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Thoughts On Sad RP - Laike - 08-31-2015

Bored at work and thought I'd bring up one of my favorite rp related questions for people to think on.

What do you think of sad rp?

Personally I love drama, I love a good bittersweet story. However, not everyone does. A lot of people I know always have an out for their character. They may go through bad paths but there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. But sometimes, rarely, I run into people who embrace the melancholy side of things and really leave stories on sad notes. A few examples:

- A person bases their entire backstory on trying to protect someone they love. In the end, they fail and the person they loved is killed.

- A man, separated from his family returns to find his wife happily remarried with no intent to see him back.

- A soldier falls into depression after his village is destroyed while under his protection. He meets many people who try to turn his life around, who genuinely care. However, no amount of support stops him from taking his own life out of guilt.

The last one is very similar to a story I played once. I actually really upset a good rp friend of mine because they felt helpless to change the story. In a way, they felt like their time investment in the story was just thrown away. I'm not saying I agree with this, but I also don't believe it's without merit. People become attached, and many people rp to get away from sadness and depression. So what do you believe the proper way to approach a sad story is?

Is it polite to warn someone it might not be happy in the end?

Is it best just to tell the story and what happens happens?

I'd like to hear some thoughts on this subject if anyone has any! Thanks!

RE: Thoughts On Sad RP - Ignacius - 08-31-2015

Long ago, I GMed an open RP about a fantasy town called Volins.  I probably had 15-20 people somewhat regularly playing in a completely custom world.  Sort of The Wire before there was The Wire, it was about the way villains worked together.  We essentially played criminals working for a criminal syndicate against a church organization and a helpless police force.

It ended with a massive battle at the church after a fiery speech about war from the leader.  However, it was a feint.  The highest echelon of the criminal organization basically left their organization to die, using it as a distraction to grab power in the larger worldwide syndicate.  Lots of people's characters died.  Many felt betrayed.  The fiancee of the character I played, a high ranking character, suddenly found herself allowing my character to kill her to escape the gang pressure and a horrible situation so that my character could live.  And he went back to working with his boss because there was no way out.

I was told that several of the thread stories were the saddest my players have ever experienced, even this long on.  And that last scene, TangentRomanaw.  Probably two years worth of character development led to that night.

It was brutal.  Also one of the best RPs I've ever done.  We aren't always defined by good guys winning.  "Good guys" sometimes doesn't mean very much.

RE: Thoughts On Sad RP - Corelyn - 08-31-2015

I can only sum up my thoughts on this topic with a comic I see and love on tumblr very frequently:

[Image: tumblr_moj5zthMqh1qg7kblo1_500.jpg]

it me doe

It's coming, Dail'a. Corelyn had hers, and there will be more for you both. Just you wait. The whole world will come tumbling down. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahaha... h ahaag ag gah ahgh aha... *cough*

RE: Thoughts On Sad RP - Laike - 08-31-2015

That is me. You just described me in comic form.

I really am a terrible person, don't rp with me Sad

RE: Thoughts On Sad RP - ɴᴘᴄ - 08-31-2015

Well, I am definitely in agreement that these arcs have value. The scenarios you describe definitely seem consistent with the seedy underbelly of Eorzea that we glimpse in some sidequests and incidental text, so there is certainly a place for them.

It can be tricky to RP I suppose, though in all honesty I don't believe I've done an arc that had such a dismal finish. Personally I am more disposed to the 'whatever happens, happens' camp, but with a little research people can find out whether or not one is into heavy RP. That alone should act as a disclaimer of a sort, help people to build the arcs they want with who they want, if that's how they like to do it.

Great growth often comes from failure. Disappointment is a natural outflow from having expectations or goals, and provides characters with learning experiences. For players who want to risk those times of misfortune, I think the upshot could be very satisfying.

RE: Thoughts On Sad RP - Rosekitten - 08-31-2015

Personally I like to see where a story will go, maybe some minor planning bits here and there. Though I also rp very open ended. Though I tend to be a bit cold hearted towards most of my oc's.. they lose a heck of a lot and gain very little in return. 

As far as how to tell other people not as open to such a ending or story in general.. might be wise to just warn them ahead of time. Some really are just seeking that romance and happy story book ending. 

I myself would rather the character end up with a few scars that shape who they are and see where things go from there.

RE: Thoughts On Sad RP - Virella - 08-31-2015

In truth I prefer tragic story lines over happy ones! So you are not the only one for sure Smile

RE: Thoughts On Sad RP - Ehzo'ir Tyaka - 08-31-2015

(08-31-2015, 01:47 PM)Corelyn Wrote: [Image: tumblr_moj5zthMqh1qg7kblo1_500.jpg]

OH MY GOD THIS! So much this!

I think that only once in a while do I not have a character that has a tragic thing that has happened to them.


RE: Thoughts On Sad RP - Warren Castille - 08-31-2015

For my money, strength of character is best displayed under duress.

RE: Thoughts On Sad RP - Laike - 08-31-2015

Good to know so many people share my attraction to the OMG DRAMAS! (The good dramas, the ic dramas at least.)

This is good...

This is very good.....

RE: Thoughts On Sad RP - Roe Dad - 08-31-2015

(08-31-2015, 01:47 PM)Corelyn Wrote: I can only sum up my thoughts on this topic with a comic I see and love on tumblr very frequently:

[Image: tumblr_moj5zthMqh1qg7kblo1_500.jpg]

it me doe

It's coming, Dail'a. Corelyn had hers, and there will be more for you both. Just you wait. The whole world will come tumbling down. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahaha... h ahaag ag gah ahgh aha... *cough*
This is me I am very mean to my characters

RE: Thoughts On Sad RP - Unnamed Mercenary - 08-31-2015

Personally, I think there's a time and place for Sad RP. It certainly can't be all the time, as that would diminish the feelings associated with it.

Now, there's got to be a balance to it, as with scenes are good/bad/whatever, just like life. My views on RP in general is that they should be as varied as life. But here's the catch, not everyone is looking for that or feels the same way. I have seen people who have consistently wanted to be surrounded by happy-only things. The same way I've seen people who have gotten into these enormous spirals of "but then it gets worse!" moments that seem to never end. Happy things are happy because we have unhappy events to balance them. Sad things are sad because the situation had been something else beforehand.

--

Now, the questions.

So what do you believe the proper way to approach a sad story is?

It depends on the people you're RPing with. If it's a group of people you trust, or perhaps a group of people you've planned a story with, they may be more open to having an ending that isn't just simply "a happy ending". Perhaps it's bittersweet, sad, or downright awful.

Is it polite to warn someone it might not be happy in the end?

I personally like to warn people if I think they might be affected by a bad ending. While having happy endings 100% would get boring for me, if all my interactions with a given person were just about them trying to make my character feel better or my character trying to make their character feel better, I think it would make the RP go a little stale. Take it too far and someone could get frustrated that all of their effort to change/affect a situation isn't getting anywhere.

Is it best just to tell the story and what happens happens?

As cool as it is to have completely pure "organic" (as some call it) RP with no ending planned, a little OOC communication can go a long way. Now this doesn't mean I'm gonna go out and spoil all my sad/bad plot ideas with the people I'm going to RP with, but it does mean that I'll let them know if there's something they simply cannot change about my character, rather than watching them potentially struggle and try without saying anything.

If it's not going to happen, and it looks like a pattern where the person keeps trying, letting them in on it can be helpful. Maybe they'll look at the reasons the character is sad to work on those, instead of endless "cheering up" RP. Or perhaps it'll drive character development with a newfound conflict.

RE: Thoughts On Sad RP - Verad - 08-31-2015

Best used sparingly.

RE: Thoughts On Sad RP - Oli! - 08-31-2015

Lots of people like it, I usually don't. What I've seen described in the OP as Melancholy seems more along the lines of Tragedy to me. I can do a Melancholy story, I can even do a Serious one, but Tragedy, not really my sort of something.

Happiness, whimsy, and misadventures are my favorite things.

It's also worth noting that all the scenarios mentioned in the OP can be done with touches of happiness and whimsy as well. We call that approach Dark Humor.

So it's really more complicated than put forth anyway, I believe.

RE: Thoughts On Sad RP - Laike - 08-31-2015

(08-31-2015, 02:00 PM)Unnamed Mercenary Wrote: Personally, I think there's a time and place for Sad RP. It certainly can't be all the time, as that would diminish the feelings associated with it.

Now, there's got to be a balance to it, as with scenes are good/bad/whatever, just like life. My views on RP in general is that they should be as varied as life. But here's the catch, not everyone is looking for that or feels the same way. I have seen people who have consistently wanted to be surrounded by happy-only things. The same way I've seen people who have gotten into these enormous spirals of "but then it gets worse!" moments that seem to never end. Happy things are happy because we have unhappy events to balance them. Sad things are sad because the situation had been something else beforehand.

--

Now, the questions.

So what do you believe the proper way to approach a sad story is?

It depends on the people you're RPing with. If it's a group of people you trust, or perhaps a group of people you've planned a story with, they may be more open to having an ending that isn't just simply "a happy ending". Perhaps it's bittersweet, sad, or downright awful.

Is it polite to warn someone it might not be happy in the end?

I personally like to warn people if I think they might be affected by a bad ending. While having happy endings 100% would get boring for me, if all my interactions with a given person were just about them trying to make my character feel better or my character trying to make their character feel better, I think it would make the RP go a little stale. Take it too far and someone could get frustrated that all of their effort to change/affect a situation isn't getting anywhere.

Is it best just to tell the story and what happens happens?

As cool as it is to have completely pure "organic" (as some call it) RP with no ending planned, a little OOC communication can go a long way. Now this doesn't mean I'm gonna go out and spoil all my sad/bad plot ideas with the people I'm going to RP with, but it does mean that I'll let them know if there's something they simply cannot change about my character, rather than watching them potentially struggle and try without saying anything.

If it's not going to happen, and it looks like a pattern where the person keeps trying, letting them in on it can be helpful. Maybe they'll look at the reasons the character is sad to work on those, instead of endless "cheering up" RP. Or perhaps it'll drive character development with a newfound conflict.
I think this is a really interesting point. There is a fine line between having a sad story, and a character who is just constantly 'woe is me'. Laike is in a bad circumstance, but the struggle I tried to make with him is whether or not his innocence and sunshine will degrade in the face of trouble. So while the story around him might be extremely sad, it doesn't mean that every scene with him is him being sad.

I think that if you have a character that is only ever sad, and there is no evolution or change.. it might not be the best rp for those around them. I guess it's a balance in that respect.