*Disclaimer: this is all my humble opinion. Keep doing your own thing if you like. I won’t hate you for disagreeing with me; don’t hate me for disagreeing with you. Also warning: this gets a little deep and slightly political. Read with caution.
I. THEME. So, first off, do NOT simply tell a roleplay that they should just get a theme makeover, especially if you’re a RPH blog and someone is asking you for a full review. If they wanted to know that, they would’ve asked a talk blog for an opinion on anonymous. If the admins of a RPG ask you for a review, they want to know details or little things that they can do to improve. Chances are, they worked hard on their theme. They’re probably proud of it. Don’t tear them down because you hate gradients.
(On that note, telling a roleplay that you don’t like their theme or color scheme is basically the same thing as this. That would involve them basically redoing everything. EVEN IF YOU HATE IT, don’t do it. It is mean and not helpful).
So, you might be asking, Katie, what the hell do you expect people to do if they can’t bash a theme?
The answer is simple: I expect them to be a roleplay helper (and a kind hearted human).
Let’s put it simply: be encouraging. (And no, saying, “you could be great with a little more effort!!” or “wow i would rec you if you put a little more effort in” really just is not encouraging, sorry). Help someone based on what they have. Tell them that if they changed the link color or background image, it would look better. Tell them that if they fixed their link order, their page would make a little more sense. Because, isn’t the point of reviewing a roleplay to simply help and be encouraging? Because, when was the last time that you asked for an opinion or review because you thought your page was ugly and you needed someone to tell you that?
People ask for reviews because they want to be encouraged. They want you to tell them that everything is great, but it could be a little more perfect with this. And yes, sometimes there are those RPGs that you just think need a new theme. And trust me, I understand that. But, if the admins are proud of it and people are joining, then what’s the point of destroying little hearts with, frankly, rude commentary? If someone asks you why their RP isn’t getting attention, maybe bring up that their theme is hella jenk and that they could use a little graphic help (but not like that, obviously). Offer to help them with that if theywant it or ask for it. Don’t just say it because it’s your “professional opinion” or whatever you think (because is being a professional/elite rph even a think?? no, it isn’t. that’s your answer. if you think it is, then you need to go outside and play with a puppy or smth).
In conclusion, once again, if a RP admin wanted someone to tear their theme apart, they would’ve asked a (excuse my language) shitty talk blog on anonymous. SO DON’T DO IT.
(And honestly, if someone told you your theme sucked, would you change it? Let me help you, the answer is no. And an admin tip: always make your theme for yourself. Always).
II. PLOT Now that I’ve successfully fired myself up, let’s move onto other things. The plot is the most important part of a roleplay, if we’re all being honest. What advice do I offer in reviewing it? Try to not think personally. So often I see opinions that are like, “Personally, I don’t like this…”, and it’s really annoying. Sure, people want your personal opinion when asking for one, but they don’t actually want your personal opinion. (If that makes sense). Instead of telling someone that what they have “isn’t your cup of tea” (MAN I hate that phrase), think logically and subjectively rather objectively. (And this can apply to the theme as well.) When reviewing, try to step out of your opinionated brain. It’ll help you be a better reviewer, and help you give better advice.
With that said, don’t tell a RPG that their plot is horrible. GOD, don’t do it. Tell them it’s grammatically incorrect or that you think it makes no sense, but don’t tell them its horrible and that no one will ever join it!!
Also, don’t tell them that it’s not original and that you’ve seen it before! Maybe their precious hearts think that their idea is original and they love themselves for it (love is important). Or maybe they know that it’s not original. Trust me, if it is a fandom or celeb or town RPG, chances are that they admins are aware that it isn’t original. If that was their concern, they wouldn’t have made it like it is!!
Help with what you can when it comes to plot. If there aren’t very many grammatical errors, point them out specifically. If the plot is written by a good writer and they make a silly mistake like using “its” wrong, they should be happy to fix it. If it looks like the plot was written by a 4 year old, don’t word it like that. No, but really, don’t offer to rewrite it for them. Say that you found some mistakes and that you would suggest reading through again. With people of the community, you have to be gentle, or else people will get sad and offended (before you say it, yes, like me. I am a sad, whiny baby. I will admit it- that’s why I’m writing this).
III. RULES I feel like I’ve written 12 pages already, but let’s go over some other parts. Most people don’t tear apart the rules from what I’ve seen, but this and the app are definitely places that I feel like criticism is the most welcome. Most in the community seem to agree with general rules of RP: after you’re inactive for x days, your role is reopened; remember the golden rule or you’ll get kicked out; yadda yadda. If you see something missing or feel like something written isn’t cool, go ahead and express your concern, especially if it has something to do with trigger warnings, OOC drama, or something like that. Feeling safe in a RPG is very important!! Probably the most important part.
IV. CHARACTERS Here we are, at characters. This was my second most anticipated to write next to theme (and we all know how that went).
If you are reviewing a bio roleplay, be gentle and encouraging when it comes to characters. Be especially encouraging if the bios are done well. Characters are more personal than anything else in a roleplay. People put their heart and souls into bios. Don’t rip them apart. Even if you think they’re shitty as hell, be constructive!! ALWAYS BE CONSTRUCTIVE AND A KIND HUMAN BEING.
Though I think that tearing apart characters themselves is not appropriate, faceclaims and diversity is a total separate issue. Yes, representation of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and anything else that I forgot is very important in a roleplay. Why? Because representation means support and acceptance. That does not mean that it is okay to completely bash a roleplay for not having this representation in every aspect of their roleplay.
You might be like, wow Katie you just totally contradicted yourself. And maybe I did, or didn’t. I don’t know. But the thing is, a lot of the time when people don’t have representation in their roleplay, it isn’t because they want to discriminate or whatever some people think. I would say most of the time, it is simply because they are ignorant of the issues. These issues don’t apply to them personally (because a lot of people on tumblr who roleplay are cis-het white people, that’s the truth), and therefore, they aren’t aware of them. So, instead of spending an opinion going on a rant about you’re fed up with roleplays not having representation, spend it trying to educate someone on the importance of representation. (Honestly, everyone talks about “include more pocs!!” but i don’t even think that some of the people who say that know the importance.)
A summary? Be gentle when it comes to white-washing and other discriminatory issues. Chances are people just aren’t aware. If you see someone giving Zayn Malik a hispanic or white last name, they probably aren’t doing it because they woke up and were like “wow i want to disrespect a culture today”. Maybe I’m being optimistic of humans, but hating a RP due to blatant ignorance isn’t okay (just like hating people for blatant ignorance isn’t either — side eye at tumblr in general). Tell them that it is white washing. Show them a website like ethnicelebs. If you correct them on one thing, chances are that they’ll fix the rest too. EDUCATE.
OKAY so since I talked for like 12 years about too many things that make me sad or mad in this community, I think I will finish this rant off here. If you made it to the end and liked it, go ahead and tell me!! Maybe I’ll make a part 2 that goes into hot topics such as how to review an appless roleplay without being an asshole that just writes “i hate appless roleplays.”
Let me conclude by saying that encouragement is always better than discouragement. Don’t ever think that you’re above someone in the RP world because your bios are longer or you have more POCs or you get more apps. When it comes to RPing, something that is supposed to be a hobby, all we can do it help each other rather bring each other down. So, when reviewing a pal’s roleplay, don’t destroy dreams. Make dreams. Am I telling you to lie to someone to keep them positive? Maybe a little. And maybe that’s totally wrong and you disagree and that’s okay. But, I’m an optimist.
(PSA: If you’re a dream destroyer and have to be brutally honest with sensitive people because it brings you joy to tell someone their theme is shitty, then maybe you should consider whether or not reviewing roleplays is for you.)
Keep cool, community. Keep cool.
