// This has been on my mind for the longest time and I feel like this is the perfect time to acknowledge it.
What has happened to the RPC on Tumblr? Isn’t RP supposed to be a way for users to escape reality and the struggles they’re faced with outside of the internet? It’s supposed to be fun and enjoyable for everyone! But nowadays, the RPC thrives off of drama, call-outs, copying/stealing, and sending hatred. That is NOT what RP is about! I’ll acknowledge each issue and describe my personal input and opinions about it.
First off, we’ll start with drama. Now.. drama is not COMPLETELY avoidable. You’re gonna have people who dislike you; that’s part of life. HOWEVER, drama isn’t always necessary, especially if there’s absolutely no reason for it. Many things cause drama on here - whether it’s over someone posting about something that upsets them and/or venting their feelings, a he-said-she-said situation, serious things that NEED to be acknowledged (see also: call-outs), or accidental mistakes someone has made before. I’m gonna start off by saying this: absolutely NO ONE in the world is perfect. Everyone who’s human makes mistakes. Every living person makes mistakes. A lot of people grow and learn from their mistakes, especially if they were in the wrong. Not EVERYONE will realize the error of their ways, though. If someone makes a mistake, acknowledges it, and apologizes for it, there’s a nice thing called “forgiving and forgetting”. As long as their mistake wasn’t anything illegal or disgusting, it should be easy to forgive someone and let them know the world isn’t entirely bad. I’m not focusing this post on me, but I will give an input from my personal experiences. YES, I have been involved in drama (who hasn’t these days?) - which was only my OWN fault. I was being stubborn for a while, but then I realized I was in the wrong. I acknowledged my mistakes, I apologized, and I’m doing my best to redeem myself. Not everyone will forgive me; I know that. And I can’t force anyone to forgive me. But I’m not going to let that prevent me from improving myself. The same can be said for everyone else. We’re ALL gonna make mistakes. Again, no one (especially on this site) is a perfect & flawless being. We’re all human. But we have to always improve on ourselves and our behavior. When we make mistakes, we have to acknowledge them, apologize sincerely for them, and work hard on bettering ourselves. Drama is super tiring and exhausting.. and it’s not fun for ANYONE to be involved. We’re all here to have fun! I’m sure if any of us truly wanted drama, we’d just resort to our lives outside of Tumblr. The RPC is meant for us to escape drama and the hardships of our lives, NOT be faced with more.
Second, call-outs. Where do I stand on call-outs? Well.. Personally, I do not believe call-outs are necessary UNLESS the person being called out is guilty of horrible acts (pedophilia, bestiality, underage pornography, etc). If you’re calling out someone to protect the rest of the community, by all means, DO IT. But if you’re calling out someone because you don’t like them or “they give off this bad vibe and they’re just negative and annoying”, that’s… childish. It might be exhausting, but consider talking to someone who’s negative or depressed and consider trying to help them. Of course, no one wants to be seen as a therapist or caretaker here. But it doesn’t cost a single thing to try to be kind to someone who could really use kindness. It doesn’t hurt to offer to listen every once in a while. It doesn’t hurt to be a decent human being. Another good reason to call someone out is if they’re going around stealing things from others or being incredibly toxic toward others. As for the basic “I dislike them and they suck” reasons.. those are just downright silly.
Third, stealing/copying. This is an issue I see often in the RPC. Roleplayer A works very hard on icons/headcanons/etc. Suddenly, Roleplayer B comes along and decides to steal them (of course, not getting permission from A to use whatever they stole). Word gets around to A about B stealing their icons/headcanons and A becomes understandably upset. A confronts B and B gets offended over A confronting them for their wrongdoing. Drama ensues. Alriiiight… Let’s be honest. No one likes a thief or copycat. Getting inspiration from someone and copying them are NOT the same things. If someone inspires you, you shouldn’t copy them. Instead, you should let them know they are an inspiration to you and you want to be like them (in terms of kindness, selflessness, etc)! This doesn’t mean to copy everything of theirs, mock everything they do or say, etc. Be your own person/muse/whatever. Be yourself. Taking inspiration from others is perfectly fine; but when you start stealing their icons/headcanons or becoming a carbon-copy of them, that’s when it’s an issue. I know being original can be difficult for some, especially if you portray a popular muse. However, it’s never a bad idea to brainstorm your own ideas and apply them to your muse! Be original & creative!
Now, sending hatred. All I have to say on this is: don’t do this. To anyone. Do NOT send death threats, do NOT tell someone to kill themselves, do NOT tell anyone they are useless, and do NOT send hatred for NO REASON, WHATSOEVER. Hatred in general is disgusting, but when you use incredibly harsh words to destroy someone emotionally and mentally, that’s even worse. As I said before - kindness is free. It costs absolutely $0.00 to be kind to others. Sending hatred to someone only brings them down and hurts them. What does anyone have to gain out of hurting others? Self fulfillment? If that’s the case, they need to work on themselves a lot. When did bringing each other down become part of roleplaying (or even LIVING)? There’s absolutely NOTHING to gain from bringing others down and destroying them mentally & emotionally. Before you even consider sending hatred, think of how you would feel if someone sent it to you. Treat others the way you’d like to be treated.
Time for vague-posting. Surely, we all know about vague-posting by now. I’ve seen it EVERYWHERE in the Tumblr RPC. In every fandom. It’s.. saddening. Vague-posting is just a simple term for ‘being too afraid to confront/talk to someone over [x] reason’. That’s literally it. Vague-posting about someone doesn’t solve drama, it creates much more. If you want to vague-post about someone, why not confront the person you’re wanting to vague-post about? Whether you’re confronting them for their actions or you’re wanting to vague because you feel insecure.. do not vague. If you’re feeling insecure about your portrayal (or if you’re insecure over dupes!), you should never bring someone else down. Instead, you should ask yourself “How can I improve?” or think “Hey, we portray the same muse, but we have different interpretations! That’s cool!”. I can understand having anxiety over duplicates (if they’ve done toxic things or have stolen from you), but that’s no reason to dislike someone or send them hatred. Focus on improving yourself and see dupes as friends, not competition! This is a lesson I’ve recently learned and I haven’t stopped trying to improve myself.
The moral of this post is: be kind to each other, think before you post, there is always room for improvement, and make the best of each day.
In the wise words of Bill & Ted: “Be excellent to each other”.
Let’s all work together to make the RPC and Tumblr a better and happier place for everyone!
jacobvanloon
izzy806
turnnoffyourmind
andulkaphoto
prguitarman
titsay
stormborns
