Roleplay: What do you avoid?

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LogicfromLogic

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So, I got around to thinking about it, but what do you avoid in a roleplay? Like for me, I avoid explaining out orphans, foster kids, etc. because I feel that it could be a bit insensitive to the readers who have been through that. Yes, I have characters whose parents aren't in the picture anymore but I don't go into it because some things are well known triggers. And while it is a 'read at your own risk' on every forum (mature or not), I feel some subjects are tabooed, such as:

-Abuse in a relationship
-Domestic Abuse
-Going deeply into daddy/mommy issues
-Going too deeply into certain pains in life
-Knowing your fellow roleplayer is struggling with x in life currently, but roleplaying it anyways


What are some of the subjects you don't like going into, that you find insensitive? Is there a line that needs to be drawn in any given circumstance? How do you deal with it, if there is a line with you, when someone over steps it?
 
Rape is a big one for me. Though I like role-playing darker subject matter, rape is just one of those things I will not write about in detail. There's also pedophilia; 17 is my age cut off. I refuse to go any lower than that. I also feel very uncomfortable role-playing as/with very 'childlike' characters for that reason. Even if they're technically of age, I just don't like seeing adult characters that act like children. Sends off alarms in my head. Other than that, I just take things case-by-case and go mostly off of my partner's limits.

There are a few subjects though that I only ask be touched on respectfully, I.E. mental illness, LGBT issues, domestic abuse. I really hate seeing role-plays where the characters have mental illnesses but are totally stereotyped or treated as a 'cool, unique character trait.' :( It makes me sad inside.
 
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@LogicfromLogic I think you touched on a lot of good things there, and I agree with the idea of having a bad experience in place without going into detail. A lot of what's taboo depends on the setting. Yes bad things happen, but if you are in a group setting it's always safer to just assume that things like domestic abuse and the like are going to be a touchy subject for someone and leave it out. In a one-on-one setting, I think more things can be explored if both parties are comfortable and understand when to ease up.

#5 should be part of some RPers creed or something. Many people do RP to escape from their real-world issues. Don't go waving those issues around in their face if you know about them.

I avoid bringing up certain diseases and genetic disorders. They make life difficult for people, and it just fits in with what I said about #5 to not talk about them.
 
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Any and every topic can and must be allowed to be written, as long as it is treated with respect and not fetishized or treated casually. Otherwise it becomes censorship of writing, of art. That being said, you should warn your partners if anything… controversial will be brought up in the rp. And if you know ahead of time, it is disrespectful and completely insensitive to bring up a topic that your partner finds uncomfortable.

Personally, I don't write about sexual situation with minors (17 and younger) consensual or not. I don't have many topics that I won't touch, but that is one. If someone steps on my sensitivities, I make a point to politely tell them that I'm not ok with the subject. Generally, that's enough, but if they keep pushing, then I walk away from the rp.
 
Rape is a big one for me. Though I like role-playing darker subject matter, rape is just one of those things I will not write about in detail. There's also pedophilia; 17 is my age cut off. I refuse to go any lower than that. I also feel very uncomfortable role-playing as/with very 'childlike' characters for that reason. Even if they're technically of age, I just don't like seeing adult characters that act like children. Sends off alarms in my head. Other than that, I just take things case-by-case and go mostly off of my partner's limits.

There are a few subjects though that I only ask be touched on respectfully, I.E. mental illness, LGBT issues, domestic abuse. I really hate seeing role-plays where the characters have mental illnesses but are totally stereotyped or treated as a 'cool, unique character trait.' :( It makes me sad inside.


Oh man, pedos. I have a blog ranting about them; I get pissed off when someone mentions bringing it into a roleplay. I think that is a big thing where if I even see it hinted, I report it. Sorry but a child's safety is not a laughing matter to me; I take what happens online with minors seriously. If i think there is an inappropriate thing going on, I will always point it out even if it is just a roleplay, that's giving way to thinking that it is remotely acceptable.
 
There are a few subjects though that I only ask be touched on respectfully, I.E. mental illness, LGBT issues, domestic abuse. I really hate seeing role-plays where the characters have mental illnesses but are totally stereotyped or treated as a 'cool, unique character trait.' :( It makes me sad inside.

Yes, yes, yes. These are all things that, if you haven't dealt with, are hard to understand. If you don't understand them, you are going to have a hard time representing a person who is dealing with them fairly. The one that I've seen most frequently abused in RPs from other places I've been is Dissociative Identity Disorder, which is often reduced to a "get out of jail free because it was your other personality" card. Respect is critical in RP, and with issues like these that means taking seriously the responsibility to portray them as fairly and accurately as possible.
 
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I like people's comments about RESPECT in this thread! <3 Cause for me, that is what it comes down to.

I have no taboo subjects. Regardless of how sensitive or offensive a subject might be, if it's something that is important to the history and story of my character, I will do it. That includes, rape, abuse, mental illness, and all the other scary things people mentioned here!

BUT. I always do them with respect and understanding of what I am writing in to the character. It's not thrown in for shock value, or because it seems cool - there is a story I want to tell using that element. And I feel like these taboo things make for WONDERFUL stories of growth, triumph, and even tragedy. I make sure to know what I'm writing about and that it's "true to reality" and MEANS something in the story.

I also make sure I know what my partners are comfortable with. O_O I'm not going to tap in to certain subjects with people I know will get upset by it. And I am always going to make sure subjects are appropriate to the roleplay's theme and atmosphere. Nothing annoys the crap out of me more than people throwing these dark abused characters in to light and fluffy roleplays.
 
I agree with everything that's been said so far, with one additional: fanfiction. I understand people are inspired by great, pre-existing stories, but I just think fanfiction shows a lack of personal creativity. Put your own twist on it. Oh, and avoid rape and molestation and stuff like that. Again, I agree with everything else that's been said.
 
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When I am Role playing in a group, I make it a point to make a background character for many reasons.

I Have much respect for others and also myself. Writing is an outlet for me to let out all of the aggression, confusion, or drama from all the things that have occurred in my life or that I have experienced. Sadly the world, in reality, is filled with 'uncomfortable' things that I do not avoid discussing or especially expressing into a story. For me it is not about "escaping" Reality, It is about "Expressing" Reality, 'how I see it'

For example, everyone freaked out when in the game of thrones series the pregnant women was injured in a specific area. But that is what makes a good story. ALL the little details down to the last stitch. That's the clincher! that thing that makes us realize Humility.

Too often today do I see humans shying away from what "they" themselves consider to be 'uncomfortable' topics. This is what makes Iwaku a great place.

There is a time and place for just about anything here.

For the group RP's for sure you won't catch me Role playing anything along the lines of whats been listed above.

But get me in a OneXOne and you just never know what might happen, I can come off happy, bubbly, and rainbowlike. The darkness in me certainly has it's hold and my art and writing are my ways to express that darkness to keep it from becoming internalized.

So that being said I will ALWAYS have respect for others and Keep my Dark thoughts to those who can handle them, In which case, there is very few subjects I will avoid or turn away from if I come to trust An RP partner.​

things I avoid, I do so in groups.
I like to use my Writing as a form to express and learn about myself, Which is exactly why I do not have many RP partners and I do not Group RP often. At some point all my characters are little aspects of myself that I am attempting to unlock with keys only other people have.

WHen I have problems I can't talk about them, I have to act it out, 'pretend' the scenario and then I can move on having turned something awful and horrible into something I shared and conquered. Turning it into a timeless story.

In the end I would have to say; I don't avoid 'anything', However. I avoid the time and place that deems 'ME' or anything 'I' do as 'Inappropriate' or 'Insensitive".

Everyone is different ^_^
And we all have different RP Agenda
Being aware of others is the key
Being self aware is wise​
 
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I've had a pretty difficult life and roleplay's pretty damn close to exposure therapy so I'm not sensitive to the themes of a particular plot tying back to my real life.

Just about the only thing I tend to avoid is pedophilia, since I'm staunchly anti-loli/shota. I think everything has a time and a place in RP, since it's all just fiction. If I know you're into anything or anybody underage please let me know so I can give you a preemptive block and hope you never breathe in my direction.

Call it a thought crime but everyone has their limits.
 
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I write about some dark stuff, and I have few limits. I mean, most of my stuff that says "Read at Your Own Risk" really means it.

My main "taboo" is that I won't go into a pedophilia with the characters, consensual or otherwise.

Other than that, if there's something my partner doesn't want in the roleplay, for whatever reason, then I will gladly avoid that as well.
 
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One of my rules is I always play adult characters. I just don't like roleplaying as kids. Especially in the case of Mature roleplays, I will not play anyone younger than 18. It coincides with my own personal beliefs, too. Because of mistakes I've made in the past, I don't think people should be breeding until they're adults. I didn't like having to put my parents through my screw ups. :/ I will however, play a child character for certain stories as long as it's appropriate. And I'll throw in NPC kids where they belong. That aside, being underage bores me.

Another thing is rape. Reasons are private.

Fanfics, because I don't want the characters ruined for me. I'm totally cool with using the universes of Star Wars and what have you, but I prefer to use OCs. I consider this a sensitive topic because the novels, comics and movies I love are big influences on my life. I'd rather not ruin that for myself. I think the only fanfic I'm interested in is a Twilight one where Bella falls in love with a 30 Days of Night vampire instead of Edwarts. And then gets eaten, because those vampires don't give a shit about feelings.

I think that's about it. I mostly leave it up to the other roleplayer to tell me what they don't want to do. Even though I'm sensitive about many things, I've learned to look away from lots of them so I can have fewer limits on my writing. :]
 
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For me, the biggest no-go is anything that seems self-inserted. I don't want to play characters like me, and nothing will make me drop a RP faster than thinking my partner is just putting their imaginary self into a situation. This is probably a weird one, but I get really squicked at the idea of people who are writing too much about/with themselves. It's a bit hard to explain, but I find that I like my writing to be told for the story's sake, not for ours. Self-inserts, first person... man, I just get the creeps.

Related to the story's sake, I also have very few no-gos. I don't do scat, watersports, or anything involving food, because they turn my stomach.

But with me, like with @Diana, it's about respect. I don't add anything in just to be cool. I don't address situations that aren't ok (rape, pedophilia, etc.) with the implication that they're acceptable. However, especially because I write fantasy, the lines often get blurred. Having a thousand-year-old soul in the body of a prepubescent girl, or a horse with the mind and soul of a person, is hard to classify.
When we look back throughout mythology, bestiality and pedophilia are UBIQUITOUS themes. Common enough you'll be hard-pressed to find a culture that doesn't have at least one myth endorsing/permitting at least one of them. While I firmly believe that the modern, Western ideals of BAN IT ALL AND BURN IT are better than the opposite end of the spectrum, I don't think the reality of the human condition are that these things should never be addressed or considered. We're a pretty messed up species, and that's not getting into fantasy races!

The other really important thing is to consider a partner's opinions on the matter. It's not ok to press someone's limits without express permission, and I try to keep everything questionable as much to myself as possible. After all, this is partner writing and you have to make sure the other person is comfortable. ^^
 
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I used to have a big problem with self-insert type things. One character in particular that I played for a long time was literally an extension of my depression and anxiety. I was (and they were) absolutely toxic and by the end of it all, I was (very kindly, thank goodness) asked to leave and get myself better. That was a couple years ago now, and I really am in a much different and better place than I was then.

Gosh.

I tend to give most taboo subjects like previously mentioned a wide berth and, really, it's mostly that I just don't... need them? Though, yeah, it really does just come down to respecting what the other player(s) feels is appropriate. I've been around the darker side of the web long enough to not really get squicked by most things, I guess, but I still don't appreciate that stuff if it's there just for shock value.

Honestly, I only have one real "trigger," and that's abandonment. Makes me anxious just thinking about it.
 
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Honestly, I only have one real "trigger," and that's abandonment. Makes me anxious just thinking about it.

Oh man, yeah. I definitely have some anxiety issues with this as well, to the point where it didn't even occur to me at first because I generally don't want to think about it.

That said, I don't know that it'd bother me within an RP because it's the character being abandoned and not me. Then again, I can't think of a time when it's come up so maybe it would.
 
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