Roleplay Pet Peeves

[Coldpopz]

Eh. Magic handwaves aren't too bad so long as the character doing it is a wizard or other magic user.

Wizards are fine as long as the magic itself has a logical system and hierarchy. But when it comes to people having swords made of impossibly unwieldy materials, unbreakable armor, basically needing magic as a huge crutch or they can't do much, that's where I get annoyed.

 

[BackSet]

Wizards are fine as long as the magic itself has a logical system and hierarchy. But when it comes to people having swords made of impossibly unwieldy materials, unbreakable armor, basically needing magic as a huge crutch or they can't do much, that's where I get annoyed.

"Behold my sword made of everything!"
"What?"

 

[rae2nerdy]

- "It's magic."

As a fantasy roleplayer (urban fantasy, superheroes, high fantasy, and harry potter mostly) that phrase gives me a rage stroke every time I see it.

I actually had someone tell me something similar once because they didn't want to follow the lore I came up with for a roleplay. I had given them an overview for my premise (basically Jurassic Park only with magical animals). I had given them the roles that were available for playable characters. I had even given them some alternative ideas because they didn't like my original plot.

But they were basically like...yeah for my character I'll just make up whatever because it's fantasy so it doesn't matter.

I was like....... and then I quit. Because excuse you I just told you my idea. I have obviously put a lot of thought and effort into it. And just because you don't like it don't give me that condescending bullshit about "It's fantasy so it doesn't matter."

 

[peritwinkle]

- People who do not read my search thread properly, or have no real knowledge of the universes I’m requesting and yet still want to RP in that universe

- People who, as Genkai said, have terrible or lazy grammar when plotting. I am a detailed roleplayer and I speciy that in my posts. Finding a partner is like a job interview - prove to me that you are good, and prove to me that you give two f*cks about the story, enough to capitalize your letters and use punctuation damn it

- People who give me nothing to work with in their posts (and basically write like they’re on their own). How am I supposed to reply if your post consisted only of your character thinking?

- People who take very, very long to reply. Especially in plotting stages. I get that things can come up - and please do tell me if they do, I WILL understand - but it takes the excitement out of brainstorming if the ideas are not laid out fluently

 

[rae2nerdy]

People who give me nothing to work with in their posts (and basically write like they’re on their own). How am I supposed to reply if your post consisted only of your character thinking?

I had someone take this to an extreme once. We were doing a superhero roleplay and it was supposed to be our characters teaming up to solve a crime. Well every post they would basically write an original one shot for their character. Like their character would go to work, hang out with their girlfriend, go to sleep, etc. And when I did try to set up stuff for our characters to interact they would just have their character leave.

I tried to bring my concerns up tactfully like .. hey I can't actually interact with this character. Could you maybe stop leaving? They're like "Oh Character is a loner and I just kind of wanted to see how long it would take you to say something. But I can make another character if you want."

Well they did. Except Character 2 is the EXACT SAME. Off doing things, maybe interacting with Character 1 but not doing anything with my own character. I eventually quit.


Another thing is when I do all the heavy lifting of plotting and world building and my partners are all "I don't want to step on your toes" when I specifically ask them for help. Like dude I am asking you specifically for help. Why would I be mad if you offer it?

 

[SP3CT3R]

Another thing is when I do all the heavy lifting of plotting and world building and my partners are all "I don't want to step on your toes" when I specifically ask them for help. Like dude I am asking you specifically for help. Why would I be mad if you offer it?

I'm in awe at the size of this mood. People used to not take me seriously because I'm "special" and would go along with whatever I said because they felt bad for me, so I kinda feel like I have to get people's opinions on stuff to feel valued. Also, I'm super indecisive and will usually come up with more ideas than necessary.

 

[rae2nerdy]

I'm in awe at the size of this mood. People used to not take me seriously because I'm "special" and would go along with whatever I said because they felt bad for me, so I kinda feel like I have to get people's opinions on stuff to feel valued. Also, I'm super indecisive and will usually come up with more ideas than necessary.

Well I'm more (unintentionally) bossy than anything. I also have a lot of ideas swimming in my head which is why I ask for help. If left to my own devices I'll spend two weeks writing up a government system for a roleplay about a pet store. Why? Because there are a endless amount of rabbit holes in my head and I must go down all of them.

Plus it's just tiring when your doing things all by yourself. Especially when folks cop an attitude about it. Like oh well this is your world and blah blah blah. Like it's only "my" world because you didn't contribute anything!

 

[BackSet]

Another thing is when I do all the heavy lifting of plotting and world building and my partners are all "I don't want to step on your toes" when I specifically ask them for help. Like dude I am asking you specifically for help. Why would I be mad if you offer it?

I admit that I am the latter person sometimes and I'm kind of ashamed by it but it's like "What if I say the wrong thing and do something stupid!"

 

[Tove]

The joys of someone allegedly reading a request thread but would rather have everything done for them.
"I read your request thread and I love all of your ideas, I just don't know which to choose from so I'll just let you decide which one you really want to do and go along with what ideas you have in place."

And the joys of a person not even bothering to find out if a request thread is available.
"Hi I'm looking for a literate female partner to play a female submissive character think you can help me out with that or should I find someone else?"

 

[Melpomene]

I would like to just say that your first message to someone should not be an insult to their interest thread... or writing... or personality... or intelligence. It turns me and most people off of you. Just saying.

Also when people insult other people's preferences for Rps. I don't mind people not liking certain things, but I really hate it when people dismiss a whole concept, genre, or general thing as stupid or a waste of time just because they don't enjoy it. I understand having a personal dislike but... don't call people bad writers because of the type of bbcode they use or if they use character sheets or don't. None of that is marking of their merit as a writer. It is just something I have seen around and it just irks me to no end.

 

[peritwinkle]

The joys of someone allegedly reading a request thread but would rather have everything done for them.
"I read your request thread and I love all of your ideas, I just don't know which to choose from so I'll just let you decide which one you really want to do and go along with what ideas you have in place.”

I do that sometimes, at least in my case, it’s not because I want to have everything laid out, but rather work together on a combination of the ideas listed. But again, that’s just me, I usually state I like the ideas X and Y and would like to work on something similar to the two.

 

[Tove]

I do that sometimes, at least in my case, it’s not because I want to have everything laid out, but rather work together on a combination of the ideas listed. But again, that’s just me, I usually state I like the ideas X and Y and would like to work on something similar to the two.

That's fine but the people I meant don't even want to do that. They don't give any ideas or a real indication on whether they even want to roleplay everything is just fine. I can make up a character for them and they'll be fine. I like when ideas are tossed back at me that I know I'm writing with someone who is interested in telling a story as I am.

 

[peritwinkle]

That's fine but the people I meant don't even want to do that. They don't give any ideas or a real indication on whether they even want to roleplay everything is just fine. I can make up a character for them and they'll be fine. I like when ideas are tossed back at me that I know I'm writing with someone who is interested in telling a story as I am.

I agree, it’s why I try to sift through the people I RP with, even if it sometimes comes out as condescending... I roleplay so I don’t write on my own, after all.

 

[Yunalescaa]

I would like to just say that your first message to someone should not be an insult to their interest thread... or writing... or personality... or intelligence. It turns me and most people off of you. Just saying.

Someone legit responded to me saying "Yeah I wasn't going to respond to your thread because your search was pretty generic like everyone elses. But I can't find a partner for this genre so I GUESS I'll put up with you."

This was like, after we had plotted and they were typing up a starter. And all I could do was think, "If you hated me that badly based of my search thread why would you even tell me that?"

 

[poison goth]

One liners.

 

[Tove]

Someone legit responded to me saying "Yeah I wasn't going to respond to your thread because your search was pretty generic like everyone elses. But I can't find a partner for this genre so I GUESS I'll put up with you."

This was like, after we had plotted and they were typing up a starter. And all I could do was think, "If you hated me that badly based of my search thread why would you even tell me that?"

And that is when I would have quit. Let them type up the starter have it up and never respond to it but that's just me.


Edit:
People that are so stuck on their ideas they aren't willing to compromise or be flexible. It's their way or the highway.

I understand you have a robot chicken swordsman with the ability to change into an airplane at will but in this Victorian setting I don't think that will work. Can we please work on that. Oh, you'll take out the sword part? Great....nice.....

 

[BackSet]

And that is when I would have quit. Let them type up the starter have it up and never respond to it but that's just me.


Edit:
People that are so stuck on their ideas they aren't willing to compromise or be flexible. It's their way or the highway.

I understand you have a robot chicken swordsman with the ability to change into an airplane at will but in this Victorian setting I don't think that will work. Can we please work on that. Oh, you'll take out the sword part? Great....nice.....

I'm amused by that because they said they'll take out the sword part. Like, they had swords in the victorian era.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Or when people have super rigid ideas of who they want you to play, how your character acts to their character, etc. I once had someone who basically pitched a romance novel to me. They told me what my character's job had to be, what their likes where, and how they would romance their character.

I'm like...so why am I writing your fanfiction exactly?

 

[BackSet]

Some people think the definition of roleplay is "outsourcing your fanfiction to other people."

 

[Onmyoji]

Some people think the definition of roleplay is "outsourcing your fanfiction to other people."

yes, totally! and when it comes out of the blue it's very overbearing

Although sometimes I don't mind if it's a mutual agreement. Very much depends on rp partner and rp itself.

 

[Abendrot]

Repeat after me:

Your character is not the protagonist of the story

A lot of the violations of good behavior and etiquette in RP --as far as I've seen -- come from a failure to recognize that a roleplay is a story with many equal players, not one important hero. It's a game, but it's not a single-player game.

The ability to cooperate to tell a shared story is a vital one to participating in RP, whether it has two players or a hundred. When someone writes for another's character, tries to give theirs unreasonable powers, or tries to break the setting in their favor, they are declaring "this story is about me and only me!"

Don't make other players your spectators. I can write a story all about just my characters any time I want, but I will do it alone. RP is not for me. It's for us.

 

[Lord Aphrodite]

Repeat after me:

Your character is not the protagonist of the story

A lot of the violations of good behavior and etiquette in RP --as far as I've seen -- come from a failure to recognize that a roleplay is a story with many equal players, not one important hero. It's a game, but it's not a single-player game.

The ability to cooperate to tell a shared story is a vital one to participating in RP, whether it has two players or a hundred. When someone writes for another's character, tries to give theirs unreasonable powers, or tries to break the setting in their favor, they are declaring "this story is about me and only me!"

Don't make other players your spectators. I can write a story all about just my characters any time I want, but I will do it alone. RP is not for me. It's for us.

Well put.

 

[themagnoliaofutah]

Getting ghosted BEFORE the RP starts. If you have a problem, just tell me. Don't waste my time by pretending to be interested if you're not.

 

[BackSet]

I really hate when I see an IC thread in the interest check section. That is not what the...

Oh...

Goddamn it! Why are interest check and in character spelled with the same starting letters!

 

[Coldpopz]

People who use their interest check as their ooc. Like fam, stop trying so hard to eternally bump your thread smh my head.