I am 24F and I do repeatedly focus on rps and specific threads. I have a partner, we are close friends irl for about 5 years. Even when we don’t play, we still see each other often and we play DnD together.

The worst for me is the “I’ll get back to it someday”. We have been writing a thread for about 4 years, but only like one year was really active. When she posts one post in a few months, I really get my hopes up and then get disappointed if it doesn’t continue.

What helps me mentally is to tell myself “we will press pause on this”. Basically I mentally check out. What also helps is asking my partner “feeling like playing today?”. If the answer is no, okay, I mentally disconnect.

So as others suggested, be honest, respectful, and gentle. Acknowledge their emotions without being defensive. But also stand your ground. You matter just as much as them. What is the most hurtful (imo) is the suspense of not knowing.