Bardic Gathering, Monday August 22nd 9pm est at the Chiconis Zoo

[Dranar]

Thank you for that Levity, I've had a visitor and so kind of been sitting on my tail with that, plus I was unfortunately distracted during the event too and overly tired to boot... So sifting through the log could have been more, awkward.

Anyway, thank you. :)

And yes, definitely the bardics will continue to go on.

[Swythe Quirksettle]

Since we all enjoy speaking our minds here, allow me to speak mine.
Report me till your heart is content. I stopped caring a long time ago.
I know what I did, and I'm happy I did it. Just as long as you hold my actions accountable for myself and not anyone elses.
Its only a game, IRL I would be a lot less disruptive.
*shrugs and goes back to playing*

[Tokoz]

Report me till your heart is content. I stopped caring a long time ago...
I know what I did, and I'm happy I did it. Just as long as you hold my actions accountable for myself and not anyone elses.

Note: Everything from here on is IC.

*sighs heavily*

You are being held accountable for those actions. Can't you see? Each person that was involved in this "disruption" is being held accountable to varying degrees. And what, many might ask, does that accountability mean?

It means a loss of trust and honor.

Is there anything the community can do to stop you from doing it again? No, there isn't. You're right. We can't. Once you've whittled that trust and honor down to nothing, we can't take anymore away.

There is a dryad saying that goes: Both words and loosed arrows, cannot be brought back easily. The saying refers to a story about a young dryad scout, who prided herself on being to shoot further and more accurately than any other. I won't go into her whole story here for the sake of time, but one day to show off, she fired an arrow as far as she could, just to see how far it would. Her very young brother was playing a long ways off and was killed by that same arrow. Thus today Scouts have the art of Long Shot, but not to the level that she'd acheived.

You cannot bring the arrow back or the words, but you can do two simple things that help to restore both trust and honor.

1. Acknowledge that whether or not you meant to hurt other people in what you did, that you did hurt them. It's not about whether or not they should have been offended or hurt, anymore than it was a question of where the young brother should have been playing.

2. Apologize to those that you hurt. I'm not saying that you need to admit wrong in what you did. You obviously perceive it to have been right, so do not necessarily apologize for your actions, but do apologize for how those actions effected people.

*hands the masked black dragon an arrow*

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with what you did, friend Swythe. I see it as something that started as funny and was taken further than others would like. I have a brother, Plunk, who is much the same way.

But the arrow and the choice are now yours. You can retrieve neither word nor arrow, but you make good the damage either might have done.

Plink

[Hal`cyon Sskyler]

Since we all enjoy speaking our minds here, allow me to speak mine. Report me till your heart is content. I stopped caring a long time ago. I know what I did, and I'm happy I did it. Just as long as you hold my actions accountable for myself and not anyone elses. Its only a game, IRL I would be a lot less disruptive.
*shrugs and goes back to playing*

Yay! Time to pull out the harassment pdf that nobody reads!

https://horizons.istaria.com/horizons/policies/harassment.pdf[/url]]Harassment

Artifact Entertainment is committed to providing an equal and fair gaming opportunity for all members of our online community, without unlawful regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or disability. Artifact Entertainment also is committed to maintaining an environment free of harassment based on any of those above- mentioned criteria. We expect all of our customers to conduct themselves in an appropriate and professional manner, with respect and concern for their fellow players[/b].

...

Harassment Defined

Game Mechanics: Game mechanics are intentional design functionalities that are a feature of the Game and govern how players act and react to the Game world environment around them. Some examples of using game mechanics are the ability to block parts of the game map with your body or the ability to ?macro? a large amount of text quickly[/b]. Using these game mechanics is not an infraction in and of itself, but using them to harass another player would be considered a violation[/b]. The Customer Service team at Artifact Entertainment will review each instance of harassment through abuse of game mechanics and establish the player?s ?intent.? Should it be determined that the player was deliberately using a game mechanic to harm others in the Game[/b], Artifact Entertainment will take the appropriate action(s)[/b].

ha·rass [img]http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/JPG/********.jpg[/img] (P)Pronunciation Key(h-rs, hrs)
tr.v. ha·rassed, ha·rass·ing, ha·rass·es

1. To irritate or torment persistently.
2. To wear out; exhaust.
3. To impede and exhaust (an enemy) by repeated attacks or raids.

...

Harassment Penalties

Artifact Entertainment takes harassment issues very seriously, and we will not tolerate any form of harassment in HORIZONS: Empire of Istaria. We will investigate claims of harassment fully and promptly. If Customer Service determines that a player is in violation of our Rules of Conduct or its ancillary gaming policies due to a harassment issue, the appropriate and necessary disciplinary action(s) will be taken. Artifact Entertainment will impose any disciplinary action(s) based upon both the severity of the harassment issue and the player?s past account history.

Things should be clear for all now!

There is one fallacy I'd like to point out, though.

"It's only a game"
--This is is only 75% correct. This certainly is a game, and by that logic a bank is a building, a handgun is a few bucks worth of metal, and a dog is just a really fancy arrangement of various subatomic particles. Howver, there's more to Horizons than just the client/server model and the technology associated with it. This game has those people things I often run into at the supermarket. These people have a much better time doing things when other people observe a thing called courtesy instead childishness, especially after being repeatedly asked to stop.

[Helcat]

heh


I like ya Hal... no matter what they say. [;)]

[Hal`cyon Sskyler]

heh


I like ya Hal... no matter what they say. [img]/Web//emoticons/emotion-5.gif[/img]

I like me too.

[Dranar]

Quite well said, Hal. :)

[imported_Denrath]

...
This game has those people things I often run into at the supermarket. These people have a much better time doing things when other people observe a thing called courtesy instead childishness...

Some of these people are new players too, some of which can be overwhelmed by all that is thrown at them when they first log in. Sometimes we have to remember that they should get just as much courtesy as the rest of us. [:)]

[Swythe Quirksettle]

So I did harass? I hold no shame.

You people on order have taken no notice to how I left dragon chat in frustration?
Nor left the community channel?
Nor was abscent from the last community meeting?

I stopped caring.
I'm tired of paying for my second job.

I'm only responding to this thread to enforce my stance now.

*goes back to playing*

[Tokoz]

Many have noticed. Many have commented. I've read the same document that Hal`cyon quoted. I've seen many people do what's listed there to me, and I let it go. There's nothing wrong with just letting it all go. When you have PTSD like I do, you have to let things go. That's why I can so easily. That's why I have so easily.

Many have commented how all of this is so much unlike you. Some are willing to let it go, some have more difficulty and I don't fault them that difficulty. It takes more effort to hold onto being upset. It takes more courage and strength to let it all go. Some can. Some can't.

I believe that in RP and in life, as Tracy Hickman says: We "should have something that [we] will fight to the death for. It should be something noble and neat." For me it's the flag, my family, and my faith. There are things worth falling on your sword for.

This isn't one of them. 10 pages of snowball spam? About 40% of the actual event? Don't fall on your sword over this one. It's a lame thing to take that kind of hit for.

Return to the community and continue to contribute as you have before. Make amends with those you bothered and show that being laid back and carefree does not mean being careless. Let go of those things that have offended you and show your strength.

Let it all be a game once again. :)

[imported_asteral]

So I did harass? I hold no shame.

You people on order have taken no notice to how I left dragon chat in frustration?
Nor left the community channel?
Nor was abscent from the last community meeting?

I stopped caring.
I'm tired of paying for my second job.

I hear a Waaamulance coming....

SO what you're trying to say Swythe, is...just because people are doing something you dislike on the dragon line or any other line, that gives someone a right to annoy the rest of the shard? Well HOT DOG I better get busy annoying the piss out of you! I've been smished one to many times for my taste!!! Report me all you want! You can't stop me! AHAHAHAHA....

But seriously, what if it was...*can't believe I'm about to say this* YOU having a serious gathering...would you want a bunch of retards ruining it just because they can? No. that makes you an ARSE....

And i don't understand. You used to be cool, i had absolutely no problems with ya. You were active in the community we were glad to have you! So..is it that time of the month? Do you need a Midol or what happened? Did someone piss in your lucky charms or what? I mean seriously you are a totally different person than you used to be.

You need to get over yourself and grow up a bit. You're not some "chaos dragon" God bullcrap.