What're your red flags?

[Jaxx 317]

Someone who's interested in your wanted but doesn't say a word to you until they have an app up. Not only is the sheer lack of communication a bad sign, but I have no idea if we're on the same page with how our characters are going to interact, or if we have compatible expectations for posting speed, post length, writing style, etc. 

[Runa 23]

For some damn reason, I can't play male villains/criminals/creeps without someone getting an unhealthy attachment to them and pushing romance plots with their female character. This is a big red flag for me, lol, and I tend to try and avoid threading with these people at all costs.

[Trouble 36]

Sites that include rules like "LGBTQ+ characters are accepted OOCly, but ICly there are biases against them you should be aware of!"

 

On one hand, completely valid.  Some settings are going to inherently include bigotry.  If, by chance, someone entirely unfamiliar with the setting wanders in, they should probably be warned ahead of time.   Ignoring the bigotry of that setting can be very... silly.

 

And yet, it still sets me on edge because every time I've seen that sort of rule, the site itself has always ended up somewhat homophobic.   Like I wouldn't be allowed to play a gay character who was COMFORTABLE with being gay---- he'd have to be mentally and emotionally tortured for his ~*horrible sexual sin*~ and live every day in torment about how his family line would end with him.  Alright, I know some people love that plotline, but I've personally grown tired of it.  I've read that book, seen that movie, heard that podcast. 

 

Again, I recognize why some sites will state this rule and clearly not every site that says it is An Inherently Bad Site.

 

I've just seen this trend often enough for it to be a red flag for me.

[Gothic 307]

Any entitlement, possession and demanding behaviour when it comes to your time. It usually goes down a bad road. 

[momodiekatze 15]

I always get worried when players join and start asking for a million different off-the-wall things for their characters (a dragon as a pet has been the most common), the control over an expansive kingdom with a HUGE army, or some excessive, world-changing powers even though the character is only like 19 and has not had enough time to learn said powers. 

 

I mean, I get wanting to have super cool things (I'd want them too!) but the ones that are insistent about such things are never really team players and they're so hard to integrate into stories!

[Divinity 24]

On 7/8/2019 at 3:59 PM, Runa said:

For some damn reason, I can't play male villains/criminals/creeps without someone getting an unhealthy attachment to them and pushing romance plots with their female character. This is a big red flag for me, lol, and I tend to try and avoid threading with these people at all costs.

 Holy F** Stix...I am not crazy!  

 

I have  a dark nasty villain and never ever had an issue and am presently now dealing with it....I thought I was crazy - I mean its like asking Jack the Ripper to go steady!!!  Sorry saw the post above and went yes yes that is precisely a huge problem I never knew until BAM I now have it. 

 

I keep thinking to myself what about his app made you think he was the romantic guy? Was it his past as a serial killer? Maybe his games with flesh at the morgue?  I dunno....but now I have to creatively write out of it because the fact that my monster is an object of romance is CREEPING me out!

[Skadi 36]

22 hours ago, Divinity said:

 Holy F** Stix...I am not crazy!  

 

I have  a dark nasty villain and never ever had an issue and am presently now dealing with it....I thought I was crazy - I mean its like asking Jack the Ripper to go steady!!!  Sorry saw the post above and went yes yes that is precisely a huge problem I never knew until BAM I now have it. 

 

I keep thinking to myself what about his app made you think he was the romantic guy? Was it his past as a serial killer? Maybe his games with flesh at the morgue?  I dunno....but now I have to creatively write out of it because the fact that my monster is an object of romance is CREEPING me out!

 

Omfg yes. This. I made a literal psychopath whose entrance onto the site was him sending an eviscerated man to a government building in a box via child courier. One of his side plots was that he was obsessed with figuring out where said man had gotten his inner strength and resilience from because he had withstood torture and never asked to be killed. That meant he literally went around tormenting and torturing said man’s family and close relatives ICly... the entire time people kept asking me if I planned to ship him... like... no? He killed his wife when she cheated on him and tried to leave him for his brother. What part of any of that screams “I’m a loving person?”

[ArizonaRaspberry 35]

• When someone pushes for things that clearly don't work with the lore, and is unwilling to budge.

 

• When someone makes like six characters at a time and wants them all approved right now. I appreciate the enthusiasm, but it spells impatience in future endeavors, too.

 

• When someone starts to relate to you as your character, rather than as the writer of that character. This one is particularly uncomfortable.

[PixieMegs 107]

These have definitely been said already but

 

• When a member continues to create victim characters. Trauma, trauma, trauma. At some point it makes me question what on earth is going on. As a staffer it's something I have let slide but now I find myself trying to nip it in the butt before the app is even finished. There are some things that need to be left off my sites, simply because I'm not looking to create a horribly depressing atmosphere that people feel sucked into. 
• When a guest doesn't read....anything. Major red flags when someone starts asking questions that are addressed in the plot or rules. I'll give them things that are in guides, because it tends to be a lot of reading. But if you're asking if there is an activity requirement and rule number four says no. Just please at least skim the rules?
• When people take IC things very personally. This is especially frustrating when you play a villain and everyone thinks your actions are against them and not their character. Like, I love you....but my character does not love yours. That's OK. 

[Kit the Human 758]

9 hours ago, slowsadmariachi said:

When someone makes like six characters at a time and wants them all approved right now. I appreciate the enthusiasm, but it spells impatience in future endeavors, too.

 

In my experience as a member and admin, this is the person who doesn't stick around. Even if they get hit up with lots of threads and plenty of enthusiasm in return. It's like they burn themselves out or the expectations they create are too high.

 

And I'm so sad that buckets of enthusiasm means that my expectations are low 😞

[Shades 676]

People who want to pull others to play in the universe of the book they're writing (note: unless they create a site for that universe with established lore and are okay with people making it their own). It has always led to godmodding and tantrums in my experience when it happens in a 1x1 setting. Ymmv and associated disclaimers apply. 

 

3-strike systems. It looks good on paper, but it either ends up with people being banned for one final small mistake or really toxic people staying around because they don't have three strikes yet. 

[PixieMegs 107]

When people hop into the cbox and are bad-mouthing a former site right away. It always makes me uncomfortable because I'm obviously only hearing one side of the story. 

[Honorem 219]

On 7/27/2018 at 5:01 AM, Jerriah said:

Members that constantly bump you to check their app right after you just checked it and stuff is wrong but they fixed it in like 1 minute, or to reply to their thread, etc, etc. Just hounding for you to do stuff that isn't on top of your list.

This. You know what's even more irritating?

 

When you cave to their 'now, now, now!' demands, only for them to be a drive by apper. The type who is super excited, then apparently vanish into thin air as soon as their app is approved. It's like, gee, thanks for annoying me AND wasting my time.

 

I've got one. People who try to corner me. It's hard to explain, but I know it's happening when it's happening. Rather than PM me a question when I am asleep, they will wait for me to get online so they can get me 1v1 in a convo and spring something very OP and lore-breaking onto me.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am quite happy for my members to private convo with me. Again, hard to explain.

 

9 out of 10 people are fine when they chat with me. But the type of person I'm talking about just has this ... off vibe. It just feels like they're intentionally trying to wear down my barriers and get something they know is BS. Maybe insecurity on my part, lol.

Edited August 6, 2019 by Honorem

[Shades 676]

When someone makes it clear they haven't read the request or wanted ad - or have and ignored it because that's not what they want.

 

"I'm looking for someone to roleplay with on XXXX site" 

Answer: I have created a Discord server, we can roleplay there!

 

"So for this wanted the character is in their 20s"

Answer: My character is 56.

 

"I'm looking for someone to play role X for my Y"

Answer: I already have a premade Y, so you have to play the X.

 

Etc etc. And of course, if you say no, you better brace yourself for accusations of not letting them be creative or similar BS.

 

This also goes for site requests. If the reply starts with 'we're not what you asked for, BUT...' I kind of stop caring about the rest, because I know whatever comes next won't interest me. And I sure as hell won't fall into the 'we can talk about this' trap again, as nothing good will ever come from it.

[Kit the Human 758]

1 hour ago, Shades said:

When someone makes it clear they haven't read the request or wanted ad - or have and ignored it because that's not what they want.

 

I believe that this sort of response should be treated as spam 😈 I mean it is isn't? You've got a pointless and annoying message to your request?

 

People who do this are mentally marked as people I possibly want to avoid as well. I figure there's a good chance that they're pushy or overbearing. Could be wrong! But it doesn't bode well.