Kholibrii

I think that @ScoutTheWitchreally summed up the core question that needs to be asked, what is lost if homophobia were to be banned from LOTC? Does what is lost, if anything, outweigh the benefits of having a community that is fostering a open and welcoming environment for people of all walks of life. 

There are a million in world ways to discriminate against someone that doesn't relate to serious real life discrimination. I don't see anything that is lost by taking away homophobic roleplay. One could argue that it limits a character's "flaws" but is being a bigot isn't a creative flaw, but even if you are basic af, removing homophobia doesn't limit you from playing a bigot who hates elves or humans who speak with a different accent/language, or someone with red hair(the true villains).

Also just because the server removes homophobia doesn't mean you have to run around waving a pride flag. You can just go about your roleplay how you normally would, I doubt most people supporting homophobic roleplay were even doing homophobia RP before this topic blew up, so it's not going to change anything. You can continue to be homophobic in real life, I personally don't give a damn whether some random person on a mineman roleplay server supports me, nor should any other queer person. I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life outside of lotc or what sort of personal morals you should have. 

With that being said, I'm not a big supporter of outright banning homophobic RP, I think it's much better for individual communities and the server as a whole to foster an environment where it is less acceptable rather than being not allowed at all. I think the approach to homophobia should be similar to sexism, in that it has become less acceptable roleplay rather than being outright banned(to my knowledge IRP sexism isn't banned, it just is less common now). There are still people who have storylines involving sexism in consenting, mutual RP, but it shouldn't be forced on outside parties who finding it extremely discomforting. Similarly, if a group of consenting individuals want to tell a story involving homophobia then they should be able to, but their homophobic roleplay shouldn't effect large swaths of players who are made extremely uncomfortable by the roleplay.

Princess Eirene sat a wreath of flowers atop the shallow grave of a hippo who lost his life valiantly defending his territory. While some hippos perished, their children will live on in their natural habitat. 

As Princess Eirene scavenged the battlefield for equipment in the wake of the battle she caught a glimpse of an imposing Balianese Hippo taking a post-battle shit on the mangled body of a Veletzian Soldier. "Good Shit." She commented as she plucked a fresh lance from the field.

Princess Eirene gawks at the illustration atop the missive!

Within the Portogene Bastion sat the exhausted Princess Eirene, polishing away at her armor. She must look good while slaughtering her enemies.

"A leader should never negotiate with terrorists." Princess Eirene Novellen muttered with a sigh of disappointment.

13 minutes ago, PerfectlyPeachy said:

Franziska hurries in her stride.

A long unseen d'Arkent rushes past Franziska, making a bee line for the Royal Quarters.

Eirene Daria sits in her bedroom, gooped, gagged, gobsmacked.

“I got mine a Claire’s, but I will have to visit Dr.G when it comes time for the next!”

IGN: Kholibrii

DISCORD: Kholibrii

SKIN: Offcuts 1: Brita

AMOUNT: 140 Mina

IGN: Kholibrii

DISCORD: Kholibrii

SKIN: Offcuts 1: Brita

AMOUNT: 60 Mina

Having just left the Haenseti City of Valdev, where her father and the King of Hanseti-Ruska refused to march upon Aaun, Princess Eirene Daria muttered prayers that both the Queen Mother and Princess Aleksandra Milena would be seen free from the treacherous hands of the Stassion and Veletzian men.

Penned on the 11th of Peter’s Glory, 78 B.A.

In recent saint’s weeks, the Kingdom of Haeseti-Ruska has been struck by a perpetual snowstorm unlike any seen in recent history. The detrimental effects of such unforeseen weather have been evident within the Kingdom, even despite the strength and determination of the Haeseni people. In only the last few saint’s days a similar snowstorm has fallen upon the region within the United Kingdom of Aaun commonly referred to as Lemon Hill.

Having seen the storm befall Balian's northern allies, Princess Eirene Daria of Balian set forth to provide assistance to both the Kingdom of Haeseti-Ruska and the people of Lemon Hill. After extensive preparations, Her Royal Highness is pleased to announce a large shipment of fur-lined cloaks and coats to the citizenry of the Capital City of Valdev and the settlement of Lemon Hill. Alongside the articles of clothing, the shipments to each nation shall contain rations of food and yarn, for the creation of blankets and scarves.

An Illustration of the Coat and Cloaks provided by HRH, The Countess of Caluzzo

@Mio@sarahbarah@Fishy

SIGNED,

HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, Princess Eirene Daria,

Countess of Caluzzo

16 minutes ago, Mannyy said:

Edward Clement yells “Rebellion!” As he flips a table!

Men, women, and children in all corners of humanity say their nightly prayer that the Rightful Emperor, Edward Clement of Aldersberg, will return to them!

I do believe that LOTC still has a lot of issues with misogyny and that it could be part of this, but I believe a large part of the problem lies in many players' dislike toward other players who don't conform to their expectations at both an OOC or RP level.

Using the example of Alasdair and Galina, you note that people seemed to be more welcoming to the young and adventuring Al, while most seemed to ignore or take little interest in Galina. This isn't necessarily just because the character is a woman, but rather that players have an expectation that the young boy should be more adventurous while the girl should be better protected and less adventurous,  as such, they encourage one and discourage the other. I'd personally argue that this is a form of misogyny, but when you look at other examples it becomes clear that it's larger than that. Imagine instead of Alasdair and Galina, you have two characters, Bob, a more "traditionally masculine" boy, and Robert, a more "effeminate" boy. I'd argue that you'd see a similar outcome, with Bob being more accepted by the overall LOTC player base, while Robert would likely experience a similar disinterest to Galina because he is not conforming to the expectations of how a male character should behave.

This extends to OOC interactions as well, where people will likely shun you if you aren't conforming to their idea of what you should do, say, and think. Gender Identity, Race, Sexual Orientation, etc all play a role in this and it's not something you can simply call "Misogynistic" or "Homophobic" because it is ALL of it at the same time. I could say so much more about my personal experience on the topic, but I think this post is already getting long enough and I have one more thing I want to touch on.

THIS ISSUE IS A LOT WORSE IN SOME PLACES THAN OTHERS!! Since 2021, when the push for equal inheritance happened in human nations(<3 @Ivoreyy Rosemoor Bill), most human communities have put a lot of effort into making sure people of all identities feel safe and welcomed within their nation. Overall this has had an amazing impact on the server and you will find a lot more welcoming nations than you did a few years ago, but there are still places lagging behind. Some smaller communities still allow, or even support, differing levels of OOC and RP discrimination and that's where you will feel the effect of all of this a lot heavier. It's pretty easy to figure out which communities aren't putting energy into making sure people feel safe, so I'm not going to call anyone out, I'll allow everyone to analyze that themselves. Note: This final comment IS NOT meant to be targeted at any specific nation/community and shouldn't be correlated with any specific communities mentioned in @esotericas's post or mine

Everyone's talking about how corruption and pvpers are hurting the server when the true enemy is all the people running around on their characters with vitiligo, heterochromia, and white stripes in their hair because they think a character without a unique appearance can't be unique.

On a serious note, @Orlanth's comment is probably the most honest response yet. The vast majority of people are going to give commentary based on what they feel provides the best outcome for THEIR stories and not the overall story of LOTC. It takes a low of maturity to separate yourself from your character and look at what decisions are best for the server as a whole vs. what is best for you, and honestly, most of the players aren't mature enough to do that. In saying this, I also realize that everything I'm about to say should also be taken with a grain of salt.

While I understand people's issues with PvP, Conflict, Raids, etc, I personally think it's something the server has to have to create interesting servers. There are always going to be people yelling from the rooftops about how horrible [INSERT PVP GROUP OF THE WEEK] is because they view these groups as a threat to the Roleplay they wish to create, which is honestly fair, we are all on this server for personal enjoyment, but those PvPers or Conflict-Centered players are also on LOTC for personal enjoyment. 

I try to avoid getting bandited or kidnapped as much as the next person because I simply don't have the time to spend in a conflict situation like that, but I can tell you that almost every time I've been bandited or kidnapped it has ended up being an enjoyable experience because I go into it with an open mind. If you are entering these encounters with a win/lose mindset then you aren't going to get anything out of them, then you aren't going to enjoy it but if you look for ways to make it fun I can almost guarantee you it will be fun because the other side of the conflict also wants to have fun.

Last December I was kidnapped after only having returned to the server for like 2 days and it was honestly one of the most enjoyable moments I've had on LOTC. Having recently returned I didn't feel some inappropriate connection to my character and was really just there for a good time. I emoted my [Elderly] character's joints popping and her doing stuff like offering the kidnappers pieces of chicken from her pockets, it was honestly so funny and I ended up getting my freedom bought by a group of players who wanted a picnic in return which was also very entertaining. I'm not saying this just to run my mouth, I'm saying this to show that if you don't have a stick up your butt, then CONFLICT IS FUN.

 I could talk about moderation corruption and all that jazz too, but @WestCarolinaand some others here sum that up pretty well so I'm not going to waste my time on that.

To His Holiness Sixtus V and the Faithful MEN of the Curia,

I pen this public letter to His Holiness and the faithful men of the Curia in hopes of receiving enlightenment upon an issue I have recently discovered. While such a query may frequently be conducted via private communications, I felt such a topic was in need of a public letter.

In the 18th of Sigismund's End 1849, His Holiness, Everard VI wrote a public missive announcing a shift in the church’s stance on women serving as ordained Clergy. This announcement was made in the years following an initiative led by HRH, The Princess Imperial, Elizabeth Anne with the goal of allowing women equal inheritance. Since then there have been countless women who had stood as peers in their own right across all Canonist nations.

Despite the strides made in the realm of peerage, the church has notably lagged behind. Since the year 1896, a mere four women have been recorded in the Census of the Ecclesiastical Registrar, a minuscule number in comparison to their male counterparts. Furthermore, the current curia is composed of 6 men, but not one woman.

I wish to know why such an unbalance exists within the Church and why little has been done to address the issue. If women have equal ability to spread the word of God and may hold positions equal to their male counterparts, then why does such a imbalance still exist? While one could argue that the imbalance exists due to a disinterest amongst the women of God’s flock, I’d propose the question, if that were to be true, would it not be the duty of the Clergy to properly educate and encourage faith amongst the women of their flocks? 

I wouldn’t dare question the judgment of His Holiness or any faithful Canonist. Nor do I wish to cause a disturbance akin to that which Dona Nicolette Amador recent writings caused, though I do believe the current issue needs to be addressed and pray that His Holiness may be guided toward a solution which best represents the will of God.

SIGNED,

Her Ladyship, Serena Viviana of Arkent

Eirene went about her daily activities as much as possible, given the circumstances her parents and tutors wished to provide the young princess with an abundance of activities to distract her mind. Despite any attempts by the adults around her, all tasks and studies sent her way were completed in silence with a blank stare and all-black attire. 

No matter how much anyone tried, they couldn't hide pain from her.

I believe @LatzMomo's suggestion with a few alterations is the best fix rather than what is being suggested in this amendment. I would suggest adding an additional ability to the Corcitura's roster. I won't give a full description and redlines since this isn't my suggestion post, but I'll provide a brief outline of what I believe would be best.

Should a Corc have fear or concern of being discovered via the use of salt, they may redirect their recovery ability to instead protect minor wounds from the effects of salt over the course of 3 emotes and will remain effective for 3 OOC hours, during this time any salt introduced to major wounds would react with salt as it normally would. In order to use the ability, a Corc must have fed within the last year(1 OOC week), and the usage of the ability would cause the croc to enter the early stages of withdrawal, forcing them to feed again before they may use the ability again. Furthermore, due to the strain the ability places on the Corc's body, they would be unable to transform or experience the passive effects of their recovery ability.

I'd argue that involvement with any darkspawn group comes with the inherent risk of being unable to fully integrate into regular society, so making it so salt only works in major wounds is honestly an overcorrection for the issue. If someone doesn't want to experience ostracization on their character, then perhaps the CA isn't for them.

My suggestion which builds upon LatzMomo's original idea creates an expectation that both sides in an interaction be operating in good faith. If a Corc player RPs being protected from the use of salt on lesser wounds, there is an expectation that they have performed the required emotes the activate the ability and have properly RPed feeding in the last week, just as it's expected that anyone investigating a corc isn't metagaming a player's CA or causes a major wound to test the salt without proper cause. If either side is not operating in good faith they would receive proper punishment for breaking the rules. To me, this feels like the best solution as it's allowing the Corcs a way to remain protected from routine salt tests, but also forces them to put themselves at risk at a later date as they will have to feed sooner to avoid withdrawal.

Amethyst isn’t accessible on the resource islands, but it’s also a future tile specific resource, so I don’t think it should be available on the resource island.

Eirene Daria cheers as her eldest sibling retells the scenes from the epic battle in the crownlands during playtime!

Issued by the

Andromedan Court

On the 13th of Sigismund's End, 62 BA

The Andromedan court is elated to announce the Tenth Anniversary of Their Majesties, King Adrian I and Queen Andromeda Ester of Ba’as. In celebration of this joyous occasion, the Andromedan Court shall host a feast within the Palatio Arancione so the Kingdom’s citizenry and allies may celebrate this monumental event alongside The Royal Household.

The guests of the night will first be greeted by Their Majesties who shall offer a speech to begin the night of revelries. Following Their Majesties' speech, the Court Poet, Grimhildr Falkenrath-Chen, will grace the guests with a poem written for the occasion while the kitchen staff begins serving native Balianese dishes to the guests. As the night comes to a close, Their Majesties invite any couples in attendance to share their favorite stories of their relationships.

SPECIAL INVITATIONS ARE EXTENDED TO THE FOLLOWING:

HIS ROYAL MAJESTY, Aleksander II, King of Haeseti and Ruska and his noble pedigree @Mio

HIS ROYAL MAJESTY,  James Leopold, King of the United Kingdom of Aaun and his noble pedigree @LithiumSedai

HIS ROYAL MAJESTY, Odin, King of Norland and his noble pedigree @ichigomaster98

HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, Idril Sylvaeri, High Princess of Amathine @JJosey

REX, Kybal’Akaal, Rex of Krugmar @Evonpire

SOHAER, Luthien Maery’onn @BlueBudgie

PRIMARCH, Netseth Loa’chil @ColonelKuehl1

MATRIARCH, Miven Caerme’onn, Mariarch of the Vale of Nevaehlen @WestCarolina

The Clan Leaders of the Grand Kingdom of Urguan

SIGNED,

HER ROYAL MAJESTY, Andromeda Ester of Ba’as, 

Queen-consort of Balian, Countess of Monteres, Viscountess of Eflen and Anatis, Baroness of Brucca, Valens, Malenos, Goza and Ciavola, Lady of Portoregne, Atrus and Monterosa, Warden of La Costa Rubinissima, Protector of the Heartlanders and the South, etcetera. 

HER EXCELLENCY, Lady Serena Viviana d’Arkent,

Palatiodora of the Andromedan Court

A young Eirene Daria let out a loud giggle as yet another future friend entered the world!

Serena d'Arkent plans to send a letter to the new Grand Princess and her Gouvernante via the Mayflower Postal Service on behalf of the Andromedan Court!