Dervish

feminist roleplaying

Probably not the best idea to try to use roleplays as a medium to express social issues and values. As a writer, for a lack of better term (story teller, perhaps?), it's best to make and play characters that have merits that are their own instead of imposed values of the author. Nobody wants to get involved in a roleplay where they feel like they are being preached to, especially if the opinions are particularly hard lined.

That said, if you wanted the values you wish to convey in your characters, the best way to do that is to make them reflect the best positive traits you wish to see. My two favorite roleplay characters of mine are both female characters that don't conform to gender norms and have very strong wills and independent personalities. It helps they're in pretty gender-neutral settings, but overall they're well-developed characters that work well with the casts of characters. Their worth and ability is based off of their own merits, regardless of gender, and that is key. You don't want to more or less shove things down people's throats or become overbearing, otherwise people won't want to associate with a character (or, in extension, you). Having healthy relations with other players and their characters also goes a long way. People more or less want to do this to have fun or tell a story, and it's a lot easier to enjoy yourself if you don't feel alienated or like they're getting preached to.

To be clear, I don't know what you're like and I'm certainly not saying any of that because I think you'll be overbearing or anything, it's more or less a general statement related to the topic in general. The best thing, really, is to show, not tell. Have characters exemplify the traits and ideals you want to convey without alienating or talking down to anyone and it can be great. Just don't use roleplaying as a medium for social commentary, that's a pretty unpleasant line of thinking. Putting it another way, a lot of people use roleplaying as escapism to get away from troubles in the real world. It would be kind of like popping in a new first person shooter on your WiiStation One and being bombarded with messages from the firearms rights lobby in the loading screens or having characters look at a bunch of dead civilians and having your squad mate mournfully lament, "This would have turned out differently if only these people were allowed to conceal carry." or other such hyper-political nonsense.

On the flip side, having characters who are racist/ sexist/ generally awful is a great writing exercise that doesn't reflect on the writer if they're capable of distancing themselves from their characters and it often acts as a great contrast to the rest of the characters, who usually are much more progressive-minded and tolerant. Sometimes, being shown awful traits in a character in a fictional setting is a great way to kind of have a commentary about the real world, and it adds some delightful group dynamics and conflict to work through, and the best part is, your dick character can eventually work his or her way past their narrow worldview and expand a lot easier than somebody in real life. I mean, if the reason your fantasy party can't obtain the gemstone that can save the kingdom because Sir Douchebag of Assholeshire doesn't want some filthy elf bitch (who is the only one who can unlock its power) getting her dirty hands on it because of some deep seated prejudice that goes against all rationality is often a lot more effective at making people reflect on the issue at hand than having a character tell them about how Sir Douchebag is a real turd off handed because he thinks elves or underhanded swine and women are weak and feeble. Being able to have a context for the situation is way more fulfilling and it drives the point home in a memorable way, plus it gives the party something to work together on overcoming.

Mass Effect: Wanted

Alright! Time skip it is. I'll get to work on that tomorrow.

Due to player inactivity and no warning that they'd be away, Toellner and Cyra are out of the game. RainDash has been notified that if they wish to take their places, they are welcome to come back into the game.

Lo Pellegrino said
I notice this roleplay is in the middle of reorganizing itself. Would this be a good opportunity for a newcomer?

While it might be a while before we can get a new character introduced, I won't object to you submitting a character sheet! Thanks for your interest.

So, Destiny

I can see myself getting bored with it after a month.

Mass Effect: Underworld

I'm still on board! I'm just trying to think of something that wouldn't be pointless filler.

Quick Question to save pants

Wayne said
Brovo... how the hell did you end up with that job anyways?

He applied because he needed work.

Were you expecting a magical tale of how he heard about all the bullshit and he decided "Yup, this is exactly what I want to do."?

Let's B!tch. I feel it's a healthy release for our roleplay annoyances 2.0

Valeria said
Is it too late to join the conversation? My complaint isn't about the logistics of RP so much as the tone and content in general. Compared to tabletop, I feel that forum rpg's are shifted towards 'edgy', super-serious content generally lacking in much self-reflexive humour (correct me if I'm living under a rock and have just missed all the humour-centric RP's on this site). It feels weird to complain about an rp being 'too serious', but sometimes it's just hard to buy into all the dystopian post-apocalyptic angst when there's TOO MUCH of it. Honestly, I've tried starting rp's on this site and elsewhere stipulating a different tone and approach but no one seems to really get it, or if they get it they don't embrace the idea... everyone just ends up ignoring the starting conditions and doing their own thing, making tragic backstories for their characters and being really *serious* in general.It's not that I don't like drama roleplays anyway, so maybe it's a minor gripe. I think the word I would use is that all the drama and tragedy is just getting a little 'tiresome'.

Honestly, light hearted RPs can be found, it's just a matter of rummaging through them like the discount movie bin at Walmart. I personally like to have a mixture of serious content and humour in my games, it helps keep things fresh and a life without humour is one lived wrong. I find it helps in the OOC to specify what kind of tone and approach you want to have in your games, and as a GM, it's your job to kind of keep people reeled in and moving along. If you want, I can take a look at a few things and see if I can't work with you to get things where you want them!

How To Click With Your 1x1

Valeria said
I've had big problems with rp's dying too!! And I must admit I've been the cause of the dead silence once or twice, and it's always when I've been too timid to go up to partners and just tell them everything I don't like about how their concept's turning out, or lack thereof. As I get older, I don't do that anymore -- I just muster up the willpower to tell people why I'm not liking an RP and then try to end it politely, and even then I don't know if that's the right thing to do, because it's not like your partner has asked for your criticism at that stage, even if it might not be personal criticism =/ (thoughts?) Anyway, my point is, maybe it's worthwhile to lay out beforehand (maybe in your search bulletins) whether or not you mind a bit of constructive criticism and whether your partner should be able to tolerate criticism: then you can have a proper conversation about the rp without having to worry about coming across as elitist and mean. That said, I don't think 'people ending rp's' is always a result of some flaw or deficiency on anyone's part. Like, even a really hardcore rp-er doesn't RP 100% of the time cos answering messages on the internet is usually the least of someone's priorities when they're stressed out or in a crisis... so you might click wonderfully with someone, and have the rp still end for no reason. =(

Roleplaying with partners depends on communication and honesty, especially in a 1x1 kind of game where it's just two of you building a story. Never be afraid to bring something up if you aren't sure, because your partner may not know that it's coming across poorly. You can't fix things if people don't know it's broken, know what I mean? Most people are pretty open to constructive criticism and suggestions, especially if you're polite and you have a good relationship with that person. Sometimes, games just don't work out, and that's okay; we all run into partners that just don't click with us, it doesn't mean either person's bad or not trying, just means the chemistry isn't quite right.

Also, if somebody disappears for a while, don't assume the game's dead (unless they're quite active elsewhere), it probably just means something came up. It pays to be patient with people, trust me!

Quick Question to save pants

I don't know about blood, but if you ever get oil on your pants, WD-40 lifts it right out.

Not helpful in this particular instance (well, I dunno. Haven't had to try to get blood out of anything), but something to keep in mind down the road. >_>

Sorry Scotland.

HollywoodMole said
No, in other countries she's just a pinhead. (Which still leads people in the USA to think Canada is a monarchy.

We're actually officially considered a constitutional monarchy. The Queen is in fact our head of state in Canada. It's more symbolic than anything, but it does mean the Prime Minister has to do things like ask the Queen via Governor General for permission to have an election.

The BannerMoth Saga: A Spamfic.

Jorick said
Eh, I was never really into the ninja turtle thing. Always struck me as a really stupid idea, even as a kid.Also nope, didn't read your cartoon reviews because fuck you. :D

Worst. Fan. Ever.