Viewpoint Unpopular roleplay opinions?

[Gowi]

if they call themselves an advanced roleplayer they probably aren't as advanced as they think they are

 

[Riwa Firestone of Saba]

Well I am not sure if it is unpopular but I like to Rp a naked female character that fights naked and my opinion is that sexual stuff should not be allowed in a community but the nudity of an OC if it truly serves a purpose and says something about the character s personality then it is ok.

Well I am a weirdo but damn I always look For a Rp partner where I can use that OC without people getting the wrong idea

 

[nerdy tangents]

Riwa Firestone of Saba Out of curiosity why/how does she fight naked? I would think it would be incredibly uncomfortable to fight with your chest flopping around at the very least. I mean even if your “flat chested” your chest would still move if you fight, Right?

But I do agree that it’s weird to automatically sexualize the character.

 

[Riwa Firestone of Saba]

Riwa Firestone of Saba Out of curiosity why/how does she fight naked? I would think it would be incredibly uncomfortable to fight with your chest flopping around at the very least. I mean even if your “flat chested” your chest would still move if you fight, Right?

But I do agree that it’s weird to automatically sexualize the character.

Ok first of all it is usually becuase of her power and for phylosophical reasons because the nudity of her kinda is related to some purpose and also aspect to display the character. And usually it is a character who uses supernatural powers. Well since she once controlled air pressure, I could just make her chest stay in one place. Well this may sound a bit strange but it goes very deep of why she is naked. I had such a character in my fantasy ever since I was a child. So I would say she uses earthly elements and also merges with them but it can differ. Whole she does prefer to be naked, my powers usually resonate with the user so she usually has a power that causes her clothes to be burned away anyway.

However I usually plan to give her an entire backstory why she turned out like this. It is extremely difficult for me to not be mistaken for a pervert because I really am not. I just feel like that belongs to her character to be naked and yeah I have my reasons but i will not share everything because I wait for a Rp Partner with whom I get the chance to develope her well but she is the only OC where I need to pray to fate and maybe God to kinda find the right Rp partner with the right understanding of what I mean because i know that this is an exceptional case with her. Every other OC can Rp with anybody because they are dressed obviously but with her it is tricky however her personality is something one can take serious plus I would say like all my OCs her way of behaviour is relatable to mine. Ok I am a male but yeah it is just what it is.

 

[Jules8008]

You shouldn't feel bad for dropping a roleplay when it's obviously going slow as shit and the roleplay synergy doesn't exist. There is absolutely no shame in saying "Sorry, this does not work out.". A restart won't fix bad fucking roleplay synergy.

 

[nerdy tangents]

J Jules8008 wait I thought that was the socially accepted response? What was I supposed to be doing instead?

 

[Jules8008]

nerdy tangents : Oh, that isn't an unpopular opinion? Where I am from, people usually try to revive roleplays as often as possible. Like beating a horse that's been dead in the ditch half a year.

 

[nerdy tangents]

nerdy tangents : Oh, that isn't an unpopular opinion? Where I am from, people usually try to revive roleplays as often as possible. Like beating a horse that's been dead in the ditch half a year.

I mean I haven’t done groups in 5eva so it could be a new thing. But *puts on old lady glasses* back in my day people mostly just continued the story. They don’t try to restart the exact same roleplay.

 

[Gowi]

Slow pace does not indicate a bad RP dynamic or """synergy""".

 

[Yolkfolk]

It would be nice to see more POC characters. Maybe I just don't look around enough but the overwhelming majority of characters that people like to play seem to be white and when my character is a different race some people voice discomfort and it makes me very sad to see. I understand being uncomfortable with pushing a stereotype, and focusing on the characters race too much but if just the idea of a character being a different race makes you uncomfortable that's kind of sad. Normally if I do see another person playing as a person of color they do it to fetishize them in a really weird way.
I've said this before a very long time ago and people were pretty hostile, and I'd like to be able to say something about it without people jumping down my throat.

 

[Daisie]

It would be nice to see more POC characters. Maybe I just don't look around enough but the overwhelming majority of characters that people like to play seem to be white and when my character is a different race some people voice discomfort and it makes me very sad to see. I understand being uncomfortable with pushing a stereotype, and focusing on the characters race too much but if just the idea of a character being a different race makes you uncomfortable that's kind of sad. Normally if I do see another person playing as a person of color they do it to fetishize them in a really weird way.
I've said this before a very long time ago and people were pretty hostile, and I'd like to be able to say something about it without people jumping down my throat.

Sorry people have jumped on you about this before :/ That's pretty crummy.
Hopefully I can shed some light as to why this is, with my own personal theory. See, RpN is based in the US, so while we host people from all across the world, the majority of our user base is from the states. Since the US is a predominantly white country, there's a lot of media stemming from that same culture... Just as you'd expect to see a lot of Korean culture in media that's Korean. Most actors in Japan, India, or China, are gonna be Japanese, Indian, or Chinese.
Of course, this shouldn't stop people from playing POC if they want to... I can see how a lack of representation can be pretty frustrating, and none of this is an excuse for fetishizing different cultures, or acting with OOC distaste towards different races of characters, either. But hopefully that provides some explanation as to just why it is that most characters you see here are quite pasty.

 

[Yolkfolk]

Sorry people have jumped on you about this before :/ That's pretty crummy.
Hopefully I can shed some light as to why this is, with my own personal theory. See, RpN is based in the US, so while we host people from all across the world, the majority of our user base is from the states. Since the US is a predominantly white country, there's a lot of media stemming from that same culture... Just as you'd expect to see a lot of Korean culture in media that's Korean. Most actors in Japan, India, or China, are gonna be Japanese, Indian, or Chinese.
Of course, this shouldn't stop people from playing POC if they want to... I can see how a lack of representation can be pretty frustrating, and none of this is an excuse for fetishizing different cultures, or acting with OOC distaste towards different races of characters, either. But hopefully that provides some explanation as to just why it is that most characters you see here are quite pasty.

This is true. I live in the US however and where I am the majority of people are not white but I do understand that overall the majority of the population is. I do notice though that the amount of non white characters is very disproportionate compared to the amount of non white people in real life and it's not exactly the worst thing in the world. For the most part its not malicious or intentional but it is for a lot of people. Most of the time when I see people roleplaying Asian characters its always very stereotypical and fetishizing and honestly some of my fellow nerds are letting me down.
Thank you for not getting upset or angry with me for having/sharing this opinion though. I genuinely appreciate it.

 

[Daisie]

Most of the time when I see people roleplaying Asian characters its always very stereotypical and fetishizing and honestly some of my fellow nerds are letting me down.

Yeah, this sucks. Honestly, I've got no issue with anyone who wants to only play as white characters. Who am I to push people out of their comfort zone? It only bugs me a bit when there's misrepresentation of... well, anything I guess, haha. Race is only the start of it.
Again though, I shan't dictate what people want to RP. If they want to portray a terribly offensive stereotype... So be it. I shall roll my eyes from a distance and continue the amazing RPs that I already have going, lol. It's not worthy of my attention.

Unless it's rulebreaking.
*moderator stare*

 

[Yolkfolk]

Yeah, this sucks. Honestly, I've got no issue with anyone who wants to only play as white characters. Who am I to push people out of their comfort zone? It only bugs me a bit when there's misrepresentation of... well, anything I guess, haha. Race is only the start of it.
Again though, I shan't dictate what people want to RP. If they want to portray a terribly offensive stereotype... So be it. I shall roll my eyes from a distance and continue the amazing RPs that I already have going, lol. It's not worthy of my attention.

Unless it's rulebreaking.
*moderator stare*

I also have no issue with people only playing white characters. It just starts to bother me a little when it's every single character and they're all the same. When some people begin to explain why they don't play as non white characters(not that I've ever asked anyone directly, that would be weird) most people say that its because they're white themselves and its what they're comfortable with. That's perfectly fine. But some people when explaining themselves some people like to bring up random stereotypes. I understand that for most people bringing race into things makes them mad but as a black Muslim woman my race is brought up a lot and its not something thats unnatural. I don't understand how race makes some people(who are, let's face it, mostly white) so mad because they don't see the topic of race as a natural thing that effects anyone's life ever. It does effect some peoples lives and the topic does come up in real life, it's not some random unrealistic mumbo jumbo.

 

[Daisie]

I also have no issue with people only playing white characters. It just starts to bother me a little when it's every single character and they're all the same. When some people begin to explain why they don't play as non white characters(not that I've ever asked anyone directly, that would be weird) most people say that its because they're white themselves and its what they're comfortable with. That's perfectly fine. But some people when explaining themselves some people like to bring up random stereotypes. I understand that for most people bringing race into things makes them mad but as a black Muslim woman my race is brought up a lot and its not something thats unnatural. I don't understand how race makes some people(who are, let's face it, mostly white) so mad because they don't see the topic of race as a natural thing that effects anyone's life ever. It does effect some peoples lives and the topic does come up in real life, it's not some random unrealistic mumbo jumbo.

I totally get that, yeah. Part of me wonders if all of that is because race is just such a hot topic right now. It's really sad, people shouldn't be dissuaded by the concept of race, but I'm wondering if they're honestly afraid to dip their toes in because of backlash they might receive, even if they do everything right.
That's just all speculation though. I'm sure that's one small reason in the endless sea of reasons, lol... some better, some worse. In the end, I agree with everything said.

 

[Crayons]

Sorry people have jumped on you about this before :/ That's pretty crummy.
Hopefully I can shed some light as to why this is, with my own personal theory. See, RpN is based in the US, so while we host people from all across the world, the majority of our user base is from the states. Since the US is a predominantly white country, there's a lot of media stemming from that same culture... Just as you'd expect to see a lot of Korean culture in media that's Korean. Most actors in Japan, India, or China, are gonna be Japanese, Indian, or Chinese.
Of course, this shouldn't stop people from playing POC if they want to... I can see how a lack of representation can be pretty frustrating, and none of this is an excuse for fetishizing different cultures, or acting with OOC distaste towards different races of characters, either. But hopefully that provides some explanation as to just why it is that most characters you see here are quite pasty.

I just want to jump in here and say that the US is only 60% white, which means nearly half the population is non-white. It's not like Japan where 98.1% of the population is Japanese.

If there's anywhere this site could be based where users would have a more enlightened view on race and a mixed demographic it should be the US.

 

[Daisie]

I just want to jump in here and say that the US is only 60% white, which means nearly half the population is non-white. It's not like Japan where 98.1% of the population is Japanese.

If there's anywhere this site could be based where users would have a more enlightened view on race and a mixed demographic it should be the US.

Ahhh, the more you know! Thanks, Crayons!

 

[Crayons]

Ahhh, the more you know! Thanks, Crayons!

Took me a couple of seconds to Google the stats. XD

Just want to add that non-white people are severely underrepresented in all American media, and while that is insanely frustrating there's no reason for people who don't have to jump through funding and "culture" hoops e.g. Roleplayers to also perpetuate the attitude of Hollywood and TV.

 

[Yolkfolk]

Thank you so much for allowing me to talk about this without getting upset. Last time I tried to talk about this it was about a year ago and some people got so mad at me and it was very upsetting.

 

[Yolkfolk]

Took me a couple of seconds to Google the stats. XD

Just want to add that non-white people are severely underrepresented in all American media, and while that is insanely frustrating there's no reason for people who don't have to jump through funding and "culture" hoops e.g. Roleplayers to also perpetuate the attitude of Hollywood and TV.

Some people like to come up with the weirdest reasons for this. A lot of people while cry anything else besides racism. As soon as racism is mentioned as a cause for these things its really controversial for no real reason.

 

[Melpomene]

It would be nice to see more POC characters. Maybe I just don't look around enough but the overwhelming majority of characters that people like to play seem to be white and when my character is a different race some people voice discomfort and it makes me very sad to see. I understand being uncomfortable with pushing a stereotype, and focusing on the characters race too much but if just the idea of a character being a different race makes you uncomfortable that's kind of sad. Normally if I do see another person playing as a person of color they do it to fetishize them in a really weird way.
I've said this before a very long time ago and people were pretty hostile, and I'd like to be able to say something about it without people jumping down my throat.

Hard agree my friend.

I think in American media in general PoC are underrepresented. The underrepresentation in mainstream media is probably what drives the lack of rep in RP as well. It frustrates me when people's response is: "Well the story doesn't NEED a PoC."
I have come to respond to this with: "Well how does a white character add to the narrative?"
Because the idea that you can't have a PoC unless the entire story has race central to the plot is... Problematic.

See, I don't mind people not playing PoC, let me put this out there. If people say they play white characters because that's what they like, more power to them. I just don't like the excuse I mentioned above because it kind of just perpetuates problematic thinking.

 

[Gowi]

Many younger writers I know are afraid to write races/sexualities/gender that is not their own because they feel it would not be very well representative of said minorities. What is worse? Choosing to write a white, cis-gendered character; or writing a cliched, offensive depiction of a marginalized minority?

 

[Crayons]

Many younger writers I know are afraid to write races/sexualities/gender that is not their own because they feel it would not be very well representative of said minorities. What is worse? Choosing to write a white, cis-gendered character; or writing a cliched, offensive depiction of a marginalized minority?

Or the third option: treating your character as a person and not a cliche.

 

[Daisie]

Or the third option: treating your character as a person and not a cliche.

Keep in mind they did specify that they were talking about younger writers! Newer writers may not have the experience to write outside of cliches yet... Even if they try, lol. I know I didn't c:

 

[Crayons]

Keep in mind they did specify that they were talking about younger writers! Newer writers may not have the experience to write outside of cliches yet... Even if they try, lol. I know I didn't c:

I mean.... I don't think it's as much about youth as it is about experience. I grew up in a very multicultural community, so I always had friends from all different races and cultures, but I know in some places communities are more homogenous so you might not know anyone (or even have met anyone) from outside your own background.

Even then there is such a thing as the Internet. If you're thinking of writing about a different race or culture - do some research. Maybe watch movies or read books based in that culture and created by people of that culture. Read the blog Writing With Color.

If the worst comes to the worst and you can't help writing cliches to start off with then do it with the spirit that you're happy to learn as go and get more experience, maybe meet people who can help you. You could practice by starting with a culture from a historical period so people are less likely to know how to correct you. But ultimately people are people, we have more in common than not at the end of the day.