I don't shy away from sad RP. Matter of fact, if I know there is a potential scene coming up where it can possibly get emotional, a part of me gets a little excited. I love emotionally gripping scenes!
But! I can't have them all the time. They are like cupcakes. I need to savor them, but not too often.
And if a character was always sad, I think the RP would be quite taxing. I say this even knowing full well that my character currently is still grieving the loss of someone she loved, is guilt ridden over that death, and it is a daily struggle for her to not think about that.
But before it led to that, there were plenty of lighthearted moments, heartfelt scenes, and adventures to be had. So the tribulations have to be paced appropriately, hopefully with a compelling story that leads up to the tragedy if there is one, and when it happens, those involved should be dealing with the fallout afterwards. The consequences of the tragedy should be just as interesting if not more so than the actual event itself. Oh how I look forward to the emotional payoff.
I sometimes do find myself struggling a little with the pacing though. As exciting as roleplaying can be, and with many different story arcs that happen sometimes at the same time, it is easy to get swept up in all of them because it's fun and exciting! But to do so sometimes can lead to too many things happening to the character in a short span of a time, which realistically could turn anyone catatonic with PTSD. And that's no fun to RP.
But getting back to the point of the original post, heartache and sorrow can really be compelling to roleplay and I enjoy it, but it has to be relevant in terms of context of the story and paced. There are also very few things that are more rewarding for me than someone ELSE telling me that they were moved by a scene with my character whether they were part of it or they read about it afterwards.
But! I can't have them all the time. They are like cupcakes. I need to savor them, but not too often.
And if a character was always sad, I think the RP would be quite taxing. I say this even knowing full well that my character currently is still grieving the loss of someone she loved, is guilt ridden over that death, and it is a daily struggle for her to not think about that.
But before it led to that, there were plenty of lighthearted moments, heartfelt scenes, and adventures to be had. So the tribulations have to be paced appropriately, hopefully with a compelling story that leads up to the tragedy if there is one, and when it happens, those involved should be dealing with the fallout afterwards. The consequences of the tragedy should be just as interesting if not more so than the actual event itself. Oh how I look forward to the emotional payoff.
I sometimes do find myself struggling a little with the pacing though. As exciting as roleplaying can be, and with many different story arcs that happen sometimes at the same time, it is easy to get swept up in all of them because it's fun and exciting! But to do so sometimes can lead to too many things happening to the character in a short span of a time, which realistically could turn anyone catatonic with PTSD. And that's no fun to RP.
But getting back to the point of the original post, heartache and sorrow can really be compelling to roleplay and I enjoy it, but it has to be relevant in terms of context of the story and paced. There are also very few things that are more rewarding for me than someone ELSE telling me that they were moved by a scene with my character whether they were part of it or they read about it afterwards.
