Viewpoint "I don't get it." What's an RP Fandom/Theme/Idea you could never understand?

[Murdergurl]

It's probably due to the popular YA series Percy Jackson. It is about children of Greek Gods saving the world and stuff...

yep. That'll do it. Looked it up and apparently there have been a couple movies and a buncha books. I really don't know how to categorize it, but I feel like these films/books appeal to a certain crowd in the very same way the Harry Potter fandom got its traction.

 

[Idea]

Murdergurl Melpomene I mean I wouldn’t be so sure it’s Percy Jackson or any modern media really. Stories of people as gods are as old as, well, stories themselves. Greek mythology in particular is rich in many concepts of monsters, gods, style of pantheon organization etc… That are extremely ingrained in western culture. As far as I can tell most people default to Greek mythology when trying to model polytheistic religions in fiction, though there are exceptions from those either actively trying to avoid doing that or who have a specific and deep interest in another culture’s mythology.


Now Percy Jackson did have a big impact, but I don’t think it’s really such that it can be credited for the presence of RPs where one plays as gods or their descendants. Especially not if we’re also talking about those RPs that have been becoming more prominent lately, of a blank universe and sandbox creation of the universe as gods, as these have absolutely nothing structurally similar to Percy Jackson.

 

[Murdergurl]

Murdergurl Melpomene I mean I wouldn’t be so sure it’s Percy Jackson or any modern media really. Stories of people as gods are as old as, well, stories themselves. Greek mythology in particular is rich in many concepts of monsters, gods, style of pantheon organization etc… That are extremely ingrained in western culture. As far as I can tell most people default to Greek mythology when trying to model polytheistic religions in fiction, though there are exceptions from those either actively trying to avoid doing that or who have a specific and deep interest in another culture’s mythology.


Now Percy Jackson did have a big impact, but I don’t think it’s really such that it can be credited for the presence of RPs where one plays as gods or their descendants. Especially not if we’re also talking about those RPs that have been becoming more prominent lately, of a blank universe and sandbox creation of the universe as gods, as these have absolutely nothing structurally similar to Percy Jackson.

Had we been having this discussion a decade+ ago, I'd be more inclined to agree with you. But over time I've stepped back to kind of observer the ebb and flow of how the RP community functions. And I've noticed that it is very much about trends and mimicry of popular media. Like, currently, cyberpunk RPs are the hot shit. Nevermind that the genre has been around for decades. Pretty much as old as I am. lol

But because of movies hitting hard on it and popular video games, now everyone is on that hype train. So when I see a rash of RPs in the same overall theme, I'm like... ok, what show/movie/video game has come out recently that everyone is on this bandwagon? Quite frankly, I'm surprised that I haven't seen a bunch of House of the Dragon analogs yet. I've seen quite a few on some other sites, though.

I could very well be wrong. And I' not saying that every RP that happens to fall into the trending categories is necessarilly there because of the trend. Some could be coincidental. But after so long of watching the mob, you just can't help but see the patterns. And I guess the reason it bugs me is because I personally feel like roleplays created off of trends are only there because they are trendy and are less likely to be very original or backed by real gusto and motivation and are pretty much just there on a fickle whim.

 

[Idea]

Had we been having this discussion a decade+ ago, I'd be more inclined to agree with you. But over time I've stepped back to kind of observer the ebb and flow of how the RP community functions. And I've noticed that it is very much about trends and mimicry of popular media. Like, currently, cyberpunk RPs are the hot shit. Nevermind that the genre has been around for decades. Pretty much as old as I am. lol

But because of movies hitting hard on it and popular video games, now everyone is on that hype train. So when I see a rash of RPs in the same overall theme, I'm like... ok, what show/movie/video game has come out recently that everyone is on this bandwagon? Quite frankly, I'm surprised that I haven't seen a bunch of House of the Dragon analogs yet. I've seen quite a few on some other sites, though.

I could very well be wrong. And I' not saying that every RP that happens to fall into the trending categories is necessarilly there because of the trend. Some could be coincidental. But after so long of watching the mob, you just can't help but see the patterns. And I guess the reason it bugs me is because I personally feel like roleplays created off of trends are only there because they are trendy and are less likely to be very original or backed by real gusto and motivation and are pretty much just there on a fickle whim.

While I can see where you are coming from, and indeed you are right, a lot of RPs are made because of trends, I think this isn't the case for this particular case. The reason I say that is that the cases I've seen of the use of gods and the like have too little structurally speaking in common with Percy Jackson or any other popular media I can think of. The singled-out heroes among a world of hidden mythology, the ideas of said hidden mythology being so through disguise and blending into modernity, and many other concepts, themes and plot structure that are not only core to the Percy Jackson books but indeed a big reason for their popularity are simply not present in the RPs in question, or at least not in those I've seen. When people copy or are heavily inspired by a piece of media it's not the elements that media borrows from the wider culture that is usually borrowed (or at least that's not the usual priority) but the core elements of that media that most stand out. Arguably aesthetics and genre are part of those, but neither of those seem to be what is being used.

Now, though I occasionally check out something more simple-looking (AKA random basic fantasy adventure / school stuff) just in case anything stands out with a clever idea or brings me some character inspiration, a title usually has to catch my interest for me to bother reading it. In other words it's possible that by sheer coincidence I just happened to miss all the RPs you're talking about and the ones I'm thinking of in your mind are in a separate category. However, unless this is the case, then I stand on the point that these RPs are simply too distinguish in a variety of factors to be here because of a trend for any particular piece of media I can think of. It's still possible they are trying to use a trend, but if they are, then I'd say it's more likely the other roleplays are what is seen as the trend. Sometimes a good idea just pops up and people who had similar ideas feel more confident in pressing on with them, or others may be trying to copycat.

 

[Steve Jobs]

I think when people (especially teenagers) are trying to establish an identity it can be comforting to find characters, archetypes, or categories in media that they can identify themselves with. That's why people like finding their Hogwarts house, their MBTI, etc. Universes like Divergent, PJO, HP, (really, most YA stuff of that type) lend themselves to easy character creation and self insertion.

 

[Murdergurl]

While I can see where you are coming from, and indeed you are right, a lot of RPs are made because of trends, I think this isn't the case for this particular case. The reason I say that is that the cases I've seen of the use of gods and the like have too little structurally speaking in common with Percy Jackson or any other popular media I can think of. The singled-out heroes among a world of hidden mythology, the ideas of said hidden mythology being so through disguise and blending into modernity, and many other concepts, themes and plot structure that are not only core to the Percy Jackson books but indeed a big reason for their popularity are simply not present in the RPs in question, or at least not in those I've seen. When people copy or are heavily inspired by a piece of media it's not the elements that media borrows from the wider culture that is usually borrowed (or at least that's not the usual priority) but the core elements of that media that most stand out. Arguably aesthetics and genre are part of those, but neither of those seem to be what is being used.

Now, though I occasionally check out something more simple-looking (AKA random basic fantasy adventure / school stuff) just in case anything stands out with a clever idea or brings me some character inspiration, a title usually has to catch my interest for me to bother reading it. In other words it's possible that by sheer coincidence I just happened to miss all the RPs you're talking about and the ones I'm thinking of in your mind are in a separate category. However, unless this is the case, then I stand on the point that these RPs are simply too distinguish in a variety of factors to be here because of a trend for any particular piece of media I can think of. It's still possible they are trying to use a trend, but if they are, then I'd say it's more likely the other roleplays are what is seen as the trend. Sometimes a good idea just pops up and people who had similar ideas feel more confident in pressing on with them, or others may be trying to copycat.

To be honest, I'm not sure where this particular genre stems from, or what goads it into sudden spurts of popularity. But It seems like a very prevalent idea, and a lot of the ideas I read on seem to have the same basic premise (which is what leads me to suspect a common denominator between the lot of them like a movie/book/series). In the end, I can only assume such, as I don't know. I've never read or watched anything Percy Jackson related. I think I saw the movies in the Netflix library at some point but the preview didnt appeal. Superpowered people, be it mutants or descendants of gods or spider bites, etc. don't really appeal to me.

So regardless of where it's coming from. It's still a big, "I don't get it" topic for me. I mean, I guess I understand the fantastical draw and whatever for a movie or comic book. But the notion of putting it out there as an RP practically begs for the players to bicker with one another over who's powers trump the others, not to mention the characters just generally being OP.

I think when people (especially teenagers) are trying to establish an identity it can be comforting to find characters, archetypes, or categories in media that they can identify themselves with. That's why people like finding their Hogwarts house, their MBTI, etc. Universes like Divergent, PJO, HP, (really, most YA stuff of that type) lend themselves to easy character creation and self insertion.

That's another one I don't get. Self-inserts. I mean, obviously every character we make is going to have a bit if usin them. But blatantly making oneself into your RP character is kinda weird to me. I dont even make myself in RPGs. Or even on my 3ds in mii form. I've made a whole bunch of my friends and fam. but I wont make myself.

 

[Kveykva]

the same basic, hallmark, regurgitated "nerdy girl" x "bad boy" romance. sometimes it's with teens, sometimes with adults. the girl is always curvy and supermodel gorgeous and the guy is always an ass that happens to also be attractive. the girl is always no less than three years younger and the guy is always taller.

this is only coming up because one of my friends was scrolling through the 1x1 forum on the other writing site we both use, and ho-ly is every single one of them just this plot. i just,,, don't get it? i mean you do you ofc i'm not gonna shit on other people's interests, but to me, that sounds incredibly boring and i don't understand how so many people all want to write it.

 

[nerdy tangents]

Kveykva Do you mean specifically nerdy girl x bad boy or do you mean trope pairings in general?

If I had to take a guess bad boy specifically is popular because of the “I can fix him aspect.”

And to be fair there are much more toxic versions of that mentality. I would rather some safe CW "bad boy" then another "my love interest is an abuser but it's okay my love will stop him from hurting me specifically."

I see nerd girl and I back space immediately. Because despite this being a fairly nerdy hobby a surprising number of people can't write actual nerdy characters. They just use the term nerd to mean "non slutty or vain girl who gets overlooked by guys until she isn't."

Like that's not being nerdy, it's not even being plain, it's just being insecure. But I guess insecure girl x vague asshole boy doesn't have quiet the same ring to it.

 

[Cosmo]

I would love to see a nerdy girl character spend an afternoon in a post just writing CW Arrowverse fanfic.

 

[nerdy tangents]

I would love to see a nerdy girl character spend an afternoon in a post just writing CW Arrowverse fanfic.

Exactly or idk learning to speak Elvish or some shit. I mean I don’t care what they're nerdy about but at least give them some interest that they're really passionate about that isn't "boys don't like me / does this one particular boy like me?"

 

[Walliver]

Exactly or idk learning to speak Elvish or some shit. I mean I don’t care what they're nerdy about but at least give them some interest that they're really passionate about that isn't "boys don't like me / does this one particular boy like me?"

Bro exactly like
Make up a language, write a fanfic, draw some fan art, read a book, literally anything except for obsessing over a boy and making it your entire personality

 

[Melpomene]

I see nerd girl and I back space immediately. Because despite this being a fairly nerdy hobby a surprising number of people can't write actual nerdy characters. They just use the term nerd to mean "non slutty or vain girl who gets overlooked by guys until she isn't."

This is exactly why I hate this trope. They might mention vaguely that she's good at math or something, but mostly she is just "not like other girls," so she isn't "vain" (because girls liking to dress up and do make up is vain ig) or slutty ('cept by her definition she is, since she usually obsesses over a dude as much as the other girls she judges about it)

So ultimately it just becomes a character acting holier than thou while usually being no better than those around them.


What's funny is every time I see a character like this in a book, I feel compelled to immediately root for the rival girl who is "slutty" and "vain" and 9/10 times I think she is nicer, more interesting and a better character than the MC.

 

[Walliver]

This is exactly why I hate this trope. They might mention vaguely that she's good at math or something, but mostly she is just "not like other girls," so she isn't "vain" (because girls liking to dress up and do make up is vain ig) or slutty ('cept by her definition she is, since she usually obsesses over a dude as much as the other girls she judges about it)

So ultimately it just becomes a character acting holier than thou while usually being no better than those around them.


What's funny is every time I see a character like this in a book, I feel compelled to immediately root for the rival girl who is "slutty" and "vain" and 9/10 times I think she is nicer, more interesting and a better character than the MC.

EXACTLY

I will take the rival, “mean” girl over a bland, “nerd” MC any day

 

[nerdy tangents]

Melpomene exactly.

I mean don't get me wrong I think shitty people pairing up is a ton of fun to write. So if you want to do a kinda dick guy teams up with a self-righteous girl I'm 1000% down.

It's just don't call the character a nerd and acknowledge she has a shitty personality.

That's really all I ask.

Cuz as an actual shy nerd, with poor spatial awareness (aka I'm clumsy) the self-righteous bitch portrayal of people who are supposed to be "just like me" is super irritating.

Like wow, thanks for the flattering portrayals folks. Really feel the love for "nerdy girls" "shy girls" and "clumsy girls".

 

[Walliver]

anyway
another trope that I have never understood and is also terribly disgusting:
master x apprentice or teacher x student

Like bro
The power imbalance
The often decade or more age difference
what

 

[Jannah]

anyway
another trope that I have never understood and is also terribly disgusting:
master x apprentice or teacher x student

Like bro
The power imbalance
The often decade or more age difference
what

Master x apprentice in a fantasy setting is actually sort of fun, provided it's strictly platonic. I won't do romance with that type of pairing.

 

[Walliver]

Master x apprentice is actually sort of fun, provided it's strictly platonic. I won't do romance with that type of pairing.

Yeah I was talking romance. Platonic is amazing, I love parent-child dynamics

 

[Idea]

To be honest, even in a romantic sense I think it can work. We’re talking about a dynamic where characters spend a lot of time together, learning about each other’s natures and qualities, where one starts off by having to trust the other and said other watches as the first strives to grow and improve themselves. Wisdom of the mentor clashes with the pupil’s new outlook or talent or whatever particular kind of trait they might have, leading both to learn from one another. I think these are components that can create an environment for characters to grow closer and organically develop a romantic relationship.

Beyond that even, the exact nature of the mentorship can have a big impact on the kind of romantic plots that could be developed as a result. A disgruntled veteran finding that though they lost their own faith in their craft, a bright new newcomer brings a ray of hope and thus to them, this person becomes solace and perhaps more important to them than a mere student…


Now I do generally prefer these kinds of dynamics on the more platonic side myself, but I can see where one can find them interesting for a dynamic in a romance plot.

 

[nerdy tangents]

anyway
another trope that I have never understood and is also terribly disgusting:
master x apprentice or teacher x student

Like bro
The power imbalance
The often decade or more age difference
what

I truly cannot understand how people see student x teacher as a romance plot and not an episode of SVU.

And the weird thing is it's not that hard to just make it a kink the characters have. Like if you want the characters to have pet names like "Professor" or "Master" or whatever and get up to bedroom games that's totally fine.

The characters do not literally have to be a student and teacher they could just pretend. It lets you write the dynamic but in a more realistic and less icky way.

 

[nerdy tangents]

Idea personally I think it runs into the same problem as boss and employee.

Assuming everyone is an adult and we aren't talking an adult grooming a child. It is still a matter of a power imbalance.

So let's say the boss sleeps with an employee. That employee is gonna get fired at best, or else lose all respect from their coworkers. No matter how qualified or skilled they are they will forever just be "the person who slept their way to the top."

The boss at most might get a slap on the wrist and a stern talking to. But depending how high up the hierarchy they are that's probably gonna be the extent of the bad effects.

Add gendered roles and it's even worse.

So it's one thing for a Master to be fond of their apprentice. It's even one thing for their to be romantic feelings. But assuming getting another master to apprentice the person isn't possible you should at the bare minimum wait until your apprentice has achieved an equal mastery to your own.

To use the modern example basically if you leave the company there is nothing yo say you can't date your old boss.

 

[Syntra]

Not gonna lie, I don't really get the outrage. Yeah, these relationships would be fucked up irl, but like... I don't think it's that deep when people write about them? Taboo topics are appealing because they are taboo. That's the point. More than half my characters are unhinged murderers, and that doesn't actually mean I condone real life murder. Isn't that kind of the same thing? Why is it suddenly different when it's romance? Romance =/= self-inserting, imo.

Plus, stories need conflict. Pairings like that generate it naturally, so it doesn't feel weird to me that people gravitate towards them, even if I personally consider such plots to be kinda derivative. I can at least see the rationale.

And as for something I don't get: slice of life. Like, what do you even write about? What's the point? I feel like I'd run out of inspiration within five posts or less.

 

[Idea]

Idea personally I think it runs into the same problem as boss and employee.

Assuming everyone is an adult and we aren't talking an adult grooming a child. It is still a matter of a power imbalance.

So let's say the boss sleeps with an employee. That employee is gonna get fired at best, or else lose all respect from their coworkers. No matter how qualified or skilled they are they will forever just be "the person who slept their way to the top."

The boss at most might get a slap on the wrist and a stern talking to. But depending how high up the hierarchy they are that's probably gonna be the extent of the bad effects.

Add gendered roles and it's even worse.

So it's one thing for a Master to be fond of their apprentice. It's even one thing for their to be romantic feelings. But assuming getting another master to apprentice the person isn't possible you should at the bare minimum wait until your apprentice has achieved an equal mastery to your own.

To use the modern example basically if you leave the company there is nothing yo say you can't date your old boss.

First, yeah, romance is absolutely only if the dynamic is between adults, that goes without saying.

As for the whole employee / boss thing... I disagree. I guess there might be prejudice IRL but even assuming that you want to pursue that aspect of it, I don't think that negative things happening is a reason to say that there isn't an appeal to a certain kind of plot. After all conflict isn't something that should be absent from romance plots more than in any other kind. I also don't see unequal power dynamics as a problem in romance, provided that everyone involved both brings something to the relationship and cares about the other beyond the mere utility of their presence.

I also disagree of the comparison in a fundamental aspect: Master/apprentice dynamics don't innately have the aspect of professionalism that a company does. The problem with relationships in the workplace is potentially interfering with people's ability to work or creating favoritism. I don't think either of these applies nearly as much if at all outside of a professional environment, and though a school environment would potentially have them, we did already establish that we're talking about something between adults. Furthermore there's the thing I already mentioned: That creating problems and conflict isn't something I thing should be avoided in terms of a romance roleplay, since as a story it thrives on characters dealing with conflict.

 

[Idea]

And as for something I don't get: slice of life. Like, what do you even write about? What's the point? I feel like I'd run out of inspiration within five posts or less.

Well, slice of life's great for character exploration and worldbuilding exploration as well. When you don't really have to move between point A and point B, you get more room to just go to random places and showcase what's there.

In addition, slice of life is fitting for a more episodic style of storytelling. This can be, though isn't necessarily a sitcom-style "everything resets at the end of the episode" kind of thing, but you might be on a tour seeing various places, it might be a school or small town setting with all the typical events and seeing the character's unique approach to them, salespeople taking care of hijinks caused by the magical artifacts they sell, etc...

 

[Walliver]

Not gonna lie, I don't really get the outrage. Yeah, these relationships would be fucked up irl, but like... I don't think it's that deep when people write about them? Taboo topics are appealing because they are taboo. That's the point. More than half my characters are unhinged murderers, and that doesn't actually mean I condone real life murder. Isn't that kind of the same thing? Why is it suddenly different when it's romance? Romance =/= self-inserting, imo.

Plus, stories need conflict. Pairings like that generate it naturally, so it doesn't feel weird to me that people gravitate towards them, even if I personally consider such plots to be kinda derivative. I can at least see the rationale.

And as for something I don't get: slice of life. Like, what do you even write about? What's the point? I feel like I'd run out of inspiration within five posts or less.

to be fair
I am talking about these dynamics when:
A. The feelings are not reciprocated by the apprentice/employee/student (because rank gives more power to the master/boss/teacher, making that dynamic incredibly creepy)
B. There is an age difference of 10+ years (yes, age is just a number, but the difference between 18 and 38, or even 22 and 42, is a lot.)

also like
I just think it’s creepy and I don’t understand why people like it so much
And that’s what this thread is for

 

[nerdy tangents]

Not gonna lie, I don't really get the outrage. Yeah, these relationships would be fucked up irl, but like... I don't think it's that deep when people write about them? Taboo topics are appealing because they are taboo. That's the point. More than half my characters are unhinged murderers, and that doesn't actually mean I condone real life murder. Isn't that kind of the same thing? Why is it suddenly different when it's romance? Romance =/= self-inserting, imo.

Plus, stories need conflict. Pairings like that generate it naturally, so it doesn't feel weird to me that people gravitate towards them, even if I personally consider such plots to be kinda derivative. I can at least see the rationale.

And as for something I don't get: slice of life. Like, what do you even write about? What's the point? I feel like I'd run out of inspiration within five posts or less.

Ironically part of my issue is that there isn't actually any conflict in these stories. If there was I would be a lot more okay with them.

But the level of conflict generated is usually more of the "if these two people had a conversation like well adjusted adults this wouldn't be happening." Not "oh shit their gonna lose their livelihood and possibly face jail time."

Cuz like legit if that was how people addressed these pairings I would be totally fine with them. Are they my cup of tea? No. But that's for personal reasons.

I have no problem with problematic pairings inherently. What I have a problem with is people not acknowledging their problematic (at least in the universe).

It's the same issue with "nerdy" characters. If you want to write a self-righteous character who thinks she's better then other girls that's fine. But don't act like she's something she's not.

Same thing if you legit want to write student x teacher relationship then at least give it realistic stakes.