Roleplay has its own shorthand, and AI chat adds more on top. Here's what each term means, with a note when it matches something in Privee.
A
Action text
What a character does rather than says, often in asterisks: *she pours two coffees*.
Alternate greeting
An extra opening message, so chats don't always start the same way. On Privee, creators can add up to 5 in the Character step, and each new chat picks one at random (or uses the first message).
B
Backstory
What happened to a character before the story starts. See creating backstories for AI characters.
Beat
The smallest unit of a scene: one action, reaction or change of mood.
Bio
A short profile of a character. On Privee, it's the Description in the Basics step (up to 500 characters), shown on the character's detail page.
C
Canon
What officially happened in the source material, or the facts you and the character have already set.
Character card
A shareable file of a character's details. On Privee, Import in the Create Character dialog accepts .png, .json and .byaf cards.
Character name
The name used inside the story. On Privee, the Character name (Character step) is used in the chat and the Display name (Basics step) in the character browser, so "Coach Dana" on the card can be just "Dana" in the chat.
{{char}}
A placeholder for the character. Use it, or the character's name, in Personality and Scenario instead of he, she or they, so the AI doesn't have to guess who's meant: {{char}} is a patient tutor. {{char}} explains one step at a time and checks that {{user}} has understood before moving on.
Cliffhanger
Ending a reply on an unresolved moment so the other side has to respond.
Context (context window)
How much recent conversation an AI model can see when it replies. Older details can fall outside it, which is why characters forget things in long chats.
Continuity
Keeping facts consistent through a story. An edit or an OOC note fixes most slips.
D
Draft
A saved, unfinished version. On Privee, Save as draft is on the Review step, and only drafts can be edited because published characters are locked. Describe to AI also makes a private draft from a short prompt (10 to 500 characters).
E
Edit
Changing a message after it's sent. On Privee, Edit is in the message menu.
Example dialogue
Sample exchanges that show how a character talks. On Privee, they're optional in the Character step, written as a User message plus a Character reply, and replies over 400 characters get flagged. See example dialogues.
Exposition
Information the story needs you to know. Too much at once is an info dump.
F
First message
The line a character sends to start a chat, also called a greeting or opener. On Privee, it's required in the Character step (up to 1,800 characters). See scenario and first message.
First person
Writing as "I": I lock up the shop and head home.
Flashback
A scene set in the past, used to reveal backstory.
Foreshadowing
An early hint about something that matters later.
G
Game master (GM)
A narrator who runs the world and plays all the side characters, called a dungeon master (DM) in some tabletop games. An AI character written as a GM can run a whole text adventure.
Genre
The kind of story. On Privee, characters get up to 6 tags and stories up to 2 genres. Browse mystery, cozy or fantasy.
Godmodding
Controlling someone else's character, or making yours unbeatable.
Group chat
Several characters in one conversation. On Privee, group chats are part of Privee+: a group holds 2 to 6 of your published characters, and their order sets the turn order. See create a group chat.
H
Hallucination
When an AI states something untrue with confidence. Double-check anything that matters in real life.
Headcanon
Your own take on a character that the source never confirms.
Hook
Something in a message that invites a reply, usually a question or a choice: "What's your favorite video game?"
I
IC (in character)
Speaking and acting as your character. The opposite of OOC.
Info dump
A long block of exposition that stalls the story.
Interactive story
A chat where you play through a plot instead of talking with one character. On Privee, it's part of Privee+, with a Title, Tagline, up to 2 genres, a Synopsis (up to 4,000 characters) and an optional Style such as Action-packed or Refined & Literary. See create an interactive story.
L
LLM (large language model)
The kind of AI behind chat characters. It predicts text from patterns in a huge amount of writing.
Lorebook
In some roleplay tools, world facts that get pulled into the chat by keyword. On Privee, put facts that always matter in the character's Personality or Scenario, and facts about you in your persona's Background.
M
Mary Sue / Gary Stu
A character who's perfect at everything. Flaws make characters more fun.
Metagaming
Letting your character act on something only you, the player, know.
N
Narrator
A voice that describes the scene and plays the side characters instead of being one person.
Negative prompt
Things you don't want in a generated image, like "blurry, extra fingers, text." On Privee, it's optional in the Image step (up to 500 characters). See character image prompts.
NPC (non-player character)
Anyone in the story nobody is actively playing, like the shopkeeper.
O
OC (original character)
A character you made up yourself.
One-shot
A story that starts and ends in one sitting.
OOC (out of character)
Talking as yourself, usually in brackets: "(OOC: can we skip ahead to the next day?)" It's the polite way to steer.
P
Persona
The character you play. On Privee, make up to 100 in Profile → Personas, each with a Name (up to 100 characters), an optional Background (up to 1,600) and a Set as default option, then pick one in chat with Speak as or the Who are you? chip. See personas explained.
Personality
A character's traits, habits and way of speaking. On Privee, it's a required Character step field (up to 4,000 characters). See write a character personality.
POV (point of view)
Whose eyes the story is told through: first person ("I"), second ("you") or third ("she," "they").
Powergaming
Pushing your character to win every scene at the story's expense.
Prompt
Any text that steers what an AI produces. See prompts to generate AI characters.
R
Rating
How mature a character is. On Privee, creators choose Safe or Mature in the Basics step.
Regenerate
Asking for a new version of the last reply. On Privee, tap Regenerate and browse the versions to pick one.
Retcon
Changing something that already happened in the story. In AI chat, edit or rewind.
Rewind
Going back to an earlier message and carrying on from there. On Privee, choose Rewind to here in a message's menu.
RP
Short for roleplay.
S
Sandbox
An open setting with no fixed plot, where you make your own goals.
Scenario
The situation when a chat starts: where you are, and why you've met. On Privee, it's a required Character step field (up to 1,800 characters), and groups have their own Scenario too.
Second person
Writing as "you": "You lean back on the couch as the late-night movie starts."
Slow burn
A plot that builds tension slowly and saves the reveal for later.
Suggest a reply
On Privee, the wand button in chat drafts a reply for you to tweak.
Synopsis
A summary of a story's premise. On Privee, it's the core of an interactive story, up to 4,000 characters.
T
Tags
Labels that help people find characters. On Privee, up to 6 per character, chosen in the Basics step.
Third person
Writing as "he," "she" or "they": Dana checks the clock again.
Token
A small chunk of text, often part of a word. Context limits are counted in tokens.
Turn order
The order characters speak in a group. On Privee, it's the order you put them in when building the group.
U
Unlisted
On Privee, a visibility setting between Public and Private: anyone with the link can see the character. Public and Unlisted characters both need a cover image.
{{user}}
A placeholder for the person chatting. See {{char}}.
V
Visibility
Who can find what you've made. On Privee, choose Public ("Visible in Explore after a quick review"), Private or Unlisted on the Review step. My Characters shows badges like Draft, In Review and Public.
Visual prompt
The description used to generate a character's image. On Privee, it's up to 2,000 characters in the Image step, in Realistic or Illustration style. You can upload your own JPEG or PNG instead.
Voice
How a character talks: word choice, rhythm, favorite phrases.
W
World-building
Designing the setting. A few vivid details go a long way.
Y
"Yes, and"
Accept what the other side added and build on it. It's the best habit for keeping a roleplay going.
New to all this? Start with what is AI roleplay.