Another thing worth remembering is that ERP is not -the only- type of RP that can go dark and wreck friendships, as others have mentioned, which somewhat relates to my earlier post.
People can be just uncomfortable with other "mature" themes or even types of RP/characters that don't cross that border. I've heard of cases where people felt hurt when overly rude type of characters harassed their toons, even if just verbally.
So it all boils down to what we accept and what we don't. I'm tolerant of a lot of things and I'm a patient person, but that doesn't mean I keep thinking that everyone around me is the same. The same applies to everyone out there. Maybe someone is fine with ERP but has a problem with, say, roleplaying out torture scenes (even if mild). You're playing with real people, not A.Is and respect should be shared across both parties. This is the most important rule of RP, no matter what type it is.
People can be just uncomfortable with other "mature" themes or even types of RP/characters that don't cross that border. I've heard of cases where people felt hurt when overly rude type of characters harassed their toons, even if just verbally.
So it all boils down to what we accept and what we don't. I'm tolerant of a lot of things and I'm a patient person, but that doesn't mean I keep thinking that everyone around me is the same. The same applies to everyone out there. Maybe someone is fine with ERP but has a problem with, say, roleplaying out torture scenes (even if mild). You're playing with real people, not A.Is and respect should be shared across both parties. This is the most important rule of RP, no matter what type it is.
