Opinion multiple accounts?

[weldherwings]

Lately, I've noticed an increase of multiple accounts on here as there is no limit to how many accounts a person may have. Now, when I say multiple accounts, I mean the same person running different accounts (four or five) at the same time. It's not like they've yeeted an old account and revamped themselves with a new account. They're literally running multiple accounts -- and claiming to be other people in these accounts (even in discord too). In my opinion, I think it's creepy. Like, why the heck do you need more than one account for? Also, I can barely keep tabs on one account - how the hell do they keep tabs on multiple accounts??

So, what are your thoughts on having multiple accounts? Have you caught someone in the act of having multiple accounts and how did that go down? Do you agree with having multiple accounts or do you disagree?

 

[M.J. Saulnier]

I fall firmly on the "Why the heck would they do that?" side of this. It just seems redundant. I completely understand a single ghost account to use for things you might not want to your main persona to be associated with, for whatever reason (think a modest, wholesome teenage girl who wants to do something a bit more raunchy, but is kinda self-conscious about doing it in front of the community), but running four or five different accounts? Rotating logins to keep up with messages and role plays. It seems like a nightmare.

 

[Crayons]

I'm on the "seems odd" side of this debate but I'd like to hear from people who do have multiple accounts as they might have some good reasons for it that I've never thought about. Like maybe they have a fandom they are embarrassed about? Or they like to do novella style RP AND one-liners but they know that if the novella players knew they would be appalled... ? Maybe concealing RPs that might go against their family beliefs from their parents?! Who knows... I wouldn't just label them as creepy or having mental health issues straight off the bat.

 

[Simon_Hawk]

I wouldn't just label them as creepy or having mental health issues straight off the bat.

*GASPS* That's something someone with multiple accounts would say! DUN DUN DUN!!!!

 

[kalopsia.]

I agree with the statements above. The only time I’ve ever made multiple accts is when I forget the password of an old one and have failed too many times trying to get it back lol.

 

[Cassie Lang]

I can see why it can be weird to pretend to be other people on another account. But, to be fair to those that do such, I have a little understanding as to why people do it. i know someone who has done it, and I've done it myself.

1) Escaping negative reputations/beef

Okay, so, the site I usually RP on is really cliquish. Everyone has their little groups, and if one person has a bad incident with someone, it turns into a circle jerk. They'd be shit talked in private discord servers and have memes made about them (as happened to said person). I actually found out that I, myself, and another were being trashed and our names smeared over an unfortunate incident long ago without our knowledge in one of these servers under an alt that I was going to join a RP with. The other was compared to Hitler (even though the person in question had Jewish ancestors that were executed in the Holocaust) and was threatened to be "doxxed". Meanwhile, I was a "narcissistic person who pretends to have a moral compass but lets people get away being toxic" and "someone who has a cult".

All because I asked people to not to talk behind people's backs after they decided to leave, to which they had issue with, apparently.

2) Joining more RPs

This one is a lot more mellow than the above. You know when you have too many RPs and you really shouldn't join another but you really want to because maybe, for instance, the idea is extremely interesting? There's an alt for that.

 

[Gowi]

I caught someone once, but that was in a RP where one player could only have one nation to control. They joined with three accounts in a way to levy power and the game in their favor. This is the only case where I would say it is NOT okay.

Otherwise, it is fine to perceive oneself differently if its beneficial to their mental and emotional health. Reputations spread among cliques and in many cases that reputation is what makes people who have never met you to be swayed against one of your concepts that may have been interesting otherwise. RPN, RPG, and other sites have this issue. There is no way to avoid it. So, if you are emotionally unable to deal with the anxiety of rumors, gossip, etc. an alt is pretty much harmless, or at least it is unless you decide to game the system or counter-gossip.

But yeah, as someone who once used alts in my teenaged years I can say this much: it is very time-consuming to run separate accounts, especially convincingly. I do not understand why someone who run more than one in the same roleplay as that just seems like extra work and once you lack the free time of a teenager it becomes logistically impossible. To quote a friend: “That’s so much work though.”

 

[Kazami42]

I'm cool with it on a case to case/contextual basis.
If I had to detail it, Id say:

Some use it because they may be in communities a bit more, certain, on what is acceptable and not. Thus the only real "safe" way to talk about things they like is by an alternative account. Though I'm more so a trooper type. I'll stand by what I do and say on one, and not care what some random guy does because they don't like it. There are others following this idea too. Don't need to say I like or do something and need "You're forgiven" from them either. This type is cool.

Others use it for smear campaigns or just at rare times talking trash about someone else. Strong enough to say it, but too cowardly to be direct with it. You already know the stance here. Biggest problem are more so types that try breaking someone's reputation in other RP communities on site and so, because of something stupid like not liking one's hair color. Not a real example but you understand the gesture.

Another group uses it for organizational means. IE one main account to do RPs or writing, another to read and respond to feed back. If you own two devices with internet, its super easy to run both at even the exact same time. Its just because depending on what you do, as well as RPN being more message based than more instantaneous, that it seems longer to do anything with. Some though don't have the time.

A certain sect does it for power in RPs in certain ways. Such as having multiple people agree with their vote on a democratic choice, but like its seven of the same guy. Maybe a "spy" account to try convincing players to do or avoid doing something, despite in those cases especially if you've been around the person long enough, you already know who is controlling it. Personally, latter is amusing. But just screenshotting someone admitting to meta and all is my own idea of spying. Not gonna waste time on an alt. Sometimes, multiple players ally each other and its just the same guy. That is also pretty interesting. Sad and silly, but I like seeing if they can even keep with standards. Usually, pretty much nope. Anything beyond 7 lines on a good day is self destroying if someone responds.

Then we just have the guys that make alts just in case they can't get back into their main.

I think the remainder uses alts to act as mods for things, since they don't want to deal with the more stubborn, illusioned, and/or the more extremist such as power gamers. Some of these very problematic people may revert to the second alt type, to make your day annoying if you dont do what they expect something should be done. therefore its better just saying someone else did it, so the worse that happens to you is you get associated as that person that put them at power if you did.

It would seem cowardly, but with how some .1 or so percent of those troublemaking losers resort to doxxing, it is an understandable choice. This is a 50/50 option to me. And the sources that spawned it should be given swords and ordered over the top. If they're so high, mighty, and knows better enough than everyone else to dictate the clock,
They're high, mighty, and knows better enough to charge a machine gun block. They can get back to me when they capture it. Good luck to the poor souls using a mod alt to deal with these people.

I suppose that is enough end references to WWI here, so in this line I instead recommend the works of Shakespeare. Or Edgar Allen Poe. Good day.

 

[DesiresKiss]

I considered having / making a 'fandom only account.' and a 'original setting account.' but I am far too lazy.

 

[Idea]

I have done this in the past (only two accounts, but you know...), and since I've learned my lesson, but I don't have an issue with anyone who does it. I don't see a point in having multiple accounts without pretending to be different people, as the way I see it, the primary purpose is offering a clean, independent slate. You can split your tastes, or you can get rid of having to deal with a certain stigma from one account without having to fully abandon what you achieved with that account.

My personal experience has led me to abandon this though. I once had multiple accounts. I thought that as long as I didn't straight up say I was a different person, AKA half truths instead of outright lies, then things would be fine. I made little effort to portray a real different person, nor would I deny being the same person if privately asked, so I figured that much would be fine. Until a friend inquired about it, and now I was seen as someone trying to deceive them. Someone whom I saw as a good friend seemed to utterly hate me now, lack any sort of trust in me, and after a fight that heated up they ended up asking me to never talk to them again.

An experience not to long ago where I accidentally stumbled upon a roleplay that they (without me knowing) were also in allowed to patch things up a little bit, but our former friendship is probably never going to come back. As a wimpy guy with strong but controversial opinions and a family with high expectations, lying just came almost naturally as a defense mechanism, but after this took place, it really marked me on the dangers of it. To the very best of my ability I avoid lying or deceiving people. Few things hurt more than loosing a friend.

Nonetheless, I can understand why someone else would do it, and I don't think they are hurting anyone by doing so, unless they are trying to use the multiple accounts to exploit a system.

 

[Pith]

Oh, I totally get it. For me, having multiple accounts is either about avoiding certain people or like, different branding, essentially. I've been in a situation where I'll do an open call for a RP (different site) and the same person will tag absolutely every single one of my starters because they liked writing with me. And maybe I liked writing with them too, but wanted to expand the number of people I could write with without seeming rude. Hence, multiple accounts.

Another might be brand/style. I've noticed some people really get hung up on writing length and style, (Minimum 3 Paragraphs Every Time, for example) and having multiple accounts for a casual persona vs a more Serious one makes sense.

Now, ideally you could just be yourself and have one account, but there's at least a couple reasons.

 

[Fluxbauble]

Honestly I have multiple accounts but that's mostly me not remembering what email i used so I can recover my password. But I do have like a backup account or two just in case something should happen or as most people have said to essentially start with a clean slate. And I get that. I never really thought about having multiple accounts to participate in the same role play before. That seems odd especially since most role plays I find tend to allow to you play multiple characters if you can handle it. So multiple accounts seems moot in that regard. Other times it is to avoid certain folks or to avoid conflict. Which I also get to some extent. I handle irate people on the norm for my jobs so outside of a role play in which conflict is being used to drive a plot point, I would rather avoid it as much as possible. It's sort of a mental burnout for me to handle more drama that isn't make believe if that makes sense.

But yeah I'm too keen on people having multiple accounts for a single role play unless it's for like organizational thing, but I mean to each their own. We all got lives and ways to handle situations and problems differently. If it helps a person to have multiple accounts, whatever the reason, then I don't personally see it as a problem. Though I do recognize the inherent problems with it to an extent.