RP Partners: How Selective Are You?

I always like it when someone is detailed, and I don't mean put a lot of details into their posts, I mean notice a lot of details. Someone who breaks down an open door isn't exactly someone I want to play with.
I usually end up arguing with that sort of person.

This part isn't really exclusive to RP, but if someone fails entirely to capitalize, punctuate, and their spelling and grammar is bad, interacting with them is painful for me.

 

I'm pretty picky in two ways: quality and flavor.

Bad grammar makes me a sad panda, so anything more than a single spelling/grammatical error in a post gets on my nerves, and recurrences make me want to back away quickly. Flavor is more a limitation of my own, since I'm kinda silliness-disabled. Not sarcasm and wittiness, but silliness. It's just that I have no interest in reading things too 4-kids-y, so I'll have even less interest making it.

To break down my pickiness, here's my 1-on-1 RP history. I have one thing going on with Touya/Aura (we both previously read and were impressed with each other's solo work), and I have gone out of my way to ask one other Valorian (who turned me down and then started a 1-on-1 with a different Valorian instead. I'm not crying, I just have some ink in my eye. Besides, I'm now reading that RP). That's all that I've started. Admittedly, I got a few PM requests in the past, most of them I had to decline because I was too busy at the time, but I can't honestly say that was the only reason in at least one case.

It's just that I want to be in these things for the long haul, and I want to be proud of our work, each of us individually and by our powers combined.

 

I usually don't look for RP's on Lake Valor, due to being ashamed for bad writing style. I like to roleplay, without giving information about who i am, as they will judge, solely based on my writing. I function better when in a group, because i feel more inclined to post. Its very, very hard for me to do 1x1, because i simply do not feel motivated to post. The problems with going into group rps, is that you don't get to choose your partners, as much as you do in 1x1s, which may lead to bitterness behind the screen. Basic grammar is enough for me, as that is all i am capable of, myself.

 

When it comes to RP, I'm not that picky. To me, I'd like to have a partner who doesn't god-mode other people's characters since I like to have control over my own characters. I also like my partner to at least explain what their character is doing or where they're at in at least 2 sentences or more. I do not mind a little bit of Mary-sue, but the character with that has to have at least one weakness; after all, not everyone is invincible. For grammar usage, I'd like my partner to have at least good grammar, like spelling and a few punctuation, so I can understand what's going on as well.

 

The only problem I have with my partners is if they're grammar is bad. Like, I can understand if you've accidentally joined tow words and auto-correct wasn't being nice that day, but if it's riddled with inconsistency I just... can't.

Also, when someone writes really short sentences that give me no leadway whatsoever, unless it's just a few sentences of direct speech that directly respond to what I've written. That I can handle.

 

When I first began roleplaying, I wasn't picky. I think it was because I was new to it, and I just wanted anyone to roleplay with me tbh. I'm very lucky to say that my first RP partners were very talented, which I think is what helped me to take to roleplaying so quickly. ( I started rping right here on LV!! With partners @[member="Banshee"] @[member="bubbie"] . I miss them a lot. ) They opened me up to new descriptive words, helped my creativity flow, and helped me to construct long, well-thought posts. When I started, I posted like two lines per post. Yikes

Anyways, now to my point!! Now that I've been roleplaying for a few years now, I think I've gotten pretty selective. I've learned that I don't particularly care for "silliness" in roleplay. I want to tackle serious plots with action, angst, mystery and all that good stuff. I don't mind the occasional bit of comic relief, but I've found myself tending to avoid partners who are unable to write with a certain seriousness. It's just not for me.

Secondly, I look for quality and quantity. I prefer to write lengthy posts with a balance of dialogue and description. I like for my partners to feel the same, too. This part can be difficult to accomplish when roleplaying with a group of people rather than one-on-one. Because of this, I prefer one-on-one roleplays rather than group. However, with the right people, group roleplay can be very fun! It's all about finding partners you really connect with.

That being said, I'm selective in a sense that I only really want to rp with friends. This doesn't mean I won't roleplay with people I don't know well, however! It just means I prefer that we're friends. It makes it easier to plot ideas and develop our characters. Friends aren't scared to tell you if your plot or character is shit and needs work, which I like. I'm always up for making new friends to RP or just chat with.

Lastly, I like to RP with people that I think can help me improve my writing skills and vice versa. If we've been writing together and I feel like neither of us are improving, I may decide to quit roleplaying with you. It is nothing personal, I just don't believe we're growing any from our experience. And not improving kind of sucks the fun out of it for me, if that makes sense. I think I could always use improvement, whether it be in word choice or otherwise.

I don't think selectivity is bad at all! Roleplaying is supposed to be a hobby, yeah? If being selective makes things easier and more fun for a person, I don't see a problem with it.

 

Everything @[member=Vanillite] said. Honestly, I just don't feel I'm on the same page as other players, whether it's writing style, grammar or something else. Not to mention, you have to have chemistry with who you're playing with, and if being selective helps you find chemistry, and therefore a more enjoyable roleplay, then so be it. I'm personally selective, I just think I work better with people who I know can play well with me and will cooperate. Sometimes, people can be wild cards, do things you don't like, etc. For me, being selective isn't a matter of exclusion, it's just a matter of deciding who you feel works best for you.