RP Performance Terminology and Common Abbreviations – modified from ForceNet Jedi Council Forums
This list will be updated frequently
Star Wars Performance University (Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook) is where we talk about how to perform, to develop techniques, to write, to form plots, to develop story arcs, and actual performances, etc. The University is a trans-platform social media program. Anything that has to do with Star Wars and Improvised Performances will be posted on our sites.
Basic Social Media Terms for Oldbies
RL – Real Life
IRL – In Real Life
FB – Facebook
TT – Twitter less frequently used on FB or Twitter
Blr – Tumblr and used very infrequently
SW – Star Wars
STAR WARS SPECIFIC COMMON ABBREVIATIONS
Movies:
- TPM – Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- AOTC – Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- ROTS – Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- ANH – Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
- ESB – Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back
- ROTJ – Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
- TFA – Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- R1 – Star Wars: Rogue One Anthology
- TLJ – Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- Solo – Solo, A Star Wars Story
- TROS – Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker
Television:
- TCW – Star Wars The Clone Wars
- SWR – Star Wars Rebels
- Resistance – Star Wars Resistance
- The Mandalorian – Star Wars The Mandalorian
RARELY discuss Ewoks or Droids, but… There are some of us geeks out there
Games:
- TFU I and II – Star Wars The Force Unleashed I and II
- USE – Ultimate Sith Edition
- DLC – Downloadable Content
- BF – Battlefront 1, 2, and 3
- KOTOR I and II – Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
- SWTOR – Star Wars The Old Republic
- Battlefront I and II
- FJ – Star Wars Fallen Jedi
A more exhaustive list of all the games is on Wookieepedia
Novels in the current lexicon being used:
- TCW – The Clone Wars
- Aftermath
- Bloodlines
- Rogue One Catalyst
- dTTT- Disney’s The Thrawn Trilogy
- dTA – Disney’s Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising
Many more books now: support us http://bit.ly/SWStuffWAG77
Legends novels in the current lexicon that were used:
- TFUI or II – The Force Unleashed
- NJO – New Jedi Order
- FOTJ – Fate of the Jedi
- LOTJ – Legacy of the Jedi
PLEASE be respectful on the novels, artwork and pictures, because there are quite a few RL LFL approved Star Wars Authors, Artists, Filmmakers and Actors following various performers on FB and Twitter!
Do not be disrespectful to them and use profanity. That is just plain dumb! It’s almost like your job interview, they do a search on you.
STAR WARS TIMELINES:
ABY – After the Battle of Yavin in ANH. The standard zero-year; all dates in the SW universe are usually given in years relative to the Battle of Yavin. Also refers to the ABYverse, a group of games set in roughly 130ABY.
BBY – Before the Battle of Yavin in ANH. The standard zero-year; all dates in the SW universe are usually given in years relative to the Battle of Yavin.
(Disney a different timeline system that is confusing to most fans. Most fans use the above designations.)
PERFORMING (ROLEPLAYING):
At SWAG 77 – the Star Wars Actors Guild 77, we prefer the term PERFORMER, because we follow canon, continuity and timeline Star Wars, closely. We take our cues from StarWars.com site and other sites for background of our performance characters, which are 99% canon character. All characters follow a storyline within their story arcs. We do this by a research scientific method. Moreover, Lucasfilm told us to follow canon, continuity and timeline, and we follow their rules, voluntarily.
We refrain the label as “roleplayers” (RPers) because it marginalizes us on social media. We feel that PERFORMER is an accurate term for our workload. Another name for performer is MUN or mundane – the person who types and interacts with other accounts.
CS – Character Sheet. The character sheet is a form that you fill out before playing in the performance; it lists basic categories about your character: name, age, species, gender. Most managers will require a character sheet to start. We require it for canon characters because it will be the performer’s opinion of how to perform the character – also called the MUSE.
IC – In Character. It shows where you are writing the actual story of the character.
OOC – Out Of Character. Can be used as:
- OOC
- ooc
- /
- //
- ((…))
- {{…}}
- [[…]]
OOC is used as a representation of the MUN, as opposed to the muse, that needs to remark quickly on the feed. Typically done before your post.
Information posted on your OWN personal profile wall is out of character. SWAG77 refrains from self-inserts in our RP performances. We created characters.
In general, OOC should be used sparingly on social media even though fans do not read or care that your character is a roleplay performance character. How to manage the discrepancy is what SWAG77 rehearses.
Mainly for Facebook, but can be used for Twitter:
- Refrain from performing on a Facebook (personal Twitter) profile or creating a new fake profile because Facebook is notorious to deleting secondary accounts without any notice. (Not so much for Twitter, but they might be changing). All work as an RPer will be erased.
- Perform on a Facebook Page or a set aside account on Twitter.
- Also, Facebook Statements of Rights and Responsibilities clearly states no fake profile accounts. Twitter’s TOS is ratcheting up that issue, too. It is a matter of how many text phone numbers you have.
Seriously, if you perform on your RL account, the performance interspersed to real life activities appear bizarre even in groups. What are you roleplaying for? If it for fun to self-insert and live out a fantasy? Or is it to perform like you are in a play that has meaningful entertainment for all those who watch – what SWAG77 does? Show fans your social media skills and pretend to be the character as portrayed. Because when you perform on your RL account, your brain is incapable to psychologically separate from what is real vs fake on social media. If your brain thinks it is real, then to you, it is real, even though it is not. It can make you mentally ill.
You can always ask if someone is IC or OOC.
Avoid posting anything on a performance account related to RL events or political positions, no matter how much you want. Reason is you will invariably get responses some may not like. Better to STAY IN CHARACTER and practice that than to make a lot of individuals, some of these individuals are emotionally unstable angry with your RL positions in life.
Careful what you post because you are responsible for the information. And there are no First Amendment Free Speech protections on Social Media — you have the right to say what you want, but if you defame someone, the other person can sue you. Moreover, employers always look at your social media. REALITY: You are what you post. The Internet Is Written In INK–NOT PENCIL! Your boss may ACTUALLY BE watching – which is ANOTHER reason why you do not perform with your RL account!
HOW TO PERFORM ADDING AN EMOTION OR ACTION:
*saying your favorite emotion or action* – wrapping your phrases with the use of the
- *…*
- -…-
- ~…~
- {…}
- […]
Are arbitrary “emotions” or “actions” you do on Social Media sites:
e.g.: *She yawns* I think I am tired…
It can be written into prose like this:
e.g. She yawns, “I think I am tired.”
CHAT:
Chat should be used for organizing the performance and discussing deep ideas for clarification. NOT for doing performances. 1) If you cannot perform in public, then you probably should not be doing it in private; 2) Performing in chat blurs the lines of RL vs Performance Life (PL) – people really connect to others by chat. Some people cannot separate the two and it is psychologically unhealthy. And 3) Chat is during performance helps you focus on the performance rather than being blind to the story arc.
IM – instant messaging
DM – direct message — more prevalent on Twitter
PM – private message — on older forms of Social Media
Services for chat is: DM on Twitter, and Facebook Messenger. SWAG77 isn’t at Discord Servers, yet. Have not had time. But, eventually.
STAR WARS PERFORMANCE SPECIFIC TERMS:
COMMUNICATIONS: HUGE DISCUSSION AND CAN CHANGE!!! Most are stated as an emotion or action during performance.
-com(m) – communications
-holo – have a Hologram communication
-holocom- – same as a hologram
comlink – Sometimes said, most times referring to Com
-villip – The organic equivalent of a communication device used ONLY by the Yuuzhan Vong
More to be added…
Star Wars Performance University 