How to Roleplay Realistically

Subject: How to Roleplay Realistically Thu Dec 29, 2011 11:40 am

In this guide, I aim to help you roleplay more realistically. I love to assist others, and I just hope I can help you :3 Please note, the information in this topic will/may only apply to gray wolves & their closest relatives. Refer to these topics for other information on the gray wolf that may not be included in this topic~

Wolf Socialization

Social Structure
Let's begin with the [social structure of the gray wolf. Gray wolves are social predators that live in families of a mated pair, their offspring and, occasionally, adopted wolves, in most cases (At least in real life), the adopted wolves are juveniles, or younger wolves. If they are grown, they are normally killed. In the wild, packs normally consist of 8 wolves, though some packs have been recorded having more than 30 wolves.

Hierarchy & Ranks
Generally, in all packs, there is an alpha pair. A female and a male. They are the most dominant wolves, while the omega is most submissive. The alphas eat first in all occasions. The omegas eat last, as they, once again, are the most submissive. Occasionally, there will be a beta, who is the top challenger for the alpha position.

Body Language
Wolves have a large variety of body language, which includes moving of the tail, differing of the facial expressions, and posture. When submitting to an alpha, the wolf will normally lower their tail between their legs as a sign of submission and fear. Another way a wolf can submit to a more dominant individual is licking their face and/or rolling on their back, exposing their stomach, a vulnerable part of their body.

Territorial Behavior
Wolves are highly territorial animals, and generally establish territories far larger than they require to survive in order to assure a steady supply of prey. Wolves defend their territories from other packs through a combination of scent marking, direct attacks and howling. Scent marking is used for territorial advertisement, and involves urination, ground scratching, and rolling on the ground. Such markers can last for up to 3 weeks. In roleplay, be sure to act your rank. if you're a hunter, hunt. If you're a beta, help and keep order. Do your job.

Hunting and Feeding

Hunting
During pack hunting, wolves cooperate and have a great strategy, though despite this, most hunts are unsuccessful. When wolves hunt, they will attempt to find an elderly or injured animal, thus increasing the chances of success during the hunt. If the animal is in a herd, they will attempt to separate it from its herd, than isolate it, though most often the animals will endure a chase. During the chase, the wolves will try and tire out their prey, though, once again, wolf hunts are usually unsuccessful.

Mature wolves usually avoid attacking large prey frontally, instead focusing on the rear and sides of the animal. They kill large prey by biting large chunks of flesh from the soft thigh and hind quarters, causing massive blood loss.

In roleplay, please, try and add some detail to your post if you are hunting. It just irks me when I see posts like
"I jumped and killed the elk by biting it." at least try to put in a struggle for your wolf, and don't be afraid to lose every now and then. It happens.

Realistic Coat and Eye Colors

Eyes
Over the years, I've noticed some unrealistic eye colors, such as rainbow and pitch black. I'd just like to list the colors that occur in nature.

Several hues of...
• Dark & light gray (But never black)
• Green
• Yellow
• Orange / amber

The only way a blue tone (in the eyes) can occur is that the ancestor of the wolf is a husky, or from a genetic default/mutation. A white color can be achieved from blindness.

Coats
Coat color ranges from almost pure white through various shades of blond, cream, and ochre to grays, browns, and blacks, brown colors being the most common, white and black being the most uncommon. Normally, wolves will have a lighter underbelly and eye area. When picking a coat for your wolf, if you want to keep it reasonably realistic, don't add too many wild colors. Nobody likes a sparkle wolf. As a wolf ages, the most noticeable color will usually grow lighter, just as human hairs.

Some Other Tips for Roleplay

Expanding Your Post
When posting, don't just say
'My wolf came into the territory and sat down.' Add some detail! For example, you can turn that into this
"Nabak swifty trotted into the den site and glanced around her before sitting down wearily."

Also, try using synonyms. What is a synonym, you ask? A synonym is a replacement for a word, like instead of saying you're angry, say that you're infuriated. They mean the same thing, it's just one is more fancier :3

I hope I was able to help ^^