Other Roleplay Pet peeves

[Chimney Swift]

When I'm losing inspiration for a character that I love with all my heart and I'm worried it's going to affect my activity in an RP I care about a lot

 

[Kekse]

When I see lots of roleplay jargon, don't know what it means, feel like I should, and then feel so dumb that I just nope out.

 

[Omnitheon]

If you're railroading, just say so. I'm OK, but don't put me under the illusion that I have little to no choice in where the plot goes.
Additionally, a difficulty curve is necessary to make sure your RP gets off on the right foot; not every battle needs to be a OHKO situation.

 

[Serenata]

I dislike @$$hole characters with no real purpose than to exhibit @$$hole behavior. I especially dislike them because some of the creators of these characters want them to be all gushed over, chased after, and loved. f-that.

 

[Jannah]

I feel obligated as a disabled person to keep posting this here until things change.

If you do not offer an accessible version of your search thread, or just want to keep using your 7.4 grey font, I'm peacing out of your search thread. If you contact me and I see it I'm peacing out of the convo. Every time I come across these threads and how horrible it is on my blind ass I'm like, why? I try my best to offer mobile friendly versions and keep my font and a type and size I know I can read. I feel like it's getting worse.

Please if you're reading this and you do this y'all need to consider helping out the blind people like me. I'm done copying and pasting your test into a google doc and adjusting the size so I can read it.

Right. I just outright ignore those threads. I'm not joining a RP if I can't even read what it's about.

 

[Murdergurl]

When I see lots of roleplay jargon, don't know what it means, feel like I should, and then feel so dumb that I just nope out.

what kind of jargon are you referring to?

 

[Corn Orc Vandal]

Maybe I'm just an old fogey, and this has already been touched on, but I really don't understand the impulse a lot of users have to make absolutely insane code for their posts that jam their text into a tiny, scrolling box. When I'm reading a book, I've never thought, "Damn, Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian is pretty good, but know what would have made it even better? If all the text was 6.5 font, had an insanely busy background, an mp3 file up top, and was crammed into the corner of the page with a bunch of pictures of what The Judge is wearing, where he's at, and what his mood right now." Maybe it works better on mobile or something? I dunno.

Also, I don't get it when people use a bunch of pictures in their posts. By all means, use a photo for your character; honestly, this can just help differentiate all the player characters. But do we really need a photo of what their gun looks like, their armor, their ship, the street they're walking on, the new watch they just bought, the toilet they just left, and the guy who sold them a hot dog? I guess people want to convey exactly what they're imagining with no room for interpretation, so they use pictures instead of trusting their prose to describe it, or trusting their reader to visualize it. In truth, nobody really cares if the revolver looks like this, this, or that. They just need to know your character has a blicky and what they're gonna do with it. I was in an RP once where a player used this

Spoiler: gif

to describe what their character was doing. Like, you couldn't have just said they cutely waved? You had to use that? At what point are we gonna be just playing through gifs and pics? Again, I'm probably just an old fossil lol.

 

[Lorsh]

Maybe I'm just an old fogey, and this has already been touched on, but I really don't understand the impulse a lot of users have to make absolutely insane code for their posts that jam their text into a tiny, scrolling box. When I'm reading a book, I've never thought, "Damn, Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian is pretty good, but know what would have made it even better? If all the text was 6.5 font, had an insanely busy background, an mp3 file up top, and was crammed into the corner of the page with a bunch of pictures of what The Judge is wearing, where he's at, and what his mood right now." Maybe it works better on mobile or something? I dunno.

Also, I don't get it when people use a bunch of pictures in their posts. By all means, use a photo for your character; honestly, this can just help differentiate all the player characters. But do we really need a photo of what their gun looks like, their armor, their ship, the street they're walking on, the new watch they just bought, the toilet they just left, and the guy who just sold them a hot dog? I guess people want to convey exactly what they're imagining with no room for interpretation, so they use pictures instead of trusting their prose to describe it, or trusting their reader to visualize it. In truth, nobody really cares if the revolver looks like this, this, or that. They just need to know your character has a blicky and what they're gonna do with it. I was in an RP once where a player used this

Spoiler: gif

to describe what their character was doing. Like, you couldn't have just said they cutely waved? You had to use that? At what point are we gonna be just playing through gifs and pics? Again, I'm probably just an old fossil lol.

Once saw an RP where gifs of your char were mandatory in the CS. You needed at least three.

 

[Murdergurl]

Maybe I'm just an old fogey, and this has already been touched on, but I really don't understand the impulse a lot of users have to make absolutely insane code for their posts that jam their text into a tiny, scrolling box. When I'm reading a book, I've never thought, "Damn, Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian is pretty good, but know what would have made it even better? If all the text was 6.5 font, had an insanely busy background, an mp3 file up top, and was crammed into the corner of the page with a bunch of pictures of what The Judge is wearing, where he's at, and what his mood right now." Maybe it works better on mobile or something? I dunno.

Also, I don't get it when people use a bunch of pictures in their posts. By all means, use a photo for your character; honestly, this can just help differentiate all the player characters. But do we really need a photo of what their gun looks like, their armor, their ship, the street they're walking on, the new watch they just bought, the toilet they just left, and the guy who sold them a hot dog? I guess people want to convey exactly what they're imagining with no room for interpretation, so they use pictures instead of trusting their prose to describe it, or trusting their reader to visualize it. In truth, nobody really cares if the revolver looks like this, this, or that. They just need to know your character has a blicky and what they're gonna do with it. I was in an RP once where a player used this

Spoiler: gif

to describe what their character was doing. Like, you couldn't have just said they cutely waved? You had to use that? At what point are we gonna be just playing through gifs and pics? Again, I'm probably just an old fossil lol.

^This. So much THIS.

I feel like this whole pictures-instead-of-words trend is a new gen thing with RPers. Whereas the older gen is a bunch of people who all had only the most basic tools and word programs to convey a story, the newer gen likes to add in their memes and gifs and veritable storyboard of pictures to describe things because they grew up in a world saturated with such media. But oftentimes, less is definitely more. And all these extras have become a crutch because they now have a deficit in the ability to actually describe things with words. I think that's why meme-ing has become so popular. Instead of conveying feelings and thoughts with words, they just reference a picture and/or gif to give some generic visual of the idea they wish to convey. Kids these days communicate in meme-speak even offline! I worked at a Trade school for a few years and saw it firsthand. It's the weirdest thing.

---

Adding another pet peeve to the pile: Formatting a CS like it's a tab on a Video Game character's Stats screen. Wtf? We're writing. This is an online roleplay for stories, not an RPG video game. Your character need not list their fireball ability like it has actual levels. The ability itself also doesn't need an edgy name. Unless the RP actually functions that way... in which case, also not my bag.

 

[Jannah]

Once saw an RP where gifs of your char were mandatory in the CS. You needed at least three.

I've seen a bunch like that and I don't get it. This is a writing site so I'd rather just describe my characters through writing about them.

 

[Yunalescaa]

Oh boy we're back to talking about how mobile friendly or post accessibility should be mandatory aren't we?

Please for the love of god think of people like me who are blind as hell. If I have to get my nose up to my screen to read your post or put it in a google doc and enlarge the font, we're done here.

Editing to add about the gif stuff, this is pretty common on Tumblr with roleplay where many posts with characters will include a gif of their character that can be used as a reaction to a post or convey an emotion. It's not super popular anymore I don't think, but it's certainly been done off site. I definitely get using pictures sometimes if you have an exact image in your mind of an outfit (this is where I'll use images). But I try my best to describe it and leave the link somewhere in OOC like "Hey if you wanted to see it, click here". If you need to use pictures for everything to convey what your character is doing, what they're wearing, what kind of watch they have on, etc, I feel like you're not really roleplaying. You're just kind of picture sharing. Maybe I'm just old and don't understand the new trends.

 

[SimplyNene]

when someone wants MxM but they either always want to be the "sensitive feminine boy" or because theres always a "sensitive feminine boy" and a "pervy bad boy" fr.....its giving "i've been on wattpad too much" not all gay couples has to have a feminine boy and to be honest there isnt always one- like same with Lesbian couples there isnt always a "masculine tomboy" all lgbtq couples are different some feminine boys aren't even gay sometimes like some like crossdressing there are different sexualities every lgbtq person is different i dont mind feminine boys but like why must they be treated like "helpless" "crybaby" "pick me" like everyone is different its just annoying and offensive- but thats just me-

HELP I DID NOT EXPECT THIS TO GET 4 LIKES-

 

[Murdergurl]

When I see a fantasy or spacey sci-fi RP, but only human races are allowed for the PCs. Super annoying. Especially when there are fantastical/alien creatures (monsters) or mention of fantastical/alien races in the RP idea. But it's just not allowed for the players. Total buzzkill.

WHY is it SO Futhermucking hard to find a group RP where I can play as an Alien or a Goblin?!

 

[A Sparkling Zombie]

When I see a fantasy or spacey sci-fi RP, but only human races are allowed for the PCs. Super annoying. Especially when there are fantastical/alien creatures (monsters) or mention of fantastical/alien races in the RP idea. But it's just not allowed for the players. Total buzzkill.

WHY is it SO Futhermucking hard to find a group RP where I can play as an Alien or a Goblin?!

Because goblins are evil and therefore not kawaii desu!

 

[weldherwings]

I find it kind of annoying when people describe their characters as a "tomboy". The phrase "tomboy" in general just really irks me cause it reinforces the idea that certain behaviours or interests are better suited or only for boys and men, which limits and pigeonholes children/people to gender roles.

 

[Murdergurl]

Because goblins are evil and therefore not kawaii desu!

​

 

[enzerubebii]

okay it just happened to me and i dont know if anyone discussed this. People critiquing a rp as it its going. We get it. you like our rp and your critique is supposed to be positive but it makes me think my friend replied.

 

[Lady Midnight]

One that has happened recently is that someone tried using my character's trauma as a prop that theirs had it worse while we were plotting a future plot point. When the plot point was my character was trying to connect with her love interest and reveal a very painful issue from her past.

"Oh I was bullied in school...but *insert other character here* had it worse cause x/y/z"

 

[Murdergurl]

Crossovers. Call me a purist, but I hate it when roleplays are multi-fandom or crossovers of two or more fandoms.

It's like, "Hey, watch me ruin two (or more) fandoms at once!"

When shows or comics do this in their series, I consider it like a gag episode.

 

[Jannah]

Crossovers. Call me a purist, but I hate it when roleplays are multi-fandom or crossovers of two or more fandoms.

Yep. I can't stand it either, especially when it's two fandoms very different from each other.

 

[nerdy tangents]

One that has happened recently is that someone tried using my character's trauma as a prop that theirs had it worse while we were plotting a future plot point. When the plot point was my character was trying to connect with her love interest and reveal a very painful issue from her past.

"Oh I was bullied in school...but *insert other character here* had it worse cause x/y/z"

To give them credit it’s at least a realistic reaction, there are a lot of self centered people who story top out there.

I think the part that bothers me isn’t that people write shitty characters (especially people who are shitty in very relatable and realistic ways).

It’s when they try to pass that shitty behavior off as endearing or romantic. It makes me worry about the kind of person they are IRL.

It’s one thing to be like “my characters thoughts are not my own” and another to be glorifying shitty behavior through your character.

Just makes me think “well that’s how the person is gonna act OOC and that’s a solid no thanks from me.”

 

[Kekse]

When instead of telling you they don't vibe with your intro, the other person spends like 2 weeks insisting they'll post their intro "tomorrow" then randomly leaves the convo.

 

[Jannah]

When instead of telling you they don't vibe with your intro, the other person spends like 2 weeks insisting they'll post their intro "tomorrow" then randomly leaves the convo.

At least they waited. I've had people leave the convo immediately after messaging them.

 

[enzerubebii]

When instead of telling you they don't vibe with your intro, the other person spends like 2 weeks insisting they'll post their intro "tomorrow" then randomly leaves the convo.

ive had people call my fandoms and tropes i liked stupid and leave.

 

[Shadow Rose]

ive had people call my fandoms and tropes i liked stupid and leave.

Oh God same here. And they always end up being the best damn rps I've ever had when I find someone that stays