Well, some are. I did initially model Jack as the ideal Aryan male...

Do not try too hard. RP is fluid, not scripted.

Develop passions for your characters. While it may be RP to be dull and flat, it's hard to spot it as RP.

Work towards goals, even if they don't seem feasible.

Experience as much as possible, and learn from those experiences.

Don't confuse real-life concerns with IC concern. Be very careful about carrying OOC morality into the game - attitudes like racism and divine right can be realistic and fun.

Make sure your role flows through everything you do, instead of being limited to a few key interactions. The basin is full of people who want to talk about being pregnant and role play giving birth, but still go out hunting, drinking, getting disemboweled, and more without any consequence.

Focus on how you act and what you do in general. Tully was a great example of this - he didn't just go around and TELL everyone that he was a janitor. He started ACTING like one, and people caught on.

Yeah, and now he has an artifact named after him. The RP was strong is that one.

which artifact? I'm looking through the list and can't find it

It was an auction artefact. Tully's broom.

who has it and what does it do?

I know Anisu has one, but no idea what it does.

I got a couple.

From your character's perspective, this is life, not a game.

Never go looking for RP. RP is what happens when you're in the game. Look for character interactions.

It's a game. Have fun.

Don't focus on putting on a show. Sometimes it's funny to play around with language and make nice emotes, but it can be tiring if someone takes a paragraph for every single action, even if they are just....like....tying their shoes. On the other hand, it can be a nice hint to others if you include little details about movement and so on as you are carrying on your conversations, provided you are not terribly slow or ponderous about it.

For example, people usually get the sense that I'm a giant bug, even if they aren't looking at my description, because I'll mention an antennae flicking or carapace clanking. Note, I don't scream "THE BIG BUG DOES XYZ" every line...just little tidbits thrown in.

However, you can be a fantastic roleplayer even if you never emote. If your character is consistent, your diction stellar, and your attitude clearly conveyed through speech, then you'll have a well done character. Esano comes to mind.

I played on a MUSH for 6+ years, and we chatted all the time IC and OOC. Some of my best friends OOC were my downfall IC, and vice versa. It's not so much about being able to talk OOCly, but the maturity and devotion of the people.

Anyway, onto RP points.

1- Use the room. Always emoting things like, (NewbieBob walks up to you and says 'I need new boots.') is boring. Try to incorporate your surroundings to lose yourself deeper. IE (Sliding sideways down the hill and kicking up a cloud of dust, NewbieBob murmurs, "These -were- new boots.")

2- Be patient! Really good poses (emotes) take a little more time than ordinary emotes. If you can't be bothered to wait a few minutes to RP, you should be bashing for 1337 w4R3s.

3- No metaposing. AKA Superman posing, or railroading. This game isn't as heavy on the consent base as other games, so poking someone or even slapping them is alright in context. But a Faeling picking up a Taurian and throwing them through a wall without warning is troublesome. Always show your intent in pose one, and give them time to react before defenestrating that Igasho for stealing your rum. This is in the same vein as making people do things in your emotes. A big no-no.

4- Always give and take. If someone stabs you in an RP setting (not PVP, obviously), give them some satisfaction by clutching your chest and screaming in agony. A little bit of self-masochism goes a long way for your characters, and hopefully when you stab them back they're show you how much it hurt too! A less macabre example - throwing whipped cream pies.