When a player takes IC as OOC.

[Roswyn]

I just try to blacklist ERPers because I just don't find it fun and I feel like it's a disgusting subject to bring up in games.

 

It also makes most role players look bad to non role players because non RPers always stereotype us and assume that we ERP majority of the time. 

 

Futanari or not, ERP shouldn't even exist which is why I avoid those benches like plague.

 

I don't wholly agree with this.

Depending on the maturity levels of the players involved, ERP can definitely have it's place in the character development department.

 

A lot of mental and emotional barriers people keep up naturally tend to fall in that scenario and it serves an opportunity for growth in a relationship + pillow talk and whatnot.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[Crisiet]

Depending on the maturity levels of the players involved

 

This is important to pretty much every type of IC/OOC bleed there is. Maturity, communication and knowing where to slam the breaks if you see it going awry will keep things relatively OOC-drama free.

 

For the issue brought up in the original post: You don't owe them real gil. They're being silly. 

 

For everything else in this topic right now: See the above gif.

[Geneticdork]

I think some RPers will have an IC to OOC bleed, or vice versa.

 

The difference between those who do that, are that among them some will maybe get upset if their character is upset, or happy if their character is happy, and so on only with themselves. While others in that group will actually get angry, upset, frustrated, or end up hating another RPer for what happened completely IC.

 

I think it's okay to feel emotions OOC from RP. A lot of RPers get really attached to their characters, it's like a second life sometimes. As long as the emotions don't lash out at others in some way, then it's fine.

 

Let me give two personal examples. Both from World of Warcraft, from my Goblin character.

 

One: There was one Goblin thug who would constantly try to insult, harass and disrespect my character. Most of the things he said were pretty brutal, mean, and crude. A couple times they got really heated, and OOC, I may have gotten a little heated in that moment too. However, it was only with me, because I got really into it. OOC, we actually became good friends during all this, and we knew none of these insults or the hate that was in RP was directed towards the person behind the screen. And if he did use an insult or something that made me uncomfortable, like using a certain word or trying to do something overly crude, I'd let him know OOC that it started to make me uncomfortable, and he'd stop using that word, or just move on to a different sort of insult or action. We respected and liked each other, and didn't let IC get mixed in with OOC.

 

Two: Almost two years ago, I became friends with a new Goblin RPer. For a few months we RPed with each other and got along fairly well. Then her character got involved romantically with a criminal who detested my character. My character and his ended up getting into verbal fights. She however, started to take all of this OOC, even though it wasn't even directed at her. Then she started to badmouth my character IC, and my character was hurt by that, and confronted her character through RP about it. For whatever reason, she took my character's confrontation to hers as something OOC. She whispered me about it later on, and I assured her it was completely IC, that I had had nothing wrong with her OOC. She wasn't convinced, and continued to push it, to the point where I did tell her "Please don't take IC into OOC" and she got even more upset/angry with me, and put me on ignore for a day or so. Since that point, the next couple of months, she continued to take everything my character did, both good and bad about her and her char's boyfriend, OOC. 

 

After that, she OOC harassed and trolled me, along with getting her friends/guildies to join her in that, as well as spread a ton of hate, lies, and rumors about me not only to my friends and acquaintances, but to complete strangers as well... for almost two years. She still hasn't completely left me alone yet. I made probably a dozen reports about her, and the GMs never did anything. She even tried to get people to lie and become friends with me, or join my guild, when in fact they were doing it for her, to try and hurt me or spy on my guild.

 

That whole experience was really hard to deal with. It may not seem like it was bad, but it was. It affected not only us, but a big chunk of the RP community as well. Being that I also have chronic depression and anxiety, it only made that whole situation worse.

 

I'm not saying everyone who takes IC into OOC is like that. She was a special case. But it still makes me get really anxious whenever someone seems like they're starting to take IC into OOC, or starts getting frustrated or angry or whatever at me, the player, because of my character.

 

Eh... I'll post more later on this thread, but that's just what I wanted to share for now.

[Aldotsk]

I just try to blacklist ERPers because I just don't find it fun and I feel like it's a disgusting subject to bring up in games.

 

It also makes most role players look bad to non role players because non RPers always stereotype us and assume that we ERP majority of the time. 

 

Futanari or not, ERP shouldn't even exist which is why I avoid those benches like plague.

 

I don't wholly agree with this.

Depending on the maturity levels of the players involved, ERP can definitely have it's place in the character development department.

 

A lot of mental and emotional barriers people keep up naturally tend to fall in that scenario and it serves an opportunity for growth in a relationship + pillow talk and whatnot.

 

Just my 2 cents

 

Not when it's awkward as you are playing an opposite gender character and then someone describes and elaborates ERP way too disturbing for readers. I'd just avoid it like plague, there are many other ways to develop relationships between characters and it does not necessarily have to be pillow fight or sleep on the bed or something more erotic than that.

 

Also it does not need to be brought to attention to other players.

[Roswyn]

 

Not when it's awkward as you are playing an opposite gender character and then someone describes and elaborates ERP way too disturbing for readers. I'd just avoid it like plague, there are many other ways to develop relationships between characters and it does not necessarily have to be pillow fight or sleep on the bed or something more erotic than that.

Also it does not need to be brought to attention to other players.

 

Completely agree with the bolded. Natalie made a post a while back I liked a lot.

 

(Paraphrasing) --> There are a couple different types of RPer but they can largely be broken down into "Story-Driven" and "The Porno Camp." :lol: I thought this was accurate.

[111]

I just try to blacklist ERPers because I just don't find it fun and I feel like it's a disgusting subject to bring up in games.

 

It also makes most role players look bad to non role players because non RPers always stereotype us and assume that we ERP majority of the time. 

 

Futanari or not, ERP shouldn't even exist which is why I avoid those benches like plague.

 

I don't wholly agree with this.

Depending on the maturity levels of the players involved, ERP can definitely have it's place in the character development department.

 

A lot of mental and emotional barriers people keep up naturally tend to fall in that scenario and it serves an opportunity for growth in a relationship + pillow talk and whatnot.

 

Just my 2 cents

 

Not when it's awkward as you are playing an opposite gender character and then someone describes and elaborates ERP way too disturbing for readers. I'd just avoid it like plague, there are many other ways to develop relationships between characters and it does not necessarily have to be pillow fight or sleep on the bed or something more erotic than that.

 

Also it does not need to be brought to attention to other players.

 

Well I mean... no one should do anything if the other person is OOCly uncomfortable with it. I mean any time I get involved with anything over PG-13, the other person always has plenty of time to say they don't like where it is going. Sort of like real intimacy! Consent is best!

[ZindelloTarantella]

Concerning all the ERP stuff, I have to say that there is a time and place for it, like most others have said. I have seen, however, far too much of two people standing silently in the corner of a night club in Champions Online to NOT know what that Miqote and Lalafel are doing sitting silently on that bench behind the Quicksand.

 

As for the guided RP through OOC, yes, I definitely support this too--having a gameplan helps and some of my best RP has come from pre-game brainstorming.

 

However, a downside to this is that sometimes you wind up planning so much that you make plotlines that never come to fruition because you're too busy planning.

[C'kayah Polaali]

I just try to blacklist ERPers because I just don't find it fun and I feel like it's a disgusting subject to bring up in games.

 

It also makes most role players look bad to non role players because non RPers always stereotype us and assume that we ERP majority of the time. 

 

Futanari or not, ERP shouldn't even exist which is why I avoid those benches like plague.

This is an interesting point of view to take.

 

As one of those disgusting ERPers, I'm especially fond of the subject because of how polarizing it is. Not because I want to make people uncomfortable (and this is why I keep my disgusting practices to /p chat and the like), but because it provides a really fascinating insight into human nature and western culture. Especially when you look at the other forms of RP that are widely accepted (killing, torture, theft, etc).

 

"I can describe an axe entering a human skull in great explicit detail and no one will blink twice at it. I provide a similar description, just as detailed, of a penis entering a vagina, and I get letters about it and people swearing off. To my mind this is kind of frustrating, it’s madness. Ultimately, in the history of [the] world, penises entering vaginas have given a lot of people a lot of pleasure; axes entering skulls, well, not so much."

 

  -- George RR Martin

[ZindelloTarantella]

 

"I can describe an axe entering a human skull in great explicit detail and no one will blink twice at it. I provide a similar description, just as detailed, of a penis entering a vagina, and I get letters about it and people swearing off. To my mind this is kind of frustrating, it’s madness. Ultimately, in the history of [the] world, penises entering vaginas have given a lot of people a lot of pleasure; axes entering skulls, well, not so much."

 

  -- George RR Martin

 

 

To be fair, this is the same man whose written works made incest into something 'sexy' in the mainstream so...grain of salt?

[Coatleque]

  -- George RR Martin

 

This pretty much sums up my take on it as well. I'm on Natalie and C'kayah's side here. Though I have nothing more to add to the conversation at this point.

[OttoVann]

I just try to blacklist ERPers because I just don't find it fun and I feel like it's a disgusting subject to bring up in games.

 

It also makes most role players look bad to non role players because non RPers always stereotype us and assume that we ERP majority of the time. 

 

Futanari or not, ERP shouldn't even exist which is why I avoid those benches like plague.

This is an interesting point of view to take.

 

As one of those disgusting ERPers, I'm especially fond of the subject because of how polarizing it is. Not because I want to make people uncomfortable (and this is why I keep my disgusting practices to /p chat and the like), but because it provides a really fascinating insight into human nature and western culture. Especially when you look at the other forms of RP that are widely accepted (killing, torture, theft, etc).

 

"I can describe an axe entering a human skull in great explicit detail and no one will blink twice at it. I provide a similar description, just as detailed, of a penis entering a vagina, and I get letters about it and people swearing off. To my mind this is kind of frustrating, it’s madness. Ultimately, in the history of [the] world, penises entering vaginas have given a lot of people a lot of pleasure; axes entering skulls, well, not so much."

 

  -- George RR Martin

 

Its really not just western culture though.

[Nero]

The only thing I have to contribute to this topic is my personal belief that a roleplayer should care more about telling a good story than they should care about their characters.

 

That's obviously a sweeping generalisation that doesn't apply to everything, but it's a maxim that's good for making it look like I know what I'm doing.

[C'kayah Polaali]

 

"I can describe an axe entering a human skull in great explicit detail and no one will blink twice at it. I provide a similar description, just as detailed, of a penis entering a vagina, and I get letters about it and people swearing off. To my mind this is kind of frustrating, it’s madness. Ultimately, in the history of [the] world, penises entering vaginas have given a lot of people a lot of pleasure; axes entering skulls, well, not so much."

 

  -- George RR Martin

 

 

To be fair, this is the same man whose written works made incest into something 'sexy' in the mainstream so...grain of salt?

Mmmm, it's mostly HBO that made that particular case of incest sexy in the mainstream. In the books? Not so much...

[ZindelloTarantella]

 

"I can describe an axe entering a human skull in great explicit detail and no one will blink twice at it. I provide a similar description, just as detailed, of a penis entering a vagina, and I get letters about it and people swearing off. To my mind this is kind of frustrating, it’s madness. Ultimately, in the history of [the] world, penises entering vaginas have given a lot of people a lot of pleasure; axes entering skulls, well, not so much."

 

  -- George RR Martin

 

 

To be fair, this is the same man whose written works made incest into something 'sexy' in the mainstream so...grain of salt?

Mmmm, it's mostly HBO that made that particular case of incest sexy in the mainstream. In the books? Not so much...

 

Uh, excuse me. I prefer to paint with BROAD strokes, thank you very much! Especially regarding a series of books I've never read and TV show I've never watched! This is the Internet and I am fully entitled to belittle other people morally for things I have no actual experience with!

[C'kayah Polaali]

 

"I can describe an axe entering a human skull in great explicit detail and no one will blink twice at it. I provide a similar description, just as detailed, of a penis entering a vagina, and I get letters about it and people swearing off. To my mind this is kind of frustrating, it’s madness. Ultimately, in the history of [the] world, penises entering vaginas have given a lot of people a lot of pleasure; axes entering skulls, well, not so much."

 

  -- George RR Martin

 

 

To be fair, this is the same man whose written works made incest into something 'sexy' in the mainstream so...grain of salt?

Mmmm, it's mostly HBO that made that particular case of incest sexy in the mainstream. In the books? Not so much...

 

Uh, excuse me. I prefer to paint with BROAD strokes, thank you very much! Especially regarding a series of books I've never read and TV show I've never watched! This is the Internet and I am fully entitled to belittle other people morally for things I have no actual experience with!

In that case, carry on, Sir!

[Aldotsk]

All I am saying is that if someone asks you to OOCly (if it gets to that point) to stop, it usually means something. It's not a hint, or it's not an evasive maneuver. It means -stop- literally. Party/Private chats are perfectly fine. But we as players should also learn to accommodate for others if we have to. We -aren't- obligated, since the other people can just blacklist us, but that's not what we want within our group of friends.

 

Sometimes, OOC talk is necessary if you feel disturbed, or annoyed or frustrated about something. Chances are that IC character's personality is not exactly same as OOC player's personality.

 

Like I can be extremely psychopath deranged killer ICly and keep harassing homeless PCs and these homeless IC characters can OOCly think I am that much of a jerk OOCly by ignoring me completely. But OOCly, I could be just a nice guy trying to play as a complete opposite character to my actual persona. 

 

I've had many OOC PMs about people talking to me that they don't want a tension between me and him/her OOCly, and I understand it completely and that RP is RP and OOC is OOC. Should there be a problem, then there is a PM to talk it out.

 

There are some -people- who'd just be a douche by ICly and OOCly being obnoxious and griefing. So there are -those- kind of people and those are people that you just blacklist and move on. If they keep stalking you, then report them.

[Delilah Scythewood]

All I am saying is that if someone asks you to OOCly (if it gets to that point) to stop, it usually means something. It's not a hint, or it's not an evasive maneuver. It means -stop- literally. Party/Private chats are perfectly fine. But we as players should also learn to accommodate for others if we have to. We -aren't- obligated, since the other people can just blacklist us, but that's not what we want within our group of friends.

 

Sometimes, OOC talk is necessary if you feel disturbed, or annoyed or frustrated about something. Chances are that IC character's personality is not exactly same as OOC player's personality.

 

Like I can be extremely psychopath deranged killer ICly and keep harassing homeless PCs and these homeless IC characters can OOCly think I am that much of a jerk OOCly by ignoring me completely. But OOCly, I could be just a nice guy trying to play as a complete opposite character to my actual persona. 

 

I've had many OOC PMs about people talking to me that they don't want a tension between me and him/her OOCly, and I understand it completely and that RP is RP and OOC is OOC. Should there be a problem, then there is a PM to talk it out.

 

There are some -people- who'd just be a douche by ICly and OOCly being obnoxious and griefing. So there are -those- kind of people and those are people that you just blacklist and move on. If they keep stalking you, then report them.

Sadly douchebaggery is going to be every where. I tend to avoid blacklisting when I can. I've only blacklisted two RPers in this game, and both were because of OOC reasons and that those people had made me uncomfortable enough as people that I didn't even want to deal with their characters.

 

Some of this goes back to what I said in an earlier post where communication can be sooooo darn important. It also can help loosely judge how a person handles certain things with RP if you drop them a line like 'Oh wow, I wonder how these interractions go! Our characters are so different!' during the IC bits and see how they respond. Sometimes you can be surprised what basic psychology can do to help gauge a player.

 

I've helped dodge some red flags in the earlier stages of RP by briefly poking at the player and being friendly. The example I'll use (which is honestly my only real cautionary point that I'm not willing to bend on) is when a player keeps referring to the character as if it were them. "Wow, your character was a bitch to me!" or something along those lines. I'll stop, drum my fingertips atop my desk, and think on how to handle that. Are they a new RPer? Do they realize that that kind of phrasing can give the wrong impression? Should I tell them or will I just sound like a bitch? Should I wait it out and see?

 

Or the question that crosses my mind on a normal basis: "Am I just over thinking things?"

[crowmeleon]

Beating a dead horse by saying that I think these have always been, and will always be problems within the community. 

 

On an interesting note I guess I could bring up the example of Faolan. I really don't play him any justice because he's supposed to be a real jerkass. But IRL I'm excruciatingly nice and I struggle really playing him as the asshole with a heart of gold he's meant to be. The latter is easy. But the former? I always end up with d-bag-lite. I'm working on it though. Someone please teach me to be an asshole. When I do manage it you can guarantee I'll be spamming your pms with coddling reassurances. 'He's a real prick but I swear I'm not OOC. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you start to feel uncomfortable and I'll redirect!" and "I'M SO SORRY" every time he drops a particular toothy line. And it's partially because of the worrying OTHERS will IC/OOC mix I mellow him down unless I'm doing private rp. 

 

Sometimes with squabbles I'll need some OOC conversation to make sure we're still on good terms. 

 

IC/OOC mixing, particularly when the other person's priorities seem romance-bound, makes me NOPE NOPE NOPE the hell out of there faster than anything else. 

 

Eh, on the ERP subject I don't really feel I can judge any rp that goes on between individuals in private. My personal opinion on the contents of that rp is a moot point. There is room in this world for both those comfortable with ERP and those who are not. We need only respect one another's preferences- Without judgement or scorn. But that goes for preferences in general. There are some things I'm not comfortable with in rp. But that's a personal preference, and I recognize that. So I can't look down on those whose rp employs those subjects. I just don't participate. Likewise, I respect that some people may not be comfortable with subjects I include in my roleplay, and never create situations in which people are forced to participate- As well as make sure they can know they can redirect or straight up drop the rp at any time they want to, no reasons needed, no strings attached. I'd rather be overzealously overprotective than unintentionally hurt someone. 

 

If someone doesn't respect your boundaries they are not someone you want to be roleplaying with.

 

However I can understand the frustration with unexpected whispers blatantly attempting to solicit sexual roleplay. What, you're not even going to buy me dinner first? Rude.

[Faye]

I think there's a distinction to be made between RPers who are okay with ERPing, ERPers, and those just looking to cyber. But that's a discussion for another thread.

 

That. So much that.

 

I don't see the point in shaming those who ERP or saying "ERP shouldn't exist." Replace ERP with "have sex" and it's much clearer how silly saying things like "I hate people who ERP" or "people shouldn't ERP" sounds. Most of us RP adult characters, and adult characters often end up in adult situations. Some of us fade to black, and some ERP, and neither choice is holier than the other. If anyone chooses not to ERP that's great! But it doesn't mean they need to tell others they can't/shouldn't ERP.  

 

There are those who never ERP at all or perhaps never even have characters in intimate situations, and that's super! There are those who RP and are okay with ERP if sex happens to come up in the storyline (myself being one of these, though certain OOC stipulations still have to be met otherwise I'd rather just fade to black) and if everyone OOC is a consenting adult and it's in private, that's super! There are those who RP solely for the sake of ERP and design their characters around their fetishes, and if everyone OOC is a consenting adult and it's in private, that's super! And then there are always who are just looking to cyber and ERP is a quick and easy way for them to accomplish that, and--guess what--if everyone OOC is a consenting adult and it's in private, that's super! As with most things in life, live and let be, and if you don't like something, don't do it. @Aldotsk, It's not fair to villainize anyone who ERPs just because an ERPer may have tried to force unsolicited ERP on you. That's not an ERPer, that's just a jerk ass, and there are plenty of those who don't ERP.

 

To try to bring this full circle back to the initial post of blurring IC/OOC and expand on what I meant in the parentheses in the above paragraph... I rarely ERP as I'm very careful/picky about who I'd ever ERP with should it arise in the RP (which it usually doesn't lol). I've had characters in romantic relationships where the other RPer has gotten a little too clingy/possessive/amorous OOC more than once, and I can only imagine how much worse it would be if sex had been in the equation. As such, I find it a good practice to communicate with the other RPer OOC extensively and spend enough time with them to learn if they'd likely be the type to bleed through.

[Delilah Scythewood]

I've had characters in romantic relationships where the other RPer has gotten a little too clingy/possessive/amorous OOC more than once, and I can only imagine how much worse it would be if sex had been in the equation. As such, I find it a good practice to communicate with the other RPer OOC extensively and spend enough time with them to learn if they'd likely be the type to bleed through.

*gives a big bowl full of 'like's*

 

Sometimes though it can still happen even after speaking with the person and thinking you know them well enough to judge that they aren't the type. Sometimes the bleeding doesn't happen until further down the line.

[Lillini]

I'm a little guilty of OOC affecting IC regarding my character's personality as well. Similar to crowmeleon, my character has a bit of douchebag in his personality, but I keep playing him too nice because I find it awkward OOC to be rude to a stranger (I also find IC flirting extremely embarrassing).

 

Mostly, I think that people who have characters very similar to them in terms of personality/likes/dislikes will have issues OOC when something happens to their character since they're too much alike, so it becomes personal. Since characters are something people spend a lot of time creating, sometimes it's easy to view the characters as your own children and you get offended if someone doesn't like them or treats them badly. I think that small, OOC bits of communication (even something as mundane as a "LOL" or a small blurb) can help alleviate this. As for ERP, well, just keep it private.

[Faye]

I've had characters in romantic relationships where the other RPer has gotten a little too clingy/possessive/amorous OOC more than once, and I can only imagine how much worse it would be if sex had been in the equation. As such, I find it a good practice to communicate with the other RPer OOC extensively and spend enough time with them to learn if they'd likely be the type to bleed through.

*gives a big bowl full of 'like's*

 

Sometimes though it can still happen even after speaking with the person and thinking you know them well enough to judge that they aren't the type. Sometimes the bleeding doesn't happen until further down the line.

 

Very true! You never know people 100%, or sometimes people just change.

[allgivenover]

Definatly need to keep in mind the distinction between RPers that are ok with RP that could be labeled ERP (I say could be because I've had Rakka'li engage with characters despite my being bored with it OOC because he has poor impulse control, though that's not the other RPers fault that I was bored) and people who just want to cybersex with limited context.

 

 

I will never tire of how amusing that disparity is. Violence, thievery, torture, kidnapping, and even rape-as-backstory is fine and never illicits the same amount of judgement and disgust as ERP. It's fine if you don't want to engage, but try not to be on a highhorse about it.

[Zyrusticae]

I will never tire of how amusing that disparity is. Violence, thievery, torture, kidnapping, and even rape-as-backstory is fine and never illicits the same amount of judgement and disgust as ERP. It's fine if you don't want to engage, but try not to be on a highhorse about it.

Yuuuuup.

 

It's one thing to just not be interested in it, but, well, quite frankly being disgusted by it speaks to some pretty deep-seated issues and some possibly unhealthy attitudes about sex in general. I mean... people fug. In fact, people fug a lot. Some people do it every day, and not always with the same person. That's just a fact of life. As far as I'm concerned, if no one's getting hurt, there's really nothing objectionable about it.

 

I can't even begin to imagine how to run someone with such a strong attitude about sex through therapy, so I won't even try, but I would really strongly suggest anyone with such attitudes to think deeply on why they feel the way they do, at the very least. It's not cool to call other people disgusting just for doing something that comes naturally to them.

 

And speaking more to the topic, I will personally refrain from taking myself and my character into any intimately personal relationships as a matter of principle. It's nothing personal. I just got burned by such relationships in the past and would rather protect myself than put myself through that kind of emotional turmoil again. If I ever do engage in ERP it's going to be of the one-night stand variety, and I hope no one takes that personally (if you do, I'm sorry).

[Erik Mynhier]

[align=center][/align]

 

Ok, read the whole thing...... here we go with my unwanted opinion.

 

1. IC/OOC Bleed

This happens to alot of RPers, that has been said 58 times in this thread alone I am sure. When you spend hours on end... days, weeks, months pretending to be this amazing person you made, you can forget its all a game. A game effecting you is not cool for you, you deserve better. Now old Papa Erik has been RPing since the days of yore, in the lands of Tables and Doritos, in the ancient 80's and he has learned a trick or two to handle this bleed. You push so much of your personality and life experiences through the character that the bleed goes the other way. This shields you a bit from IC drama, though on a bad day it can be less fun for characters you roll with, but if that's the case you probably don't feel like logging anyway. If your cranky, its ok for your toon to be cranky, but never ok for something in game to effect you. If that happens, log out, go see a flick or something and force yourself to stay out until you have fixed your head. I don't say this to be mean, I say it because I care. A game should never effect your real life in a negative way, if it does, its time to log out.

 

2. OOC Guidance

"So uh.... his RP sucks.... Should we, IDK, tell him nicely he sucks?"

No, no, no, no, no, no, nonononononononononoooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't be that guy, don't be a RP snob and tell someone they suck, no matter how much they suck, no matter how far in left field they are from the lore. You know why? Because its not your place to tell another paying player they suck, no matter how nice. Now here is what you do.... or what I do. If you see a sucky RPer.... become their friend. Don't let them know you think they suck, just friend them. Now what you say? Add them to your story, let them watch you, and others interact. Unless they are braindamaged they will catch on, and what do you know, they are better because you lead by example instead of OOC correcting them like a dick, to which they ignored you anyway. Keeping quality in a server is the responsibility of every player, SE or Freelance Wizard isn't going to do it for us. You heard the lady, "Let those who walk before, lead those who walk after." Its in the damn theme song people. Lead, don't lecture.

 

3. ERP

I am a 34 year old man living in the US. I.... love.... sex. I said it. Now that said, ERP is not my cup of tea often. It has to be 1. with someone of trust and quality, 2. someone who won't IC/OOC bleed from it, 3. make sense for the character and the moment. That's a high bar, and to date in this game it has only been cleared by 2 players. It happens, and as stated its no big deal unless you have some issues, which is ok if you do. It has been my experience that most ERPer on this server are pretty good about it. They stick to PMs or try to find a quiet out of the way place and try not to be trouble. Sure the QS gets pretty blue late at night, but for the most part other MMOs have it much worse. Hell, the Ebonheart Pact areas are basically open world whore houses on TESO. Now as for the.... creative stuff, again, who are we to judge? Is it lore breaking? That question..... um.... no it is not. There is nowhere in the Lore that forbids you getting creative with your biological makeup. There was no mission in 1.0 where the Flame General specifically said "There Shall Be But One Winky Per Man, And One Clam Per Lady.... SO SAITH THE LORE!" There are transgender people in real life. There are hermaphrodites in real life. There are gay people in real life. Real life is amazing because its crazy random, enjoy it. If someone wants to play a character that some would call "abnormal", well good for them. Like Mama Mynhier use to tell her baby boy, "If you and I were the same, they would only need one of us." If it gets to weird for me that's what Blist is for. Don't sweat the Lore, you'll be happier and live longer.

 

4. Conclusion

We are all cool folks here. I don't have to tell you, many of whom have walked the winding roads of MMO cesspool communities enough to know we have a pretty good thing going here for us. I've never been in a place this nice, where players get along. That said I am noticing cracks in this community on our happy little Balmung. I cannot be the only one to notice the heat spiking more and more here on these forums, the clicks forming in-game. Its bad ladies and gentlemen. Its bad because it will ruin it. We all are people behind the screens, we are all friends. If you saw me on the street you would be like "DUDE!" And I would to you. We all have to pay that $15 a month, but we don't have to play the same. I can play my spy game while you play your cop game, while she plays her ERP game. Its cool, you know why? Because its cool thats why. We are all friends and this server and community is big enough for all of us. Its a game, what happens ingame is ingame, but we are cool people, because we chose to become friends here. We post pics of ourselves, talk about updates, chat about our real lives in PM. We care about the people behind the screen, that's the good kind of IC/OOC bleed, we care. So let's take that with us, lets get along and make the other RP communities say "I wish our community was cool like their's." And let us not forget the words of the great ones as we go forth....

 

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