Sugar and Spite

RP Rules & Preferences - What do we look for nowadays?

@Sugar and Spite any rp that insists on real-person faceclaims is a hard no for me. I don't mind others using real people, but it makes me twitchy.

@shylarah

An interesting (at least imo) view point. I've noticed that real life FCs are more of an SoL thing, which is a big part of what I do and perhaps why I mentioned in in the first place.

That's beside the point though.

May I ask why this is something you don't prefer, for the sake of conversation?

RP Rules & Preferences - What do we look for nowadays?

It's no big surprise that the role-playing scene has shifted drastically in the last few years. People have more real life responsibilities, AI can make finding a face-claim difficult, etc.

The purpose of this thread is honestly just to gather feedback from the RPG community on what rules and guidelines people like to see when they consider joining a roleplay now.

For example - do we prefer posting deadlines? Do we still prefer real life faceclaims? How many characters do we enjoy handling per RP? What genres are more popular now? As GMs, how are we going about making sure writers stay interested and engaged without coming across as overbearing or annoying?

I just want to hear what makes you interested in a Roleplay (outside of engaging plots) and what makes you go "oh, nuh-uh"?

post deletion request

Done.

Post a random fact about yourself.

Speaking of cats, I'm currently babysitting my S.O's brothers cat.

My furry nephew, if you will.

account deletion request

We cannot delete post history, but I can make the account anonymous.

Pines Holler [Not Accepting]

I apologize for the delay my friends, and full understand if we've moved past the point of joining 🥹

@EtherealThorn

Sorry for the delay on getting back to ya! We're unfortunately already full on writers at this time.

Pines Holler [Not Accepting]

_{Location — Pines Holler -> Pines Holler Fairgrounds
July 4th, 6pm.
Current temperature of 88 degrees.}

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Pines Holler was without power for a total of seventy-two hours.

Most people had decided to pop in and out of Huskers to try and keep cool. Generators had been dispersed for free - by someone under the name of ‘Mercer’, most of the old men had said - though the majority of people seemed to refuse to take them in traditional stubborn Pines fashion.

With the lack of electricity in town, it seemed as if the gossip was running even more rampant. Word on the street had it that Mollie was fit to be tied with all of her cousin Dallas’ whining about the heat. Speaking of Dallas and Mollie - people were more than pleased to see Mollie spending more time at the bar again, while cautiously curious of what appeared to be a developing fling between Clive and Dallas. Anna Lou had remained a cornerstone at Huskers, making sure everything ran smoothly and listening to the never ending stream of complaints and speculations. It had been said that Elias Peterson was seen sneaking out of Huskers with one Virginia Davis - though the town hadn’t seemed to make up its mind on where that was headed quite yet.

Outside of Huskers developments, more graffiti now decorated the abandoned buildings around town. Officers Valen and Aiden had done a splendid job at keeping everyone safe and in line. People like Suz, Cliff, and the bikers had made sure that everyone stayed fed. Lee had done his best to keep Clarks open and operating for anyone needing something small. The heat had sucked, but all in all, Pines Holler had made it work - just like they always did.

What actually caused the power outage was still unknown, and while speculation still stirred, most of the town's conversation had shifted to the yearly Fourth of July celebration.

Every year at the Pines Holler Fairgrounds, the town came together to celebrate the foundation of the town and the United States. Pines Holler was technically founded on July third, but people didn’t seem to care about that small fact when they were eating funnel cakes.

To say that the Fourth of July Festival was a big deal in Pines was an understatement; bringing in massive revenue to local businesses and town funding from visiting tourists and locals from other nearby towns flocking over, it was something that the town prepared and planned for weeks ahead of time. The power outage barely a week prior had set things back, but it was nothing that couldn’t be solved with a few extra hands.

The celebration was a lot to take in - an amateur rodeo meets fair sort of thing. Rides of all sorts had been set up across the field; the ferris wheel, gravity drop and pendulum rides, swings, bumper cars, and more gave everyone something to do. There were games mixed in with the vendors - though it was always debated if they were rigged or not. Animals filled the stalls in the barn houses while local farmers hoped to make a quick buck. At certain booths, you could bet on the weight of an animal for a small prize. Young men and women dressed in their best western attire mingled in with the crowd, waiting to be thrown from whichever animal they chose to climb onto tonight while normal people settled for the mechanical bull.

The colors blue, white and red covered nearly all of the old wooden structures. Signage boasted about the ‘Wall of Death’ and ‘Human Cannonball’. Kids had already begun to run around with sparklers; the younger ones complained to their mothers that the sun was too bright. Live music drifted across the roar of the crowd while different local, live bands rotated onto stage. Food trucks and vendor booths were plentiful, offering local and trending goods. Funnel cakes, turkey legs, fresh lemonade, and barbeque were being bought left and right. Local police did their best to guide and aid traffic.

Gates opened at 6pm sharp, with rodeo festivities starting at seven. The grand finale of fireworks was scheduled to follow a speech from the mayor at ten sharp.

After the damper that the power outage had put on things, the people of Pines were more than ready to kick back and relax.

_{Interacting With — N/A
Mentions — Everybody and they momma}

Pines Holler [Not Accepting]

_{Location — Huskers Bar}

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Finding the motivation to push herself off of the brick wall and into the front door of Huskers, Callie let out a small sigh of relief as the cool air inside of the bar began to settle on her skin. She took a brief moment to enjoy the comfort before weaving her way through the thick crowd that had already occupied the space. Finding a spot between Cliff and Ettie, Callie wedged herself between the two as she climbed onto the barstool.

Flagging down one of the bartenders she ordered her favorite burger - cheddar, bacon, tomato, mustard, egg over medium, burger also cooked medium - and was sure to add it to the tab that she knew Rowan had left open specifically for her in order to avoid any arguments later. She started another tab on her card for any and all of her day drinking habits before Ettie snatched her up for a hug.

The smell of earth, wood, and weed blended surprisingly well with scents of the bar as she returned her Aunt's embrace.

”We’re fucked, ain’t we?” Ettie questioned, barely audible over the roar of the crowd. Callie could tell by the way the older woman's shoulders hanged that she felt just as - if not more - defeated than she did herself.

Lighting up another cigarette, Callie did her best to deflect. She didn’t want to ruin anyone’s day - especially Ettie’s. ”Now what’d make ya say that?” the young woman responded, feigning as much positivity as she could.

”The way you walked in here with your head hung all low.” It was Cliff who responded, his tone daring her to try and lie about it. ”That’s that three t’ five business days look.”

Sitting between two of her elders, it became very clear to Callie that she wasn’t going to be able to lie or feign her way out of this one. She hated being the bearer of bad news; hated the way that peoples faces always fell and the circles under their eyes grew darker as the defeat became more apparent under the weight of the words. The bartender placed her previously ordered shot of whiskey on the counter just in time for Callie to throw it back and chase it with her cigarette before responding.

”Yeah,” she sighed, her voice low. ”Jonesy said the report hadn’t even come through yet.”

”Oh so we’re real good n’ fucked,” Cliff huffed, flagging the bartender down himself.

”Whole town’s already sweatin’ more than a whore in church,” Ettie added, placing a gentle hand on Callie’s shoulder. ”Ain’t nothing you can do about it though, sugar. Ain’t even our fault, ya know?”

Callie nodded her head silently, doing her best to manage a half smile. Even though the defeat was now as evident in her as it was in everyone else, she tried to remain calm and keep it together for the sake of others. She was just about to respond when Cliff slid a shot of whiskey over to her and Ettie both.

The man raised his shot glass, prompting the women to do the same.

”Well ladies,” he began, voice full of false gusto. ”Here’s to a sweaty sumer kickoff.” Cliff placed his shot glass back on the counter with a soft thud, now beginning to climb off of the barstool. ”I’ll go run and deliver the news to Husker. Start formin’ a game plan to keep everyone fed n’ such over the next few days.”

Callie nodded her head once again, giving the man a small, genuine smile. ”Thank you, Cliff. That means more than you know.”

The mechanic chuckled, ruffling the top of her and Ettie’s heads with either hand.

”Anything to help a couple pretty ladies,” he joked, managing to make the pair laugh before disappearing behind the bar.

_{Interacting With — Ettie and Cliff
Mentions — Rowan}

Pines Holler [Not Accepting]

Dance Fever

_{Faceclaim: Claire Estabrook (@nonsalemwitch) // Color Code: #FF7B7B}
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

_{Full Name:}

Ryan Anastasia Reid

_Nickname(s):

• Rye (like the bread)
• Ana - very close friends and family members only.
• Lil' Georgia - used by older members of the community and some family members that remember Ryan's mother, Georgia. This nickname is used to mock Ryan.
• Candy - her stage name.

_Age:

Twenty-three // December 4th // Saggitarius

_Gender:

Female.

_Sexuality:

Bisexual - heavily leans towards women.

_Occupation:

• Your favorite local dealer: Ryan sells pills, acid, LSD, ecstasy, mushrooms, and weed. She doesn't sell anything harder than that, but can point you in the right direction if you're looking.
• Exotic Dancer at The Trophy Club.

_{Place of Residence:}

#213 Miners Street

_{Family and Close Connections:}

• Willow Reid - Grandmother - Alcoholic - Deceased
• Georgia Reid - Egg Donor Mother - Drug Dealer, Law Breaker, Family Ruiner - Deceased
• Peta Reid - Aunt - Tattoo Artist - Very Distant.
• Delia Carter-Reid - Cousin & Roommate - Very close. Considers to be more of a younger sister. Written by @SouffleGirl123

_Appearance:

• Height: Five foot, three inches.
• Hair: Dark brown, black in certain lighting. || Mostly straight, with a very minor wave pattern. || Long and layered. The front, or 'face framing' pieces around her face have grown out to be shoulder length, while the rest/back of her hair is nearly waist length. || Ryan does random things with her hair for work all the time like braids, space buns, etc. When not working, it's usually just left down to breathe, or thrown up messily with a claw clip or scrunchie.
• Eyes: Blue.
• Body Type: Fit Hourglass || Ryan's work has given her slight muscle definition in addition to her curves.
• Clothing Style:
  
  • Femininely Alternative: Ryan tends to dress in dark colors; dark greens, reds, greys and blacks. She enjoys wearing boots or heels when she can, but also loves a good sneaker from time to time. Multiple bracelets, rings, and necklaces decorate her body at any given time. She's not shy to show skin, even outside of work.
    
    • One.
    • Two.
    • Three.
    • Four.
    • Five.
    • Six.
• Makeup Wise: Dark eyeshadows, nude or red lip colors, lash extensions. Ryan usually sports a pretty full face, or sometimes hardly any makeup at all. It really just depends on her mood, and if she has work or not.
• Body Markings:
  
  • Ryan's has a lot of tattoos. Her is a list of her most notable (but not all of) her tattoos:
    
    • The year ‘1987’ is tattooed across her stomach. Don’t ask her why. She doesn’t know.
    • Her left arm is a blackout sleeve with various flowers and butterflies drawn in.
    • On her upper right arm, there is a Sailor Moon tattoo. While Ryan isn’t an anime fan, she got this as a dedication peace to her best friend that passed away some years ago.
    • Across her knuckles, the words ‘open mind’ are written.
    • Ryans legs are covered in tattoos in a patchwork sort of style. On her right leg, there’s a large spider web around her knee. You can also find a tooth, another butterfly, flowers and a bat decorating her right leg. On the left, she sports a crow on her thigh, and a topless mermaid on the lower half.
  • Various scars of different shapes and sizes on her thighs from years of self harm. Some of them are old, some are new.
  • Double lobe piercings. Septum, belly button and boobs are also pierced.
  • ((TW: CHILD ABUSE) Ryan has multiple scars ranging in sizes and severity decorating her back. These are from all of the bottles her mother used to throw at her during fits of rage. Just like everyone else, she has small scars here and there from childhood shenanigans.

_Personality:

Charismatic - Flirtatious - Intelligent - Quick Witted - Life of the Party - Loyal - Thrill Seeking - Aggressive - Guarded - Possesive - Anxiety Riddled - Hopeless Romantic - Attention Seeking - Anarchist

_History:

• TW: Mentions of: Drug abuse, child abuse (verbal and physical), child neglect, alcohol abuse, overdose, predatory age gaps, death, shit mothers, and any other thing I forgot to mention.
• Born and raised in Pines Holler, Ryan was the only child thank fuck Georgia Reid was ever lucky enough to give birth to. The result of a one night stand, the only reason Ryan wasn’t aborted was because of Georgia’s heavily religious family. Georgia was a heroine addict, and constantly put her child in the middle of her bullshit. If it wasn't for the fact that Ryan's grandmother, Willow, refused to kick Georgia out to save what little face she had left with the community, and managed to do the absolute bare minimum to keep an infant Ryan alive, Ryan would have died a long time ago.
• While she made sure that Ryan had something to eat, and got back and forth to school, Willow was far from a saint. An alcoholic herself, Willow would often times end up in explosive and sometimes physical altercations with Georgia.
• In her early school years, Ryan was labeled as a 'gifted child'. Once she hit age twelve, any dedication she had had for her studies went right out the window. Ryan knew that she could basically go wherever with whoever because there was no one at 'home' that cared - so she did. Ryan was already couch hoping, looking for better environments to be in. Most of the time, she would end up at her Aunt Peta's having sleepovers with her younger cousin, Delia. She had began getting in trouble at school for attendance issues, her smart mouth, and starting fights with other students. By the time she reached her sophomore year, Ryan had began hanging out with some of the older kids who were up to no good, still couch hopping (now to debatably worse places), winding up in trap houses, and running from the cops more often than not. She spent the summer of after her sophomore year in juvy, due to taking a baseball bat to the math teachers car - and the math teacher. Word quickly spread in the small town of Pines how Ryan was becoming a 'homewrecker' at the age of fifteen, so she had to retaliate somehow for all of that embarrassment.
• Ryan always has been the problem child - her mother was sure to make sure she knew that. Growing up, Georgia always found ways to make Ryan feel small - which resulted in her having such a large personality now. Georgia was sure to let Ryan know that she was the biggest inconvenience. When Ryan reached around ten years of age, her mother fought her on a few occasions when Ryan refused to give her money. It seemed that Georgia didn’t want to admit that she was asking a literal child to fund her drug habit. There were multiple times that Georgia made Ryan take money from Willow to give to her, and when Ryan refused when she got old enough to understand (around the age of twelve) Georgia became even more violent. When Ryan would try to get away from her mother, Georgia would throw whatever was in her hands at the time at her daughter. When she didn’t have anything to throw, she would hit Ryan with her fists. The men that Georgia brought home weren't much better. Physically, sexually, verbally or mentally abusive - they were pretty much all the same. Willow was never a saint, but at least she drove down to the school houses to bail Ryan out, was there for her when she had to spend nights in jail, and to give her a stern talking to. For the most part, Ryan raised herself. The only person that Ryan stayed in contact with from her mothers past was one of her boyfriends sons named Eli. His father was abusive and fell in love with Georgia for a brief period of time before her death. Ryan and Eli quickly became friends, and snuck out of the house to walk around town with each other when the nights at home got to be a little too much. Eli was the only light that Ryan has ever had in her life. The young man died when Ryan was 17, causing her to get a fake ID and her first ‘legal’ tattoo - her Sailor Moon piece.
• Willow died a few weeks after Ryan's thirteenth birthday, leaving Georgia as her sole caretaker. The last two years that Ryan had with her mother were somehow an even worse hell. When Ryan found her mother dead on their living room couch, it was almost a relief.
• At the age of fifteen - after her time in juvy, and her mothers death - Ryan was sent to live with her Aunt Petra and cousin Delia. Ryan didn't intend to ever be a bad influence on Delia, but it wound up that way. She would sneak Delia out with her late at night, teaching her how to graffiti, climb through construction sites, and lock pick. Ryan is the reason Delia tried weed for the first time when she was twelve. Ryan isn't proud of this.
• When Georgia died, her trailer was left relatively untouched for the first year. Sometimes Ryan would sneak back over there and reminisce on what little she could while sneaking into the remainder of her dead family members' liquor cabinet. After getting out of juvy, she had also began to form a drug habit with pills and would occasionally take acid. Her Aunt would find her contraband from time to time, which only made Ryan more sneaky and caused the divide in their relationship to grow even larger.
• Her Aunt Peta forced her to graduate high school, though Ryan did so with a very low GPA. After graduating, Ryan spent a year couch hopping with 'friends', doing various drugs and attending more house parties than she cares to count. She's spent a handful of nights in the county jail throughout the years, mostly for things like underage drinking and violent disputes.
• At age 19, Ryan managed to sweet talk her way into a job on the far side of town at the Trophy Club as a stripper exotic dancer. She's worked there ever since.
• Shortly after beginning her job, Ryan was able to begin renting her home on Miners Street. Her cousin Delia moved into the spare bedroom almost a year and a half ago.
• About a month ago, a new client began coming to the club and offered Ryan some of his 'premium' cocaine stash. Fucked in the head with no regard for her mortality, Ryan obliged. She's bought some here and there from him the last few weeks, and so far has no plans to stop.
• She's not sure what it is, but in the last few months, Ryan has been thinking more long term about her future and what the purpose of this whole life thing really is. The young woman has been reliving old dreams about becoming a nurse, but with her current life style habits Ryan isn't sure she'll ever be able to step up to the plate and give her younger self the future she used to dream of.

_{Extra Facts // Headcannons:}

• REQUIRED: How does your character feel about the expansion/growth of Pines Holler?
  
  • Ryan is more or less indifferent to the development of Pines. She looks forward to the new businesses that will continue to come to town, but also has a small fear that the town may grown to be a bit to big and force her out. Regardless, she isn't really stressing it one way or another quite yet.
• The only thing she's allergic to is bullshit.
• Identifies as a Pescatarian, but loves Turkey on Thanksgiving and a fat ass juicy burger when she's drunk.
• Smokes weed, drinks booze, 'likes to play in the snow', and still enjoys a nice pill from time to time.
• Ryan loves to grow plants, and a very small garden with a handful of items at home. While her house isn't anything special, she's made it a point to decorate the yard with flower bushes and the like.
• Has been known to carry around a black journal full of random poetry that she's written, spicy fantasies, random thoughts, and doodles.
• Is prone to PTSD attacks and nightmares about her childhood. She very, very rarely speaks about her past.
• Loves, loves, loves cherry coke.
• It's a very rare thing for Ryan to actually be sober.
• Knows her way around the kitchen very well, and uses food as one of her love languages.
• Drives a pre-owned 2013 Nissan Altima that's missing the front bumper, and really needs to go see Cliff about it's oil leak.

Longtime RPer, First Time Forum User

Welcome to the Guild ~ ☆