Let me begin this by saying I've Rped for a long fucking time and have seen my share of smut monkeys, angst trains, god modders and endless buckets of OOC drama. I'm not upset at a game or a specific player, just a general disposition.

It's pretty fucking long, so I'll cut it.

RPG, or at least the kind we're all involved in right now that takes place primarily on journals, is a piece of shit. I remember being perplexed the first time an RPG buddy of mine tried to explain to me the virtues of the journaling system. I personally didn't believe him until the message board games started to die and I didn't really have a choice. It didn't take long to see the perks of journals. Icons, rapid conversation and quick character interaction. Just like technology, the journaling system made shit so much easier, but it took out a lot of the quality threads that RPG was and should still be based around.

Honestly, I kept threading because that's what I enjoy doing. I RP because I feel starved creatively if I'm not writing and frankly sometimes my short stories about dueling showroom guys just didn't cut it. I craved creative interaction, which I can tell you is a bunch of bullshit 90% of the time in any other outlet. Writing circles turn into circle jerks or power plays. In RPG you have to work with other people. You also post everything live, which usually results in instant feedback. It's fucking great.

But, the problem is that with the journals in place, barely anyone threads anymore. I know a lot of you are going to jump in and insist otherwise, but you have to understand that threading was all we had. There was no shooting off Macro comments like you're in fucking 4chan. With such a large decrease in threading, it leaves people starved creatively which translates into them wanting more journal interaction that ultimately speeds up relationships between characters, plots and almost anything else that happens in an RPG. This turns the game into complete and utter shit because a plot that should last a couple weeks barely makes it past a couple days.

So, people put their focus back onto cheap interactions through journals. A trend I've noticed is that characters will have a swiss army knife full of friends, family and lovers that the player can rely on for positive interaction. That is to say, there's very little turmoil between the characters and they generally agree on most things. If there is any conflict between characters, it tends to be of the sexual or angsty nature. Which is all fine and good in small quantities, but has very little substance.

This makes me question people's motives for RPG. Second Life in RPG landia is such a taboo subject, but a valid one. Don't have friends? Make a hot, popular character without any visible irony attached! Don't have a boyfriend? Make one. This is something that's plagued RPG since I can remember, but only recently has it become really fucking ridiculous. It's gotten to the point where people are really concerned what their character looks and dresses like. How many friends they have. What terms they are on with the more popular characters. It's sick people. It needs to stop. Who gives a shit? Really? The next time you find yourself wondering idly what kinds of shoes your char owns, do us all a favor and shut yourself the fuck up.

People also seem to be attracted to what I consider complete wankfests: Harry Potter & X-Men. Both genres I've played extensively and still do, but you have to understand that there's only so many times Lavender can hook up with Seamus for it to be of any interest. Or you know, Scott fucking everything he sees and then crying about it later. It's also a completely unimaginative road to take as far as RPG goes, because you have character guidelines and plot blueprints everywhere you look.

I think I'm so pissed off because I've turned into someone who wants to bullshit on journals just as much as the next rper. I can honestly say that my thread counts have gone down so significantly, I feel like I might be regressing in my own creative writing skill level. I'm not saying stop playing games that are fanbased. I'm not saying stop making characters that amuse you.

I am asking, nay, pleading you to stop for a second and wonder why you RP at all. I know it's supposed to be for fun, but fun can have some depth, too! Consider new premises for your game! Give your RPG some fucking complexity before I lose my mind.