Post by americaneagle14 on Oct 31, 2007 15:11:27 GMT -5
When it comes to relationships and love, I, as well as several other people, have come to realize that there are several problems that need to be brought up and explained when it comes to the majority of our fellow role-players.
First, we need to define and explain this confusing word that is love. Love is a strong emotion that can be divided into several different categories, the major ones being :
Family
Friends
Significant others
Love in family generally comes naturally, usually prompted since birth when you become dependent on the people that take care of you. Love in this case is considered a bond of sorts that, even though at several points in time you may dislike certain members of your family, you love them regardless of their actions. Of course, there are many exceptions, but I do not need to list them as I'm sure you all can figure them out for yourselves.
Love between a friend is generally the same as love in the family; the exception being it may not be as strong or unconditional. Love between friends can be compared to loving a dog or a cat; they are your companion emotionally but cannot romantically or physically provide what you as a human need. This bond may develop fast or slow, but usually the longer the friendship and the more time spent with a friend, the stronger the bond even to the point where the friend can be considered family.
Love for a boyfriend or girlfriend is difficult to explain. There is no "love at first sight", only lust at first sight. There may be an immediate physical attraction, and maybe even a connection by means of the persona the person gives off, but genuine love for a significant other requires more than physical attraction and an at-once liking of the person. Genuine love between a couple requires a deep understanding of each other as well as a dedication. Most people in a relationship mistake love for infatuation, or "puppy love".
Now, on to relationships.
When you first meet a person, get to know them. I can't stress this enough. Too many times have I seen that in a roleplay, in the very first thread after about twenty minutes, two people that just met became a couple.
Whatever happened to dating, I wonder? What happened to actually becoming friends before becoming a boyfriend/girlfriend? In real life, within twenty minutes of meeting a person, or even a few hours, I find it hard to believe you would go asking to become a couple. At most a person would develop a crush, not a deep caring for the person. Give it at least a week, people! And I don't just mean between threads with the characters, I mean of the characters getting to know each other.
And after you become a couple, do NOT rush into the whole love thing. Have fun with the relationship, make it light and playful before you get all deep and emotional. It's more fun to roleplay that way, and gives you more material to work with anyway. Roleplay out in a series of threads how your character begins developing feelings, make it seem like the emotions are legitimate and not like your characters spontaneously combusted into such a developed relationship.
If you have any comments or something to add, feel free to do so. =].