Deal Breakers. What makes you "walk" away?

[Saccharine Cyanide]

I can't join an rp that requires real people to be used as faceclaims.  It weirds me out.  Nothing against people who like to use them.  I don't even know why exactly it weirds me out.  But it does.


If we're talking a one-on-one, I'll walk away if someone isn't matching the amount of effort that I put into arranging the details of the plot and setting.  I know for a fact that if someone can't put effort into developing a plot with me, they're not going to put any effort into carrying it out.  And then I get stuck carrying the whole thing and making all the plot decisions and getting backed into a corner because I have nothing to work with.  Bluh.

 

[kianainactive1234]

@Mathias No Bias My bad, aha. I'm going to credit my speed reading and unattentiveness to the absolute level of exhaustion that school leaves me in at the end of the day

 

[Muffinboi]

I personally never use faceclaims and become skeptical when people do that. I mean, you took that character from someone, at least the appearance. You didn't create it yourself.


That's why I either use descriptions or my own crappy, a bit anime-styled art, like the example below


-snip-

There's actually a site that has a "no using art you don't own without proven permission from the creator" rule, yet real humans and second long clips from animated shows are OK for some reason. 


Anyways, I have one thing that annoys me.


Age ranges with no justification. This excludes school/college RPs. Romance is not a justification, as not everyone is a sucker for romance.


I might add more or into detail later...

 

[Elephantom]

(Humour and sarcasm are rampant here. Proceed with caution.)


[SIZE= 12px]Deal breakers, breakers, breakers, yada yada yada. Yesiree, I know what they are, and I know how to avoid them. Please take a bit off your precious, precious, sparkly time, to learn my obviously cooler-than-yours guide to recognizing my viewpoint, of my deal breakers.[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]1. Stale grammar = Stale mood[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]Certainly, I don't mean any offense to any person who regularly indulges in bad grammar, or whom simply isn't a native English speaker. Please refrain from reading onwards if you're the least viable participant for the spelling bee.[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]Now, I abhor bad grammar. Let me rephrase that a bit, I wholly concentrate my hate on loathsome grammar, and I don't basically care what you think about me. This ain't elitist, kid; this is utterly one's preferences. So, if you have an RP, that has over 1,000 spelling mistakes, expect to never see me, again. Friends and casual humour are an exception, of course. An obvious exception. Exceptional exception.[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]2. The bane of elephants: One clause posts[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]Give me a moment to indulge in dry vomiting.[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]Okay, I'm finished. So, onwards we shall go, amirite? Now, promise me; promise me, that you shall never post a one clause response, to anyone. Promise me, and only then, I shall continue.[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]Done? Not yet? I'll wait.[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]Finished? Okay, then. Let us continue on with our dismal journey through the deepest, darkest corners of Rping.[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]Now, one should put some real effort in their posts, not just bust out some one-liners at a rate fast enough to out-shoot a machine gun. I mean, seriously. Don't ever do that. I'll skedaddle outta your RP faster than the speed of light, if I see someone doing some dank-ass posting.[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]3. EdgeLord 3000 vs. Edge the Edgiest[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]An informative guide to recognizing Edginess[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]By Elephantom[/SIZE]


Excerpt from page one:


Edginess is dark, grim truth that haunts the very streets of roleplays, in the form of kids trying vigorously to create themselves a place in the extreme regions of coolness. However, it should be noted, that they fail horrendously, which eventually leads to the creation of overtly edgy, sometimes too young, characters (occasionally self-inserts, and blatant rip-offs from Fandom characters) who, frankly, ruin the spirits of the other RPers unfortunate enough to participate in the same league with the obviously youthful creator.


But in the end, however I might try to justify the other wrongdoers, I myself are to blame for various other problems, and so are we all. I find unable to complete this post, and must release it as it is, and without any viable censor, the latter being another one of my other 'deal breakers'. One should express his wishes, his ideals, and his principles freely, considered that they're not malicious, or simply moronic.

 

[Lord Pug]

Someone calling me a girl....you have no idea how often this happens and I just hate it. I already get called a girl enough in real life.


Also, bad grammar, punctuation, etc. Oh yeah and, of course, edginess.


Me: "My character grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. His parents couldn't pay for his college so he didn't go. Eventually he moved to New York and got a job in a coffee shop."


Partner: "My charter grow up in a totl wastland. Her prents DED!!!!!!1111!!!!1 Nuh college cuz nut pay. Has asthma, cancer, more cancer, so much cancer."

 

[dva]

typically, i'm fine with anything anyone posts! i have never seen someone who does not favor to write in large amounts post in rp's that explicitly say that it's exclusive to descriptive writers. something that kinda crawls under my skin is when characters just. know what's up with another. like if my character is a bit troubled, and acts accordingly but tries to hide it, another character is like ... noticing the small hesitations and just begins psycho analyzing (and of course being right). i also hate ... i hate mary sue's ... so much ... and even characters who are arguably mary sue's; if one is "arguably" a mary sue they're too close to being a mary sue to me, haha! this being said, i've never left an rp. all the rp's i've participated have died too early ... 

 

[questionswregood]

lmao, I just noped out of an RP b/c one of the characters wanted to rape someone and no one threw a fit. So I threw a fit, a tantrum really, and left.


SMDH, 

 

[SimpleGuy]

When I get incredibly bored basically

 

[call me rae]

@juvia Actually that ties into possibly my biggest pet peeve and dealbreaker outside of outright rudeness and explicit content.


metagaming - using information out of character ( or on the character sheet ) for in roleplay gain. 


Like just because it's in my characters biography doesn't mean it's common knowledge. Think about it do random strangers pop up to you and start reciting your entire life story? No of course not. And if they did you would be rightfully freaked out and want nothing to do with them.


The same thing with people using likes or dislikes in character. Like especially if it's counter to the person's character for them to know this. Like some random stranger that likes street racing isn't going to walk up to my character and be like hey i see you like reading wanna go to the library?


Without them coming across as kind of a creeper. I mean granted depending on how naive my character is they might not notice. But it just sets my teeth on edge.


Or like was mentioned where people just blatantly read my characters mind.


Like - MC is sitting uncomfortably in the corner thinking to themselves ' I hope no one notices I'm not wearing panties. ' 


If some random person just automatically gets some kind of panty sense and is like .. ' OMG MC has no panties! Must mock/comfort/aid/humiliate/etc her right now. ' 


Like just because my character thinks it doesn't make it common knowledge.

 

[DerUbermensch]

Personally OOC drama is a turn off.  My motto is "No hogwash, just RP."

 

[budgieboo]

wait i got another thing to add here.


is more personal tho, but i just. i can't with rps with like, too fancy of a layout. like the op is too intense with bbcode/html/whatever this forum uses now, like it's all supposed so beautiful and cute lookin and so stylish but... i cant read it. like. i literally can't. the text is 0.2px, the colors are either alternating to colors that contrast horribly to each other, or just literally blend in within the background. the pictures are large and fast. there are so many sections and grids... my head hurts my eyes are burning. instead of a functional hallway... i have found myself in a hallway of the house of mirrors, i am mislead and lost. and confused, and spat out. 


i mean, sure i could just zoom into the text, but the problem is, i already zoom in. and some threads are like "if you don't put [number of lines] for each post ur dead to me", so the large text sort of skewers with that. if i can't even read ur text with my 150% zoom. i can also just copy and paste the text in my fav text editor, but that's a pain too. everything is pain. my head is pain. why must i be cursed with sensitive eyes. 


i mean, i'm a fan of great looking bbcode ohwaitwedontusethoseanymoreoops opening threads, and sometimes, some of them are actually pretty dam good. but if i can't even read the thing u put so much effort in, even if its the freshest rp idea in the entire world, if i can't read the freshness then it's not for me.


its just, its those certain design choices that makes me ask, why do people do things for the ａｅｓｔｈｅｔｉｃ. 

 

[Snickersnack]

@Elephantom I say! You, my good sir, have exquisitely described the terrors and horrors of the fine art of being so edgy you could cut through diamond, and I tip my hat off to you.

 

[Elephantom]

Diamond?


Pardon me for my correction, but tis' so edgy, it can cut through the very fabric of space and time.


@Loren 

 

[plotsaresexy]

@tane5naoki 


i agree, but on the other end of that, i hate when i work really hard on the plot and end game general idea, but the other person goes completely off course. Some plots take forever to think up, and it's a bit insulting to just up and change it completely

 

[Devious Dilbert]

What turns me off is (And not in any particular order):


1. When there's too many of those, 'lone wolf, I do everything by myself and I don't like people. Just leave me alone so that I can prove that I'm emo' characters.


First of all, I hate those types of characters anyway. They tend to dismiss any and all interaction except from one other person. I'm not gonna lie, it leaves me saltier than The Great Salt Lake. I think it's kind of stupid to participate in a group rp when you don't even want to rp with the group. Don't get me wrong. When somebody does this character right, I appreciate it. But I haven't seen anybody do it right so far. All of these characters just turn out to be an extra in the background anyway. At least in my opinion. (And then when they complain that nobody is interacting with them... UURRGH)


2. Top ten greatest anime battles


I get it. We all wanna be the cool guy. But when two people who just absolutely cannot lose decide to throw down and it turns into a watchmojo honorable mention, that's when it needs to stop. I like realism, okay? This mostly happens in fantasy rp's, and I get it. It's fantasy. It's not supposed to imitate real life in any way. But seriously... It's just kind of silly to read some of these posts. And they're kinda funny sometimes because of how ridiculous they are, but it really ruins the mood. Now, unless the rp is supposed to be wacky, this really kills my boner.


3. Bad grammer


(See what I did there? HAHAHAHAHADSJFJHKF)


I understand if English is not the primary language of the poster. I don't have perfect grammar either, but this isn't what I mean. I'm talking about grammar so bad that every sentence is like an undecipherable riddle. I really don't expect everybody I rp with to have a PHD in English. I really don't. But please... Don't be lazy.


4. Too many dead parents or families


This is the easiest bio to write ever. And they are all the same. Unless you can come up with a creative way to kill off parents or families, this really turns me off. Death is very common in fantasy character bios. And I get it. It's a very cheap way to get characters motivated. I won't lie, A lot of my character bios include the death of a family member/ members or of a friend. but I try to keep it as far from cliche as I can. But when 8 out of 10 characters have the same exact life story almost word to word, we have a problem. Where's the diversity? The creativity?


5. One liners


This is pretty self explanatory. This makes sense if the rp is a simple or simple/casual one, but I don't usually join these rp's and still see this. I understand writer's block. Short posts don't annoy me. One liners do.

 

[Axel The Englishman]

The Ultimate Turn Off
​

 
​

Cliches. I don't want to RP with people off the Sy-Fy channel. What happened to unique and fresh characters? E.g. The Army Officer who abuses his power. If this was realistic, that Officer would be removed from his position as soon as his superiors would find out. Why can't we be more original?

 

[simj26]

Cliches

They exist because they work though. Originality doesn't exactly exist, because chances are, whatever you're going for with that character, that character has been done by Shakespeare before. A 13 year old smitten by an older girl and wishing to elope with her despite their familial issues sounds like an original character. Sike, its actually romeo. A dude who manipulates the shit out of people to kill other people seems interesting. No, that's Iago from Othello.


Whyd you think amine and mangoes have categorisations for behavioural temperaments, for crying out loud? Tsundere, kuudere, yandere, etc etc? Because they work.

 

[LegoLad659]

They exist because they work though. Originality doesn't exactly exist, because chances are, whatever you're going for with that character, that character has been done by Shakespeare before. A 13 year old smitten by an older girl and wishing to elope with her despite their familial issues sounds like an original character. Sike, its actually romeo. A dude who manipulates the shit out of people to kill other people seems interesting. No, that's Iago from Othello.


Whyd you think amine and mangoes have categorisations for behavioural temperaments, for crying out loud? Tsundere, kuudere, yandere, etc etc? Because they work.

I know I've said this a countless number of times in various places on the site already, but cliches and tropes, what you're describing, are different things

 

[simj26]

I'd argue against that. Tropes are a subset of cliches, cliches aren't entirely tropes.

 

[LegoLad659]

I'd argue against that. Tropes are a subset of cliches, cliches aren't entirely tropes.

I'd personally say the opposite - That cliches are a subset of tropes. A cliche is a concept that has been used so much that the original meaning is lost. Tropes are tools and concepts that are used to construct a story, a game, and pretty much anything about entertainment media.

 

[simj26]

Alright, i concede that point, but the original intent still stands: cliches aren't all bad, if done properly, just as how Edgy OCs (don't steal, guise) aren't all bad, if done properly.

 

[LegoLad659]

Alright, i concede that point, but the original intent still stands: cliches aren't all bad, if done properly, just as how Edgy OCs (don't steal, guise) aren't all bad, if done properly.

True. It's just a lot more difficult for people to use a cliche not only correctly because the original meaning is lost, but also in a way that audiences over 5 years old will take seriously due to the fact that they're so overused. Tropes can be easy to screw up too, but that's more difficult than cliches as people will generally take them more seriously.


I do get what you're saying, though. Why do people always have to ruin good things?

 

[tane5naoki]

@tane5naoki 


i agree, but on the other end of that, i hate when i work really hard on the plot and end game general idea, but the other person goes completely off course. Some plots take forever to think up, and it's a bit insulting to just up and change it completely

What I hate, and am currently experiencing, is a plot that Was suggested, and total crap, but I was able to strip it down to it's bare bones and redesign it to make it more interesting, objectively, and then put a lot of work into making it interesting and engaging, and getting less than a paragraph in response of the character reacting to the environment in THE EXACT SAME WAY!!!

 

[DarkLightHitomi]

What's one or two things that make you "nope" out of an rp, no matter how promising?

RPG boardgamers. You know, those guys who always alter/shoehorn their characters to fit the requirements of the metagame's best possible choice. A +1 to damage is not enough for me to justify changing my character.


Also, gms who really want story collaborators. The folks that like having the players help craft the story as much as, or even more than, the gm. When I want to make story, I'll gm instead of play. I.E. When I play, I control nothing beyond the character and know nothing the character doesn't.


Requiring me to fill a role without fully explaining the role. How am I supposed to know that arcane casters are supposed to identify potions if no one tells me?


Freeform or nearly freeform. Strange I guess that I hate rpg boardgaming yet vastly prefer midweight systems. I really like having the structure to build on and utilize to aid rping.


Nonsense. Saying things like "a place where there is neither darkness nor light" bothers me. Dark is literally any and all situations that are not light, therefore, you can't have a place with neither. Also, saying "just because" or having normal animals fight to the death.

 

[DarkLightHitomi]

@tane5naoki 


i agree, but on the other end of that, i hate when i work really hard on the plot and end game general idea, but the other person goes completely off course. Some plots take forever to think up, and it's a bit insulting to just up and change it completely

I'm on the opposite side, I really hate being railroaded into following the footsteps laid before my feet. That is for non-rp games with a story (such as Halo, which proved you could have an action heavy first person shooter and still tell a story). If you want to tell a story rather than show me a world, then say so from the begining and treat it like boardgame with story. Don't get my hopes up implying I can actually play a character when I don't really get to.


Edit, yes I can have a character that chooses tactics or speaks a specific way, but yet the character is dissallowed from doing things the character might do. For example, what if the character doesn't think necromancy is bad yet the plot hinges on the character destroying a tome of necromancy? Well, suddenly my character gets tossed under the bus for the sake of story.


Hence, I don't really play characters when being railroaded.