Experiences Failed character/rp ideas?

[-Random_Person-]

Have you ever had a REALLY good character/RP idea, and for some reason, it just didn't work out? What was that moment for you? What was a really good idea you had, and what stopped you from pursuing it?

 

[-Random_Person-]

This thread idea is probably already out there. If so, let me know and I’ll see if I can delete this one!

 

[Cogwork]

I had an idea for a Fairy Tail rp that is based around using a metacurrency.

In short, everyone knows that Fairy Tail relies very heavily on "the power of friendship" trope and I thought it'd be kind of fun to include that aspect. But since people would inevitably overuse it if it left unchecked my idea was that players could earn "Friendship Points" by doing things like continuously posting in the IC or OOC thread, playing into their characters' flaws and weaknesses, etc. Then, during the rp a person could spend Friendship Points to do the kind of nonsense Fairy Tail is known for (gaining a sudden buff to your magic, ignoring injuries or other negative effects, a slayer eating something they shouldn't be capable of, etc).

I never got it off the ground for a multiple of reasons but the main one was that I couldn't really figure out a way to hand out the metacurrency that didn't feel completely arbitrary.

 

[-Random_Person-]

I had an idea for a Fairy Tail rp that is based around using a metacurrency.

In short, everyone knows that Fairy Tail relies very heavily on "the power of friendship" trope and I thought it'd be kind of fun to include that aspect. But since people would inevitably overuse it if it left unchecked my idea was that players could earn "Friendship Points" by doing things like continuously posting in the IC or OOC thread, playing into their characters' flaws and weaknesses, etc. Then, during the rp a person could spend Friendship Points to do the kind of nonsense Fairy Tail is known for (gaining a sudden buff to your magic, ignoring injuries or other negative effects, a slayer eating something they shouldn't be capable of, etc).

I never got it off the ground for a multiple of reasons but the main one was that I couldn't really figure out a way to hand out the metacurrency that didn't feel completely arbitrary.

A great idea, especially the metacurrency, but I understand how it will be difficult to actually make the currency work. I havent seen too much Fairy Tail, only watching the first season, but it all sounded like a great idea! Sorry the metacurrency idea didn't work ^^;

 

[Noella]

I had a witch character inspired for a HP roleplay but I just...didn't like it lol It wasn't relatable for me as a person.

 

[honeyed boneset]

I’ve always mainly done one x one roleplays, so a lot of the things I was most excited for just died because things didn’t work out with that partner. A couple were in pretty niche fandoms, so there just weren’t a lot of options for trying again.

 

[April_Fools]

I've had several characters I've trashed because they didn't feel interesting enough or have been completely reworked. Some multiple times! One of my favorites went from tragic anti-hero, soft wooby poet, to a toxic masculinity heel. The last one stuck and was hilariously loved. People love a villain.

Also had a concept for an insane little fella who was a sickly fella trying to con you into worshipping an Eldritch diety who made him technically not exist. His final incarnation because an eloquent cult leader who is the absolute worst(best) life coach. He's the kinda character people hate initially for meta reasons then end up loving cause he's such a goof

 

[cheeseburger90210]

I made a Loba Character for a few forums and got denied. They was like; no, make another character. I thought Loba was a great thought. But no one likes her or whatever.
Whats not to like??


Superhumans (ones with powers)

Hero or villain or neutral:neutral

name:Loba Andrade

Code name:Loba

Age: 36

Gender:female

Appearance:https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/...llcsH6z8AKEQOTqx-x2VvShJrG_KbXh5si2owNlM2AI&s

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSLBidjW-KAWJf2IgaYmXgK_3VLOYYD8vwsUuCapmkcQf9UeEE-hEbH_Sxk_Qg&s

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTQC9YQuD3K_4zv3A8ok6v1HJLkp7iIXPBf9HOGxsFX6XKWEcdefdUml5uBrw&s

Powers/abilities:Teleporter, Pillar of Relocation ((A Legend specializing in getting
the highest quality loot, Loba’s tactical ability Burglar's Best Friend allows her
to throw a bracelet that teleports her to wherever it lands. Her passive Eye for
Quality Eye for Quality causes her to see and ping Purple and Gold-tier loot through
walls. Her ultimate ability Black Market Boutique Black Market Boutique
places a pillar that allows any player that interacts with it to teleport
ammunition and up to two items from the surrounding area directly into their inventory.))

Weapons(optional):RE45 (handgun),P2020(handgun),Mozambique(handgun),
Alterator(submachinegun),and Wingman (handgun)

Weaknesses:fear of the dark.

Backstory(optional):I've always felt it in my blood. I am a thief. And a good one at that.
It was the only way I felt true to myself. And those same feelings grew into opportunity.
I honed my skills, and enhanced my methods.
With success came wealth, power, and friendship.
I was the best, and everyone knew it. But something was always missing.

Other info(optional):When Loba was nine, she looked on as simulcarum hitman Reveant
killed her family. Left with nothing, she survived by picking pockets. Using every
tool at her disposal to life herself from the gutter - including an experimental
Jump Drive, pilfered from a supposedly impenetrable research facility.

 

[SugarMilk]

I had an idea for an elemental based roleplay but everytime I tried it people would dismiss it. It's been years, I might try to bring it back.

 

[Wyldflowers]

i tried to play a gender ambiguous character whose entire personality was "cool" . the story i wanted to write for them was that a bi guy and girl were fighting over them. it didn't really go according to plan though.

 

[-Random_Person-]

I had an idea for an elemental based roleplay but everytime I tried it people would dismiss it. It's been years, I might try to bring it back.

The concepts of elementals or like the Disney movie?

 

[cheeseburger90210]

i tried to play a gender ambiguous character whose entire personality was "cool" . the story i wanted to write for them was that a bi guy and girl were fighting over them. it didn't really go according to plan though.

sorry to hear that.

 

[SugarMilk]

The concepts of elementals or like the Disney movie?

Like the concept of elemental beings and like one of them landing in a place where they don't exist and they have to navigate this new world and try to get home but end up meeting new people and seeing if they really want to go home or not.

 

[Fraised]

A looong time ago, I posted a group Pokémon RP to a (now deleted) fansite/forum. The basic idea was that the Pokémon world had become a dystopia and each region had its own iron-fisted rules; especially in regards to ownership of Pokémon. The concept was actually a bit of a hit, judging by how many people signed up, but for whatever reason... I was a lazy GM that time and stopped tending to the thread after a few days. Honestly, I may not have even started the RP at any point after greenlighting everyone's characters? I don't really remember. lol But I do feel a little bad in hindsight for wasting the time of anybody who had been excited to participate.

 

[StrixDesmodus]

One of the reasons I don't do one-on-one's much any more, and why I prefer this site over others.

I was proposed a roleplay, mixing fantasy and sci-fi, in which my character is a vampire who is offered a cure for vampire-ness. I wanted to explore the various implications that could have. I was expecting to be able to have my character reject the cure at first, but then decide to try it upon some sort of incident that causes him to change his mind. Instead, the other player decides to make my character almost die by heart-staking, and somehow despite the stake being indeed in his chest cavity.... Well, basically my character wakes up in a hospital room, being told that the cure saved his life and now he's a human.

I figured I could work with that by making my character react as he would, all the way up until the other player wrote "And then a sexy nurse walked into the room."

I never consented to most of the stuff that happened in the rp, but I definitely had to draw the line there. I wasn't even told that the rp was supposed to be sexual up until it just happened.

It's a shame, 'cause I think the premise of the rp as I was told it would be would have been really compelling to write if it could have been done without being railroaded.

I've been considering the worldbuilding for a roleplay with a losely similar premise, minus the railroading of course. (and minus the sexual content.)

 

[Daisie]

One of the reasons I don't do one-on-one's much any more, and why I prefer this site over others.

I was proposed a roleplay, mixing fantasy and sci-fi, in which my character is a vampire who is offered a cure for vampire-ness. I wanted to explore the various implications that could have. I was expecting to be able to have my character reject the cure at first, but then decide to try it upon some sort of incident that causes him to change his mind. Instead, the other player decides to make my character almost die by heart-staking, and somehow despite the stake being indeed in his chest cavity.... Well, basically my character wakes up in a hospital room, being told that the cure saved his life and now he's a human.

I figured I could work with that by making my character react as he would, all the way up until the other player wrote "And then a sexy nurse walked into the room."

I never consented to most of the stuff that happened in the rp, but I definitely had to draw the line there. I wasn't even told that the rp was supposed to be sexual up until it just happened.

It's a shame, 'cause I think the premise of the rp as I was told it would be would have been really compelling to write if it could have been done without being railroaded.

I've been considering the worldbuilding for a roleplay with a losely similar premise, minus the railroading of course. (and minus the sexual content.)

I really would like to know how NOT being a vampire saved someone from the pointy wooden beam driven through their heart

 

[StrixDesmodus]

I really would like to know how NOT being a vampire saved someone from the pointy wooden beam driven through their heart

I know, right?

 

[GrumpySwallow]

I've been wanting to RP a parody of Edgelord characters; just make the edgiest thing I can think of and stick to the bit 100%. The reason it won't work is because said character is likely to spend their existence standing in a corner saying "they're too cool to (blank)!" XD

 

[nikoru]

i made a cannibalistic yandere... in a post-apocalypse setting...

 

[ricecrackermix]

i think its worth mentioning that you should always write down discarded ideas bc they can always come back later! i roleplay primarily in fandoms but i keep a running list of my AUs in a word document and a few of them ive repurposed for other fandoms or, if they were outlandish enough (or otherwise far enough removed because they required so many tweaks to make sense,) original fiction. just because something doesnt shake out with one partner or in one group doesnt mean that its actually a bad idea or not worth pursuing.

this is especially true for goofy throwaway stuff. my most cherished AU of all time for my favorite pairing started as a joke inspired by a silly picture i took of two extremely incongruent stores next to each other that i saw on vacation and then my best friend said "wouldnt it be funny if [character A] owned one store and [character B] owned the other?" and 2 years later its a full-fledged fanfiction. worth it!

like, none of the ideas in this thread are bad. some might need more retooling or elaboration than others to work in another context, but none of them are, like, "just throw the whole thing out, it sucks"-type stuff. you gotta tuck those good ideas away for later, when you find someone/people who can appreciate them and help you grow them into something lovely.

 

[Daisie]

i think its worth mentioning that you should always write down discarded ideas bc they can always come back later! i roleplay primarily in fandoms but i keep a running list of my AUs in a word document and a few of them ive repurposed for other fandoms or, if they were outlandish enough (or otherwise far enough removed because they required so many tweaks to make sense,) original fiction. just because something doesnt shake out with one partner or in one group doesnt mean that its actually a bad idea or not worth pursuing.

this is especially true for goofy throwaway stuff. my most cherished AU of all time for my favorite pairing started as a joke inspired by a silly picture i took of two extremely incongruent stores next to each other that i saw on vacation and then my best friend said "wouldnt it be funny if [character A] owned one store and [character B] owned the other?" and 2 years later its a full-fledged fanfiction. worth it!

like, none of the ideas in this thread are bad. some might need more retooling or elaboration than others to work in another context, but none of them are, like, "just throw the whole thing out, it sucks"-type stuff. you gotta tuck those good ideas away for later, when you find someone/people who can appreciate them and help you grow them into something lovely.

Oh, 100%. When I was 13-14 or so, I started on a book. Got 1 & 1/2 chapters in before I decided I didn't like it, and I didn't like novel writing. I'm not a natural born author.

A few years later I started up a RP with the same premise, because of the idea's creative flexibility. That RP went on for 3 years.

Now I'm aiming to take the idea and characters in that RP and make an animated TV series about it.

If I'd have just cast aside that original novel idea, I wouldn't be working so hard towards my passion project today. This is my future now - what I want my career to be.

 

[Starco]

I tend to make loads of OCs, so some of them would kind of be considered semi-failed when I find out that I already have a character super similar to them, lol. it does motivate me to make more unique characters though, and I just merge the new and existing characters together! (sorry if its not perfectly matching the question)

 

[Paperstick]

My most recent RP partner didn't like sci-fi, and the Fallout universe was too complicated for them, so I never got to really play anything like that for more than a page or two. Maybe soon I'll gauge some interest in a group Fallout RP where we build a settlement in an area that hasn't been touched by any of the games yet.

 

[Jet]

I once made an island RP where a plane crashed in the ocean, characters come ashore and must survive. I made a map with 60 points of interest leading to plots about lost civilizations and dangerous tribes, lots of magical realism inspired by Lost. It was gonna be awesome. There was gonna be different factions fighting over resources, a weapons cache among other loot people could find, and fifteen people made characters! I was hyped until the thread died after two posts.

Mind you, post #1 was my starter.

And post #2 was my OC

That's when I learned a crucial lesson about this hobby, don't make a fucking map until page 5.

 

[Paperstick]

I once made an island RP where a plane crashed in the ocean, characters come ashore and must survive. I made a map with 60 points of interest leading to plots about lost civilizations and dangerous tribes, lots of magical realism inspired by Lost. It was gonna be awesome. There was gonna be different factions fighting over resources, a weapons cache among other loot people could find, and fifteen people made characters! I was hyped until the thread died after two posts.

Mind you, post #1 was my starter.

And post #2 was my OC

That's when I learned a crucial lesson about this hobby, don't make a fucking map until page 5.

Noooooo, that sounds so good!