Experiences Whats making you angry today? Rp pet peeves

[laceanddoodles]

I think a lot of people can agree with this.

Whiiiiich reminds me of a guy I know who wanted paragraph length without understanding why paragraph length was a thing, going so far as to say that starting a new paragraph for each new person that spoke was 'one-lining multiple times' and that people should shove entire conversations in one paragraph.

That is.... absolutely idiotic. And proof that you can definitely be "literate" and illiterate at the exact same time.

 

[Crayons]

Here's one--

Often times, I find the rpers who give like 2-3 paragraphs are better writers than the ones who give 5-10.

Writing for roleplay is meant to have an element of spontaneity. You cannot predict exactly what your partner (or partners) will write, so you cannot predict exactly what your next response will be. You are going to be looking for things in your partners' responses to react to-- be that dialogue or action. You cannot react to their inner thoughts or memories, since you are not in the other characters' heads. Those things are important and can help build a really amazing response, but it's also important to do so delicately.

As you may or may not know, I'm currently in university studying creative writing. One of my favorite professors talks frequently about economy of language and emotion. Basically, making sure every single word is necessary, has a function, and is working to drive the story and the emotions of the scene forward. Repetition is fun, but when your seven paragraph response is basically just rephrasing the same emotional note in multiple different ways to "seem poetic," I'm going to get bored and I'm going to skim. Choose the phrasing that hits the hardest, keep that, cut the rest. Then add real action and things to react to. Body language, dialogue, details about the world around us. Those things can help me build my next reply in a way that continues to drive the story.

"Advanced literate" should have nothing to do with word count. I can write ten page short stories if I want to, but if all I need to write is my character's response to a conversation, what they're thinking/feeling, and what they do next, then I can write it in three paragraphs and have it sound better than if it was fifteen. I'll add a paragraph or two if I need some big plot stuff to happen, but I try to keep it concise. The fewest words possible to give the biggest impact possible. And I tend to immediately click away when I see somebody who wants "advanced literate only" or above 5 paragraphs for every reply.

I agree with all of this.

Some people can write really long posts every time and make it good, but for each one of those you get a good number of these:

- Players who make their character's dialogue really long and convoluted to the point that nobody ever speaks like that just to buff their post length
- Players who do hundreds of actions per post instead of just one or two
- Players whose post consists almost entirely of inner monologue that you can't react to
- Purple prose addicts

I have had some good RPs with long (700-1000+ word) posts, but in general I prefer the 3-5 para (300-600) range because it's more fun, the actions flow more easily, and you get more interaction. Excluding times when you need to describe a whole bunch of stuff or lots of NPC actions which can make things long, in which case the occasional long-ass post is not just justified but necessary.

 

[laceanddoodles]

I agree with all of this.

Some people can write really long posts every time and make it good, but for each one of those you get a good number of these:

- Players who make their character's dialogue really long and convoluted to the point that nobody ever speaks like that just to buff their post length
- Players who do hundreds of actions per post instead of just one or two
- Players whose post consists almost entirely of inner monologue that you can't react to
- Purple prose addicts

I have had some good RPs with long (700-1000+ word) posts, but in general I prefer the 3-5 para (300-600) range because it's more fun, the actions flow more easily, and you get more interaction. Excluding times when you need to describe a whole bunch of stuff or lots of NPC actions which can make things long, in which case the occasional long-ass post is not just justified but necessary.

Like, literally, a flash fiction story is usually defined as 500-1000 words. You can contain an entire narrative in that span. A rp reply is not a short story-- it's one moment in time in a much larger story.

 

[Crayons]

Like, literally, a flash fiction story is usually defined as 500-1000 words. You can contain an entire narrative in that span. A rp reply is not a short story-- it's one moment in time in a much larger story.

You can, but I guess part of that depends on how expanded or contracted your writing style is. You can write a whole story in five words, but you can also take an entire novel to do it.

 

[laceanddoodles]

You can, but I guess part of that depends on how expanded or contracted your writing style is. You can write a whole story in five words, but you can also take an entire novel to do it.

Oh, to be sure. And flash fiction and novel writing are entirely different art forms with different rules, conventions, and constraints. As is writing a short story vs writing a novella, or a novella vs a multi-book series. There are as many ways to tell a story as there are stories to tell, and I guess the idea I keep circling around in... pretty much everything I post on this site nowadays... is the idea of looking at rp as another method of storytelling vs looking at it as just a game. I don't know. It's certainly something to think about.

 

[Crayons]

Oh, to be sure. And flash fiction and novel writing are entirely different art forms with different rules, conventions, and constraints. As is writing a short story vs writing a novella, or a novella vs a multi-book series. There are as many ways to tell a story as there are stories to tell, and I guess the idea I keep circling around in... pretty much everything I post on this site nowadays... is the idea of looking at rp as another method of storytelling vs looking at it as just a game. I don't know. It's certainly something to think about.

On another site I was on, the mod held surveys occasionally and asked whether people thought the RP was more a "game" or more a "story" and I think the split was about 40/40 (plus 10 for both). I think of it mainly as storytelling, but with some gamified elements. I've done a lot of storytelling games so the two things aren't mutually exclusive, but I question people thinking of it as entirely a game and not a story. XD It's interesting stuff but probably off topic but happy to continue in PMs if you want.

 

[Onmyoji]

That's an interesting topic actually, maybe you could even start a new thread about it. ^^

 

[Daisie]

(Definitely an interesting topic. I fall in the seeing it more as a story than a game category, but I try to make it a fun story? I like to add comedy as much as I do drama, more than drama a lot of times. Admittedly the reminder of ‘making every word count’ gives me terrible flashbacks to that one English teacher I had in high school...and that ‘tell a story in 100 words’ assignment. )

On topic: (and very personal today)
”If it’s wrong to get mad at you for your hearing impairment, why do you think it’s okay to get mad at me for my short term memory issues?” -- My mother is 85% deaf in one ear and half deaf in the other. She requires hearing aids, otherwise it is pretty difficult to communicate with her. (She doesn’t know sign language beyond the more ‘wordly’ gestures.) On the flipside, I sustained three concussions within a seventh month period a couple years back and the last one was severe. I could barely talk, I had to re-learn how to write and do even little tasks, and I could get overwhelmed by the most routine things - causing me to have meltdowns. I’ve come a long way, but I still have problems, especially with my short term memory. I’ve seen a neurologist, done some therapy, tried medication...there is definitely a problem that is not going away. For her, she has a way to both hear and not hear if she chooses. I do not have a choice when my brain is going to malfunction or give me a BSOD moment. Yelling, guilt-tripping me, and otherwise acting an arse is not going to help. (It makes it worse. Shocker.)

“I’m not a mind reader - you need to communicate what you want.” — This is both for role playing and in my personal life. I have a low tolerance for this tomfoolery in either place (likely due to it being a common theme in my life). Communicate with me and 9 times out of 10, I’ll make it happen somehow. (You might need to remind me, but it’ll still get done the majority of the time.) I try my best to not be a problematic person. Drama is fine in stories, but I prefer my life to be lacking in that department.

“Could you not mess with that if you have no idea how you’re going to fix the problem?” — Another personal one. Yesterday, my mother took it upon herself to take down the make-shift trellises I had set up for the grape vines, but had no solution to put in its place. Just took it apart to give herself something to do, while demanding that I come up with a solution on the spot to a problem that...really wasn’t a problem. This isn’t the first time she’s pulled like that, but it was extra frustrating because she decided to not wear her hearing aids and so I was trying to find that elusive (read: ‘nonexistent’) ‘sweet spot’ between talking too soft, loud enough for her to hear, and shouting at her. Given that it was 94 degrees outside when she decided to do this, you can imagine how well that went. I gave up when she started screaming at me based on something she assumed I said, which I hadn’t. I waited until she went in the house and McGyver’ed something else.

I'm terribly sorry to hear about your mother that sounds frustrating. And I don't mean to downplay your experiences at all, but I'll gently remind you that this is a RP discussions thread.

I understand the need to vent though! Feel free to make/post in a thread in the Personal Discussions subforum c:

 

[Belle_Sorciere]

Daisie Ah, that was my mistake. I misunderstood the OP’s first post and thought they meant it was open to either life or role playing/writing experiences.

 

[ShadowPuppet]

When you invite your friend to a Roleplay and a few days later the mods auto kill him

 

[ShadowPuppet]

Just because he wasn’t involved enough^

 

[brogley]

• since there was some discussion about literacy earlier, i thought id give my own two cents. honestly, i think people who castigate "purple prose" and monologuing while extolling the virtues of actions and dialogue instead have not read books. "purple prose", or what some would qualify as such, often makes my spine tingle and makes the replies much more distinctive and memorable, especially as i sometimes find the jargon in the roleplaying community can be rather circular. beyond that, i personally believe monologuing is a great opportunity to explore your character on a deeper level, or, if you're on the other side, getting to know the characters more intimately. it makes me feel much more attached to the world and its characters.
• the layouts people use in interest checks, and sometimes in roleplaying, often obstruct me more than attract me. i love aesthetics, but when i have to navigate tiny scrolls and multiple tabs with vague titles, i feel confused and unwelcome. (sometimes i also feel like they don't look that good?)
• an English degree is great, but you don't have to tout it all the time. don't get me wrong, I've usually had great experiences with English majors, but sometimes it gets a little too vainglorious. let your (probably amazing!) work speak for itself!

 

[redeyesredskies]

Like goddamn, some of us are doing this for fun? We aren't on 24/7? We have lives? We don't want to do novella? Three paragraphs is fun for us?? Not everyone is obsessed and I just want to have a good time?????

 

[SavannahSmiles]

I think my biggest pet peeve is the people in group settings that make an overly powered character and then try to always make their character the center of attention or the main character of the roleplay, even if that means having something terrible or dramatic happen to their character out of no where just to bring the attention back to them.

It could be because I have had some bad experiences with this type of behavior in the past, but when it happens it instantly turns me away from the roleplay.

 

[LazyDaze]

I think my biggest pet peeve is the people in group settings that make an overly powered character and then try to always make their character the center of attention or the main character of the roleplay, even if that means having something terrible or dramatic happen to their character out of no where just to bring the attention back to them.

It could be because I have had some bad experiences with this type of behavior in the past, but when it happens it instantly turns me away from the roleplay.

I agree. It’s easy to see the story from your own view point but everyone wants to have fun too. Sometimes I catch myself and allow others to shine even if that means making my character make a mistake (in the realm of believeability for your char) or have them ‘busy’ with something else. Group RPs require some give and take between all parties to really be successful and I’m always open to criticism I might not be able to see from my point of view

 

[Crenando]

It really gets my goat when someone gets unreasonably pretentious in a discussion thread but I don't want to stir up shit and derail it by calling them out on it. Is there a even really a way to go about telling someone that politely?

 

[Chordling]

It really gets my goat when someone gets unreasonably pretentious in a discussion thread but I don't want to stir up shit and derail it by calling them out on it. Is there a even really a way to go about telling someone that politely?

Honestly, the best thing you can do is just ignore the commenter and let moderation handle the situation if it gets escalated. You're doing the right thing by not fueling the fire.

 

[CecilDMMasters]

It really gets my goat when someone gets unreasonably pretentious in a discussion thread but I don't want to stir up shit and derail it by calling them out on it. Is there a even really a way to go about telling someone that politely?

Honestly, the best thing you can do is just ignore the commenter and let moderation handle the situation if it gets escalated. You're doing the right thing by not fueling the fire.

I agree. While sometimes these people are being overbearing because they may think they are right. And if it's a discussion page they have the right to put in an opinion. If you don't like it then ignore it. If they get disruptive let a mod nix it.

But, yes, I agree on any site sometimes people do get over the top. Many times they may be fishing for people they can boss around and quite often want to start something for the fun of a fight. I think these would often die out if people just ignored them to be honest. Don't feed the troll. If they are breaking rules report them and let the laws of the page deal.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Yeah I literally ignore (as in use the button) quite a few people on this site for specifically that reason. Also the people that just post memes without contributing to conversations. I find it makes the discussion run more smoothly all around.

 

[Crayons]

It really gets my goat when someone gets unreasonably pretentious in a discussion thread but I don't want to stir up shit and derail it by calling them out on it. Is there a even really a way to go about telling someone that politely?

If it's me, I'm not being pretentious I really am like this. XD

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

Waiting.

 

[Chordling]

Waiting.

y u gotta call me out like dis bruh look I'm sorry ok

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

BRUH IT AINT EVEN YOU! I am in, like, 3 rps and i made two of my own. Im an impatient hoe that needs action immediatelyyyyy! But ill sit here. And wait. Because its the best i can do.

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

And, yknow, im polite and I don't like to complain about rping often. Yall have lives and there are only, like, 5000 users on this site. So of course it will be rough to interest only a few.

 

[SP3CT3R]

And, yknow, im polite and I don't like to complain about rping often. Yall have lives and there are only, like, 5000 users on this site. So of course it will be rough to interest only a few.

Actually, there's around 83,000.