks and such that other people don't get, I guess what I was wondering if putting those kind of things would distance or distract readers who aren't familiar with that kind of scene, but I guess it would.

[kuwisdelu]

Originally Posted by itsaplane

I think it would depend on what community you're a part of. I spend a majority of my time on tumblr, 4chan, etc... they have a lot of internet jokes and typing quirks and such that other people don't get, I guess what I was wondering if putting those kind of things would distance or distract readers who aren't familiar with that kind of scene, but I guess it would.

Chanspeak is totally different from textspeak, though. Anons don't into textspeak.

Normalfags don't into chanspeak, either. You'll accidentally your whole audience.

Also:

>implying tumblr is like 4chan

[Liosse de Velishaf]

Wasn't there a popular series of books that were along these lines?



Anyway, I think too much chatspeak(that's my generic term for internet chat, texting, 4chan, etc) is going to be a barrier for many readers, especially since your characters seem to be pretty nerdy, so it won't just be standard, cliche textspeak that all your readers will at least be familiar with.

How much of the narrative actually involves them chatting online? I have a similar story idea, where the characters are into cosplay, fansubbing, irc, etc. But there's still a fair amount of action in the real world, and I try to avoid too much chat transcription if possible.

Although if kudi was writing it, I might be able to put up with it. XD

[kuwisdelu]

Originally Posted by Liosse de Velishaf

Although if kudi was writing it, I might be able to put up with it. XD

Maybe I start textdumping now.

....nah.

[itsaplane]

Originally Posted by Liosse de Velishaf

Wasn't there a popular series of books that were along these lines?



Anyway, I think too much chatspeak(that's my generic term for internet chat, texting, 4chan, etc) is going to be a barrier for many readers, especially since your characters seem to be pretty nerdy, so it won't just be standard, cliche textspeak that all your readers will at least be familiar with.

How much of the narrative actually involves them chatting online? I have a similar story idea, where the characters are into cosplay, fansubbing, irc, etc. But there's still a fair amount of action in the real world, and I try to avoid too much chat transcription if possible.

Although if kudi was writing it, I might be able to put up with it. XD

There might have been, uh, I think the only book I read was titled "ttyl" or something along those lines. The whole thing was in a chat-conversation log, if I remember correctly. It's been a while.

Honestly, not much of the narrative involves the chatting online. I was just testing the waters. Most of it is on the LARPing battle field, the convention, etc. Was seeing if the usage of tumblr jokes or any kind of internet jokes would be a nuisance is all, lol.

[Liosse de Velishaf]

Originally Posted by itsaplane

There might have been, uh, I think the only book I read was titled "ttyl" or something along those lines. The whole thing was in a chat-conversation log, if I remember correctly. It's been a while.

Honestly, not much of the narrative involves the chatting online. I was just testing the waters. Most of it is on the LARPing battle field, the convention, etc. Was seeing if the usage of tumblr jokes or any kind of internet jokes would be a nuisance is all, lol.

Then you're probably okay.

[kuwisdelu]

we strike witches now.

[SomethingOrOther]

Originally Posted by itsaplane

I think it would depend on what community you're a part of. I spend a majority of my time on tumblr, 4chan, etc... they have a lot of internet jokes and typing quirks and such that other people don't get, I guess what I was wondering if putting those kind of things would distance or distract readers who aren't familiar with that kind of scene, but I guess it would.

1. Generally, I'd take answers in any form of "How much of [X unconventional device] is too much?"-type thread with a grain—or maybe even an entire quarry—of salt. It depends so much on how well it's executed. There are a number of devices I've come to enjoy where if you'd've asked me, "Could this ever work?" before I read it being used well, I'd've said, "No that'd be annoying." I don't trust my own speculation here. And I don't trust anyone else's.

2a. Internet chat itself has never annoyed me at all. Over-stylized textspeak full of abbreviations and acronyms has. But I'd attribute the latter mostly to the author's clearly trying to seem hip and cool and all like "OMG I'M DOWN WITH 1337SPEEK LOL (THAT MEANS LOTS OF LOVE!)," instead of keeping in mind that textspeak, like any dialect of any language, has to abide by certain rules: among other things, it should serve a purpose beyond class distinction, and its neologisms and stylistic quirks should have their own histories. They don't just pop fully-formed out of the ether.

2b. The example in your OP is horrid, and reading even two lines of it annoyed me, so this isn't speculation: that would annoy me. But that's bad chatspeak. If you want to create a stylized texting dialect, you should probably put a shitload of effort into making sure it's logical and self-consistent and of quality. Treat it like a character.

3. And you don't exactly have to be conspicuously text-speaky or whatever. In game chats, for instance, all I ever drop is initial capitalization (except for I) and terminal punctuation (except for ?). Beyond that, I often split longer sentences up over multiple lines by hitting "enter" once or twice midway through.

4. Aside from the sort of subtle things in #3 and outside of individuals' quirks, the defining characteristics of chatspeak—at least in the internet communities I'm a part of that use it—are rarely orthographic. It's not good --> gud. It's not alright --> alrite. It's not heavy use of abbreviation. It's specific responses in certain classes of situations that snowball into localized memes. For example, use of a certain semi-rare emoticon—and never any other—to indicate praise. There are probably better examples but I'm sleepy! I might edit those in later. Anyway, gl.

[missesdash]

Unless you're going to give your reader a chance to figure out meaning in context, I'd avoid most Internet inside jokes and that type of thing. It isolates and can be easily replaced with less obscure terms/jokes.

[Liosse de Velishaf]

Originally Posted by SomethingOrOther

1. Generally, I'd take answers in any form of "How much of [X unconventional device] is too much?"-type thread with a grain—or maybe even an entire quarry—of salt. It depends so much on how well it's executed. There are a number of devices I've come to enjoy where if you'd've asked me, "Could this ever work?" before I read it being used well, I'd've said, "No that'd be annoying." I don't trust my own speculation here. And I don't trust anyone else's.

2a. Internet chat itself has never annoyed me at all. Over-stylized textspeak full of abbreviations and acronyms has. But I'd attribute the latter mostly to the author's clearly trying to seem hip and cool and all like "OMG I'M DOWN WITH 1337SPEEK LOL (THAT MEANS LOTS OF LOVE!)," instead of keeping in mind that textspeak, like any dialect of any language, has to abide by certain rules: among other things, it should serve a purpose beyond class distinction, and its neologisms and stylistic quirks should have their own histories. They don't just pop fully-formed out of the ether.

2b. The example in your OP is horrid, and reading even two lines of it annoyed me, so this isn't speculation: that would annoy me. But that's bad chatspeak. If you want to create a stylized texting dialect, you should probably put a shitload of effort into making sure it's logical and self-consistent and of quality. Treat it like a character.

3. And you don't exactly have to be conspicuously text-speaky or whatever. In game chats, for instance, all I ever drop is initial capitalization (except for I) and terminal punctuation (except for ?). Beyond that, I often split longer sentences up over multiple lines by hitting "enter" once or twice midway through.

4. Aside from the sort of subtle things in #3 and outside of individuals' quirks, the defining characteristics of chatspeak—at least in the internet communities I'm a part of that use it—are rarely orthographic. It's not good --> gud. It's not alright --> alrite. It's not heavy use of abbreviation. It's specific responses in certain classes of situations that snowball into localized memes. For example, use of a certain semi-rare emoticon—and never any other—to indicate praise. There are probably better examples but I'm sleepy! I might edit those in later. Anyway, gl.

Listen to the pony.

[kuwisdelu]

>mfw kurisu is chestnut rice and turtle wave
>mfw okabe doesn't think everyone knows he's hououin kyouma
>mfw everyone on the show is a tripfag

Steins;Gate is best example I've seen of incorporating chan culture into a story while still keeping it accessible to normals.