Everyone freezes the first time these come up. Here is what to do. Three sentences each. Screenshot this page if you want it handy.
Someone attacks my character. They will post their action as an attempt, not a result, that is the rule. You decide what actually happens to you and post your response. If you are unsure, it is always fine to type a quick out-of-character line in parentheses like (still learning combat, can we go slow) and any decent player will.
A Civil Authority officer cites me. A citation is not a punishment, it is a scene with four ways out, pay it, argue it down, cut a side deal, or run. Pick the one your character would do. Getting cited means the world noticed you, which is good.
I am invited to something that looks dark. Blight rituals, the deeper creeds, anything intense is opt-in and asks your consent first, every time. You can always say no, in or out of character, and a good scene partner will never push. Curiosity is welcome, pressure is not.
I need to leave in the middle of a scene. Real life comes first, always. Type a short out-of-character note, (sorry, have to log, let’s pick this up next time), and go. Nobody reasonable holds it against you.
I think I made a mistake. Everyone does, constantly. If you posted something that broke lore or stepped on someone, a quick (my bad, let me redo that) fixes almost anything. This community remembers grace, not perfection.
I do not understand a word someone used. Ask. In character your person can say what does that mean, or out of character you can drop a quick question. The vocabulary is half the fun and nobody expects you to arrive fluent.
The barrier at hardcore roleplay communities was never the fiction. It was the fear of doing it wrong in public. There is no wrong here that a friendly parenthetical cannot fix.
[FILING ENDS. YOU ARE GOING TO BE FINE.]