Deal Breakers. What makes you "walk" away?

No, I don’t think that’s true. After all we all want our characters to shine in our RPs. I think it’s just another case of snowflaking.

To give you an example, a solid few years ago I was in a RP where my partner’s main character was an orphaned teenage boy who was closeted and so submissive that it became a pain to build any sort of proper friendship between him and my characters. He was constantly quiet, constantly brooding, and only occasionally sticking out in fight scenes because he was ridiculously powerful. Action scenes were fun for a little bit, then he went right back to not saying basically anything and being upset at my main character all the time.

My partner and I never ended up finishing the RP and we tried to pick up a couple other ones. Same thing happened, so I just gave up because for me it ain’t fun if the other partner isn’t adding their own input to the story. Thankfully I discovered RPN and some insanely talented partners after that.

Thats my point. The other player isn’t thinking in terms of pulling their own weight. They don’t realize that they have to contribute the story. It can’t just be one person constantly dragging their cardboard cut out around.

I think most of them never really realize what their doing until it happens to them. Then it’s like “Oh wow this is actually really frustrating I was such a little shit to my old partners.”

Im not saying they’re doing this consciously, it could be from a place of not knowing any better. But the core problem isn’t that they don’t contribute.

I think the most extreme case of this I ever saw the player flat out admitted that’s exactly what they were doing. They were deliberately refusing to engage in the plot in an effort to antagonize their partners into saying something.
 
Thats my point. The other player isn’t thinking in terms of pulling their own weight. They don’t realize that they have to contribute the story. It can’t just be one person constantly dragging their cardboard cut out around.

I think most of them never really realize what their doing until it happens to them. Then it’s like “Oh wow this is actually really frustrating I was such a little shit to my old partners.”

Im not saying they’re doing this consciously, it could be from a place of not knowing any better. But the core problem isn’t that they don’t contribute.

I think the most extreme case of this I ever saw the player flat out admitted that’s exactly what they were doing. They were deliberately refusing to engage in the plot in an effort to antagonize their partners into saying something.

To be fair, this is not necessarily related to a character being shy. I get where you are coming from, though. Roleplaying is about sharing the spotlight. There really is not supposed to be a main character in the roleplay because every character that the players main is kind of supposed to share the spotlight of main character. If that makes any sense whatsoever.

But I agree with you that the core problem for many people is that they do not contribute, or at the very least, do not contribute to making sure everything is balanced. Because I have seen characters that are pretty lampshades that need to be dragged along with a partner that is no help whatsoever (the fury never leaves me with those ones. I need to work on that.) And then there is the opposite, the person who demands everything goes their way all the time. Both have the same problem that they cause there to be a loss of balance.
 
To be fair, this is not necessarily related to a character being shy. I get where you are coming from, though. Roleplaying is about sharing the spotlight. There really is not supposed to be a main character in the roleplay because every character that the players main is kind of supposed to share the spotlight of main character. If that makes any sense whatsoever.

But I agree with you that the core problem for many people is that they do not contribute, or at the very least, do not contribute to making sure everything is balanced. Because I have seen characters that are pretty lampshades that need to be dragged along with a partner that is no help whatsoever (the fury never leaves me with those ones. I need to work on that.) And then there is the opposite, the person who demands everything goes their way all the time. Both have the same problem that they cause there to be a loss of balance.

Attention seekers are THE WORST in general. Attention seekers who also expect you to do all the work have a special place in RP hell reserved for them. "Rescue me!" "Help me!" "Oh I'm just going to shyly die in this corner because no one has noticed I need help yet!"

It's like, dude, you already have my attention if I'm roleplaying with you. Now just get the heck on with it. ><;
 
Attention seekers are THE WORST in general. Attention seekers who also expect you to do all the work have a special place in RP hell reserved for them. "Rescue me!" "Help me!" "Oh I'm just going to shyly die in this corner because no one has noticed I need help yet!"

It's like, dude, you already have my attention if I'm roleplaying with you. Now just get the heck on with it. ><;
I have developed the skill of just letting their character die.

"Oh your character needs to be rescued for the 7th fucking time? Well... that's just... too bad."

Don't know why my character turned into Shatner, but...
 
I noticed that I distance myself from groups when I don't feel like I belong there. I'm not sure if this makes sense.
Sure, the group itself might be really interesting and is straight up my alley, but if I feel as though I don't work well with the people then I rather not waste my time. Another thing is if there's a person with an attitude/personality that I know will clash with mine. I don't want to get myself involve. I'd prefer not to start stuff online.
Like I want to make some good friends, yknow?
 
I noticed that I distance myself from groups when I don't feel like I belong there. I'm not sure if this makes sense.
Sure, the group itself might be really interesting and is straight up my alley, but if I feel as though I don't work well with the people then I rather not waste my time. Another thing is if there's a person with an attitude/personality that I know will clash with mine. I don't want to get myself involve. I'd prefer not to start stuff online.
Like I want to make some good friends, yknow?
This puts me off so many group role plays
 
I noticed that I distance myself from groups when I don't feel like I belong there. I'm not sure if this makes sense.
Sure, the group itself might be really interesting and is straight up my alley, but if I feel as though I don't work well with the people then I rather not waste my time. Another thing is if there's a person with an attitude/personality that I know will clash with mine. I don't want to get myself involve. I'd prefer not to start stuff online.
Like I want to make some good friends, yknow?
If you ignore me once, I chalk it up to having too much fun. If you ignore me twice. It might mean youre just budy. Three times and now im upset. Although this usually applies to discord. But on rpn people usually are cool
 
I know this is a little old. But I found that your nope for the "Nazi/Jewish" ship particularly interesting.
The other two appear more kink based, but the above is pretty unusual. I see a massive scope for exploring culture and history with complex character motivation and development. It's potentially a classic forbidden romance trope. My inner tragic loves the idea. (Does this make me creepy and immoral? haha ;p) Even the (possibly) more controversial idea of modern Neo-Nazi's has potential when well executed (The Believer anyone?) . This said. I'm not Jewish, so am personally removed from any offence.

I guess I'm curious as to why this was a particular trigger to you. I ask with all respect so feel free not to answer. I know this could be quite personal. And that, as you mentioned, it is very much what we 'deem'. We are always bringing our own personal experience to rp. (Enter: SI and the massive bag of worms that is).

I'm Jewish, my SO is Jewish, and family members of mine survived the Holocaust and their stories haven't been forgotten. I get that a lot of people don't have that emotional or cultural tie, or even the ones that do may not have that particular hang up - but reading people explicitly wanting a Nazi/Jewish ship always makes my stomach sink. Now i'm not saying it can't be done well or it's always bad, but it does always throw up red flags for me and it's enough to make me walk away.
 
I know this is a little old. But I found that your nope for the "Nazi/Jewish" ship particularly interesting.
The other two appear more kink based, but the above is pretty unusual. I see a massive scope for exploring culture and history with complex character motivation and development. It's potentially a classic forbidden romance trope. My inner tragic loves the idea. (Does this make me creepy and immoral? haha ;p) Even the (possibly) more controversial idea of modern Neo-Nazi's has potential when well executed (The Believer anyone?) . This said. I'm not Jewish, so am personally removed from any offence.

I guess I'm curious as to why this was a particular trigger to you. I ask with all respect so feel free not to answer. I know this could be quite personal. And that, as you mentioned, it is very much what we 'deem'. We are always bringing our own personal experience to rp. (Enter: SI and the massive bag of worms that is).

I think it was a fetish actually. At least there was someone who mentioned coming across a similar pairing ages back on I believe a different thread.
 
I think it was a fetish actually. At least there was someone who mentioned coming across a similar pairing ages back on I believe a different thread.
It is so... weird to think of Nazi/Jewish as a fetish. I just feel like it is a can of worms no one really wants to open... Either way I prefer to stay away from it.
 
Never abandoned an RP on here, but makes me instead want to avoid interacting with the associated person the more they do it. However, I have looked at RPs and decided not to join for a lot of these. Turn up your Benny hill or can can variant, it's time for one of those screen-skimming moments. Let's put on our glasses, and we shall display the list.

1:When your partner/friend/other roleplayer name never reads. IE: jojobabaro writes 30 paragraphs of vital information for an event, and bobby scrubberson says "Lel sum plox". This is worsened when you are a person that prefers detail so you make a 10 paragraph summary. "Uhhh, summary please?" Then you write something vague so they will read it. However, instead they ask questions that are all answered by the post. So thus you get irked further and have no way to explain without it, and either they think you some demon or they read whatever vague thing you write disinterested and still make a problem.

If one can't read what is given to them then maybe this medium isn't for them. Experiencing this repeatedly primarily with the same dickend, no. You will never get a summary ever again. Please face the nearest direction to leave if that can't be accepted.

2:Game Masters that have no idea what in the Uncle Sam popsicle riding hell is going on.

3:Game Masters whom abandon their projects for no reason, just to make another which dies because it has no activity. Or vise versa, GMs that have a good RP going and activity, then tries even having the same community or players work on that and another RP.

4:Semi addendum, GMs abandoning their active projects and kill it just to work on a new RP, then they discover a certain thing doesn't work or exist, such as in an alternative history setting. After this they not only make everyone who passionately world built for both with dozens of paragraphs upset, via not making even the IC for that one, but wasted their time and even as much as flaunted it as no big deal. These types get 50% off in buying a cactus to suck on. They'll go to RP hell. When they try to run, we'll be there to send them back in.

5:Cring3y boiz using bad gansta 'n meme terms ta look gud or ta look superiar ta oth3rs. But look like complete morons. Usually committed by the younger audience though.

6:Trying to add accents or dialects to their interactions, but not being fitting and at worse look offensive. [For the love of the holy frog log. I weep for those that see "Asian accents"]

7: When you see things like "Howdy fuckbois, you got any room left in these here parts" in the OOC. Wish there was a RPN version to show off.

8:When two or more people rant mindlessly in the OOC without any form of civility, and nobody does anything about it for several days. Worst still, when someone rants about stupid shit in the OOC which they have many options to deal with IC, or they think up some excuse as to why it cannot happen to them.

9:When someone uses nation building rules in a character focused RP. Also when someone uses character rules and the like in faction/nation/guild/etc focused RPs. For further clarification: not at all or barely modifying them to work with the premise let alone anything else.

10:When the GM is a godmodder, powergamer, or legitimately forcing others to follow their script down to the fancy pink ribbon on your buttocks. Or even the amount and length of every crack on my character's goggle lenses.

11:When the interest check is 5 paragraphs of nothing pertinent to the RP.

12:When every accepted character or group/organization/country/etc are crazed lunatics, mind bogglingly powerful over everyone else in all aspects, and/or barely anyone fitting into the actual setting.

13:Every time there is a mention of ERP or romance. Already got problems trying to write only characters without some form of anxiety to make a great post every time, don't need your shit too.

14:"Hello, I am interested in your idea. What is it about?" It's about you being incapable of paying attention, if you actually did read it. Come on in Sir Readzalotimus.

15:When someone invents and uses a modern electrobeat song IC for a 1145 game. [See contrast: Playing "I'm blue/dabadeedabadie" on a piano. Far more acceptable.]

16:Gundams VS, Imperial titans in my goddamned 1989 Tiananmen Square walking simulator game.

17:When the RP revolves around discovery but gets clotheslined, in favor of everybody trying to hook up with each other. All because Anna Brexit and Franco Pranzussia did it.

18:When the CS thread/page is essentially just a mug shot, with everything down to how many hairs are in your nostrils, and this is ALL join criteria. Say cheese.

19:When there are 50 people in the RP and only a quarter of them write beyond a single line, aren't trying to one up the other, or not trying to dominate the RP. "I have no mouth but I must scream."

20:When the GM is a totalitarian which just so happens to also literally be hosting a 1984 game. But this goes also to in general. At least spicy jokes could be made about the example, and how perfect they are for it.

21:"I can revive the dead, and a undead demon squirrel 170 years old needs 50x what it took to kill it before with everything." I have a better chance of taking on the rabbit from Monty Python with a wooden spoon. Or the demonic ledge cat from that one SWAT game map, that roars like a lion and throws your corpse into the bin if you touch or shoot it.

22:When you make a really neat character or story element, and some jackwagon copies it and implements their "own" a page later. Or when they try twisting it for the lulz.

23:When GMs promise another player something, like a piece of magic cloth for working their full time on the whole RP, and either is given to someone else or is a lie.

24:When the OOC is in a discord server that needs 50 million roles, a profile check, your roleplay history, you saying a word they listed down to confirm you read the check seven times, five mods in different rooms to ask you how many holes in a polo or some shit, if you draw, what your art style is, what kind of face claims you use, if you care more about writing or using images, how many pools it takes to host the summer Olympics, etc just to even so look at the chat.

I assume the posting criteria requires you to slay the dragon of black marsh, find the holy grail, then sing Justin bieber's "baby" while doing a one-handed handstand facing eastwards. Just let me see how you people operate for god's sake.

25:"BBC is a criteria for joining and posting." Let me introduce you to my good friend Sheogorath. He'll make a great GM for you.

26:When An interaction is hyper stutters that might also carry over into non-dialogue. "I l-l-l-l-l-l-like y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y---y-y-y-y-you" *Imm-imm-immediately ru--ru-ru-runs away* stop it and get some help. I have no idea if I should call keyboard repair or a certified scientist.

27:When you see a guy whining about not being interacted with, and he is literally off in the 73rd ghost dimension of everything being geometric tesseracts. Then complains to anyone trying to decrypt the enigma code just to see their character. I would like to present exhibit A: "Your character can go and starve, you troglodyte."

28:When you really get into something, the community OOC is absolutely spectacular awesomebeans off the top of new York upside down, the 20 paragraph interest check is superheated knife fire, there is high paragraph posts, activity is godlike, and the lore is absolutely individual paragraph garbage.

Or worst, the lore is great but every post grammatically looks like "Ha-y d3r mu_h fri3,en, va.us issa up!" or the grammar and lore are equally hot debby rubbished trenchtrash™ like what happened?!? We went from great to moonrune real fast. I would show my character doing the "my god" meme in negative context here, but I'm not going to waste my time doing a one off. I still have a higher quality one to finish, and it has more work put into it than all of whatever sarlacc pit that came out of.

29:When you see the GM and co actively ignoring the community.

30:When you see Hansella Dounci-bhest, and their friends Lu Sasbowl and Fig Richard all spawned in as allies, create the uber wunderwaffe walker, and roflstomps Luke Warm.

31:Age-based taboos. I also think a kid trying to join as a slutty housewife in an adventure RP is equally horrendous. "I think what is going on in there is wrong, and I think whatever's going on in the second one is also wrong." To paraphrase an american dad episode.

32:"I write gore!" Cool. *Immediately 3 liner not-even-deeply-cutting someone.* me: "So I'm assuming you're sheltered then?"

33:People that join a RP not to exactly have fun nor partake in the storyline, but instead spends their whole time dicking with the GM over how the world works, and dedicate their entire existence to trying to be a meme. I.E: "Even artificial earthquakes are impossible here!" "I wonder if I can get the local tribals to buy my weed and conquer Scotland" *Dresses in a gold triangular robe and shoots on sight everyone while screaming "stop resisting!"* *Immediately badgers other players to give them things to build a death ray.* *nags and/or annoys a gm into submission.* [that one being a smash hit for many.] Etcetera.

Honorable mention 34: Muckbanging dipshits trying to be the center of the universe, only to most likely be yeeted at some point. Contrast: A space RP where everyone literally is at the center of the universe or galaxy for the storyline.

Thank you for your time. [Insert cringey edgy character joke here.]
 
I tend to need a partner I can chat and get along with OOC. I don't like feeling like the RP is 'business only,' or I'll start to feel like posting is work rather than a leisure activity. The best RPs I've been in are the ones where my partner and I are constantly on the sidelines plotting and joking about where things are going to go next. When I feel like I can be friends with the person I'm writing with it's rejuvenating, but when it's only writing and no banter I feel way more judged on my posts and get drained super quickly.

Also, I find it exhausting when people have too many rules, or expect long posts constantly. I went to school for writing, I'm fully capable of writing well... but if I wanted to write a novel, I would be doing that rather than writing with another person. I enjoy building my character and will always provide enough detail to give my partner the information they need. I guarantee I can get my point across, and it will still sound nice, in three paragraphs rather than three pages. Honestly, I don't want to read three pages from my partner either, I'll forget half the post by the time it's my turn to reply.
 
yikes there are a couple of things. i guess the main would be not contributing, and the ever famous 'bad grammar and spelling'. but sometimes two people can write really well but just have different styles or ideas that don't go together and while that's unfortunate, it's another reason.
 
When "Appearance" is longer than "Personality"

Face claims. more than one picture. Needing to use pictures.
 
Ya'know what I still don't get after all these years?

People who insist on being the tallest character 😂
 
Napoleon Complex at it's finest.

Aye.. but the true MvPs are Hobbits..

Small, mighty, brave and gives me ample opportunities to fan-boy over Elijah Wood. :hearteyes:
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top