RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes

IncubusManatee · **09-11-2013, 04:36 PM**

(09-11-2013, 04:19 PM)Swift Nightclaw Wrote: The issue I have with romance RP is that so often it becomes the focal point of all RP.Â I'm going to use WoW as an example for this one.

I've been in a long running IC channel on my WoW server where once upon a time the conversation would run the gamut from IC arguing over wandering eyes (with others joining in the RP to the point of having side conversations as they lean back and watch the sparks fly) to planning an assault on enemy bases, to preparations for upcoming events, to discussions of the current world events.Â But that was a time long gone by and over time, it became essentially a channel of purely IC relationship drama (though thankfully no OOC problems confused into the mix).

With the recent expansion focusing on the war between two factions, the discover/invasion of a new land, a new culture discovered, a new monstrous force, and the growing threat of the expansion's primary antagonist, the IC channel became focused on.........romance.Â Who was dating who, who missed who, who was sleeping with who, who was jealous of who, who was depressed because of broken relationships.Â No more friends lost in battle, no more mourning, no more revenge, no more plans and plots, no more action.

Romance RP has its place, it's part of life and RP is playing out this character's life.Â But when the entire world is crumbling and falling down atop your head, do you really dedicate every waking moment to your relationship?Â And when someone tries to bring up conversation of current events, and it doesn't go anywhere for more than a few comments before it's back to relationship drama, then I feel like the romance has become too all encompassing.

The majority of people's lives don't revolve around this drama, though it can spur motivations.Â A broken relationship can make an adventurer reckless, seeking more and more danger to keep their mind off the lost love.Â Some could focus on work to keep their mind off what's causing them stress.Â Some simply compartmentalize what they deal with and when.Â And some, of course, dedicate themselves so completely to their tasks they forsake relationships (which can also be fun to RP when they are simply driven and dedicated and don't realize they've put up walls...moreso if someone finds them interesting).

My only advice and point of this rant is to treat romance RP realistically.Â Romance is a part of life, but it is not generally the sole source of it.Â There are a great many things going on in the world that player characters are likely to be exposed to. Don't completely ignore them.

Unless you're in the puppy love phase of a romance RP.Â Then Bahamut might not distract you from your love interest.

To be honest with you-I would have hated to be in that chatroom on WoW. Even though I wouldn't be on there in the first place; it would be a horrifying experience to have all conversations revolving around romance. It sound's like they got a bit obsessive over it. >_> Extremely obsessive.

erosskye · **09-11-2013, 04:56 PM**

(09-10-2013, 07:44 PM)Vinrael Wrote:
(09-10-2013, 03:18 PM)J Wrote: My concern is that all too often 'romance' in role-play is simply sought after and used as an excuse for the player behind the character wanting to get their rocks off. It's usually easy to tell Â when this is the case, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating. Another issue is guilds that exist purely for the sake of ERP. It's pretty creepy, no matter how many attempts are made to dress them up as something completely different.

Another common issue I've encountered is that many role-players have a habit of ignoring everyone else when their character's partner is around. Sometimes this is on an IC basis, other times it's on an OOC basis instead. I've lost count of the amount of times I've stumbled across a 'generic mercenary' who simply walks off the moment a potential ERP partner arrives on the scene.

I'm not going to get into the whole debate regarding ERP, but to touch upon it lightly I firmly believe that it should be kept in private between consenting partners and shouldn't be layered with strange and unusual fetishes. Players passing by a tavern whilst questing don't need to see descriptive emotes detailing what a tavern wench is doing to a mercenary under a table.

Which is a common problem - many role-players seem to take the stance that because they aren't bothered by explicit stuff everyone else should just grow a thicker skin. That isn't exactly fair and I say this as someone who isn't afraid to touch on mature themes in my own role-play.

I was typing a wall of text and then I realised I probably went off into a bit of a rant on the subject.

I understand where you're coming from with this. What you've said isn't much different from what my opinion would be, really. I might just be unlucky, but in my experience it's been one of two things - As you already said, the people who ignore others when their partner is around. I've had many a short RP session brought to an abrupt end when X character logs on. I'm not one to get jealous or anything along those lines, but it isn't hard to piece together what is going on - Which I'd have no issues with! It just leads the way to a lot of things, for me - The fact that he or she is prancing off to RP with someone more important to their character is the last thing on my mind.

Â I worry more about whether I'm a bad RPer - whether or notÂ anybody really enjoys RPing with my characters. Is that why they rush off? It happens often enough. It's the same feeling as being a part of a guild with it's own inner cliques. They're already established and frankly, although they might not be all that unwelcoming, there's definitely a priority on who they'd rather be RPing with - Even if it's unintentional, it doesn't make a new member feel like a part of the group. This is just how I feel, as someone who is extremely reluctant to initiate RP due to a fear of being ignored or just being event fodder. Just saying here, even indirectly it's still a blow to someone's confidence.

It seems a little off topic, but essentially what I'm getting at here is that my eventual disinterest in RP popped up from the endless sea of couples, conveniently placed in the guilds I wantedÂ to join, isolating my character. It's probably my own fault, I know - I'm extremely shy and reluctant to approach people in RP. Trying to approach a couple that turn up to an event is twice as hard. Do you interrupt them, or leave them to it? Isn't part of the fun in someÂ events to meet new people, anyway? It's a bit of a dilemma for me. XD

...I wall of texted again, I think. Folks can ignore that rant if they're bored of it already C:

Aside from that, romantic RP doesn't bother me - People can go ahead. Just don't isolate people, and don't cross the boundary between IC and OOC. It's partially the reason I rolled a male character - I won't go into that rant here because it's water under the bridge now and I'm past caring (at least, I think so!) but it's horribly uncomfortable when someone takes an IC relationship in the wrong direction, I.E through the fourth wall. Just don't. That's in a generic situation, though. I know OOCly people can know each other on all kinds of different levels, but really - I hope saying this doesn't get people pouncing on me for whatever reason, but I imagine my point is there.

...Somewhere.

Also, apologies to you J'hared, I know I quoted you but this post isn't like a personal attack or anything! I just agree with what you said, mostly, and felt the need to throw my own opinions out there!

/rant off

Also, to the OP - It was a good read! It's given me a little more of a positive view on this type of RP that I've rarely explored. My own experiences with it were somewhat offputting but it's nice to see what other people think without treading into a flamefest of romance VS ERP or whatnot - I tend to avoid the subject so I appreciate it.

...Eugh, I definitely went off topic there. I can't even be bothered to re-read it myself, so I don't blame anyone for skipping this rant. x___x

While this post was slightly off topic it was great. It really opens up a new door that needs to be walked through and I will be starting a new class on the subject when I get home from work. Thanks for this post!

Lan Darklyn · **09-11-2013, 06:44 PM**

Lets just all make sure that the Roe ladies get the chance for love too...Just sayin lol

LiadansWhisper · **09-11-2013, 06:46 PM**

(09-11-2013, 06:44 PM)R Wrote: Lets just all make sure that the Roe ladies get the chance for love too...Just sayin lol

You should make that your personal mission. Â Big Grin

Sigyn Shieldbreaker · **09-11-2013, 06:56 PM**

(09-11-2013, 06:46 PM)LiadansWhisper Wrote:
(09-11-2013, 06:44 PM)R Wrote: Lets just all make sure that the Roe ladies get the chance for love too...Just sayin lol

You should make that your personal mission. Â

Seconded!

In response to Swift Nightclaw:

Â Yanno, that tried me too on WRA. Sooooo many couples. So many. GUILDS dedicated to couples. I met a pair of RP partners who had not one but TWO guilds basically built around their IC relationships with their characters. Not one or two characters.... ELEVEN CHARACTERS EACH.

Geez. I remember better days with RP in WoW but now it -does- seem like a lot of mama-drama. I can't say the expansion really helps. But what I've seen that might be playing a big role besides a bit of coveting when people see one really good IC couple is the big focus on not taking IC events into your character. Yeah, there were Kor'kron about and they were supposedly beating up some of the rebels but when I found when I asked what all was happening on my Sin'dorei ranger-- I got a lot of varied responses. Some said the Vol'jin thing was already happening. Some said it hadn't happened yet (because it hadn't concluded.) Some people said it was already over. Mind you, this was all in character and during the Dark Spear Rebellion.

I think it's just a lot easier for some people to stick to focusing on their character's immediate life than risking sounding silly to someone else or being told they're wrong for assuming what's happening at a different rate in time.

Of course, people just generally have a tendency to want to focus on their character. Sure, they might agree not to have their characters be super heroes or grand champions renown by all the world, but some just want to be the hero or the leader or the person who's actually developing their character with no care or concern who else is trying to develop. I've seen a -lot- of this too in WoW. Whole events and guilds built on progressing the storylines of one or two people. I think the mentality also extends to -some- people who are overly concerned with the romantic relationship of their characters; because then you're only focusing on two people and not having to worry about anyone else. It's a guaranteed method of character development if you make your partner RP with you every waking moment.

It can also just as easy and often does flat-line. Things tend to get pretty stale when you're not paying attention to what else is going on around you and you're DMing little things for your two toons.

erosskye · **09-11-2013, 08:17 PM**

(09-10-2013, 07:44 PM)Â Wrote: Â I've had many a short RP session brought to an abrupt end when X character logs on. I'm not one to get jealous or anything along those lines, but it isn't hard to piece together what is going on - Which I'd have no issues with! It just leads the way to a lot of things, for me - The fact that he or she is prancing off to RP with someone more important to their character is the last thing on my mind.

Â I worry more about whether I'm a bad RPer - whether or notÂ anybody really enjoys RPing with my characters. Is that why they rush off? It happens often enough. It's the same feeling as being a part of a guild with it's own inner cliques. They're already established and frankly, although they might not be all that unwelcoming, there's definitely a priority on who they'd rather be RPing with - Even if it's unintentional, it doesn't make a new member feel like a part of the group. This is just how I feel, as someone who is extremely reluctant to initiate RP due to a fear of being ignored or just being event fodder. Just saying here, even indirectly it's still a blow to someone's confidence.

The Ignorance Class ->Here<- Thumbsup

Michikyou · **09-11-2013, 08:25 PM**

Sadly for me, I have decided to role a male Moon Keeper Miqo'te, despite my RL boyfriend wanting me to Rp a female.

Finding love on a Male Keeper? Well, this is going to be interesting. I am open to anyone interested however. Naih is very calm and understanding. He has a strong level of tolerance though does not thrive well around too many other males. He is a little too sentimental to be with a Seeker attitude I think.

However, I agree, ERP is nothing to be ashamed ofÂ - unless you;re spending more time Erping than actually going out to roleplay with others.

Nnejo · **09-11-2013, 08:52 PM**

I like this, no wait I -love- this.Â

As someone who plans to have a *cough* House of Burlesque and roleplay a Lady of the Night, I find that people tend to shy away from ERP or romance RP for all the wrong reasons. If played out well, just like a real life romance, it can truly add to the story. I often times enjoy starting from scratch, boy meets girl. (or girl meets girl, whatever floats your airship)I have had some of the best roleplay that way, the build up is part of the fun. Without that the story is chapter-less and no worth the read.

~Just my two gil

K'nahli · **09-11-2013, 09:00 PM**

(09-11-2013, 08:25 PM)michikyou Wrote: He is a little too sentimental to be with a Seeker attitude I think.

....is he too good for us??!! What does this mean, Michi?! TwT

shdwsng · **09-11-2013, 09:07 PM**

...I wrote a huge post about romantic RP and realized that it boiled down to one really simple concept.

Communication between the players is key. Make sure you understand what the other person's looking for ICly, OOCly, and even ERPly if it looks like you're going there. Set your limits, understand their limits, and make sure to respect ALL the limits. Because getting your limits pushed with this sort of thing usually isn't fun. But if you make sure to set those boundaries and respect them, then you have a safe way of rediscovering that thrill that comes with any new relationship. And not incidentally giving the chance for some good IC drama when that pull of Odin gets botched and everyone goes down... Wink

That being said, the only other practical advice is if you don't want to be disturbed, keep it to party chat. If you're getting hot and heavy, DEFINITELY keep it to party chat. Nothing spoils the flow of that tender romantic moment like BigJoe Whatsisname coming by and being all, "HURR Y U ALL NEKKID"...

Lament · **09-11-2013, 09:17 PM**

Honestly, I've had more problems with real life couples ignoring everyone else in favor of their partner's character(s) than players of IC couples doing that. It's possible that someone who is so into the romantic RP that they focus only on it and nothing else is blurring the IC/OOC lines a little, too.

Personally I am a sucker for romance. I like writing it and reading it and roleplaying it, provided it's developed in-character (whether or not it's planned in advance) and doesn't eventually devolve into just plain puppy love antics (not that they're bad - I just get reeeeally awkward when it's lovey-dovey 24/7). I don't particularly care for the... physical specifics, so I'm more of a fan of fade-to-black and brief, generic descriptions of displays of affection. I mostly just really like to explore what love does to characters on a psychological/emotional level. I keep even the most cynical of my characters open to love because it's really fascinating to me.

Michikyou · **09-11-2013, 09:52 PM**

(09-11-2013, 09:00 PM)K Wrote:
(09-11-2013, 08:25 PM)michikyou Wrote: He is a little too sentimental to be with a Seeker attitude I think.

....is he too good for us??!! What does this mean, Michi?! TwT

;-; No bro I... I mean.
I mean he is.. very kind hearted and probably a little odd for even a Miqo'te with his emotional connection to things. Contemplates a lot of things.

Lament · **09-11-2013, 10:08 PM**

(09-11-2013, 09:52 PM)michikyou Wrote:
(09-11-2013, 09:00 PM)K Wrote:
(09-11-2013, 08:25 PM)michikyou Wrote: He is a little too sentimental to be with a Seeker attitude I think.

....is he too good for us??!! What does this mean, Michi?! TwT
;-; No bro I... I mean.
I mean he is.. very kind hearted and probably a little odd for even a Miqo'te with his emotional connection to things. Contemplates a lot of things.

If it makes you feel any better, based on the lore it is my headcanon that male Keepers are expected to be introverted, contemplative, maybe even submissive. I imagine it'd vary a lot from group to group, since they live in small familial communities, but Keepers are matriarchal, and the males don't even get their own given names (It's always # Son of Mother Lastname). So they probably are quieter and possess more typically feminine qualities (e.g. being sentimental) to begin with. It seems to fit, especially when you consider how assertive the Keeper females you encounter around Gridania are.

Lan Darklyn · **09-11-2013, 11:25 PM**

(09-11-2013, 08:52 PM)Isis Wrote: I like this, no wait I -love- this.Â

As someone who plans to have a *cough* House of Burlesque and roleplay a Lady of the Night, I find that people tend to shy away from ERP or romance RP for all the wrong reasons. If played out well, just like a real life romance, it can truly add to the story. I often times enjoy starting from scratch, boy meets girl. (or girl meets girl, whatever floats your airship)I have had some of the best roleplay that way, the build up is part of the fun. Without that the story is chapter-less and no worth the read.

~Just my two gil

Yep, the ones that start from scratch are usually great because you get to see how two characters grow, and how a relationship can affect your character. IMO those are the best ones.

Nimilanor · **09-12-2013, 05:20 AM**

AS the quoted posted above said indeed, alot of people have the wrong idea of romance rp or erp,

alot of people tend to think its cybering or whatever.. well maybe it partly is..
but any I dont want to say good rper as that will make it sound elitist..
can detach themselves from the real life aspect and focus more on the character itself.. or.. BE the character.so thats its not you whos romancing i guess with another player its your character their.. significant other..

that being said.. its I believe harder to find a person that actually suits your character.. than to actually walk up and start dating random people.. wich actually now that I think about it would be sortoff funny.

but back to the point I was trying to make.. wich I have forgotten..
I've done / do my share of erp i guess but only really when it makes sense or it leads to there rp wise..and even then I prefer to keep things on a private base.

So im not saying hey everyone lets all gather for massives orgy's and what not.. seen too many miqo'tes doing that already.

What i do mean ofc romance adds a whole new level of rp,
it gets rather boring fast if all you do is rp fighting this and that, and oh lets go out for a drink spend an entire night in the pub, and rinse repeating that same thing again for months etc.

anyway /rant off..

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The Romance Class

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