[quote=@Mr Allen J]
I honestly think the biggest problem a majority of the roleplayers on this site face is that they can't grasp "Show, don't tell."

Examples I have seen recently;

"Gosh! My character is so smart and clever, even though I've done nothing to suggest that!"

"My character's a reeeeeal edgy dick, lemme just have him sulk in a corner instead of taking a perfect opportunity for him to be an asshole!"
[/quote]

Going on a tangent here but I remember seeing a video about the original Alien movie and how it was able to portray horror so well. It came down to the environment that was built, the expression of what is unseen can be more feared than the seen, and it tapped into elements that were disturbing to viewers but never in a slaughterfest like the saw movies.

So the reason I bring this up is because it follows the same road as what you are discussing in roleplays. Several people want to tell us how the characters should feel, act and be portrayed and yet they don't set up those ground basics for the character. If someone is smart you can use mannerisms and descriptions on appearance rather than dialogue on how flux capacitors work. Don't tell us that alien is scary, let us believe that it might be worse than what you are leading on.