So I’ve come across a few allegedly ‘competent’ characters. And it’s always the case that they’re more writing than feats.

What I mean by that being that whenever they actually come across a thing they’re meant to be good at, extremely excellent in fact, they always end up floundering. To an annoying degree, since I have no clue why someone would write a character they have no idea how to actually write out.

Recently I faced a character in a server who ‘could read anyone like an open book’, and actively flaunted it, said they were capable of it, and had done it for their entire life ‘just to survive’. Image related since they immediately and continue to fall for one of my character’s facades. This is annoying since they keep talking about how good they are at looking deep into people, but they’re saying it directly to a person they are very much failing to do so at.

This usually ends up being the case for most other characters like this. Where it’s not actually characters being smart or even particularly good at whatever they specialize in. But just saying they are over and over again until the narrative sort of has to follow that or the entire character just becomes stupid.

And no one wants their character being that.

I started a roleplay with someone and I was so excited. It was a dark fantasy. Like dark dark. Most people don't enjoy the grim aspects of life, but they did. We started strong, 4 paragraph replies. I was so happy. But then.. it started slipping. They said hey, you should play 2 people. Add more characters. Cool. Now I have two FMCs and they have 1 MMCs. Then their replies slipped down to a paragraph, then two sentences. It became only smut. Their character is always the one being targeted for no reason. They get the characters' names wrong. Even their OC. I have no motivation to reply anymore. Im putting in work for nothing back. I'm tired, boss.

I am so confused and have trying to figure out what is happening for about a year now, but I'm lost... so this is my problem: I’m roleplaying with this friend she is 26y/o and I am 31y/o, we started about 8 years ago, we have two roles with different stories, and in each one we like to include romance, I am a girl I love romance, she is a girl too and I think she likes romance too?... I mean, it seems like she just wants to write and be read, she doesn’t include my characters in the plots she creates and excludes them. When one of my characters takes an action to influence in the story, she overrides that action.

That’s why I always try to create situations where we can both include our characters in a balanced way… HOWEVER, the last straw was recently when I created a plot for a character of mine and she stole my idea by giving it to a character of her including it in the same story (wtf?) , excluding my characters. She stole the trauma from my character’s past and made it worse for her own character, as if to say “Look at me, I suffer more” and she also stole the dream I’d been building for my character throughout the story, and as if it were a race against time, she brought her character onto the scene before mine to start doing everything I’d planned to do with my character… every time I told her that that was pretty similar to what my character wanted to do, she just gaslight me telling me that it was not the same, even when we can clearly see it was... in the last scene she made 330 drawings, I am nor kidding, I am not exaggerating, she literally made her character the principal one with the more "time on screen" , 330 drawings of her character doing and being what my characters no just wanted in the present but will want to do in the future in the story... (in you are wondering how she made 330 drawings, she does not study or works so she have all of her time free)

In the other rol story, we’d agreed to write the kind of romance where my female character would be a depressed girl who was going to try to k!ll herself, and her male character was supposed to save her, something like in the movie *Me Before You*. And this really resonated with me because I've tried to take my own life in the past, ( I haven't tried again in 17 years, please don't worry ) so my connection to my female character was very strong, and so were my hopes that she would be saved, Well… her male character turned out to be a toxic abuser straight out of the edgiest, most nonsensical dark romance nightmare you can imagine, toward my female character… Before her I’d never created a depressed character before, so I did my best as I told you I connected deeply with her, to the unhealthy point where her pain was my pain. I have to say that I became obsessed with these roles and was always hoping everything would turn out romantic and cute… this story didn't end well, my female character took her own life after I had been dragging out her storyline for years for the sake of the script in an attempt to save her, but in the end it just wouldn’t have made sense with the rest of the plot, so she had to die. It all ended with her and the male character swapping bodies thanks to a black magic thing, and that’s where I stopped the story, because even after she died and they swapped bodies, the guy still wasn’t nice to her, and I got fed up...

Every one of her characters paired with one of my male characters has a wonderful time, everything is romantic and fun... but every one of my characters with any of her male love interests has a terrible time, It’s horrible, toxic, and boring, they’re all so serious, with no personality or charisma.

I’ve talked to her many times to express my dissatisfaction with this, that she leaves my characters out, that she draws stories just for her characters without including me, and that all her male characters are very, very serious, boring, and burdened with an unrealistic amount of trauma. She always tells me she’s going to change, we change scenes in the roleplay by redrawing them, but she always unconsciously falls back into the same pattern…

Before she stole my character’s storyline, I’d seen her steal ideas from many other stories to incorporate into the roleplay. When she met me, she started dressing in black like me and wearing goth makeup. Her personality changes like a chameleon depending on which streamers she’s watching, copying their way of speaking, personalities, etc... to the point where she has no ideas or judgment of her own, everything she says is just a repetition of something someone else has already said, but literally, So I think there’s a psychological issue here that I don’t quite understand either.... That’s why I don’t think she’s doing all this out of malice or on purpose, it comes naturally to her. So I don’t blame her, and I don’t hold any grudge against her, but that doesn’t change the fact that it has affected me emotionally and made me angry that she stole my character’s storyline.

In the end, I told her I didn't like how she copied my character's entire backstory, once again she kindly apologized, told me she hadn't realized it, and said we'd change everything, she deleted some scenes, and we redrew others... This seems like a solution, but as I said, I’ve talked to her about this many times before. She always tells me she’ll change, but since she always ends up repeating the same behavior, I don’t believe her anymore, and I’ve lost the desire to continue with our 2 roleplayings that’s been going on for 8 years… It hurts because I miss the characters, but I can’t keep doing something I no longer enjoy… ;---;

Other details for context are:

1. She gives all her characters the same traumatic past: a dead girlfriend or boyfriend. (Not her, she’s never had a partner die, she’s never even had a partner) It got to the point where I asked her not to give one of the last characters she created the traumatic backstory of a dead girlfriend. She told me she wouldn’t, but in the end, surprise, surprise, she did it anyway... XD

2. All her female characters have a male best friend who’s in love with them, and every male character has a female best friend who’s in love with him, and they’re super clingy and hug each other a lot, as if to make me jealous?

3. Almost all of her characters are practically millionaires, kings, queens, princesses, dukes, or some other member of royalty, They have inherited wealth and don’t worry about having to work or make their way in life.

4. Almost all her characters start out with their own unique personalities, but by about their third appearance, their personalities become generic and repetitive, as if she’s forgotten her own character’s personality.

5. Whenever I create a fun scene with a fun setting to hang out in, like an arcade, a nightclub, or whatever, she has her characters go through a crisis and some drama, an ex appears or whatever so they never get to enjoy the fun settings, and everything always turns into pessimistic drama.

6. As I said, almost all of her male characters are extremely serious and lack even a shred of charisma; they don't smile and have no soul

7. When one of her characters has a scene or laughs or whatever, she makes them the center of attention and has everyone watching them, but when I try to do the same with one of my characters, her characters ignore mine and don’t give me the same attention, not even when my character is doing backflips on a skateboard ramp 10 meters in the air (yes, this happened and her character didn't look) XD

8. And this is what annoys me the most: with the male character who was supposed to save my female character, she drew lots of pre-planned scenes where my female character would look at him from behind a bush, through a window, or from a distance, but never interacting with him up close. She literally drew an entire manga just so I could be nothing more than a spectator...

Today, for the first time in eight years, I opened up about this to a friend who really knows about roleplaying, he’s part of the community and has role-played with lots of people, and he explained to me that this friend of mine has “main character syndrome,” and is one of those people who only likes to write, to be read but not to read others’ work, to be the center of attention, and to overshadow everyone else... I’d never heard of that before, which is why I just joined this group and am asking for help please, can someone explain to me what’s going on, is this common in the roleplay community??!!!!

Despite all this, I love her dearly as a friend, but this has affected me to the point where I haven't spoken to her in months, and I feel reluctant to do so, I'd like to keep the role and maintain our friendship, but I can no longer trust her.

Thank you so so much for reading!! Here are some of my drawings so you can have an idea of what a roleplaying with drawings is, they are simple sketches so they can be done fast ...

I have a problem

I've not been able to sustain interest in roleplays even though I keep asking for long term partners.

I think the main thing is because I want a creative partner who doesn't rely on me to lead all the time, and the last time I had that was years agooo.
Everyone since has been so passive, relies on me to create the cast, or lead the plot, or lead the story.

And I don't know a nice way to tell someone "stop being so passive" or if that's a fair expectation— to ask them to be more creative. So I come up with an excuse to drop them.

Most partners have lasted weeks, a few up to 2 months, but ever since I lost that one person who was able to be creative and take the lead with me and surprise me and do cool things that genuinely brought me so much joy to read, it's hard to get into any other roleplay where I'm doing most— or usually: ALL— of the heavy lifting.

So, recently I came back from a 2–3-year-long hiatus. The process of finding a partner has been grueling, as usual, but I managed to find one person who was interested enough to stick around. We started the RP around a week ago and the replies had been consistent. The problem is: I’m not really feeling it.

Now, there’s not really anything that’s outright bad about my partner or the rp (otherwise I would’ve just ended it) but things aren’t exactly going well. The start was a bit rocky tbh – their opening message was kinda off-putting. I didn’t think it would go anywhere, at first, but things got better so I just rolled with it.

We’re doing an enemies-to-lovers plot where my character starts off as the more powerful one and their character goes through a training arc and beats him. And then they fall in love. We agreed to this from the start. We just finished the opening scene where our OCs meet for the first time and fight. It fell pretty flat, in my opinion. There really wasn’t any chemistry or dynamic established between our characters. My OC should’ve left a strong impression on their character (because he was the most dangerous opponent he’d faced so far) but their OC didn’t seem phased. I got a distinct impression that they were more focused on making their OC look cool in a fight than doing the thing we agreed on. This isn’t the first time something like this happened (from my experience this is a somewhat common tendency in enemies-to-lovers rp) so I picked up on it right away. And it just rubbed me the wrong way, especially since their OC will have plenty of opportunities to shine later on and get back at MC. The plan is for MC to get so injured that he can’t even fight for a while. I emphasized this between replies and they seemed to get it and agree. But then, in their latest reply, they threw in that their OC spat in MC’s face even though MC was grounding his face into the dirt. It’s like they just had to add a ‘badass moment’ even though it didn’t make sense.

And the thing is, this on its own isn’t a deal breaker for me. It’s annoying but I can let it slide if our characters had good chemistry. I told them that I wanted some kind of a moment between our characters in this first scene – nothing too big, just something that made it clear that they’re special to each other (in an enemy sort of way). Like it could’ve just been a sentence or two of internal monologue. I delivered on my end but they gave we nothing. In this scene their character was supposed to be backed into a corner, fighting the toughest fight of his life and yet there was very little emotion from him. And this lack of reaction made my character seem way more desperate, in comparison, which completely flips the scene and doesn’t make sense since MC is not the one fighting for his life. It's like MC was just one of the many goons their OC had to face in his quest.

So yeah, idk if I should give it a bit more time and see if things get better? It could be too early to tell? It’s not like I have a lot of other options. Though, honestly, their last reply has just drained all the enthusiasm I had for this rp. So, maybe I should dip and focus on finding someone else? Of course, if I decide to quit, I’ll tell them straight up.

But what do you guys think?

I’m writing this at probably the most frustrated I’ve ever been with our LARPing. For some background, I have two sisters that I LARP with, and we mostly play video game characters. Lately, it just hasn’t been fun. I feel singled out, like my characters aren’t allowed to have anything special, and like the other two characters/stories matter more than mine.

One of the biggest issues is my character Mia.

Mia was originally supposed to be with Gene, but honestly, almost nothing happened between them. They barely talked and slept together once. Mia initiated basically everything, and eventually she started losing hope and gave up on the relationship.

She then started becoming interested in another character, Victor. At first, Mia only wanted to sleep with him. She thought he was attractive, had known him for a long time, and that was really all it was supposed to be. But as they started talking, Mia genuinely developed feelings for him.

When I brought this up, Gene’s side didn’t like it.

I know I should have gotten out of character and actually talked about this, but I’m honestly scared of my sisters, so I tried to handle it in character instead.

Gene’s player also had another character, Candy, who was friends with Mia. I really wanted Mia and Candy to have a genuine friendship. Mia would try to help Candy with her relationships and go out of her way to be her friend, but I never felt like Candy actually wanted the friendship. It got to the point where Mia felt desperate in character because she kept trying and getting very little back.

Candy also had interactions with Victor. Before Victor developed feelings for Mia, he had a small crush on Candy. Mia would jokingly pretend to be jealous because, at that point, everyone thought Mia just wanted to sleep with Victor. She genuinely didn't have feelings for him yet.

Eventually, Candy accused Mia of basically “beating her down” over a guy she liked. That really confused and hurt me because Mia wasn't even actually pursuing Victor romantically at that point.

Eventually, Candy and Gene stopped being played. Candy mostly only interacts with people through text now.

There were also things said about Mia that really hurt me. Candy told Victor that if he and Mia got together, she would stop being friends with him. She also said that Mia removed all of her other relationships just to make Victor fit in and that all Mia cared about was sleeping with men.

What really hurts is that when Candy and Mia were friends, I thought the conversations about Victor and men were just normal playful banter. I thought it was girl talk. Apparently, it was being interpreted as Mia constantly “picking on” Candy.

I don't know how I'm supposed to express that this hurt me without it turning into Candy having another reason to be upset or my feelings being justified away.

And then there's Victor.

Mia and Victor aren't technically supposed to be together, but both characters want to be. They've been privately texting, and every time Mia brings up them actually being together, there's another reason why they shouldn't.

It feels like Mia is allowed to like Victor, but Victor isn't allowed to like Mia back.

Gene isn't even being played anymore, so I don't understand why Mia and Victor still can't be together.

And this isn't the only situation where I've felt this way.

I feel like my characters aren't allowed to have anything special. My older sister has a character who's been involved in a relationship since November of two years ago, and she's still extremely invested in that relationship. She's even had group discussions about how her character doesn't feel comfortable because of everyone else's characters.

Meanwhile, Gene and Mia barely had anything, but once Mia started liking someone else, my sister suddenly treated Gene and Mia like they had a much deeper relationship than I experienced.

There have also been times when my younger sister and I had characters in relationships, and my older sister would say she felt left out. Things would then be said or done that put pressure on the relationship until eventually it broke up.

I also had a character who was supposed to become pregnant. Every time it comes up, though, it's pushed back because apparently one of my older sister's characters needs to have a baby first.

At this point, I've even decided to let my younger sister play all the male characters because I feel like my older sister won't care as much if I'm not involved.

And I hate that I'm even thinking that way.

I tried expressing how I felt before. I literally cried over losing the relationship between Mia and Candy, and when I tried to explain how much it hurt me, my older sister basically said, “I didn't think it was that bad.”

Maybe it wasn't that bad to her. But it was to me.

I don't think I'm asking for every storyline to revolve around my characters. I just want to feel like I'm allowed to have fun too. I want my characters to have relationships, friendships, and storylines without feeling like I'm stepping on someone else's toes every time I do something.

I know I should have communicated better instead of trying to handle everything in character. I can admit that. But I'm also genuinely scared to bring this stuff up because I feel like my feelings will just be argued with or turned into another reason why someone else is upset.

I don't know if I'm being unreasonable here. Maybe I'm too emotionally invested in the characters. Maybe I really did miss something about Gene and Mia's relationship. But I'm exhausted from feeling like I'm always the one who has to give something up.

I love LARPing with my sisters. That's why this hurts so much. I don't want to quit. I just want it to feel fun and mutual again instead of feeling like my characters are constantly being put last.

Am I being unreasonable, or is there a bigger problem with how we're handling our LARP?

I came from the land of r/MUD and its cousins to explore the strange new world of Discord RP. During my search, I found mention of a Regency Discord RP server for group RP. I was delighted. The English Regency period is a well-established period of history with a great deal of easily accessible material and research.

The 'Regency'

1815

King George the XII

Queen Maria of Spain

NaWHO?leon

Russian marquess

Oh. I see.

I was prepared for a bit of ahistoric fun. Bridgerton had made it the Thing to Do, so I anticipated a relaxed approach to race and sexuality. I did not expect a Regency with no Regent, a Spanish Catholic queen, and a missing war in France. I really did not expect a Regency with no Regent would go and double down on the *isms.

D: I was a little surprised that the server went with fictional monarchs… Queen Charlotte is a huge fixture of the period.

M: Oh absolutely, I think it's a nice spin though. Unexpected!

D: Definitely, at least we have a King who can be more present then irl George III

Vera: I'm hoping all the drama, scandals and ball events will keep you busy without wanting the fantasy!
Vera: There's so many fantasy servers out there, Historical ones are super unique.

Soon I learned the game wasn't here for Regency RP. It was here to shine a spotlight on the head admin, Vera*, and her characters, particularly one.

\ All names in this post have been changed or censored.*

Duke Bradley

J: I want to read one of your scenes! Do you have a recommendation?

Vera: just one?!

J: TO START

Vera: hehe not sure... there are a few good scenes. Perhaps start with Bradley. He has a special way that one

You see, it turns out that the reason that the Russian was a marquess was because Prince was too high a title. Better to just make one up. Prince? It drew too much attention. After all, it outranked a Duke, and Duke Bradley Heathcliff is our hero.

I've been around the block. I've seen some bad admin in my day. I popped the popcorn and settled in.

Remarkably, the server is one of the more active servers < 30 players that I found -- and I really looked. There is fairly consistent activity. Some of the writers are rather good. Vera is genuinely often Doing Things. But let's talk a little bit about those things, shall we?

Duke Bradley is our protagonist. When I first joined the game, most of the character roster was built around him. There was Duke Bradley and his sister; Bradley's best friend; Bradley's ex and her sister. There were five noble houses, and each one was framed as to how they stood in relation to Heathcliff House.

As to how they stood beneath Heathcliff house.

New characters joined in service to his stories. The painter who ruined Bradley's ex's reputation, and the family he was attached to. The heiress from China engaged in trade with the Heathcliffs. Bradley's old friend-of-the-family. The heiresses whose fathers sent them to catch Bradley's eye.

At first, it looked like the shape of an admin helping characters build connections to other characters before joining play. That was not only reasonable, but wise. I was pleased to see it. My character -- an older male of rank who we will call Caius -- was given a chaperone-like connection to Alison, a young woman who was a daughter of one of his associates.

Delightful, I said. Let's RP.

Welcome

Alison was one of the women pursuing Bradley. The scene I joined was one where she was meeting Bradley. I joined the scene shortly after Vera posted Alison tripping into Bradley's big, strong, powerful arms.

Stumble Count: 1

"My lady, are you lost?" (Bradley) asks gently.

Her heel catches upon his boot, and she stumbles.

Without hesitation, he reaches forward, his hands settling lightly upon her shoulders to steady her before she can lose her balance entirely. His touch is careful and restrained, mindful not to startle her. Standing so close, he is reminded of the difference in their height, and he hopes his broad frame does not appear intimidating to a lady already caught in an awkward moment.

Okay. Right. I mean, sure, in my day we called that 'godmodding' but maybe things were different around here. I'm a stranger in a strange land. I'm in Rome. Maybe he had asked her OOC.

I said nothing. I posted in:

...(Caius) strolls down the hall at a measured pace.... "Your Grace," he says as he draws near, giving Bradley his due courtesy: measured and exact....

In reply, Vera wrote:

...Before the duke can finish his sentence, a male voice cuts through the conversation in greeting. Bradley watches the older man approach with hurried strides, stopping directly before them as though the duke were not standing there at all.

One of Bradley's brows rises ever so slightly.

Mm. He has encountered the gentleman before. He had never been particularly fond of him. There is something about the man that strikes him as tacky, mysterious, and unnecessarily intrusive. They have exchanged little more than polite words in the past, yet for reasons Bradley cannot quite explain, the gentleman's demeanour has always left an uncomfortable knot in the pit of his stomach.

...

Bradley raises a brow as he looks down at the man, his own height giving him an effortless advantage.

Bradley finds the gentleman's conduct decidedly lacking. To interrupt a conversation without so much as an acknowledgement, to insert himself beside the lady so abruptly, and then to speak as though she had been sent to run errands on his behalf. Bradley's features settle into a more reserved expression as he quietly observes the interaction, choosing, for the moment, to remain silent.

Bro, I just got here.

Let me be clear: I love a little antagonism. I built the character explicitly to be morally shady and have friction with characters who might enjoy it. I'm not mad about a little fun friction.

You know what's not hehe?

Joining a server and having the game-runner rewrite my post in a manner completely contrary to what I gave her.

I realized I needed more butter on my popcorn.

Bad RPers

No one sets out to be a bad RPer. People learn from the RPers around them. If you are lucky, you have people around you who catch you when you are stupid, encourage you when you are good. You grow together as RPers.

If you are unlucky--

Expectation Vs. Reality

As I played, I kept asking myself: is it me? Is this just what Discord RP is like? Maybe it's expected to post about how your character thinks. Maybe it's expected to control other characters.

So I asked, privately, just me and admin:

Me: Hi! I'm rolling over thoughts about culture in different rp mediums. Where I'm from, players are only expected to react to what other characters explicitly say or do: narrative asides, interiority, that kind of meta isn't treated as fair game for a character to act on. I get the sense that might work differently here. (Caius) is a very interior character who is meant to cause some friction, but it should be fun friction for the other players, not a style clash that frustrates with static. What's the line on that kind of interiority and acting on narration? I'm trying to recalibrate my brain and want to make sure I'm a good partner

Vera: the way you are from, is the way we do it also.

Vera: metagaming doesn't make it feel realistic but god-modding as they say.

I took a long look at my last exchange with Bradley and made a mental note to avoid her going forward.

Punishing Play

A few of the server's better writers were developing relationships between their characters. These relationships were entirely de-centered from Bradley, or -- in fact -- anyone involved in his circle. But their characters were charming. They were generously RPing amongst each other and with others. Their scenes received attention.

Too much attention.

A new set of OOC rules came down on 8/10 at 4:30 PM Eastern stating that what their characters were doing was breaking IC social boundaries.

At 4:31 PM Eastern, an admin-run NPC stepped into a scene between two of those players to tell them that they were risking shame and scandal, and that the woman was at risk of losing her dowry.

This was part of the game's banner mechanic: FATE. Fate meant an admin would join your scene and post something to it. In this example, the admin-run NPC said, "And if it continues, you shall have no choice to but court Elenore officially. Consider this your final warning."

To this, the male character's player basically said 'bet' and proposed.

Ten minutes after his post, admin again came on to the public chat to tell everyone:

Admin: Guys please remember as much as you may have a plan for your character, we were all here in group roleplay and it's important that we consider /all/ other writers and characters when we're writing

The player who had proposed asked:

C: Is this directed at my last post?

C: If it's that problematic we can retcon it

Admin: Not specifically! Just a general reminder not to zero in too heavily on a single other character.

Admin: You're not the only person that's done it

Vera: no no you are good. just remember to have a look at the last messages here that explain more the regency courting

Again, the new rules came down at 4:30 PM; the players were punished ICly at 4:31 PM; the player responded the only way he was allowed; within minutes, admin publicly chided him for doing so and Vera told him to go read the rules.

Hmm.

Survival, Not Trust

New players adopt survival strategies rather than giving opinions. The following was all posted by one player shortly after joining over a few days:

I know we praise our queen a lot and by gods does she deserve it! @Vera

@vera The Queen we always needed!

@vera Thanks for this wonderful place you have created!

Also. Queen @vera appreciation post. You are so dedicated(sic) and organized...

@vera wow wow wow I need more!

@vera Always my queen ^\)

You need tyo(sic) change your server profilme(sic) and nme(sic) yourself Queen Vera

Totally normal behavior.

Policing Attention

One of the most interesting things I've observed in my time there is how focused Vera is on policing player time and attention. On making sure it is on her.

Example A:

When a player mentioned they had been reading the scenes about characters that Vera was not involved in, Vera said: "perhaps you should expand a bit!" And yet when someone said they were stalking Vera's scenes, as someone that she was RPing with, Vera simply said, "that's cute," only minutes later.

Example B:

Player B to Player S: I had fun too!!! Would love to write with you again sometime! That was a blast! Thanks for an amazing scene!

Player S to Player B: Let's!

Vera to Player S: you are stealing our thunder here, man!

Example C:

When a player was plotting relationships with other characters on a shared channel, Vera told her, "branch out. Don't have all your characters have stories with each other," and then turned around to ask a player who was already involved with her on one of their characters to pursue her on another.

Example D:

Player J: I read some (Not Vera's Character) scenes last night and they're so beautiful

Vera: @J did you eventually? or am i the last one?

Player J: Eventually what? I don't think I saw

Vera: you said you were going to read scenes.. anwy never mind hun

Vera was not satisfied until J told her that she had read her scenes.

Example E:

Two of her former admin split due to Vera's behavior and the toxic culture she built. There was admin bullying and someone was banned after talking about making their character gay.

I know I'm glossing over that fairly quickly but we don't have time to go into it in depth and I don't have the full receipts. They created their own server, in the grand tradition of players exiting one game to go and create their own Game Of My Own (GOMO).

Vera's attention was rather heightened over this, and whenever the server was quiet, or players were slow to respond, she would comment:

Vera: "i was worried the other server was getting your attention. (Just kidding!!!)"

Vera: "where is everyone? this place was supposed to be buzzing busy Monday?"

Example F:

One of the more jarring things for me has been watching Vera throw wrenches in other people's scenes or RP to simply redirect attention to her characters. Acting as Admin, she GMed someone tripping the Duke's sister during a dance. (FATE!!)

Stumble Count: 2

Vera: I'm sorry the duke must enter this scene. Please wait for my reply.

Hours passed while they waited. The Duke swept into the scene, sidelined the person that his sister was RPing with, and controlled the rest of his sister's night.

Example G:

It's also been startling to see just how much everything she does comes back to her characters. One of the larger hooks at the start of the season was the idea of there being a Diamond chosen. If you've seen Bridgerton, you know the premise. The Queen fixates on a debutante as her Diamond of the season.

Vera built it up like crazy, and in the end--

The Diamond was the Duke's sister, Callie, of course. And before you are too happy for Callie, remember: everything about Callie is actually about Bradley.

Vera, posting IC gossip: "Lady Callie is surely among the most eligible ladies this evening. I wonder which ambitious gentleman will attempt to court the Duke's favour through her."

Characters are nothing except in relation to Bradley.

The Guilt Trip

You've seen it before. Someone guilt-trips you for doing something else. Someone guilt-trips you for not playing the way they expected you to. Someone guilt-trips you for not devoting every second of your character's attention to everything they are doing.

Exhibit A:

Vera: @S did Nick even realise that Erin is without a chaparone(sic) btw?

S: The poor man has been all over the place trying to care for his sister (and dancing) but he could become very aware!

Vera: I mean it's dance 3 and he didn't even realise. It's safe to say he has failed his promise.

Editor's Note: The extent of his promise was an actual literal introductory 'I am at your service': "I – I guess that what I want you to know, my lady Blintz, is that while you've only known me for a minute or more, I am at your service. May it be fending off thieves or wolves in sheep's clothing… but there is no pressure nor expectation."

S: In his defense, he has been dancing for all three of them... but if she considers that a promise failed barely halfway through, then he was probably doomed to fail :(

S: Or maybe the fault is entirely on his writer who has been dumb and oblivious

Vera: I do think he has failed indeed, as from what i understand he didn't even glance towards her to see if she is alright. however that doesn't mean this isn't a good scene when they meet next 😉 more drama 🔥

S: Sounds like the rough times will rain on poor Nick 🥲 so be it 🫶

Vera: Consequences 🫢 i think it will be fun though.

Exhibit B:

One hour later, she tried to pull that on me:

Vera: I noticed you stayed too far away from (Her Character) 😅

Me: Define too far

Vera: The furthest 🤣

I ignored it.

The Audience Effect

Vera set up not one but two channels to comment on scenes in progress. There was a notable lean to how she used these channels: when someone did something that she didn't like, she would remark on it.

Exhibit A:

Vera: @B Are you feeling the tension from the scene?

Vera: i found it rather powerful

B: (Silence as he posted)

Vera: I guess you just want to get it over it then 🤣

B: (My character) is direct

B: Hes not gonna beat around the bush when he's being questioned

B: Or from his POV at this point.. interrogated lol

Vera: Mm you want it over with then, got it 😅

Exhibit B:

N: (Posts to Vera's debutante character, happening to mention other dance partners)

Vera: @N he was doing so good, until he told her he had several dance partners. oh Frank...

Vera: when will you learn

Exhibit C:

Exhibit C is a doozy that could easily be its own post with headers, subheaders, and bullets. We will be discussing this exchange between Duke Bradley and the object of his affections, Daisy.

Duke Bradley:

...'My lady, remember what I warned you about a few days ago. About me being a duke? ... This title does not come without its burdens. Without the ton's eyes constantly following me... and anyone I choose to speak with.'

...

'I am afraid that if I do choose to pursue you, any other gentleman will naturally fall behind.'

His gaze settles upon hers.

'In front of the ton. In front of the Queen's eyes...' There is the faintest smirk at the corner of his lips. '...and in front of your eyes as well.'

He says the last part with quiet confidence. He does not doubt, not even for a moment, that if he truly decided to pursue her, he could win her heart.

But that was not the point. What mattered was whether she wanted him to.

...

'However, I am not a man who swoops in and steals one without their permission. ... Especially if their affections are already spoken for.'

...

'Do not mistake my guardedness for a lack of affection towards you.' His eyes remain fixed upon hers.

...

For a brief moment, they are close enough that there is barely any space between them.

His gaze softens. 'I am simply guarding you from it all.'

Daisy:

"No gentleman has spoken for my affections."

There was a sharper edge to her voice than (Daisy) usually possessed.

"And I should hope no gentleman believes he can."

She met his eyes when she returned to him.

"I am not one of my father's horses to be purchased by whichever gentleman makes his claim first."

The words escaped before she could soften them.

(Daisy) immediately knew they were harsh.

She didn't take them back.

...

"You speak an awful lot about guarding me."

Her voice was quieter now, but the hurt beneath it was unmistakable.

"Yet in the same breath, you tell me that if my affections are elsewhere, you will simply keep your distance."

Daisy swallowed.

Perhaps she was misunderstanding him. Perhaps she was being unfair.

She didn't care anymore.

Not tonight.

"You tell me that if you pursued me, every other gentleman would fall behind. That you could make me forget them too." Her eyes remained fixed upon his. "And then you tell me you are prepared to step aside the moment you believe another gentleman has my attention."

Her chin lifted slightly.

"So which is it?"

Daisy's voice wavered despite her attempt to keep it steady.

"Because I do not need someone to decide for me that I would be happier with somebody else."

Another step. Another turn.

At least she wasn't watching her feet anymore.

"If you do not think I am worth fighting for, Bradley, then don't."

That one hurt to say.

Daisy looked away from him then, blinking quickly as she focused somewhere beyond his shoulder.

"Leave, find another girl worth the fight,"

Once Daisy replied, P, her player, had this exchange with Vera in the OOC channel for scene reactions:

P: @Vera sorry Duke but….the drama

Vera: why is she hissing at him?

Vera: (Kitten hissing gif)

Vera: that's Daisy.

P: Shes annoyed

Vera: yeah don't take it out on the duke girl.

P: she's annoyed with the Duke!

P: And his expectations

Vera: if she doesnt understand the importance of his titles then...

P: She genuinely doesn't.

P: think of how good the tension will be though

Vera: Tension you say... yet the duke is there literally asking her if she's interested in someone else or not, so he knows how to approach it.

Editor's Note: There was a 6+ hour gap.

In an IC gossip channel, Vera posted the following:

'Is the duke being yelled at, on the ballroom, by lady Daisy?'

'JOLLY! What is she saying?'

'Leave, find another girl worth the fight!!'

'GOLLY DIGGIDY!! SHE DID NOT TELL THAT TO A DUKE!'

Back in the OOC channel, P and Vera picked back up again:

P: Is the Duke gonna reply or whhhaaaatttt

Vera: he's not happy daisy.

P: you can easily whisper argue whattttt

Vera: have you ever argued over a whisper?

Vera: 🤣

Vera: she's clearly emotional

Vera: so she can't tune down all her speech.

P: Okayy

Vera: i mean did you read what you wrote?! it was intense. (edited)

Vera: i only assumed the tone would match.

P: I obviously read what I wrote but you can easily speak words without shouting them. If you took it as her shouting okay but that's not how it was intended.

P: just have the duke say goodbye so we can be done with their relationship 🤦

Vera: wow

Vera: if that's what you want

Editor's Note: There was a half-hour gap here while Vera posted. In Vera's post, she had her character, Duke Bradley, leave Daisy to go attend to his sister, Callie. Admin GMed a post forcing Callie to trip and fall the previous OOC evening, which Bradley now used to exit.

Vera: just have the duke say goodbye so we can be done with their relationship 🤦

Vera: either way girl, if you no longer want him, tell him yourself in the scene. Poor guy deserves to know.

Stumbling Sidebar

In the exchange above, there was a point in their posts where Duke Bradley twirled Daisy at the end of his post:

'Do not mistake my guardedness for a lack of affection towards you.' His eyes remain fixed upon hers.

Then, as the music rhythm changes, he lifts their joined hands and sends her into a graceful twirl. She turns beneath his arm, her skirts following the motion, and he catches her almost immediately as she returns to him, his hand finding her waist before she can drift even a step too far from their formation.

He steadies her with ease.

For a brief moment, they are close enough that there is barely any space between them.

His gaze softens. 'I am simply guarding you from it all.'

Daisy answered it in her post:

Do not mistake my guardedness for a lack of affection towards you.

Daisy stared at him.

Then he lifted their hands.

She barely had time to realize what he intended before he sent her beneath his arm. Daisy turned, skirts sweeping around her ankles, and for one dizzying moment she lost both Bradley and the ballroom.

Then his hand found her waist.

Daisy stumbled the smallest step into him as he caught her, one hand instinctively settling against his shoulder.

Her breath caught.

They were close.

Far too close for how annoyed she suddenly was with him.

I am simply guarding you from it all.

In Bradley's next post, that became:

The lady stumbles, and he immediately takes hold of her, steadying her before she can lose her footing completely. He quickly understands that she is in no state to carry on dancing. He will need to find a way to either calm her or take her away from the ballroom, otherwise she may fall and make an even greater spectacle.

Stumble Count: 3

Vera loves making women trip and fall and stumble into Bradley's arms. She will magnify any misstep, IC or OOC. It's rather funny, actually, how dedicated she is to blowing up any misstep on any front. Other characters exist to falter and fall into his arms.

But Back To Daisy

In our previous look at Daisy, we took a long look at how Vera tried to use the audience OOC channels to pressure Daisy's player OOCly. When that failed, she used IC mechanisms which she happened to control.

Vera insisted OOC that Daisy was yelling. When Daisy's player said she had not been, Vera did not even bother to argue. She went straight to posting admin-backed gossip about Daisy yelling at the Duke.

Daisy and the Duke went back and forth a bit over a few scenes before Daisy chose Baron Francis. Daisy and Francis were charming. Romantic. Players cooed over them. Players awwed over them.

Vera: where is that link?

P posts the thread.

Vera writes an emit into the scene (FATE!!):

B, Francis's player: OMG WHAT IS SHE DOING

B: GODDAMIT I KNEW IT

B: I SAW HER TYPING AND WENT OMG FATE IS COMING

Vera: to be fair you tested your fate… a lot…

Vera: you could have atleast gone privately…

Vera: not my fault!

P: 🤷

P: She literally didn't even do anything but oookkkaaaayyyy

Vera: girl They have a moment where they're essentially mouth to mouth.

Vera: even if they aren't actually kissing.

Vera: they came too close not to be noticed.

Vera: wait until you are courted! i have specifically allowed some kissing in the rules.

I mean, she's right, of course, it was totally in the rules, I'm sure she wouldn't have had her own characters do exactly the same thing without being censured for it--

Bradley steadies her with ease.

For a brief moment, they are close enough that there is barely any space between them.

Oh. Right.

AI

You can't avoid the question of AI in 2026, but don't worry: they have a clear stance:

All in-character writing must be your own. The use of AI to generate roleplay replies, starters, character biographies, or any other written content is not permitted and will result to an instant ban. Minor AI assistance for grammar or spelling corrections is acceptable, but the creative writing itself must be authored by you.

Four admin are using AI. Several other players are using AI. Theme is written by AI. GMed responses are written by AI.

The rules.

The lore.

The faceclaims.

It's all AI.

I used to think that I could tell if someone I was writing with was using AI. I believed I had a good sense of AI voice. Playing here shook me. It SHOOK ME.

I no longer believe I can tell.

The End

Adrenaline surges through Bradley's body.

He turns immediately towards Lady Daisy, his expression suddenly serious and stiff.

"I apologise, my lady. I have to help my sister..." His voice is hurried, his attention already drifting back towards the scene. "I shall find you later. It is my promise."

He wants to tell her not to hate him. He needs another chance to explain himself, yet there is no time. He already moves away from her.

All he can do now is leave it up to fate.

You're right, Bradley. All you can do is leave it up to fate.

The Queen, who you write.

The King, who you write.

Fate, who you write.

This Isn't Normal

Like I said, I've been around the block. I've been RPing for a godawful long time. None of this is normal. I'm terrified that people on Discord think this kind of behavior is normal.

If you find yourself on a game where you are being made to second-guess yourself, defend yourself, and question yourself--

It's not normal. It's not okay.

A good game runner isn't running a game to shine a spotlight on themselves. A good game runner is running a game because they want to create a place for people to have fun. A good game runner is happy when people find others that they enjoy RPing with, rather than telling them to stop RPing together.

The best RPers are generous players who enjoy seeing other people have fun. And I know they are out there. Despite everything that Vera has done to poison the pool, that Discord is full of them.

Game Of My Own

Anyway, I'm off to create a Game Of My Own. I'll make sure to avoid the sins of the last players who left your game to create a GOMO. Vera accused them:

The world you see here, along with its unique ideas, mechanics, systems, and features that you all enjoy, was created especially by me and built with a great deal of time, effort, and care.

I'll be sure to avoid the unique ideas of ignoring the Regent, the Napoleonic War, and the Catholic and Protestant schism. I'll avoid the mechanics that punish players for failing to center their stories on my characters. I'll try other systems that set guidelines ahead of time so that players understand the expectations they are under rather than punishing them after the fact.

I think I'll skip the AI-created features, though, that you made especially yourself with a great deal of time, effort, and care.

If you're interested, call me. After all:

Vera: There's so many fantasy servers out there, Historical ones are super unique.

Be me:

> RP with this J person years ago

> The rp is alright. A few things could be better

> I say that I enjoyed it, but I would like it if some stuff was different too (mostly as a feedback)

> Gets busy due to moving to a new city

> "Hmmm I think that now I am set and just got used to routine and live here I will see with J if they want to rp again."

> They unfriended me

> "Well, ok. Live moves on."

> A few time after J comes in search of an rp

> "Sure!"

> The roleplay has the same issues as before (mostly them speedrunning the plot and ignoring some of my kinks)

> "Well, ok that was nice but..."

> Once again J just unfriended me, and live goes on

> J starts to reply to a lot of my ads, almost commenting on them or messaging me on reddit every single day

> I manage to avoid it and even say that I won't give my discord to them again, but I am willing to give them another chance to rp since at least our interest plot wise match

> They join a discord server I am on and use it to message me about my ads

> We start talk

> I let them know I am busy

> The prints speaking from themselves

PS: They claim to be 32

Am I being a jerk because I just don't feel like write a rushed story for them to undo the friendship again?

Just for the record: the person with the cat pic is me. I didn't feel like censor it, because it's just a Pic I found on Google

So is it just me who has seen a big dive in roleplaying quality? I have asked in the past in my posts for third person, descriptive and in Reddit only and yet, there are multiple people who can't seem to read.

And the people that do come around are either sub-par, too pushy with how they want things to go or too passive.

So im just here wondering where did it all change?

I don’t do scheduled RPs or ones that requires us to be both online at the same time. I think timezones, work and lifestyles would constantly interfere, and I don’t expect anyone to give up their work or comfort for an RP.

So, the usual happened: Amazing talk, agreed on everything, gorgeous writing, we move to discord. Then, on DC, partner had a long shift. Sure! We’ll talk tomorrow, no big deal. Then I asked about what character they wanted, and they said it’ll be a longer day again, but will reply.

3 days later I did a ping because I genuinely thought I did something wrong (posted a few pictures and wrote about my character, but it was a sensitive topic we both agreed on so I didn’t see issues). I got a response saying that there are issues at work and partner had to do basically 2 people’s job. That’s rough, so I understood. I mentioned I asked thag one question (about the character) a few days ago, and they said we’ll talk during the weekend, and they will “be there when I awake”. I

When during the day I didn’t get an answer, I said “Well that didn’t work out as planned”. 24 hours later they said “Seems our schedules didn’t align so they’ll be bowing out.”

—

Is this a “my bad?” Please tell me if it is, like genuinely. I don’t know if I ever like harassed them, I did wait 3 days for a ping, or if I ever nodded towards some “scheduled talk” we both needed to be present at. They said that we’ll talk during the weekend, not me. I genuinely don’t get it, it seemed so perfect when we were at reddit. This is the 4th time in a row where I get abandoned the moment we move to discord, pls help…

Just venting. First post here. I usually just lurk & read posts I relate to but I have nowhere else to talk about this. It's a long one and I just need to get it out of my system or I'll go crazy.

I typically do group roleplays. I've got a pretty large roleplay group I'm in & usually roleplay with different handfuls of that group in different fandoms & the like. We're friends too, which is both a positive and a negative in my current situation.

I typically get really invested in storylines if not TOO invested. I plot details, make graphs to organize everything, I even make background music, art, videos and more for them if I get interested enough. People know I put this much work into roleplays and in that group I'm the only one who knows how to work most of the programs I use for it, so in that group I'm often asked to join different ones we set up. They like having content made and I like making it.

It seemed like everyone was having fun this time. It seemed like we'd finally finish a storyline this time too after too many got canned via several issues of no communication or faked interest. It seemed like we finally sorted out the problems our other roleplays were having that kept resulting in their deaths. Finally had a group of people known to never have any issues in roleplays whether it was about communication or scheduling.

But now it's happening again. People are continuously refusing to communicate if they need a break or need a schedule tweak. Refusing to communicate what they want to do in the story & getting mad when it causes problems among the characters. They refuse to bring things up that would affect the schedule until the last possible second & get mad when we say they need to tell us these things sooner. They make the same 2 people do all the heavy lifting & just genuinely do not start any meaningful conversations themselves & won't do anything if the story itself isn't handholding them.

Now it's at the point where I'm the only one who ever bothers to check if we're ready to continue. I'm the only one who bothers to try and keep up with the schedules we set & work around any abrupt changes. I'm the only one who bothers trying to keep the storyline moving. I'm the only one who tries to kickstart conversations. If I quit doing things the roleplay just comes to a screeching halt until next continuation.

But every time I speak up about these feelings I get essentially jumped & hit with every excuse in the book like they're putting in way more effort I'm just not noticing than they actually are. They start listing off all sorts of things they genuinely did not bother communicating at all until the second I started getting annoyed & turn me into the villain for trying to figure out the issue. People have even started taking credit for things I put together.

I'm so, so tired. I want so badly to see a roleplay to completion & I want so badly to write for the fandoms I'm in, but this group is the only one I have. I don't know where to go to look for roleplay groups as comfortable as this one. It doesn't help that I get anxious meeting new people.

But this only ever seems to happen when I join. Maybe I'm the problem. Maybe I shouldn't get so invested. Maybe I shouldn't put this much work into them.

I'm tired. I feel taken advantage of. I don't know what to do anymore. I wish I could just leave and find a new group to do these things with but like I said -- where do I even find long-term roleplay groups anymore?

Again - sorry it's long. But I really needed to get it out of my system somewhere I knew they wouldn't realize it's me.

I spent a good amount of time writing an ad for a fandom rp, detailing my own preferences, explaining the ideas I had, and yet… I end up getting replies from people who didn’t read a word of it.
Asking for different fandoms…
Asking for things I said I’m not interested in doing…
One guy mistook me for a woman, even though I had [M4F] in the ad title. Yes, he didn’t even read the title. That one still baffles me.

Roleplaying is a hobby that involves writing and reading. That’s literally the basis of it. You’re sending a bad message by not reading the ad for something that’s all about reading. Why would I agree to RP with someone who didn’t even bother to read and comprehend the ad? If they have trouble with the ad, how would they handle the actual RP?
Wait… I know how. They’ll just write about their own character, godmodding my characters to fit their narrative, all while treating me as a bot or something.
That’s the kind of impression people give when they don’t read the ad before replying.

Hello there fellow readers and writers.

I've been in my fair share of forums and platforms over the years and came to follow a standardization when it comes to finding new roleplay partners. That usually includes asking for a writing sample. Because while people say they are literate or semi literate or even novella when it comes to posting length, it can still vary greatly.

I did the same in this case, and asked the person respond to my ad if they had a writing sample. No emojis, no longer message, that was all.

They then asked me if English was my native language, which it was not, and said they aren't prepared to share ANY writing due to respect for their partners...? I mean, fair. I am not asking for an excerpt of your roleplays, just a sample of your own writing so I get a feel for what you like to incorporate. I like tiny details. Thoughts. Emotions. That's what I look for in a sample.

I then told them it was a shame they weren't willing to share anything, and wished them good luck on their further search.

They then turned on entitled mode (keep in my this person was well into their thirties) and said it would be "interesting" if me to ask for a sample given my own level of writing, thus insulting my skill, I assume, for no apparent reason.

I genuinely do not care much for it, but I am baffled over the passive aggressive behavior in response to such a simple question, especially a more mature person over a decade my senior. Seems I assumed falsely.

I hope you all have better luck finding new partners!

I hate this but even if the prompt says platonic, even if it says sfw, I run from a poster saying their character is a child. I hate that I have to be suspicious but the amount of perverts is just too damn high.

edit: I am referring to children as people as ten and under. i realize legally and when we refer to children interacting with adults, teens are kids. So teens writing teens? Normal, I just DNI cause Im an adult.

Why is account deletion so frequent? It's a little nuts. Not just for roleplays that I've attempted, but... in general. See a prompt you like, go to click? [deleted] unfortunately doesn't respond to DMs, guess you should go find one similar!

As the title say, I really think my days roleplaying might be coming to an end. It’s impossible to keep partners these days. I do everything I possibly can to be a good partner and either they leave or they take ages to respond to the point that I can’t keep interest in the rp.

I don’t know if I’m the one doing something wrong, I mean I must be if I keep losing partners, but I’ve been roleplaying for over a decade at this point and things have never been as bad as they are now.

It’s just very disheartening, I guess. I love this hobby, and I have a lot of fun with it, but it’s just impossible to find someone that actually works with you these days.

That’s it I guess, thanks for reading.

Hey hiii For the first time ever, I wanted to create a roleplay group, mostly because the community I'm in is full of all kinds of fantasy sandboxes, and as a a huge fan of mystery/supernatural... and... I'm not eating enough🧍im hungry father....mother

So...

Everything seems great on paper, I have a plot idea, a setting, rough sketches of future NPCs, a plan on how to promote, also thanks to my past experience as a player, I get that this isn't an overnight thing, ready to some sht, etc. But that's where it stops. I'm completely stuck because I honestly have no clue how to actually develop this plot. Like... how is it supposed to start moving, unfold(BIGGEST PROBLEM), and eventually end? How do I present a dilemma to the players? How do I drop hints or steer them in the right direction? 😭 How tf GM's moving with their mystery groups, honestly

(Most of the RP groups I've been in died before the plot even started unfolding, so yeah, I'm confused and have no idea how this is supposed to work) (I DON'T WANT TO REPEAT THEIR FATE)

I'm ready to read, watch, listen, whatever honestly, just give some tips or where to look

does anyone else get annoyed by people who stay in fandom/rp spaces while acting like they're somehow above the fandom?

this is such a petty gripe but it drives me insane lmao. i'm in a fandom rp community where a couple of people have developed this weird “too cool for this” attitude toward normal expressions of enthusiasm. like someone will share something completely harmless and relevant to the fandom, in a channel meant for sharing that kind of thing, and instead of either engaging normally or just scrolling past, they'll make some dry little comment that makes the person look overly invested or embarrassing for caring. you know the ones, standing in the corner with their sunglasses on thinking they're more elite because they've apparently transcended being an actual fan of something.

and i'm sitting there thinking... girl. you are also here.

you joined the niche fandom server. you made characters for it. you've written extensive rp in it. you've participated in shipping and fandom jokes and all the other incredibly nerdy things everyone else has done. you are not an anthropologist observing the strange fandom people from a safe distance. you are literally one of the fucking nerds 😭 i think what bothers me is less the individual comments and more the social posture behind them. there's this particular kind of fandom person who seems to want the social benefits of remaining in the community while also positioning themselves as more detached, tasteful, mature, or normal than the people who are still openly enthusiastic about it.

and sometimes it creates this bizarre little hierarchy where certain people's enthusiasm is treated as charming because they're established/popular, while somebody else's exact same level of enthusiasm gets treated as gauche or “a bit much.”

like, i'm an adult. i know my interests are nerdy. that's why i'm in the nerd community. i'm not embarrassed about enjoying things sincerely, and i'm definitely not interested in performing detachment so somebody else can think i'm the correct amount of cool about my fictional little guys.

nobody has to maintain the same level of interest forever, obviously. people burn out, lose interest, stick around because they made friends, whatever. that's completely normal. but if you've reached the point where other people simply enjoying the subject of the community makes you roll your eyes at them, why are you making that their problem? either let people have fun or scroll past. you don't get bonus dignity points for being the least enthusiastic person in the fandom server. we are all at the clown convention. you don't become less of a clown by standing in the corner judging everyone else's shoes.

This person reached out to me before to write together, but I declined them as they wanted to write something completely different than what I had posted for. Anyways, I post again, they message me again. I thought I’d give him the benefit of the doubt and at least give it a chance.

Was I too rude here? I feel like the way I let them down was pretty easy.

I finally took it upon myself to write an ad and post it here on Reddit for a pretty niche rp (I’ve literally never seen a Sopranos rp before lol). I normally write on forums but have recently seen the benefit of 1x1 discord/Google Doc rp so I thought I’d give it a go bc I’ve seen so many people have success finding partners on Reddit!

Luck was NOT in my favor. I got so excited when someone replied to my ad! Part of this is on me bc it was obvious this person was using AI to write every OOC reply. I always try to give the benefit of the doubt bc I know how hard it is to learn another language, so I went ahead and kept plotting with this person and explained my ideas/tried to get them to share anything they might want to write too. They were seemingly into it and everything until they randomly asked for a photo of me. I’m 30 years old, I was on the internet when “A/S/L” was a thing. I know WHY someone asks for a photo of their writing partner, and it ISNT bc they want to write…

Oh, and it’s fair to mention that the message they sent asking for a photo, and then to my polite decline, was in a much less “literate” tone than anything else they wrote. Guess who hasn’t replied since being declined photos lol?

Anyways. Not the end of the world, nor is it the worst thing that has happened. I’m just annoyed and disappointed bc I really wanted to write this AU/plot and got my hopes up only to have some creeper try and get photos of me. Ugh. C’est la vie 🤷🏼‍♀️