Experiences Have you ever visited where your RP is set?

[riverlightning]

So, this question has a few different ways you can go with it. Obviously, I know some folks world-build and work most of their characters in fantasy, which is lovely! This isn't necessarily the question for y'all, though haha.

I guess I should start with some backstory. I'm very specific when I write. A lot of detail in terms of cities, business names, things like that. I try and get very into the places that I write, which are all typically in some sort of US city. World building is a little more difficult for me, so making up fake cities or things like that isn't necessarily how I like to do things. One of my furthest along roleplays in 5 years is set in Corolla, North Carolina - a small, sleepy beach town on the northern-most section of NC-12 along the Outer Banks. I've been to North Carolina quite a few times. Raleigh, Greenville twice, Charlotte, etc. But never the Outer Banks and never Corolla, so it was a really interesting place to want to write. Our plot is fairly simple. Muse A and B - Nolan Wood and Harper Blackwood - grew up as childhood friends at Harper's parents' beach resort. As they grew older, they grew to be lovers. Their parents stopped being friends after a major hurricane hit the area and the surrounding events, so Nolan's parents built their own resort to spite Harper's. Little Romeo & Juliet vibes, but whatever.

Eventually, we end up moving the setting for Nolan to Wasatch National Forest in northeast Utah, a place that I visited after the roleplay started and wrote the scenes there after I spent time there in late September. But as I mentioned, I had never been to Corolla. I travel a ton for work and was in Greenville on Thursday. Decided it was a 3 1/2 hour drive to Corolla, and I would make the trip. Well worth it. I'm a professional photographer as part of my day job, so I made sure to take the cameras and capture some moments for the RP.

So, my ultimate question to the lovely folks at RPN is -- have you ever been so enthralled with a RP's setting that you just had to go and check it out for the sake of writing better scenes there? What I mean is -- writing about a place before visiting it. I was so enthralled with the idea of Corolla and the Outer Banks that I felt as though I had to make my way out there.

But yeah, even if you've written about a place after visiting, I'd love to hear that experience, too. I'm just super curious to see what y'all have to say!

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[Crow]

Well I've been to Japan as a kid. Disney Sea was great. That count?

Unfortunately I haven't made a Hong Kong set RP.

 

[Hootle]

I would say interesting more so. I participated in a roleplay set in New Orleans, Louisiana. My partner who was living there at the time had all sorts places and things to put in the story. I ended up visiting later on for other reasons but it was great all the same. Strangely enough, now that I do live here I don't write many roleplays based here.

 

[riverlightning]

Well I've been to Japan as a kid. Disney Sea was great. That count?

Unfortunately I haven't made a Hong Kong set RP.

I've heard Disney Sea is actually better than Disney in the states ahaha but absolutely! was looking to see how travel has influenced people's writing more than anything!

I would say interesting more so. I participated in a roleplay set in New Orleans, Louisiana. My partner who was living there at the time had all sorts places and things to put in the story. I ended up visiting later on for other reasons but it was great all the same. Strangely enough, now that I do live here I don't write many roleplays based here.

I actually am set to go to New Orleans later this month! I feel like that would be a cool place to have some really interesting, fantasy-laden rps with the culture history of the city

 

[Hootle]

I've heard Disney Sea is actually better than Disney in the states ahaha but absolutely! was looking to see how travel has influenced people's writing more than anything!



I actually am set to go to New Orleans later this month! I feel like that would be a cool place to have some really interesting, fantasy-laden rps with the culture history of the city

Oh, cool. I hope you enjoy yourself.

 

[deer]

I saw New Orleans and I nearly jumped out of my seat! I’m a fellow New Orleanian and I have to admit, seeing roleplays based here always makes me happy because I always learn something new. It’s definitely fun to explore the culture here since it’s just a melting pot!

That said, regarding the opening post’s question, I’d really love to travel to Ireland and Scotland. I’ve created a kingdom based off Ireland and I just have to see it for myself! I’ve always been tempted to go study abroad whenever there’s Ireland programs when I was in University but I was always hesitant. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to visit!

 

[Seabunny]

It’s rarely happened that I’ve visited the places I write about. At least, outside of my country. I was in an rp set in Italy, once, and it just really made me want to travel.

 

[Lia]

I really enjoy using Germany as the setting for some of my roleplays as I've lived there for a few years and I feel quite comfortable writing about that country. I have also spent a few weeks in New York City when I was younger and I find the city extremely interesting.

But I also write about places I've never been to sometimes. Lately I've been using Russia as the setting for a lot of roleplays and I've never been there. But my grandmother was born there, so...

 

[Jannah]

I've been to Germany and have done a fair number of RP's in that setting, mostly WW II and Cold War stuff.

 

[BackSet]

I've been to New York City multiple times and set a lot of rps there but I'm not sure that counts since I live, like, an hour away from there by train. I also was part of an rp in Florida once and I have, indeed, been to Florida.

 

[Onmyoji]

A few of my rp are set in ancient China. I've been to China once and spent quite a lot of time exploring ancient architecture in various cities. But I'm not sure that counts since roleplays are usually fantasy and not too historical.

I think the only realistic rp I ever did was set in London. I've been to London several times and it helped with the rp because I could imagine where the events could take place.

 

[Rin okumura]

a rp i'm in on another site is set in new york which I been there before though i don't plan to go back to hectic and crowded to my exact liking given i'm from a small rural town and it's a huge city with a larger population than mine

 

[cuzn]

I grew up in Massachusetts and had an RP set in Boston, but aside from that, no. My RP locations tend to be places that I want to visit instead of places that I've been to before—this generally means that with every new RP, my list of places to travel to increases. Right now, my top picks are Strasbourg (France), St. Petersburg and Moscow (Russia), literally All Of Japan (but specifically Ikebukuro, Akihabara, and Kyoto), Dubai (U.A.E.), and Seattle (U.S.A.)

 

[Andei]

I think I visited a library once in university to get a feel for what it was like to RP in a school setting where people made responsible life choices. Don't know if that counts?

In all seriousness, I do love taking inspiration from past travels to places like US colleges and Japan (both of which have served as settings for previous RPs), but I haven't done much rural travelling outside of my home country. Might be worth checking out especially as I quite like rural settings for writing!

 

[Motherlode]

I grew up in Massachusetts and had an RP set in Boston, but aside from that, no. My RP locations tend to be places that I want to visit instead of places that I've been to before—this generally means that with every new RP, my list of places to travel to increases. Right now, my top picks are Strasbourg (France), St. Petersburg and Moscow (Russia), literally All Of Japan (but specifically Ikebukuro, Akihabara, and Kyoto), Dubai (U.A.E.), and Seattle (U.S.A.)

Please, do not visit Dubai in its current state. It'll only encourage them to build more accommodations and hotels for tourists. Most of it is built on the backs of foreign labourers which the companies keep in terrible conditions, essentially as slaves because of the kafala system. They're not even able to move jobs or go back home because their passports are confiscated on arrival. Places such as Qatar also have the same issues. That's all I'll say for now about that.

To at least add something of my own to the conversation, I often visit the region of Pomerania, specifically the city of Gdańsk in Poland; I have a lot of relatives and friends living living in the metropolitan area. I used to be part of a role-play set in the early months of WWII around the city and on the Hel Peninsula where our characters held out until the last. It's one of the best I was in, though it was rather short. Sadly, I haven't visited any other places that would interest a lot of people in a role-play, maybe because I don't travel much beyond the Baltic Sea, lol.

 

[Nicodemus.]

I've passed through New York on the way to the airport, but I haven't had the pleasure of really visiting the Big Apple and taking it in. Not yet, anyway.

Can't say I've ever visited Feudal Japan either.

 

[myosotis]

this concept is pretty interesting! i think i tend to set rps in places i've either been or that don't exist, just because i feel i can't do certain real places justice and would embarrass myself in front of my partner if they had visited said area before. perhaps once i get more confident in my writing skills and can travel again, i'd consider trying it out!

 

[Abyss]

I tend to look at my personal experiences for inspiration and often when I'm going about my daily life, I'll find something that I want to include in my writing somehow. I've moved around a lot, so I've been to a lot of different cities and towns, but my memory for what sets each apart is not always the best. But, if I've been walking through a forest frequently then I'll often want to include some of that in my writing and start thinking about plots or characters who will be spending time in nature or feel a strong connection to it. Or I'm traveling to work using the city transit, I'll start thinking of characters who might be spending a lot of time roaming the city or trying to blend in with crowds, etc.

I do use actual cities or towns as inspiration, but I haven't really spent a long time in once place to feel like I can perfectly translate it into writing. Therefor I prefer to use fictional places as a starting point and combine my personal experiences with other fictional towns, picking up on the vibe and general details rather than specific ones that are recognizable to a particular location. Essentially, I don't think that anyone would read my writing and recognize their town/city in it (for the most part).

 

[Aarix]

I LOVE this idea I love places. The impact of Place is so important to me in a any writing... and firsthand experience beats everything.

I actually straight up set one of my RPs in my town ...the characters visited a town the other mun had been to also, all the way overseas... fun bit of exchange

Though more recently I've been trying to build fictional ones together with my rp partner... based on various real places from both my and my RP partner's knowledge and experiences in various places...