Other Is there anyone here who doesn't rp anymore?

[Murdergurl]

This is precisely the sort of thing I mean. That kind of attempt at diversity just ruins the story. Out of curiosity which series was it?

shit I don't remember the name specifically. it was on netflix. something space-y. Hold on... gonna look it up, see if I can remember which one it was...

 

[Jannah]

shit I don't remember the name specifically. it was on netflix. something space-y. Hold on... gonna look it up, see if I can remember which one it was...

It being on Netflix doesn't surprise me. They do a lot of that forced diversity stuff in their original content.

Again, for anyone reading this I am not opposed to increased diversity in entertainment media. I just don't want it to be of the pandering sort.

 

[Murdergurl]

It being on Netflix doesn't surprise me. They do a lot of that forced diversity stuff in their original content.

I noticed. lol

 

[nerdy tangents]

I mean the internet is forever and I wouldn’t put it past younger kids to like your fandoms as well if you were open to explaining them.

That’s what I meant about fandoms versus age. A fandom is open to anyone who is introduced to the source material.

As someone who has pretty niche interests (mostly books) I literally just describe the series. I have actually gotten multiple people on this site to like my fandoms as well.

Usually by being like “so this idea is based on this awesome series that I will talk about for the next week.”

I don’t call myself nerdy tangents for nothing.

I think people respond to enthusiasm when it comes to new (to them) ideas. So even if they may not know the source material there is nothing to say they won’t be excited to learn about it if you are excited to share the information.

 

[Murdergurl]

I mean the internet is forever and I wouldn’t put it past younger kids to like your fandoms as well if you were open to explaining them.

That’s what I meant about fandoms versus age. A fandom is open to anyone who is introduced to the source material.

As someone who has pretty niche interests (mostly books) I literally just describe the series. I have actually gotten multiple people on this site to like my fandoms as well.

Usually by being like “so this idea is based on this awesome series that I will talk about for the next week.”

I don’t call myself nerdy tangents for nothing.

I think people respond to enthusiasm when it comes to new (to them) ideas. So even if they may not know the source material there is nothing to say they won’t be excited to learn about it if you are excited to share the information.

I typically don't RP in fandoms very often. I'm not against it, per se. But I'd rather do original content if at all possible. This circumvents the whole needing to know a fandom. For example, if I wanted to do a Conan the Barbarian RP. I would not necessarilly do it as the actual fandom. I'd just make an analog to it, keeping the general gist of it and elaborating on the parts that would be central to the RP setting. But this is me. And since I don't run (GM) roleplays anymore, I basically have to hope someone does the same, or actually does a fandom RP of it. And to that, I have yet to see happen here since I joined.

So if I'm searching for RPs, and the vast majority of the people putting out recruitment ads are not even familiar with the stuff I'm into (because it simply precedes them), then it definitely becomes an obstacle. Ten to fifteen years ago, I was much more likely to find the settings I want to participate in. But now, the common settings/genres I see everywhere are just not my thing.

Yes, I could always run my own RP. That would bring back to creating the scenario I just mentioned. But GMing an RP is not something I want to do, and is another conversation entirely (Though, my unwillingness to GM definitely DOES factor into why I don't RP anymore).

 

[nerdy tangents]

Murdergurl
My point is you are kinda cutting off your nose and then complaining about how difficult it is to find a tissue.

It’s not because tissues are hard to find. It’s your going out of your way to make the process hard on yourself.

So why I keep harping on this is because I don’t want other people getting into the same bad habit of just saying “Well I am old/ I like niche things, so I guess I might as well not bother trying to find a roleplay anymore.”

You get out of this hobby what you put in. If you are willing to have patience, step outside your comfort zone, and just be open minded you can keep roleplaying as long as you want.

 

[Murdergurl]

i get what youre saying. Maybe I'm not too old. It's just a conclusion I guess I fell into. But if not that, then its something else. And I have yet to really figure out what the problem is.

 

[Crayons]

I'm aware that you weren't speaking to me, specifically. But I like the conversation, and I'm not doing much else on the site atm. lol

Yes, within my own age group, my interests are quite niche. In fact, I think the whole superhero genre was actually aimed more at my demographic than it was to kids. At least, initially it was. Guys in my age group went to theatre all giddy with excitement to see the heroes of their day. Kids didn't even know who (insert character X) is was until they watched the film. No real draw for them. But that's the franchise cultivating a new generation of consumers, using nostalgia as the bait for the parents with the aim of hooking the kids. But I digress...

The interests I DO have are much, MUCH less likely to occur in a younger age group. For instance, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs or Conan the Barbarian. The former was most popular as an arcade game, but saw a short life as a Saturday morning cartoon that was cancelled in the mid-90s. Conan the Barbarian was a lot more popular, and saw its peak in the early 80s with the Schwarzeneggar films. However, I also have books and comics from this franchise as well. Either way, these are both very dated fandoms that don't really have much interest by a younger crowd. I used to be on some Conan the Barbarian groups on FB. And 90% of the other members were men over 30. I was actually kind of the oddball, being a gal. But that's another story.

Anyhow, my point being is that age definitely is a factor, niche or not. I suppose if someone has broad and popular interests, it's less of an issue. But if the interests of an individual are tied more to fandoms of decades past, the people that have those same interests tend to be older.



There was a pirate series that I had been watching for a little bit. It was pretty good. One of the main characters had a past riddled in mystery, and eventually you find out that he had a gay affair with a prominent officer (or something like that). It actually made sense for the plot, and the surrounding events that were uncovered and hidden from the other characters (and the viewers) were pivotal to the story.

Juxtaposed to this, I had attempted to watch some sci-fi series recently. All the cast of the crew were an obviously hand-picked diversification. Needlessly. It's like they had a list of minority groups that they went and checked off when making the cast. It's obvious pandering. They had blatant in-your-face homosexuality and transexual characters done in a gross cliche... which had absolutely nothing to do with the story. This crew of officers was completely unbelievable because of their flagrant disregard of professionalism. I don't like it when movies/series just insert sexuality (of ANY denomination) for no reason at all. The series seemed more driven to horny teenagers hung up on their personal identities, and less focused on the character roles for the plot. It was stupid beyond repair. I didn't bother watching a second episode.

Explain to me why you think gay/trans characters should only be gay/trans if it's relevant to the story? Gay people are gay doing normal things that don't require them to be gay or rely on being gay. Same with trans folk. Yes, it impacts their life but it isn't the entire focus of their life all the time.

No one ever asked how being a cis straight white dude is relevant to the plot, because it isn't.

 

[Onmyoji]

While the issues with popular media is certainly an interesting topic to discuss, it is not directly relevant to roleplay discussion and I'd advise you to start a separate thread if you wish to continue the topic.

 

[Murdergurl]

Explain to me why you think gay/trans characters should only be gay/trans if it's relevant to the story? Gay people are gay doing normal things that don't require them to be gay or rely on being gay. Same with trans folk. Yes, it impacts their life but it isn't the entire focus of their life all the time.

No one ever asked how being a cis straight white dude is relevant to the plot, because it isn't.

I think you misunderstood what I meant. I had actually tried to write in a further explanation of cis straight etc. not having to showcase their orientation because it isn't relevant. But I couldn't get the wording right. So I guess I'll take this opportunity to reiterate.

When a character is cis gendered/straight/etc. in any given show, they are just that. In fact, it is more commonly just an unspoken assumption on the part of the viewer until some passing comment or nod to their orientation is given. And that's it. No one is even really thinking about it, because it doesn't matter. If nothing ever came up, no one would have noticed. There is no need to make a big show about it. However, I've noticed in a lot of these series (and sometimes movies, but not as often) that they make this big ol' parade of someone's sexual orientation if they are LGBT+, and it's kind of annoying. I'm like, okay, I get it. You're the token Alphabet character. Can we get back to the story?

To take what you said into the context of this: "Gay people are gay doing normal things that don't require them to be gay or rely on being gay. Same with trans folk."
Exactly my point. Unless the story is hanging on the event of them being of a differing orientation, why do we have this need to showcase it? Which (before anyone mentions it) I feel the same even towards straight cis characters. Useless erotic scenes are exactly that: useless. And I feel that the inclusion of 90% of these scenes in entertainment are just for padding and sex appeal.

In other words: Unless it pertains to the story, all the characters could essentially be Schrödinger's cat in terms of their orientation.

 

[Murdergurl]

While the issues with popular media is certainly an interesting topic to discuss, it is not directly relevant to roleplay discussion and I'd advise you to start a separate thread if you wish to continue the topic.

noted. I wasn't intending for this to continue.