If you’ve ever hear the word roleplaying then chances are you’ve also heard the stigma associated with it; creating judgments that encompass anyone associated in their sweeping generalizations. Some of these even label those involved as perverts, and genuinely believe it’s all about sex whether thinking of those couples who dress up for a little excitement or that those doing it online are just pretending to be someone else as they write smut one-handed with someone else doing the same on the other end. Granted, sometimes, there might be some truth to these assumptions, but in most causes this is not true. Quite simply: We are writers.

When we are roleplaying we’re creating fascinating characters to weave into plots with other roleplayers; essentially we are co-writing a story that could take our characters to Hell and back, and watching how they grow from these experiences. Some of these tales can evoke power feelings that put you on an emotional roller-coaster. I admit fully that I’ve cried on more than one occasion while a writing a scene or a reading a log – a transcript per se – of characters that belong to others. Their characters just as real to me as my own in the sense that any character is “real” to a writer; we put in their creation a piece of our soul as if they are our own child put down on paper, and then we have to watch them go through these experiences and watch them weather each one without interfering.

One of my favorite things about roleplaying is the unpredictability of other players characters. You can have an idea of how you hope something might go, but due to the involvement of others it might go differently whether playing one-on-one or with multiple people, or in a large group session – which is very entertaining. Each experience is different, each story is different, each setting is different yet the chance for a sudden twist, or change, that is completely unexpected is always a possibility.

The reason I decided to write this entry, that an itch was created that made me need to write it, is someone asked me “You really love RPing, don’t you?” and simply put: I do. It is a hobby, something I do for fun, but it is important to me as well. A creative outlet that connects me to others, that helps me knock through writer’s block, and that allows me to relieve stress; whether I’m RPing via instant messenger, forum, email, or  mix of all three. It is something that I have done for 12 years, and I really don’t see myself stopping any time soon, that lets me stretch the creative fingers inside my brain; massaging my brain to release ideas that let me create detailed characters with depth and put them into different settings to have experiences that allow them to grow even more than I imagined.

I’ve written so many great characters, and weaved so many great tales, with other talented players that each one has become embedded in my mind in some way. I didn’t do it for the money, or the attention, or the desire to be someone else. I did it for the sheer pleasure of just writing and interacting with other writers; making that connection of shared interests, and hobbies, and bonding through these amazing tales or wonderful characters.

I guess I want to wrap this up by simply saying that if you’ve ever given a sweeping generalization, or made a disgusted face, at hearing the word “Roleplaying” please remember this post. Please remember that some of what I post on here comes from roleplaying sessions. Roleplayers do not deserve the stigma attached to the word for we are simply writers that choose to write in a different way.