Viewpoint Unpopular roleplay opinions?

[rae2nerdy]

Really, where are all these all-powerful Mary Sues at? People bring them up all the time in threads like these, even if it's the opposite of an unpopular opinion.
In my experience, if anyone posts a CS like that, RP-runners normally turn them down immediately.
I see more underpowered angsty boring characters nowadays because people completely misunderstand why Mary Sues are disliked.

Magical roleplays. Superhero roleplays. I think sometimes it's more of a misunderstanding of power levels though. Like people think the roleplay is all about hititng things in the name of justice or using your super awesome amazing powers to save reality. So they power up their character accordingly. Only to realize oh this is more of a police procedural and my character looks silly.

 

[Franklin]

Franklin honestly at this point the word has as much meaning as "agenda". So I hear someone start ranting about "feminism" I know I'm in for a "there is a krimpet agenda and they are tied into the capitalist illuminati who control society." level discourse.

It's a gotcha word used by people of bad faith to punish people they don't agree with. It's gotten to the point I don't trust anyone who calls themselves a feminist online. If you have to give yourself the title then it's because your actions aren't enough to show you care about equality. And anyone who needs a word to show how great they are isn't all that great to start with.

Right? Like I mean, I don't get the women tearing down women thing. I have seen feminism tossed around in that matter. It's just like ick.

 

[defenderofberk]

Which is why its our responsibility to point out when the ideal is being used incorrectly.

Which is what I was doing by differentiate between modern feminism and feminism. Because they are doing it out of a very twisted sense of female empowerment, they're just going about it in a rather stupid way.

 

[Franklin]

Which is what I was doing by differentiate between modern feminism and feminism. Because they are doing it out of a very twisted sense of female empowerment, they're just going about it in a rather stupid way.

Of course =)

Added: I get that's what your doing. I was just agreeing.

 

[Nisurasyn]

@Crenando Again, it's moderation. I myself like balanced characters, realistic ones. Not the movie-drama extremist type ones where they are either inherently great or inherently evil. Originality doesn't exist, because at the end of the day everything is inspired by something whether one realizes it or not. But I more often than not see people with godly characters that read minds and never die. And similarly, I always see characters that "hate everything until you get to know them" because they have a sob story. Maybe I'm just unrealistic and being hypocritical, in fact, I most likely am, and I could cop out and say that writing is subjectively enjoyable and creativity isn't meant to be limited. Either way, there's clearly a writing environment for everyone no matter their preference, and while I have my own pet peeves and preferences I'd never genuinely judge someone based on these things.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Right? Like I mean, I don't get the women tearing down women thing. I have seen feminism tossed around in that matter. It's just like ick.

Oh, it's not only women vs. women. I honestly think that's the least of the problems. I'm talking more about taking a word that is tied with feminity and use it to justify middle-class white women's privilege. Like oh, I'm a feminist so I can't also be racist/bigoted in any way. Because I look after the welfare of people who look and think exactly like me and ignore the needs of everyone else. (So it's not particularly a women vs. woman problem so much as it's privelaged version of "fuck you I got mine.")

It's the exact same thing incels and other toxic men online do. They use feminism as a rallying cry to try to prove women are nasty hypocrites that are actually secretly as miserable and hateful as they are. (to be fair they do that with a lot of other words too cuz their soul purpose in life is to be as miserable as possible and project that misery outward).

Actually incels/toxic men online are a perfect example of the words don't have universal meanings idea. As if you read any of their screeds it's full of instances where they take a word and mangle it's meaning so much they might as well be screaming about "blahablahablah" for all the meaning you get out of it.

 

[Crenando]

Magical roleplays. Superhero roleplays. I think sometimes it's more of a misunderstanding of power levels though. Like people think the roleplay is all about hititng things in the name of justice or using your super awesome amazing powers to save reality. So they power up their character accordingly. Only to realize oh this is more of a police procedural and my character looks silly.

I can't speak for magical RPs, but most superhero RPs I see now are based around angsty youths with singular powers carrying around their baggage. That's fine and all, but there isn't really any place for powerful original characters, well-written or otherwise.
I mean I help run an RP and just play as a powerful character there but it feels like cheating.

 

[rae2nerdy]

I can't speak for magical RPs, but most superhero RPs I see now are based around angsty youths with singular powers carrying around their baggage. That's fine and all, but there isn't really any place for powerful original characters, well-written or otherwise.
I mean I help run an RP and just play as a powerful character there but it feels like cheating.

1x1s or groups? Cuz that might account for the difference.

 

[Crenando]

1x1s or groups? Cuz that might account for the difference.

Yeah, groups.

 

[Franklin]

Oh, it's not only women vs. women. I honestly think that's the least of the problems. I'm talking more about taking a word that is tied with feminity and use it to justify middle-class white women's privilege. Like oh, I'm a feminist so I can't also be racist/bigoted in any way. Because I look after the welfare of people who look and think exactly like me and ignore the needs of everyone else. (So it's not particularly a women vs. woman problem so much as it's privelaged version of "fuck you I got mine.")

It's the exact same thing incels and other toxic men online do. They use feminism as a rallying cry to try to prove women are nasty hypocrites that are actually secretly as miserable and hateful as they are. (to be fair they do that with a lot of other words too cuz their soul purpose in life is to be as miserable as possible and project that misery outward).

Actually incels/toxic men online are a perfect example of the words don't have universal meanings idea. As if you read any of their screeds it's full of instances where they take a word and mangle it's meaning so much they might as well be screaming about "blahablahablah" for all the meaning you get out of it.

T_T That is so ick. I guess this is why I'm a hermit lol. I've seen this. It's sad and ick. I can empathize.

 

[Hella Downweather]

For the whole Mary-Sue spiel, I argue that it is not really about the power level of someone. We see a lot of OP protag in anime/manga, or even in modern literature. For me, what makes a character a Mary-Sue (using the term for men and women here), is the fact the world centers around them. They are a vacuum that absorbs development and plot from the setting and the characters around. Without them, the plot wouldn't exist, and you can feel some characters are created ONLY to love the Mary-Sue or to oppose it.

That is why Wonder Woman is NOT a Mary-Sue, however overpowered she is whereas Captain Marvel is, at least for me. The whole movie of Captain Marvel is centered around her, and we often have to see her benched using some petty excuses because she is so unbalanced, she would destroy everyone in a fight. (Honestly...she makes me think of Sasuke from Naruto. For some reason, people like her when she doesn't have a lot of personality/act rudely 90% of her screen time...I'm not against her personality, it could be interesting, but for people to love her either way is a bit...yeah). Honestly, this is sad because the comic character was interesting, but what we see on screen is a rather bland version in my opinion, with a pretty bad script for Marvel's standards.

So for me, the underpowered angst character is often a Mary-Sue. The plot NEEDS to center around him. People NEED to like him. Even if he is rude and aloof, who the hell cares? So it creates a lot of imbalance between characters, leaving the spotlight on him alone.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Hella Downweather Yeah I made a character that was deliberately meant to be a foil for Mary Sues. She was self-aware (which I think is another mark of Mary Sues, none of them are self-aware people). She absolutely had the self-delusion that the entirety of the universe existed to serve her. But the thing is none of the other players played along and it was fine. I didn't whine in complain about how they weren't treating my character the way she was meant to be treated. Because treating her like a self-delusional vain glory hound was exactly what she was. She made a lot of good friends too because people were like, hey these are character flaws I can work with.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Yeah, groups.

Yeah I think that's the difference. I do mostly 1x1s and it's definitely still a thing in my neck of the woods.

 

[Crenando]

For the whole Mary-Sue spiel, I argue that it is not really about the power level of someone. We see a lot of OP protag in anime/manga, or even in modern literature. For me, what makes a character a Mary-Sue (using the term for men and women here), is the fact the world centers around them. They are a vacuum that absorbs development and plot from the setting and the characters around. Without them, the plot wouldn't exist, and you can feel some characters are created ONLY to love the Mary-Sue or to oppose it.

People have made the term so nebulous that it's just whatever the writer or RP-runner or random internet commenter doesn't like. I've heard people describe everyone from Batman to John Cena(!) as Mary Sues.
It's just what happens to anything with a negative connotation on the internet, right?

 

[defenderofberk]

Honestly why is class such a rigid concept in modern set role plays (I get why with other settings)? Like I've lived in lower class and middle class environments, it's not like you can't go up or fall down.

 

[zippy]

Ok I don’t think I’ve posted here in a bit but. Some more unpopular opinions for you.

We need to increase the level of controlling others’ characters that is acceptable. So many times RPs get into a stale mate because people are so afraid of making another character do something, so the RP is virtually stuck in the same place. Only barely inching forward.

Creating intricate relationships between characters prior to the RP starting is so boring. It really takes away my muse and desire to write. I wish so many RPs would stop making this a requirement.

“Fluff” and inner character thoughts are absolutely necessary in a post to show organic growth over time. Without this, any change is too abrupt to be meaningful or realistic.

Strictly defined character roles stifle creativity. I think they were developed to ensure a diverse cast, but I’d rather see it in a more natural way with players having free reign.

 

[Nisurasyn]

You can do this but it needs to be communicated properly. My characters are flawed and I'm certain could be overpowered or persuaded by many others, but if you do so without at least speaking to me about it it feels forced. If I wanted to watch someone roleplay with my characters and without my input I'd give out adoptables

 

[rae2nerdy]

I mean I feel like a lot of time you can have something happen without giving reactions or dialogue.

- Susie (my character) takes Jan (your character) by the hand and the two teleport to Location B.

You can have your character freak out or be totally chill, but at least the action has moved from one location to another.

It’s so much better than

- Susie takes Jan by the hand (new post) Jan says want to teleport? (new post) Susie agrees (new post) Jan teleports the two to Location B.

Like that is so much more awkward to read and write. Like you can make some common sense assumptions just go streamline the narrative.

 

[zippy]

- Susie takes Jan by the hand (new post) Jan says want to teleport? (new post) Susie agrees (new post) Jan teleports the two to Location B.

Yes, this is exactly the sort of thing I mean. Especially if you’re someone like me who does at most 3 replies a week, the RP is going to CRAWL if you RP like this (which is becoming the norm).

 

[rae2nerdy]

Yes, this is exactly the sort of thing I mean. Especially if you’re someone like me who does at most 3 replies a week, the RP is going to CRAWL if you RP like this (which is becoming the norm).

Yeah I just tell my partners feel free to move my characters as needed. I will let you know if I want something to change in a post.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Another unpopular opinion : credit the people who make your face claims.

It’s not about the law it’s about basic courtesy. They went through the time and effort to make the art/photo your using. The least you can do is take the ten seconds to link to the original source or put the persons name somewhere in your character sheet.

 

[Crayons]

Really, where are all these all-powerful Mary Sues at? People bring them up all the time in threads like these, even if it's the opposite of an unpopular opinion.
In my experience, if anyone posts a CS like that, RP-runners normally turn them down immediately.
I see more underpowered angsty boring characters nowadays because people completely misunderstand why Mary Sues are disliked.

It's being the GM who has to constantly ask people to rewrite their terrible Mary Sue characters, then debate with the player as to what is and isn't acceptable until you lose your mind that is the biggest pain in the ass.

So, like, yeah, they rarely get accepted, but there's still a person who has to filter/gatekeep that stuff out of the RP.

 

[Epiphany]

It's being the GM who has to constantly ask people to rewrite their terrible Mary Sue characters, then debate with the player as to what is and isn't acceptable until you lose your mind that is the biggest pain in the ass.

So, like, yeah, they rarely get accepted, but there's still a person who has to filter/gatekeep that stuff out of the RP.

Shamus' Young's Philosophy of Moderation is a great read. While aimed at an approach to forum moderation, the principles nicely apply to roleplays (and most internet-based interactions). Read it and give yourself permission to spend 0 time on rewrites, filtering and gatekeeping and instead focus your energy on why you're actually here; to have fun creating a story with like-minded folks. Any applicants who aren't like-minded have numerous other RPing opportunities. It's not your job to teach them how to play with you, especially at your expense.

 

[Crayons]

Shamus' Young's Philosophy of Moderation is a great read. While aimed at an approach to forum moderation, the principles nicely apply to roleplays (and most internet-based interactions). Read it and give yourself permission to spend 0 time on rewrites, filtering and gatekeeping and instead focus your energy on why you're actually here; to have fun creating a story with like-minded folks. Any applicants who aren't like-minded have numerous other RPing opportunities. It's not your job to teach them how to play with you, especially at your expense.

I don't GM any more, because as you say, I'm here to have fun. XD

 

[IamTurok]

Compared with group interest checks, most 1x1 interest checks seem to lack variety. There appears to be a checklist of information people adhere to, and any deviation from the list is uncommon. As a result, they all read the same. It is rare to see one formulated around a creative concept or idea the way group checks are.