07-07-2008, 06:02 PM
Hello~! Krent here, just to give ya'll a friendly reminder over an issue that I've been observing this past few weeks. While my psychic powers are not fully attuned (currently, anyway), and this is all just based on my speculation, I believe that there is a growing problem within the current state of RP that should be addressed - in the friendliest of manners, of course.
Now, I know we're all being shaken up with the whole race-related conflict. I'll state my opinions on it when I feel like doing so. However, one of the debilitating things that is often the killer of good RP stems off of a separation anxiety persistent in some people's personas. What I mean, is the inability for an individual to differentiate their character from their own self.
We have a wonderful article on Mary-Sue here and character creation warning signs here. I'd like for more people to read those articles because I believe they were created for a reason....but, they're really only useful when you're crafting a character.
What I'm here to address is the process that occurs when you're -playing- a character.
To say it honestly; you are not your character.
The actions your character does, the viewpoints he / she has, the demeanor in which they carry themselves - NONE of these are in any way, shape, or form a basis on your own REAL LIFE self, and should not be treated as such. In my observations, far too many people have been cautious in their role play because they might be associating their characters as being direct extensions of themselves, with any judgment placed on said characters having to be directly passed on to their real-life selves.
This....should NEVER be the case in anything. Just because someone might role play as, let's say, a Genocidal paranoid racist totalitarian noble who kicks kittens in his spare time, does NOT mean that the player behind the character is a Neo-Nazi kitten-stomping paranoia freak. The same goes for the do-gooder lawful paladin, or the straight up indifferent neutral elf who just wants to smoke some mageroyal; characters in RP should NOT be treated as an extension of their players. This can lead to a very psychologically unhealthy pattern, in which the player RP's as a form of escapism instead of as a form of literary entertainment, which I've seen happen to far many good people in my time.
Summed up....I'm here to say; don't be afraid to RP as something that goes against your IRL persona. Don't be afraid to be a character who's paranoid or judgemental or abrasive or flawed or whatever, as none of these things are extensions of your own being. Don't be afraid to play a mean character. Don't be afraid to be conflicting. Don't be afraid to try to stir up some sort of drama, as no one should ever pass OOC judgement onto you for IC actions.
IC =/= OOC.
Always remember that formula.
Now, I know we're all being shaken up with the whole race-related conflict. I'll state my opinions on it when I feel like doing so. However, one of the debilitating things that is often the killer of good RP stems off of a separation anxiety persistent in some people's personas. What I mean, is the inability for an individual to differentiate their character from their own self.
We have a wonderful article on Mary-Sue here and character creation warning signs here. I'd like for more people to read those articles because I believe they were created for a reason....but, they're really only useful when you're crafting a character.
What I'm here to address is the process that occurs when you're -playing- a character.
To say it honestly; you are not your character.
The actions your character does, the viewpoints he / she has, the demeanor in which they carry themselves - NONE of these are in any way, shape, or form a basis on your own REAL LIFE self, and should not be treated as such. In my observations, far too many people have been cautious in their role play because they might be associating their characters as being direct extensions of themselves, with any judgment placed on said characters having to be directly passed on to their real-life selves.
This....should NEVER be the case in anything. Just because someone might role play as, let's say, a Genocidal paranoid racist totalitarian noble who kicks kittens in his spare time, does NOT mean that the player behind the character is a Neo-Nazi kitten-stomping paranoia freak. The same goes for the do-gooder lawful paladin, or the straight up indifferent neutral elf who just wants to smoke some mageroyal; characters in RP should NOT be treated as an extension of their players. This can lead to a very psychologically unhealthy pattern, in which the player RP's as a form of escapism instead of as a form of literary entertainment, which I've seen happen to far many good people in my time.
Summed up....I'm here to say; don't be afraid to RP as something that goes against your IRL persona. Don't be afraid to be a character who's paranoid or judgemental or abrasive or flawed or whatever, as none of these things are extensions of your own being. Don't be afraid to play a mean character. Don't be afraid to be conflicting. Don't be afraid to try to stir up some sort of drama, as no one should ever pass OOC judgement onto you for IC actions.
IC =/= OOC.
Always remember that formula.