An Open Letter to Sir Halaster

[Traveller's Guide]

I am posting this here because, if I am to accept the offer of joining the welcoming committee, it is first my duty to dissolve any of the certainly justified apprehensions one may have about how I came to this site in the first place, during the event some may know as '4Chan invasion'.

Now, first you need to understand that many make the mistake of seeing '4Chan' as a single, malevolent entity. Considering that it consists of millions of people, that can only be inaccurate.

To be precise, those, including me, that created the Group RP known as 'Forbidden Temple of the Great Falls' originated from the 4Chan board /traditional games/, a board dedicated to that single game which is most traditional: Roleplaying.

The whole 'invasion' thing, (I was not present at the time,) began in a thread on the /tg/ board, where someone was complaining about the ever-present problem of Mary Sues, plotless ERP, power-gaming in freeform. The loud and obnoxious minority that plagues freeform and gives internet roleplaying in general a bad name.

People started commenting on how fast/popular Bluemoon was and soon the idea was proposed to create a game of their own there, starting off by keeping strict tabs on the tpyes of character that could join and avoiding all the usual stereotypes that cause internet games to fail, i.e. making sure people didn't play things that would make the game not-fun for everyone else. This idea was to try and show that instead of the awful stories we all hear that they can indeed be avoided for the harmony of everyone involved.

Those who were less interested in roleplaying left shortly after the creation of the game, but those who stayed became avid freeformers.

Now, I explained how I joined and the 4Chan invasion. Sir Halaster further asked whether or not I had "further interest in the site beyond whole 'Monks' RP/thing/whatever?".

A legitimate concern, after all, how would I be a member of the welcoming committee of this site if I was actually not interested in the site?

My personal opinion is: It is not exactly the site that counts for me, but rather simply the roleplaying. I love the creation of characters, then subsequently throwing them into the imagined world, developing them, having them suffer, having them grow from what they experience.

I searched this site, I truly did, I expressed some interest in some roleplaying ideas proposed in the group section, but none of them came to fruition in the way they had been explained/thought out.

Know that I do not outright reject sex in roleplay, certainly not, it's merely another part of life after all. However, I just can not show interest if only one single aspect of life is made the entire reason of existence for a roleplay.

In that regard, I rather see the site as a tool to reach roleplayers and as a member of the welcoming committee I would do just that: tell those who wish to join that roleplaying awaits them here.

As a member of this site, meanwhile, I will continue to express interest in roleplays that are more well-rounded in nature, while leaving others to roleplays of more specialized interest, as it is not my wish to infringe upon other people's fun.

 

[Ms_Muffintops]

There's a lot of people on the site for the exact same thing. Adult/18+ doesn't = constant smut.

 

[Ruphhausin]

Okay. Here is my simple point of view on this entire "invasion" issue.

There has ALWAYS been much more going on here than just sex being role-played, it is just that there are those who only want to see what they want to, Traveller. I am sorry if this is not well received, as I am used to simple and honest doesn't seem to win fans in many cases. What was, in a nutshell, said amongst the group discussed here is that they "investigated" this board with all the thoroughness of a small town police department, "tried" us with "evidence", used the "past bad experiences" of mostly themselves and a few others with loyalty and honesty issues, "convicted" the entire board without allowing any real defense, and "sentenced" us. That is the simple truth.

As for being welcome, everyone is welcome from what I have seen. What is not welcome is not exactly people from what I see, but pretension and self-righteousness. I apologize to anyone on here who may be offended by just cause, but the only things that are wrong with ANY role-playing group, board, site, or organization are those two things. I just returned from DragonCon, where more than a few (thousand) admitted they would never return to the San Diego-based ComiCon for those very reasons. It is the same thing because that is what the difference is between those two Conventions and how the group we are discussing here presented verses what has been the general presented ideals here. Not sex, not slash, not always this or that, but acceptance and tolerance. Those have limits, as they should.. but limits are different than being pretentious, self-righteous.. whatever.

The reason why I use my experience at DragonCon is because it is very similar why many will never return to ComiCon and have moved to DC. "Normal". A illusory constructed concept that is used by groups of people to make themselves feel better about what they do and/or how they are, make others feel like crap about what they do and/or how they are, or both. That is how it came off, and personally there are plenty who may be yet waiting for proof that is not what their intent is/was/whatever. I have an open mind... but after years of dealing with rules lawyers, godmoding players, prick GMs/DMs/Moderators/Narrators/Storytellers/whatever, and the like, my own tolerance of that is short and thin.

What you have here, though, Traveller, in your favor, is honesty and simplicity. You are giving your view and what you think, and perhaps what you feel as well. That is a good and refreshing change. I don't know how much I agree with you, but you are being straight with everyone here. As I am just stating how I, and possibly others, feel on getting "invaded", let me just say how your letter has read to me.

Thank you for that honesty and what appears to be understanding.