A RP sounds better when you read it as “a roleplay”, but some people, myself included, read it literally as are-pee. It’s exactly why I prefer to just spell out roleplay - to avoid this weirdness >.>
yeh, even when hearing it as an are-pee it still bothers me. i say are-pee as well because like you said it sounds weird to say it as "roleplay." since i pronounce "a" as the letter's name, "a rp" sounds better to me. of course, it comes down to the person's personal preference.