I'm beginning to get annoyed with RPs that require pictures, especially anime pictures, of characters. I can't draw, yet I have characters whom I invented, and I don't want to hunt around the net for pictures some other schmo drew (or pictures of other schmoes) that look passably like them, just so I can use them in an RP. I'm not against using pictures as appearances (a picture is worth a thousand words, after all), but I don't like being required to use one if I haven't got one.

Who's with me?

(Also, I believe this is the right forum, but I'm not entirely sure.)

I totally agree with you. I draw, but I tend not to draw my own roleplay characters simply because they keep changing. xD But I know what you mean. REQUIRING a picture is just dumb. I prefer to use words because I can never find the right picture and I dont want to have to draw one right then either. Roleplay, at least on this particular site, is about words anyway, right?

Ah, I knew it was in the wrong forum.

I agree

Personally, I don't like using pictures at all for descriptions in the roleplays I start, though I'll occassionally tolerate it. Unless the writer drew it themselves, it shows a lack of creativity in my opinion. Not to mention, a lot of the time I find the written descriptions to be a good way to get a first idea of what sort of writer the person is.

As I said though, occassionally I'll accept pictures. However, anime pictures I won't accept. I want believable characters, not girls who look like they couldn't lift a basketball for fear of snapping in half at the middle, and guys who look like their arms could crush an iron brick.

Hehe...it's good to be back xD

No to pictures. Period. The only downside of descriptions for me is that I fail to get a decent idea of the character's appearance upon creation, and sometimes even until the latter parts of a game, or the middle where I've interacted plenty and have fleshed out its thoughts and actions. Along them, I'm able to sort of paint their face in my mind according to what they've done - no longer is X a pale, tall person; he's now the guy with protruding cheeks, a well-defined jawline and so on.

I feel that if someone want's to use a picture, that's cool. But if you're required that you use a picture, and an anime style picture at that, I think that's a huge black flag. not just for the RP itself but for the person running it as well.

Creativity alone is highly limited when you are specifically required to use a picture in order to join a roleplay. By using a picture, you get nothing out of it. Yes you do get it done much quicker by hunting for a picture off of photobucket or DeviantArt and posting it as your profile apperance, but the point of roleplaying it story-telling. Your not story-telling if you are posting up pictures for your apperance to begin with. The point of Character Sheets is to give the user a better understanding of your character before the story is told. I feel that the best way is to simply explain the character in character as I have done in the past.

Aside from the fact that I hate to use pictures for apperances period, being limited to Anime pictures is ludicrous. That is probably one of the top 10 of the Turn-Off's that I have with several roleplays. If you type up a description for all your characters, I am sure I will understand the character's apperance better than if I see a picture. Especially with the quality of pictures no adays, I doubt that you can show me a picture out of random, that can match the quality of how I will picture you within my head.

I never thought of pictures as not as good at describing a character's appearance. I make up characters that look just like people I know, but they won't allow me to post their pictures up here. I don't think that pictures are bad for appearances, it's just requiring them that gets on my nerves. And if the RP is semi-lit or illiterate, it's not really about writing, more about just having fun. For those kinds of RPs, I think a picture is acceptable as an appearance.

Of course, it's weird when someone posts their character's appearance as another character whom I recognize from wherever they're from.