| |
[Aug. 30th, 2010|02:45 pm] |
Hi everyone,
I've made a couple of mod posts in the past about the importance of communication - namely, of talking to players when you have a problem of them. I don't particularly feel like repeating myself, but in this case I feel like it hasn't sunk in for a lot of people. So I'm going to be completely blunt.
Bitchiness, passive-aggression, gossiping, complaining behind people's backs? It's not fucking on.
We are all adults, and I expect us all to behave like adults. That means that if you have a problem with somebody - whether it's their behaviour, their characterisation, their writing, their choice of beverage, whatever - you talk to them. Or, if that's too daunting, you bring it up with the mods. You do not proceed to bitch about it to anyone who'll listen, or passive-aggressively snub people, or create needless drama.
I know I'm not the only one who's sick of this. I'm not the only one who finds it hard to get motivated, to get myself as excited as I used to about this game that I love because I'm just tired to death of the fucking drama. In fact, I think I can safely say that most of us are sick of it, and it's got to stop.
And I know that everybody needs to let off some steam sometime, but there can be a fine line between venting frustrations and just being nasty - and unfortunately there are a number of people in this game who've crossed it. And when you don't even try to communicate with a person - when you, in fact, actively avoid talking to them while continuing to slam them behind their back? That is way, way over the line.
I don't expect everybody here to get along. In any game there are bound to be some personality clashes, some people who work together better than others - that's only natural. What I do expect is that everybody - everybody - is treated with respect.
We're all adults here. Now let's start acting like it.
- Jess |
|
|
| Communication |
[Aug. 12th, 2010|01:01 pm] |
I know none of what I'm about to say will be anything new to most, if not all of you, but I've encountered a few rather worrying instances of failure in communication lately -- misunderstandings or problems between players going unaddressed, and instead being allowed to fester, resulting in venting and bitchiness behind people's backs -- and that really concerns me.
If you've got an issue with another player, the best way to resolve it is to open a discussion with them. The HMD is an excellent place to do this, but it's not the only forum for expressing your concerns -- many people also have personal HMDs in their character journals and every player can be reached via PM or email (and in most cases, IM), as detailed in the contact post.
Everybody needs to vent sometimes, I get that, but it does concern me when I see people making complaints about another player behind that person's back, without actually raising the problem with the player themself. That's not helpful to anyone.
Consider, too, how upsetting it is for a player to discover from a third party that somebody has a problem with them, and that this person has been complaining about them to others. This player may never have realised there was a problem, and all of a sudden they're learning that people are venting about them behind their back. Suddenly what may have been a small problem -- a misconstrued comment, a disagreement over characterisation -- has become a much bigger problem.
To put it briefly, if you have an issue of any sort with somebody else in the game, talk to them. Or talk to me, if you find the idea of approaching the other person too intimidating. I'm happy to hear your concerns in private and make suggestions on how the problem might be best resolved, or how you could broach the topic with the person. Don't just leave it to fester. |
|
|
| |
[Aug. 11th, 2010|11:28 am] |
Hey guys,
Seems to be a little bit of confusion over what narrative material ought to be going in the journals and what ought to be posted in the comms, so I thought I'd clear things up.
-- Anything resembling a log - ie, regular face-to-face character interaction - goes in the comms.
-- Shorter narratives (think a couple of paragraphs or less) can happily sit in the journals, as can narratives leading into a journal entry like this or this.
-- Any longer narrative can go in the comms, and should if it pertains to plot. However, we're flexible here, so if it's not directly plot-relevant or just more of an interlude post (like this or this) and you don't feel it sits comfortably in the comms, it's fine to post it in your journal - just remember to use an LJ-cut for the sake of the flist!
-- All past narratives go in the past comm.
I hope that makes sense to everyone! |
|
|
| |
[Jul. 30th, 2010|08:05 pm] |
I'm sorry to bring this up again, since the main issue that sparked the post has been resolved and I know that all those involved are eager to put it behind them and get on with the much more fun business of RPing -- but it's come to my attention that my recent mod post was rather badly worded in a couple of places, and may have given some people the wrong impression. I've edited it now, but I felt I ought to post this to get rid of any lingering confusion.
The post was intended to address three separate issues: that of anon dickery, the appropriate place for crit, and some concerns about harassment that have arisen of late. Unfortunately, due entirely to fail on my part, it may have come across as if the three issues were all one and that I was therefore accusing those who posted crit on character journals of being bullies.
That was not my intention at all, and I sincerely apologise to those people. While I consider it inappropriate to post criticisms of players, their characters and characterisations in character journal posts, I understand that some others have been operating under different assumptions and I recognise that these people did not intend to show disrespect or embarrass anybody.
Likewise, it was not my intention to shame anybody in making that post, and if I did so through my clumsy wording, I am very sorry. I felt, and still feel, that it was important for me to raise these three issues, but I phrased it poorly and I apologise for any worry or confusion this has caused. |
|
|
| |
[Jul. 28th, 2010|06:50 pm] |
Three things:
1. Posting douchey anon comments. We've been over this, guys. Whoever's responsible has to grow the fuck up, or gtfo. I'm seriously over it. This time it wasn't in the OOC comm, but if I see any evidence of that kind of bullshit surfacing in here I am going to turn on IP screening, and anybody who's caught anonymously bullying other players is going to face serious consequences.
There is no excuse for this.
2. Posting crit in public journal posts. I recognise now that we haven't all been on the same page of this, and I understand that those who have been posting OOC crit in character journals have not intended any disrespect. To clarify-- please do not post criticisms of players or their characterisations in RP journals. It does come across as rude and disrespectful and while some people are okay with it, for some players it can be quite embarrassing or even upsetting to have their RP interrupted by even a well-intentioned critique. Instead, please use either the monthly HMD, the player's personal HMD or contact post, or get in touch with the person privately.
3. Harassment: A separate issue from the most recent incident, but one which has been hanging around for some time.
Look, there are many ways in which mythological characters and their actions can be interpreted. And yeah, your own personal views on certain characters are not always going to align with the player's ideas and characterisation choices. That does not mean that the player is wrong.
If a player has made a characterisation choice that you don't understand, or that seems OOC to you, it is not unreasonable for you to discuss your concerns in an appropriate setting. Recognise, however, that in some cases you may never see eye-to-eye on some things, and that what you see as IC the other person may consider incompatible with the character as they envision them.
It is all very well to raise a concern about somebody's characterisation, but when a player has recognised your arguments, detailed their position and explained why they have taken a different interpretation than your own -- when you reach the stage where it's clear you simply have differing ideas on the subject, it is not beneficial to either party to continue pressing the point.
Simply put, there's a point at which what may initially have been intended as constructive criticism loses its constructiveness, and just becomes harassment. Don't be that person. Show some respect to your fellow players, and recognise that sometimes all you can do is agree to disagree.
If, after this, you still have real concerns about a player or character -- for instance, if you feel there is a breach of game rules or that something is causing particular trouble for other players' characterisations -- you are welcome to contact me privately. If it's a problem, I can deal with it. But it is never okay to harass other players, or to make them feel belittled for taking an interpretation that differs from your own.
We now return you to your regularly-scheduled pretendy fun times.
Edit: Relating to my final point, I'd also like to take this opportunity to remind everybody that I am always willing to discuss any concerns you might have, and if you feel that you have been bullied or harassed you are more than welcome to talk to me about it. Unfortunately, since harassment often happens behind the scenes in IMs and emails, I'm not always aware that it's taking place unless you tell me about it -- but you don't have to suffer in silence. It is not right that anybody should be feeling belittled because of the way they're playing their character and I want to put a stop to that kind of bullying behaviour. |
|
|
| |
[Jul. 21st, 2010|02:08 pm] |
Hello, all! Well, we've officially reached the stage where the cast list in its current form can no longer fit on three pages. xD I'm currently working on an overhaul, so please excuse any glitches as I fiddle with the coding.
Since I'm working on the lists, I thought this might be a good time to ask whether anybody had any characters or NPCs that they were no longer using or were looking to drop. Now, I'm absolutely not angling to get people to give up characters here -- I love our big, diverse cast and I've got no problem with people holding onto numerous NPCs because I know they serve a purpose. I'm more talking about, say, that NPC you might have picked up for a specific purpose that didn't pan out, or the character you apped to fill a plot that subsequently fell through. I'm aware that sometimes things can fall through the cracks, I can miss things, and as a result occasionally an NPC or character can linger on the cast list after it's been dropped or is no longer in use, and I'd like to make sure that we don't have any of those at the moment so that our new cast list can be completely up to date.
Again, this is not an attempt to pressure anybody into dropping characters that are in use. If you are currently using all of your characters and NPCs -- whether you post with them every day, or just occasionally -- no worries! This isn't an activity check, I'm just looking for those characters and NPCs that are no longer needed or used by the player.
So if there are any characters or NPCs of yours who are on the current list and shouldn't be, please let me know by email, PM, IM, comment, tweet, carrier pigeon, etc. Thanks!
- Jess :) |
|
|
| |
[Jun. 11th, 2010|06:22 pm] |
Hi guys,
Just a quick reminder to everybody about our policy on mature content. While I am a strong believer in not stifling players' creativity, I'm also sensitive to the fact that not everybody is so comfortable exploring or reading about particularly dark, explicit or triggering material. It can be off-putting for some players to scroll through the flist and be confronted with references to rape, paedophilia, child abuse, and other triggering themes -- and likewise for potential players, who may be given the wrong idea about the game and be discouraged from joining.
For this reason, any entries rated R or higher -- including those containing descriptions or discussions of child abuse and paedophilia -- must be friends locked. This goes for character journals as well as the main comm. I would also urge people to make use of LJ-cuts in journals when discussing potentially upsetting material. Just spare a thought for the flist!
- Jess |
|
|
| |
[May. 11th, 2010|08:59 pm] |
Hello again! I apologise for spamming everybody's flists, but I feel that this is something that ought to be addressed.
Communication. It's always key in RP, particularly in a game of this size. Every character interaction is an act of collaboration, and it's important that players be able to work with each other and have a say with regard to their character's level of involvement in any given plot. Unfortunately, we've been seeing a number of incidents where this just hasn't been happening, and some people have been left feeling annoyed or slighted.
Please remember that if you intend to apply for a character who has specific history with others already in the game -- particularly if you are interested in making this a plot point -- you have a responsibility to contact and work with the players of those other characters, just as you would if you were apping a character with existing in-game history. While some people might be okay with winging it, if the character you're looking at has a lot of history with somebody else's (for instance, say, a husband/wife) it's courteous to at least drop an email or an IM to make sure you're on the same page, find out if they have any ideas or preferences on the subject and so on.
I'm certain that none of these incidents have been malicious. I'm inclined to think it's more a case of people not realising -- it just doesn't seem to have occurred to them that they ought to be discussing these things with the other players involved. I can understand that, and I'm not trying to tell anybody off. But next time you go to app a character, just have a think before you click send: Is this character's history tied to anybody else's? Is their arrival going to affect anybody in a notable way? And if the answer is yes, just take a little bit of time out to contact the relevant player/s. It won't take long, and you might even get some new ideas for plot out of it. :]
And to anybody who feels as though they've been overlooked when they should have been consulted, remember that communication is a two-way street. I know this is probably obvious to most of you, but if a player has failed to consult you over a plot point in which you feel you should have had a say, do take the initiative and contact them yourself. As I said, in most cases it is nothing more than an innocent mistake, and can usually resolved with a little discussion.
And really, why let something so easily fixed get in the way of your enjoyment of the game? |
|
|
| |
[May. 10th, 2010|02:55 pm] |
Hello all! I just wanted to address a couple of issues. They're not dire problems, but they have been causing some disruption, so I'd appreciate it if everybody could take the time to read this post and, if anything described applies to you, modify your behaviour.
Spam in the holds post:
Guys, I know it can be exciting when you see a hold request for certain characters, especially if it's one you've been hankering after, but please remember that the holds post is not a general forum for chatter or fangirling. Lately the comment spam has just been getting out of hand; it's clogging up the page and it's making it more difficult for me as the mod to sort through the various requests.
There's nothing wrong with commenting on a person's hold if there's a purpose to it -- for instance, if you're inviting somebody to get in contact with you for plot discussion -- but the inane comments have got to stop.
Reposting entries:
I've been told that some people have been deleting and reposting journal entries, seemingly in an attempt to bump posts that haven't received replies to the top of the flist. I understand that we're a big game, and when a game-wide event like the blackout explodes posts can get knocked down the flist very quickly, but there's really no call for this.
If you've left out a detail, you can very easily edit the original entry or make a new post; reposting the entire thing with only a couple of changes is not necessary, and can be a little annoying. And while you may feel disappointed by a lack of replies to a journal entry, reposting it to bump it back up to the top is a fairly childish move.
As far as I'm aware this isn't so much a widespread thing, but it has been drawing a couple of complaints and I wanted to address it now so we're all on the same page.
We now return you to your regularly-scheduled RP. Thanks!
- Jess |
|
|