Alothia

I'm going to have to withdraw my attendance, but two people from Jutat should still be there. probably Tayn plus one. I got cajoled into being DD for the local beer festival that day. *grumbles about being pregnant*

*squees* I can't wait for that. Right now I'm at 10 weeks pregnant, and as much as everyone says that it goes fast, I don't feel like it's going fast enough. I cannot WAIT to meet my little one!

I love it when I feel like I'm appreciated. It doesn't have to be fancy. Sometimes people just send me a random, "hey, thanks for ____" and it really just makes my day.

*snort* Post count and rep, huh? I'm falling behind based on how long I've been here. I need to post more! Aaaaah! *runs of to make lots of posts*

Cliques aren't bad, as they provide a sense of community and home to RPers. Popularity isn't bad as long as you use it as a medium for good. it's like anything else. Positivity is something that I think we have all needed a heavy dose of in the past couple of days. I guess I'm part of the "old guard" here. I've been playing since 1.0, and have taken a couple of breaks along the way. In 1.0, I was well known, but I wouldn't say I was popular. I had a longstanding working RP relationships with some of the other linkshells, went and was involved in other people's events, and tried to foster relationships within the community. My linkshell was a little unconventional. We were known for our members being random and spastic, but it worked for us. We weren't always like that, though, and we did have many events that we were involved in that were serious and brought about character development. In the interim between 1.0 and 2.0, there was a lot of RP and RP discussion here on the RPC. Everyone was meeting everyone new, and there was a fantastic sense of community. But as the launch got closer, tensions grew higher. (It's a lot like what the RPC is going through now). When 2.0 hit, RP thrived for me for a time, and then some personal issues pushed me away from the game. I'm finally back, and find that RP is a little difficult to find, but there are a lot of events that encourage people to show up. I've attended some of these, and I think they're awesome...it's just a little difficult to get lost in the crowd. If anything, I think that opening smaller events is probably a good thing to foster a sense of community. Walking into a giant event is really intimidating for a new person who doesn't know anyone. It's intimidating to me, and I pretty much know what I'm doing. I don't really know where I'm going with this rant. Just...realize that popular people aren't to blame. Cliques aren't to blame. Scale of events...might be to blame. I think we all just need to reach out more. And be happy about it. Don't take any of it as a personal attack. Use it to better your habits, not bring you down.

Alothia always carries: Her journal or another notebook A quill or some other writing utensil A flask holding some sort of liquid. Usually whiskey (Damn you Brom) The ring that Khale gave her on their onemonthaversarry Her bracelet fitted with her aetherstones so she can cast magic even without her staves. Her ear cuff fitted with linkpearls A couple of fliers for Jutat De, ready to post on the wall in whatever place she ends up.

Welcome to the RPC! Feel free to let any of the moderation team know if you have any questions or concerns, and have fun getting to know everyone!!

So, I think that this thread has lost it's point. It's not a horrible thing, but I do think that it serves as an example to the exact thing that the thread was asking about in the first place. This thread is a microcosm of sorts, and if you look at it, you can see how things go on the website as a whole. I understand that a lot of you are worried about the rules. They're not really any different than anything we've been doing, and instead are a way to make sure that we as moderators are being consistent and fair. Like we've said before, if you guys think that things are being unfair or too heavy handed, let us know and we'll work on it together. I don't think that this mod team has been anything other than willing to listen to feedback on the site as a whole, and we all want this to work well for the best of all of us. Now, that's not saying that there might not be some changes at first that are different, or that it might not take time to let things settle down. Please be patient with us. I know that I sometimes don't always have the right things to say about every topic, but I know that I try hard as a moderator to be transparent as well as be level headed on things. I think that most of us try to do this as well. I am so happy to be a part of this community, even when we go through rough patches like this. We've gone through them before in the past, we will go through them again in the future, and we will get through this one. All I can say is stay with us. Remember, if you ever have any questions or comments about things that we're doing, don't hesitate to contact us. We don't bite, unless you're into that. I think that taking a step back, reflecting on things, and letting tensions ride out is probably the best course of action for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful day! :love:

I'm on my phone, so I can't make as lengthy post as I would like to. I think that this discussion is good, but I'd like to say just a few more things. Why does discussion inherently turn to people needing to get thicker skin? I think the mod team as a whole does a good job pruning out comments that ride the line. We will continue to do the same thing. The only thing that will change will be that we will have a system of clearcut ramifications for having us prune a lot. So if you've noticed your posts go poof, just look at the things that have gone missing and try not to do those things. ]The rep system isn't the problem, I don't think. The problem is people using it as a means to encourage sometimes overly snarky behavior. I don't think that any of us really don't understand what is and isn't appropriate. Instead of taking offense to a criticism of the site, take a moment to examine if you sometimes unwittingly do the thing in question. None of us are innocent. I know I can be flaky sometimes. It's okay. Please don't let this discussion become a grounds for flouncing out. We will work on things as a community for the betterment of a community. Have faith that if we try sommething, and it doesn't work, that we will tweak it until it does. We want this to work.

A note from a moderator about the rewarding of hostility: Be warned. What you have received before in rep points may quickly become warnings and temporary bans. This is directed toward everyone who enjoys being hostile. We suggest that you start curbing that behavior quickly, because we are going to start cracking down on it. It's great to be open and honest. You don't have to be an ass hole to others to get your point across, however.

It was brought up in a couple of posts, about how people here on the RPC feel ignored. Graeham was responding to someone else's post discussing how people just need to not whine about it and take matters into their own hands. It was a perfectly valid post in response to the other one. In fact, I made one as well. It does apply to the topic at hand because if people are using the RPC for it's intended purpose, which is to find and facilitate RP, then people shouldn't be feeling as if they are ignored. Just wanted to clarify why that post contributed.

Aaaaah! *pinches all the cute cheeks* You are all so adorable!!

Always happy to have Aly interact with anyone. I'm usually at my FC house or hanging out in the Quicksand. Lately she's been traveling around with her fiance getting their wedding rings blessed. So if Oak ever runs across her, feel free to say hello! That also applies to anyone else!

Actually, is your FC recruiting? Do you have a recruitment post with information and whatnot? That we do. Feel free to look for us in the Linkshell hall!

You're welcome to hit me up on Skype or on our Enjin page too, dear. Look forward to hearing from ya!

I think we're talking about two different things. I was talking about people here on the RPC feeling ignored in their threads. I have to say that I've tried to drum up RP for my group here, and made posts, and most of them have gone pretty well ignored. I don't cry about it, but I can see how other people who are trying to do the same thing could see it as being ignored. Or if you look at the introduction threads. Back when the game first opened, we'd have threads with 20+ people welcoming them and engaging in the threads. Now, when people post an introduction thread, they're lucky to get 10 posts...and that's very rare. In game, I agree that people need to advocate. But here, people need to make a conscious effort to include others outside of their circle.

Hey, guys. I'm going to split off your posts because the images don't contribute to the discussion, and it's just derailing the thread. /AdminHat

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The problem is when people who are new or trying to drum up connections in the connections forum get passed over. Or when new people say hello, and people ignore their threads. It's not even a matter of those people saying that they're being ignored. It's a general sense of seeing that they're being ignored. Trust me, I'm an advocate for people getting out there and finding RP, starting it up with people randomly. It's how I met some of the best friends I have in this game. It's how I met my current RP partner. But pretending like it's not happening is just as bad as people who don't advocate for themselves. It does happen. You may not have experienced it, but it doesn't lessen the fact that it does happen to other people. It reminds me of a camp that I went to for the school I teach at. It was a diversity camp thingy, and one of the things that they taught us was that "We are the owner of our own story." We cannot invalidate someone else's experience simply because it's an experience that we have never had. Count yourself lucky that you don't feel that way, and make a point of ensuring that others don't have that experience. That's how we're going to fix it. Not by telling people that it's their own fault for feeling ignored.

Well, there is a lot of constructive discussion going on in this thread, which is pleasantly surprising as a mod. Here are some things that I've noticed that will be re-iterations of things that people have already said, but I think are good to hear nonetheless. As someone who has been around the RPC since 1.0: There are cycles on the RPC. When things get stagnant in game, people tend to come here and throw a shit fit. Boredom breeds trolling and argumentative behavior. The community as a whole now seems to be less welcoming to newcomers than it used to be. Not that people don't welcome the new people, but there is a lot of times where new people or people who don't appear to be in the "popular" crowd get glossed over in discussions or threads. Even I feel ignored here sometimes. I know I'm not a part of the popular crowd, but hells, I'm a moderator and still somewhat known around these parts. Imagine how someone who isn't either feels. As much as people don't like Graeham saying it, we HAVE become a circlejerk. I've said it myself, even though I try to insert myself into those threads when I can. As a Moderator: I've noticed that there are a LOT more tensions in the threads. People disregard the rule of re-reading what they're writing before posting. Instead, they post blindly in the moment, and it causes hurt feelings. People have this "our way or the highway" mentality, and instead of ignoring the things that people do that they don't "like," they tend to try to change those people or insist that they're "wrong." There's an undercurrent of "Why are the moderators doing/not doing _______" going around. Here's suggestions as to what we as a community can do to change this: Take time to go into the welcome forum and say hello to new people. Even that is something that doesn't take much time and shows that we are a welcoming community (Hey, I have to work on this too.) Remember that there are people behind the computers. We're all human. We all have triggers and feelings and whatnot. I understand that you are passionate about your RP. But that doesn't mean that you can be a douche to other people. The Moderation team is working on a list of rules and consequences so that moderation is more consistent and transparent. Look for that soon. Realize that you don't have to agree with everyone. You don't have to berate someone for something that they believe differently. Not only do we have RP differences, but we have cultural and social differences as well. Reach out to people who are looking for RP and connections. An invite to your FC is great, but people need to know that they can RP with you without being a part of your FC. Don't just recruit. Be someone who is encouraging to others. For the love of all that is holy, take a step back from the computer if you are agitated. Don't post with high emotions. Come back and post later once your head has cleared. I think that this thread is fantastic, and I thank all of you for at least trying to solve some of the problems that we see around here. The RPC is only as good as the community using it, and I think that we have the potential to make this a place that is used by more people and lauded for our ability to help guide and welcome new RPers. That's all I had to say. Carry on.

I'm always down for some random RPs. Aly is a pretty social character, so just hit me up!

Halone, the Fury — What is your character passionate about? ● Love. She believes in loving those around her and protecting those she loves. Menphina, the Lover — Does your character have any lovers? ● Yes, she is engaged to be married to Khale Embrise. Thaliak, the Scholar — What topics or subjects does your character like to learn about? ● Alothia loves to read, mostly romance novels and trashy literature. She also finds learning about various magicks to be interesting. If it has to do with Aether, and it's something she doesn't know of yet, she will listen with rapt attention. Nymeia, the Spinner — Does your character have any extraordinary skills in crafting? ● Not really. She can whip up a simple potion, but that's about it. Llymlaen, the Navigator — What is your character’s dream vacation? Where would they go? Who or what would they bring with them? ● Alothia likes to go somewhere where she can see the stars. It reminds her of her connection to the Twelve, and the greater world as a whole. She'd bring Khale and the people of Jutat De. Oschon, the Wanderer — Where is your character from? Where do they consider their home to be now? ● She was born in the Shroud, not far from Hyrstmill. She considers the Shroud some of her home, but mostly home is where she finds comfort and where her friends are. Her current home is at the Jutat De house in the Goblet. Byregot, the Builder — What are the building blocks of your character’s personality from their childhood that determines their reactions and behaviors as an adult? ● Alothia was the eldest child, and was often ignored once her sister came around. It caused her to break out of her shell some, and has enabled her to be someone who approaches people and tries to pull them into conversations. Rhalgr, the Destroyer — If your character had the power, what would they destroy? ● The Ascians who are after her friends. The Garleans hell bent on destroying the land of Eorzea. Anyone who tries to touch or hurt someone she loves. Azeyma, the Warden — Who has been the most important role model in your character’s life? ● Probably the people who taught her throughout the years that having what you want out of life doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice others in order to get it. No one in particular, just a group of people. Nald’thal, the Traders — What does your character do for a living? What is their favorite job to work on? What is their least favorite job to do? ● Alothia handles paperwork and contracts for Jutat De. Mostly, she likes getting out in the field and shmoozing with people. Her least favorite thing to do would be to sit alone at her desk and do paperwork when the building is empty. She pretty much hates being alone. Nophica, the Matron — Describe your character’s parents? Who is their mother? Who is their father? ● Emet and Aughinae were Keepers of the Moon who fell in love, something unheard of, and so they left the tribe to avoid the stigma of their taboo. Instead, they moved near a Hyuran village in the Shroud, and learned their ways, raising Alothia in that tradition. Althyk, the Keeper — If your character could go back into the past and change one thing, what would it be and why? ● She wouldn't have fallen into the life of petty crime she did when she was younger. It caused her to have a lot of lost time, spent thinking about how she could atone for what she did. Only recently has she accepted that part of herself and tried to realize that you can't beat yourself up forever for past misdeeds.

Even though this is a silly thread, let's try to keep it on topic, please. If you want to have silly conversations, keep it on topic. I'm cleaning this thread up. /AdminHat

It's not a bad thing. Honestly, makes me proud to have played XIV as long as I have. I just think it's interesting how similar the two look.

A friend of mine posted this on their FB page, and I thought it was really interesting: http://kotaku.com/why-people-say-dragons-dogma-online-looks-like-final-fa-1698913797 http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--nMysxniq--/aamu4uoz4g2cbyisi0uj.gif[/img]12 As net users in Japan have pointed out, the Dragon’s Dogma Online interface seems to resemble the user interface in Final Fantasy XIV. That’s not surprising. Not at all. After an initial rocky rollout, a revamped Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn was released in 2013 and has become a success for Square Enix. Capcom is releasing Dragon’s Dogma Onlinesometime this year in Japan. But yes, most MMOs use a similar layout for user interface. If anything, Final Fantasy XIV is heavily influenced by successful online games that have gone before (thanks, Blizzard!). So of course the games will resemble each other! But, beyond that, there are some other similarities fans have noticed. For example, via 2ch, here are the pop-up windows in Final Fantasy XIV: http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--2amaI6OF--/sfqfjuzdyn2ohvhh2tgc.jpg[/img] And here is Dragon’s Dogma Online: http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--ryvz00Y6--/z1pguehtvuwhldutlonh.jpg[/img] Here is the cross-hotbar in Final Fantasy IV, which Square Enix developed for consoles: http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--gk5OZ3VN--/mv3bmcp74y7s16rveonj.jpg[/img] [Photo: baronffxiv] And the shortcut bar in Dragon’s Dogma Online—which might look too much like FFXIV’s shortcut: http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--mUtzfaq8--/onvlon9auxgejojrgdme.jpg[/img] Via Hachima, here is the teleport in Final Fantasy XIV: http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--qlNzGLAv--/kd3m4c5zyric2z1qtp1h.jpg[/img] And this is the base point Dragon’s Dogma Online: http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--RcFj4vFG--/gpua4bzqz6pol10jvkmb.jpg[/img] Because of the fantasy settings in both games, there are other similarities, such as a hydra appearing in FFXIV and one appearing in Dragon’s Dogma Online. Those similarities seem like coincidences and genre conventions. Big deal, whatever. I mean, Final Fantasy XIV didn’t invent the hydra, nor did it invent the MMORPG. Still, certain elements of Dragon’s Dogma Online do seem familiar. And while the UI is important, nobody will keep playing Dragon’s Dogma Online if the interface is good, but the rest of the game is crap. They also won’t play it if it seems like a lesser FFXIV. It’s gotta be good. Or, at least, good enough.