Viewpoint What Are Pairings You Don't Care For In RP

[SimplyNene]

For me personally its Stalker x Victim,Murderer x Victim,Master x Slave, and Nurse x Patient literally anything with " x Victim" is a red flag for me

 

[nerdy tangents]

So I would call all those power imbalance. Because you have a person in a position of authority and their subordinate.

They’re pretty high up there on my dealbreakers so I would put them a bit higher then “don’t care for” and straight into “will not roleplay with someone who requests them, even if they have other pairing options.”

As for pairings that I don’t care for personally but don’t have any real objection beyond taste :

I don’t like shy/nerd x popular or anything to do with dating a family members friend. So brother dating little sisters best friend or whatever.

I don’t think there is anything objectionable to the pairings, they’re just not my taste.

 

[A Sparkling Zombie]

I'm flexible when acting as a DM for a group, but when considering my own personal preferences, they are...

FxF - It doesn't fit my sexual orientation. MxF generally isn't among my preferences, either, but if I'm playing a bi/pan guy in a group game, then I'm at least willing to consider the idea if that's what my character is gravitating towards.

Anything involving a femme guy - Queer identities are great, but I prefer that the guys in an MxM pairing present as masculine, whether cis or trans. That and I just dislike yaoi as a whole, which I imagine is what spawns a lot of this.

Guy x twinky boy - The dynamic has never appealed to me, and I'm so tired of the idea that the submissive has to look like a submissive, whether talking about a roleplay with sexual elements (not on this site, obviously) or just general personality dynamics.

Scientist/Researcher x Test Subject - The sci-fi aspect doesn't appeal to me.

Doctor x Patient - Wishing to indulge in fantasies of powerplay is valid in my book, but I'm not big on the idea of an illness being a central element of a roleplay.

Anything involving a vampire - I'm not big on the supernatural genre as a whole, but vampires in particular don't really do it for me. I think it's a combination of the character tropes they usually entail and the fact that they're undead.

 

[Serenata]

Teacher x Student
Vampire x Werewolf or Human
Bad Boy x Good shy girl
Popular x Nerdy
Bully x Victim
Angel x Demon
Orc x Elf
Anything furry or anthro

 

[Lucyfer]

Mentor x Mentee -- it can be in a range of things, and it's not about the power imbalance (I love master x slave and similar), it's just because I don't find RPs to be fun when the main dynamic is all about teaching another character to be competent. It can be done well, but I don't find it that often, so I usually avoid it.

 

[Jannah]

Anything with a notable power imbalance so things like teacher x student, boss x employee, etc. In a similar vein I'm not fond of bully x victim either, but that one has some personal trauma attached as well as I was severely bullied during my school years.

I also don't like any pairings involving incest (I draw the line at third cousins, any closer is a nope) or human x anthro type pairings. The latter I'll admit is more so personal taste. I'm not into furry stuff and that's just a personal preference of mine.

 

[Cassie Lang]

I'm bored of OCxCanon. Just tired of seeing it, and I don't want to double, either. If you want to hit the rocks off with your favorite canon character, then write fanfiction.

 

[Syntra]

Mostly, it's things that I don't find terribly interesting. Stuff like childhood friends, for example. I do understand that you can potentially make those interesting, but I love my inherently dramatic pairings too much to try so hard with such a family-friendly sounding premise, lol.

 

[xpstitch]

Violent Tsundere girls with... well anybody really. Just... no... put your hands on me and I want to give it right back to you.

I hate seeing a character have to just stand there and be disrespected by violence and not do anything back because it's societally acceptable

 

[GojiBean]

If I may be perfectly honest, and this may be a bit of a hot take, the very idea of pairing itself is something I don't really care for anymore. If romance is going to happen I would prefer it happen naturally between two characters who are compatible and actually do and say things that appeal to each other and spark that sexual tension in the air between them which leads to further exploration of a possible relationship.

That said, as long as pairings are done well I don't mind them. But I mean it when I say as long as they're "done well."

For example, here's how NOT to approach a more "dynamic" pairing (no matter what kind of pairing it may be):

Player One joins an RP and designs a character. Player 2 comes along and joins as well, and they design a character that Player One really likes. Player One initiates character interactions IC while totally ignoring and/or disrespecting their own CS, including personality and bio, to try and re-tailor their character on the fly to be more attractive to Player Two's character in the hopes that a romance will start.

Don't. Do. This.

If a romance is going to happen, let it happen naturally. If your character isn't compatible from the start, don't force it.

If it's a pre-planned pairing, at least give it enough thought and effort that it feels genuine and earned.

For example, let's say two players agree on a power imbalance pairing like a master-servant in medieval times. Who falls in love first? And why? If those two questions don't have an obvious and believable answer, bruh. For instance, let's say a female servant falls in love first with her master who's an overbearing and arrogant prick. Why did she fall in love? What does she see in him that makes her think "I love this man?"

Did she sneak a peak during the times he wants to be "alone" and caught him crying at a small shrine in his room to his parents who perished during a plague a number of years ago? Does she hear him confessing to them about how he knows he's being a douche but he can't seem to break free of his created persona since it works so well in keeping him safe and in good standing as a rich noble, which thereby helps him maintain the legacy of his family, including his parents, and protecting their image which means a lot to him?

If so, THAT I can get behind. Seeing vulnerabilities and realizing that the douche is a façade and the real person behind it all is actually a kind hearted human being who knows he's wrong but doesn't see a way out is believable grounds for love to bloom.

But if the servant just loves him because he's the master and she's "attracted" to him with no greater or more believable explanation as to how love could blossom between the two, then I have to call it like I see it and say it's BS.


All in all, pairings are to personal taste. And I respect that.

But even so I would still prefer to see them done well, with obvious thought and effort put into them, rather than see them done just for the sake of throwing characters together for the sake of throwing them together.

Cheers!

~ GojiBean

 

[Jannah]

If I may be perfectly honest, and this may be a bit of a hot take, the very idea of pairing itself is something I don't really care for anymore. If romance is going to happen I would prefer it happen naturally between two characters who are compatible and actually do and say things that appeal to each other and spark that sexual tension in the air between them which leads to further exploration of a possible relationship.

That said, as long as pairings are done well I don't mind them. But I mean it when I say as long as they're "done well."

For example, here's how NOT to approach a more "dynamic" pairing (no matter what kind of pairing it may be):

Player One joins an RP and designs a character. Player 2 comes along and joins as well, and they design a character that Player One really likes. Player One initiates character interactions IC while totally ignoring and/or disrespecting their own CS, including personality and bio, to try and re-tailor their character on the fly to be more attractive to Player Two's character in the hopes that a romance will start.

Don't. Do. This.

If a romance is going to happen, let it happen naturally.

If it's a pre-planned pairing, at least give it enough thought and effort that it feels genuine and earned.

For example, let's say two players agree on a power imbalance pairing like a master-servant in medieval times. Who falls in love first? And why? If those two questions don't have an obvious and believable answer, bruh. For instance, let's say a female servant falls in love first with her master who's an overbearing and arrogant prick. Why did she fall in love? What does she see in him that makes her think "I love this man?"

Did she sneak a peak during the times he wants to be "alone" and caught him crying at a small shrine in his room to his parents who perished during a plague a number of years ago? Does she hear him confessing to them about how he knows he's being a douche but he can't seem to break free of his created persona since it works so well in keeping him safe and in good standing as a rich noble, which thereby helps him maintain the legacy of his family, including his parents, and protecting their image which means a lot to him?

If so, THAT I can get behind. Seeing vulnerabilities and realizing that the douche is a façade and the real person behind it all is actually a kind hearted human being who knows he's wrong but doesn't see a way out is believable grounds for love to bloom.

But if the servant just loves him because he's the master and she's "attracted" to him with no greater or more believable explanation as to how love could blossom between the two, then I have to call it like I see it and say it's BS.


All in all, pairings are to personal taste. And I respect that.

But even so I would still prefer to see them done well, with obvious thought and effort put into them, rather than see them done just for the sake of throwing characters together for the sake of throwing them together.

Cheers!

~ GojiBean

Well said. This more or less sums up my thoughts on the subject as well. I have done pairings, but more so because it's a starting point for a story. I usually struggle to come up with plot so it helps for me to focus on which sorts of characters I want the story to be about first and foremost. I can then choose a setting from there. Romance is always something I leave as optional, though. I don't like to force it because sometimes that chemistry just doesn't exist between characters.

 

[Edric Blight]

Teacher x student

 

[Taevith]

Heavily abusive character x timid soft spoken character. Comes off real... Problematic. And often times IS problematic and written poorly.

Kinda similar too, and not super rp only, but:

Heavily abusive ex x character that finally realized they were being abused. This feels like the writer is just making a couple they thought were cute without regards to their character development

 

[Dubious]

I'll go for most things if they seem interesting. I do have difficulty with very passive characters, though. Need 'em to have some kinda drive, motives & goals, etc.

 

[FoxySkittles]

Honestly? Much like what xpstitch said. The only kind of pairings I'm not into are stuff where one side is a dramatically violent to their partner, often the yandere type.

Everything else though? I can work with it. There is no "problematic" for me, either. Keeps me options open and wide. I hate having to narrow down my preferences so much. The more narrow they get, the less writing partners you can find.

 

[dangerfluff]

Anything too age-gappy doesn't fly with me. Student x Teacher for example.

 

[macheath .]

straight pairings. i’m not completely opposed to them but the plot would have to knock my socks off in order for me to be interested. mundane straight romance won’t do for me.

 

[StuartAnderson]

For me personally its Stalker x Victim,Murderer x Victime

This. I find it weird how common it seems to be

 

[Jannah]

This. I find it weird how common it seems to be

I suspect people like it because it's taboo. Same reason why some may find power imbalance pairings like boss x employee and teacher x student appealing.

 

[Daisie]

Question:
Does pairing a stalker employee with a victim boss "even things out" or just make it weirder?
Asking for a friend

 

[nerdy tangents]

Question:
Does pairing a stalker employee with a victim boss "even things out" or just make it weirder?
Asking for a friend

(( I know this was probably rhetorical but I couldn't resist )0

No because stalking is essentially about a feeling of ownership of another person. So it doesn't actually matter what the relationship between the individuals is (real or imagined) the stalker feels like they own their victim. That is what makes it straight up illegal.

I would say for power imbalance relationships (i.e an employee x employer) what your dealing with is impropriety. Think of it this way, if you wrote a roleplay where a student pursued their teacher, would that "even things out?" No. Because the teacher still knows that it's wrong to pursue their student. As the person in a position of power they should set clear boundaries and refuse the students advances.

In the same way an employee can attempt to pursue their boss's affections it is up to the boss to set clear boundaries and say no. If you really want to even things out just have the employee quit. It's honestly a pretty simple solution to the power imbalance.

It even has the benefit of causing juicy angst and drama. The whole "I quit my dream job to pursue this relationship but what if it doesn't work out?" Insta stakes and no one in the relationship has to be a creep.

 

[Daisie]

(( I know this was probably rhetorical but I couldn't resist )0

No because stalking is essentially about a feeling of ownership of another person. So it doesn't actually matter what the relationship between the individuals is (real or imagined) the stalker feels like they own their victim. That is what makes it straight up illegal.

I would say for power imbalance relationships (i.e an employee x employer) what your dealing with is impropriety. Think of it this way, if you wrote a roleplay where a student pursued their teacher, would that "even things out?" No. Because the teacher still knows that it's wrong to pursue their student. As the person in a position of power they should set clear boundaries and refuse the students advances.

In the same way an employee can attempt to pursue their boss's affections it is up to the boss to set clear boundaries and say no. If you really want to even things out just have the employee quit. It's honestly a pretty simple solution to the power imbalance.

It even has the benefit of causing juicy angst and drama. The whole "I quit my dream job to pursue this relationship but what if it doesn't work out?" Insta stakes and no one in the relationship has to be a creep.

Welp, yeah I figured XD
That's a good deconstruction though! Thank you, lol
Kinda knew this particular dynamic was going to be messy/morally dubious from the beginning. The entire story centers around a gradual loss of sanity, so I'm not exactly shooting for high principles here.
Erm... My friend isn't. Yeah.

 

[StuartAnderson]

I dislike OCx Canon romance roleplays

Just because I know I'm only there to fulfill my partner's romantic desire for the canon character

 

[Jannah]

I dislike OCx Canon romance roleplays

Just because I know I'm only there to fulfill my partner's romantic desire for the canon character

This is actually one of the reasons why I'm strictly OC x OC only in fandom settings.

 

[Sorin]

I don't really like "pairings" in general because they tend to box Roleplays in for me, but I'm pretty open-minded for what could happen otherwise (outside of obvious exceptions such as inappropriate or illegal age gaps, abusive material that comes across as fetishized or romanticized, incest, and so on).