Character Emotions

[Seranda]

I get pretty invested in my characters. Sometimes I feel a spark of joy when something favorable happens to them, swoon when my partner writes up something so sexy and romantic, and feel angered when they write something mean or disrespectful. That's normal right?

I'm not upset at my partner, that would be foolish, but I am mad at how their character handled the situation and spoke to the character I am playing. Given the premise, our characters are being tailored to have sex at some point. But if my partner's character upsets my character so much that she starts to resent him, should I stop the RP? Should I tell my partner that his character is very unlikely to get past friends with her? Do I put my emotions aside and let my character just eat the humiliation, and have them pair up anyway. Please help.

 

[Psychodurus Eques]

I get where your coming from. I treat roleplay sometimes like acting and not just writing.

Best thing is to communicate with your partner. Ideally, you should be on the lookout flight this sort of going and coordinate before it gets too far.

I wouldn't say you should ever have to suck it up and force a pairing. If it just doesn't fit in character. You might have to put heads together and think, "how can this relationship be redeemed?"

Unless your partner is being obnoxious, it should work out.

 

[Xanaphia]

I've definitely spent a weekend crying about characters who broke up in an rp. And while I was rewarded with one of my favorite smut scenes of all time, it was pretty intense to get there.

Don't accept humiliation if it wasn't previously agreed on. Tell your partner explicitly if the way their character treats your is off putting. I need my characters to have chemistry in my rps, and I let my partner know if its not working out.

 

[Seranda]

Epic feedback. Two threads in two days and I'm picking up a lot of good pointers.

 

[Clypsiphaya]

That’s one of the most difficult things about putting your talent out there: finding a partner that’s as interested in seeing to your desires for the scene, as you are in seeing to theirs. Communication is absolutely key, but sometimes it’s difficult - especially when you’re discovering that your partner has ulterior motives, or previously undisclosed kinks.

This thread is full of magnificent advice - I can’t really add anything, except to reassure you that there’s a plethora of considerate, skilled writers here to choose from. Be polite, absolutely... but don’t be afraid to discuss, nor to find another partner if things can’t be reconciled or your current partner isn’t right for you.

 

[Shiver]

These comments are interesting to me because it's a very different perspective.

I approach RP much more as a writer (and, well, voyeur) than literally someone playing a role. I'm not really putting myself in place of my character; there's lots of distance - intellectually, emotionally - between me and my characters. I feel like that's necessary so that a) I can play characters very different from myself, and b) so I can enjoy dark RP where my characters aren't necessarily having a good time.

So once in a blue moon (heh) I'll feel a pang of empathy for my characters, but nothing quite like what's being described here!

 

[RedRose]

I don't feel it - but some stuff I hate so much it angers me even when it's about my character

 

[Bunny]

I think I get invested in my character's emotions, but... I also know how to draw the lines I feel required. Like if Jane Doe falls in love with John in my stories, I don't love the other writer.

I know, that that's not quite what was being talked about, but if someone is mean to my character in a role play, or slights them.. I get upset, but not at the other writer. I think that's a really key item for this. I just think that definition between feeling for them, empathizing and the like is pretty normal over all.

 

[obieblu]

I play so much dub-con and non-con, it would be pretty silly for me to have negative emotions when my partner wrote something 'disrespectful' to MC.

 

[Seranda]

I don't really see the reason to be mad at another writer unless they purposely throw the story off the rails, knowing you had other destinations. I feel bad for characters and do become fans if they are written in an interesting way to me.

 

[AndNich123]

Yes I get invested in my characters. It's a double-edged sword really. When something wonderful happens for them, I feel happiness. When they are in an erotic situation, well....yes. Okay yes I feel aroused. The other side to the coin is that when something bad is happening to them, I can feel that too. I've cried while writing posts before because it was beautiful. I've also had a panic attack because the writer was so good that he literally reached beyond my character to me.

 

[Atlach-Nacha]

Roleplaying without full emotional investment seems to me a pointless exercise. Writing erotica for the sake of detached intellectual stimulation? I don't buy it.

If I were writing a consensual story and my partner's character was ruining the potential relationship, I'd drop the story immediately. You're actually here to impress me, not my character. A character is your product, it's not an independent entity and has no mind of its own. It's ultimately nothing but a made-up proxy for yourself, no matter how well disguised, and no matter how clear a line between fiction and reality you think you can draw.

I don't write consensual scenes though, so don't take my opinion too seriously.

 

[Seranda]

Yes I get invested in my characters. It's a double-edged sword really. When something wonderful happens for them, I feel happiness. When they are in an erotic situation, well....yes. Okay yes I feel aroused. The other side to the coin is that when something bad is happening to them, I can feel that too. I've cried while writing posts before because it was beautiful. I've also had a panic attack because the writer was so good that he literally reached beyond my character to me.

That's Intense!

Roleplaying without full emotional investment seems to me a pointless exercise. Writing erotica for the sake of detached intellectual stimulation? I don't buy it.

If I were writing a consensual story and my partner's character was ruining the potential relationship, I'd drop the story immediately. You're actually here to impress me, not my character. A character is your product, it's not an independent entity and has no mind of its own. It's ultimately nothing but a made-up proxy for yourself, no matter how well disguised, and no matter how clear a line between fiction and reality you think you can draw.

I don't write consensual scenes though, so don't take my opinion too seriously.

Noted. Your opinion is void to me.

 

[east]

I had a huge struggle with this, in one of my longer rp's. A character I had been pursuing had basically been a bitch the entire thread (5 pages in) and I was getting fed up, and then the character did one more insult that was the straw that broke the camels back, and got me to be really mad at that character. I went from really loving everything that the character was about to wanting to claw her face off.

I never really blamed my partner, but there was a small argument ooc where they had to explain some of the motivations of the other character, and why it was so one sided, but it definitely killed my personal lust for the character and made me focus my efforts on other parts of the rp.

 

[Melevolence]

As with others I too can get heavily invested in a scene when there is a lot of character chemistry and development and can smile, laugh, cry and share the emotions of the characters involved. There can be times where I get so 'in character' that what could be a simple mistake on my partners part that I feel the same sting or annoyance as my character would.

However, how I deal with the situation depends on the scene. If it's a sexy focused scene and such an innocent slight would mess up the scene I just 'come back' to reality a moment and just laugh it off and keep going so it doesn't break pace or anything. If it's a character focused scene where development is important, these 'organic' moments can heighten the experience. It makes the characters feel more alive. They have aspirations, goals, emotions, likes and dislikes. So keeping in character and having them respond to situations authentically keeps the immersion strong (Though some OOC reassurance that you aren't actually mad/upset/offended/etc can put a partners mind at ease so they don't feel alarmed at the response they get and think they really did push the wrong button).

A good example for me in where I have used my characters personalities to 'break pace' was in a scene with Gideon (My snake character, my avatar) had something attempted on him that was an established off limits thing. I didn't end the scene (I do give a 'warning system' of sorts) but Gideon, in character, blue balled the other character and did give some sass about it. We were able to resume the scene but it was more organic (And a sort of 'life lesson' moment in universe) for the other character who now had to actively work to re-earn Gideon's attention.

 

[Lady Irony]

I don't feel it per se but given that usually the idea is for the characters to fall in love/have sex etc what my partner's character says and who they are in general can turn me off the RP. I can't just ignore it and go against who my character is and what is appealing to them. Without the chemistry between the characters any sexual activity is going to be rather ordinary as I won't be interested in writing it.

I had one RP where an older married man (MC) goes to a brothel for the first time and chooses a woman who is doing that kind of work for the first time. The idea is they spend their first few sessions just talking, no sex at all. It is a slow burn type thing that develops. They have this special chemistry that defies the setting and they bond.

My partner made her character such a miserable loser that I just couldn't go on with it. MC would not be able to feel anything for them let alone choose them in the first place. I actually imagined my character sitting there rolling his eyes at this character and slowly backing out of the place lol.