[~Read Me~]

[Cressy]

Hello everyone.

I'm Cressy. No, I am not going to be yelling. No, I do not intend on dropping the f-bomb. No, I am not going to tell you what I hate about CotH. Yes, I am going to tell you what is on my mind; my pink, fluffy, happy, rainbow and cupcake infested mind.

I've been reading post after post about the server and what is wrong with it. No, I am not complaining about them doing it, I respect the people who post them, hell, I am quite good friends with some. The point of this post is not to bash the community or what the server has become, it isn't to make people see my point of view, but to try and come to some sort of...agreement on what people can do to fix it? Or even deal with it.


Conflict RP
Or the lack of...

Conflict RP, something that many people seem to..well, not enjoy on the server. Probably because of the high death/attack rate associated with it. People fear character death, they fear losing the large amount of effort that they placed into an idea. I understand this, really, I do. People would rather give hugs and kisses knowing that they will keep their beloved alive.

I know that currently, conquest of any time isn't being allowed on the server. And like Kiffles put in her post, conflict RP made some amazing times on the server; Stromgarde, Echo Isles, Gnomer, they all were amazing to be able to be a part of. Even if we aren't allowed to do conquest, which usually is coupled with conflict, there has to be other ways of producing similar effects.

Some basic ideas of how to start it up:


-Guild wars. Talk to other guilds OOCly about possibly starting up a squabble!
-Warsong, Alterac, Arathi Basin, Northrend, ‘military' fighting
-Cat fights! Meow! I am always entertained by a good girl cat-scratch fight. :3
-Interracial/faction hostility! Racism is your friend!


Character Deaths
...What is the point?

Back in the day....character deaths had a meaning. You couldn't resurrect a character the next day, nor could you play the characters prior to resurrection, even OOCly. People had to actually think about what was going on and if their character would honestly put themselves into bad situations that many times. The concern I have seen with players, is that character deaths have little meaning when you have unlimited resurrections, and even with resurrections they leave little repercussions.

Spoiler:

Jean, she was a handful of a character to say the least. Racist, impulsive, and built like a body-builder, she was honestly someone you would never want to fight against. Needless to say, I loved the character. I caused so much conflict RP, even if it was on a small scale between different races and causing a bit of mischief…Thinking back, I couldn't tell you how many times I offended someone. She made a normal bar scene interesting and gave people a reason to dislike one another. But, because of this, I also got into deep storylines involving death and destruction. Eight and half months pregnant and she died during part of an event. I had refused resurrection. Jean hadn't died previously and so I could have done it, but I decided against it.

After three weeks someone came to me and asked if they could resurrect her, this time I allowed it. Needless to say she was emotionally devastated. After her death, she dreamed, if you will, of the daughter she would never meet. Death was pure bliss for her and being resurrected caused an extreme mental break down. All she did was fight, even with her deteriorated physical condition. She never won a match after that point, not once. Her body was so brittle that she ended up giving up. Amazing how the fisticuffs champion could become so...frail.

The point of the story is that sometimes with a little thought and taking real draw backs from character death, you could develop your character or even the characters around yourself. It gives their death meaning is basically what I am trying to say.

How to make character death and resurrections more awesome!


-Ask other players! Other people can give great ideas!
-Think it through/Put effort into it!
-Take in consideration of how your character affects others!
-Sometimes not being powerful is…awesome!
-When in doubt, vomit maggots and tiny vermin!
-Don't stretch out how you can get your character rezzed. Sometimes making that stuff out there is a bit bad. :c
-If you choose not to rezz…Roll a new toon! Hell, find a new love for an old one!


Cross-faction Relationships
…Hippy love for the win!

You are at a party..and wait, you see a particularly sexy Belf while on your gnome and they are giving you the oogly eyes. You can't help but want to go over to them and kiss them ugly-style…

It is okay. We've all been a part of some sort of interracial relationship, whether it has been a positive or negative (as in, positive being, ‘I think I love you', and negative being, ‘I am going to punch you in the face') experience, we have all been a part of something. The issue that has come to light, well, yet again, is what is acceptable, ‘realistic' (for this wow setting), and makes sense for your own personal storyline.

This topic really only has two sides, the ‘you have to be racciissttt' group and the ‘I love everyoneeee' group; there are a few that could be considered borderline, but at the end of the day, most people feel one way or the other. But! Either way, remember it is –their- character and no amount of gibber-jabber will make them change their ways.

If you find yourself agitated over OOC things..

-Take a (smoke) break. Sometimes just getting a little fresh (nicotine filled) air in your lungs (and brain) can make you think more clearly (and function better).
-Remove yourself from the situation. You don't enjoy watching a Nelf and Belf make out? Then take your character somewhere else.
-Switch characters! If you believe your character wouldn't leave the area, then switch to one that is far enough away that you don't feel the need to punch someone.
Now, before I move on to another topic…I'd like to bring up another point of interracial/faction relationships. Would your character honestly be doing that? People sometimes play their characters impulsively, sometimes are swayed by fad, or even characters can honestly be attracted to different races.

How do you know it makes sense for your character?

-Do they have a reason to hate/like the race?
-Is there an exception? (IE. They saved their life, they work with them, they have lots of common interests)
-Would they be okay with overcoming the tension from their brethren because of the relationship?
-Would they be able to handle being outcasted because of it?
-Would their upbringing have taught them to hate/love a certain race?
-Would their spiritual beliefs give reason to hate/love a certain race?
-etc, etc, etc.


RP Hot Spots!
Easy RP!

Booty Bay, our beloved RP hotspot that everyone knows for drug dealing, pirates, and interracial relationships, the place where a majority of the server is and a majority will continue to be. Is this a bad thing? No. People enjoy all different types of roleplay, telling people to remove themselves from an area that is easily accessible and open to all races is like telling the teenagers that always sit in front of Safeway at night because there is nowhere else to go to leave and get a damn jo…b…Anyways.

Back on topic! If you find yourself irritated by the lack of roleplay in other cities and areas, the only thing you can do is make it. I know what you are thinking, ‘That is really hard to do, Cressy! I have tried it before!' Believe me, there was a point in time where I got sick of Bay RP and took people on random pirate ship rides. Did they make sense? Probably not. Did they entertain people? Hells yes. A small amount of effort and I had thirty or more people joining in on my ‘mini-events'. I even asked people if they would care to join me in a city and people came.

What to do if you are sick of Booty Bay RP..


-Ask for other RP! No harm asking people in LFG or Chat if they'd like to join you in another area.
-Start up a mini-DM event. It takes little effort and planning to pull off a boat ride or a quest to save someone!
-Come up with a storyline to move players elsewhere. Yes, this is more effort than most of you want to put in…But it is a lot of fun!
-If you still can't seem to get people to get out of there and you will not budge on going there to RP….Well then…You are SOL. Log off and relax for a bit.


R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me…

Respect is always going to be an issue. Not everyone is going to like each other. Hell, not everyone is going to stay liking each other. I've gained and lost so many friends, enemies and acquaintances that I have lost count. It is just going to happen. We are a cesspool of drama and hormones, shit is going to get dirty no matter what. But! There are boundaries you have to remember to not cross.

I have preached drama on here so many times…that I feel I shouldn't have to tell you what you can do to help relieve them. Don't rumor-monger, don't let IC effect the OOC, take deep breaths, and when need be…well, take a break. It can be for a few hours, it can be for a week, or even a month or so! Just let yourself relax and take it easy. A game shouldn't dictate, rule, or effect/change your real life. If it does, then you really should take a break.

And last…but not least…


Highschool Conquest of the Horde Musical: Cliques ‘n things…
…

Cliques, cliques, cliques; people complain that people have made groups of friends where they feel comfortable enough to spend much of their time roleplaying or hanging out with them. All societies have these groups, it is normal. We find something in common with people, we bond, we connect. It isn't something that can ever be changed, nor am I asking it to change. I understand how it makes you feel secure and wanted. It is a great feeling.

I think what people are wanting is for us to be able to branch out more often. Sometimes when we push the limits of comfort, whether in friendship or roleplay, it makes us better people or roleplayers.

What you can do to open the clique gates!


-Say hello! Friendly greetings are always a way to start up opportunities!
-Invite new comers (or even seniors) to join you for roleplay. They might be able to bring a new level of awesomeness to your group.
-Don't be afraid to go outside of your clique. Sometimes RPing with an entire group of new people can take you places you never thought you'd be, or even new storylines to join in on.
-Plan a meet ‘n greet. I used to do these all the time. Post it in the event forum, tell people what it is about. I used to make random icebreaker questions for people to post so we could learn about each other.
-Offer new storylines or events! Sometimes planning events can draw all sorts of people together that normally wouldn't!
-Or…Don't. I honestly cannot make people try and branch out. :c

Well...I think that is all I have to say. Please refrain from flaming, derailing, or arguing in this thread. This is just an open suggestion on how we can fix/deal/whatever the issues that keep being brought up. I enjoy CotH and that is why I want to help move us, or move it, in the right direction.

<333

Cressy

PS. There are probably a shit ton of errors, but I am tired. :c

[BountyHunter]

♥
All for you Cressy-kins

[SpiralLateralus]

Actually, I have a better idea to fix the so called "clique" problem. A character should be made who wears a leather jacket and sunglasses, and rides a motorcycle. He'll start out as a social outcast, since he's "mysterious", and is prone to be a troublemaker (though nothing too serious). However, after some time, one of the popular girl characters and him fall in love. At first they keep their love a secret, but eventually it is revealed. This then teaches everyone a lesson about friendship, love, humanity, etc.

[Hawk]

I was bloody praying this wasn't gonna be a rage post! Too many of them lately. But yus! Truth is spoken in these words! Even if I suspect Cressy had a craving for delicious baked goods whilst writing this.

But just a note on resurrection: It's NOT a walk in the park. It can really, really have bad, nasty and crippling affects on your character. Physically AND mentally. The resurrection itself in fact drains nearly all the energy of the caster. How Cressy treated Jean is a very good example. Not that all resurrections have to be the same, of course. Oh, and distrusting/hating a group/person isn't a drawback. That's character development! B:

[c0rzilla]

Interesting note: In the RPG, resurrection returns a character to the strength of whatever the strength is for a teenager of that species.
I'd still debate hating something being a drawback or character development depending on how it's done, or what it is. There's a huge difference between not liking the dude that killed you, and being restricted from a certain area due to that fear.

Conflict RP: -So much of it going on right now-. I missed out on the conquest stuff, but yeah. The Dark versus Light stuff going on right now is huge. At least to me. Granted, there can be too many chefs in the kitchen, but plenty to for a person to jump in.

...yeah. Those're my thoughts after four hours of sleep at 8:00 a.m.

[Rigley]

...Dear god.

Those muffins stare into my -soul-.


I think I has ideas.

[Jason]

Cressy! Have you any idea how many double rainbows are in this post? It's like a mixture of Fergie and Jesus.

On a more serious note (on slightly) you have the right idea. We should make a cool kids club a- wait, cliques.

No but really; spot on Cressy, as always. hurr im old englsh herpderp

[Ghardiak]

The pinkness..... calming my souullll...... getting....... calmer!

Thanks Cressnub! I <3 you

Also, Jason you stole my joke!!

[Xigo]

[Psychyn]

^ I concur.

Or in more words:

Good post, good suggestions. Thank you for taking the time to write and offer suggestions.

[Roxas65]

This post made me so insanely happy I don't know whether I should be sad or happy about it.. .Paradoxical.

[Cressy]

Excellent...;D

[Lynoa06]

Aweee this is so cute :3

[Jurkey]

I actually arranged such a guild war with House of Hellfire, to make some interesting RP and get out of the rum-smelling inn in Booty Bay. I think a problem is that many people think it's... cool to kill other player characters, and even though you feel a bit tough(/flex) after killing off a player character, I believe that sometimes - people just do it because they have the opportunity. The guildmaster of House of Hellfire and I arranged that there will be skirmishes and battles, but character deaths are volunteer. People shouldn't begin throwing character warnings out, because that will make the guild wars rather short-lived seeing as everyone would end up killing each other.

I'll try to relate it to real life. Let's say that the wife of an average couple cheats on her husband. The husband might be pissed and all and if he saw the man who had made his wife do it, he might try to beat him up in rage(or atleast throw insults at him).

In CotH, most people kill other people if they just annoy them slightly. Of course, the Warcraft universe is more violent and people play evil toons, but I believe that people sub-conciously go on a killing rampage just because they have to opportunity to.

I'm not saying that I never do it myself, but it's something I've began to consider. Sometimes, it's actually more interesting to fight to the death, and then spare their life - besides from it's epicness, it actually is nice towards the victim also - and it makes your character shine.

[SpiralLateralus]

In CotH, most people kill other people if they just annoy them slightly. Of course, the Warcraft universe is more violent and people play evil toons, but I believe that people sub-conciously go on a killing rampage just because they have to opportunity to.

I agree with this completely. For example. nobody I've ever met has sat down to play Grand Theft Auto and doesn't go on a rampage.