Speaking of 1x1's...

I'll go ahead and say this: I've been SERIOUSLY tempted to try a 1x1 RP in the past, and have even PM'd a couple folks. One of my reasons for not really stepping forward, though? I don't want romance and/or sex to be assumed to be a thing.

See, I really enjoy cooperatively writing with people, especially if it can be done in real time. I also like leisure paces, such as what a direct two person roleplay may involve. But I don't want to write a character with the express intent of making lovey dovey eyes or gettin' it on with someone else's character. If romance were to happen, it'd have to be a natural thing, a side thing even, a side-effect of the characters interacting rather than the goal of the roleplay. And I think that's my problem.

Part of this is that just deciding "These two characters like each other and that's that" feels so wrong and not at all like real life. I mean, that's how physical attraction can work, certainly - but beyond that, chemistry is very important, and if there isn't chemistry between two characters, any romantic interaction between them will feel forced, or like a bad Romeo and Juliet story. I don't want to be a part of that.

My ideal situation would be having a 1x1 in which, say, both writers agree to write about dungeon delving or superheroes or piracy. And then, if for some reason two characters click... Well, why not? And if no romance develops? That's cool, too. It's not necessary to make a good story. Heck, FAILED romance could be fun, too.

But that's not what I see when I poke my nose into the 1x1 section. That's fine, of course. It's good that people can be open about wanting to do some romance-related roleplay. But it does make me feel like that one kid on the football team that stands on the sidelines waiting for coach to put him in.