critter
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Young Fabian, unsure of the situation afoot, sets out to pick flowers for the Viscountess Colborn and Count Kortrevich in a childish effort to provide the pair some joy.
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On 1/8/2023 at 10:01 AM, puffables said:
....first step to changing community attitude is, even when encountered by bad faith, allow it - can rly make an impact on not only you (might feel like it sucks, letting 'some upstart newbie powergamer play-to-win self-insert' inconvenience your mighty lvl100 grizzled soldier-mage , but trust me - situations with some element of loss is fun rp, and really forces you to engage more with the story being built!! winning always doesn't let you incorporate actual character into your character, its setbacks that do so.) but also the other player. when other players encounter good-faith rp, especially in the long-run it encourages them to also participate in good-faith rp by creating an atmosphere of such.
this is absolute gospel truth. asking lotc players to be willing to lose is not my effort to ask them to stop having fun; it's to begin a deeper process that enables us all to have better, more consistent fun, and to share that fun with others
thank you Puffables for this addition
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The newly-proclaimed King of the Cave consults his tarot deck with great intensity, broken only by little giggles at his sisters' jokes and missive.
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7 minutes ago, satinkira said:
the server isn't advertised as a place to build a collective narrative. if it was, we'd likely get far better new players more interested in developing the story. instead..
Yeah, when writing this I had to refer to the community guidelines where it states
QuoteTogether, we write a story. We write it in such a way that no single person owns a chapter, or even a full page. Gradually, as we discover more of this tale it reveals the exceptional appeal of our server: Thousands of people contributing verses to a grand narrative—simply by playing their own character.
to make sure I wasn't about to outright and utterly contradict the server mission. Putting the "collaborative" side first in advertising would be a huge relief to me, for one.
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19 minutes ago, Bonito said:
this alone is very good advice. such a small thing that ive noticed so many people do (including myself at times) and making that little change goes a long way. good post.
what do u think about players who are the exception to the character/person separation? ive had my fair share of rp interactions with characters that turned out to be pretty similar/idealized versions of the irl player and their goals. im definitely not the only one whose experienced this. do u have anything for dealing w that?
such a good question and also the thing that i struggle with the absolute most.
at LARP i tend to straight-up avoid these players tbh, but there's also a physical element there that we dont have online.
the most important thing is to encourage players, esp new players, to consciously and deliberately give their characters traits they, the player, do not have. a good persona tends to be a blend of relatability and contrast to its player (as most of us know, subconsciously or consciously), but obviously if you're already entangled with an idealized-self character that's not really an option. in those situations, distance and OOC check-ins to keep your boundaries steady + a line of communication/feedback open are probably the best moves, with more of one or the other depending on how things are going. alternatively if the player is not receptive to OOC check-ins re: the flow of rp/safety, forcibly keep everything wholly irp.
i wish i had more concrete advice, but i'm still navigating this one myself! thanks Bonito!
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- Popular Post
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As a refresher…
Character bleed is when the experiences of a character influence the relationships of the player. Consider checking out my first guide or this handy intro for more.
DISCLAIMER
SpoilerThere is limited data on RP’s influences on the human psyche, though I have read a lot of it. I am a LARPer and on-and-off LOTC’er of four years, and this guide comes from the experiences and observations I’ve made in that time. I am not a mental health professional.
Alright. Into the thick of it.
PLAY-TO-WIN vs. PLAY-TO-LOSE vs. PLAY-TO-LIFT
A play-to-win mentality means that you are playing to win, by whatever metric satisfies you. A play-to-lose mentality means you are actively setting your character up to lose in order to create more drama and story intrigue. A play-to-lift mentality means that you are both taking responsibility for your character, and also seeking to create good storytelling experiences for your fellow players.
While all three are techniques you can apply to RP, play-to-lose and play-to-lift mentalities are both part of collaborative play styles. Play-to-win is competitive, and that’s where the conflict begins.
In my time on LotC, I have noticed an alarming amount of communities who seem to have become driven by a play-to-win mentality. If the majority of a community is playing to win, then their culture becomes a competitive one, and player may find themselves ‘punished’ by that system when they don’t prioritize ‘winning.’ No one person or source can be blamed for this. It’s often a slow creep within a system.
PLAY-TO-WIN
To be clear: it’s not a bad thing if you want your character to win. The danger lies in how you as a player respond when they don’t, and whether or not you can separate your characters’ wins from yours. You, the player, are always winning if you enjoy the story you are telling through your character. This may be difficult to remember, especially if you’ve been with one character for a long time; but if/when we lose sight of it, that’s when the problems start.
A play-to-win approach to RP is more than just wanting your character to win. It often serves to create frequent feelings of frustration, disappointment, anger, and strained relationships with other players. Players who come to RP settings with play-to-win mentalities are also more likely to experience character bleed, or to have no boundaries between themselves and their character to start.
Play-to-win mentalities are great for MMORPG or ‘traditional’ video games; Call of Duty, Elder Scrolls Online, etc etc etc; if you’ve seen the classic gamer guy punching a hole in the drywall for taking an L, then you’ve witnessed the most intense form of play-to-win character bleed out there. But in communities like LotC, which are inherently collaborative and require distance between the player and the character, a play-to-win mentality undermines everyone’s experience.
PLAY-TO-LOSE & PLAY-TO-LIFT
(or, PLAY-FOR-STORY)
For our purposes, we’re going to be discussing these two mentalities as one: “playing-for-story.” “Play-to-lose” is a little intimidating if not discouraging, and should really be a part of a mentality, not one on its own.
A “play-for-story” mentality is often the hardest shift for those players having their first community RP experiences, be it live-action, tabletop, or virtual. Your experience, even your ‘success,’ hinges on your relationships with other players and their characters. You have to place a level of trust in the player, something I myself often struggle with, and this is where a play-for-story approach comes in.
A play-for-story player is more likely to recognize when their character needs to lose for the advancement of both their personal and the overall story, when they should pass the spotlight to another player, and most importantly, that the actions of a character do not reflect on the player.
These approaches to RP do not make a player immune to character bleed, but it does change the fundamental way they interact with other players.
APPROACHING RP
Whether you’re a nation leader or a new player, your core objective is always the same: Tell. The. Story. Your character’s story, first and foremost; and through that character, the story of those around you, and the wider world they exist in. If this feels vague and overwhelming, that’s alright. From here on, we’re going to discuss a few approaches for building characters and interacting with other characters from a play-for-story mentality.
Oh, and for gods’ sake; stop referring to your characters in the first person. Draw the first line there, and the rest will start to fall into place.
GOOD META
An essential in the RP’ers toolbox. Touched on in my last guide.
SpoilerPut your pitchfork and torch down this instant. Good meta is not metagaming to cheat: a more accurate name might be ‘empathetic meta,’ or ‘metagaming for inclusion’. It means that you make choices for your character in order to better support other players, particularly new or anxious ones, because you know they may need or want that support to better flourish. You don’t have to betray your character to do this; it’s simply a way to open the door for someone else and, in doing so, create more RP for the both of you.
EXAMPLES:
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A grumpy old barfly buys a newcomer a drink
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A mean, aloof noblewoman stops to introduce herself to a new plaything
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A frugal shopkeep offers a customer an unusual deal
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A shy artist offers to paint a portrait for an unfamiliar face
KINGMAKER'S STYLE
An individual RP approach to character design.
SpoilerA Kingmaker’s Approach to RP means you have chosen to create a character who builds their success on the successes of others by gathering knowledge, money, power, or other means of influence through which they support other characters and advance many different stories. This is a very individual approach, and can be implemented at different phases in your character’s story.
EXAMPLES:
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The wealthy patron funding a young artist
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The bartender who knows endless rumors and potential adventures
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The veteran soldier advising and supporting a young upstart
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The excitable young adventurer dragging their friends or elders out with them
PASS THE SPOTLIGHT
A both communal and individual tool which can be implemented at any time.
Spoiler‘Pass The Spotlight’ is an approach to RP in which you, the player, consciously decide to step back in RP to give another character the spotlight, knowing their player will eventually do the same for your character.
‘Pass The Spotlight’ only works, though, when you can trust that your character will receive the spotlight when it’s their time to shine. When a community sets the precedent of passing the spotlight, then we’re getting somewhere; each character will get the highlight of their individual story (and the player, the satisfaction of the moment), while the overall narrative remains balanced. This also doesn’t mean you, the player, are giving up on RP; it just means recognizing that someone else’s character is having ‘Their Moment,’ and your character is playing into it.
EXAMPLES:
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A character stands on a table to give an impromptu speech. Your character applauds, or mutters condescending remarks to the nearest person, or heckles them.
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A character has just received news devastating to them. Your character asks why it’s such a big deal, or attempts to comfort them, or quietly revels in their sorrow, or gave them the news in the first place.
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A character is having a wedding. Your character gives them a generous gift, or congratulates them, or mutters about what a strange match it is.
IN CONCLUSION…
There are a lot more methods and concepts to add to your RP toolbox. Hopefully, though, this has given you a way to evaluate how you think about and approach RP, and expanded the ways in which you can discuss it. Please remember this isn't a one-time process; every time we log on, log off, and join a new scene, we should be considering from what angle, and what our needs and wants are.
I would love to see folks replying with examples, thoughts, critique, or more ideas, and to open this for broader community discussion.
FURTHER RESOURCES
If you’d like to learn more about RP techniques, these are my primary sources for this guide:
https://cwfox.com/2018/04/26/how-to-share-the-spotlight-at-larp/
https://nordiclarp.org/wiki/Playing_to_lose
https://nordiclarp.org/wiki/Category:Techniques
If you’d like to learn more about character bleed and taking care of yourself as a player, check out:
Wrap up your gaming experience with these RPG Aftercare Tips
3 Red Flags that your RP is getting out of hand
Post-Play Activities for LARP: Methods and Challenges
...and if you're a community leader, consider making these or guides like them readily available in your Discord or community hub.
It also never hurts to review the community guidelines.
LotC is way more accessible than most RP formats, but it is still essential to treat it as a social and psychological experience, from which you need breaks, care, and rest. Be safe/have fun.
Special thanks to @satinkira& @Minuvas
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A young Kortrevich celebrates the announcement of another cousin!
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Luciana awakens somewhere in the depths of the desert, brows raised in surprise and delight!
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Little Fabi races about the Jerovitz gardens, arms brimming with flowers and flags as he shouts his excitement!
Spoilerevent masks available here
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A druid gathers the news wandering between wilds and towns, and avidly celebrates the blessings of the House Kortrevich and the joy to come to Haense!
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A toddler nods in absent agreement with the many exclamations of finally throughout Jerovitz.
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The youngest Kortrevich yet coos cheerily in his shared nursery, with a shock of blonde curls quite like his mother's - though a pale complexion, as if unwell.
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Stifled sobs rang through a quiet grove in the Eastern woodlands, with all the grief of a mother who had lost a son.
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Wynanya Arvellon, once more perhaps overly invested in the ventures of her favorite valah Talonnii, lights a cigarette and gestures wildly to the missive - complaining to anyone who would listen about the many virtues of Lady Ric'ii, and what fuss is a wedding worth in the Second-Age Century, anyway?
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A druid's loom rattles as she weaves, puffing on a cigarette and peering at the missive with a growing smile.
"Guide the girl who means to marry Vlad'ii! - Well, we canne miss this one."
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MC Name:
Cr1tt3r_
Character's Name:
Persephae
Character's Age:
50
Character's Original Race (N/A if not applicable):
Human
Transformed form:
Epiphyte
Creator's MC Name:
N/A
Creator's RP Name:
N/A
Briefly explain the lore behind this construct or creature:
Epiphytes are dryads or demi-fae beings, the soul of a Descendant with a body remade of plant matter. The plants which consume them are the result of a seed/spore/etc slipping through the fae realm and into growing within the world.
Epiphytes are created when they are lured by or fall asleep near this plant, and are thusly consumed. The plant sets the soul aside, absorbs the body, plugs the soul back in and regurgitates the epiphyte form. his largely effects appearance, though not beyond the physical restraints of the epiphyte's Descendant form, and sensitivities to magic. Epiphytes are also more sensitive to physical harm, blight, and other effects which would harm any fae/being of nature.The bond between origin plant and epiphyte is then similar to hivemind, or parent-child. The epiphyte must have an incredibly strong connection to the plant which transformed them, sharing health and, essentially, a mindset, though the plant cannot inform them of their own death or other such fine details. The epiphyte will always act in the interests of protecting their plant. Their physical needs will match that of the plant (sunlight, water, et cetera). Their personality may shift, but cannot completely revert or change without supplementary RP, as any person/character.
REDLINES HIGHLIGHTS:
- Should be reborn about once every real-life year, with no access to magic during their week of regrowing.- Epiphytes still die of old age as per their descendant species' lifespan.
- Souls carry over, memories are optional.
- Must have a fae plant planted on the map. Fae plant must be a mundane plant easily found. One plant at a time, one seed at a time.
- Can't commune with any plant besides theirs unless a druid.
- No void magic, no forcing other characters to transform.
- Cannot become pregnant/give birth
- Only mundane descendants can become epiphytes
If this construct or creature has some form of aesthetic choice, can you describe how they look?
Persephae's feet and hands appear to be roots wrapped to resemble the appendages they once were. Her hair is a snarled curl of pine needles, her skin smooth and mottled with rings like pine wood would be, fading into coarse bark where her limbs begin. Her eyes are milky, like sap. Her bicep might feel like a wooden bannister, and her wrists like fine tree branches.
Overall, she resembles a tall, broad, human woman in silhouette, though her physical features reveal her as a warped creature of an evergreen tree. Her appearance is based off the real-world Siberian pine.
Do you have a magic(s) you are dropping due to this app? If so, link it:
N/A
Do you agree to keep Story writers updated on the status of your magic app?:
Yes.
Are you aware that if this creature is shelved, your character may be given the option to revert or be indefinitely shelved?
Yes.
Memey RP or using this CA for subpar villain/bandit RP can lead to your app being denied, even after acceptance. Please put "I understand" as your response once you have read this part and understand the consequences.
I understand.
Have you applied for this creature on this character before, and had it denied? If so, link the app:
N/A
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SURNAME: LIVARAI DE MELPHESTAUS
FIRST NAME: LUCIANAADDRESS OF RESIDENCE: 3 SORELLAS ST.
FACTION(NOBILITY OR COMMONER): COMMONER
YEAR OF BIRTH: Forty-one years ago.
Are you registered and eligible to vote? Yes.
((MC NAME)): Cr1tt3r_
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Quote
One persona with the feat will be randomly pk’d each elven month in order to ensure the masses do not grow too complacent.
QuoteUpon acceptance LT is legally required to make Chery give me the kids back it’s been 5 years.
You're a genius and I love you.
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Persephae Kortrevich falls out of a tree upon hearing the news.
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ALL of the Grand Duchy of Balian are invited to the Grand Opening of THE CHRYSALIS LOUNGE for an evening of music, cuisine, and the best of company.
THE CHRYSALIS LOUNGE seeks to provide communal space for scholars, artists, and families. It includes traditional tools for Balianite artists; a small library; a growing collection of artworks from across the Continent; an astrology and cartography workshop; and a number of games and seating arrangements for more casual pursuits.
Grangraza is extended to Dona Johannes A. Vuiller, Heiress of Aquilae, owner of the Bazaar and Lounge, for her generous patronage.
7th of OWYN'S FLAME
24 B.A
Malin's Welcome - 95 S.A
Spoiler((Thursday, September 22nd, 8PMEST))
Forever dutiful,
Luciana Livarai de Melphestaus
Mater Familia
Nezier de la Chrysalis
A Personal Note
It is my intention to establish our Lounge as a refuge: a place for not only youth, scholars, artists and travellers to intertwine, but for mali’cihe such as myself; we Elves who have, for reasons of religion, circumstance, habit or mere whim, chosen to weave our homes in the ever-changing crossroads of culture, invention, and people that the Children of Horen so excel in building.
I intend to create a space of growth - a chrysalis, where our ancestral customs and bonds to our homeland are celebrated, and friendship between Mali and Men wound ever-tighter -- perhaps, I will admit, a lofty goal for a mere lounge.
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A Wildcat, hearing the thrum of nature's song and knowing she will not be about for the celebration proper, sets to an early gathering of offerings for Mabon, buzzing with excitement for her seedmother's guidance through the season.
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A thorn-tongued druid lights a cigarette.
"-Ah, Odinson'ii," she sighed, looking upon a wall of portraits and old sketches - lost loves, friends, passing nuisances alike. "I suppose you found your limits at last."
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The barkeep, wreathed in her usual curls of lavender smoke, serves any curious patrons drinks and her conviction in both the Vale's demands and biding strength alike.
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i crave attention and validation from internet strangers
read me
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Welcome to Nevaehlen! I look forward to seeing Sage around the village <3
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A CALL FOR DEMOTION
in Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska
Posted
The Dryad of Jerovitz, having long since lost her wits and, quite literally, the Kortrevich blood which ran from her veins to her now-dutiful son's, sways with pride.