Hello all,
Let me give you a quick rundown of how this thread works:
The purpose of Rumors in the Air is to gather all those things that, true or not, are spoken of by the people of-and-from a general area and that we feel people should acknowledge even if not directly involved in it. Similar to the Lantern's articles, these rumors differ in a few things, being:
- They are relatively short bits of information.
- They don't have to be necessarily true or acknowledged to be true.
- They are accessible even to illiterate individuals who don't have someone that can read a newspaper to them.
Why make this? Most of all, I feel it'd be a great way to involve others in personal plots that may otherwise go unknown or unheard of by the majority of people, unless they are directly involved. Secondly (and for some, most importantly), to give RPers something to talk about at taverns other than the usual "How are you?" "What are you doing here?" and weather talk.
So with that being settled, here is a couple rules:
1. Rumors should not contain specific names. If I say "Valeria was killed", referring to an alt of mine, many will be like "And who is Valeria?" and shrug it off. Exactly. But if I turn that into "A Maelstrom officer was found dead in her office last week!", there we have a good thing that people could talk about. Lominsans could be concerned, and other Maelstrom officers would be wary. Nobody knows Valeria, but everyone knows what a Maelstrom officer is.
There can be exceptions in the case of VIPs. Some characters are bound to be popular in some areas. In this case, if I posted "Valeria is dead", but changed the location of my rumor from "Limsa Lominsa" to "Mist Ward 7", where Valeria lived, then I could use the name, cause she'd be known from the majority of the people in that neighborhood. At the same time however, my rumor will be harder to spread because to learn about it, other RPers would have to ICly visit the Ward 7 of the Mist, or meet someone from there. To make another quick example, if your rumor involves an alt of yours, but this alt is an important aristocrat, a super star, a Monetarist, you name it, which would legitly be known in the whole city the rumor is located on, then by all means you can name them. (example: It appears Eltanin Sellecerre, the famous aristocrat and philantropist of Limsa Lominsa, has been found dead in the outskirts of town.)
2. Don't use major NPCs. While I do RP the MSQ and do not mind to acknowledge that a certain major NPC may be dead or have been arrested (because the MSQ decided so), I know other RPers may prefer to not acknowledge it. For this reason, we should avoid rumors that involve those NPCs.
3. In the case of a certain area getting damaged/destroyed, don't use areas that are accessible in-game. It's fine and dandy if you want to spread the rumor that a part of the Twelveswood has been arsoned and burned and that this has triggered the Greenwrath on all those who enter that area, but make it an "uncharted" area of the forest. You can't come and post that now everyone who visits the Urthr's Gift will be killed by the spirits of the forest because of your rumor. Likewise, if I want to spread the rumor that a part of Limsa Lominsa has been struck by the firing cannons of a rebellious pirate crew, I will say it was in the outskirts of town, and not that the Drowning Wench was turned into a pile of dust. And no, you can't nuke the Gold Saucer.
4. Don't delete the rumor. Unless your rumor is so off the loop/against the rules that you HAVE to remove it, don't delete the previous rumors, no matter how old they get. If the rumor you once posted becomes no longer valid (It appears Valeria was not dead after all, she ran away with her Au Ra lover), strike the original rumor but leave it there, so that people may still have conversations like "Do you remember when people thought that Maelstrom officer had been murdered?".
--------------------------
FAQ
What rumors can I post? Rumors that are strictly related to your own character (and thus wouldn't be heard of from people that didn't ICly know you) should be kept to your wiki, but of course if you don't make names you can post it here. If your character is a merchant and he gets attacked by beastmen, go ahead and say "It seems beastmen have been getting more and more aggressive. Another merchant's haul was stolen the other day in Thanalan!". The purpose should be to involve others into your side-plots while at the same time not making the rumors all about yourself. If someone is interested to learn WHO is the merchant who got attacked by the beastmen (sellsword seeking for hire as bodyguards, perhaps?), then they should privately contact you and figure out how their character may learn about your merchant's identity and find him.
"Well yeah, then I can just post all my personal rumors by turning them nameless!" Not exactly. When deciding what to post, simply ask yourself: would people in this area actually talk about this? Were there enough witnesses? Was it enough of a big deal? Nobody will likely talk about "hey, it seems a chick got sexually harassed at the Quicksand and threw a glass of ale in the face of that rude Lalafell!", because that happens all the time there. But if a famous singer slips off during her performance on the stage, or an unpredictable underdog wins at the Grindstone? The locals may very certainly laugh/talk about it for a little while.
So how do I acknowledge the rumor IC? Simply visiting the location of the rumor ICly gives you permission to have heard of it. Or you can even RP an NPC coming FROM that location meeting you and mentioning that rumor. Or you can set up an RP with another player who comes from there, too. There is no situation that says you may be excluded from hearing a rumor unless ... well... you are forbidden from leaving your house, talking to anyone, and reading letters. In that case, I think it is time to face your parents and make them understand you can't be kept into that golden cage anymore!
How long should a rumor last? It depends. You shouldn't costantly repost the same rumor over and over to remind people that "the illness of the aldgoats is still going on!", but at the same time if it's not heard of anymore for a while, people may stop talking about it. It's how gossip works, after all. So perhaps post new details about the rumor every now and then, or simply let it die by no longer post about it.
So what to do if a rumor particularly interests me? I realize there could be people who RP reporters, law enforcement, or super curious people out there, and who upon hearing a rumor may decide to delve further and learn more about it, like names of people involved, possible suspects, or what kind of illness exactly caused so many aldgoats in Thanalan to die. This is great and all of course! In this case, contact the poster of the rumor via PM or in-game tells to see where your character should go or talk to to learn more. This is how you get hooked for others' plots, and what this thread should be used for as a tool.
What if the nature of the rumor changes? Have you ever played Chinese Whispers as kids? Depending on who hears them and how they hear them, people may change or twist the nature of a rumor. Not everyone may know the same thing about a certain topic. So hadn't that Maelstrom Officer been killed by a lovecrushed Yellow Jacket? Huh? I thought she had been poisoned by a clawed fiend of unknown nature! And so on. This may occur both in-game or on the rumors-board, and just as every other rumor, your character is free to believe it or not. The general idea is that only the original poster of the rumor can twist it, but arrangements can be made via PMs or in-game, I suppose. Whichever way, if you see someone posted twisted version of a rumor you threw and somehow find it unacceptable, contact them and see how to balance it out. Still be considerate that, just as in Chinese Whispers, rumors can be subject to changes; at the same time, be considerate of the original poster of a rumor and don't turn their rumor upside down into something that goes beyond decency (the Maelstrom Officer was found dead with a harpoon up her butt, I heard!). It's fine if your OWN character thinks that, but in this thread you are posting things that a whole community will acknowledge (depending on the Location of your rumor. If you say all of Limsa Lominsa thinks Valeria died with a harpoon up her butt, I may be just a tad bit irritated).
Just WHY? It's not only a good way to lure attention to certain facts that you have been roleplaying, but also a way to ICly promote events, too ("The ABC Manor's wench has finally found a bachelor! People in the Goblet are already talking about an upcoming engagement party!").
I'll be updating this with new FAQs if more questions should arise, but until then please refer to the Rumors in the Air Discussion Thread for further inquires. Post your OOC commentary there, as this thread should remain strictly IC, thank you!
And here's a quick template, courtesy of UM!
Let me give you a quick rundown of how this thread works:
The purpose of Rumors in the Air is to gather all those things that, true or not, are spoken of by the people of-and-from a general area and that we feel people should acknowledge even if not directly involved in it. Similar to the Lantern's articles, these rumors differ in a few things, being:
- They are relatively short bits of information.
- They don't have to be necessarily true or acknowledged to be true.
- They are accessible even to illiterate individuals who don't have someone that can read a newspaper to them.
Why make this? Most of all, I feel it'd be a great way to involve others in personal plots that may otherwise go unknown or unheard of by the majority of people, unless they are directly involved. Secondly (and for some, most importantly), to give RPers something to talk about at taverns other than the usual "How are you?" "What are you doing here?" and weather talk.
So with that being settled, here is a couple rules:
1. Rumors should not contain specific names. If I say "Valeria was killed", referring to an alt of mine, many will be like "And who is Valeria?" and shrug it off. Exactly. But if I turn that into "A Maelstrom officer was found dead in her office last week!", there we have a good thing that people could talk about. Lominsans could be concerned, and other Maelstrom officers would be wary. Nobody knows Valeria, but everyone knows what a Maelstrom officer is.
There can be exceptions in the case of VIPs. Some characters are bound to be popular in some areas. In this case, if I posted "Valeria is dead", but changed the location of my rumor from "Limsa Lominsa" to "Mist Ward 7", where Valeria lived, then I could use the name, cause she'd be known from the majority of the people in that neighborhood. At the same time however, my rumor will be harder to spread because to learn about it, other RPers would have to ICly visit the Ward 7 of the Mist, or meet someone from there. To make another quick example, if your rumor involves an alt of yours, but this alt is an important aristocrat, a super star, a Monetarist, you name it, which would legitly be known in the whole city the rumor is located on, then by all means you can name them. (example: It appears Eltanin Sellecerre, the famous aristocrat and philantropist of Limsa Lominsa, has been found dead in the outskirts of town.)
2. Don't use major NPCs. While I do RP the MSQ and do not mind to acknowledge that a certain major NPC may be dead or have been arrested (because the MSQ decided so), I know other RPers may prefer to not acknowledge it. For this reason, we should avoid rumors that involve those NPCs.
3. In the case of a certain area getting damaged/destroyed, don't use areas that are accessible in-game. It's fine and dandy if you want to spread the rumor that a part of the Twelveswood has been arsoned and burned and that this has triggered the Greenwrath on all those who enter that area, but make it an "uncharted" area of the forest. You can't come and post that now everyone who visits the Urthr's Gift will be killed by the spirits of the forest because of your rumor. Likewise, if I want to spread the rumor that a part of Limsa Lominsa has been struck by the firing cannons of a rebellious pirate crew, I will say it was in the outskirts of town, and not that the Drowning Wench was turned into a pile of dust. And no, you can't nuke the Gold Saucer.
4. Don't delete the rumor. Unless your rumor is so off the loop/against the rules that you HAVE to remove it, don't delete the previous rumors, no matter how old they get. If the rumor you once posted becomes no longer valid (It appears Valeria was not dead after all, she ran away with her Au Ra lover), strike the original rumor but leave it there, so that people may still have conversations like "Do you remember when people thought that Maelstrom officer had been murdered?".
--------------------------
FAQ
What rumors can I post? Rumors that are strictly related to your own character (and thus wouldn't be heard of from people that didn't ICly know you) should be kept to your wiki, but of course if you don't make names you can post it here. If your character is a merchant and he gets attacked by beastmen, go ahead and say "It seems beastmen have been getting more and more aggressive. Another merchant's haul was stolen the other day in Thanalan!". The purpose should be to involve others into your side-plots while at the same time not making the rumors all about yourself. If someone is interested to learn WHO is the merchant who got attacked by the beastmen (sellsword seeking for hire as bodyguards, perhaps?), then they should privately contact you and figure out how their character may learn about your merchant's identity and find him.
"Well yeah, then I can just post all my personal rumors by turning them nameless!" Not exactly. When deciding what to post, simply ask yourself: would people in this area actually talk about this? Were there enough witnesses? Was it enough of a big deal? Nobody will likely talk about "hey, it seems a chick got sexually harassed at the Quicksand and threw a glass of ale in the face of that rude Lalafell!", because that happens all the time there. But if a famous singer slips off during her performance on the stage, or an unpredictable underdog wins at the Grindstone? The locals may very certainly laugh/talk about it for a little while.
So how do I acknowledge the rumor IC? Simply visiting the location of the rumor ICly gives you permission to have heard of it. Or you can even RP an NPC coming FROM that location meeting you and mentioning that rumor. Or you can set up an RP with another player who comes from there, too. There is no situation that says you may be excluded from hearing a rumor unless ... well... you are forbidden from leaving your house, talking to anyone, and reading letters. In that case, I think it is time to face your parents and make them understand you can't be kept into that golden cage anymore!
How long should a rumor last? It depends. You shouldn't costantly repost the same rumor over and over to remind people that "the illness of the aldgoats is still going on!", but at the same time if it's not heard of anymore for a while, people may stop talking about it. It's how gossip works, after all. So perhaps post new details about the rumor every now and then, or simply let it die by no longer post about it.
So what to do if a rumor particularly interests me? I realize there could be people who RP reporters, law enforcement, or super curious people out there, and who upon hearing a rumor may decide to delve further and learn more about it, like names of people involved, possible suspects, or what kind of illness exactly caused so many aldgoats in Thanalan to die. This is great and all of course! In this case, contact the poster of the rumor via PM or in-game tells to see where your character should go or talk to to learn more. This is how you get hooked for others' plots, and what this thread should be used for as a tool.
What if the nature of the rumor changes? Have you ever played Chinese Whispers as kids? Depending on who hears them and how they hear them, people may change or twist the nature of a rumor. Not everyone may know the same thing about a certain topic. So hadn't that Maelstrom Officer been killed by a lovecrushed Yellow Jacket? Huh? I thought she had been poisoned by a clawed fiend of unknown nature! And so on. This may occur both in-game or on the rumors-board, and just as every other rumor, your character is free to believe it or not. The general idea is that only the original poster of the rumor can twist it, but arrangements can be made via PMs or in-game, I suppose. Whichever way, if you see someone posted twisted version of a rumor you threw and somehow find it unacceptable, contact them and see how to balance it out. Still be considerate that, just as in Chinese Whispers, rumors can be subject to changes; at the same time, be considerate of the original poster of a rumor and don't turn their rumor upside down into something that goes beyond decency (the Maelstrom Officer was found dead with a harpoon up her butt, I heard!). It's fine if your OWN character thinks that, but in this thread you are posting things that a whole community will acknowledge (depending on the Location of your rumor. If you say all of Limsa Lominsa thinks Valeria died with a harpoon up her butt, I may be just a tad bit irritated).
Just WHY? It's not only a good way to lure attention to certain facts that you have been roleplaying, but also a way to ICly promote events, too ("The ABC Manor's wench has finally found a bachelor! People in the Goblet are already talking about an upcoming engagement party!").
I'll be updating this with new FAQs if more questions should arise, but until then please refer to the Rumors in the Air Discussion Thread for further inquires. Post your OOC commentary there, as this thread should remain strictly IC, thank you!
And here's a quick template, courtesy of UM!
(07-06-2015, 01:30 PM)Unnamed Mercenary Wrote: Here's a little copy/paste block for easy typing:
Code: (Select All)[b]Server:[/b]
[b]Location:[/b]
[b]Who may mention this:[/b]
[b]Rumor:[/b] [i][/i]
To be an interesting, intriguing, well-written character, there needs to be something to allow the audience to relate to them. That is what the problem is with who wants their character to be "perfect". Perfect characters will never be strong, and strong characters will never be perfect, because WE (those who read, who watch, who RP) are not perfect.
"What makes a strong character is how they deal with their flaws, their fears, their turmoils, their troubles that get in the way. That's what makes them relatable." -- N.C.
"What makes a strong character is how they deal with their flaws, their fears, their turmoils, their troubles that get in the way. That's what makes them relatable." -- N.C.
![[Image: tumblr_mjwxnlcz6Q1rl52wjo2_500.gif]](https://33.media.tumblr.com/224cfbd6e79103f0520a30eabfc5085d/tumblr_mjwxnlcz6Q1rl52wjo2_500.gif)
~
![[Image: 0LLovxG.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/0LLovxG.jpg)
