Does any else find the public Asterisk/hypen Rpers cringey?

[call me rae]

Well for future reference I think if you want to make an experience and opinion thread maybe write it a bit more clearly as an opinion thread and describe the exact scenario you want to discuss.


 





 


Example.


 


So I have been looking through the threads lately and I keep seeing something that sets my teeth on edge. When roleplayers play like this 


 


Ex. Character A *dodges attack* You'll never take me alive!


 


Or *she blushes* - he stares dreamily into her eyes - 


 



Now it's not so bad if it's in a simple roleplay or everyone is doing it. But when I'm giving three paragraphs a pop and get a reply like that it drives me nuts.


 


I dunno maybe it's just me, what do you guys think?


 


Should this kind of roleplay be allowed in more detailed situations? Have you run across it before , and if so does it drive you nuts too?


 






And I'd add the requisite disclaimer too to give people a clear idea you're wanting OPINIONS and not a whole rant thread or people to get off topic.



Ex. This is an opinion thread so let's try to keep it civil and on point. I don't want to see nasty arguments or attacks in the threads guys.

 

[MedievalMethods]

Thankfully I've never run across this in any site where forum RP is prominent. But it does tend to spread like plague across most chat sites. 

 

[Irick]

/me jumps into the middle of the discussion, apple of discord gleaming in hand "I'm here to subvert your assumptions and prosthelytize the advent of the ONE TRUE EMOTE NOTATION!"


/me tosses the apple, the golden sheen reflecting a once past era of greatness: ΙΡC: ΚΑΛΛΙΣΤΗΙ engraved on the side in deep strokes, polished by hand to hide the primitive tooling. "Let me tell you forumites a tale. A tale of mystery and wonder. A tale that takes place in the distant past of the packet. A tale of a protocol for relaying internet chat."


https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1459


*edit*


I suppose I should probably make my point explicit, as much as I love playing the trickster. As @Grey pointed out, this is more about differences of culture. Emote notation isn't really indicative of poor roleplaying so much as it's a violation of a cultural norm. Because it calls attention to itself, we tend to fall prey to negative bias and associate it with its most unpleasant experiences. In IRC, not using /me for emote is seen as basically a failure to grok the medium, even though the content is effectively the same. /me in fact is so prevalent within its relevant cultures that it is expected for a reader to perform the operation on their own if the platform that is being used does not support it.


So I share the sentiment that this bias is something to overcome. While eventually the norms and practices of someone who has transplanted from elsewhere will fall into line, we should be aware of our tendencies and actively try to correct for them when evaluating others.

 

[The Dark Wizard]

So the question I've been asking my self is why does anyone care? 


If you don't like a way someone RPs, you don't have to do anything with them.

 

[call me rae]

So the question I've been asking my self is why does anyone care? 


If you don't like a way someone RPs, you don't have to do anything with them.

Ah but is it not the right of everyone to rant about the things they dislike to the captive audience of the internet? To be honest the ranting about pet peeves didn't bother me as much as wording. You can have all the opinions and dislike all the people. But if ya want to rant I'd just label it that way. Like when there was that old pet peeve thread. People would go on all kinds of tangents. But that was the purpose of the thread.

 

[JayTee]

So the question I've been asking my self is why does anyone care? 


If you don't like a way someone RPs, you don't have to do anything with them.

Because they're doing it wrong, Wizard! D:<

 

[cupidcreep]

Because they're doing it wrong, Wizard! D:<

there is no wrong way to roleplay.

 

[JayTee]

there is no wrong way to roleplay.

Sarcasm, love < 3

 

[cupidcreep]

Sarcasm, love < 3

oh xD  sorry then

 

[The Dark Wizard]

there is no wrong way to roleplay.

Sure there is, not RPing on our site 

 

[ApfelSeine]

I feel as though I generally go through three phases when it comes to whether or not I find something cringe inducing.


Phase 1: "Why do people say that doing X is a bad thing? I do X all the time! And so do my friends!"


Phase  2: "Ugh I hate it so much when people do X. It's immature/amateurish and I have no patience for it."


Phase  3: "Oh yeah, I remember that I used to hate when people did X. I don't really care anymore though. If it doesn't hurt anyone and people are enjoying themselves, I can't see what the problem is."


I feel that all of these phases have valid viewpoints, but are also problematic in their own way. Being in phase 1 is good because you stand up for your right to enjoy something, but it's also bad in that one may tend to be a little overprotective of it. Being in phase 2 is good because one is recognizing what defines their own style and what they consider good quality to be, but it is bad in the sense that at best they're being judgmental of people who like different things, and at worst they're picking on kids. Phase 3 is my favorite since it's transcended the drama, though it also comes with a bit of priggishness since it feels like one is being even more "mature" than the previous stages. I like to think that there's a fourth phase that goes beyond phase three by having sympathy for every perspective without condescending at all, but I haven't quite reached that point on most things since I still have yet to be fully empathetic towards people who feel that something makes them better than someone else. It's rather difficult to have only good without the bad, and sometimes we might end up being judgmental without intending to be.


So to get to the point, I'm around "phase 3" in regards to asterisk/hyphen roleplaying (I'm still at various phases on other subjects, I'm sure). I used to do it when I first stated, found it briefly aggravating after I stopped doing it, and then stopped caring that people do it. Admittedly though, I did feel a bit of indignant irritation on behalf of those who still use it, feeling that it is not fair to immediately lump all people into the category of "immature" or "young". Specifically because I believe that even if you're correct in your assumption, the immature and young should still  be treated with courtesy and respect.


I do get that it's hard not to make assumptions about the age/gender/writing ability of a player from certain things that happen when interacting with them. Heck, I still do it on a regular basis. I don't mean to, but it happens. More often than not though, these assumptions are wrong. Even if they were correct though, we should be working towards a mentality where it doesn't change how  we treat someone to know that they're different from us. Or at least, that's what I think.


In the end, it is a generalization to be assuming that the usage of asterisks or hyphens in roleplaying is a sign of immaturity. For some, it is simply a preferred style, and I think it's important to recognize that, as well as recognize the fact that we should be compassionate towards all players, even if they're younger. Especially if they're younger actually, since while you may not like to play with very young players, they still deserve to have fun. I can understand the perspective of being firmly rooting in one's  own likes and dislikes, and wanting things to match a degree of "quality"  but quality is itself subjective, and so I consider it best to hold on to one's preferences, but still acknowledge that our preferences are nothing  more  than our opinion. They're no more valid than anyone else's, including "immature" or young players.

 

[budgieboo]

nothing is cringy to me because i'm the most cringiest person alive


i was gonna post something about how there's no bad way to rp and that people can do whatever they want and blah blah blah bad ramblings by an incompetent teen gal but that seems like everyone else has said something about that and it's settled already s o

 

[yaint]

from what i remember from way back when i was a clueless nine year-old on the internet, a lot of people actually use the asterisk/hyphen versions of the script format when they first try out rping... including me. i did it often, i did it a lot, i kept on doing it for about three years. it can totally be cringy if it's done without detail, but i wouldn't say there's anything wrong with it. i mean, it's fun, right? and if it's where all of us came from then hey, that's proof enough it leads to greatness.


hmm, this conversation has whetted my appetite for experimentation. maybe it is possible to play in script format and still be detailed and professional-looking, especially if you keep it in play or movie form, the only difference between it and 'normal' writing being the lack of balance between fluff and crunch. it's all crunch. that's fine though, gets stuff across, treats the reader like they're intelligent enough to work out thoughts and emotions for themselves. *cough* not that i *ahem* would know how to *irdfunordiugbob* do that at all.

 

[sakigamis]

maybe it is possible to play in script format and still be detailed and professional-looking

Time for me to show off maybe?


---


[The sound of the crowd cheering is, in the Mockingbird's opinion, the single best sound in the world. No, scratch that, not just cheering--cheering for him. All around him are the digital avatars of those rich, privileged individuals who waste their money watching fights to the prolonged, bloody, agonizing death, the noise of their excited whoops and hollers as the announcer introduces "a fan favorite, our reigning champion, our very own stitched-up ragdoll, Mockingbird!"


He leans forward, gold eyes peeking out between the cold bars of his cage at the identical one across the arena. He doesn't recognize the boy standing there; he must be new. He makes a mental note to go easy on the poor kid--not enough to displease the fans, but killing a newbie is no fun. He'd much rather watch them grow and improve from this loss and fight them again when they can put up a better resistance.


Pale lips stretch into a wide grin, so cheerful and out of place in this scenario, as he calls out across the arena to his soon-to-be opponent.] This is your first time, isn't it? Don't worry, I'll only put you in the medical ward for a few weeks~! [The other boy looks startled. He can't help but wonder if it's because of his words or the dissonant sound of his voice, high and airy, too casual, enjoying this too much.


The announcer introduces his opponent, and the cages are opened. The Mockingbird twirls out of his gracefully, long jacket flaring out behind him, ending his entrance with a deep bow to the audience. The other boy is... less graceful, stumbling out awkwardly. The cages are lifted out of the way.


The announcer shouts into the mic, "DEADMEN, BLEED!"


Mockingbird's calm, cheerful smile turns wide-eyed, a large ear-to-ear grin. He's going to have so much fun with this poor guy...]


---


Based on Deadman Wonderland and specifically this character. He looks, sounds, and moves like an actual fairy but he'll literally eat you alive tbh.

 

[Sara Sidereal]

Y'know, initially I agreed with the OP, but then I started thinking more, and I was like, if I had to choose between one decent post every three to five days, or a one-liner once a day or more, I'd choose the one-liner every time, even if they're the shittiest writer in the world. If it seems like the other person is enthusiastic, enjoying themselves, and actually gives a shit? Hell, you could type "U" instead of "you", "there" when you mean "their", "its" instead of "it's", use "would" before every verb, and make only seraphim sparkledog characters. I would not care.

 

[Irick]

 Hell, you could type "U" instead of "you", "there" when you mean "their", "its" instead of "it's", use "would" before every verb, and make only seraphim sparkledog characters. I would not care.1

Lets not get carried away here. Down this path lies madness2. 


1 Emphasis mine


2 "Most everyone's mad here."

 

[Elephantom]

Y'know, initially I agreed with the OP, but then I started thinking more, and I was like, if I had to choose between one decent post every three to five days, or a one-liner once a day or more, I'd choose the one-liner every time, even if they're the shittiest writer in the world. If it seems like the other person is enthusiastic, enjoying themselves, and actually gives a shit? Hell, you could type "U" instead of "you", "there" when you mean "their", "its" instead of "it's", use "would" before every verb, and make only seraphim sparkledog characters. I would not care.

But what if, the person, with the grief-inducing grammar choices, makes the seraphim sparkledog? One should really consider all possible paths to the semi-eternal purgatory of hellish lameness.


And might I also inform you, that asterisk/hyphen users, including one-liner attackers, are made up mainly of amateurs, a big chunk of whom, are proficient in the art of creating 'seraphim sparkledog' characters, whatever the hell that term even means.


I mean, you can't really disrespect my opinion upon the very grammar which damages my eyes, for everyone has the right to speak his opinions, and receive feedback in the form of a civil manner. And if one considers me an elitist for hatin' on bad grammar, than an elitist I am!


[SIZE= 12px]Also, please do pardon me, if I sound aggravating at the slightest. Excitement's a feeling that comes quite more quickly than it actually should.[/SIZE]

 

[ApfelSeine]

But what if, the person, with the grief-inducing grammar choices, makes the seraphim sparkledog? One should really consider all possible paths to the semi-eternal purgatory of hellish lameness.


And might I also inform you, that asterisk/hyphen users, including one-liner attackers, are made up mainly of amateurs, a big chunk of whom, are proficient in the art of creating 'seraphim sparkledog' characters, whatever the hell that term even means.


I mean, you can't really disrespect my opinion upon the very grammar which damages my eyes, for everyone has the right to speak his opinions, and receive feedback in the form of a civil manner. And if one considers me an elitist for hatin' on bad grammar, than an elitist I am!


[SIZE= 12px]Also, please do pardon me, if I sound aggravating at the slightest. Excitement's a feeling that comes quite more quickly than it actually should.[/SIZE]

But then the things you're actually finding cringe inducing are poor grammar and amateurish writing. Perhaps it is the case that the majority of people using asterisks hyphens fall into this category of unskilled writing, I cannot really say for sure. But regardless of that, it sounds to me that what really bothers you is incoherency, not the style itself.


I would find incoherent grammar to be cringe inducing, but I do not feel the same towards the usage of asterisks and hyphens. While there may be overlap, I think it's important to acknowledge what the actual problem is, rather than lumping an entire group of people together because of the inexperience of some of the individuals in that group. There is nothing inherently wrong with liking a particular style, and there's also nothing wrong with disliking it. I think it's problematic to say that everyone who uses a certain style is immature or unskilled though. Even if you're only screwing over one person with that generalization, it's still not a fair statement. That's my perspective at least.

 

[Elephantom]

Yes, to some extent, asterisk and incoherent grammar are rather different. But, the asterisk themselves imply the user's inability to create a steady flow of words; their intent, nor their excuses, not coming into the subject. All of which points towards a more in-depth, amateurish root.


But, all I may talk of my hatred, it's quite true in the end, that there's a minority that do prefer to use asterisks, however amateurish they may actually seem.


And unlike the piece by Saki, most asterisk players tend to limit their sentences to one sentence, or more.


Example:


[SIZE= 12px]Hello, samuel.[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]*Allison spoke in a grim, whispered tone, as if to induce terror [/SIZE][SIZE= 12px]in the already frightened Samuel's mind.*[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]Actually, I don't even know how to properly emulate the massive majority of asterisk users.[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px]Blame the elitism.[/SIZE]

 

[yaint]

@sakigamis well i was thinking more along the lines of film script than just a seriously detailed version of regular bracket rping but that works too i guess


like


maybe i wasn't clear tho


i was thinking more along these lines:


like the person and stuff


hello yes this is me and i am speaking now ahahaha 


like the other person and stuff


yeah coo


and then person one and person two do stuff because that is what people do


like the other person and stuff


this is a terrible script example

 

[call me rae]

@Elephantom Well that and I think something people need to understand is that an opinion is different than a judgement ( elitism ).


 


An opinion is - " I don't like romance roleplays. I find them boring and often unoriginal."
 


This is just how I feel and doesn't bring other people into it at all. Will people disagree with me? Absolutely that's why it's an opinion and not a fact. Because other people are going to disagree based on their personal preferences and that's totally fine.


 


A judgement is - " Romance roleplays are all unoriginal tripe that is devoted to some Twilight level bullshit where relationships are all about getting into each others pants, staring longingly at each other, and Male Protagonists ABCDEFG all worshiping/dominating/fighting over dew-eyed idiot Female Protagonist Snow Flake The Special. Oh and it's usually written by either a twelve year old who wants to play out some kind of escapist fantasy OR some pervy old man who wants to get his rocks off playing make-believe with someone over the internet."


 


 


 


This while also being my ( highly exaggerated ) opinion it is written in such a way as to be incredibly offensive. It is stating that romance roleplays are inherently inferior and the people who write them are either perverts or idiots. Furthermore it is making a broad generalization about all romance roleplays based on a limited sampling of my own personal experience. 



Now does that mean I am not entitled to have the judgement above? No of course not - you can think whatever you want. But there is a difference between thinking it and saying it. 


 


If what your saying is likely to hurt other people's feelings or offend someone - try to find a nicer less antagonistic way to say it. You'll still get your point across but you won't get people howling at you for being a jerk or elitist. ( well less people, cuz some people live to be offended and you could be the most polite and considerate person on the planet and they'd still come at you. )


 


 


EDIT : Sorry you guys moved on before I was finished.. the above was in reference to posts between @ApfelSeine and @Elephantom

 

[Elephantom]

We aren't having any conflicts here, ma'am. Just some good ol' fashioned talking. And we know what judgement means.


But still, we're all mighty obliged to receive your guidance.

 

[call me rae]

We aren't having any conflicts here, ma'am. Just some good ol' fashioned talking. And we know what judgement means.


But still, we're all mighty obliged to receive your guidance.

I know your not arguing with Apfel that's why I addressed the bulk of the passage to you. You seemed concerned with people mistaking an opinion for elitism. I was trying to illustrate the difference most people find in the two. It's more or less just context. Now that's not to say there won't be people attacking your opinion as elitism cuz people can be like that. But in general as long as you not being a jerk people will accept that you have a differing opinion to their own with grace.


As for my opinion on the topic at hand - meh. I don't worry so much about how other people roleplay in general so I don't really care one way or another if they use proper grammar or astericks or whatever.


Personally again I won't do script roleplays because they're too fast moving I've found. And with my own partners I ask that I can read your stuff and it's at least a paragraph long. ( five sentences ).


Other than that I'm not too fussy.

 

[Elephantom]

Just some humour, ma'am. Nothing else.

 

[call me rae]

Just some humour, ma'am. Nothing else.

Ah...well that's embarrassing. Disregard my previous post then.