First, let's take a moment to enjoy the comedy of using a text-based roleplaying game to pretend to text message people. 😃 With that out of the way...

You can read the complete help file for sending text messages here. This guide is just designed to help people who aren't yet familiar with the conventions of using the in-game text messaging system.

Command Conventions

When you read commands in this guide, note that anything enclosed in <angle brackets> is meant to be replaced. For example, you would replace <target(s)> with a space-separate list of people you want to text, and <message> with the contents of your text message.

Throughout, <target(s)> always refers to a list of people; this should be a space-separated list (e.g., Logan Emily Violet Alex).

Text messages do not format like poses, so do not use 😕;/@emit/etc.

Starting a Text Scene

As with most things Ares, you can either start your scene in-game, or you can start it on the portal. Both of these methods will create the scene and add all recipients as participants. You can then use the normal scenes commands to rename, summarize, etc.

• In-Game: To start a new text scene in-game, you can use the command txt/newscene <target(s)>=<message>.
• Via Portal: Click the create new scene button and fill out the information normally.

Note that starting a scene is optional. If you are in-game and don't want your text messages as part of a log, you can simply use the text commands normally. More about this in the "Text Roleplay Manners" section below.

Text Only Scenes

There is a Text scene-type available. This is so people can tag text-only scenes when they are shared. If your scene includes both text-messaging and regular roleplay, assign it as the corresponding "normal" scene type.

If your text scene is NSFW, please assign it as NSFW rather than Text.

Sending Text Messages

If you want your text messages logged to a scene, you have a couple of options:

• In-Game: txt <target(s)>/<scene #>=<message> will send your message to a list of targets and stamp it to a scene log.
• In-Game: txt/reply <message> will reply to whoever last texted you and stamp it to a scene log.
• In-Game: txt <message> will message whoever you last texted and stamp it to a scene log.
• Portal: In the portal, type <target(s)>=<message> and hit the Send Txt button.
  • Note that this formatting may seem weird. Essentially, you are just leaving off the "txt" part of the command at the front.

If you are in-game and don't want to text to a log, just use txt <target(s)>=<message>.

Text Roleplay Manners

So, text roleplay is a little bit of a different beast compared to normal RP. Usually, with normal RP, you might page someone or throw open a scene and let people know.

With text RP, it's generally assumed that online players who have not specifically marked themselves AFK are okay to text message. That being said...

• Make sure you have an IC reason to have someone's phone number. It's not a bad idea to page first if you haven't specifically RPed having that person's number.
• As with anything, don't spam someone. If you text and don't get a reply? Maybe they're AFK, or maybe they're IC/OOC doing something that prevents them from replying right then and there.
• If someone asks you not to text them, don't text them. This is harassment, plain and simple, and it will get you banned.
  • If someone is texting you and you want them to stop, you can use page/ignore <target(s)>. This will also stop them from paging you.
  • If you want to go completely dark (to pages and texts), you can use page/dnd on and no one can page or text you.
• If you are in a large, group scene that is not designated as a text scene, you generally should not send your text to the entire scene. It will show your text to everyone in the scene, and it can be disruptive for people that aren't part of the text thread.

Text Roleplay Conventions

Since texting as a form of RP is relatively new, there aren't so many accepted conventions yet. But here are a few that are generally accepted:

• Anything in [square brackets] is not considered verbatim. You can use [square brackets] as a place to add narrative.
  • Typically, this is when you'll see something like [A picture is attached. Here is a description of it.]
• Ares supports additional smiley-faces. You can see a list of them here. You can paste them into your RP, and people with "modern" clients should see them normally.
• Alternatively, people also use :colons: as a way to suggest smiley faces. For example, :ninja_emoji: or :heart_face:.
• Using ... or [...] indicates someone typing a bunch, or a long pause.
• It's generally accepted that texting happens in "real-time," but people may put in something like [Several hours later...] if their PC wouldn't realistically be able to answer a text right then-and-there.
• Feel free to have an IC text "voice." We all know those people RL that text the "lol y not u?????" type replies. If that's IC for your character? Go for it. But - just like typing out your accent can be irritating OOC - don't be surprised if people text your character that their text manners suck. 😉

This one gets its own paragraph: Texting doesn't necessarily happen in the middle of roleplay. Just like in real life, people answer their texts when they have time. Sitting on the bus, waiting for an elevator, eating their lunch, et cetera. Just because you texted someone at 2:15 PM in-character and someone is RPing in another scene at 2:15 PM in-character, we don't assume they are going to stop their scene and answer you right then.

If you're RPing and simultaneously answering a text, you should include that in your roleplay - e.g., Bob takes out his phone and taps out a message before he jumps off this cliff. Much like real life, however, interrupting your scene to RP replying to texts can be interpreted as rude to the person with whom you are RPing, so be considerate: If your text scene is meant to run at the same time as your normal RP, maybe be ready to drop one or the other, or let the text scene be noted with [Some time later...] to indicate your character did whatever they were doing and then got back to their text messages.

Basically: Be polite. No one is going to police your RP to see if you posed sending a text in the middle of your scene, but try to keep in mind that IC timing may sometimes matter.