Experiences Whats making you angry today? Rp pet peeves

[Murdergurl]

Cycling through my muses for like the 6th or 7th time and not being able to get any of them into an RP. I have made characters for a slew of genres, and I want to play those characters. I really don't want to have to make a brand new character for a specific RP. I've put a lot of hours into the characters I already have, and I don't see the point in making new ones when I have perfectly good ones ready to go.

 

[Laix_Lake]

When the GM keeps either the enterity or parts of the other players characters sheet hidden. I get that people do that to avoid people meta gaming but that's like chopping off your leg to avoid stubbing your toe.

plot-related stuff, I can understand. But besides that, most other stuff is kinda needed to actually get something going with a collaborative environment. Yes, that includes powers and the like. If there are things that should be hidden, then its up to them and the gm to talk things out. What kinds of examples are we talking about here?

 

[CecilDMMasters]

When the GM keeps either the enterity or parts of the other players characters sheet hidden. I get that people do that to avoid people meta gaming but that's like chopping off your leg to avoid stubbing your toe.

In some styles of RP where mystery and figuring out things are part of it that makes sense.

In simpler story building and casual RP I agree it can be a RP killer. I have had a lot of bad luck with partner who "Don't want to ruin the surprise!" Because the RP goes no where as they won't share any thing, start trying to rail road and even get offensive if I try to initiate stuff because it will ruin what they have planned for later.

 

[Kaihaku]

In some styles of RP where mystery and figuring out things are part of it that makes sense.

It definitely depends on the details of the RP. I've had games where a player wanted to do something like play a secret android and it was fun to sprinkle in situations that slowly revealed it - why do they weigh so much? how can they be so strong? why didn't the radiation affect them? Then they get their legs blown off and you can see the circuitry. As a player, I think it can ruin some of the fun if the other players can't surprise me. That's probably just a matter of preference - I like some surprises around character interaction but there are definitely players who want to plot out everything in advance and who are not flexible.

I can definitely see how it would be a problem in a 1:1 RP, especially with someone who is over secretive and who puts their 'secret' above mutuality. In those cases I think keeping things secret is more about control than wanting to keep the RP organic or to do a slow burn reveal. As a player, I usually take the compromise route of using spoilers - read if you want but don't if you want the surprise.

 

[CecilDMMasters]

It definitely depends on the details of the RP. I've had games where a player wanted to do something like play a secret android and it was fun to sprinkle in situations that slowly revealed it - why do they weigh so much? how can they be so strong? why didn't the radiation affect them? Then they get their legs blown off and you can see the circuitry. As a player, I think it can ruin some of the fun if the other players can't surprise me. That's probably just a matter of preference - I like some surprises around character interaction but there are definitely players who want to plot out everything in advance and who are not flexible.

This pretty much sums up the most major advise of actually discussing what each person likes in an RP. And actually paying attention if someone expresses not enjoying something instead of thinking a RP will work if you just ignore the naysay.

I can definitely see how it would be a problem in a 1:1 RP, especially with someone who is over secretive and who puts their 'secret' above mutuality. In those cases I think keeping things secret is more about control than wanting to keep the RP organic or to do a slow burn reveal. As a player, I usually take the compromise route of using spoilers - read if you want but don't if you want the surprise.

Secret above mutually is very much an issue in a lot of cases. And I have dealt with people who certainly made it a control issue. One person kept telling me my characters where ruining his plot. Yet he literally went through a list of characters in the beginning and asked I use these ones. The RP started great. Then things got political both in and out of the RP. He just couldn't turn it off. He also refused to listen to anything I said. Especially telling him the sudden plot turn was not the kind of RP I enjoyed, or what we discussed. Or that I reminded him in discussion I pretty much RP to get in my characters head. Instead he kept using meta knowledge to just make the RP to a point I would have to break character to move the plot. And would accuse me of 'missing things' when my character wouldn't figure something out. Because it didn't make sense from the RP for them to know this. He actually tried to get me to ignore emersion and character I needed to learn to relax on my characters for the story. A story that originally was to be character driven and made by us both. Together. Now it was a human run video game that wouldn't page turn until I hit a certain action. After I began to end it he acted like he understood I wasn't enjoying it and agreed to go back to the earlier gameplay we did. Then he kind of ghosted out for a long time. I figured he actually didn't want to continue and didn't bother pushing. Then suddenly he began to reply to it again but quickly went right back to the whole situation. I ended it. To him having a fit. He apparently actually had scenes plotted with recommended music for me to listen to at certain reveals.

In a shorter RP I had someone discuss RP. I gave the idea of playing in a world I made, playing in a world they made, or kind of doing a world together. They said together because they hated being told they couldn't add things to a setting but hated to make it all themselves. Fair enough. We were playing with the character traveling though a forest. It hit a whole level of trigger when I had a character go out before sun up and hunt some food and bring it back to camp. They had some secret idea of the land being barren of life do to some animal eating energy vampire. By having them find prey was ruining it. Then they should have said something! Or said they wanted to be in charge of the forest!

 

[Crayons]

Secret above mutually is very much an issue in a lot of cases.

Just to add to this discussion on secrets - I actually love it if people have secrets about their character or plot curveballs if, and I mean IF, it is genuinely entertaining and adds to the fun of the roleplay.

Unfortunately there are people who keep a secret which no one cares about and then spends months conniving to bring the plot around to their reveal, only for everyone to be completely underwhelmed and ngaf.

Cases in point: My friend who took over the whole RP with their one (annoying) character, trying to get them to meet and befriend everybody, breaking the rules on not having your character in concurrent threads because, ya know, it makes no sense to do that, only for there to be a shock horror reveal that *he* was actually a *she*. And I swear, no one cared. No one. I was actually super mad at how much they had tried to bend the entire plot around just for this "twist".

Also one time I was playing VtM (Vampire) and the other player had this character who was this little old man undertaker vampire. Then at certain times he would disappear and this Angel of Death would appear and be all cool n shit. And literally none of the other characters cared, they were like, oh yeah that's Dave having his "Angel of Death" moment again, sigh. We'd like Dave back now he was more fun.

However someone secretly being an android seems cool as beans especially if they drop clues. I guess context is everything for this kind of stuff. In summary: Secrets, bring 'em on if they are interesting and fun, otherwise leave them at home. XD

 

[CecilDMMasters]

Just to add to this discussion on secrets - I actually love it if people have secrets about their character or plot curveballs if, and I mean IF, it is genuinely entertaining and adds to the fun of the roleplay.

Unfortunately there are people who keep a secret which no one cares about and then spends months conniving to bring the plot around to their reveal, only for everyone to be completely underwhelmed and ngaf.

I guess context is everything for this kind of stuff. In summary: Secrets, bring 'em on if they are interesting and fun, otherwise leave them at home. XD

I'm not against secrets in general. Just the ones that are literally the whole plot. I have not really had luck with people who make the plot solving a mystery. Either they can't drop hints well, the plot in to one pathed, or you figure out the secret early OOC and the whole thing is a mess after that. Plus I love talking about story ideas and characters OOC and the overly secret are usually not good with that.

Secrets can be fun as long as they don't break the emersion of the story or the secret isn't something that completely destroys the character interaction. Revealing a power that works for the setting, a back story or even a sudden race reveal can be fun. If it flows in the story and you are actually compatible with the RP partner.

Of course this can also be done badly. As you said the person pushing too hard for the reveal to be a big deal. But actually just annoying them so the reveal just blahs out. Or the people that can't read a room with their partners or use the secret reveal to try to get stuff in they know is likely to be turned down at first. Like people who reveal their characters overly grimdark life style that other characters would not still be their friends or team mate on knowing.

 

[CecilDMMasters]

Just to add to this discussion on secrets - I actually love it if people have secrets about their character or plot curveballs if, and I mean IF, it is genuinely entertaining and adds to the fun of the roleplay.

Unfortunately there are people who keep a secret which no one cares about and then spends months conniving to bring the plot around to their reveal, only for everyone to be completely underwhelmed and ngaf.

 

[Crayons]

When you're reading a blog which claims to be a resource for writers and roleplayers, and you're reading random articles and stroking your chin going "oh, hmm I never knew that, how interesting, what a good blog this is!" and then you get further down and there's an article on something that you happen to know more about than the blogger and they have got it totally wrong. And you just wonder how much of their other posts are BS. (If it was recent I'd totally be writing in but the post was from like 2016 and I doubt they would care.)

 

[Shivana]

So I don't pester or rush people to reply you can go weeks without replying to me and I won't care so please do not bug me 10 seconds after you finally reply to me like I'm taking sooo long to reply to you.

 

[Shivana]

People who never bother to read OOC then get upset when I go ahead and do whatever. I message you in OOC to try and see how you feel about the idea of me doing something, you decided you couldn't be bothered and I have to reply at some point so if I decided to do it and you are upset about it...maybe start reading OOC so I can know how you feel about it?

 

[Dr Laudanum]

I wouldn't say that this makes me angry, but rather anxious:

Comparing my writing and originality to other roleplayers/writers.

I know perfectly well that I shouldn't do it, that people should look forward to get better and write as much as they can. But let's face it: self doubt and lack of self-esteem is inevitable, at least in most people.

It is hard to deal with such hardship, but it is also something that can only be fought by the person who is dealing with it.

There is this mix between real imposter syndrome and true lack of quality that drives any artist insane, and feeling like your work is worthless and underappreciated is hard to deal with. Especially if you have any other conditions that amplify these feelings (hello, anxiety, my old friend).

Writing/roleplaying is not always relaxing. Creating art can be such a difficult challenge if you start second guessing everything you produce.

As I said, I know that the way to solve this problem is inside of each one of us, and only oneself is able to break free from it. However, we cannot deny that it is extremely difficult, and sometimes I think that people don't give the necessary importance to this issue.

 

[Luckster]

I wouldn't say that this makes me angry, but rather anxious:

Comparing my writing and originality to other roleplayers/writers.

I know perfectly well that I shouldn't do it, that people should look forward to get better and write as much as they can. But let's face it: self doubt and lack of self-esteem is inevitable, at least in most people.

It is hard to deal with such hardship, but it is also something that can only be fought by the person who is dealing with it.

There is this mix between real imposter syndrome and true lack of quality that drives any artist insane, and feeling like your work is worthless and underappreciated is hard to deal with. Especially if you have any other conditions that amplify these feelings (hello, anxiety, my old friend).

Writing/roleplaying is not always relaxing. Creating art can be such a difficult challenge if you start second guessing everything you produce.

As I said, I know that the way to solve this problem is inside of each one of us, and only oneself is able to break free from it. However, we cannot deny that it is extremely difficult, and sometimes I think that people don't give the necessary importance to this issue.

As someone with ADHD, I can really feel you in regard to that imposter syndrome feeling and anxiety, both in relation to roleplaying and other parts of my life, but I'll stick with talking about roleplaying for this discussion.

Generally, I feel I am either overconfident with my work or overly critical. I gain a hubris that, when I take some time to self-reflect, I just feel like some jerk who thinks too highly for themselves when I feel the overconfident side of the coin. Just as easily, though, I can start to stare at things I have written or OCs I have created and find things to dislike about it and believe everyone else noticed those flaws too and hate my work just as much, if not more, because of it.

Sometimes, it gets to the point where I question if they lie when they give compliments- which is obviously a really bad state of mind to get yourself into, but I can hardly help it once it happens. I feel I don't belong and that I am only around because they're trying not to hurt my feelings. At one point in a forum I was in, I convinced myself to keep doing posts that were 1,000 words long when they were arguably filled with fluffy narration that wasn't necessary. This was back when I cared a lot more about word count. For the first post or two, I felt great, but it quickly became apparent how draining that behavior was for me, especially with how much time it took me since it can be hard for me to fixate long enough on posts to do it in a short amount of time. That maneuver lost me months' worth of muse on that forum, but I thankfully recently started to recover and become active on that forum again.

One thing that I felt helpful was... purposely fishing for compliments (from those who I felt close enough to where I could do that, of course- I wouldn't want to do that to some random person I just met). Even if the back of my mind can start getting that nagging feeling of 'they're lying to you' when they respond, sometimes that can create a dialogue. You can start to see more depth to it, which can be nice to help ease your mind. Plus, on one of my more recent occasions of doing this, I learned that my RP partner was having struggles of their own they opened up to me because of that conversation. We are both roleplaying fandom characters who are meant to be intelligent, and they told me how they felt their own voice for their character was inadequate while mine sounded just like the character and they looked up to me for that reason. I had the same thoughts in regard to them, so clearly, we were both experiencing imposter syndrome hard.

Because we learned that, though, we were able to talk to each other about it more and give each other the assurance- or the advice, as requested -to help make us feel more comfortable with our voices. Basically, what I'm saying is communication really is key. I know how hard it is to stop comparing yourself to someone else, so maybe that suggestion can help you take your mind off it and help assist your brain in accepting that we're all in the same boat in reality. We don't have to win it alone!

 

[Delinquent]

When character sheets for canon characters doesn't include a personality section.

 

[Jet]

A couple people I know joined a RP where character sheets were made before players were accepted. The people running this thing, had players spend hours and hours making characters, and then rejected people lmao. This isn't the characters being rejected, but the people. There's no opportunity to change character sheets or make new characters.

They also have dumbshit like a "chosen one" role, along with other preset roles. Many presets were taken by pre-accepted friends of the GM, very troubling. Its like the inner circle want a supporting cast for their premades.

Overall, don't make people work on characters and then deny them based on nothing. They didn't even explain why people were rejected. It was worded like

"You will receive an acceptance message at 12pm. If you do not receive one, you won't be getting accepted. Thank you and have a good day."

I'm paraphrasing, but that's the statement in essence.

Lmao

For selecting writers, request samples from past RPs, not completed character sheets for your RP. You can't accept/deny players based on how much you like their characters. Thats absurb. Everyone likes different character types anyway, one you despise might be a massive hit with everyone else. And even if the character isnt loved by everyone, does that matter? Isn't it good to have some characters you don't fawn over? Isn't it more important to have literate and active writers?

Also, character sheets aren't the end result. Characters can look dreadfully boring on a summary sheet, but are entertaining when written out. The opposite is possible and even more common, where sheets sound amazing but the character comes out boring. In this regard, wouldn't a writing sample be more informative than a completed CS?

 

[Uxie]

A couple people I know joined a RP where character sheets were made before players were accepted. The people running this thing, had players spend hours and hours making characters, and then rejected people lmao. This isn't the characters being rejected, but the people. There's no opportunity to change character sheets or make new characters.

They also have dumbshit like a "chosen one" role, along with other preset roles. Many presets were taken by pre-accepted friends of the GM, very troubling. Its like the inner circle want a supporting cast for their premades.

Overall, don't make people work on characters and then deny them based on nothing. They didn't even explain why people were rejected. It was worded like

"You will receive an acceptance message at 12pm. If you do not receive one, you won't be getting accepted. Thank you and have a good day."

I'm paraphrasing, but that's the statement in essence.

Lmao

For selecting writers, request samples from past RPs, not completed character sheets for your RP. You can't accept/deny players based on how much you like their characters. Thats absurb. Everyone likes different character types anyway, one you despise might be a massive hit with everyone else. And even if the character isnt loved by everyone, does that matter? Isn't it good to have some characters you don't fawn over? Isn't it more important to have literate and active writers?

Also, character sheets aren't the end result. Characters can look dreadfully boring on a summary sheet, but are entertaining when written out. The opposite is possible and even more common, where sheets sound amazing but the character comes out boring. Wouldn't a writing sample be more informative than a completed CS, in this regard?

while your grievances aren't invalid in any way, i feel like these are all aspects that are usually expected/guaranteed in the nature of the roleplay you're talking about! the gm did explicitly say the acceptances weren't going to be first come first serve, and there'll always be rejection in those roleplays. that kind of expectation should be had when applying, in my opinion, though i can still understand the frustration of not being accepted! as someone who plays non-first come first serve roleplays almost exclusively, i'm no stranger to the feeling of being rejected, but i've learnt to move past it. you win some and you lose some.

seeing the acceptance message, i can't help but ask if your friend considered reaching out to the gm to ask about why their characters weren't accepted? i don't want to assume, but i want to point out that it's always an option if you want to find out the real reason, which is always better than making assumptions! it might even offer another opportunity for them to tweak their character for a chance at acceptance, or at least find out areas in which they may have been unsuitable/lacking, either to improve on it if they wish or reassure themselves that their there's no significant fault in their own abilities! just a suggestion (o^ ^o)

and finally, i don't think any of what you said at the end is wrong, but everyone is entitled to craft and choose their own experience. both your friend and the gm are roleplaying for their own enjoyment, rather than out of an obligation of anyone else. accepting/denying characters may seem absurd to you, but if the gm already had some sort of vision in mind for their story as well as the kinds of dynamics they foresee between the characters, i don't think it's all that unreasonable if they choose to make decisions based on that. it's also important to keep in mind that a person can dislike a character out of personal taste, but still have a lot of respect for it as a whole. just my two cents (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)

 

[Jet]

Uxie

I'm not worried about being rejected. My problem is people believing they have the right to reject people, based on potential character dynamics and preferred personalities.

Also you mention tweaking characters and editing, but there are only so many slots. When people aren't accepted they're done, voted off the island. There was no explanation, and no chance for people to make changes. Characters who were arduously made, got canned without a proper rejection message and explanation. Example #500000 why non confrontational and polite =/= good.

GMs do not make their own experience, they create a space for people to operate. GMs are not there to forge the story into their image. Imagine playing a game of DnD, where the GM steers every character interaction to entertain them and their sensibilities. That's absurd, no way around it.

Another problem is that no guiding principles were given. People were not told to make their characters a certain way. Yall watched people put in work, then selected favorites from the bunch and wasted people's time, without giving them a fair chance. There weren't preferred archetypes listed, like "dark and brooding male" for example. Giving people no direction and rejecting them based on hidden criteria is extremely unfair.

Also the story is not the GM's

And yes the GM has an obligation, to respect the hard work people put in. Any time hard work is involved with something, it transcends pure entertainment. Ask for writing samples, not completed CSs. Rejecting people who made completed CSs that fit the setting, is disrespecting people's time.

Edit

Just heard that seven character sheets were rejected, even though they fit the setting.

 

[Anne Boolean]

while your grievances aren't invalid in any way, i feel like these are all aspects that are usually expected/guaranteed in the nature of the roleplay you're talking about! the gm did explicitly say the acceptances weren't going to be first come first serve, and there'll always be rejection in those roleplays. that kind of expectation should be had when applying, in my opinion, though i can still understand the frustration of not being accepted! as someone who plays non-first come first serve roleplays almost exclusively, i'm no stranger to the feeling of being rejected, but i've learnt to move past it. you win some and you lose some.

seeing the acceptance message, i can't help but ask if your friend considered reaching out to the gm to ask about why their characters weren't accepted? i don't want to assume, but i want to point out that it's always an option if you want to find out the real reason, which is always better than making assumptions! it might even offer another opportunity for them to tweak their character for a chance at acceptance, or at least find out areas in which they may have been unsuitable/lacking, either to improve on it if they wish or reassure themselves that their there's no significant fault in their own abilities! just a suggestion (o^ ^o)

and finally, i don't think any of what you said at the end is wrong, but everyone is entitled to craft and choose their own experience. both your friend and the gm are roleplaying for their own enjoyment, rather than out of an obligation of anyone else. accepting/denying characters may seem absurd to you, but if the gm already had some sort of vision in mind for their story as well as the kinds of dynamics they foresee between the characters, i don't think it's all that unreasonable if they choose to make decisions based on that. it's also important to keep in mind that a person can dislike a character out of personal taste, but still have a lot of respect for it as a whole. just my two cents (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)

To add some clarity to this, what happened was the people who wanted to apply were given until a certain date to get their CSes in. The PM of whether they were accepted or not was going to be given on the day deadline. There was no time zone mentioned, and even if there was I wouldn't say that's a fair amount of time for people to follow up due to real world obligations. People wouldn't have received any feedback nor been given any sort of grace period to ask about the issues with their CSes. Sure, the person could ask what was wrong with it and potentially get some insight into improving their writing or perhaps get an extension from the GM, but I wouldn't consider this a very fair/polite way of accepting/rejecting players. It's like applying to a job, and nowadays even many jobs even give you some form of rejection. I'm not telling anyone how long or not their CS should be, but when they get to a certain length they are in fact a time commitment, so I think it's only respectful of a person's time to give them feedback and allow them a proper chance to fix their CSes up and get into the rp.

In terms of the roles and whatnot, I'm not gonna tell someone what to include in their rp. With that being said, giving certain characters important roles such as "chosen one," will surely have the story center around them more than any characters without such a role. Speaking from experience, it sucks having my character only be a side character in a rp. I can totally understand character dynamics and even player dynamics, but if you're really worried about certain people not fitting in to the rp besides for literacy reasons, I'd say it's just more polite to make rps with the friends you already do have. As you said, this is supposed to be for enjoyment, and getting rejected for something because people feel that you as a person wouldn't get along well with others when you've presented them with little more than pleasant exchanges, administrative questions, and an idea you have for a character takes any feelings of enjoyment out of it.

 

[Uxie]

Uxie

I think you're confused here, I'm not worried about being rejected. My problem is people believing they have the right to reject people, based on potential character dynamics and preferred personalities.

Also you mention tweaking characters and editing, but there are only so many slots. When people aren't accepted they're done, voted off the island. There was no explanation, and no chance for people to make changes. Characters who were arduously made, got canned without a proper rejection message and explanation. Example #500000 why non confrontational and polite =/= good.

GMs do not make their own experience, they create a space for people to operate. GMs are not there to forge the story into their image. Imagine playing a game of DnD, where the GM steers every character interaction to entertain them and their sensibilities. That's absurd, no way around it.

Another problem is that no guiding principles were given. People were not told to make their characters a certain way. Yall watched people put in work, then selected favorites from the bunch and wasted people's time, without giving them a fair chance. There weren't preferred archetypes listed, like "dark and brooding male" for example. Giving people no direction and rejecting them based on hidden criteria is extremely unfair.

Also the story is not the GM's

And yes the GM has an obligation, to respect the hard work people put in. Any time hard work is involved with something, it transcends pure entertainment. Ask for writing samples, not completed CSs. Rejecting people who've made completed CSs that fit the setting, is spitting on people's time.

To add some clarity to this, what happened was the people who wanted to apply were given until a certain date to get their CSes in. The PM of whether they were accepted or not was going to be given on the day deadline. There was no time zone mentioned, and even if there was I wouldn't say that's a fair amount of time for people to follow up due to real world obligations. People wouldn't have received any feedback nor been given any sort of grace period to ask about the issues with their CSes. Sure, the person could ask what was wrong with it and potentially get some insight into improving their writing or perhaps get an extension from the GM, but I wouldn't consider this a very fair/polite way of accepting/rejecting players. It's like applying to a job, and nowadays even many jobs even give you some form of rejection. I'm not telling anyone how long or not their CS should be, but when they get to a certain length they are in fact a time commitment, so I think it's only respectful of a person's time to give them feedback and allow them a proper chance to fix their CSes up and get into the rp.

In terms of the roles and whatnot, I'm not gonna tell someone what to include in their rp. With that being said, giving certain characters important roles such as "chosen one," will surely have the story center around them more than any characters without such a role. Speaking from experience, it sucks having my character only be a side character in a rp. I can totally understand character dynamics and even player dynamics, but if you're really worried about certain people not fitting in to the rp besides for literacy reasons, I'd say it's just more polite to make rps with the friends you already do have. As you said, this is supposed to be for enjoyment, and getting rejected for something because people feel that you as a person wouldn't get along well with others when you've presented them with little more than pleasant exchanges, administrative questions, and an idea you have for a character takes any feelings of enjoyment out of it.

replying to both for the sake of convenience!

there's no doubt that there is some fault in the lack of transparency and the presence of hidden criteria. i don't mean or hope to excuse the gm's actions, but only offer another perspective as someone who writes a lot of roleplays that function this way and/or know people who gm this way as well. while yes, gms are making a space for people to operate, the settings, worlds and premises they come up with (i'm speaking from a general point) are also things they've put a lot of thought into, which is why i feel we should be respecting their decisions when it comes to matters of what kinds of groups they want to play it with. i want to point out that from personal experience, most gms who run these types, unless pre-made roles are specified, don't come into it with a list of character archetypes they're looking for. if they do, then yeah, it's silly if they only accept characters of those archetypes and choose not to publicise it. but i don't know the gm personally nor was i involved in the roleplay, so i won't dispute your point either! just a different way of seeing it.

the timezone thing is a very irritating thing, and the grace period would be a really good way to mitigate that so as many people as possible can have their characters accepted! it's no excuse for the gm and nor should players be expected to have to take the initiative, but if given circumstances that you're not able to change, i still think it's best to do whatever you can within your capabilities if it's really an issue that bothers you. i personally believe that asking after acceptances have been sent out is still within the realm of possibility when it comes to tweaking your character to get in, but it definitely seems more than a little exasperating to have to go to such an extra effort. so, fair point!

on the topic of accepting characters: if there are no slots, i think i whole-heartedly agree with anne that the respect should be given to the players who've put so much time into their characters to at least give them a chance to change it. but as jet mentioned, sometimes there are only so many slots for characters you can accept. your friend definitely put in a lot of work into their character, but so did the many others that applied, so i think in this aspect i can understand and agree with your call for use of writing samples to sort through players as well to save them the wasted time!

that said, would i be misinterpreting that it makes the assumption that these characters were rejected on the basis that their writing wasn't up to par? it might just be my personal taste in roleplays having a cast of characters that can all add to the plot in different ways, but even if you were to get a group of good writers together, unless the archetypes were discussed beforehand, there's still a chance of people creating characters who fit the setting but not the group; for example, too-similar characters, which could result in one or the other not adding much to the plot because of it, possibly sidelined if they're not as proactive as the other player in establishing connections. it's the main reason why i think it's reasonable for a gm to reject based on foreseen character dynamics! i know there are many who are willing to give way to others who prefer to write a certain type of characters, but there are definitely others who aren't all that open either. that's why i don't personally believe in accepting characters that just "fit the setting", but your critiques of the nature of such roleplays are very true! i think i've just become so accustomed to it that i'm not as bothered by it anymore ;;

and lastly, i think i agree most with anne's second point! i know exactly what it feels like to make a character i adore so much, only for it to end up sidelined in the final written work. it's one of the reasons why i'm mostly drawn to roleplays with pre-made roles nowadays since it gives a sense of security and pre-established significance to whatever character i make. but, from a very serious standpoint, there may be people who don't have friends (or friends with the same interest) that they're able to play these settings out with. again, i don't know the gm, but also from personal experience, i've rarely run into gms or roleplays where players have been rejected because of their own personality through the scarce interactions that are most often present during the pre-acceptance period. it definitely sucks if it happens, but i've not had the experience of it, and i'm very sympathetic towards your friend if that was the reason they weren't allowed in.

sorry in advance if any of the points are messy! i'm trying to be as objective and clear as possible in my response but i'm also not the most eloquent (*/_＼)

 

[Anne Boolean]

replying to both for the sake of convenience!

there's no doubt that there is some fault in the lack of transparency and the presence of hidden criteria. i don't mean or hope to excuse the gm's actions, but only offer another perspective as someone who writes a lot of roleplays that function this way and/or know people who gm this way as well. while yes, gms are making a space for people to operate, the settings, worlds and premises they come up with (i'm speaking from a general point) are also things they've put a lot of thought into, which is why i feel we should be respecting their decisions when it comes to matters of what kinds of groups they want to play it with. i want to point out that from personal experience, most gms who run these types, unless pre-made roles are specified, don't come into it with a list of character archetypes they're looking for. if they do, then yeah, it's silly if they only accept characters of those archetypes and choose not to publicise it. but i don't know the gm personally nor was i involved in the roleplay, so i won't dispute your point either! just a different way of seeing it.

the timezone thing is a very irritating thing, and the grace period would be a really good way to mitigate that so as many people as possible can have their characters accepted! it's no excuse for the gm and nor should players be expected to have to take the initiative, but if given circumstances that you're not able to change, i still think it's best to do whatever you can within your capabilities if it's really an issue that bothers you. i personally believe that asking after acceptances have been sent out is still within the realm of possibility when it comes to tweaking your character to get in, but it definitely seems more than a little exasperating to have to go to such an extra effort. so, fair point!

on the topic of accepting characters: if there are no slots, i think i whole-heartedly agree with anne that the respect should be given to the players who've put so much time into their characters to at least give them a chance to change it. but as jet mentioned, sometimes there are only so many slots for characters you can accept. your friend definitely put in a lot of work into their character, but so did the many others that applied, so i think in this aspect i can understand and agree with your call for use of writing samples to sort through players as well to save them the wasted time!

that said, would i be misinterpreting that it makes the assumption that these characters were rejected on the basis that their writing wasn't up to par? it might just be my personal taste in roleplays having a cast of characters that can all add to the plot in different ways, but even if you were to get a group of good writers together, unless the archetypes were discussed beforehand, there's still a chance of people creating characters who fit the setting but not the group; for example, too-similar characters, which could result in one or the other not adding much to the plot because of it, possibly sidelined if they're not as proactive as the other player in establishing connections. it's the main reason why i think it's reasonable for a gm to reject based on foreseen character dynamics! i know there are many who are willing to give way to others who prefer to write a certain type of characters, but there are definitely others who aren't all that open either. that's why i don't personally believe in accepting characters that just "fit the setting", but your critiques of the nature of such roleplays are very true! i think i've just become so accustomed to it that i'm not as bothered by it anymore ;;

and lastly, i think i agree most with anne's second point! i know exactly what it feels like to make a character i adore so much, only for it to end up sidelined in the final written work. it's one of the reasons why i'm mostly drawn to roleplays with pre-made roles nowadays since it gives a sense of security and pre-established significance to whatever character i make. but, from a very serious standpoint, there may be people who don't have friends (or friends with the same interest) that they're able to play these settings out with. again, i don't know the gm, but also from personal experience, i've rarely run into gms or roleplays where players have been rejected because of their own personality through the scarce interactions that are most often present during the pre-acceptance period. it definitely sucks if it happens, but i've not had the experience of it, and i'm very sympathetic towards your friend if that was the reason they weren't allowed in.

sorry in advance if any of the points are messy! i'm trying to be as objective and clear as possible in my response but i'm also not the most eloquent (*/_＼)

Oh I don't have an issue with the pre-made roles or wanting a certain dynamic with the characters involved. I was just throwing out some reasons as to why people may have an issue with that.

And you're right, there could have been limited spots, or the person's writing could have been subpar. I just think transparency about that stuff would lead to less people's feelings being hurt, and less time and effort wasted.. Maybe with the deadline, the gm could have also put up a number of open slots. It would make me think twice about applying if I see a bunch of good CSes for a rp that only has a couple open slots.

In terms of not having friends to do the rp with, you do have a point, and when finding new people it is important for you guys to mesh well together. Truthfully, not all people are gonna get along though, and I don't think you can accurately see that without some interaction with them over time. Unless you make a pre-rp bachelor-style game or something lol, I don't think you'll be able to see who's a good fit or not until you're in the thick of it. I believe the only thing you can reasonably and accurately vet for is their writing. I feel like a more fair way to have gauge that would be through receiving a writing sample and asking people for their average posting frequency. You can also set up rules to keep your community friendly and keep interactions as smooth as possible. I doubt the person was rejected for some presumption of their personality though, so.

My posts aren't meant to change your mind or anything nor am I looking to go after anyone for this "injustice" lol. I just want to clarify the situation and explain the viewpoints presented, as well as offer some alternatives.

 

[Wandering Fae]

Not sure if angry is the right word, maybe a bit irritated but mostly confused so a partner if mine apparently left our RP which they have every right to do, that's not my issue see this person would remind me every hour to reply to the RP, I'd explain to them that I was busy or replying to another partner which I had no time to do our first 3 days because they'd bug me for a reply every hour (I didn't word it like this but I did explain that because they reply so fast and except me to reply so fast I couldn't reply to my other partners. So I come back to reply apparently they've left both OOC and the RP, not a word, like are you legit that spoiled? That I can't reply to my other partners it has to be all about you?

 

[CecilDMMasters]

Not sure if angry is the right word, maybe a bit irritated but mostly confused so a partner if mine apparently left our RP which they have every right to do, that's not my issue see this person would remind me every hour to reply to the RP, I'd explain to them that I was busy or replying to another partner which I had no time to do our first 3 days because they'd bug me for a reply every hour (I didn't word it like this but I did explain that because they reply so fast and except me to reply so fast I couldn't reply to my other partners. So I come back to reply apparently they've left both OOC and the RP, not a word, like are you legit that spoiled? That I can't reply to my other partners it has to be all about you?

I lose a lot of RPs due to work. Even if the person says they are okay with taking a while to reply holiday and 2020 issues in a retail workers life doesn't vibe with most RPers times. Look on the bright side. The ones who leave you when they realize they are not the center of attention are less weird than the ones that keep coming back once they see you aren't what they want. I've had people like this that act line once they have a hook in you they just got to keep you. Like you are some weird prize. And frankly I never feel flattered about that or understand it.

The worst case examples are one person that started off fine and I realized way late they were giving off a ton of bad friend signs even early on. As time went became rather toxic in their talks of other people then as they got comfortable became a real annoyance. One early sign was they commented on DA and discord status were hidden which my reply was pretty much honest. I don't need to have people seeing me online to check in on someone and wondering why I ain't talking to them. Or them pinging me as soon as they see it when I just hopped on fast to discuss something specific (like a commission) with someone but am actually about to do something else off line. They kind of brushed it off with an 'Oh' Later they started making big deal about their friends showing online but not talking to them. Status shows they were online a few hours ago but never heard from them. So an so is talking in a group to someone about an RP they are doing but hasn't replied to mine sense yesterday. They are someone I eventually dropped like a rock weighted with bricks all rolled in cement. They tried to apologize and admit some wrong doing only after they realized I really was not talking to them. Then even months later tried to send a last final. "So, um . . . . Hi . . ." note. Once ECLIPSE took over on DA I saw them in a huge long argument on an update telling someone that they hated Eclipse because all the things to show who's online, when last online Ect is gone and they can't tell if their friends are avoiding them or not. They have RPs they don't know why aren't being replied too. I had CORE and before ECLIPSE I had the bar that logged visitors and pinged when someone viewed your profile. And I know up until the visitor bar disappeared months after I dropped them they still visited my page.

Then I had one for a shorter time who even when I said I didn't have a set life schedule would constantly try to set a time exactly to RP. If I didn't come on at a certain time I would come into messages like they thought I died. I told them they were getting disturbing and they just barely toned down. While RPing if I paused would start sending messages. Wondered why I would suddenly stop at a certain time. And tried to ask way too many questions OOC. I was about to threaten to end the RP when I suddenly ended the RP quickly and brutally due to fetish slip in. They tried sending a couple of guilt trip mental issue notes. Then a huge "I'll RP however you want I didn't realize (totally sexual thing) was so sexual." Which I basically tore into them again. Then a week later tried again with a ""I don't remember why the RP ended. Other than I know I made you mad. I'm in a group home now and may not be able to RP anyway . . . but I hope you are doing good . . . I'm not . . . "

Then another person I'm pretty sure I mentioned in another place here on bad RPers who wanted to take the RP in a direction I wasn't interested in and just told them we weren't compatible when they got demanding we do things their way or else. They came at me later angry I didn't change my mind and come crawling back. Like seriously. I want RPs I'm interested in not large numbers of them.

 

[Sailormars34]

When you start to like a rper and then they vanish without telling you where they went to

 

[SP3CT3R]

When you start to like a rper and then they vanish without telling you where they went to

Happened to me a few weeks ago on another site. I had this whole plot planned out with someone and I thought we were hitting it off pretty well, but they logged off right when we were going to start RPing, and then I woke up the next day to find out they'd blocked me. And this was right after finding out I was blocked by a user who claimed to be above blocking people like that. Needless to say, I was pissed.

 

[Sailormars34]

Happened to me a few weeks ago on another site. I had this whole plot planned out with someone and I thought we were hitting it off pretty well, but they logged off right when we were going to start RPing, and then I woke up the next day to find out they'd blocked me. And this was right after finding out I was blocked by a user who claimed to be above blocking people like that. Needless to say, I was pissed.

That happened to me 14 years ago I gotten close to a Tellu rper from Sailor Moon and the next day I try to email her to find out where she's been only to find out her email is gone. It haunts me to this day