Viewpoint "I don't get it." What's an RP Fandom/Theme/Idea you could never understand?

[RedArmyShogun]

Uh, Echo'ing the sentiments on IRL people. Don't want me in your RP? Just make the setting IRL people. There was one RP on here that had the anime tag, was based on an anime even and named it, then I click the CS thread and lo-and-behold, IRL faceclaim CS's, I nope'd to that thread and marked rp'ing with the maker of it off my list out of principle.

Also, Low effort Rp's, if your interest check or lore thread is a couple paragraphs long or even that, it's clear you don't actually love what you are doing or have a low competence, if I see that happening often with a given fandom, I mark that fandom off on a given site.

And lastly while there are more things I could list, a lot more, this is a topic on fandoms, typically I will not join anything based on a current trend or that has three+ interest checks with slight and low effort deviations. I don't keep up with a lot of that, don't even bother with TV or most media. So when I see an RP on that, unless it's high effort or sounds interesting, I give it a pass.

 

[Murdergurl]

And lastly while there are more things I could list, a lot more, this is a topic on fandoms, typically I will not join anything based on a current trend or that has three+ interest checks with slight and low effort deviations. I don't keep up with a lot of that, don't even bother with TV or most media. So when I see an RP on that, unless it's high effort or sounds interesting, I give it a pass.

Pokemon and Harry Potter are long-time running trends. But recently I've seen a lot of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and Dangeronpona (I think I spelled that right?). For a month or so there was a small burst of Sonic the Hedgehog reqs because the second movie was just coming out. For years, the community couldn't shake Vampire and Werewolf RPs because of Twilight and Underworld. And Game of Thrones definitely left a lasting impression on RP trends.

Cyberpunk theme is flavor of the year ever since the Cyberpunk 2077 game came out... though I'm sure some other factors have played into it, as they echo the same trend. And in the last two or three years I've seen a significant increase in Lovecraftian "Eldritch Horor" types of RPs come around. Those I think were in mimic to some video games as well as that movie with Nick Cage, Color out of Space. But I think it was more the video games as the movie was kind of a bomb.

And let's not forget all the superhero RPs. I feel like those are going to stick around for a long while, as Marvel and DC are milking the fuck out of their respective franchises in both movies and television platforms.

Usually, I detest trends. But sometimes, I count on them and dare to get my hopes up. Like when the remake of Dune came out, I was hoping to see a jump in sci-fi RPs. But unfortunately, that did not inspire the RP community like so many other movies do. I was hoping the same when Mad Max: Fury Road came out. But once again, no such luck.

 

[Sugarnaut]

I exclusively use IRL face claims and I just don't understand krp.
The world is too interesting to limit face claim ethnicities.

 

[Murdergurl]

I exclusively use IRL face claims and I just don't understand krp.
The world is too interesting to limit face claim ethnicities.

what's krp?

(Also, I don't understand the "ick" that people have against irl faceclaims. It's really not a big deal. I honestly get tired seeing anime faces everywhere for people's character facelaims, myself)

 

[Sugarnaut]

what's krp?

(Also, I don't understand the "ick" that people have against irl faceclaims. It's really not a big deal. I honestly get annoyed seeing anime faces everywhere, myself)

I haven't seen them here as much but krp is usually roleplays that are themed in Korea but usually the minimum is requiring only Korean face claims.

IRL face claims can totally get weird so I can understand why people don't get it. I don't enjoy anime/cartoon face claims for similar "ick" feelings. (art credit, conflicting styles, etc) It just warms my sleep deprived heart when I can find the perfect gif of my oc reacting to something and my friend sending one of theirs right back.

 

[Scoundrel]

I genuinely don't get why people run OC focused One-Punch Man rps.

At best those rps always end up feeling like a generic superhero rp.

 

[Idea]

,,,

I genuinely don't get why people run OC focused One-Punch Man rps.

At best those rps always end up feeling like a generic superhero rp.

While I've never done one myself, I can see some aspects of the setting that one could be interested in. The process of monsterfication for instance, the more (generally) down-to-Earth heroes (martials artists, cyborgs... ) or even just the expectation of a more parody-genre superhero roleplay.

 

[ONI]

what's krp?

Korean roleplay. Typically it only has Korean characters and is set in South Korea.

I haven't seen them here as much.

There were a few years where it was a big portion of group roleplays.

 

[Aron the Aron]

(Also, I don't understand the "ick" that people have against irl faceclaims. It's really not a big deal. I honestly get tired seeing anime faces everywhere for people's character facelaims, myself)

I think the general consensus behind the "ick" of using IRL faceclaims is simply the knowledge that said faceclaims are of actual people walking the earth, and my troglodyte brain will refuse to acknowledge your character as anything but whoever that person is most famous for portraying in media. Same goes for if you use an anime character I recognize; that's why I prefer using original artwork instead.

I'll quote another person who posted way earlier in the thread.

I'll echo what Jannah said above about rping as real people, I find it very weird, but for myself I'll extend to using any real persons image for a roleplay.

I don't understand how people can use a photo of Attractive McFamousPerson as their ocs faceclaim without their immersion being broken. Even if it's not a super well known person, even just the knowledge that this is a living breathing person is enough to ruin things for me.

Though on that note, I much prefer to find my own faceclaims for rps, whether its using Picrew or commissioning artists (when I'm not broke)

 

[salem.]

Something I heavily dislike and get sorta disgusted in a way is romance focused 1x1 involving real people. Especially in fandoms like K-popers and DSMP (Focus on the latter, since most of the people involucrated in that lets play group are highly problematic or just meh. + Most of the fandom sucks assss man what the fuuuuckkk)

Not only does it give me that icky yucky gooey slimy 'proshipper' vibe but just making love stories about real, living people is not my favourite.

Especially if it fetishizes things like mlm or nblm. That's a common thing with these roleplays on and off this site.

This doesn't mean I dislike real FCs, though. I'm completely fine with those and don't mind them at all. I mean, as long as you're not roleplaying as the person, it's pretty harmless. Although I don't get why people 'exclude', so to speak, certain types of FCs. Like, what's icky about the other? Just let people jive with whatever reference they want to use.

Something that geniuenly creeps me out is slave x master, kidnapper x victim, awful person x ransom. Like, really? We're really diving so low? People who do crimes aren't likeable, sexy, or should be romantized.

(Except for Dr. Doofenshmirtz, and I guess antiheros and hot sexy people who have attitude issues. I'll give likeable fictional villains who do fictional, likeable, and not necessarily but sometimes goofy mischief a pass.)

Kidnapping, killing, and commiting ransom is NOT hot. It's a real world problem and 'romanticizing' what many people, including me, have gone through is not ok. It's a geniune scarring and terrifying thing to go through. Things like fictional settings were there's some alt. motive or isn't super duper ultra malicious nor romanticized are completely fine. But a love story between a kidnapper and their captor where the kidnapper clearly and visibly abuses of the captor who falls in love with them is not realistic.

Yes. In some people it's a syndrome. I know. And writing about stockholm syndrome can leave you between a rock and a hard place. But most of crime doer x victim stories don't include the complications of stockholm. That geniuenly just disgusts me and creeps me out. Props to the ones that do, and write it well.

In real life, a kidnapper finds out whoever their abusing is falling in love with them, it commonly ends with unconsensual or at best dubiously consensual inteeactions.

Another thing I don't get is magical shool/just general school roleplays. I've been in some of them, and they all got boring quick unless there was a moving, interesting plot other than 'highschool'. And most of them end up dead, anyways. If anyone's looking to make any school-related roleplay it better be something more than highschool drama and romance. (Or bromance. I don't judge.)

Isekais as well. Most of them follow one of these three plots:
1- A social outcast (or a group of) wakes up one day and discovers they have magical powers.
Shenanigans ensue.

2- A regular old Joe has something weird happen to him, wakes up the next day in a magical land he's never seen, and the phrase "Chosen One" gets said more than once.
Shenanigans ensue.

3- Magical beings travel into the human world.
Shenanigans ensue.

Of course there are Isekais that aren't like these 3 tropes, but the majority is.

Slice of life isn't necessarily boring. I'm not saying people need to insert fantasy in slife of life roleplays or just straight up not make them. Slice of life can be super endearing and awesome and cool. I've been in some that have catched my attention so much. One of my favourite slices of lives (haha) have to bee things like 'roommates' (not exactly 1x1. A chaotic appartment is always, and I mean always, welcome.) 'city with absolutely wow worldbuilding', and 'crime, detective, mystery'. Of course these are extremely simplified in a few words, but if I raged on with these we'll be here all day.

That's about that fellas. Thanks for reading what really grinds my gears.

 

[Murdergurl]

Korean roleplay. Typically it only has Korean characters and is set in South Korea.

I haven't seen them here as much but krp is usually roleplays that are themed in Korea but usually the minimum is requiring only Korean face claims.

Like, i get it if the roleplay is set in a country and s period piece or is generally expected to have characters generated from the countries indigenous peoples. And if the RP outright requires it... well that's the prerogative of the person proffering up the RP. But would people get upset id it was any other ethnic group? Like, what if the RP only allowed faceclaims of Caucasian people, or Black people, or Hispanic, etc. etc. I'm just saying that it's kinda borderline racist. I'm not saying it IS racist, but it definitely walks a line.

As far as using photographs for faceclaims, I usually don't. But that's not because I'm opposed to it. I art-bash a lot (if not all) of the art I find, so that I can customize it to what I want for my OC. And it's a lot easier to modify artwork than photographs, as they are much more forgiving when adding in tattoos and scars, changing eye and hair color, etc.

I don't enjoy anime/cartoon face claims for similar "ick" feelings. (art credit, conflicting styles, etc)

Definitely a conflict of artistic style with me. I really dislike most anime art. Like, the most an image will sometimes be very well done and detailed and everything, and then you get to the face and it's these crappy, cheap eyes and mouth and a literal checkmark for a nose. Wtf is up with that? I mean, I get that everyone has their personal tastes, and anime is VERY popular nowadays. But I've just never been able to get behind it. The faces are such a cop-out. When I used to host group RPs, one of my requisites for submitted character sheets was "no anime art".

I think the general consensus behind the "ick" of using IRL faceclaims is simply the knowledge that said faceclaims are of actual people walking the earth, and my troglodyte brain will refuse to acknowledge your character as anything but whoever that person is most famous for portraying in media. Same goes for if you use an anime character I recognize; that's why I prefer using original artwork instead.

I'm not too fond of using celebrities or obviously popular models. But I'm all for using facelaims of some relatively low-key person (maybe a cosplayer or a not-so-well known model, etc.) for a faceclaim because they will likely have at least a handful of photos that I might be able to use when making a character sheet. Like I dais in the response above, I don't do it often for artistic reasons. But every now and again it just "fits". So, I go with it.

And as a side note, a lot of anime characters look the same to me. Like, if you dressed them all in a uniform jumpsuit, i wouldn't be able to tell one from another. And since we are talking about the character and not their attire (and a faceclaim could reasonably just be a closeup from the shoulders up), then most of them really are not distinguishable from one another in that regard.

 

[StrixDesmodus]

For me, the main thing is roleplays that completely lack fantasy and sci-fi elements. I have a good number of qualms about rps that are supposed to be set in the real, modern world. Like, first is that I use roleplay to mess around with worldbuilding. Obviously you can't really do that if the world is already built, and it's one you can reasonably know everything the other person knows about it. Second, the line between fiction and reality tends to blur in genres like that; I get paranoid about being seen as injecting myself into my characters too much, even for characters that are supposed to be unlike myself.

Also, 1x1s in general. I don't like having to pull an even half of an rp or more out of a hat, and I don't want to expect anybody else to do it either. Having only two roleplayers, even when there are more than two characters, is kind of awkward and clunky for me to write.

 

[Murdergurl]

For me, the main thing is roleplays that completely lack fantasy and sci-fi elements. I have a good number of qualms about rps that are supposed to be set in the real, modern world. Like, first is that I use roleplay to mess around with worldbuilding. Obviously you can't really do that if the world is already built, and it's one you can reasonably know everything the other person knows about it. Second, the line between fiction and reality tends to blur in genres like that; I get paranoid about being seen as injecting myself into my characters too much, even for characters that are supposed to be unlike myself.

Also, 1x1s in general. I don't like having to pull an even half of an rp or more out of a hat, and I don't want to expect anybody else to do it either. Having only two roleplayers, even when there are more than two characters, is kind of awkward and clunky for me to write.

^ I echo this sentiment to a T. Well, almost. I dont worry about self-inserts. I'm actually quite boring, and I try to write out my character to be anything but. lol

But everything else, I completely resonate with 100%

 

[StrixDesmodus]

Another thing I forgot to add: Length quotas and the expectation of minimum effort levels. Normally I can work around quotas, and the other rpers are lenient for when I can't, but I've had some major problems with people getting mean about it in the past and as a result I balk at the sight of a quota and flinch when someone complains about "low effort roleplayers," always either nebulousy defined, or a pigeonholing stereotype of people who make shorter posts. Honestly, I have no idea how anybody who confidently equates length to effort to quality to enjoyability at such a rigid rate as some of the people I've come across can actually, well, have fun. People who truly are interested and inspired for roleplay will contribute to the best of their ability, and it shouldn't be made into drudgery. Like, obviously if all you get is half-liners it can be frustrating, but not liking the most extreme cases of brevity in roleplaying does not obligate you to plaster a veritable "no novices, casual participants, or (many types of) neurodivergent people need apply" sign in every interest check.

 

[weldherwings]

Like, i get it if the roleplay is set in a country and s period piece or is generally expected to have characters generated from the countries indigenous peoples. And if the RP outright requires it... well that's the prerogative of the person proffering up the RP. But would people get upset id it was any other ethnic group? Like, what if the RP only allowed faceclaims of Caucasian people, or Black people, or Hispanic, etc. etc. I'm just saying that it's kinda borderline racist. I'm not saying it IS racist, but it definitely walks a line.

I can’t speak on behalf of all krpers, but personally, when I do krps, it’s more that they’re inspired by or resemble a kdrama/movie - specifically the fluff, the comedy, the over dramatic scenes, the waits until the tenth episode before they hold hands kind of stuff. Often in Korean films and shows, you’ll find that they’ll centre their stories and characters around their target audiences. In the past, foreigners have been used in shows and movies, but never as leads more like supporting casts or extras - and often it’s for comic relief. I think the first time i had ever seen a foreigner used as a main cast was for Itaewon Class, which is based in the area of Seoul called Itaewon; a super popular area for foreigners.

Now in South Korea, there has always been discrimination towards foreigners. In fact, some establishments go as far to putting “no foreigners allowed” on their shop fronts. Schools are uneducated about other cultures which often leads to cultural appropriation. There is no denying the tension between ethnic groups in Korea. However, personally, when I run krps, I try to encourage a range of ethnicities and diversities. I’d rather roleplay set in the “real Korea” (setting, events, current affairs, social hierarchies etc) rather than romanticising everything about it because, honestly, it’s not a perfect country. Far from it.

I also have to agree the use of real life (actual) people in role plays gives me the ick. Especially pairing real life people with other real life people. I recently stumbled upon a friends watt pad and instantly regretted it; she had paired two singers from a Kpop band (who are really good best friends) together in her stories (she had multiple stories). I just think about what would those people think if they stumbled upon these stories? The Try Guys actually did a video where they found fanfic about them online and then made re-enactments of them which was just the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.

 

[AstroBeans]

I got several things actually if that is okay with y'all. So buckle up!

- Omega/Alpha. Pretty self-explanatory. I try to avoid that trope as much as possible

- Romanticizing toxic relationships, like no.

- Not really a nope but a small irritation. And that is glamouring bad habits like smoking and drinking. I don’t mind if the character smokes or drinks but it gets a bit on my nerves when the habit is glamorized without the consequences of that habit. Where is the smoker’s cough or the hangover the next day? I don’t smoke personally but I have several family members that do. And when the recovery is quick and easy.

- Relationship Harassers
Noun
People who harass other role players for ships or relationships even when rejected.

 

[nerdy tangents]

AstroBeans for your second to last one I would pay cash money these people have no IRL experience with whatever their writing and are going entirely by pop culture references.

1. Cuz as you mentioned the activities aren’t actually that glamorous IRL.

2. It’s a literary short hand for a certain type of character (although it’s a very age specific one.) I don’t think smoking for instance is that popular as a “bad boy” “edgy” character trait in contemporary media.

I used to see that for things like drive by shootings or living in poor neighborhoods.

It was real easy to see who actually had experience with those things and who was going off genre movies/books/tV.

 

[AstroBeans]

Thank you for understanding, nerdy tangents though I only know the side effects of the activities from observation and research. Other than my smoking relatives, my visual source is the show Bojack Horseman.

 

[.MAELSTROM.]

I don’t mind if the character smokes or drinks but it gets a bit on my nerves when the habit is glamorized without the consequences of that habit. Where is the smoker’s cough or the hangover the next day? I don’t smoke personally but I have several family members that do. And when the recovery is quick and easy.

Yeah, I'm not sure why so many people ignore these. I mean, I've got the one setting in Japan where smoking is much more common, so a lot of my cast smokes...and a result, always smell like cheap cigarettes, have varying degrees of smoker coughs, and suspiciously disappear to take five minute smoke breaks every ten minutes.

The drinking one is a lot funnier because you can tell the writers who have never drank. No, hunny. After seven tequila shots your character is probably going to be finding salvation in the floor and exiting this realm of existence, not getting up to start a flawless bar fight.

 

[Ashxn]

A lot of people already touched on mine (Omega/Alpha, writing as real life people themselves, entirely slice of life, etc.) though I think another one I'd like to add is writing exclusively romance. I don't mind it appearing, of course, but like entirely slice of life, I feel like it'd get boring very quickly. I'd personally want it to appear in the backdrop of something bigger, such as an overarching plot or unique world setting, but maybe that's just me.

 

[AstroBeans]

The drinking one is a lot funnier because you can tell the writers who have never drank. No, hunny. After seven tequila shots your character is probably going to be finding salvation in the floor and exiting this realm of existence, not getting up to start a flawless bar fight.

Ah yes, the drinking. Even if the character is a heavy drinker, they are going to be mildly buzzed or drunk at least. Like my character, Jolene, says, “The best place to get drunk is at home.”

Plus bars can be dangerous.

 

[AstroBeans]

A lot of people already touched on mine (Omega/Alpha, writing as real life people themselves, entirely slice of life, etc.) though I think another one I'd like to add is writing exclusively romance. I don't mind it appearing, of course, but like entirely slice of life, I feel like it'd get boring very quickly. I'd personally want it to appear in the backdrop of something bigger, such as an overarching plot or unique world setting, but maybe that's just me.

I feel that. I like role playing romance as a addition to the experience, not the main focus despite ironically being a huge romance genre fan.

 

[Murdergurl]

I got several things actually if that is okay with y'all. So buckle up!

- Omega/Alpha. Pretty self-explanatory. I try to avoid that trope as much as possible

Umm.... not self-explanatory at all, actually. Alpha and Omega makes me think of the Christian proverb.
Revelations 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty"

Is this a take on Christian roleplaying?

 

[Shawdios]

Umm.... not self-explanatory at all, actually. Alpha and Omega makes me think of the Christian proverb.
Revelations 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty"

Is this a take on Christian roleplaying?

No, it’s a social dynamic that’s based on “Wolf hierarchy” (along with others, I haven’t done a lot of research into it’s orgins) and is used mainly for sexual RPs. There is a lot of stigma around it as well. (Rightfully so in my opinion)

I mean no offense to those who write it, but it’s just not a comfy thing for me to hear about.

 

[Malphaestus]

Fandoms, in and of themselves, and why people are so devoted to them.