There's a character in my roleplay that's really vital for the main plot, she's been taken a while. Only the player only comes on just before activity checks and when it comes to her grip/portrayal of the character it's not what me and the other admins have in mind. I don't want to be mean and kick her out, that's too harsh. But I have no idea what to do... what do you think I should do?
I had this issue on a group that I was running and it drove myself and my co-admin nuts (in our case it was a canon character). You need to nip the issue in the bud right away, we made the mistake of waiting, and the longer that you wait, the more of a problem that you’re going to have later on down the line. If she’s only coming on before activity checks, but isn’t active the rest of the time, you still have grounds to reclaim the character based on a general lack of activity.
It sounds like the player is just really inconsistent in general, which is a big problem if they have a canon/character that’s essential to plot development. They’re holding back the main plot, which is really inconsiderate and makes the entire group suffer. Ultimately, you need to do what’s best for the group as a whole. The way I see it, you have two options here (technically three, but the third is ill advised and is basically to let things carry on as is, hoping she misses an activity check or spontaneously fixes her issues).
Option One: Explain the issues and give the player a chance to fix them.
Possible Message Template:
Dear mun’s name here, the staff feels that you are not portraying character’s name here in the manner that was originally envisioned. We feel that you portray the character as insert the problematic portrayal here, and that the character needs to be played as insert the way you originally intend the portrayal to be here. Additionally, we’ve noticed that your activity is not consistent, which is problematic as insert character’s name here is such an integral part of the main plot.
We are giving you set a firm time limit here to correct the aforementioned issues. If at that time we still feel the issues are unresolved, we will have no choice but to reopen the character. If you feel you are unable to play the character in the manner the plot requires, please let us know so that we can reopen the character now. Regardless of what you choose to do, we value you as a member and would encourage you to join as a different character should this one not work out. [If you are a bio only RPG, I would add a line here suggesting the characters you think are suited to the player’s style.]
We look forward to hearing your decision,
RPG Name Here Staff/Admins/Mod Team/Whatever you call your staffers
Option Two: Take the character back now if you feel that the group will suffer if this continues on even a moment longer, or you are certain the issues cannot be resolved in regards to the mun’s problematic portrayal and inconsistent activity issues.
Possible Message Template:
Dear mun’s name here, the staff feels that you are not portraying character’s name here in the manner that was originally envisioned. We feel that you portray the character as insert the problematic portrayal here, and that the character needs to be played as insert the way you originally intend the portrayal to be here. Additionally, we’ve noticed that your activity is not consistent, which is problematic as insert character’s name here is such an integral part of the main plot.
We feel that the best option for the group is that we reopen character’s name here. Just because this character did not work out does not mean that we don’t want you in the group at all. We value you as a member and would encourage you to join as a different character. [If you are a bio only RPG, I would add a line here suggesting the characters you think are suited to the player’s style.]
RPG Name Here Staff/Admins/Mod Team/Whatever you call your staffers
I hope this helps nonnie, and wish you luck in resolving your issue. Also, I would suggest taking screen caps of any messages you send and receive from the member in regards to the issue. You may end up not needing them, but it’s best to have them as proof in case the member gets hostile and starts badmouthing your group to RPTs, which are more than happy to take anons’ words as the god’s honest truth and hang a group out to dry.