Other Do you show your rp stuffs to non-rpers?

[BuggaBoo]

Hi!!

So like I didn't used to show off what I wrote for rps cuz I felt like ashamed of my nerdy hobbies. Whenever someone would ask what I'm writing I'd say personal journal stuff but erybody suspected I wrote fanfic lol. Which I did but that was waaaaay back in like middle school and beginning high school.

It wasn't until one of my friends told me that he used.to write fan fic and rp when he was younger that I let it out to my friend group that yes I still rped online. Like I had to explain it to a lot of them that rp is playing pretend and not playing sex games lol. But they finally got it and soon they started to check out my rps and suggest what I should write. Like not so much anymore but still i ask my dude friends for advice for like fighting stuff or weapons to use in rps lol

Then I got involved in a reeeeeeally toxic relationship and she forbid me write cuz she thought I was cybering with others. For those who don't know cybering back in the day meant the equivalent of sexting but in a rp.

Like that's over thankfully but now I only share my rp writings with my current gf to show transparency. Like its basically to show that I'm 100% loyal and no sneaky-sneaky sexy-sexy time with online people thru dms.

But like what bout y'alls experiences? Do you show your rps or fanfics to others? Ever been accused of being sus for rping? Or is it all goods and you open to sharing your creativity with your nearest and dearest?

 

[elric.]

sort of. it's an exercise in trust for me, if i know the person really well, i'll show them, otherwise i just tend to tell them about my ideas as vaguely as possible. it's easier when it comes to fellow Roleplayers, but only a few of my friends actually Roleplay, so only a few really get it. i used to be very shameful of the fact that i was a Roleplayer since where + when I grew up, the stereotype was that Roleplaying was inherently sexual. it's obviously not, but it got really tedious explaining that to people, especially as a shy asexual. that no longer seems to be the thought process, thank God, but i'm still pretty quiet about my Roleplaying nowadays unless someone asks first.

 

[BuggaBoo]

sort of. it's an exercise in trust for me, if i know the person really well, i'll show them, otherwise i just tend to tell them about my ideas as vaguely as possible. it's easier when it comes to fellow Roleplayers, but only a few of my friends actually Roleplay, so only a few really get it. i used to be very shameful of the fact that i was a Roleplayer since where + when I grew up, the stereotype was that Roleplaying was inherently sexual. it's obviously not, but it got really tedious explaining that to people, especially as a shy asexual. that no longer seems to be the thought process, thank God, but i'm still pretty quiet about my Roleplaying nowadays unless someone asks first.

Yeah I used to get 'oh you into online kink'? I guess I got stereotyped being a deviant female homosexy lol. But like I'm over it. Yet like i still just say I do personal creative writing nowadays so I don't have to show that i rp a superheroic rainbow-riding crime-fighting adorable unicorn lol

 

[elric.]

Yeah I used to get 'oh you into online kink'? I guess I got stereotyped being a deviant female homosexy lol. But like I'm over it. Yet like i still just say I do personal creative writing nowadays so I don't have to show that i rp a superheroic rainbow-riding crime-fighting adorable unicorn lol

yeah, exactly! i think there's a really weird stigma attached to Roleplaying. nowadays, it seems a bit more acceptable because so many people are open about playing D&D, but still.

 

[.starcrossed]

I do not show any of my writings to anyone haha other than online. Mainly because I’m embarrassed, not because of roleplaying, but I don’t want anyone to make fun of what I write. I usually just tell people “I’m writing” with others online. My fiancé knows what I write and how I have my online friends and give me the space to do it without pressuring me to show him every response. I’m more nervous about my writing style than anything lol.

 

[BuggaBoo]

I do not show any of my writings to anyone haha other than online. Mainly because I’m embarrassed, not because of roleplaying, but I don’t want anyone to make fun of what I write. I usually just tell people “I’m writing” with others online. My fiancé knows what I write and how I have my online friends and give me the space to do it without pressuring me to show him every response. I’m more nervous about my writing style than anything lol.

know what? im thikin there needs to be a change in the stigma that rpers feel regarding their hobby. but tbh i get it. like most people hear rp and they instantly think its something sexual even though there is actual therapy where you roleplay to gain empathy for someone elses feelings right?

But then again, online rp is really just playing pretend and i guess it feels like playing pretend is something that should be done by only kids but like if you think about video games are suuuuuuper popular and you're basically pretending to be someone else right? But then again i guess its like exposing a creative side of yourself that you kinda dont in a video game? idk. But like know how there is a National Fill-in-the-Blank day for everything? We should have one for Online Forum RPers lol.

 

[desigoesbothways]

know what? im thikin there needs to be a change in the stigma that rpers feel regarding their hobby. but tbh i get it. like most people hear rp and they instantly think its something sexual even though there is actual therapy where you roleplay to gain empathy for someone elses feelings right?

But then again, online rp is really just playing pretend and i guess it feels like playing pretend is something that should be done by only kids but like if you think about video games are suuuuuuper popular and you're basically pretending to be someone else right? But then again i guess its like exposing a creative side of yourself that you kinda dont in a video game? idk. But like know how there is a National Fill-in-the-Blank day for everything? We should have one for Online Forum RPers lol.

Definitely agree. It's really crazy how stigmatized online rp is - I know if I told any of my friends I'd probably get a few sidelong glances and a "oh. that must be fun for you o.o" kinda response. It definitely goes in with the whole stereotype that all rp is sexual, which is definitely not the case.

I guess saying "Oh I'm just writing something" is easier because then it really disconnects you from the character you're playing, which is the appeal of video games? You're playing a character and the character is distinctly not you but it's making choices that you want it to, ergo it's a version of you that's disconnected from who you are as an actual human being? I guess others find it different because a lot of times in video games you also have preset choices too. So what you're doing as the character isn't technically entirely your choice but instead a choice already chosen for you by the game. So the connection between you and the character is watered down further because you're essentially playing a game by its rules.

I'm going way too deep into this haha (^^; ). I guess what I'm trying to say is that people won't see the character we play in online rp as a character, they see it as a direct extension of who we are as people. And I know for sure that my characters are born from aspects of my own personality, but other non-roleplayers don't often understand how that makes online roleplay a story.

 

[BuggaBoo]

I guess saying "Oh I'm just writing something" is easier because then it really disconnects you from the character you're playing, which is the appeal of video games? You're playing a character and the character is distinctly not you but it's making choices that you want it to, ergo it's a version of you that's disconnected from who you are as an actual human being? I guess others find it different because a lot of times in video games you also have preset choices too. So what you're doing as the character isn't technically entirely your choice but instead a choice already chosen for you by the game. So the connection between you and the character is watered down further because you're essentially playing a game by its rules.

Right k so like 2 of my friends play d and d (its rp but you mostly sit for hours around a table, talk and kill things and roll dice). And I asked them about how invested they are with their charries. 1 talked about it like a video game. So like all they cared about was 'levelling up' and getting magic stuffs.

Now the other was devastated anytime their charrie died and was more into the rp and story adventure. i never got into it cuz i found it boring and repetitive to roll all the dice all the time. And like i got confused alot with the rules. That and they always seemed to fight over rules anyways so yeah, i bailed.

But like I dont know why my friend would feel horrible if their charrie died but i guess they got all invested. Like if my charrie died or was killed i don't think I'd feel horrible cuz it happens in stories?

But its as the other poster said; D and d is more socially acceptable and not stigmatized. Video games even more accepted. i think that Stranger Things helped with d and d tho. Like there are even streaming channels for people to watch other people sit around, talk for hours on end, roll dice and kill things lol.

So like anyways they both used to play video games but they mostly played the shooting ones vs online people which is so not like the rp of other adventure video games. But I seen the other adventure video games and i kinda get not attaching yourself to a video game charrie. I'd even go as far as to say it's more like playing a puppet than portraying a facet of yourself?

I'm going way too deep into this haha (^^; ). I guess what I'm trying to say is that people won't see the character we play in online rp as a character, they see it as a direct extension of who we are as people. And I know for sure that my characters are born from aspects of my own personality, but other non-roleplayers don't often understand how that makes online roleplay a story.

Yeah that's why i still say 'personal creative writing' cuz if they push to see it I explain it's more like a journal I like to keep private. Like I know I'm not helping alleviate the stigma and its the path of least resistance but I'm tired of defending myself when I get accused of doing online kink.

 

[starboob]

Yes! It's only been recent, but I have shared my rps with a couple of close friends. My girlfriend is also very interested in my rps and will usually read the starters / first few posts before she forgets to keep up, haha.

My exes knew I rped, but I never shared anything with them. They were curious, but I wasn't ready to share my writing and they were understanding / didn't accuse me of being sus.

I think the only people who had a bad reaction to me rping were my parents lol. They were sus about what I was doing on the internet as a teen, but now they're chill and my dad asks about what's going on in my stories. Ever since I explained to them that I like rping for the world building + character dynamics, they realized it was just another nerdy hobby similar to their DnD days.

 

[StrawberryAvalanche]

For me personally it depends on the friend, if it's someone that I can trust with my creative hobbies then I show them what I'm working on. If it isn't then, I'm not really close to them. If someone is rude to me about this hobby and calls it cringe or something I distance myself heavily from them.

 

[Megatron2024]

text roleplay: no.
warframe: yes

 

[Sagey]

I talk to my mom about it once in a while but she understands literally nothing, so it's basically me updating her on my nonexistent life lol.

Most of my friends are rpers and some have d&d groups though so I don't talk to anyone else that isn't an rper about those things.

 

[AlmostImmortal]

I don’t tell my parents about it at all. They used to know about it and they found it weird. I have quite a few friends I roleplay with, so I sometimes tell them about a roleplay I’m in that they’re not, but not commonly. It’s always felt weird to me and I have some bad experiences of people getting jealous, so it always makes me nervous now. I never show my roleplay writing to someone outside of the roleplay.

 

[BuggaBoo]

K let me just add another thing to the convo.

I don't write 1x1 anymore but when I did I'd say I was a liiiiiiitle bit to much into the romances. Like i only did 'fade to black' but like yeah it was still kinda smutty lol. Granted I was still a confused teen back then and I never did smut while I had a gf cuz it did felt sus when i got older.

Still I'd NEVER share those old posts with anyone I know. Not only is it not worth the embarrassment but it was pretty cringe too cuz that was my fanfic/ship self gratification phase. My gosh I found an old fanfic I wrote and I wanted so badly to pull my eyeballs out and wash them. But can't unsee now lol

And as for you that show your posts to your folks? Ummm not me cuz yeah I sooooo love moms but like she is reeeeeally sarcastic and she would roast me for sho lol.

 

[BuggaBoo]

Update!

K as we were driving home my gf started to ask more questions about rp. Like I was writing as she chilled and watched me type up a post. I always been transparent with her and show her what I'm writing but this time around she actually read a buncha things. Normally she skims.

Ladies and gents thinkin i might have a legit sexified potential new rp partner on my hands lol

 

[Redfloofy]

Personally, I don't, because most people I know think it's weird and I'm also a very guarded person. I have a few friends that play DnD and I'm open to talking about that with those specific people, but no one IRL is aware that I also RP online because I'm too scared of how they will react to actually want to tell them about it. Thankfully, I have at least found people who will talk to me about DnD; my old group fell apart so it's been nice to be a part of a new one.

 

[remi.core]

Hi!!

So like I didn't used to show off what I wrote for rps cuz I felt like ashamed of my nerdy hobbies. Whenever someone would ask what I'm writing I'd say personal journal stuff but erybody suspected I wrote fanfic lol. Which I did but that was waaaaay back in like middle school and beginning high school.

It wasn't until one of my friends told me that he used.to write fan fic and rp when he was younger that I let it out to my friend group that yes I still rped online. Like I had to explain it to a lot of them that rp is playing pretend and not playing sex games lol. But they finally got it and soon they started to check out my rps and suggest what I should write. Like not so much anymore but still i ask my dude friends for advice for like fighting stuff or weapons to use in rps lol

Then I got involved in a reeeeeeally toxic relationship and she forbid me write cuz she thought I was cybering with others. For those who don't know cybering back in the day meant the equivalent of sexting but in a rp.

Like that's over thankfully but now I only share my rp writings with my current gf to show transparency. Like its basically to show that I'm 100% loyal and no sneaky-sneaky sexy-sexy time with online people thru dms.

But like what bout y'alls experiences? Do you show your rps or fanfics to others? Ever been accused of being sus for rping? Or is it all goods and you open to sharing your creativity with your nearest and dearest?

I'm still so cautious about it too. It feels embarrassing I guess just because people don't really know what it is? If you aren't involved in fandom/oc rp the closest thing you've probably come across is like sexting rp. And ofc *we* all know that's a different thing, but the stigma is still there.

I've really only ever told my partner and a few really close friends.

 

[BuggaBoo]

Yeah there's that running theme again lol. Well we all still here still sharing our stories and still climbing RP-ain't-weird awareness mountain.

And even my gf feelin it even tho she hasn't posted even one time. She said she feels insecure for her post to be seen publicly which is kinda the point of RPN lol. So we taking it slow with her. Still hoping gf join the Dork side lol

 

[Caroline1539]

Yeah there's that running theme again lol. Well we all still here still sharing our stories and still climbing RP-ain't-weird awareness mountain.

And even my gf feelin it even tho she hasn't posted even one time. She said she feels insecure for her post to be seen publicly which is kinda the point of RPN lol. So we taking it slow with her. Still hoping gf join the Dork side lol

You could roleplay with her in PMs? I personally don't really like my threads to be public either, and PMs are a lifesaver. ^^ Just have an IC and OOC thread for the roleplay, unless you're communicating about it OOC somewhere else.

 

[BuggaBoo]

You could roleplay with her in PMs? I personally don't really like my threads to be public either, and PMs are a lifesaver. ^^ Just have an IC and OOC thread for the roleplay, unless you're communicating about it OOC somewhere else.

Tysm for suggestions!

But my goal in getting her to do public rps is the whole running theme of this thread: negative perception of rp online forums.

Like I want her to feel it's okay to rp in public. Cuz like we both had to come out so why so hard when it's just rp? Ugh frustrating. Cuz for the most part rp forums ime have been safe spaces and tryna promote positive vibes too. Like I just think we gotta try and break stigma and be okay with rping in public spaces.

 

[Chained Echoes]

I've always been open about writing online with other people. It has never been anything I have kept hidden. I have shown my personal writing and roleplay writing to others if they wanted to see it. Never been accused of anything honestly because whenever I write it's for the characters and has nothing to do with me. I'm married. My husband has no issues with me writing with other people because again, I'm telling stories about characters. It has zero to do with me as a person.

I can understand to a degree about how some might feel about it in a way though. Some people tend to blur the lines, cross boundaries, etc.

 

[davy]

I talk about it as group story writing or my writing club when talking with people who might not know what it is.

My young nephew really wanted my character Levi to go get revenge on Bald Chuckie (he accidentally blew up Bald Chuckie's mech, faked his own death, and joined the other players to get a ride off world) but it never happened because going back there would have been 6 months of space flight in-story.