If there’s one thing I’ve learned about roleplaying is that you should NEVER EVER do this for recognition. In fact, you shouldn’t let anything you genuinely enjoy become a means to feeling accepted. Be open to constructive criticism if it helps you progress, but don’t follow a course of action someone else put into play. I’ve seen far too many amazing roleplayers go over the years because they sought in others what they should have been providing for themselves. Don’t let someone else determine your worth. Create something you are proud of and share it with people who don’t need to be catered to in order for them to appreciate you and what you’ve got to offer; especially since you not only risk losing yourself in the process but whatever appreciation you do get will be conditional on your continued performance. Life’s too short to be pandering to someone who will not see your worth in terms other than their own. Don’t let something as arbitrary as the follower count dampen your enthusiasm for something you enjoy. Instead of focusing on the success of others and going bitter or seeking further reassurance outside of yourself, focus on your own goddamn shit. This roleplaying community has become far too voyeuristic. Unfollow if you want to. Stop engaging with some people if you want to. Revamp your character if you want to. Make up an entirely new backstory if you want to. Post all the threads you want to. Reply to all the opens you want to. The thing about something as inconsequential as roleplay is that whatever you want is what you need. This is a hobby, an indulgence, and as such you can follow your whim if it’s the thing that keeps your fire burning. As Paulo Coelho says: You don’t have to explain your dreams, they belong to you. The same goes for anything you do (that doesn’t hurt others, like killing sprees for example, obviously) that is done to bring you pleasure, distraction, comfort… I’m just so sick of seeing people who are here for these things be chased away because they placed their self-worth in the hands of another and gave other people the power to extinguish the passion. And, seriously, anyone who is actively trying to put you down can fuck off.
