Posted by Kim on August 15, 2015, 12:30pm
How has RP changed your life? Perhaps it helped you gain confidence, become a better writer, learn new things about yourself, maybe even led you to a special someone? During Epic Week (April), we asked members to write essays explaining the effects that being involved in RP has had on their lives and why it was important that it was RP and not some other hobby. The responses were fascinating, moving, and often inspiring.Over the next few weeks, we'll be publishing the winning essays one by one.
Here is the first in that series:
Rynh's RP Adventure
by RynhIn order to start this tale of the impact roleplaying has had on me, it's best I start from the very beginning. Perhaps not the very beginning, I don't quite remember my birth.
In any case, at the age of six I was diagnosed with autism. Nothing severe, though. I wasn't throwing tantrums or anything like that. I was simply not very sociable and had no idea how to convey my feelings. For the most part this is fixed today. I seem to still have an issue looking people in the eyes, but besides that, I've learned to deal with it. This essay has nothing to do with my autism, not much at least, but because I was alone most of the time, I was very imaginative, since it was the best way for me to spend my time during those days. A very unlikely trait for someone with autism to have, might I add.
Even as I grew older and managed to get more friends, my imaginative side never left. I tore through fantasy books like there was no tomorrow, eventually even reading about mythology once I learned that's the source of my favoured fantasy books. I also got into gaming very quickly as a kid. In fact, I learned most of my English by playing Pokémon Yellow. The fact the words popped up and a little animation happened during a move helped me connect the English term with the Dutch one. Despite having have always loved RPGs, I was always a bit disappointed the video games never did make me feel like I was tailoring my own story. I was always on a set path in the end.
Now years passed and little adorable me turned into an edgy teen. I had few friends, I didn't feel like I truly belonged somewhere, or perhaps I just didn't want to belong anywhere because being an outcast was cool at the time. If my mother didn't have a better fashion sense than I did I'd probably have walked around school in a black duster coat while claiming the darkest corner in the entire building for myself. Age 15 really was my most awkward year ever. However, it was also at this age one of my friends, who's also a member of RPR might I add, introduced me to the wonder that was roleplaying. This had been exactly what I was looking for! I could tailor my own story together with like-minded individuals! Truly this discovery was a revelation to me!
My first year of roleplaying was a difficult one. I blame 15 year old me for that, because at age 16 I suddenly matured and realized how horrible I truly was. Stealing the spotlight, over the top dialogues, spelling errors, and much more were what marked me when I first began. I got banned so many times it's a miracle I didn't just give up on roleplaying altogether. But I just loved it too much! Eventually I got much better at it and I became part of a few communities on Furcadia. I don't remember much of them, but my best experience was in a Naruto RP 'dream'. Rynh was the first actually decent character I had ever made and people were actually excited to see me get online. It was the first time in my life I ever felt wanted, and it was great! It did wonders to my self esteem! I flourished at school after that. I became a funny, dependable young man, no longer a weird outcast wanting to be by himself. I have always kept the nickname Rynh after that happened.
Roleplaying has introduced me to the sense of community and just how important it is to have in your day-to-day life. But sadly it also introduced me to the concept of having your community fall apart. The Naruto RP group I was in slowly died out as we grew older. After a certain age anime isn't all that interesting anymore, and thus roleplaying in that world wasn't either. Years passed and to this day I have contact with only one person from that group from time to time.
So here I was, group-less once more. Luckily I had made a lot of friends in real life as well, not just online. I would survive. But I always did miss that sense of community. My friends are great, trust me, they really are. I owe them much. But none of them are familiar with the concept of roleplay. I could never really talk to most of them about it with them, simply because they weren't interested in it. And then I discovered RPR.
A friendly, active community filled with like minded individuals with a forum RP system so I could post whenever my time allowed me to? It was as though I had died in battle and the Valkyries brought me to the Valhalla of roleplay! After three more years of being active on the site, that opinion hasn't changed one bit. RPR has been a bastion of enjoyment and friendship to me. I've met new people, I've gotten into contact with people I used to know again and finally my writing skills have improved even more. My life is in a good place right now!
So, in conclusion I'd say roleplaying has allowed me to break out of my shell. I've become a more pleasant person and it has introduced me to the concept of community. That last part I hold dear the most. I would not trade the feeling of being a part of a community for anything!
Comments
Oh, you guys are too much 
i'm really proud of you for sharing this with everyone! 
i'm sure a ton of people here can relate, i for sure do!
i'm sure a ton of people here can relate, i for sure do!
You've become pretty good at it too. You really rock at running games now too!
Virus
August 15, 2015
3:09pm
Thank you for being a good friend to me and encouraging me when I was down. I'll always remember that.