Hypocrytes...

[Soraii]

Hypocrytes...

I have tennitivly decided to quit this wonderfull game due to what I consider Role Play hypocrytes. These are the people who I see bossing around and vetoing RP ideas on their own twisted views of making the server better, claiming the drama out of hand, yet continue to play HEAVY drama characters while demanding this. As well as additional heavy drama related characters being made in their group.

If they demand me playing non-drama non interesting normal dragons, I demand they do as well. If they can tell me I cant do a roleplay on their ideals, why oh why can I not be able to tell them they cant do their drama role plays as well? Oh yes, they were here first, they have the right to be drama... but I have to bow to their whims.

Recently I was asked by a roleplayer why I could consider what I was considering. In reply to why I was planning a RP I answered truthfully about the server.

You tell , '((Humor.. and levity...))'
You tell , '((You have all these grumpy evil and hatefully played blight characters that try to scare hatchlings))'
You tell , '((Take XXXX vempire.. then make it need to eat blight/blighted blood. you got hatchlings that see them as food... *insert mental image of several hatchlings chasing <name of evil blighted dragon character> around*))'
You tell , '((No plan to be some evil nasty atrocious beasts))'

And the reply to that was,

tells you, '((Uhm... I have XXXX. That's all. She isn't blighted in the least, and she's only usually grumpy when people annoy her. Like what happened with <another of my characters>, eh? And there is no humor or levity in a character like that. It's a walking unfunny joke that's just helping the community look more and more RIDICULOUS as time goes by. I have my own reasons for wanting to salvage this place, and I'm not the+'
tells you, '+only one who feels it's going to the dogs these days. Maybe you can't see it, but it's happening. You got your blight dragon, you contributed to the annoying blight drama that ensued, isn't that enough? Now we have <nice blight hatchling> as well, who is blighted. Among many other strange and just... ******** combinations, like XXXX. Do you REALLY have to contribute to that? I'm near begging people to+'
tells you, '+just stop for once and think about what they're doing before they go and send another oddjob character into this tiny RP community :/ ))'

Eh, I dont know about you but this kind of reply really grates on my nerves.. I dont care how pasionate some one is. To get up in someones face like this is uncalled for. Later on when mentioning Hypocrytical I got this...

tells you, '((I do have a normal dragon, actually... You just don't know which it is. Furthermore, I realize my character isn't normal, but what you fail to understand is I made her this way BEFORE the influx of freak-dragons. Do you get that? BEFORE. I can't just go and change her back, so instead I like to let people know that the number of freaks is getting to be too much. I'm not a hypocrit.))

My read on this statement, I'm not changing my roleplay but I am going to make other people change theirs. Well that itself bleeds Hypocrytical to me.

Someone mentioned some statements made by this player after I logged stating herself that the actions and statements made to me were on a selfish nature. She was mad I ignored her... Well, I ignored her for the same reason she should have ignored me and my Roleplays, they did not concern her... However later after this private tell section, even the person I was doing this RP with turned to this players side suddenly and without warning.

I had worked on this RP for about the last 2 months... to have one person walk in and say no.. then everyone follow and make it invalid. I play to have fun... They tell me how and in what form I am allowed to have fun? That is not fun. And I consider it harassing.

Just so you know, my actions to this person were tempered by various past instances watching her flame new players for trying RP things that conflicted with her(demons blight etc) and for new people that have had not built up the habbit yet to ((block out their OOC))

Many people have been driven off by rather harsh words and actions by the older players, I have resisted for a long while, but meh. If they are going to dictate how I can have fun and what I can do, I dont need to be there any more.

Soraii/Alaysar/Taylus

[Steelclaw]

Wow, that's the first time I've heard of someone's RP character being too "weird". I don't think there are any grounds for complaining about someone's RP character so long as it complies with the RP conduct rules set by Virtrium.

As for the one complaining about the quality of RP on the shard, you get out what you put into a shard community. Hate and frustration go in, hate and frustration come out; fun and good times go in, fun and good times come out. Guide the community's direction by playing the way you want it to go, not by eliminating those who disagree with your vision.

*scratches head* Are vampire dragons and other very non-canonical "races" common lore on Order? Those sound like something begging to get Jossed.

[Vaz]

For once, it wasn't me.

[starlight]

as far as i care to be honest they can demand all they want they have no rights regardless of what they may think they do they can not tell another person or persons to rp in a way they want them to. So in my view of it they are the ones that should step back and think about the drama they might be causing before tring to go after another

[awdz]

/soapbox

a comment was made recently that the weird characters (vampire/etc) were non-cannon and thus could be considered as out-of-place in istaria as rl stuff like popular television shows or spaceships.

for me personally, i come to istaria to get away from rl. although i do not play any non-cannon characters, the weird fantasy i generally have no issue with; the main exception i make is if characters get maliciously violent with one another or one "forces" another to do something against their will. given that we're all supposed to be united against the withered aegis, i don't think that fighting amongst ourselves in public areas is particularly appropriate - especially in new trismus, where folks new to the game and unsure of the community may get a very different impression than what they are more likely to encounter from most players.

in a recent roleplay in new trismus (i think the descriptions of this particular incident were in private chat rather than local but not 100% sure), a character was jumped extremely violently without the player having any ooc forewarning it would happen. regardless of what ic actions may have prompted it, a player courtesy would be to let them know what is coming up so the player does not freak out at what is done to their character. along with that, it would be helpful for someone ooc to clue new arrivals to a rp what is going on. i would hope the new arrival would send a tell to someone to ask, but that has not always happened.

rp is very fun if all participants agree on what is going on. *please* consider your participants & audience when rp'ing anything of questionable content.

/offsoapbox

[starlight]

ooc warning an such are always welcome to me an ya public rp of that nature in a starter island would give the wrong impressions may even drive some of the new comer off all together

[Takora Drakan]

I saw those chars often, and the only thing I could do is to use the /ignore feature that they don't annoy the heck out of me with their wierd RP things...

Of course some people seem to have such a boring RL that they think they need to bring drama in a game where people just want to have fun and relax, and use "roleplay" as a excuse to insult people. *sigh*

[Shian]

Just as a general observation and something to think about for everyone, if you play a nasty tempered, rude or chronically depressed dragon and do not develop them into anything else, the actions and negative thinking of your characters WILL reach you as a player.

I've seen this in countless players that end up leaving because the game is 'not fun' 'no one likes me' whatever the reason.

In my honest opinion, this is no one's fault but your own. Both because you're trapped by the actions of your character and because you don't have the gall to talk to each other OOC.

If it's that complicated (because you're both playing far out characters), you might have to get together in an OOC discussion and script some RP to get it to work.

Hey, I had to do it on a number of occasions. Why? So I don't step on other player's toes! Or end up hurting their characters+them with what I'm doing. RP is way easier when you are all on the same page.

[BrightCat]

I'm gone for like a week and I find all of this lovely drama happening without me! x3 But um... anyways. This whole thing is kind of distressing because with all of the recent happenings (people getting all upset for XYZ reasons and leaving, blah blah) just kind of makes it seem like our community on Order is falling apart. I can understand where the different sides are coming from though; I suppose there has been an influx of "non-normal"/blight dragons and people are getting tired of it. But also some people want to be more than just your average joe. Because I have characters that fall into those two categories I can see both sides. I got tired of playing nice characters so I decided to make an evil one. I made him a blight dragon because I knew he'd be seen as an enemy right off. At the time I really never heard about a whole lot of blight dragons so I thought it'd be cool, but I guess there are/were a lot more than I thought apparently. But anyways, even though I guess I kinda add to the problem of there being too many unoriginal blight dragons or whatever, I'm not going to stop playing him. I enjoy my character even if others don't. I just RP with those who don't have a problem with my blight dragon and don't RP with those who do have a problem. That's all. They don't step on my toes and I don't step on theirs. I guess I don't understand why all of this nonsense has to come about and I guess it boils down to me being on that "just ignore 'em" side of the fence. *shrugs* Honestly though! If you don't like a person's character don't RP with that character! There's no need to try and enforce what kind a character people can make or not make. Sure there are cases like if someone made an uber-character or something, but I have yet to run into characters like that.

But it is quite unfortunate that you feel that you have to leave Soraii. I really enjoyed RPing with you. Taylus did have a big impact on Selarth's life.

[Vaz]

But also some people want to be more than just your average joe.

If you'll excuse me, I'd like to grab this point and run with it.

Addressing a vague gestalt of Istaria's RP community:
You don't need special abilities and bizarre conditions to make your character unique. Background and personality are the keys to doing so. Strive for subtlety and depth. Throw a few non-violent hobbies into the mix. Learn the official lore and adhere to it; extend it gently, with an aim for balance and moderation. If your character is drawn into RP that involves drama and flashiness, stick to your guns but allow some development and evolution to occur.

[Hraefn]

I love you, Vhaz.

[Tcei]

Very well said Xoshara, truly if you want to be unique these days, just be a normal Istarian born dragon. I havent played in almost 2 months now, because I've gotten tired of all the drama, that and all rp simply must revolve around a handful of characters "condition". I know that at least a few of these "unique" characters have driven off a few players when their character (very ICly) refused to believe/accept/be ok with the fact that the other character is a vampire/demon/offspring of Helian and Vandus....

There's streching the lore to fit then there's pretending the lore doesnt even exsist.

[Kodey]

Double-post deliciousness. <3

[peladon]

Just as a general observation and something to think about for everyone, if you play a nasty tempered, rude or chronically depressed dragon and do not develop them into anything else, the actions and negative thinking of your characters WILL reach you as a player.

I've seen this in countless players that end up leaving because the game is 'not fun' 'no one likes me' whatever the reason.

In my honest opinion, this is no one's fault but your own. Both because you're trapped by the actions of your character and because you don't have the gall to talk to each other OOC.

If it's that complicated (because you're both playing far out characters), you might have to get together in an OOC discussion and script some RP to get it to work.

Hey, I had to do it on a number of occasions. Why? So I don't step on other player's toes! Or end up hurting their characters+them with what I'm doing. RP is way easier when you are all on the same page.

Elders and wise...


My words are but the whisper of a forgotten wind... let them be lost or found as suits the seeker.

What be this page, and of what parchment, that I should set me on ? And is, of necessity, ' easy' the wind to follow?


Sephiranoth, called by some ShadowSeeker
Nobody and Nothing ever, save The Five do Feast
A Fool that walks among the Wise

[awdz]

staying in character when you abide by the context & lore of the game and are helpful/nice to other players seems like there should be no issue with it. as far as i can tell, this whole thing blew up because of folks roleplaying characters that are not really consistent with game lore and then running into disagreements on how the roleplaying should go. where there is such discord, ooc messages may help resolve the issue(s) so that the ic roleplay goes more smoothly. required? no... but those involved will deal with the consequences of whether they choose that route or not.

[LungTien Temeraire]

Alaysar / Taylus, I will only say that:
it is your choice if you want to leave, but it makes me sad to see you leave because of this little issue...
I like you, and your character belongs to you only. It is you who can decide what to do with Taylus.
I hope truely to see you on this game again.
That was my thoughs about it.

[Soraii]

Thoughts for Community improvement/making it friendlier

Disclaimer: I am not intending to Insult or Infuriate, This post is being dedicated to possible helpfull ways to make what has been my home for the past 10 months better/friendlier/closer weather I an in it or not. The catalyst issue has been talked out but the underlying problem needs a bit of assistance still?

When someone comes in with a new character that RP wise goes contrary to what you feel is benificial to the community, first cehck if it's a new player or an old player. If it's a new player, In a kind and helpfull manner offer help in their roleplay or assist in helping them with the character if they are unfamiliar with roleplay... do this in OOC /tell.

If it is a new character of an older player, and you know they are versed in roleplaying, your choices are a bit more limited perhaps. You might wish to consider the character "crazy" and that which they are roleplaying that conflicts with your view to be their delusion.

For Example, with my ancient Soraii, I once had a hatchling come up to the ancient, claiming their tendrils could kill me outright, I looked at this hatchling, from ancient standpoint.. laughed and then promptly considered the extreme powers they were claiming to be their own delusion.

The other players roleplay only extends into your view of the world in the ammount you let it.

Vampires? Well there are people in the real word that claim to be vampires, that drink blood, that stay in the dark... do you believe they are really vampires? Probably not, you are more likely to think they are delusional people with unusual beliefs that dont matter to you... unless YOU are a vampire in real life *peers* But the same thing goes for the blight dragons and demon dragons and golem dragons and.... you get my point. If you dont want to ignore the character, make your RP consider their rp their own make believe. I mean, if there were really blight or demon or evil dragons.. do you think the empire would let them sit around in a town nonchalantly without attacking them and getting rid of them for the best of the empire?

All these new Gifted "special dragons" Maybe you could consider it's a fad the new gifted are going through to try to explain their gift? Maybe the gift is giving them selective dementia? If this new special dragon is an experienced player playing it... it's your right to decide how you wish to percieve their character, and their right to play the character how they wish.

But if it's a newer or older player, offering rp assistance is much better to increase the quality AND quantity then abrasive and unhelpfull We dont like that character you need to change because it has been done before... maybe they were proud of that rp? You might have just shattered their views. On the other hand offering helpfull suggestions and hints, might not shatter their hard work thinking up that rp, but might actually improve it. Heck and you might just make a friend? Being gruff with someone who doesnt know you... likely wont make a friend, but damage their views of you.

Considering other issues of constant conflict on this server, new players (and some old players) that dont bracket their words... Generally a new player that stays on the server eventually learns to seperate the IC/OOC and it becomes second nature. Often, however, when they first start, they are inundated with trying to figure things out, these new players deserve a bit of leeway.. they are trying to learn, with nurturing they could one day add to that quality, and increase that quantity. As for the older players... well they likely arent going to listen to you anyways... Try reminding them a few times, nicely, then just mentally filter out what they say.

If you are a master roleplayer, and people consider your roleplaying quite highly, perhaps lending out the experience to try to better someone else would be benificial?

This community is our protegy, let us nurture it, instead of beating it and having social services called on us.

[Kodey]

Coming from a free-form roleplaying channel at mIRC before Horizons was in existence, I was used to all sorts of things "coming into the inn" where all the RP took place. Animals that walked on two legs, Dragons, talking foxes, Vampires, werewolves, walking brooms, 900lb women with dresses made of boat sails, dragons with fur, etc. My portrait is actually one of my RP characters. She was the original Kodey. XD

The only rules that they had were, no futuristic technology, no GOD-PCing and make sure you're able to even fit into the inn's door or you'd get a lot of looks. Because of RPing with an incredibly wide range of humanoid/animialistic beings, a vampire/blight/fish/tree is hardly anything out of the normal. :(

It makes me wonder how my second dragon would be treated. Since Kodey is a runt and raised by Ssaris and a human, it was my 'normal' character. My other dragon is mostly normal, but with her extensive backstory that I've fleshed out years before horizons ever came out, which has left her with a few oddities, I would dare anybody to tell me I can't play her. >:( It would be funny too, since my second dragon was one of the most "normal" "evil" characters that was brought into that Inn.

This seems outrageous that someone RPing something they put effort into is having backs turned to them, whether or not they belong to anybody's RP continuity. I would roleplay with anybody, doesn't matter with who, or what, or when. I know my friends here would think otherwise but I really have trouble seeing why this is so bad at all, if they offer good and entertaining RP, disregarding how they look or what they're made of.

But I've never had problems with what people roleplayed. Found it odd OOCly, but it didn't stop my character from approaching them. :P

"Normal" is VERY relative. :P