Just kick the ball already!

Putting it simply, character bleed is when you blur the line between yourself and the character you're roleplaying as. This shows through in personality, mindset, emotions, etc. There's two ways you can bleed - bleed in is when elements of you, the real person, slip into your character (for example you've had a shit week so all of a sudden your friendly sunshine character is on a murderous rampage), and bleed out is when stuff from your character starts to actually affect you (like you had an RP that involved some horror elements and now you're a bit on edge and jumpy about those elements).

Like with everything in fandom and roleplay, character bleed is not black-and-white good or bad. Sometimes it's a very good thing - for example using personality bleed out to help you overcome irl anxiety - and sometimes it's not such a good thing - like when you bleed into a character to the point where any "attack" on the character feels like an attack on you (we see this SO MUCH with OCs and sonas). The entire situation around character bleed can be fairly difficult to approach and address, because it is by very nature multifaceted and complex.

(Pointyhat reference heehee)

Common ways character bleed shows up:

Feat. terms coined by one of my LARP groups to help categorise them

Ego bleed: when you put enough of yourself into a character that you feel like you are that character, to the point where you will get upset OOC when another character dislikes or avoids them. The most common one in text-based RP.

Trauma bleed: more common in LARP but still possible in text spaces; basically the character has been through some horrific shit and now you as a person cannot interact with irl examples of said horrific shit. The inverse is when you irl have been through some traumatic shit so now you cannot interact with said traumatic shit as your character (BIG ASTERISK HERE I will dig into this in a sec)

Emotional bleed: the most common for mood writers, immersive RPers, and people who use roleplay as escape. It's when your emotions in one "version" slip over and affect the actions of your other "version" for example see the sunshine going feral above or consider, you're in a horror RP and now you're having an irl panic attack as a result of RP events.

Identity bleed: things like accents, mannerisms, attitude slipping from one side to the other. Not as frequent in online spaces, definitely common in LARP groups and after big LARP events. I have too many stories around this.

Situational bleed: another one more common in LARP but basically it's when something that is common within the roleplay world influences your actions in reality - staying strapped after a big event because going without your weapon gives you lowk anxiety; trying to pay for lunch using in-game currency, stuff like that.

These are some - not all - examples of character bleed, but hopefully it helps you get an idea of how and why it can be both hindrance and help.

THE ASTERISK

The inverse is when you irl have been through some traumatic shit so now you cannot interact with said traumatic shit as your character.

THIS IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO BE A DICK TO PEOPLE OR FORCE ANYONE TO INTERACT WITH CERTAIN THINGS. If you, the... traumatee? If you have trauma and you are aware of the things you're uncomfortable with, you have EVERY RIGHT to say "do not bring this to me". Roleplay should be a safe and controlled space for you to engage with things you are comfortable engaging with.

That is not to say that you have to exclude yourself from roleplay around certain content tied to your personal traumatic experiences. When done properly and in a safe space with safe people, roleplay is actually an incredible way of overcoming shit that has happened in one's past - but that is a discussion you should probably have with a therapist because it's not for everybody.

Why can character bleed be a problem?

Like I said, it's not really a black-and-white situation. Some types of bleed are good, therapeutic even. Some types of bleed are bad. Like, really bad. Character bleed becomes problematic when you have a type of bleed that is affecting you personally, whether that be your mental health, your social behaviours, your relationships, or other aspects of your real life.

These are some examples that I have witnessed through first-hand experience or experienced myself:

An open-minded person who played a racist, sexist character slowly adopting the racist, sexist mindset of that character

Accidentally using my character accent in my call centre job, and offending a customer who could tell it was a fake accent

Friend had their prop knife in their carry-on the day after a big event because "gotta stay strapped", and got stopped by airport security

One-sided attachment towards a character that leads to obsessive behaviour towards that character or that roleplayer

Emotional bleed that caused the roleplayer to basically destroy their character's entire social life and setup because they wanted to go "bitch mode"

An ask blog receiving in-character messages that then upset the roleplayer out of character and caused the roleplayer a mental health spiral

IRL paranoia stemming from horror/suspense/thriller RP

IRL anxiety issues being exacerbated by group RP scenes

IRL self-loathing being exacerbated by playing an unlikable character

Two friends who have a bad RP scene having an IRL falling out because the scene caused some resentment that bled from characters to players

Feeling personally attacked when your character is the subject of dislike, aversion, or fear

Playing a villain and then getting upset OOC when the entire RP group (full of "good" guys) seems to be against you

There's plenty more examples but I'm tired and this is all I can think of off the top of my head right now. But, yes, these are all examples of how character bleed can be detrimental. The ones I've highlighted in bold are the ones I have seen SO MUCH in online/text RP. Realising one of these was happening in realtime was literally what made me want to write this post, actually.

I'm not saying to emotionally detach yourself from your characters. I'm not saying to avoid getting immersed in roleplay. I will never suggest that you avoid doing something you enjoy, so long as it isn't a detriment to you. When something becomes a detriment, that's when you need to take the appropriate steps to make it safe, or withdraw.

So, how do we stop character bleed?

Short answer, you don't. There will always be a little bleed here and there, because at the end of the day we are doing this with these characters because we love these characters and we love the happy feelings we get when we interact as them. It's totally normal to feel a little "aw" when a character says they don't like your character, and it's totally normal to want to interact more with a character who was kind, friendly, and welcoming to you when you were fairly new.

But everything in moderation.

1. Debrief

This was a very big one for us in LARP - after every event it's strongly encouraged that we meet up, usually for dinner somewhere, and socialise. Talk about real-life stuff or reflect on the events of the game we've just left, reflect on how our characters behaved, felt, and handled situations. This is also a great way to help you develop a character, by talking through alternative possibilities that they could have taken. Try DMing someone after you wrap an RP thread together and discussing your favourite responses and the ideas you were getting during it. This can even lead to more threads with the same person.

2. Separate Self from Character

This sounds like very typical RP advice, but it's something a lot of people fail to do. Easiest way to frame the character as a different entity in your mind is to refer to them like they're a different entity - in the context of this blog, I am Mod and Scout is Scout. We are both here, but Scout is the star of the show and Mod only comes out when needed, or when I want to talk about life or Fault. Mod is not Scout and Scout is not Mod, but Mod is me (albeit a bit more professional) and when people want Mod to get in-depth on a topic, I'll usually direct them to my main blog instead.

3. Reframe Everything

Just because I have a particular experience around something doesn't mean the character has to share it. I recently watched Emesis Blue. Found it a bit meh for reasons I won't go into here, but it got me thinking how Scout might react. I had no stakes in the story beyond "people enjoy this and it's an AGM" - but he gets to see someone he usually interprets as a clone of himself subjected to The Horrors™, so he has more of a stake in the film, which means he's more likely to be freaked out (and that's some good RP inspiration, if you look at recent interactions). This isn't something you'll be instantly good at overnight - it takes time to develop this to the point where it's instinctive. Best way to start is think about all the things that make you and the character different to each other, and go from there.

4. Transition Rituals

If you have set time frames for RP (for example with LARP we have set weekly events, or some folk might only reply between specific hours), create a "transition ritual" - an activity or series of activities that help your brain switch between being You and Character. Personal favourite is appearance modification - once I have a specific wig on I become Jake Flynn, Wasteland Drunkard and Daemon Wrangler. With text RP it can be as simple as speaking in-character, looking at a picture, some people watch a video, some people listen to a specific song; whatever it is, have something that tells you "hey, time to get in character" - and similarly, have something that tells your brain "okay, time to be me again".

5. Remember - You Can Turn The Screen Off

This is another big one I see with text RP - people seem to forget that putting the phone down or switching to a different tab or turning the screen off and walking away is an entirely viable option. You don't have to respond immediately to every notification, and people should not expect that of you. Go and walk around the house, do a lap of your front driveway or your hallway, literally touch grass (and take a photo for the LOLs). Decompress. This is especially important if you're getting worked up with uncomfortable/unwelcome feelings as a result of RP and character interaction. It's just a game; you can step back at any time.

There's a myriad of other ways to help handle character bleed but these are the ones that, at least in my case, are tried and trusted. If you've got any experience and recommendations, feel free to add to this!

So basically...

At the end of the day, roleplay is meant to be a fun, safe, and collaborative experience for everyone involved. Character bleed can affect that, both in good and bad ways, and it's up to you as a roleplayer to take responsibility for your own mental health, and to ensure that you aren't putting yourself or others at risk with character bleed. Roleplay is a great way to distract yourself from The Horrors™ of the world in the present moment, but one person can turn a whole roleplay experience into a nightmare for many people.

Be respectful. Be co-operative. Be safe.

And most importantly, remember that RP isn't real.