The buddy list: retro chat template
A ready AIM-look chat for the retro chat nostalgia gallery, seven messages and about 24 seconds as a video. Open it, change the words and export it as a labelled, fictional mock-up.
Preview in the AIM look
The full script (7 messages)
The first four messages open on the Free plan; the rest need a paid plan.
The template: The buddy list
The buddy list is a seven-message template for a retro chat chat: Tori and Cam trade lines from "you have 214 buddies" to "we are not so different", about 24 seconds as a video.
Message 4 is the longest at 10 words ("a guy named ghostrider and 200 people from a forum") and message 1 is the shortest ("you have 214 buddies"). No line is a question; the pressure comes from statements.
Using it in the AIM look
Lean on the era: nicknames, a status line, a song lyric as an away message. Extras in this look: typing dots and an online status; missing: read marks and reactions. This look starts at the Standard plan, which is worth knowing before you plan a batch of videos. Keep the lines short and lowercase in spirit; people typed fast and sent often. Retro and legacy looks draw the screen with a simple window layout, name labels and a typing line, so the words do the work.
What the Free plan shows
On a Free account you see four messages of The buddy list, ending at "a guy named ghostrider and 200 people from a forum". To get to "we are not so different", three messages later, upgrade to a paid plan.
Tips
- Pause on Cam's "a guy named ghostrider and 200 people from a forum" before moving to the next bubble.
- Let the opening "you have 214 buddies" breathe so a late scroller still knows who is talking.
- A dark or blue-gray background suits the era. Check the plan before you promise a look to your viewers.
- Make the ending your own by editing "we are not so different"; add "fictional chat" to the caption.
- Try two new names in place of Tori and Cam, then read the story out loud once.
Questions
Can I use The buddy list on the Free plan?
The AIM look needs the Standard plan or above, so a Free account cannot open it. The Plans page lists exactly what each plan includes.
How long is The buddy list as a video?
About 24 seconds at a comfortable reading pace, counting seven messages with a short beat between them. Add a second or two for the ending card.
Is this retro chat chat a real conversation?
No. It is an invented chat between Tori and Cam, made as a mock-up. ChatsRat is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any messaging app, and look names describe a style only. Label what you publish as fiction.
Can I change the names and lines?
Yes. Open the template in the editor, replace any line or name and export your own version. Keep the characters invented, and keep the content free of real people and anything sexual.
This is fiction. The people in this template are invented. ChatsRat makes mock-ups and fictional conversations for creators, designers and teachers. Do not use it to pass off a made-up conversation as a real one, to impersonate a real person, or as proof of anything. See the Acceptable Use policy.
About the watermark. Exports on the Free plan carry a visible ChatsRat watermark, and every export carries an invisible mark that the verify page can read. Plans list what changes on paid plans.
ChatsRat is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any messaging app. App names on this page describe a style only.