I've found myself without any desire to role play in the least lately, this after a lengthy break from the server.
I'm a bit perplexed, as it has been an enjoyable creative outlet for me over the last year. Yet suddenly, I have no interest what so ever in developing my characters.
I've come to notice that I grow irritated over inconsiderate emotes and story-lines, something that is very unlike me. As I tend to be a pretty laid back guy.
I've also stopped approaching others randomly on my characters, and I'm left with a complete indifference regarding what becomes of them.
[Take note, that no offense is intended. Nor do I aim my claims at anyone in specific].
My question is in essence. How do I get my interest in role-playing back?
Lend a CoTHian who has lost his way a helping hand :3
Well first find other ways of RPing besides CotH, it may just be CotH's setting, err Azeroth, that's effecting you. If you still feel the lack of Rping just watch a movie or read a book, it's all about the mind set and such. *Has a monocle so you know his word is good* But yeah, see if any of that helps
Yeah, if you want to RP but can't get yourself into it, it may be that you need to explore a fresh setting outside of WoW, or find other hobbies for a while. There's plenty of online communities you could look into if you need new RP terrain.
i.e. what Jack said
A bit of a surprise coming from you, Jac. you've always been a fount of RP and interesting characters.
As JackofBlades suggested, seek inspiration in books, be they WoW, fantasy, other fiction or even some factual stuff. Reading up on some history might inspire you.
Try a little bit of everything and I'm sure something'll get your engine started.
Another idea, just off the top of my head and untested, would be to make a blank-slate character. Go into it with no preconceived ideas and just play reactively. Respond to others' RP how you feel at the time, and see how the character shapes up over time.
Maybe watch or read whatever it was that inspired you about your favorite characters or storylines in the first place. What did you enjoy about RPing Saif and Inuleki? what traits did you enjoy? What was their inspiration? If you can find what your muse was for RP before when you made this characters or when you made the Nasir. Maybe slowly but surely the interest will return.
Just an idea.
Get the creative juices flowing. How I do this is a secret, but those of you who know me well can guess as much as you'd like.
Often times though, I get inspiration from things like movies, books, etc. For example, I recently watched Labyrinth. I found myself thinking "Jareth would be an awesome character to RP, or at least a character that is similar".
Thanks for all the good ideas, I'll be sure to try them out when opportunity presents itself.
Ignore and trample!
That's what I do to stay somewhat unaffected by the idiocracy that can take place on CotH. Do what -you- want for your choice of audience.
I've noticed that when you get bored, rolling a new character that you've never done before helps. If it's a challenging RP, it's even better. Like Yesterday, I felt totally unmotivated to RP and that gave birth to my identical Nelf twins. It was interesting and actually really hard to RP. Kept stuff interesting. I heard I was pretty good at it too. Try something similar.
Another thing I've heard works is rolling a completely silly character. Sometimes it's all the serious plots and characters that get to you. Makes it feel more like a job. Sometimes it's better to RP a character with no plot ties or anything and just. . . Does random stuff. It cheers you up again. Reminds you that RP is more than a second job.
I have the exact opposite thing.. I've been addicted to CotH, and stay up to midnight everyday to RP.. o_O
My suggestion is to roll something you have never rolled before, or even roll a chaotic neutral character, seeing as they don't really have any restrictions.
Well Jacula, you and some other people were the ones that brought me back to RP. And Jurkey I had the problem, but guess what happens after you RP so much. What happens when the RP you're doing runs out? It's just a thought. As everyone before me stated, it's all about the mind. Some people say RP to relieve stress, lets all be honest if you're RPing a -very- -very- serious character. You're going to get stress, so just find inspiration and it should be simple. Or find someone that has the same problem, (I kinda still do) And roll a new character. It's always a fun experience.
That's just my two cents.
Dude,
I found that after playing a phycho murdered and getting my rocks off for some time, the idea of playing such a character is not as much of a thrill as it once was. Could this perhaps be a part of it ? Perhaps the rp is not fulfilling the *intrests* that it used to? Been there, done that syndrome?
Personally, there are some other taboo subjects that I wish to explore in rp but its not always easy to find others with the same interests.. in a way its much like having to start over from scratch.. For me, its not easy going from being popular in one game to being a nobody in a new game xD ... oh well.
From my personal observation ( which may be flawed ), I see that many caracters on Coth don't evolve much. They are made for special events and disposed of just as quickly. By the time your character has been introduced to a good population, those ic contacts start to disappear. I'm finding that slowly evolving characters might not be the best for this environment.
I would say try and figure out what you think you would enjoy doing most and run with it... Make it work.
I've been in the exact same spot, I tried to hang on for a long time, not wanting to 'give up' on CotH. That was a misstake, after my break away, during which I focused on other stuff, games, tried RP in other mediums, servers, wrote a lot etc, I came back and felt the same old drive I did when I first joined. I'm really enjoying the RP right now, the plotting and deceit and all.
My suggestion would be to take a break, maybe you only need a few days away, or a maybe months, just do stuff you actually enjoy instead of trying to go on, hoping that things will go back to 'normal'.
Hope it works out for you!
Nostra Wrote:wrote a lot
In my many years of Rping from game to game and settling down in multiple communities I find writing is my key to desiring rp. If I have no drive to, I'll work on a writing project (perhaps work on one of your own or start a new one!). Because of that I now have more writing projects than I can count and when rp doesn't work, I go back and start writing again.
Also, as a side note. Don't do stuff to get yourself in the mood of rp. Do stuff that you want to do for the sake of doing it. If you end up wanting to rp later then you'll simply find your way back.
Great topic Jac, something I've been having trouble with myself as well. Though I blame my lack and disinterest in RP more on the fact that I have so many things to do, and when I really get into an RP, it takes away alot of time. Another thing that started bothering me was the amount of time spent waiting or searching for an RP. (It also means I don't feel like I have the time for chit chatter, and prefer action RP :3)
Then again, when I returned here some months ago I had a couple of unpleasant experiences with players as well. I have to admit it left me hesitant to join a group of RPers I don't know. Guess it'd be time to step over that!
I've tried diversity in characters as well and on that account, like Cepht said, there's one char I feel most comfortable playing. Maybe you could say it's the char I know the best :3 You should check if that counts for you too! I have had a lot of fun playing various characters though, don't doubt it
What I think it eventually misses is that connection with the world around them. Getting to know the other characters is essential for a character to feel like it really belongs (in my opinion), and that is something that takes time. Serana in my case, has the most connections, and I like playing her the most too :3
I might've strayed a bit off the topic to give my own explanations of why I don't play much, but when it comes down to it there's nothing wrong with taking a break and writing stories instead. You are an amazing writer Jac, so maybe the inspiration would return if you create a story with a character you'd really enjoy playing