Types of role plays and things role players do that annoy you

[Ammy]

Please don't take a group roleplay and hijack it for your personal 1x1 romance. Please. Stop already. I'm not a great writer and I don't have the energy to even challenge this any longer since it's everywhere but you can just as easily take this to the 1x1 forums or a private message. It adds nothing to the story and is honestly kind of frustrating for the others. Nobody is going to sue you and/or send a strike force to your home for taking those characters and that setting for personal entertainment so long as you don't claim what isn't yours.


Going off of the previous point; please don't post forty pages in which nothing happens in a single day. These aren't roleplays that would normally be classified as simple either, it's usually just a side effect of my last complaint. I'm not so self-absorbed as to think the world revolves around my schedule but if you are interacting with anyone at any given point in time then you need to put some more consideration into these things than none at all. I work full time with mandatory OT in addition to being a full time student. I haven't actually had a day off in a month and a half as of the end of this week. Even when I can write I'm damn tired at least eighty percent of the time. So no, I'm not reading through all that. It's not that great. Just calm down and wait on everyone else.


</SaltSaltSalt>

 

[A Bumbling Neon Bee]

Glitzy/abitrary BB code formats strike me as "Hey, look at me! I like the color daffodil and yea why don't you click through this brochure?" Just give me the nuts and bolts of it and I'm good.

This is also true. I am guilty of flowering up my posts; bc one it can help grab peoples attention , and bc it looks cool, but when there's this extravagant post layout with just the one paragraph in it, it's like picking up a book with a beautiful cover then realizing the plots pretty blah.


Plus...although my posts tend to look relatively 'fancy', they're actually made up of a rather simple code. So on the other side of the coin...there are always those who immediately back off, because they're worried I'll be 'elite' or expect them to spend 5 hours making a layout. No, my friend, I do this for myself- really, as long as they use reasonably sized text, I'm not that fussed by it.


It's best to treat it like makeup...optional, nice to have, but it doesn't change what really matters about the person wearing it.

 

[beelzebub]

Generally, there aren't any types of roleplays that really bothers me.


However, there are some things that roleplayers do that does get really annoying. Back on gaia, it was not uncommon for rpers to rip character designs and ideas off of one another and then claim it as their own.


Another thing that bothers me is when rpers take things personally. If my character doesn't like yours, this does not reflect how I feel about you in the slightest!


But, that's all that I can really think of for now, hehe.

 

[GoodJobDino]

RPs and characters that are the lowest hanging fruit really bother me. Like whatever is hip gets turbo copied. This includes but is not limited to: vampires, werewolves/lycans, angsty loners. The zombie and post apocalypse lines are becoming rudimentary and dull with needless repetition. I understand of course that this is an opportunity to live fantasies etc., but then live YOUR fantasy, not just copying someone elses. Even if you do vamp, or etc., can't you even put a personal twist on it at least?


Also, controlling two characters simultaneously without properly distinguishing in your post which is doing what.

 

[Etihw]

I'll keep it simple. In truth I have only gm-ed a group roleplay, two years back, but looking back there were always things that I should never have tolerated. As I am now, I know better.

1. Godmoding
   
2. Autohitting
   
3. Aggressive romantic advances towards a character of mine that is explicitly not of that orientation, or for that matter, interested
   
4. Drama in OOC
   
5. Players who expect me to hold their hand the entire time or to do anything they ask of me when I have the rules and info neatly laid out in the correct places.
   

 

[A Bumbling Neon Bee]

RPs and characters that are the lowest hanging fruit really bother me. Like whatever is hip gets turbo copied. This includes but is not limited to: vampires, werewolves/lycans, angsty loners. The zombie and post apocalypse lines are becoming rudimentary and dull with needless repetition. I understand of course that this is an opportunity to live fantasies etc., but then live YOUR fantasy, not just copying someone elses. Even if you do vamp, or etc., can't you even put a personal twist on it at least?
Also, controlling two characters simultaneously without properly distinguishing in your post which is doing what.

True that, although there are a few cliches I'm partial to (namely fairy-tale romances bc I'm a softy).


That being said though I like to see it is a challenge to turn a 'cliche' character type into something interesting. It makes you think of new spins on something over-done, and honestly sometimes you can have that one awesome idea which turns it into something cool. Just a thought.

 

[A Bumbling Neon Bee]

Also agree with Ammy. Sometimes it's nice to elaborate on pointless details or events, as it can be quite fun but you need to know when to skip ahead and save all the fancy writing for the scenes that require description to set the mood, like an introduction to a character or a place.

 

[GoodJobDino]

So... I have to add to my peeves list: Attempting to interact with someone (especially when they start the interaction) who only writes 3-4 lines of vague text.

 

[Demonhunter]

This one makes me scream.


when a character is in the middle of character development. A struggle meant to mold them into somone diffrent, and somone magics away the plot. people having characters that know information they arent supposed to know yet b/c they werent around when the info was revealed.

 

[call me rae]

This one makes me scream.
when a character is in the middle of character development. A struggle meant to mold them into somone diffrent, and somone magics away the plot. people having characters that know information they arent supposed to know yet b/c they werent around when the info was revealed.

Related to this is an issue that makes me headdesk so hard in Superhero/Magic roleplays. When people somehow confuse a power set with a personality/character. Ex. My character is a hero who can shoot lasers out of their eyes, travel through time, and is invincible.


( assuming such OPness is allowed )


Okay what's your characters name, their personality, what are their strengths and weaknesses?


..... idk.....


*head meet desk* Like people get so caught up in making their character the most awesome thing since Superman that they forget to write an actual character and just make a series of interesting/overpowered/ridiculous abilities. And then they use said power set to nerf the whole plot.


Like, awesome, thanks for that.


I usually just proceed anyway and act as if the nerfing of the plot didn't happen. Like whatever Character Powerset had a psychotic break and thought they broke the world. We'll leave them in their little corner and get on with the story.

 

[Demonhunter]

Related to this is an issue that makes me headdesk so hard in Superhero/Magic roleplays. When people somehow confuse a power set with a personality/character. Ex. My character is a hero who can shoot lasers out of their eyes, travel through time, and is invincible.
( assuming such OPness is allowed )


Okay what's your characters name, their personality, what are their strengths and weaknesses?


..... idk.....


*head meet desk* Like people get so caught up in making their character the most awesome thing since Superman that they forget to write an actual character and just make a series of interesting/overpowered/ridiculous abilities. And then they use said power set to nerf the whole plot.


Like, awesome, thanks for that.


I usually just proceed anyway and act as if the nerfing of the plot didn't happen. Like whatever Character Powerset had a psychotic break and thought they broke the world. We'll leave them in their little corner and get on with the story.

can i like this multiple times over!?!? I make alot of developing abilities that have to be 'turned on' through the plot. such struggles are what turns them on or off. having somone nerf th plot is SUCH the pain because they just stumped off character development both personality wise AND ability wise.

 

[call me rae]

Omg man I have such a tirade to go on today. So new thing that just burns my buttons big time. Is when people try to shoehorn violence into roleplays and call it conflict.


Like I was trying to do a slice of life and this person is like that's too mundane so let's have our school age children be hunted down by armed people. It's a magic rp right so witch hunters are going to come do the school and attack the kids and that was supposed to be conflict.


I'm like fuck no. It didn't fit the plot. It didn't fit the universe. And for that matter it was just meaningless violence for the sake of violence. All because they didn't think just going to magical school would be interesting.

 

[ApfelSeine]

Omg man I have such a tirade to go on today. So new thing that just burns my buttons big time. Is when people try to shoehorn violence into roleplays and call it conflict.
Like I was trying to do a slice of life and this person is like that's too mundane so let's have our school age children be hunted down by armed people. It's a magic rp right so witch hunters are going to come do the school and attack the kids and that was supposed to be conflict.


I'm like fuck no. It didn't fit the plot. It didn't fit the universe. And for that matter it was just meaningless violence for the sake of violence. All because they didn't think just going to magical school would be interesting.

This is definitely something that can be quite annoying to deal with. I think it is difficult for some people to understand not not everything fits within a particular story. And for that matter, not every kind of plot development is enjoyable to everyone.


It can be particularly irritating for someone to hijack the plot of an rp when you are the one in charge of it. Suggestions are one thing, but if a person wants to take control they should make their own separate rp. To be unsatisfied with the plotline should not mean that it is acceptable to try to muck about with things that everyone else is perfectly content with.


If there are alterations to a plot, everyone needs to be on board with them. To suddenly introduce an element to the story that people do not like or cannot follow can feel jarring and is very inconsiderate.

 

[call me rae]

This is definitely something that can be quite annoying to deal with. I think it is difficult for some people to understand not not everything fits within a particular story. And for that matter, not every kind of plot development is enjoyable to everyone.
It can be particularly irritating for someone to hijack the plot of an rp when you are the one in charge of it. Suggestions are one thing, but if a person wants to take control they should make their own separate rp. To be unsatisfied with the plotline should not mean that it is acceptable to try to muck about with things that everyone else is perfectly content with.


If there are alterations to a plot, everyone needs to be on board with them. To suddenly introduce an element to the story that people do not like or cannot follow can feel jarring and is very inconsiderate.

Exactly. I was telling a friend of mine like I don't mind plot twists. I enjoy them in fact. But what I don't appreciate is when someone just posts something that alters the plot without consulting me first. Because then it's like : one I don't know what is going on so how am I supposed to respond? two it's kind of rude to hijack a story like that without at least giving a heads up.

 

[Queen Mei]

I hate it when people don't vary their sentence structure. Ever. "He picked her up. He smiled at her. He said..." Blah blah blah. It gets so monotonous and I think it's a very common thing. There are no juicy adjectives to make a nice burger, so to speak. It's just dry, boring, and frustrating. Nails on a chalkboard? Doesn't bother me. However, THIS paragraph structure does.

 

[soches]

Usually when it seems that I'm the only one who's really putting forth any new ideas to the plot. Don't leave me to make all the decisions about something we both wanted to do. Join in and talk with me please, I can't stand it when it seems like I'm the only one making the rp work. Please leave if you're not interested.

 

[Muffinboi]

I'm not sure if I put this here before, but age ranges with no justification. For example, all characters must be between 14-18. It's fine in say, a highschool RP or something among the lines of that, but it usually doesn't make sense besides that.

 

[Corrosion]

1. Bad grammar


2. Terrible spelling


3. spek lik dis


5. Don't make the letter 'I' a capital when used as a word


4. People who confuse 'their', 'they're', and 'there'


That's all, really. I don't really mind, as long as it's infrequent.

 

[sharkradio]

• people who hate one-liners. wtf? if you can write, you can write. you don't need a paragraph of nonsense about the dust on the wall to convey an idea. people rapid-fire dialogue. it happens. it sacrifices the narrative and story when you're worried about delivering a two paragraph-long tag each time. insta-pass.
  
• nitpickers. again, dude. you can't fake talent. your partner has to have a quality or character that you find compelling and you just can't manufacture chemistry. all this bullshit about what does and does not constitute a correct way to roleplay (which is so subjective anyway) just comes across as super immature.
  
• people who can't play their characters. hard to describe, but, generally, people who set their characters up a certain way and then can't follow-through, or who don't understand the logical implications of the character they're playing. you see this a lot with angsty or 'professional occupation' characters, mostly due to the fact that people are writing what they don't know. take or leave, really. depends how far off the beaten path they are. some of these characters are hella annoying, though.
  
• people who are afraid to explore their characters. a compelling character to me is someone built from their flaws. why are they the way they are? some people are genuinely good and nice but even that can be and does get twisted. people who are afraid to explore different types of characters. non-dynamic characters.
  
• general hard-limits of any kind. more a personal thing. people who are all, no godmoding ever no this no that who just don't appear to understand the give-and-take of narrative flow. no mary-sues ever! who don't understand that anything can be useful as long as it's well-executed. i'm just the type of person who, when i see someone say, i won't do something, well i guess i won't roleplay with you. life is messy and ugly and disgusting and brilliant and as a writer i want to explore all of it.
  
• people who can't write smut. this is more of an american idol auditions thing. you know, those people who think they can sing really well, but they're actually tone deaf? nothing like two pages of the most cringe-worthy, misogynistic nonsense this side of alec baldwin to send you running in the opposite direction.
  
• self-important admin bullshit. you see this a lot in places like obsidian fleet. "three strikes and you're out! you must tag every 2 days! no one liners! if you have an issue please contact fleet JAG to file an appeal! sincerely, ADMIRAL JOHNSON." uh. do this planet a favor and remove yourself from it, admiral fart muffin.
  

 

[An Unknown Person]

• Age Limits (Ex: 8-19) always annoyed me...because... really? Why the heck can't we be a 40s male in a freaking zombie apocalypse? Why? "because the "virus" only infected them", I call it BULLSHT!
  

• "Special snowflake" characters: Oh... so your char have eyes that change color with his/her mood... tell me why that happens... "Ummm... idk"
  

• Extremely horrible grammar (especially when the person is an American him/herself): Like... really... I just don't even know what to say...
  

 

[Tryss]

I only have a few really big pet peeves.

• Players that RP in present tense or first person. I absolutely can not handle this. It makes me want to reach through the computer and slap them.
  
• People who know that they are unable to keep up with a detailed RP joining it anyway, and only supplying 3-4 paragraph posts at maximum. I cannot handle this. Not in the least. If I give you a beautifully written 50 paragraph response, you'd better as hell be giving me upwards of 7 in return. Especially if it's a 1x1. This isn't to say that I'll only RP detailed. I have a few people on here that I talk to, who have taken a liking to one or more of my characters, and would like to explore their characters further while getting to know mine. They happen to be unable, for whatever reason to write more than just a few paragraphs per post. Fine. Let me know ahead of time. I'll do what I can to keep my posts below 5 paragraphs, and we'll do a casual RP. That's perfectly fine.
  
• My biggest pet peeve, however is how some people classify themselves as 'detailed' writers, and join exclusively detailed RPs, thinking that a constant submission of 4-6 paragraph posts is more than enough. Perhaps I write more than most people, but 90% of my posts, when done in a detailed setting, are between 15-25 paragraphs. My average post is about 1,500 words long. Of course, that excludes starters, which usually run around the 40-55 paragraph range. I'm of the opinion that if you're in a detailed RP, you should be able to write a minimum of 10 paragraphs per post. Of course there are always going to be times that there are exceptions, but for the most part, I like to think 10 is a pretty good standard.
  

 

[SpookySableye]

@Tryss


I know what you mean with the 1st person thing. It's even worse when everyone was clearly writing in 3rd person previously, and then two pages later, you have that one guy/girl writing 1st person. I swear, whenever that happens, I just want to facepalm so badly.

 

[Tryss]

@Tryss
I know what you mean with the 1st person thing. It's even worse when everyone was clearly writing in 3rd person previously, and then two pages later, you have that one guy/girl writing 1st person. I swear, whenever that happens, I just want to facepalm so badly.

Yaaaasssss.


It bothers the shit out of me.

 

[ApfelSeine]

I only have a few really big pet peeves.

• Players that RP in present tense or first person. I absolutely can not handle this. It makes me want to reach through the computer and slap them.
  
• People who know that they are unable to keep up with a detailed RP joining it anyway, and only supplying 3-4 paragraph posts at maximum. I cannot handle this. Not in the least. If I give you a beautifully written 50 paragraph response, you'd better as hell be giving me upwards of 7 in return. Especially if it's a 1x1. This isn't to say that I'll only RP detailed. I have a few people on here that I talk to, who have taken a liking to one or more of my characters, and would like to explore their characters further while getting to know mine. They happen to be unable, for whatever reason to write more than just a few paragraphs per post. Fine. Let me know ahead of time. I'll do what I can to keep my posts below 5 paragraphs, and we'll do a casual RP. That's perfectly fine.
  
• My biggest pet peeve, however is how some people classify themselves as 'detailed' writers, and join exclusively detailed RPs, thinking that a constant submission of 4-6 paragraph posts is more than enough. Perhaps I write more than most people, but 90% of my posts, when done in a detailed setting, are between 15-25 paragraphs. My average post is about 1,500 words long. Of course, that excludes starters, which usually run around the 40-55 paragraph range. I'm of the opinion that if you're in a detailed RP, you should be able to write a minimum of 10 paragraphs per post. Of course there are always going to be times that there are exceptions, but for the most part, I like to think 10 is a pretty good standard.
  

I can appreciate not using first person and writing a lot but... how on earth can you average up to 25 paragraphs and keep the action going? (Not saying that it's impossible, just surprising.) Even in a one on one, isn't the purpose to be somewhat interactive? I can't really see how that is feasible to go on at such length unless one's character is by themselves. I can definitely see how it's enjoyable to be lengthy and descriptive, and my own comfort zone is usually a three paragraph minimum. But when there are multiple characters who are intended to interact with each other, it will slow down the action if more is asked of them than their reaction and thoughts about what has occurred. I can't really see how one can even write so extensively unless they are either 1) primarily interacting with themselves, or 2) using multiple characters. Nothing is really wrong with writing a lot, and it's generally preferable to a single paragraph of little thought, but it has been said that brevity is the soul of wit. If a person can say in 5 paragraphs what can typically be said in 15, the length shouldn't act against them.


Detailed rps are very enjoyable because of the depth the roleplaying goes into a character's thoughts. It is my own opinion however, that rather than judging effort upon how much a person has written in a response, a better judge of effort is into how much they have actually retained from what they read. For instance, I was in an rp where someone got my character's name and location wrong, and it was only three paragraphs. In contrast to that, I've been in rps where people will remember things I said a month ago. When people are involved and engaged with each other, flowery monologues are less useful. That said, if a person doesn't bother to read said flowery monologue, that doesn't reflect well on them, even if they post a lengthy response. Additionally, if a person makes no effort to engage with another person, then it's no wonder when they can go on at length because they aren't actually restricted by waiting for another person to respond. But if characters don't interact, you may as well be doing a character by character study. It's a difficult balance of what is fun and what is manageable.


I've noticed that a lot of people will bash long and detailed posts, while others can't see the purpose of the minimalistic one liners. Both have their strengths and limitations, which is why I position myself somewhere in the middle, or attempt to be adaptable to either style. Even the middle has it's limitations however, since that means I end up being frustrated by both extremes. I suppose in the end it doesn't do to be frustrated. Being open minded is beneficial, and leads to less prejudice based upon response length. I've seen some beautiful characterization come out of one line, rapid fire dialogue. I've also seen some engaging and action filled detailed rps. This is in contrast to what I consider the strengths and limitations of both styles to be. So overall, the most important thing is whether or not people are actually interested in engaging with you - at whatever length is the best compromise.

 

[Tryss]

I can appreciate not using first person and writing a lot but... how on earth can you average up to 25 paragraphs and keep the action going? (Not saying that it's impossible, just surprising.) Even in a one on one, isn't the purpose to be somewhat interactive? I can't really see how that is feasible to go on at such length unless one's character is by themselves. I can definitely see how it's enjoyable to be lengthy and descriptive, and my own comfort zone is usually a three paragraph minimum. But when there are multiple characters who are intended to interact with each other, it will slow down the action if more is asked of them than their reaction and thoughts about what has occurred. I can't really see how one can even write so extensively unless they are either 1) primarily interacting with themselves, or 2) using multiple characters. Nothing is really wrong with writing a lot, and it's generally preferable to a single paragraph of little thought, but it has been said that brevity is the soul of wit. If a person can say in 5 paragraphs what can typically be said in 15, the length shouldn't act against them.
Detailed rps are very enjoyable because of the depth the roleplaying goes into a character's thoughts. It is my own opinion however, that rather than judging effort upon how much a person has written in a response, a better judge of effort is into how much they have actually retained from what they read. For instance, I was in an rp where someone got my character's name and location wrong, and it was only three paragraphs. In contrast to that, I've been in rps where people will remember things I said a month ago. When people are involved and engaged with each other, flowery monologues are less useful. That said, if a person doesn't bother to read said flowery monologue, that doesn't reflect well on them, even if they post a lengthy response. Additionally, if a person makes no effort to engage with another person, then it's no wonder when they can go on at length because they aren't actually restricted by waiting for another person to respond. But if characters don't interact, you may as well be doing a character by character study. It's a difficult balance of what is fun and what is manageable.


I've noticed that a lot of people will bash long and detailed posts, while others can't see the purpose of the minimalistic one liners. Both have their strengths and limitations, which is why I position myself somewhere in the middle, or attempt to be adaptable to either style. Even the middle has it's limitations however, since that means I end up being frustrated by both extremes. I suppose in the end it doesn't do to be frustrated. Being open minded is beneficial, and leads to less prejudice based upon response length. I've seen some beautiful characterization come out of one line, rapid fire dialogue. I've also seen some engaging and action filled detailed rps. This is in contrast to what I consider the strengths and limitations of both styles to be. So overall, the most important thing is whether or not people are actually interested in engaging with you - at whatever length is the best compromise.

I genuinely will never understand how one liners can be useful in any situation. I have never seen a thought properly conveyed through a single sentence, and I'd argue that it really just is not possible. Or...rather...it's dull, boring, and would genuinely piss me off, which is why I will drop an RP the second one happens. It's lazy, it's boring, and it's completely avoidable.


I've done several action scenes, in which my post length varied between 6-20 paragraphs apiece. I've never had an issue getting to those 6 paragraphs. Remember when I said: "Of course there are always going to be times that there are exceptions, but for the most part, I like to think 10 is a pretty good standard."? Action scenes were actually what I was thinking of as far as exceptions go. It's hard to get the full 25-ish paragraphs done sometimes, which is completely understandable. Especially if you're only working with one character.


Again, I have gotten involved with a few casual RPs, and I generally offer between 3-8 paragraphs in those. That being said, I occasionally go overboard and post a response around 25-ish paragraphs.