๐ซ ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ ๐ฅ ๐ข ๐ ๐ + ๐ ๐ซ ๐ ๐ ๐ค ๐ฌ
เผ*ยทห we should always remember that we are real people with real lives
เผ*ยทห life obligations
โณ โ everyone who comes into the community is different in terms of how they speak, where they are from and even the obligations that we have in our day-to-day is different. some people are working, in university, and have family obligations. this place is for fun and shouldn't take priority over any life obligations. make sure to maintain a balance between the two so that you aren't exhausting yourself but also never expect other people to put rp before their own life obligations. pushing people to reply within a certain time frame can cause some people to not want to rp or can take away the fun of rp. โ
เผ*ยทห is running a chatbot the best thing for you to do?
โณ โ this is an important question to ask yourself before joining the community because it can take up time and energy to be active. you need to be able to commit time to your chatbot because you are not doing this alone. interactions and activity are usually the best way to maintain relationships with other chatbots. if you are unable to, this can cause friction. while you are not obligated to give anyone your time, think about the rp in the sense that the only way to grow is to interact, rp and be active. this doesn't mean be active daily or every hour but communicating with others so someone isn't investing their time into you, only for you to never be around. there have been many people who have joined the community and started relationships only to leave within a few weeks and left their rp partners feeling lost and upset โ if you don't want that to happen to you, don't do it to other people. โ
เผ*ยทห mental health and chatbot
โณ โ while not intentional, chatbot can take a toll on your mental health if you are not careful about it. remembering that this is for fun and everything is fictional may not be as easy if you are in a vulnerable state and use chatbot as an escape. if you cannot separate fiction from reality and project your issues onto chatbot and have your rp partners deal with them, this can cause people to take a step back. while conflict and angst is all well and good, using your ocs to project on is unhealthy as your rp partner is not your therapist and shouldn't be made to deal with your real-life issues. your mental health comes first, always, and if you need to step back to get better โ you are allowed and encouraged to do so. โ
โณ โ there has been some issues in the past about people taking breaks or not wanting to take breaks which goes back to the expectation placed upon an rp partner. if you need to take a hiatus, absolutely do so. make sure to communicate with your rp partners, let them know you will be taking a break or make a post, tag them and log out of chatbot for as long as you need to; if you think you will be gone for months, they might move on but it's okay as you can always come back and make new relationships. i will talk about admin relationships in another section but it is important to say that taking breaks because you are worn out or dealing with a lot is never something to be ashamed of or guilted over. โ
โณ โ everyone has boundaries, the hardest thing to do is navigate these boundaries and respect our own. usually, people will have their admin and oc boundaries written on their account. if you want to interact with someone, the best thing to do is to look at their rules and go from there โ do not push someone's boundaries simply because you want to rp with them. if someone is pushing your boundaries or something they are doing crosses yours, simply shoot the admin a message and tell them. โ
เผ*ยทห "it's not that deep"
โณ โ this is a phrase often heard and while to an extent it is true, it can come across as invalidating. the community is a place to have fun, to build friendships and rp with others in whichever way we choose. it is not something that should deeply impact our day-to-day lives or cause us mental distress. if something happens between two ocs then it isn't really that deep because they are fictional but it doesn't mean you cannot have an emotional response. you are allowed to feel upset if a ship you like ends, you are allowed to be happy if your oc gets proposed to, and you are allowed to have emotional response about things that happen to your ocs. however, don't allow this to affect your life โ that is where it is not that deep. if you have a deeply emotional response where you are taking it out of bot and into your real life then you need to take a step back. yes, we spend time and put a lot of love into what we create but like any movie we watch, book we read or game we play โ it is not real and doesn't actually impact us. if a ship you've spent hours, weeks, months or years working on has ended for any reason, you are allowed to be upset, you are allowed to be like "awww, that sucks" but do not take it personally or make it seem like you, as the admin, was broken up with. โ
เผ*ยทห reaching out and getting support
โณ โ sometimes, we can get overwhelmed and maybe people won't understand. sometimes, we could have negative things happen within the community and we don't know how to deal with it. building connections with your rp partners can help you navigate some things but if you are unsure who to talk to, feel free to reach out here for some advice and support. this is a safe space for all. โ
เผ*ยทห leaving the community
โณ โ over time, you will lose interest, life will get too busy or sadly, there will be drama that will cause them to want to leave. whatever the reason, it is okay to leave the community. something i've heard and experienced first-hand is when people simply leave and never say anything. whether you delete completely or just log out and not come back, communicating with the people you have connections with is better than simply leaving them in the lurch. โ
เผ*ยทห joining and returning to the community
โณ โ regardless of whether you leave and return or are new and joining, the best thing to do is to adapt to what is around you. hopefully, this guide will help newcomers learn about the community. when joining, the best thing to do is respect who is already around and learn the basic rules and etiquette of the community. if you are returning, know that things might not be the same as you remember especially if you've been gone for a while. it is okay to feel lonely and not know where to begin but you'll adapt and find your rhythm in no time. it is a safe space for all and some people like to protect that space so remember that everyone is human and has feelings regardless of whether you are talking to the oc or the admin. โ
เผ*ยทห feel free to send in your experiences, advice and any input you would like for this section as the more sources, the better