Forums » Smalltalk » Sick RPers (rant)

Okay, I don't understand this at all: When people don't reply to an RP for a while and their excuse is that they got really sick. I'm not pointing any fingers, because it's happened with a number of people, but You know what I do when I get really sick? I lay in bed and refresh RPR every five minutes waiting for people to reply.
That is all.

Just because you refresh every five minutes when you're sick, doesn't mean everybody is obligated to. If people are sick, their top priority is to get well, not to reply to their RPs. They are probably in a lot of pain, tired and uninspired. Your RP partners would surely appreciate it if you are sympathetic and patient until they get better.

When I'm sick, I sleep a LOT.

I've dipped out of RPs before because of migraine auras, because when they happen, I can't read. I see letters and I'm unable to comprehend them, and it's terrifying. And that's the ten minutes or so before the actual migraine starts. Luckily, the people I was playing with understood, and we all returned to the thread the next day.

My point being - my first thoughts when I'm sick with anything (and awake enough to think them) is to stop being sick - and I usually hope for partners who are understanding enough to give me space and time to do so.

Otherwise, when RP becomes THAT much of an obligation that you're expected to smile and buck up through the pain, I can imagine it'll start to become a chore.

I have had this happen to me, not just when I'm sick, but when I get someone that responds to me right away. I used to be at the point in my life where I could give ten responses in one day for the same rp. However, my life is so busy now that to post to every single rp more than once every day or two is straining. But when I feel like I HAVE to respond, the rp loses all its fun for me.
As much as its not fun waiting around for a response, the best thing you can do for your partners is not to press them. Trust that when they are able, they'll give you a response. Being forced to reply when you're not feeling up for it,mentally or physically, takes all the fun out of what should be an enjoyable story.

I m sick 24/7 because of chronic illnesses, both physical and mental. I have good days and bad days. Many people who are sick are not temporarily sick. Many who are sick - short and long term - may be able to refresh RPR every 5 minutes like you do, but lack the energy to put into a decent RP post. Writing stories when your mind and body are occupied with other things is really hard, and not top priority.

I understand that someone may feel frustrated with a lack of responses, and that venting makes someone feel better, but I feel this topic is very tasteless and rude towards everyone. It reads as an unreasonable demand where people ought to put their health aside - the very opposite of what should be encouraged!

Nobody needs to justify their absence in a roleplay, ever, nor is anyone obligated to push through their sickness to tend to another's RP needs. To indicate that they should is ruffling my feathers big time.

It sounds like you are very fortunate to only get the traditional mildly sick, that allows people to stay home, watch cartoons, read books, and indeed, RP!

But RP is an escapist hobby that attracts people who are prone to more serious illness as well, so there's plenty of reason to believe that your friends are telling you the absolute truth.

There's sick with a migraine where you're in so much pain you can't see.

There's sick where chunks are coming out of the front and back and you are so dehydrated you have trouble forming a coherent sentence.

There's sick with pneumonia, where you cough so hard all day that you burst all the blood vessels in your face, rotate your ribs out of place, and spend most of your time fighting for oxygen (I had this for a month and a half this year and my ribs still aren't back in place! It is awful!)

There's sick where you need surgery, and the following pain medication causes you to mostly sleep, or be unable to focus and read, much less type.

And there's just "regular" sick where you're still too tired to feel creative.

I fear this topic touches on a very sensitive point for a lot of our community, many of whom know what it is to live with a chronic illness that sometimes cripples their ability to RP - among other things - and that it's going to turn into defensiveness and anger.

Since the original quandry ("I don't understand this at all: When people don't reply to an RP for a while and their excuse is that they got really sick.") has been pretty well addressed, let's just leave it with the summary: Not everyone gets sick in the same way, and not everyone recovers in the same way, and we should cut each other some slack no matter how super fun the RP is when it's going.