Swearing in Writing/Roleplaying

[Lexi0927]

damaged-reality

I actually swear a lot when I write, but mostly in dialogue.

I do this too. redface  

[FoxyNightPrincess]

FlightlessPenguin

foxy_chick99_123

if i read that right. i don't believe i'd count damn it or s**t as swear words. they're very mild and used a lot. nor would i count stupid as a swear word either. although i could have been mistaken and that would have been a different word. it was difficult to decode the asterisks at times.

sweatdrop It wasn't stupid. Sorry for using asterisks but I think they are needed.

A for the s**t word, I guess you're right, but I rarely use it, so forgive me. I use c**p more often.

lol. it's alright everyone had their own opinions... now i'm trying to decipher what that word is... i guess my dictionary of swear words needs to be expanded lmao  

[exdraghunt]

It's a persons choice if they don't want a lot of swearing in a roleplay they're running. I've never seen an RP personally that outlaws swearing, but most have restrictions. It's not that hard to find something for your character to say without cussing every other word.

Me, I suppose I'm the oddball out in this thread. I grew up in a household with no swearing, and as a result I don't ever swear IRL. never really seen the need to use cusswords. Consequently, when I write my characters don't cuss. I just can't write it, it's like a block. It doesn't bother me much though, at least not enough to try and change. I can find other ways to express myself.  

[Sami Von Disco]

Herp a derp. Late again to my own thread. emo

I completely agree that the host of the RP has the right to put limitation on swearing. To me though, that's a little like asking someone to swim across a pool without doing the doggy paddle. It doesn't make it anymore difficult to do your task but... it's such an inconsequential thing that why wouldn't you allow it? I just think to myself, "Why not?"

Swear words are loaded with connotation, so using them (and even not using them) says a lot about the character and how they're feeling. There are a myriad of ways to do that though, so I'm not saying it's impossible to develop a character without swears, just that for some characters, swearing presents a specific facet of their personality that (at least for me) takes some beating around the bush to express otherwise.

That said, the only time I swear when writing is either shooting the breeze with a friend, or when a character is talking. To me, swearing seems so out of place in a third-person narration. I also find it unnecessary to type out every single curse your character utters. I usually make use of the phrases like, "Larry swore under his breath." Too much swearing gets obnoxious, and eventually the swear words lose their "moxie" when used too often. If a character who swears every other word says, "Oh s**t," it doesn't really catch your attention. But if the character hardly ever swears, "Oh s**t," really alerts the reader that whatever had taken place had a real impact on the character.  

[Scythe de Zaran]

I agree with everyone on the roleplay creator being able to limit it.

foxy, yeah, I'd say the second one might be overdoing unless the character is very very angry or shocked or the character is normally like that. I almost always use asterisks on curse words.

exdraghunt, I'm the same way. I don't really curse because it didn't really happen. I didn't really use much cursing in writing until some of my characters really had to cross over that line to be realistic or a pain. Saying that, yeah, Sami, I agree with you that cursing does show one facet of the character's personality.  

[Feline Anachronism]

In real life, I swear quite a lot, especially if I've been drinking.

However, I don't swear much in my writing anymore. Most of my professors will mark off for swearing that does not add to characterization, so I suppose I've gotten out of the habit.

Although I agree that the RP host has the right to limit swearing within their RP, I don't really see the point. Words only have as much meaning as you give them. They can also say a lot about a character.  

[Yu-Gi-OWNED]

In real life, I cuss like a sailor. In my writing, I do what comes naturally for a character, but you won't find many cuss words in my narrative.

In roleplays, I wouldn't do one that prohibits swearing, but limited swearing is okay I guess, cause I'll just use a slightly less obscene character. However, in roleplays I start, I don't really care how much a character swears. xD  

[just call me butt]

foxy_chick99_123

FlightlessPenguin

foxy_chick99_123

if i read that right. i don't believe i'd count damn it or s**t as swear words. they're very mild and used a lot. nor would i count stupid as a swear word either. although i could have been mistaken and that would have been a different word. it was difficult to decode the asterisks at times.

sweatdrop It wasn't stupid. Sorry for using asterisks but I think they are needed.

A for the s**t word, I guess you're right, but I rarely use it, so forgive me. I use c**p more often.

lol. it's alright everyone had their own opinions... now i'm trying to decipher what that word is... i guess my dictionary of swear words needs to be expanded lmao

xd It's s**t*y. I hope you guessed it already. biggrin  

[A-Q-Kabuto]

Some people cuss just to cuss, other because they can't find a better word to describe what they need, for some it's just how how thy picked up language over time... sometimes it's just what needs to be said.

Writers should not limit their internal dictionary, words are tools and all tools have a purpose eventually, some are better suited than others.

I could use a screwgun to fix the dresser drawer but a smaller screwdriver is just more practical.... I could use that screwdriver mount a coat rack into a stud but the screwgun would just be easier.

I can see why in some Roleplays cussing might be frowned on-- because they might be young and get yelled, at they might be at school, they might be on a family computer where everyone can see them... or there might be a parental block and it can't be helped. I RPed for a bit with someone who had a superpowered block, weird words were blocked out and it ended out she only ever got half of what I wrote at a time because of it... we didn't RP very long because I refused to spell incorrectly to avoid the block.