I am all about protecting minors from abuse. Full stop. There is no ‘but’ added to that. I think children should be protected and be allowed their very short time as children in life to be children.

When it comes to age verification, I don’t even like to confirm my RL anything OOC. I mean, I will confirm I’m over 21 if asked OOC for … reasons. However, I don’t want any of my personal information out there to people I don’t know. Let alone my address or those weird states that have your SSN as your DL number (Do they still do that?).

I understand that for safe space it might be something a game runner wants for whatever reasons (I hope good ones), but I also will not be playing there. It’s just too much trust to a computer screen and no clue the reasons and the person behind it.

@Pavel That made me laugh. Take your vote.

@Tez I don’t discord. I know. I know. I’m old and out of touch or something. But… they want your ID? I guess I get it, but that makes me uncomfortable. Is that normal?

I love this hobby because I like writing with a buddy. I like to talk about what happened in scenes, like other people like game highlights in the sportsball. I like the bios of people like others have trading cards with stats. I like trying to decide how I’m going to have my char react when surprised. I like the the chaos of not knowing and the high of a good scene.

Others, might be in it to write a story and are using prompts? I probably wouldn’t know AI poses to be honest. I think I was stepping away from games when they were getting really big. Maybe not. I am also one of those foolish types that try to see the positive and take things at face value.

On my couch, where I have all the opinions, I can’t imagine they are getting much out of the scene and I feel bad that they are robbing themselves (and others) from the authentic experience.

Player linking bits I think is a whole topic in and of itself with different ramifications than staff bits. Staff bits have an implied power aspect and control difference.

I don’t even think it’s done for ill will, but it can still be jarring. If you think person X is this cool person that you have been playing with, spawning ideas with, cracking jokes with, and maybe sharing RL information with – and then you find out they are someone else. It’s a trust issue. It doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world, but it can disillusion a person. If that happens, sadly every thing done on either alt becomes suspect. Then it starts the brain worm of what else weren’t they upfront about. These kind of small choices have large and lasting impressions.

As a player, you absolutely have a right to complete privacy for your comfort, protection, or preference. As an admin on a game, you have a bit less. You don’t have to disclose your personal information ever, however, you do have to disclose you are the CEO of the game that others are playing. Like stated before it’s the implied trust part of it.

That’s at least my thoughts, doesn’t mean it’s right, but it’s my opinion.

@Prototart

Thank you. It’s the bright blue hair. It fools people.

Also, you can never have that toxic love like you did as a teenager where you LOVED them and people were RUINING YOUR LIFE by saying otherwise.

@bear_necessities

You already know the tea. It’s just the absolute control she had to have over every character action. Women characters were held to a far higher standard. She’d nitpick decisions, make scenes to just lecture, etc.

Rinse. Repeat.

I’m sure they are a good person, but the way they admin left a sour taste in my mouth.

@bear_necessities said in Neon Protocol:

The staff at Neon Protocol is likely the same person that ran The Becoming. I don’t believe that is the same person as jujube/inuki/etc.

Oh. Hard Pass. Hard pass on all their games. Not shocked by this thread now.

My peeve is that this hobby is like a teenage toxic ex to me. I want to give it time, but I don’t have time to really give it. I like the good times, but the bad times were BAD. However, I still really love and miss it. I can’t really quit it, but I can’t start it and I’m in a loop of I miss the stories and writing, but then… but then.

I love all of you though!

@bear_necessities said in Neon Protocol:

@helvetica what’s even worse IMO is that the staff alt will submit jobs under their alt and then they will answer themselves in said job as the staff bit. Which is just… lol crazy IMO

OMG. This reminds me of Fort Bloodshed (I’m old old, okay leave me alone and get off my lawn) when I found out the third staffer who had a whole RL story ‘he’ would tell. Was actually just the second female staffer. This third one would even jump in to be the staff tie breaker.

Oh. This hobby.

@SockMonkey

I had a char with maxed out skills because it was their focus in life. It’s all they wanted to do. I spent RL years investing and RPing and justifying and they were just the top of their game. We were in a scene and I was like YES! This is their moment. Everything they’ve worked for. This is finally when they will shine.

Roll.

Critical Failure.

I’m not going to lie I just stared at my screen for a long moment in silence and then started laughing. I’m sure I looked insane IRL. I mean I rolled with it, but damn.

I am not actively on a game (sigh) however, I don’t see the harm in mid-scene skill raises. Most of those scenes, you are fighting an NPC. If it’s PvP, well who’s to say someone didn’t skill up just before entering the scene? Isn’t that basically the same? If you earned the XP when you spend it shouldn’t really matter. Or maybe I’m just not seeing why it does matter. What does it hurt or what does it do? Maybe I’m just not understanding the issue.

As my return to school isn’t a big deal to anyone in my actual life, I just wanted to share because I can. I am about halfway through my estimated timetable on my degree. I am double majoring with 18 credit semesters while working management for 40+ hours. I’m in accelerated courses to achieve the goal faster. I just got my certificates to say that I have again maintained my dean list holding that I’ve had the whole time and a merit award for taking part in the student insight committee.

That is all. I return you back to the game opens, closes, and dramas.

Thank you for reading.

Both?

I like to improv into a scene and see what happens. I like to be able to write a story without saying X attempts to … then wait the roll to continue. Although, I value the roll system too for people who never want to lose. That just becomes no fun.

Also, I like to randomize things. Let’s see if I fail X. Do we go left or right, looks like the dice say this…

I like the combination. Which means this post was super unhelpful, but I guess it’s just what mindset I’m in for the day.

Hi.

I’m not active anywhere right now. Am I waiting for the ‘heyday’? Maybe. I think I just had more time and life was more settled in the previous times. Also, as I get older the less I want to deal with drama. It’s human nature to be out there and to exist, but the less I want to be part of it. Sadly, I still want to hear about it though. It’s probably my toxic trait. I want the tea spilled, but I don’t want to be part of the brewing or cleaning up process.

I also don’t like when my character is too tied up in what they can and cannot do. It kills my creativity. I like to play silly things from time to time to break my super serious moments. I like the whole gambit of genres of RP out there and I want to be able to find fellow writers to be like 'yes and…" with me. I start to be less inclined if I feel like my RP is being overly monitored. I’m not doing anything wrong, it’s just that ‘trying to catch you’ feeling.

I was on a previous game that’s practically dead if not dead, so no I won’t name and shame. However, the staff there would hold RP lectures on what my char should do. They didn’t hurt anyone. The people involved were having a good time. Every decision I made felt like if it didn’t benefit the person in charge or completely follow their vision, I got IC lectures. It’s not fun. Or I’d be told OOC how I wasn’t great. Also not fun. I happen to think I’m amazing and awesome and all those things (cough cough). Sometimes the world and the game created gets so consumed on the main trunk of the story, they don’t allow branches to form. That’s some of the best RP.

Also, let’s admit it. I’m tired now. There is a lot going on in politics that effect me, there is a lot of fear around the world and with people that I love, I work long hours, I decided to go back for my degree (why was that again), and I have a household to maintain and I’m now in that place in my job where I am responsible for people not just the time I’m supposed to be there which also adds a level to it. So when I come to a game, I can come up with the ideas. I will even do the background stuff for it, but when it comes to running and doing rolls and such… my brain decides this is where the off switch should go.

I’d love a partner to run things with. We can brain storm it and go, but they can like the ‘roll-playing’ that I don’t like. I just like the creation of chaos (toxic trait as well).

I appreciate everyone out there running stuff and interacting on a daily basis though.

@bear_necessities

Yay! I’m super excited for you. You deserve it and two weeks after years is just a blink of the eye. The quit-itis is real though, I feel that. Good on you for being brave and getting that new job!

I also start worrying if they got an accident or something or something else bad happened. This is because my anxiety likes to play worst case scenario with my brain. I can also get a bit upset because I have limited time as I tend to over schedule my life (I know that’s a me issue) and I never know what point to cut ties on the one I’m waiting on and move on or cancel the other and wait. Then I have guilt regardless when that all could be fixed with a quick “hey I’ll be there at X time”. Life happens, I think we all get it.

This ranks up there with the “We have to talk later” comment

@Gashlycrumb Oh, you played on Firan too.

@Prototart

I use to write these five paragraph purple prose descs to try and get on that page. I was successful once. Now I’m like: It’s a tree or It’s a costume - yay.

Free time has changed.

I also don’t know the context beyond this thread and I’m going to take the thread as it reads. However, I’m going to drop my opinion. You don’t have to agree, but I feel the need to state it.

We don’t apologize for racism or anything in that vein.

The person who read the statement as antisemitic does not then go back and apologize when it was said ‘as an accident’. We don’t do that. Something was said. It might have been taken out of context, but something was said.

What we do is the person who said it learns not to say that again. We realize they are not racist (for this reason). We understand that knowledge was gained on how to speak and handle situations going forward.

We, again, do not apologize for pointing something out even if it was said accidentally. Just like we don’t apologize when someone gets offended when the speaker was “only joking”. It’s a boundary and we respect that. It doesn’t mean the speaker is the evil, but it does mean e need to reflect on the power of our words (both good and bad) and we move forward in understanding.

Asking for an apology or thinking that one should be made does not sit well with me and so I’m just giving my opinion on what I’ve read on this thread.