My own issue wasn't with fitting into a site, it was more the idea that there is simply a shortage of new sites to explore. No issues with players on sites or the staff teams running them, just a simple observation and fact since - as aforementioned - there is a steep decline in sites being made. It's just sad to see forum rp kind of "drying up", if you could call it that, though it seems to be an issue with more people going to private rp sites which is totally okay just leaves us public rpers with less sites to explore. Individuals who claim a lack of wanting to rp due to rigidity built around their character and what they allow for them is not something I considered, but it's unfortunate people feel that way.

That's why I always maintain some degree of subjectivity whenever I hear RP horror stories about sites that are run by "authoritarian" admins, or complaints about being "railroaded" or "creatively stifled". Because one gotta ask, are the admins really being authoritative, railroading jerks, or is the player just too picky and inflexible for their own good? Not saying that it's always possible to compromise (cause I too have certain things RP-wise that I will not compromise on; I.e. when it comes to FCs, illustrated over live ones are a non-negotiable part of my RPing experience) or that we should always be willing to compromise, though. But I'd like to at least see more self-awareness in this regard. I.e. Acknowledging that one has certain areas of inflexibility, rather than blaming only their partners and/or sites

eh i don't have nostalgia for the heyday of forums. sure, there were more forums made, but how many of those lasted longer than a month? how many of those saw satisfying story arcs? a lot of the old forums were made seemingly so that popular FCs could be used by the admins, and they died horrid deaths. well, more quiet deaths because the next forum had opened up.

No hot takes, just advice. If anyone is having that "Maybe I don't align with this hobby anymore; maybe I should just quit" self-convo, then please know that I get it, and I've had that same thought plenty of times before.

This is what I recommend:

• Take a break. Don't stress yourself out keeping up with trends, don't stockholme syndrome yourself into joining something you're not 100% on, and just let yourself rest and recharge creatively.
• Identify one horizon to explore. A genre you've never played, a dynamic you're never on the other end of, a demographic you keep meaning to portray, a writing style you appreciate, hell even if you're always a staffer or member and never the other - look at your own patterns and figure out a trend you'd like to break, or something new you want to be.
• Fortify one boundary. Look at a prior thread, plot, or interaction that just did not work for you, and drill down into why. Commit yourself to speaking up when in a similar situation again, be it asking your partners for compromise or straight-up saying "no".
  
• Come back when you feel the itch to tell stories again, and not just the nagging dread that you should be. And if that day doesn't come, that's okay, too.

Some of us will grow away from the hobby, and some of us are just in slumps. Use the opportunity to better know your own wants vs. needs, and beware of mistaking comfort for happiness.

how do i ask people if they wanna be friends? lol.

I write the same ocs, same plots, same everything. Lowkey feel kinda embarrassed for doing so,,, but c'est la vie.

cringe is dead, do whatever you want

in love with passion peach green tea with crystal boba

Milgram rp did a number on me in that now I spend way too long compiling voice claims instead of doing what I’m supposed to be doing

getting into vns again was a mistake.

nah

i'm getting back into my vocaloid phase

You n me both