[Ask RPedia] Where to Find People Who RP Like Me?
rebekahkroeplin asked: I'm REALLY new to the roleplaying world and I have these two characters I want to try out. But, I'm really nervous to ask anyone or any communities if they'd like to roleplay with me because my characters are based off of two different fandoms (Doctor Who and Supernatural). How should I approach people with this? Not very many communities would even take characters that are from two different universes.
The best way to do, is to try. There’s going to be hundreds of thousands of people roleplaying a series. It’s a huge number, especially with the more popular fandoms. They may be small on tumblr, or other sites you use, but around the world are not only people who want to RP it, but people who are in multiple fandoms and RP it where you don’t see. So even if you don’t see them active, anyone could be in your fandom (even the weird AU crossover ones), waiting, watching... That innocent little SPN player could be a Homestuck, or a Walking Dead fan. That one really classy Loki angst player with the dark history and trigger warnings everywhere could play OC My Little Pony 2nd Generation children with their other account. You can’t really ID a person until you speak to them or they offer the info.
This means you’re gonna get a ton of different personalities! You’re going to get all skill levels, and all sorts of toleration. Some people are going to take one look at you and scoff, and they have the right to say no and move on. But there’s other people who will go “Wow that’s cool!” and to find those people you have to throw yourself out there. Once someone does something, a mob mentality kicks in. “Oh they did it, and I wanted to do it, but them doing it makes it okay!” and then they jump on with you, and more people do it, and suddenly the bandwagon is full and you have an entire extremely detailed AU universe all because you went ahead and did the thing. At worst write a fanfic and see if you can start a fanbase for it!
There are no series, no ideas, nothing that is “bad” to roleplay. You may RP something not everyone likes, but please do inform me of something everyone does like without fail. I won’t hold my breath on this one. So RP whatever you want, and block the aggressive haters who follow you to your safe place and ignore them. They are just sour because you’re actually enjoying yourself doing something they will never get a chance to because they are stuck in their own constructed cages of ‘morals’ and ‘taste’ that really only exist as social constructions and may not extend beyond their friendgroup. Challenge it. See who joins you. Start a rebellion. Don’t though force yourself into THEIR community or break rules doing it. Start your own. Don’t try to force yourself where you aren’t wanted.
But remember, you may be RPing something that people who aren’t rude or jerks about disliking it, still dislike. So tag your newest construction appropriately. Not only does that let fans find it, but it lets people who may have very reasonable reasons to dislike it avoid it. As they say, good fences make good neighbors. Check for a tag already created, and try to use it for everything. It’ll save some friendships. If no tag, make one! Announce it! Let people know so they can make a choice to enjoy it, join it, or avoid it. it’s an awesome kind of roleplayer who looks out for the health of the community and everyone around them as much as they exercise their right to enjoy themselves!
To anyone who can’t live and let live through the simple tools of not engaging in things you may dislike, please enjoy the silence of the internet as most people block and/or avoid you. Attacking someone for something you dislike that doesn’t hurt you in any way (personally or through society), especially if it’s tagged, is not cool at all. Just turn a blind eye and move on. Because that’s the appropriate reaction to anything not damaging to anything.
However, as Chuck Palahniuk once said, “People don't want their lives fixed. Nobody wants their problems solved. Their dramas. Their distractions. Their stories resolved. Their messes cleaned up. Because what would they have left? Just the big scary unknown.” So in the end, go have fun, if you piss people off, you might be giving them something to think about that keeps worse things away. You are who you are, and enjoying that isn’t a bad thing. Just get out there where the people who agree can see you.
Good luck, I can’t wait to see you rock your neat-o ideas with a crew who adores you.
