Okay, JOKE ASIDE (and even though I love Barney to bits… ) - this is actually a really big issue in all RP Groups I’ve encountered so far! People really need to start thinking more seriously about this and we might as well take a first step into that direction! (Hopefully it’s gonna be a good one)
There is something that everybody needs to be aware of. RP Groups and RPs in general isn’t something that you go to for you to get your character (or even yourself) a mate! You don’t make a character, pick out who you want them to hook up with, push them constantly into that direction until it finally happens and then it’s all over and/or you cling to this pairing/other person! THIS IS NOT WHAT RP IS FOR!
Of course, this CAN be a part of RP, but it should NEVER EVER be the one and only, single defining characteristics of your character and/or reason for you to be Roleplaying in the first place!
Roleplaying is a thing of VAST possibilities! It’s about having fun! It’s about exploring a new world that you would never be able to see for yourself (no matter if the setting of the RP is realistic, fantasy or scifi - the same principle applies to any kind of RP).
Just think about real life for a moment. Is the only reason of your existence to find a mate and be with them forever? No! HELL NO! You have other things in your life as well! Friends, education, job, character development, crisis, television, games, music, adventures, whatever! And these are just to name a few examples! There is more to your own life than just “shipping” yourself with the person you desire. SO. MUCH. MORE!
So why the hell would you try to limit your character (and yourself) to “shipping” only? Why would the world have to revolve around this and this only? Around nothing else?! Why do you need to obsess about this to such an extent that it makes other people uncomfortable and kills off other aspects of your potential RPs/Life?
Of course not everybody is guilty of this, but it’s surely a good idea to just take a breather now and then, take a step back and think about what you’re doing. Are you possibly making other people uncomfortable with what you’re doing? Are you shoving your ideas and beliefs, likes and dislikes so much into other people’s faces that you barely talk about anything else anymore? When was the last time you did something else? When was the last time you did _______ ?
Life isn’t a steady road that goes straight forward. Life isn’t just black and white, or just red. There is a multitude of paths, a multitude of colors, of variety, of differences and similarities. Wouldn’t you grow sick if for the rest of your life you’d be forced to eat chocolate? With the exact same flavor? To each and every of your meals? Wouldn’t you crave for some pizza or pasta at some point? - Of course you would.
I know it’s hard to compare food to RP, but in the end it is the same principle: Too much of one thing makes it look boring and bad after a while. It loses what made it so special in the first place. Naturally we will look for other things if that ever happens, so don’t be surprised if people get tired of what you’re into, they might just not have the same tolerance level as you.
Morale of the story: Calm down and enjoy other things as well. Don’t force your things down other people’s throats when they haven’t given you any consent. Don’t force yourself onto other people either. If they don’t like what you do, accept it. If they don’t have time for you, simply accept that as well and do something else! Don’t limit yourself!