There's no use beating around the bush: Is it morally dubious to re-use an original plot with another player? I'm about to start up an old roleplay with another player, but as I'm typing up the starter I get second thoughts.
Long backstory rant
Some year and a half ago or so I was engaged in the greatest 1x1 roleplay I've probably ever had the pleasure of being a part of. Both our characters and the plot were entirely original, something we came up with togther through communication and collaboration. We had a blast for +100 almost novella-length replies, but then the player left the site alltogether, gradually during the course of about a month, for vague reasons I never fully understood but also with the promise they would return. So I accepted that and patiently waited for her comeback.
But they never logged on again.
I felt betrayed and had this silent frustration and anger festering inside for the longest of time. And as of lately when I was skimming through our 1000+ word replies I got this really strong urge to start anew with another player, because the plot showed such great promise, but I'm also feeling like I'm both insulting the player and somewhat infringing on her intellectual property. On the other hand I'm still to this day extremely salty she left for no given reason. Part of me feel like I hold no responsibilities to her after she broke my trust. I took it pretty badly, because I was emotionally invested and had spent so much time writing that I knew I would never get back. It sucks that I get attached to not just characters, but the people behind them, the longer I roleplay with them.
Months later I approached her on DA asking why, but all she ever said in a two-sentence reply was "Yeah, I'm sorry I did that, it was mean." Which I thought was extremely odd and upsetting, because this great thing that we had going together apparrently didn't mean anything.
But they never logged on again.
I felt betrayed and had this silent frustration and anger festering inside for the longest of time. And as of lately when I was skimming through our 1000+ word replies I got this really strong urge to start anew with another player, because the plot showed such great promise, but I'm also feeling like I'm both insulting the player and somewhat infringing on her intellectual property. On the other hand I'm still to this day extremely salty she left for no given reason. Part of me feel like I hold no responsibilities to her after she broke my trust. I took it pretty badly, because I was emotionally invested and had spent so much time writing that I knew I would never get back. It sucks that I get attached to not just characters, but the people behind them, the longer I roleplay with them.
Months later I approached her on DA asking why, but all she ever said in a two-sentence reply was "Yeah, I'm sorry I did that, it was mean." Which I thought was extremely odd and upsetting, because this great thing that we had going together apparrently didn't mean anything.
I call it 'recycling'. Nothing wrong with it really. I used a recycled story outline once, got three different writers want to write it, and ended up with four (original and three new) totally different tales. I also merge characters sometimes using parts of other characters.
As for being invested deep in an RP with someone when they disappear, well, It's happened to me on a few occasions. It stung the first time, and didn't feel good the second. Now I just don't get that invested into stories other than archiving them because a writer can disappear at any moment. So can websites. For public forum stories, I have also had other writers approach me offering to pick up the character at the point it was left, and had a couple successful RPs continue that way. It's kind of like those daytime soap operas where the actor changes but it's the same character in the story. It's not quite the same, but if the one picking it up does well, it works.
As for being invested deep in an RP with someone when they disappear, well, It's happened to me on a few occasions. It stung the first time, and didn't feel good the second. Now I just don't get that invested into stories other than archiving them because a writer can disappear at any moment. So can websites. For public forum stories, I have also had other writers approach me offering to pick up the character at the point it was left, and had a couple successful RPs continue that way. It's kind of like those daytime soap operas where the actor changes but it's the same character in the story. It's not quite the same, but if the one picking it up does well, it works.
Short answer before I go to work:
As long as you do not expect the "New" player to be the old player, and are willing to give them their hand in the story, you absolutely are within your rights. If the "old" player just kinda.... Up and vanished, and had/has shown no interest in trying again, as far as I'm concerned they've "signed their rights away." People do it in real life, with passion projects and businesses, all the time.
Enjoy your new RP. You're not beholden to suffer because someone else doesn't want to play.
As long as you do not expect the "New" player to be the old player, and are willing to give them their hand in the story, you absolutely are within your rights. If the "old" player just kinda.... Up and vanished, and had/has shown no interest in trying again, as far as I'm concerned they've "signed their rights away." People do it in real life, with passion projects and businesses, all the time.
Enjoy your new RP. You're not beholden to suffer because someone else doesn't want to play.
Awww. I don't know the answer, but I feel for ya on that. I had somebody disappear that kept saying they were going to come back but then they deleted their account. I wasn't that invested in that one, thank goodness. If one of the roleplayers and roleplays I really care about a lot ever did that, it would hurt badly, so I feel for you on that! I agree with Jaybird.
I don't have an issue with it. For one, a different partner will bring something different to the table. I've had several instances of what on paper seemed to be the same plot, but which unfolded completely differently since each instance had different characters involved, belonging each to people with their own style and ideas.
Sometimes a plot is too fun to use only once.
Sometimes a plot is too fun to use only once.
Thank you, all of you! Your answers made me realize I was likely just overthinking things. I do that a lot. I'll take this into consideration as I begin this roleplay anew.
Spook wrote:
I'll take this into consideration as I begin this roleplay anew.
Awww yeah git it git it.
Personally I don't see an issue with this. Sometimes I'll post a plot and get three bites for it, and do it with each person just to see where it goes. Because that's the beauty of role-playing in a community like this; you have SO MANY writers out there who are going to help you build your own story. Just keep that in mind, you know? It's not going to be exactly what you had but you have to give yourself and the story room to grow and thrive in it's own way.
I reuse intros and descriptions and stuff all the time lol.
To be fair, I think provided you aren't expecting the exact same twists and turns (after all, you'll be collaberating with someone new) then why not? your opening prompt is just a jumping point, no two rps with the same prompt are gonna go the same way and why waste a good idea?
To be fair, I think provided you aren't expecting the exact same twists and turns (after all, you'll be collaberating with someone new) then why not? your opening prompt is just a jumping point, no two rps with the same prompt are gonna go the same way and why waste a good idea?
Heck, I think if you could convince the same person to do the same prompt with you two different times, you'd still end up with a different result when it was finished 
But yeah, I see nothing morally or ethically ambiguous about recycling a prompt or starter, it is only a rough idea for starting, after all. It is not the story itself, but merely a blurb of what you intend, and within that blurb there's a lot of room for many different stories.
But yeah, I see nothing morally or ethically ambiguous about recycling a prompt or starter, it is only a rough idea for starting, after all. It is not the story itself, but merely a blurb of what you intend, and within that blurb there's a lot of room for many different stories.
This probably should go in its own thread but thought it may fit as a tangent here. Anybody ever use the resulting story that developed for a character in one RP to create a new storyline for another RP using the same character? Sometimes in writing RP, I get ideas of directions the story could go at certain points, but the course of interaction leads elsewhere and said idea doesn't come to fruit. When the RP wraps, I take the developed chaacter and use some of these side storylines and make a new RP prompt. really builds the character.
I have on occasion, though usually the side-ideas tend to be smaller in scope for me, one-off what-ifs, if you know what I mean.
I personally would not reuse a plot. When it has happened in the past, I usually find a way to tie up the loose end IC, such as imply that the other character had to go and do... something in order for my character to not be in a limbo. This is as I generally play with a single storyline, that every RP adds to. I don't have different versions of my character for different RPs with different players; all RPs - be they via Furcadia, RPR or Discord - tie into his storyline.
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