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#Post#: 171--------------------------------------------------
General Rules: Ramble/Rant/Reiterate/Love
By: Mascii Date: April 11, 2013, 11:19 am
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Okay, first off, I am not posting this because anyone is in
trouble or to be reprimanded. I’m posting this because (1) I am
the senior RP-er here, so I feel responsible for helping you
guys out as much as I can (2) The internet is a big, scary
place, and RP in and of itself has so much room for personality
and preference, that it’s nice to set down some
rules/boundaries/inspirations/etc, and (3) I know that
sometimes, it is hard to make a collaborative writing group
work, this is because there are so many personalities and
backgrounds, writing styles and the ability to misunderstand
involved. HOWEVER, this is EXACTLY why I love roleplaying so
much, and that’s why I personally invited each of you to join
in. I have seen your writing, and I would love to see how YOUR
lovely writing and characters can affect everyone else’s. Your
character’s voice, background, tendencies, habits…they all
develop when they are pushed to their limits, and the way RPing
does is that it pits your character and style against styles
that are very different. You take some of this influence for
your own, and you give some, too. Some things remain the same.
This is how personal development works, and I am SO SO SO
excited to see how this huge, colorful cast of character will
show to affect each other. :)
Now, as far as some rules, we have had some discrepancies as far
as how to post, when to intrude on a conversation, formatting,
etc, etc. Already, I can kind of sense that if I had been more
up-front and directorial from the get-go, some misunderstandings
could have been avoided, but..you can’t change the past, so
we’ll move forward from this as a group. :) Usually, I post a
list of rules from the get-go, but I did not want to force
myself on as a leader here, so I did not. However, I should have
made this sort of thing clear, so there wouldn’t be
disagreements or misunderstandings, and for that, I have to
apologize to you all.
1. Your character is your own. “God-modding” and excessive
and/or unrealistic control over situations and such
circumstances is strictly forbidden. I am very stricton this,
because I respect everyone and their right to have complete
control over their own character. If your character is
talkative, they can fill the dash with spam and ramblings. If
your character is quiet, they can sit on the sidelines and only
make the occasional comment. I TOTALLY get that. I have had
both, and many in-between. Because I respect this, I do not
allow myself or anyone else to control any other Player’s
characters. If character A throws a punch at character B, it is
Player A’s responsibility to speak with Player B about if the
punch is successful, if it throw them back, if they avoid it,
etc. Keep it real, but keep it interesting. No one is perfect,
and that’s the beauty of it. I have been known to roll dice or
use generators to make decisions if my partner and I could not.
;) If, for instance, the Player doesn’t mind, it’s totally okay
to say, “You know what? You know my character well enough by
now. I trust you to decide.” But even then, you should still be
courteous and communicate, and be open to alterations at the
Player’s request. Just be respectful!
(Oh, and don’t break any fourth walls or do unrealistic things,
please! For instance, if people have ‘whispers’ or ‘private’, do
not have your character intuitively know things as if they were
public, etc. Or if they do, discuss the likelihood of this with
the Players involved, please! These text messages and things are
meant for others to reference or to kindle plot twists/etc, so
the usage of them is very carefully rendered. Also, it lets you
follow the plot of certain characters and their relationships
better, so please don’t make me take that ability away!)
That being said, no one can make your character do anything. Let
me repeat: NO ONE CAN MAKE YOUR CHARACTER DO ANYTHING. That
character is completely in your hands, and in return, you have
no control over anyone else’s character, either. While your
character may insult another character, it is up to the Player
whether or not they feel bad, feel angry, or ignore it. In
addition, collaborative writing is meant to be a growing
experience - expect feedback from other characters and other
Players. Some will make comments about your character’s
development, positive and negative, or suggest
plots/schemes/scenes. THAT IS OKAY. Just understand that when
someone talks to you about your character, it isalways assumed
as a suggestion only. Additionally, RP is meant to be a FUN,
ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE, so it is your responsibility to be
respectful when you give advice or suggestions, and to not make
it a personal vendetta to correct another person on their RP
style or development. Everyone here is at a different ‘level’,
not making them superior or inferior, but at different depths of
complexity and color. And that is another beautiful thing about
RP. :)
And last, but not least, do not make the characters or
storylines too personal. I know we can all get caught up in the
lives of our alter-ego, and I do myself. I get excited or sad
along with my babies. But if we let our real lives interfere,
then this will just become a horrible, ugly drama diva hole.
YOUR CHARACTERS DO NOT CONTROL YOU. I will not say ‘they do not
exist’, because I know that to you, they feel very real. But
they are a part of you, a section of your own self and your own
creativity. Not the other way around. So be the bigger guy and
don’t get too defensive or personal about your characters.
2. Maturity Level in the RP. I completely understand that
everyone here comes from a different background, and there is a
great variance in many things, particularly when it comes to
morality; swearing, orientation, sexual themes, religion, social
conduct, and many, many others. I will promise you that, as the
senior-RPer, I have seen it all. And I do not judge you for it,
and it will not affect whether or not I roleplay with you. As
long as respect is shown to others. My personal preferences will
in no way make me unlikely to RP something. I have roleplayed
with ten year olds about clumsy coffee men and zoo visits, and I
have roleplayed rated M mafia sex scenes. My characters are all
from different backgrounds as well, and so are yours. I’ve had
old characters, young characters, witch characters, gay
characters, characters with a heightened sense of divine
justice, murderers, and kids-next-door. I don’t care - my
character, however, might. If one of my characters takes
offense, it is only at another character. I do not make it a
personal issue.
HOWEVER. I have had problems in the past with characters who
were quite discontent and would lash out at others. I think she
would have been a lovely, complex character to RP with, if her
Player had been respectful about it. Instead, she used offensive
slang in post multiple times, and made racist and sexist remarks
in many of her posts, and was generally a pain to RP with. That
being said, I do not care if there are mature themes or swearing
in the RP. Personally, I don’t care. I think that as long as it
is important to your character’s voice, and you think it
necessary, then that is your prerogative as an author.
Nonetheless, respect of others is an important issue. I don’t
want Players to feel awkward or like others’ beliefs are being
pushed on them, on either end of the scale. So, I must insist
that on the forum, we keep the swear-filter on (it will
automatically filter everything) and keep the maturity level
there at about PG-13. This is mostly because my younger sisters
may join in, and I want it to be enjoyable for them, as well,
and also because then if anyone finds the tumblr’s more lax
rules discomfiting, they can still take an active part in the
RP. I think that this is fair enough, but if you have
qualms/issues/questions, feel free to let me know or make
suggestions. So, here on tumblr, I don’t care so much. But on
the RP, keep it PG-13. When it doubt, go PG. There are a million
and one ways to refer to more mature things in a subtle, classy
way, and I know you are all intelligent enough to find it. ;)
Fair?
Formatting. This is a minor thing, but I feel I should clarify
this a bit more.
1. If you ever need to contact me, DO SO. Do not hesitate I
love you all, so you should feel comfortable contacting me with
any issues you have, whether with the site, the situation, or
any of the Players (including myself) But if you cannot talk to
me, then at least speak with one of the other Players. I do not
promote gossiping around or whatever, but if you need advice, I
know for certain that MTM and GG are both excellent and
well-knowledged, and they would LOVE to help you out in any way
possible.
Also, if you need to contact me OOC, please do so on this
account, Yukito’s. That is just to make sure that I see it (as I
sign into his most often) and to keep it all together and
simple. :)
2. Reblogs vs. replies.
This is one of the reasons I dislike doing RP on tumblr, at
least on its own. If you hit ‘reply’ and send a comment back IC,
then it is much quicker. However, should the other Player need
to reply back, it is a bit of a pain to copy/paste, create a new
text post, and format your comment in the form of a sectioned
reply. I know, we’re lazy, but especially as I have three
characters, and if i am away from my own computer, I have to
sign out and sign back in to another account any time I need to
answer or reply to anything, efficiency is a big deal. However,
I know that sometimes it is just a little ‘lol this is great
omg’ kind of a reply, and also, I don’t want to clutter
everyone’s dash up with constant, unnecessary reblogs.
SO. Here is my compromise. If you character makes a comment on
someone else’s picture or post, and you do not intend it to be a
conversation starter, but a commentary, then feel free to use
the convenient reply button.
IF the comment is replied to, then a conversation has started.
PLEASE reblog it, so it’s easier on your fellow Player.
IF you intend to start a conversation with someone, please make
it a text post or reblog.
This way, we know how important that comment is, we have mixed
the convenient reply button AND the efficiency of the reblog
button.
If you have any comments or suggestions or questions, please let
me know. I am open to your thoughts!
IN CONCLUSION:
This is probably not all the rules/guidelines we will need for
this RP. In a phrase, I just have to say “be respectful to other
writers”. Treat everyone else like a best-selling author, and be
kind. Because you never know if/when they actually WILL be a
best-selling author. :) Tolkien and Lewis were in a casual
collaborative writing group, and now their names will live on
centuries past their own time. This tells me that this kind of
writing WORKS. And I see you all as real writers, working to
become professionals, and seeking input and help from other
authors. :)
Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions! I feel
proud to see you wondering and thinking about things, and
learning about new stuff. And I want this to be a
super-fun-fantastical experience for all involved. ;) I know
sometimes I can come across as intimidating (although HOW, I
have no idea) but I really do love to write, and I enjoy seeing
others active on the site, as well as on tumblr. And that is the
most important thing to me on here.
みんな、大好き！
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