{"id":3223,"date":"2016-03-07T10:44:21","date_gmt":"2016-03-07T10:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.zoha-islands.com\/?p=3223"},"modified":"2016-03-07T10:44:21","modified_gmt":"2016-03-07T10:44:21","slug":"familyrp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zoha-islands.com\/blog\/familyrp\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Family Roleplay Totally Crazy? My Personal Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Snapshot_093\"<\/a><\/p>\n

So, family roleplay (or, family RP) is a foreign concept to some. I decided to take a moment to discuss it, because demystifying it seems much more logical than accepting some of the stigma that surrounds it. I had just had another run-in with an individual that classified me as \u201cmentally unstable\u201d because I have kids that I\u2019ve long adopted in Second Life. <\/p>\n

Family RP is a bit different for each person. It can range from a passionate group (big or small) that roleplay as a family and never come out of character (OOC) to people that decide to designate their best friends as family members out of respect, but pretty much maintain a friendship type of relationship. What I\u2019m not discussing are alternate \u201cfamily\u201d types such as clan RP, MC\u2019s etc.
\nWhat each person gets out of it varies, but if it\u2019s something you don\u2019t understand, it\u2019s more responsible to just ask that person constructive questions privately than berate them. Too often I see individuals that are extremely vocal about the decisions that others make. Rule of thumb: that\u2019s just a pretty closed-minded way to go about life in general.<\/p>\n

For me, I\u2019m more of the middle-ground type of family RPer. I have two amazing daughters (one RP\u2019s as an adult with her own kids, one RP\u2019s as a child) and an adult son. Do I realize they are not biologically mine? Absolutely. I\u2019m not out of touch with reality. But, I do have respect for them (and them for me) within this parent-child relationship. For me, it\u2019s not limited to Second Life. When they deal with \u201creal life\u201d struggles, I\u2019m often sought out outside of Second Life for venting and counsel. And, as organic as it can be, I\u2019m their ear and shoulder in a way a parent should be. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s often a misconception that everyone who engages in family RP is just trying to fill a void. No, not everyone who adopts doesn\u2019t have kids of their own. No, not everyone who chooses to be adopted lost their parents or had a horrible upbringing. It\u2019s just an additional source of joy and belonging that is constantly rewarding and nurturing. I often relate it to people who date in Second Life but have \u201creal life\u201d partners; it doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re unhappy outside of Second Life or trying to cheat around. It\u2019s often an additional and healthy element that enhances their Second Life experience and builds genuine friendships. <\/p>\n

I adopted two of my children from adoption agencies (Making Adoption Wishes Come True before it was sold to a new owner and Heritage Adoption Center). My son, I knew from a few years ago and we just bonded, so it made sense. It was a grueling process initially before I came across the daughters, because you have to fill out an extensive notecard outlining things about you and what you\u2019re looking for as far as RP age, personality, availability etc. You then have to set up a panel that you load your notecard into, as well as a picture you want to use of yourself and your partner (if applicable). Then, begins the arduous process of reading the panels of the available kids\/teens\/adults and reaching out to them to let them know you\u2019re interested (a lot of people fail to do this step, making it harder to find a match) then\u2026.eventually you get to go on a trial with someone you\u2019ve matched with. <\/p>\n

It takes ages, if you\u2019re doing it right. I say this, because there are some people that will accept any child or family right away without really even asking questions. Those are the folks you want to avoid, because anyone looking for a quality long term relationship won\u2019t just take the first \u201cyes\u201d they\u2019re given without a thought. It\u2019s not easy, and you have a lot of misfires before you manage to get that perfect child. But, eventually, you get it right, and it\u2019s worth the stress and the wait. Just like real life. <\/p>\n

I could go into a whole analysis of that process, but I won\u2019t unless I\u2019m bombarded with requests. However, what I\u2019m trying to get at is that family RP is generally not done on a whim. It\u2019s something that takes a lot of time and effort to start, build and nurture. As a mom in Second Life, I find my kids to be a source of inspiration every day and in everything that I do. Even the things I love to do creatively that have nothing to do with family RP (like design and building) end up being influenced by these three amazing people. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re people that, if I have the chance, I would love to visit outside of Second Life. I say this about most of the amazing people I come across in Second Life, because I\u2019m always saying \u201cdang, I wish they lived closer, they\u2019d be amazing to spend time with\u201d. They\u2019re people that even my \u201creal life\u201d family are familiar with, because I speak so highly of them. They don\u2019t think it\u2019s odd, and understand why I get so much joy from it. <\/p>\n

\"Divas\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I have an amazing \u201ctwin\u201d sister that I honestly feel like is my long lost \u201creal life\u201d sister. It extends far beyond Second Life. Same with my nieces and nephews and grandchildren. They are a big part of what makes Second Life so enjoyable for me. Long days and nights of games, outings, talks and laughter have all been so priceless. <\/p>\n

So, before you judge someone for engaging in a lifestyle you can\u2019t understand, just ask them. Ask them about their family, how they met and what they enjoy about family RP. Spend time around them sometime. It\u2019s not everyone\u2019s cup of tea, but it\u2019s up to the individual to try to open their mind and broaden their horizons. And, at some point, most of us once said \u201cI don\u2019t understand it, I\u2019d never do it\u201d about family RP. And, at some point, we all realized what we were missing. <\/p>\n

Bria Oceanside
\nZoHa Blogger\/Social Media<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So, family roleplay (or, family RP) is a foreign concept to some. I decided to take a moment to discuss it, because demystifying it seems much more logical than accepting some of the stigma that surrounds it. I had just had another run-in with an individual that classified me as \u201cmentally unstable\u201d because I have … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3224,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoha-islands.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3223"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoha-islands.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoha-islands.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoha-islands.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoha-islands.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zoha-islands.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoha-islands.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoha-islands.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoha-islands.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoha-islands.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}