Realism in RP

The healer halfling I run around as.

Yep, I'm writing a blog about RP in Sl, can't really help it as I RP really very often. So it was only a matter of time.
But, right now at least, I'm concentrating on the realistic aspect, why some miss it and why others hit it straight on, things like that. As said under Malla's picture, she's a healer...which means she fixes the constantly injured people up, yet some of those people are running around the next day like they didn't just break a rib. Um..wait, what? So you're saying you went and got yourself patched up, spending someone else's time, just to be all better the next day? Sure, it provides nice RP while healing..but, really, people are just wasting someone's time if they'll be better from major injuries the next day.

Fear the dragon, she will eat you.

And being on this topic, makes me think of one of my friends who plays a dragon. People don't just walk up to a dragon and say 'hey, what's up?' No, they act cautious...minus a few exceptions of course. Seriously, look at her size compared to mine...would you really want to risk bothering that big of a creature? Also, most won't go to try and fight a dragon either, unless they are completely insane. Something possibly twenty times my height and a hundred times my weight? No problem, I'll beat it easy. No, no you won't. Unless you're godmodding, powergaming, or all those banes of RP.
Yes, some characters might have that mindset, but if you're going to go and complain that you got beat and burned by a dragon? There's something seriously wrong. If you can't stand loosing, don't start something you obviously will. Simple as that.
But there's more than that that go into the realism, or lack there of. There's child chars and pregnancies and other such things that take lots and lots of time in RL. But who wants things to take that long in something like a play almost? (note: I'm talking about RP, not the rest of SL) Not many, unless you're dedicated and have nothing else popping up, which happens often enough.
Adult chars seem to age at a normal rate, most child ones though? Not really. Yes, there are some, but msot don't. Then the pregnancies. Who wants to RP that for nine actual months? I've probably met only...one person who's done that. Most things are shortened, true, which might take away form the realism if you don't do it right. But if you shrink it to a set amount of time and plan out how long say a week in real time is compared to the SL/RP time, it's not that bad, really.
Emotions and eating and sleeping and seasons, too. Some seem to forget about food and rest, without an actual IC reason that makes sense. And the seasons...oh gosh, those can be horrible at times. RP in SL...it has slightly different rules. Running around in barely anything in the middle of winter may work out in the larger SL world, but not in RP. People will look at you like you're crazy, ICly at least.
As for thee emotions part...yes, OOC and IC should be separate, but to a point. You need to let yourself feel what your character is, otherwise it won't seem as real. yes, you shouldn't take those feelings with you beyond the RP world your char lives in, but you should keep them locked up for later RP.
I'll take an example that has happened often enough in my RPing. Malla gets upset and cries and feels so, so broken that...yes, i open myself to those feelings and before i know it, I'm typing with teary eyes. But I'm emphathizing, not feeling those things directly. After the scene though, my eyes dry up but I can still act out her grief easily.
And now I'm starting to think I'm getting into something completely different...which I'll throw into a different blog so I don't get too off topic.
But emotions also take time to build up, so that's obviously faster when you're RPing or something than in RL. Kind of like...a book, even, people seem to fall in love or make enemies awfully quick.
Bottom line, realism is a must that people tend to forget. Yes, you're playing a character, in a virtual world, but you could still make it realistic. Which is often enough forgotten, but there are also some wonderful RPers out there who...bring some things to life. (even if they sometimes slip with realism ;) ) And I thank those people, it makes the RP experience so much more wonderful...even with (sometimes especially) with textwalls.
Also, thanks to Salix Southpaw for letting me put her pic in here.