Deal Breakers. What makes you "walk" away?

[kokobuns]

mary sue's and all the other perfect characters in the book.

 

[Quincunx]

So, I'm posting again on this. It's been a few months, and I've grown, but I'm still pretty salty about some things:

Excessive bbcode. I am of the opinion that bbcode should only be used when it makes your content easier to read, not more difficult, for two reasons. First, excessive bbcode distracts from the writing and makes the thread look like a competition for visual attention. Secondly, it's an accessibility issue - huge paragraphs inside tiny scrollboxes, miniscule text sizes, eyeburner color combinations, and information spread out across lots of skinny div boxes and accordions make your post unnecessarily hard to read. This is particularly bad for people who have vision and/or concentration issues, like I do. If I have to take pains in order to read your post, I'm going to nope out of there pretty quickly.

Group RPs whose "main" posts or interest checks don't describe any sort of plot direction (excluding sandboxes, which are okay if you know how to execute them). What usually happens in them is that the characters introduce themselves to each other, maybe kiss, and the RP dies before the fifth page because there's nothing to do. Bonus points if this happens on a thread with lots of setting info that doesn't actually help with the plot (like pictures of every area of the school).

Finally, unfriendliness in partner searches, or anything that makes it feel more like a job application than a partner search. I don't want to feel judged, I don't want to worry about the other person being grumpy towards me, and I want to be treated as a play partner rather than an employed writing machine.

 

[Ravenclaw]

So, I'm posting again on this. It's been a few months, and I've grown, but I'm still pretty salty about some things:

Excessive bbcode. I am of the opinion that bbcode should only be used when it makes your content easier to read, not more difficult, for two reasons. First, excessive bbcode distracts from the writing and makes the thread look like a competition for visual attention. Secondly, it's an accessibility issue - huge paragraphs inside tiny scrollboxes, miniscule text sizes, eyeburner color combinations, and information spread out across lots of skinny div boxes and accordions make your post unnecessarily hard to read. This is particularly bad for people who have vision and/or concentration issues, like I do. If I have to take pains in order to read your post, I'm going to nope out of there pretty quickly.

Group RPs whose "main" posts or interest checks don't describe any sort of plot direction (excluding sandboxes, which are okay if you know how to execute them). What usually happens in them is that the characters introduce themselves to each other, maybe kiss, and the RP dies before the fifth page because there's nothing to do. Bonus points if this happens on a thread with lots of setting info that doesn't actually help with the plot (like pictures of every area of the school).

Finally, unfriendliness in partner searches, or anything that makes it feel more like a job application than a partner search. I don't want to feel judged, I don't want to worry about the other person being grumpy towards me, and I want to be treated as a play partner rather than an employed writing machine.

I agree with BBCode! I didn't use it for awhile because I disliked the garish excessive coding that often made it more difficult to read, not less. Especially looking at character and IC sheets... so many of them hurt my eyes. I feel lame but I much prefer regular rich text for RP posts. It reads so much more easily and smoothly! Now, I code CS, IC, beginning of RPs so it's aesthetically attractive but also—more importantly, as you pointed out—more readable (I basically just mess around with accordions. Very minimalist).

I think plot vs. not is preference. There are all sorts of ICs and I have some very plotted ideas and some more open-ended. I don't see anything wrong with either kind as long as you know what you want and what you're in for.

As for searches, I think it depends on expectations. I have standards for writing, so while I'm not making it feel like you're going to massively fail one way or the other, I do like to get a writing sample. This gives me a feel for the other person's voice and general ability, and can help me determine if we're compatible.

I can't be friendly and develop a rapport with someone if I don't connect to their writing. I can't enjoy the RP if I don't enjoy their writing. And vice versa. So in the defense of people who make it seem like a job application... well, that's where I know I'm coming from.

It's all about expectations and preferences. My expectations are high for writing, but I'm flexible with preferences. I'll join whatever piques my interest. I have low expectations of posterity simply because I do think it's more about the process than the end product, so I'm not too fussed if it hits a standstill. Just as long as it doesn't flop after, you know, a week.

This is a huge site and I think as with anything, you find your niche and the things that work and things you don't. I've already found people I mesh well with—their personality, their writing, their openness to feedback, their support—and let go of people who weren't good fits either way. But I totally understand your opinions and it makes perfect sense that those would be dealbreakers for you

 

[Harmalite]

Too much world-building without an actual premise. Don't get me wrong, I love these great fictional worlds people can create and how in depth they are, but If I have to read through 10 paragraphs of M'ade-Upname's and 40,000 years of maybe-relevant lore that's setting up a story that's generic in every other way, i'm going somewhere else.

Also, I just don't get RP's where it's a group of teens doing something completely normal, like having a vacation or going to camp. I already did all that stuff in real life. No hate but I just don't see the appeal.

 

[Umbrie]

people who make "Entirely New Species" and gate the right to use or make artwork of them behind a massive "Pay Wall" when their species is just a variant on a pre existing mythological species such as a Night Faerie or a Volcano Nymph that clearly has mythological precedent. it is not the same thing as commissions.

for a commission or request, you make the artwork on demand before a specified time limit, for most of these Paywall Species, you just draw or edit some artwork in advance and hope somebody pays to purchase an image they could have made for themselves using an editor or generator of some kind like the sonic fan character generator for example.

 

[rae2nerdy]

people who make "Entirely New Species" and gate the right to use or make artwork of them behind a massive "Pay Wall" when their species is just a variant on a pre existing mythological species such as a Night Faerie or a Volcano Nymph that clearly has mythological precedent. it is not the same thing as commissions.

for a commission or request, you make the artwork on demand before a specified time limit, for most of these Paywall Species, you just draw or edit some artwork in advance and hope somebody pays to purchase an image they could have made for themselves using an editor or generator of some kind like the sonic fan character generator for example.

Out of curiosity what exactly is a pay wall? I presume your talking about some kind of copyright but I'm not sure what that has to do with roleplaying. Is it like you have to pay to have a character made before you can join the roleplay?

 

[Umbrie]

Out of curiosity what exactly is a pay wall? I presume your talking about some kind of copyright but I'm not sure what that has to do with roleplaying. Is it like you have to pay to have a character made before you can join the roleplay?

it is a thing with Editors who use Adoptables. a Pay Wall is when the character or even the species is hidden behind the expenditure of currency from one user's bank account to the other. in other words, the act of selling the license to roleplay a particular character or use a particular image.


you are essentially paying the other person money to use a character they made with the sheer intent to sell. and it probably isn't very detailed beyond a design.

 

[rae2nerdy]

it is a thing with Editors who use Adoptables. a Pay Wall is when the character or even the species is hidden behind the expenditure of currency from one user's bank account to the other. in other words, the act of selling the license to roleplay a particular character or use a particular image.


you are essentially paying the other person money to use a character they made with the sheer intent to sell. and it probably isn't very detailed beyond a design.

I guess I don't understand why you need to buy a character at all? Like presumably your just essentially buying a piece of art ( if I'm understanding you correctly ). So I don't understand what that has to do with making a character. Like unless your paying someone to make character art for you ( which okay sure ) but paying someone for a piece of art they have already created just so you can use said piece of art in a roleplay seems kind of like a lot of effort to go into to ensure you have something to visualize your character.

Especially when they're are tons of sites pretty much dedicated to free art for characters.

I mean I absolutely agree with you that that's a dealbreaker I guess I'm just confused on why anyone would bother to go through the kind of effort to make this "Pay Wall" character in the first place. Like isn't that a lot of effort to go into for something that people could honestly just get for free somewhere else?

 

[Umbrie]

I guess I don't understand why you need to buy a character at all? Like presumably your just essentially buying a piece of art ( if I'm understanding you correctly ). So I don't understand what that has to do with making a character. Like unless your paying someone to make character art for you ( which okay sure ) but paying someone for a piece of art they have already created just so you can use said piece of art in a roleplay seems kind of like a lot of effort to go into to ensure you have something to visualize your character.

Especially when they're are tons of sites pretty much dedicated to free art for characters.

I mean I absolutely agree with you that that's a dealbreaker I guess I'm just confused on why anyone would bother to go through the kind of effort to make this "Pay Wall" character in the first place. Like isn't that a lot of effort to go into for something that people could honestly just get for free somewhere else?

it is. and even if i didn't purchase the Paywall design. i could probably find or design a design just like it on a Virtual Paper Doll Editor most of the time. and yes, i could get that art for free elsewhere. ruins the point of Paywall Adoptables. especially since i don't pay to adopt designs i could easily replicate with 30 minutes on a virtual paper doll editor.

 

[YarnDrawcia]

It's usually poor grammar/spelling that turns me off, as well as when the ENTIRE ROLEPLAY is currently focused on some squabble between two characters. I entered a roleplay a few months ago that had two characters that really hated each other and the roleplay was currently focused solely on that drama. I had difficulty introducing my characters to the other roleplayers' characters because they kept ignoring me in favor of the drama.

 

[rae2nerdy]

It's usually poor grammar/spelling that turns me off, as well as when the ENTIRE ROLEPLAY is currently focused on some squabble between two characters. I entered a roleplay a few months ago that had two characters that really hated each other and the roleplay was currently focused solely on that drama. I had difficulty introducing my characters to the other roleplayers' characters because they kept ignoring me in favor of the drama.

Is it sad that is probably one of the most realistic descriptions of human interaction I've heard of in the general - plot is meh let's have our characters talk for twelve pages about nothing~ - genre?

Cuz if you think about it when you got those crazy people in the middle of the street all screamin' their business at each other. You do tend to either get people taking sides, people watching the train wreck, or people aggressively ignoring drama like if they pretend hard enough it will go away.

Mind it's still annoying thing to roleplay I just thought it was kind of funny/sad that it's probably actually pretty real world "authentic" just super annoying to actually write.

 

[Coward]

it is. and even if i didn't purchase the Paywall design. i could probably find or design a design just like it on a Virtual Paper Doll Editor most of the time. and yes, i could get that art for free elsewhere. ruins the point of Paywall Adoptables. especially since i don't pay to adopt designs i could easily replicate with 30 minutes on a virtual paper doll editor.

People who do buy these often see it as supporting an artist they like, or they just collect character visual designs the way others collect stamps. It's not something I'm into, but I think all of us on this site can understand what it's like to have incomprehensible niche interests. Also, it's not really a RP thing.

 

[Umbrie]

People who do buy these often see it as supporting an artist they like, or they just collect character visual designs the way others collect stamps. It's not something I'm into, but I think all of us on this site can understand what it's like to have incomprehensible niche interests. Also, it's not really a RP thing.

it is RP related because people do use images as a quick way to get started on a character's appearance because not everybody knows how to develop descriptions. though there are some of us with extremely obscure designs that literally have a very limited image pool and have no editing skills. so we have to take advantage of friends accepting requests.

Young Anime girls with black hair and blue eyes, pale skin, large pupils, small and waifish frames, extremely cute features and simple but cute and somewhat practical fashion are hard to come by. this made finding images to use for Umbrie hard to find, because while Umbrie dresses in simple cute, she generally doesn't wear a lot of frill heavy fashion and generally wears clothing that is easy to move in. while you can find lots of young anime girls with black hair and blue eyes, you don't find many who aren't wearing excessively styliized clothes and still happen to be cute.

so, finding images for a character can have an impact on your ability to play your character, because an image can affect who is willing to interact with your character or what roleplays they will be accepted into. despite being a faerie assassin, Umbrie wouldn't be the same character in a modern setting she would be in a fantasy setting, because despite being designed for Urban Fantasy, Urban Fantasy isn't a popular genre and i have to slip her into other genres with minor tweaks. because people don't really take faeries as serious characters, and having a faerie who tries to be friendly and cheerful, but also be compatible with serious roleplays is hard.

having images for a character can definitely affect what roleplays they can enter and what people will interact with them,

 

[Coward]

it is RP related because people do use images as a quick way to get started on a character's appearance because not everybody knows how to develop descriptions. though there are some of us with extremely obscure designs that literally have a very limited image pool and have no editing skills. so we have to take advantage of friends accepting requests.

Young Anime girls with black hair and blue eyes, pale skin, large pupils, small and waifish frames, extremely cute features and simple but cute and somewhat practical fashion are hard to come by. this made finding images to use for Umbrie hard to find, because while Umbrie dresses in simple cute, she generally doesn't wear a lot of frill heavy fashion and generally wears clothing that is easy to move in. while you can find lots of young anime girls with black hair and blue eyes, you don't find many who aren't wearing excessively styliized clothes and still happen to be cute.

so, finding images for a character can have an impact on your ability to play your character, because an image can affect who is willing to interact with your character or what roleplays they will be accepted into. despite being a faerie assassin, Umbrie wouldn't be the same character in a modern setting she would be in a fantasy setting, because despite being designed for Urban Fantasy, Urban Fantasy isn't a popular genre and i have to slip her into other genres with minor tweaks. because people don't really take faeries as serious characters, and having a faerie who tries to be friendly and cheerful, but also be compatible with serious roleplays is hard.

having images for a character can definitely affect what roleplays they can enter and what people will interact with them,

I don't really see any of this as a reason to get mad at people for buying pictures from artists? People who sell adoptables sometimes depend on that money for a living.

Also, no one forced you to make Umbrie this way. If you create a very specific mental image of course it's going to be difficult or impossible to find something that fits for free - that's why people pay artists. In fact, it seems like you need to commission someone yourself if you really want this ultimate perfect picture.

 

[Umbrie]

I don't really see any of this as a reason to get mad at people for buying pictures from artists? People who sell adoptables sometimes depend on that money for a living.

Also, no one forced you to make Umbrie this way. If you create a very specific mental image of course it's going to be difficult or impossible to find something that fits for free - that's why people pay artists. In fact, it seems like you need to commission someone yourself if you really want this ultimate perfect picture.

i would commission if i had money to spare. so i have to mooch requests off friends.

commissions i can understand, adoptables not. adoptables requires you to create the images first and sell them, i'd rather the commission be arranged first, the image produced, and the money payed upon completion. so the person commissioning can recieve the image they want instead of paying for a pre made 30 minute paper doll.

my issue isn't with free paper doll editors either. it is with people using them as a means to make money when the editor itself is free and can be accessed from a free browser.

it is the same issue i have with people who google search images and merely change the haircolor and call it their own original character when all they did was turn a blonde into a neon green haired abomination.

 

[Coward]

I don't think I've ever seen adoptables made literally with a free doll editor... is that a common thing? Mostly what I've seen is the artist drawing a base themselves and then making variations on it.

But anyways, this is getting pretty far off topic for the thread. If you want to keep talking about it feel free to PM x__x''

 

[Umbrie]

another deal breaker. people who won't hang their baggage and assume my faeries are going to be another walking joke because their only experience with faeries is as comic relief characters. or people who literally play their dwarf as another Axebeard without anything more or make their elf a Legolas clone or assume every person playing a Dwarf is an Axebeard or Every person playing an Elf is a Legolas clone.

what about all the Dwarves who don't have Scottish Accents and what about all the elves that aren't Tree Hugging Hippy Archers? what about all the faeries who aren't comic relief? when your character is nothing but a walking flanderization of a stereotype, i have issues. if you have to be THE Stereotype, include something to put a new spin on the Stereotype, like an unconventional interest or something.

maybe your axe wielding dwarf speaks with a German accent instead of a Scottish one, maybe they wanted to be a tailor before they were conscripted into the army. something to add spice to the stereotype.

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Has anyone ever been looking at a really cool fandom RP only to discover that it's gone way, way off canon? Like I enjoy creativity and I'm interested in new takes on existing franchises but sometimes so much stuff gets added in or altered that the original tone or themes of the setting is lost and you wonder why they're even bothering to make it a fandom RP in the first place.

I often notice it with joining longer running RP's as a late arrival. Presumably people just slowly add in separate elements and individually they don't seem like a huge change until an outsider comes along and has to take in everything at once. I get this instinct to tell them how far off their lore seems to me but realize that would be super rude. At that point you just have to wish people good luck and look for something more your speed.

Nobody in RWBY should have a stand though I mean that's absurd


At the same time I can't handle it when a fandom RP isn't creative enough! Like if its just retreading the exact same ground as the original. I'm apparently some sort of ridiculous RP goldilocks who needs neither too much nor too little creativity. And then I wonder why I can't find any RPs to join...

 

[Umbrie]

people who pile things on from universes that are not what their character is native to. for example, a Suikoden Star of Destiny having a Vibranium Suit from the Marvel Universe that is prohibitively Rare and Expensive in Friggin Marvel, costing Black Panther nearly his entire inheritance, a pair of Rinnegan Eyes from the Naruto universe, which were the strongest variation of Sharingan and pretty much Exclusive to a pureblooded member of any one of three extinct families, the Uzumakis. the Senjus and the Uchiihas, a Zanpakuto from Bleach, a Friggin Persona from Shin Megami Tensei, and Arceus from Pokemon.

sorry, that is not creative, that is just piling things on. piling things is not creative. i knew a roleplay who went by the screen handle Zeronia, they played a character named Nepalutune who just used a paper doll editor to make a Neptune knockoff with a few letters tacked on to the name, and they had a lot more stuff from outside the hyperdimension neptunia universe, while i don't mind adding faeries to that universe because similar monstrous species exist. i do mind when you take Neptune, give her a second sword, and pile on powers from fifteen other fandoms.

 

[Bone2pick]

At the same time I can't handle it when a fandom RP isn't creative enough! Like if its just retreading the exact same ground as the original. I'm apparently some sort of ridiculous RP goldilocks who needs neither too much nor too little creativity. And then I wonder why I can't find any RPs to join...

I too suffer from roleplay Golidilocks syndrome . If I had to pick between the two extremes, I'd rather the fandom RP stray from the familiar to showcase a new idea, because I can at least respect the effort and creativity that's required for that. But generally speaking, I expect the universe's tone to be upheld.

 

[composersproxy]

1. Mandatory faceclaims. No thank you.
2. Excessively lengthy character applications/character sheets. IMO, this sort of thing encourages a culture of "competitiveness" to write the longest, fanciest app you can manage. This is an extreme example, but I know of a certain RP scene where character applications are usually 15 to 30 pages long.
3. RPs where most of the players are minors. This isn't a jab at minors - I just personally feel uncomfortable hanging out with a bunch of people much younger than me in an OOC chat.

 

[RitualDeadlyf]

I personally agree with C composersproxy when it comes to minors. But the biggest pet peeve of mine would have to be unorganized posting. Where I'd be working a 13 hour shift before I can post and all the other players left me behind. Like super behind. Even after interacting with my character.

 

[Blink]

Adding on to applications being excessively long, I immediately cease taking a roleplay seriously when it requires ridiculous details in its sign-ups. My top favorite is 'Sexuality', followed by 'Zodiac Sign', because there's nothing more crucial than knowing whether our characters are compatible. Shipping is always better than establishing relationships in-character, always.

And, on that note, I've honestly started to become dissuaded towards 'Personality' sections to the extent of the two examples I gave. There's a mainstay of a lot of roleplays, but what precise purpose do they serve other than defying the literary golden rule of showing instead of telling? I don't remember the last novel I read beginning with three paragraphs on how the main protagonist carried himself, how he reacted in all situations, how he responded to leadership, and what first impressions he inevitably gives off to every person, under the guise that varying perspectives are nonexistent; we all would see the 'charismatic, charming bard who lends a helping hand to all' in the same manner, wouldn't we? The added issue is that this so-described flawlessly-genial bard cannot proceed to be helping and nice in every single circumstance because the events of his story are, for the majority, beyond the player's control within a roleplay. An independent writer would map out events to play towards or call into question a character's character while a roleplayer does not have this luxury; their protagonist is part of a cast of differently-minded writers whose scenarios are ultimately determined by a game master. With that in mind, then, elucidating paragraphs worth of 'personality' betrays both the fundamentals of a well-woven tale and of long-form group roleplaying, though of course maybe games fitting those descriptors may be structured differently. If a game master truly wants to understand what makes a character tick, they should require that character actually be written, as in the player portrays through prose how he or she has been envisioned. This idea can then be fit into the overarching narrative presented by the roleplay.

Basically, samples should be more prominent here. Don't put blinders on your players.

I'm not even sure a lot of members here consider roleplaying in the same vein that I do: a supplement to independent writing. And as much as I've learned it can provide a constructive payout even when imperfect, I suppose my ultimate turn-off is when a roleplay doesn't seem to encourage ever wanting to be constructive in the first place. It's not difficult to tell; when there's a "maximum word count", I'm gone.

 

[Nana_MelaNinja]

This is an extreme example, but I know of a certain RP scene where character applications are usually 15 to 30 pages long.

Yikes. "Extreme" is right. Do you recall what the parameters were to result in such a lengthy application? Red blood cell count? Favorite shade of nail polish?

 

[composersproxy]

Yikes. "Extreme" is right. Do you recall what the parameters were to result in such a lengthy application? Red blood cell count? Favorite shade of nail polish?

The thing about this RP scene is that there's usually a high amount of applications for a small amount of spots. So there's a sense of "competitiveness" - if you can write a long backstory and personality section, people think that means you're a better RPer with a better character. It's dumb, really. I know plenty of people in this scene that practically write a master's thesis on their OC and then go inactive the minute they get in.

The applications themselves don't help. Usually, there's plenty of prompts to fill out - of course, people usually go hog wild on this and make every prompt the length of a full post. It's all very excessive.