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A Wholesome Roleplay: Is it worth it?

Smashflash2000

Smashflash2000

Withdrawn
Withdrawn
Joined
Jun 15, 2019
Location
USA (CST)
So something that has been on my mind ever since I got into the ERP scene...

Nearly most roleplayers (generally) want to be dominated, be abused (not actually), roughed up, or anything like that in an ERP. Everyone has their own preferences and fantasies and I respect that.

However, it makes me feel like I’m in a very small minority...
I want to create a wholesome, heartwarming story with some ERP elements. Not just straight to the bit or have it be forced, but built up upon so there’s actual feeling. Personally, I’m not into the BDSM or dark themes because honestly, if I were doing the deed, I would to be more affectionate and gentle than rough and demanding. ^^’

Does anyone else feel this way? At all?
 
I can handle the darker themes fine, they can be enjoyable, but at the same time, something...tamer, lighter and just, well....nicer, has some appeal to it as well.

It depends on the mood. And honestly, you can have a dark as shit RP but have a lighter, more gently affectionate relationship within it.
 
Yeah, something like that.

I dunno, I guess when I think of intimacy, my mind says “Most bonding step of a relationship” instead of “Need sexual and fantasy relief now.”.
 
I love writing conflict and drama, and many of my stories do take dark turns, but I think underlying most of them is hope. One of my stories that starts off darkest actually ends with marriage and babies. One of mine that starts off lighter, almost slice of life, may end up being the darkest yet. I have discovered that I struggle to write well-adjusted characters, but absolutely adore writing characters who find healing in their narratives.

I'm sure you'll find someone who likes the same sorts of stories as you, just takes a bit of looking.
 
I tend to flip flop. But I've had a few wholesome RPs here and there.
This is probably why I like Shounen story tropes honestly. They have a decent balance between light and dark moments but always have a more hopeful outlook.
 
I love both. And even my darkest stories need some fun or light or tender, what's the point otherwise? I can Watch Chernobyl.
 
I don’t see why a more lighter rp would struggle. I have written romantic comedies, adventures, all kinds of even non-sexual stuff.
 
I have encountered roleplayers and interests of all stripes. What you've described is quite common.
 
Even in my erotic role plays I like story line and plot so a "wholesome" one can be interesting and fun. Sometimes it can be more fun to be honest. You just need a good theme and characters to explore. And of course good writing to keep things moving as you can't just throw a sex scene in when things slow down!
 
I think if the story and characters are good then it can be even better and have more potential than a smut based RP which tends to run out of steam once the naughty is done. That said many of my non erotic ideas still aren't "wholesome" as such and have mature concepts.
 
I just LOVE wholesome pairings. The stories can vary in terms of subject, setting, etc. But at least for me, having a lovely couple that gives you that pleasant tingle on your chest whenever you read the scenes is plainly wonderful!

There will always be someone who enjoys such dynamics. Even if your character or your partner's is the most badass, having thay lovely side is just... aaaaaaaaah X3
 
I like mixing the dynamics up sometimes. A character can be an utter asswipe or pathetic excuse for a human being, but may be able to feel love to a degree and hold a stable, if twisted relationship with the object of their affections. It's one of the reasons I like OCs with Yandere tendencies to a degree.

Similarly, I like writing sweet stories with actually good people who are head over heels for their partner and can't seem to be able to stop from pouring their feelings out to them. So I'd say there are plenty of people around who don't care for BDSM or roughness (consensual as it may be), and that no one who wants wholesome content should stop trying to land a plot that includes it.
 
No dark themes! Won't do 'em! At least not truly dark ones. Things may start dark, or have a dark foundation, but I don't want them to stay that way.

Very little drama and angst, NO bad ends, no whump, I am so not into any of that. I want happiness. I want to write happy things. When I write conflict, it's going to have a good outcome for all the right participants.

That said I think a little roughness can be affectionate and wholesome depending on the characters and the situation.
 
Not my usual cup of tea, or my usual wheelhouse, but I'm certainly not opposed to doing lighter things. I do love it when a post makes me laugh, and when I get to be silly. But in general, I'm a darker writer.
 
I often have say, some dark beginning, but it turns to a sweet love thing usually. By dark beginning I don't mean some forced into mind break where the other just complies eventually, but more something bad happens to bond them closer kind of thing. Lighthearted stories are fun, sweetness gets me much more than sex itself in ERP. It's always those small moments of 'muh heart :eek: ' that are the most precious to me.
 
Anyone who has been RPing with me knows that I adore wholesome RP's more than anything else. I mean, I'm already depressed enough as it is-- and I get that some people use RP's as way to vent frustration and sadness onto characters (totally valid), but for me I'd much rather RP characters being in love and having wholesome fluff all around. I expect sad points, bumps in the road, but more often than naught the story as a whole will be pretty 'wholesome'. If you haven't tried this kind of RP before I highly recommend it, at least for me I walk away from an RP response feeling elated rather than introspective and 'sad' writing out grief or depression all the time.
 
I tend towards darker themes and am sometimes pigeonholed as a writer of only those, , but can enjoy light and/ or romantic - though not totally 'wholesome' - stories just as much. Variety is the key for me, my preference is for a balance of both; from the darkest of dark to the lightest of light.

My main issue is that I find darker plots easier to come up with, as sources of conflict - a major driver of any story - to create those are more obvious.
 
I like both. Darker themes are fun, but I find that at least mine don't really last. Romance though, that is totally something that I can keep interest in for far longer, mostly because I enjoy a real slow build up. Add in some incest or taboo into that and I can drag out the roleplay for 4 or 5 pages before they even kiss, and enjoy every moment of it. So yeah, wholesome roleplays are great!
 
I love dark rp but even then there has to be some light moments. My characters are the type if lost in Silent Hill and they come across a sex shop....humor would follow. Everything from thrown dogs to finding the biggest dong there and pretending it was a lightsaber.
 
In some ways, I think writing a "wholesome" roleplay can be even more challenging--and rewarding--than writing something that's super grimdark and edgy.

Unless you're the kind of person who likes to write scene after scene of graphic consensual sex (in which case, god bless, ya horny bastards), stories get really boring if there isn't any conflict. And when your setting/characters are super depressing and fucked up, finding that conflict is actually pretty easy. If I'm writing about a serial killer, or a dystopian government, or a horde of rapacious orcs rampaging across the countryside...yeah, I pretty much know what THAT story is going to be about. It can still be interesting and fun to write, but I feel like I'm less likely to be surprised in setups like that.

But when you have a setup where it seems like everything should work out on paper--the characters are well-rounded people, the world isn't inherently good or evil, goals don't seem utterly hopeless and unattainable--then the challenge becomes figuring out WHY something isn't working. Why can't these two people fall in love? Why can't they find the treasure? Why isn't this band becoming the next biggest thing? Those questions require a lot of creativity to answer, but the outcome can be so unpredictable and amazing that it makes it all worth it.

And you CAN still put some darkness in there if you want! Or make it super funny about how these people just can't get their shit together. Or make it super sad about how outside circumstances are keeping them from their happy ending. There's just so many different ways things can go that the story stays interesting rather than turning into Gloomfest 3000 and having everyone die at the end.

Also an unrelated note: Why the fuck does no one ever write healthy BDSM relationships? Like that shit does not have to be dark if the people honestly care about each other and trust one another and have a life outside of playing out scenes. Sometimes ropes and chains are just fun, you know?
 
See, wholesome tends to be rather boring if that's all that is involved. I mean sure it doesn't play out EXACTLY like that in RL but I picture wholesome just like what i do in my real life dating someone and being with someone... sure with some 'rough patches' but even if I did a wholesome RP I'd still want a little drama that gets sorted out. Darker stuff is just way more interesting to play out in a straight ERP format.

Now, Wholesome paired with some other story is another story. When you have some fantasy adventure and two end up kind of falling for each other and developing a relationship (albeit not perfect since again, if its 100% sunshine and rainbows it can get stale) while dealing with drama in the world going on some adventure or quest with that being a side element I think that is where something like that works much better for me. It feels much better in that way having substance of which it can work and develop around. I guess really the rewarding part of a wholesome RP is more so the stuff that goes into it eventually evolving to get into that situation that makes it much better.
 
Wholesome can be fun but too much happiness--to me--is boring unless the story at the time makes it a well earned smutfest.

Same for dark and abusive non-con stories--too much force and displeasure for one party and I'm bored as fuck.

Yes, wholesome is worth it for the right story and the right characters. You've been Withdrawn for a long time OP, but you were never alone. Just gotta scan through the darkness to find those glimpses of light.
 
I feel like "wholesome" has been people saying something when they actually mean something else. I like lighter stories, I like stories like that but also I don't shy away from dark themes when it feels right. One of my most cathartic RPs might be a scene that comes after a very dark moment but is "wholesome". It involved a lot of crying but it was a pure moment. So, it's kinda like I think when people say "wholesome" they really mean they don't want a story consumed by darkness. To achieve this I personally ask for a balanced tone.
 
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