It can be a tough situation to be in, and one that has happened in the history of my own RP guild. Heated IC conflicts - especially often - can put a damper on OoC enjoyment of the RP if it's all just let loose without any rules or mitigation.
Something that helps my guild out in such times is one of our core Guidelines, which states that people should never cross the line between IC and OoC. It's woven into our guild Guidelines that one shouldn't "blend" the two and assume that IC actions represent the OoC thoughts or feelings of the player. IC drama should not equal OoC drama. If someone is feeling OoCly put-off by actions done ICly, then that's an indication of "RP bleed" and that's a good point to take a step back and reorient one's perspective: this is just a game, and we're all just here to play pretend and have fun doing it!
That being said, there are certain ways to play a jerkish character that can still make it fun and engaging for the RP partner/s. This is a bit more tricky, as it dips into one's personal RP style, but the "mean" members of my guild are pretty great at this. They do a little bit of OoC mitigation when someone is first introduced to their character, sending out a quick /tell or OoC message to assure the new player that they hold no bad feelings toward the other person and are just playing a rude character. OoC friendliness does wonders in relieving the "harsh edge" of character interactions.
As an even more 'micro' bit of advice, I'd recommend to always keep in mind the OoC enjoyment of your RP partner during any given scene. A theoretical question might be, "Narratively, are you giving them much to react to, or are you just shutting their character down?" I think sometimes people get caught up in being so 'true to their character' that they forget the more collaborative element of RPing, and don't really leave any openings for a good response from their partner. Sometimes posts can be presented in an overbearing way that makes the RP partner feel like they can't really do or say much. On the opposite end of the spectrum, posts that don't offer much put all of the responsibility on the other person to carry the scene.
None of this means that you have to change your character's actions or dialogue in any way. I'm just talking about the way things are framed and delivered. Even if the freshly-delivered box contains fire ants, people will be more likely to open it if it's wrapped in nice-looking paper.
Disclaimer: These are just my thoughts and no one is under any obligation to listen to them or take them into account if they don't want to!
Something that helps my guild out in such times is one of our core Guidelines, which states that people should never cross the line between IC and OoC. It's woven into our guild Guidelines that one shouldn't "blend" the two and assume that IC actions represent the OoC thoughts or feelings of the player. IC drama should not equal OoC drama. If someone is feeling OoCly put-off by actions done ICly, then that's an indication of "RP bleed" and that's a good point to take a step back and reorient one's perspective: this is just a game, and we're all just here to play pretend and have fun doing it!
That being said, there are certain ways to play a jerkish character that can still make it fun and engaging for the RP partner/s. This is a bit more tricky, as it dips into one's personal RP style, but the "mean" members of my guild are pretty great at this. They do a little bit of OoC mitigation when someone is first introduced to their character, sending out a quick /tell or OoC message to assure the new player that they hold no bad feelings toward the other person and are just playing a rude character. OoC friendliness does wonders in relieving the "harsh edge" of character interactions.
As an even more 'micro' bit of advice, I'd recommend to always keep in mind the OoC enjoyment of your RP partner during any given scene. A theoretical question might be, "Narratively, are you giving them much to react to, or are you just shutting their character down?" I think sometimes people get caught up in being so 'true to their character' that they forget the more collaborative element of RPing, and don't really leave any openings for a good response from their partner. Sometimes posts can be presented in an overbearing way that makes the RP partner feel like they can't really do or say much. On the opposite end of the spectrum, posts that don't offer much put all of the responsibility on the other person to carry the scene.
None of this means that you have to change your character's actions or dialogue in any way. I'm just talking about the way things are framed and delivered. Even if the freshly-delivered box contains fire ants, people will be more likely to open it if it's wrapped in nice-looking paper.
Disclaimer: These are just my thoughts and no one is under any obligation to listen to them or take them into account if they don't want to!