We recently had (and solved this problem ourselves (for now, at least), but we know we're not alone in having it at times... So, what things do you typically do when you are utterly stumped in one or more of your RPs? By stuck we mean so deep into the rut that not even taking a day or two off is enough to shake the postwagon loose. Do you abandon all hope and jump ship? Do you dismantle the CS and build it up from the bottom? (that was our solution yesterday to a month-deep pit of no posting) Do you abandon the character and make a new one? Do you do something completely different?

all books come to an end and even a movie. unless your writing the game of thrones were you get over 6000 plus pages in paperback just to copy yourself with books to be written until the writer dies. it is fine to reboot and think of new ideas

I mostly do NRP so what I find that'll jump me out of a rutt is to simply go off on another story arc while enough time in the RP passes I can reboot the other one. Presumably what stumps me most is simply time, and I can only write so much about walking or driving long distances. And because suddenly jumping through a three-week voyage may not be kosher I'll drop it for the three weeks in the RP and come back to it as if there was a time jump.

When you really get stuck, I find there's only three real options: 1) Call it quits. This is best when you realize that the reason your stuck is because you don't mesh as partners, but not my preference. Sometimes, this just has to be done because the arch and climax of the story you are telling has completed. Movies and books end too. This might be why I'm rarely a fan of an "extended universe" for movies I enjoy as stand alone stories. It's supposed to be begining, middle and END. 2) Walk away temporarily. Maybe even by moving with the same partner to another story line for a while that contrasts the current one. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that, but so can shaking things up a little. If the current story I'm stuck with is strictly modern/realistic, I will try something heavy on fantasy in a totally different setting for a while. Eventually, I can return to it with a fresh outlook. 3) Introduce something crazy to inject some unexpected action into the story. For example, if I've got a character just sitting around on a date, feeling bored and forcing small talk - why not have an NPC character rush and hold up the diner? An earthquake could strike! Aliens could land. Hell, there's a host of possible ways to throw a bit of chaos into the mix. To me, this is the most fun option by a long shot.

The best thing you can do is SAY SOMETHING. It doesn't matter if you're a GM, a player or in a one on one. You need to tell the people you're with that you're not feeling it and you know what...they probably have a feeling you're not feeling it either. So don't play chicken with people who are just coasting along without anymore interest or passion. That is a waste of everyone's time and it makes the problem worse. In order to fix your problem, people need to know about it and that way a solution can be made. Sure, sometimes you're just at the end of the rope but for the love of all things responsible and respectable, don't walk away without trying to end things properly. Don't be that guy who says they're leaving and then leaves. To me that spells laziness and cowardice. We generally make statements (at least I see a lot of them in threads) that underline the need to speak up when you're no longer motivated. People need to communicate, they're encouraging it but it still needs to happen. When you sign up for a RP, you're committing yourself to sticking with it and if you can't anymore and fixing it or adjusting it won't work and you've tried, THEN walking away would be suitable. But do not just leave or keep quiet and hope you feel it in a few days time because let's face it, that rarely happens. If people know someone isn't fixing it, they can add something to the RP or talk about what the issue is. Maybe your character sucks and it's your fault you've made that can't do anything with them. That's partly a GM's fault for allowing it but it's also on you. Maybe your real life is bogging you down, but then you need to say something and work with people to make sure you don't fall behind and wreck the scene, or you need to write you character so they're off to the side so you can continue later on. Or maybe you're not interested in giant robots anymore, but you need to find a way to get back into the zone. Watch youtube, talk to your RP buddies in the OOC, drink (if you're of age...) or whatever. But do not, do not just give up. Becoming complacent is infectious and it doesn't go away. You need to treat your disinterest like any other issue, get help. Remind yourself why you joined, re-read the IC and don't give up. And by that, I mean talk to people and brainstorm ideas. If you are miserable and clearly dragging the story down, you should say something if no one else does. But don't walk away without doing something or that reputation will stick with people. Always end things on good terms if you can help it and own up to how you feel and what's going on in your head and why words just aren't coming out of those fingers of yours.

Do you abandon all hope and jump ship? - Only when there is clearly no way of the roleplay keeping it's path going Do you dismantle the CS and build it up from the bottom? - Only when there is something wrong with it and the roleplay has restarted Do you abandon the character and make a new one? - Never unless the roleplay has restarted or in the case of the character's importance or lack there of cause the local rocks fall and he dies scenario. Do you do something completely different? - Only when I have to. I hate time skipping out of important events that are in mid sequence.