Please Do Not Do These Things Game of the Year edition
Posted by Kalakh on 05/11/20
We'd like to go over some reminders regarding behavior toward new characters, particularly new characters that are being played by someone brand new to the game (please do not go around asking new characters if they are new to the game unless they volunteer it, it's irrelevant and not great in and of itself). Namely:
1. Again, please do not try to @randomscene a character if you have not actually RP'd with them meaningfully. 'Meaningfully' means more than one single pose that might mention their name in it (or might not). It also means something other than tossing @randomscene at characters before you've even written a single pose yourself. Don't do this. We've told you not to do this. This is particularly relevant to new characters because you are using them to get experience without giving them anything to RP with, and it's often hard to get into RP as a new character, but especially as a new player with a new character.
2. Don't talk down to new characters (ICly or OOCly) and demand they prove to you that their character is not an ignorant fool. New players don't know as much as established players, they often know nothing, and new characters with established players aren't necessarily going to know everything the player knows (as this is how it's supposed to work).
3. As a baffling corollary to 2, don't demand to know how many languages a character can speak, particularly in order to prove to you or your character that they aren't stupid. Why would you do this? Apparently a number of people are doing this. This affects new characters especially because they're unlikely to know very many languages, if any. I have no idea why anyone would do this. You should not ask characters--any characters, but new characters in particular--to meet some extremely arbitrary standard in order to win your approval. This one also makes absolutely no sense.
4. While we're here, do not gatekeep characters that don't have maxed stats, skills, or equipment. We don't like that. You do not have to be 'this tall' to be allowed to participate in stories. This also naturally affects new characters hardest. Don't do this.
5. What characters choose to talk about in public will vary, obviously. And, also obviously, some information is probably not wise to spread around too far. However, if you are talking about something in public already, and someone (especially a new someone) starts asking you questions about it, a) don't keep talking over their head, b) don't ignore their questions, and then c) when you finally do acknowledge their questions, suddenly turn all coy and say some version of "Oh, you'll find out." People, that is not appealing and mysterious, that is maddening.
6. It's probably not a great idea to reveal your own character secrets OOCly, but that's your decision. Do not, do not, drop the secrets of someone else's characters this way. Why would you do this? Don't do this.
7. Lastly, First Impressions don't have to be nice. They can be mean, or snide, or whatever. What they shouldn't be is a passive aggressive weapon against a character concept you don't like. And the same goes for RP. If you don't want to interact with a character for any reason or no reason, that's fine, and we'd rather people who don't like each other OOCly to stay out of each other's hair, because it only causes grief on both sides. But please do not sit there in a scene and constantly suggest (OOCly or ICly) that the very concept of a character is terrible and bad and let's just keep going on about it until the player wants to give up on that character because everyone is being completely awful about what they wanted to play. Do not do this.
Do not do any of these things.
And new players, or old players with new characters, or old players with old characters, all of you, if you see someone doing this, or they are doing this to you, please let staff know so that we can punch them to the moon.
1. Again, please do not try to @randomscene a character if you have not actually RP'd with them meaningfully. 'Meaningfully' means more than one single pose that might mention their name in it (or might not). It also means something other than tossing @randomscene at characters before you've even written a single pose yourself. Don't do this. We've told you not to do this. This is particularly relevant to new characters because you are using them to get experience without giving them anything to RP with, and it's often hard to get into RP as a new character, but especially as a new player with a new character.
2. Don't talk down to new characters (ICly or OOCly) and demand they prove to you that their character is not an ignorant fool. New players don't know as much as established players, they often know nothing, and new characters with established players aren't necessarily going to know everything the player knows (as this is how it's supposed to work).
3. As a baffling corollary to 2, don't demand to know how many languages a character can speak, particularly in order to prove to you or your character that they aren't stupid. Why would you do this? Apparently a number of people are doing this. This affects new characters especially because they're unlikely to know very many languages, if any. I have no idea why anyone would do this. You should not ask characters--any characters, but new characters in particular--to meet some extremely arbitrary standard in order to win your approval. This one also makes absolutely no sense.
4. While we're here, do not gatekeep characters that don't have maxed stats, skills, or equipment. We don't like that. You do not have to be 'this tall' to be allowed to participate in stories. This also naturally affects new characters hardest. Don't do this.
5. What characters choose to talk about in public will vary, obviously. And, also obviously, some information is probably not wise to spread around too far. However, if you are talking about something in public already, and someone (especially a new someone) starts asking you questions about it, a) don't keep talking over their head, b) don't ignore their questions, and then c) when you finally do acknowledge their questions, suddenly turn all coy and say some version of "Oh, you'll find out." People, that is not appealing and mysterious, that is maddening.
6. It's probably not a great idea to reveal your own character secrets OOCly, but that's your decision. Do not, do not, drop the secrets of someone else's characters this way. Why would you do this? Don't do this.
7. Lastly, First Impressions don't have to be nice. They can be mean, or snide, or whatever. What they shouldn't be is a passive aggressive weapon against a character concept you don't like. And the same goes for RP. If you don't want to interact with a character for any reason or no reason, that's fine, and we'd rather people who don't like each other OOCly to stay out of each other's hair, because it only causes grief on both sides. But please do not sit there in a scene and constantly suggest (OOCly or ICly) that the very concept of a character is terrible and bad and let's just keep going on about it until the player wants to give up on that character because everyone is being completely awful about what they wanted to play. Do not do this.
Do not do any of these things.
And new players, or old players with new characters, or old players with old characters, all of you, if you see someone doing this, or they are doing this to you, please let staff know so that we can punch them to the moon.