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Drama and You.
#1
Drama, as defined by dictionary.com, is "an episode that is turbulent or highly emotional." This tends to come about after rumors are spread, backstabbing has occurred, or trust has been lost between friends.

In this post, I will discuss how drama effects a roleplaying community and how we as this community can attempt to move forward after drama has be stirred up, both ICly and OOCly.

In-character Drama:

Drama within roleplaying, can add new depths to characters, give new entrances for storylines, and can open new opportunities for character interaction. This can include, but is not limited to just, character injury or death, anything having to deal with love-interests(both the positive and the negative), and war or battles.

When most people think of OOC drama, they feel as if it always revolves around the negative aspects of the character's daily lives, but this assumption can be looked at as wrong as the positive drama can be seen as the same; they both open up new areas within roleplay. To say the least, drama is what makes our characters seem realistic, without it we wouldn't have anything to do or talk about.

Example of IC Drama(positive):

After a few months of training, drunken nights in the tavern, and killing puny elves within Warsong Gulch, the two Orcs decided to become mating partners. After a few weeks, they came to the realization that they did not want to bring a child into the world with the Elves running around Ashenvale, killing and maiming their people of the Horde. This brought them to the idea of bringing together more members of the horde to push into Ashenvale to help wipe them out slowly, but surely.

A few story-lines have popped up from one single dramatic(positive) event. Not only did a pair of Orc friends decide to court/mate, they also decided that together they would bring some of their Horde peers into an area they had been fighting, in order to bring in a better future for themselves and the future generations of Orcs. This gives opportunity for...A) War-based RP for the Horde. B) War-based RP for the Alliance. Both that can open even more storylines for both factions and can give a bit of battle Roleplay that most of us crave.

Example of IC drama(negative):

Jimmy had begin addicted to Ratchet white more than any of his friends knew. He spent many days smuggling it into Stormwind for his own guilty pleasures and began using it almost everyday. After a few days of not seeing Jimmy, his friends became worried, and checked the local spots that he hung out, along with the home that he was staying in. When the finally found him he barely had a pulse and was going into convulsions with white powder around his nose. His friends took him immediately to the priests who spent a few hours attempting to revive him and keep him in a stable condition. A couple of his friends went back to his apartment to find out where he was getting the powder; all they found was a small emblem of a pink-haired gnome on a white powder covered box. They vowed to find this distributer and bring them down.

This negative event also gives off opportunity for people of the community. Not only did his friends have to find priests/paladins that were able to revive him, they had to find ones that could do this and keep him in a stable condition, possibly for a week or more. Also, it gives opportunity for bounty hunters/mercenaries to figure out and help find the drug-lord/lady and bring justice to the people. This can also bring opportunities for someone who possibly knows something about addiction ICly to help out poor Jimmy!

Out-of-character Drama:

Out-of-character drama also can help a community grow, give depths to you as a player, and can teach you ways of keeping your IC emotions IC, and your OOC emotions OOC(a skill all of us should learn). Not all drama is bad, though that is the biggest type of drama brought up or thought of, but it can be positive just like it can be ICly.

Example of OOC drama(positive):

Molly was new to the server, she barely new anyone and decided to go to one of the OOC New Player Events. After meeting a few of the players, old and new, she found a new common interest of drug-smugglers with an older member. They spent a few hours talking before she rolled a character to join the guild to help smuggle drugs across the Alliance borders. She not only found new RP, but players to talk with and have fun with.

All the positive drama seems to go unnoticed, especially when it is OOC. When positive events happen like this, it opens up new opportunities for players to Role-play and for players to meet and converse. Something that most, if not all of us tend to do.

Example of OOC drama(negative):

After a month or so of people abusing the 1hp mobs that were dropping a few silver and greens in Northrend, it finally had come to the surface and the GMs found out. Many players admitted knowing or even involving themselves in it while others denied and ridiculed the ones who admitted their mistakes. After many words were said between the GMs and the player-base, the All-Mighty-Overlord shut down the server for a server wide suspension to teach everyone a lesson. A few GMs left because of the situation.

Wait, you think only negative came from this? Psh, read on.

After spending the few days with the server offline, the GM team discussed issues and the All-Mighty-Overlord decided to bring back the token system and gold received quest that he/she once had on the server. Not only did he bring this back, but with time he slowly started bringing back the once beautiful OOC area of Arathi-basin and Shatterspear. Along with all these goodies, the player base finally had time to sit down with the GM staff, talk about issues that were bugging them, and just giving them time to finally meet one another, something that many players never had the opportunity to do.

A key fact to remember about OOC drama, is that if it is indeed a negative situation, rumor-mongering about it only makes the situation worse; deny it, tell the person to drop it, or just plain ignore it. Sometimes if it is out of control, take a break from the people that are surrounding you with it and recollect yourself so you do not stir it up more. I know that each one of us has a high-school Mean-girl in us, but it doesn't mean that every situation that comes along deserves her presence.

What should be learned from Drama?

Drama is going to happen no matter what, it is part of our real-world and part of our wow-world, the key part is knowing how to take a negative situation and turn it positive, or how to take a positive situation and making it even better. Many times fingers are pointed, feelings are hurt, and people leave, but learning how to control emotions in this situation can help every single person grow, like a beautiful flower. :D

Remember! Rumor-mongering about IC-events can cause OOC drama! Keep IC-IC and OOC-OOC.

Key Points to Remember:

1. Drama will always be there; it is what makes life interesting.
2. Not all drama is bad drama!
3. Learn to take a dramatic situation that is negative and turn it into a positive!
4. If drama seems to be getting to you, take a break!
5. We all have a Mean-girl inside of us, but it doesn't mean you have to show it!
6. Rumor-mongering only makes bad drama worse, it can even spread from IC to OOC!


Edit/Addition by Cressy:

Scenario:

You and a person just seem to get under each other's nerves. ICly you find their characters annoying, OOCly you find them annoying...More than likely you find their characters annoying ICly because you dislike them, whatever. What do you do?

Positive Reaction:

You bite your tongue. Whenever you are around the person ICly, you find an excuse to leave or to manage the situation positively. You still have distaste for the person, but you know what? You keep it to private conversations with friends or if you really feel the need to, you talk to them privately about the situation; you are -never hostile-.

Negative Reaction:

You write posts about how you dislike the person, whether in game or on the forums. Arguments spurr up, people get angry and friends are then going to defend, well, their friends. Backlashes begin, slowly, but surely you see people beginning to talk about how they dislike this about the other person, or how the other person dislikes this or whatever. Dramafest ensues.

Why did Cressy make this addition?


Well, that is a good question. I am sort of sick of seeing people attack each other on the forums. It gets old, it makes you look immature and you need to stop. If you have issues with someone, don't drag friends in on it. Having them attacking the person isn't making it any better, it obviously makes it worse. So, what I am going to say is this.

If you guys have issues with another player, OOCly or ICly, deal with it privately. Do not bring it to the communities view. Do not write about the other person that you dislike. If you want them to know how you feel, do it privately, but do it in a tactful manner.

Y'all good with that? Good.
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#2
I really appreciate you writing this Cressy. I hope that people can learn from it and stop all the rumor mongering and such.

Edit: I do -NOT- have a mean girl inside of me. It's a mean boy. XD
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#3
Bumping this. I keep hearing crap when I randomly log on to msn/vent/coth about this type of stuff.

Give it a read; I mean, I know it isn't the best, but it gets the point across.

/sagenod
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#4
That was so elegantly written, it brought a tear to my eye.
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#5
Baha. Thanks Scout; not everything that comes from my mouth/mind/finger-tips is complete sailor talk. /sagenod
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#6
/BUMP

I am getting a little pissed off over the amount of disrespect and drama from people.

Grow up, quit talking crap about people and taking in-character drama out-of-character.
[Image: anigif_mobile_9893b2566588ab845c7985f71769a9f2-7.gif]
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#7
Indeed...

Please read up on rule 1, it seems people have forgotten about it.
"I am more afraid of one hundred sheep led by a lion than one hundred lions led by a sheep."
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#8
Scout Wrote:That was so elegantly written, it brought a tear to my eye.
It's amazing how some posts can literally be a work of art. :3
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#9
I have never seen a better representation of why drama can be good...

Excellent work. Always worth keeping in mind!
Dulche et decorum est.Pro patria muori.

[Image: awawwaw.gif]

Only in death...
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#10
Bump. Bump. Bump.

BUMP?
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