The OOC Room

[Vorzheva]

Alren said it best.

[Adonai]

You are and have been here as long if not longer than me, you should know there was a rule on this. While it may not be stated in an easy to find place it is the basis of a rule i have known for years, if you state go another channel, that goes against promoting your own channel or another to take roleplayers from TLI. While i was looking for it I also found other rules. Let's find what we have all come across.

The reasons and rules we have broken to get to this point. And warning this is a HUGE post, and not directed at any one person.

The drama mainly contains to ooc and ic separations... we have a ENTIRE page for this:

http://belariath.com/info/icvsooc.html

Separating IC and OOC

I think its time we all sat down and had a long discussion on what WE the admin/ops consider IC or In Character and what's OOC or Out of Character. Let's use terminology for those that are new so we don't lose them.

IC - In character: You are playing your character. Your character walks into the Inn, orders a drink, the Troll spits in your mug, wipes it clean and fills it up with ale. You eye up the mug and then the troll. You have a choice, in character... Do you A: Insult the blasted troll for spitting in your mug. That's disgusting! Now you can see Troll spit swirling around in your ale suds. Gross! OR you can B: Shrug your shoulders and drink it down. Everybody else is.

You chose A: And eye up the troll, stand up on your stool and dump the contents of ale and spit atop the Trolls head! He obviously, being a troll and all, doesn't get why you just dumped that on his head and picks up the nearest available weapon... likely his big ham fist! And whaps you atop the head. *BAM* OWIE!!!! You rub your head, get that look in your eye and unsheathe your brand new sword! Now that troll is in trouble! Thunk you on the head will he! You jab, slash, maneuver your way around that bar area and turn the troll into living hamburger! Take that you troll! The Troll whaps you several more times! *biff* *bap!* You end up a squashed looking customer... Ooops.... Well, guess that was a bad idea!

In OOC - Out of Character - You A: Take it like a man! Good fight Troll guy! I really enjoyed it, what a way to pick up my afternoon. Thanks! Healer?! Medic!?! Anyone playing their healer right now? Awww shit... no one? Ok... cool. I'm gonna have my character just go lay over by a bench for a while. OR you B: In OOC.. start ranting.. What the F! Dude! I can't believe you did that to me!?! I mean, do you know how long I've been playing here? Like... years. You bullied me into that! It's hardly fair that you're a level 18 and I'm level 5! Look what you did to me, now there's no healers on and I'm fucked for playing the rest of the afternoon. Thanks a lot you asshole!

A: Is correct in out of character response.

B: is NOT correct in out of character response.

Why is A and not B? Good question. We all invest a lot of time into our characters. We buy them armor. Weapons. Slaves. Clothes. Houses. Land. Horses. Toys. We invest a solid two or three years and they have a personality. A way of doing things you'd never do but your character sure has the moxy to carry it through! You can strut around, waving that +5 Dragon Bane killer of Pixie dusted smallness and people FEAR YOU! Yeah.. mauahahaha *rub hands ebilly here!* Ok... cool.. Don't we ALL love that feeling? Hell yeah we do. I mean.. You can go somewhere, anywhere and be recognized. Known. Feared. Loathed. Loved. And it's really a part of you since you've invested so much time and energy and you've told your story! That's the most important part in all this... Its YOUR story. Your character is acting out the story that you weave and that others weave around you. However, the most important thing I can tell you is that, above all if someone insults your character. Beats your character. Doesn't buy your character chocolates from Chocolates to Cherish. Doesn't buy you flowers. Or milk. Or a horse or simply won't become your lover.... this is happening all according to others stories. Stories they've worked on, weaved, spent time on. You aren't the only character out there and if you were? You'd be one lonely son of a gun!

So, because you aren't the only one out there, and because others play their characters according to the way they see fit and others see fit and still others and then there's the laws governing In Character reactions and actions and the Empire and the Imperial Guard and maybe your boss... all In Character. Everyone has to adjust their characters lives accordingly. So. Ok. We've established you aren't the only one on the face of the Empire's planet. You aren't the only one struggling, working, farming, raising, walking, and swinging a sword. Just like out of character when you walk out your door to go to your work place, your home, see your wife your husband or go to church. You don't explode on the person next to you and ream them for stepping on your favorite flower outside!!! That bully! Wait... What!!? Ok. Now we are getting somewhere. In our Real Lives we have rules to follow. Governments to understand. Oh, we can protest! We can wave little anti-bully shirts about and wear coats with glittery sayings on the back like; Bush! Shave it today before it overruns! Sure we can. BUT if we take a gun or a sword out of nowhere and charge said President... we are going to jail! We understand that! Our actions cause a reaction and all the guff and bravado in the world isn't going to save us from a swift jury or judge shoving us into a small 4x4 room.

So in Character... This reflects the things that govern us in our real lives. These characters are merely reacting to your character. To their laws they uphold or the Gods they follow. Taking that OUT of character and shaking them about on how dare they do that to YOU... you.. not your character.. you.. Whoa... wait.. You aren't your character. You are NOT... If someone calls your character a heifer IC... Stop and think... IS he? Maybe. Is he an asshole/bitch/jerkoff IC? Probably... but is the PERSON behind the character an asshole/bitch/jerkoff? Probably not. He's playing out a fantasy. She's having some fun. Lord knows we really don't have Trolls in the Real world. We don't go about swinging swords either unless its for entertainment purposes and you just paid a ticket for that!

Now that we've established reality from fantasy. I want you all to go and play, remember that anything that happens to YOUR CHARACTER isn't you. No one is really calling you an asshole. No one is really lobbing your head off. Or sending a lightning bolt up your ass or stealing your slave. They are doing it to your character. It's a story. And like all stories if it really gets to you that badly? Close the book. Set it down. Come back to it in a few days with a more clear view of why this might have upset you. This story can't govern your life, and if it is? Then reading a story or being in one is not for you. So its time to put the book away and find something else to do.

Next one. The FIRST rule of TLI. THE FIRST RULE it is even labeled as so!

http://belariath.com/rules.html
The First Rule

This applies to all players whether you are IC or OOC: IRC and TLI are not a democracy. We don't hold votes and we don't recognize any concepts of free speech. An IRC channel is a private room in which you are a guest who may be invited or excluded at the whim of the channel founder. So if you think you will be unable to exist under the guidance and restrictions we feel it necessary to enforce, it will make life far easier for all concerned if you go elsewhere now.

Let's make it a bit clearer since subtlety is not a universally appreciated mode of communication. If the Ops tell you to do something, do it. If they tell you to stop doing something, stop doing it. If a rule elsewhere is unclear, open to interpretation or completely absent, the combined Ops present will consider it using their best judgement based on experience and the intent of the rule. They will inform you of their decision which will be enforced just as if the rule was written here in exactly that way. If you wish to argue or discuss or gain clarification, do it in a PM with that Op but keep your language moderate. If you are still unhappy, you can raise the topic on the message board or in a complaint to a more senior member of the admin. However, in all cases, you are required to follow the Ops instructions until you hear differently.

Having said all that, 9 out of 10 visitors never need more than a simple nudge when they make a mistake. They are reasonable people who are happy to play under the fairly minimal restrictions we impose and they understand our need to regulate certain aspects in order to provide a safe and friendly environment for the majority to play out their fantasies.

Next Are the TOP two things people have forgotten.

Respect and Politeness

Respect the channels you visit as a guest and respect the other players you meet or you will be unwelcome here. Just because a girl may enjoy playing the fantasy of forced sex it doesn't mean she is a slut or a degenerate in real life any more than it does if a guy wants to play the same theme. We require you to tolerate the acceptable beliefs of all other players you encounter. We also demand respect for the Ops and Admins of this game. That does not mean you have to bow down and grovel to their every whim. But it does mean that verbally abusing these people who volunteer their time will not be tolerated.

Ops will routinely enforce this rule if they see that it is being abused or trifled with. What does that mean for you? If we feel that your comments are edging on disparaging of another, too edgy, insultive, disrespective or anything that might fall in between, an Op will enter into your PM with a polite nudge and a request to stop it.

If for some strange reason, you don't catch the first clue and continue sniping, displays of disrespect in the OOC at your fellow players, or at Ops, you will earn an OOC ban for 3 hours.

If for a very odd strange reason, you had forgotten you shouldn't be doing these things for a third time, we will with firm authority, ban you from OOC for one week. IF for another very strange reason it happens again? We will speak on the matter and you likely will be banned from the OOC for a length of time we feel is appropriate.

We don't care if all players actually like each other. But what we do demand is that in all OOC interaction between players, they avoid discourteous, denigrating and insulting comments. If you can't say something polite, keep it buttoned. Unlike face to face encounters, you have the ability to pause before hitting that Enter key and modify what you were going to say. Use that power wisely.

Note that this also applies in private messages between players which take place whilst they are within the realms of TLI.

Harassment, Discomfort and Bullying

Harassment for this purpose is loosely defined as repeated actions designed to make another player feel unsafe, unhappy or unwanted within our community. It is not tolerated. Everyone comes here to have fun and within the regulations of the channels, we intend to make sure they do so.

A lower level of harassment we define as making another player feel uncomfortable. This may not be enough for them to want to make waves by complaining unless it happens frequently or escalates. You may find it all quite innocent until it turns around and bites you in the ass. So you need to be aware of the possibility, so you cannot claim not to have been warned.

Things which typically make a player uncomfortable are trying to control their roleplay and/or unwanted intimacy out of character. Just because your character had sex, raped, collared or married the character of someone else it doesn't give you any rights over the player themselves. It doesn't give you the right to say who they can play with and pressuring someone with passive/aggressive behavior in PM to achieve such will see you in trouble. So too will an assumption that you can grope, fondle and generally demean other players at random in OOC. Just because they play sexually available characters does not mean you can treat the player that way. Keep your OOC and your IC separated.

At times, threats and bullying. or making another feel uncomfortable within this environment do happen. Threats can consist of telling one that you will get them fired just because they wouldn't stop their hard earned rp session to serve your whims. Or perhaps that you will track them down using various resources and call their homes, their families or their work places. Threats IC can include getting higher level characters to come harass and beat another simply because they've managed to anger you out of character. These will not be tolerated.

Note that this also applies in private messages between players which take place whilst they are within the realms of TLI.

Now was all that broken by all? No, by a decent amount? Yes. Again I will say it We are ADULTS, hell some people who came to this channel are illiterate, and they follow the rules and even contribute massively to this channel, if you need me to point them out? Pm me and I will tell your their name. So i don't care if this post makes me even more invisible, MAN the HELL up and apologize if you have done wrong or even think you have, look to the ops and say, THANK YOU for getting to the point where you hate this game and we are SORRY you have gotten here by us or others.

[Aeria Nighthawk]

I find this decision to be terribly surprising. TLI has never been a democracy and while that power allows you to do something like this, it really does feel like you're shutting down McDonalds because one person got food poisoning. (Lame metaphor I know, but it was all I could come up with).

OPs have the power to kick and ban troublemakers and I think martial law would be a much more effective than shutting down OOC. Someone goes to the OPs crying about something that isn't a rule violation or drops some mean spirited comment in OOC? Ban them and the other offending party from OOC for an hour. No excuses, no appeals. After that hour they can come back and apologize and if they feel the need to continue on with their behavior they get banned for a day.

What this ruling is doing is shutting down the most community aspected part of TLI because of what amounts to a few bad apples. If the people who have driven L to this extent are so bothersome or in such great number, perhaps TLI needs another culling as happened a few years ago. Are these people persistent negatives that are hurting the community as a whole?

And maybe it is just me and the few people whom I regularly rp with, but I really don't see all that much drama in TLI. A lot of people talk to me about their RL drama in pm, but that is separate from the game and I'm open to helping people out in the limited aspects that I can. Have I seen examples of drama? Yes. But rarely do I see it overfill into the OOC channel in any great tide. Most of the people who have been having drama have seemed to handle it like adults. They fumed in private for a moment, spoke with the person who irritated them in private and the issue resolved itself. The reason I knew this drama existed was only because I was being told both their sides of the story at that time.

The reason I bring that up is I can't help but wonder if that type of drama is the type you are referring to L. If you're being used as a referee it can be quite exhausting. Very much more so if the people involved are not your friends. But that isn't OOC, that's in-private whining. If -that- is the majority of the cause of this then perhaps you should simply close your doors to such types of conversation and do what I advised in my second paragraph. Or perhaps taking a break from OPly duties for awhile. If you're shutting down OOC I have to imagine that you're not having fun here anymore. Maybe taking some time away to just rp and chat without the @ sign might relieve some of the pressure you're under. The only reason I am singling you out here L is because you wrote this and seemed to orchestrate this decision. It applies equally to all @ people who feel chaffed by its presence.

Of course perhaps I am just looking over things and the TLI OOC room has become a drama cesspit deserving this decision. If it has reached that level then a cull is in order to restore function. But if this really is just a select few bad apples or a 'final straw on a camel's back' type situation then martial law/retirement seems a more prudent course of action than this.

I'm sorry I got long winded and if you read this all then thank you. If you read it all and agree with anything then thank you very much. In closing I just want to restate my main point. I think closing the OOC room to be a bad idea. That is all.


EDIT:
As a final addition I wish to add one thing. TLI has apparently been under this ruling for 3 days now. I haven't been on since it started it seems. And usually at about this time in the morning there are about 10-15 people. Right now there is 3 and one of them is an OP. I know this is SB's game, but this decision will kill TLI as we know it if it really lasts a month. There won't be a game to call anyone's if this continues. That is my honest opinion. I'll stick around, I have always adored this game and the few people who I have come to call friends here and I can't help but feel cheated out of that because a handful of people have made the powers-that-be angry.

[Axios]

I was eating dinner last night and I noticed that there's little suggestions being tossed up. So here's my suggestions.

1. Standard ordered rules for OOC. (I know there are some already, but just numbered ordered list of sentence or so rules per. No need to write paragraphs upon paragraphs of fine print. No one really reads past like three sentences on most things.)

2. Have different sets of ops. What's this mean?
a) Ops who op in the RP chans don't op in the OOC channel.
b) Ops who op in the OOC channel don't op in the IC channels.

If you created a small divide then the folks who wanna be ops and don't wanna deal with OOC don't have to.
Those who can/will - shall.

I think you'd see a marked improvement.

[L`aquera]

Well.. I see a ton of suggestions for Ops to change and be better. But the Ops aren't the reason the OOC was closed, we simply got tired of it.

I really don't think anyone is paying attention and I think, thats ok. Take your fate into your own hands! After all, I believe all these ooc rooms that popped up are having mucho success! Stick with those, I'm told ya'll can handle yourselves very well. I salute you.

[Kaleb]

To show just how out of the loop I am, I just today found out about this and have been reading through this thread, agreeing with much of what has already been stated. First of all, I want to offer my sincere respect to all the Ops, especially those of longer duration who I know have been put through much. I would greatly hope that no matter how this is resolved that none of them consider giving up on the game after contributing so much to it. If a break is necessary, that is one thing but hopefully such arguments will not deter them entirely.

As for the players, though I can not possibly know the volume of drama that occurs when I am not around, I must agree with Crow that whenever I do get the chance to drop in the vast majority are very civil, light hearted, and yes, I agree its almost like a family. Now this may be far easier said than done, but I totally agree with Adonai and others that those with drama should find other places to vent and should be tossed out on their asses if they cannot. Ops are in place to help with serious problems not to listen to the vocal minority who are incapable of solving their own affairs. Someone is harassing you, go to an Op, someone wont play with you *shakes head* I want to say stfu but I guess that wouldnt be pc. As far as merely lurking in ooc, personally, selfishly, I never saw a problem with it as I for one enjoyed catching up with people in between my absences. I've always preferred to just bounce off other chars IC without any prearrangement, so not having the OOC isnt nearly the concern it is for many, but I still enjoyed the sillyness the ooc provided, even though I know full well that wasnt its technical intent.

Mostly I just want to say I hope neither the Ops nor the players leave the game over this. I might personally wish the OOC room still existed and hope it returns, its not the real reason so many of us have remained or returned to haunt these boards. To those few who would allow their own pettiness to drive the Ops to distraction, to cause the majority of players such hardship, I would ask them to take a good hard look at themselves and wonder just why they cant seem to keep their emotions at a respectable level. How there is not a filter between some people's brains and their keyboards has always been a mystery to me. I certainly agree that if the OOC returns a much stricter line should be taken, or at least hopefully the Ops can feel more free to dismiss all the two bit nonsense out of hand and concentrate far more on their own enjoyment with the occasional real problem sprinkled in, just to keep them honest

[Ylith]

I back the decision of the OPs 100%, in order to get it thru some people's heads that they are serious about the CF in the OOC, harsh measures had to have been taken. So we are without an OOC; fine! .... maybe some of the people [and I will not name or point any fingers] will understand that they must behave, if not do without!

This is a couple of rules that I have used in rooms on another Network that might help:

1. If not RPing, 1 hour time limit in OOC, no exceptions!! You go AFK, leave the room!!

2. Insulting remarks to another player, or to an OP, 1hour ban, no warning, no excuses.

3. The behavior continues when they come back; 24 hours second time; one week third, next Permaban!!!

[Ehlanna]

How are these for ideas?

OOC (#Lonely_Inn_OOC) is used as it was envisaged it would be when it was set up - a meeting place for people otside the game where they can discuss game-related things.
Elsewhere (#CallItWhatYouLike) can be used as a gathering place, outside the game where people can meet and talk about what the heck they like.

In both places, of which only the OOC one would be 'official' OOC and have TLI Op presence, common sense (ah, such an oxymoron!) will reign alongside politeness. It is easy and possible to disagree with others, and more than possible to 'move along' and ignore that without rising to any dangled bait.

[Devidial]

I've had been thinking about this whole situation and read through some of the posts and I do agree with a few things I've seen posted one being sure there are instances of drama its life it happens even if TLI at its core is intended for fun we don't just slough off the stresses rl presence they have a habit of attaching to us and affect our mood. So sure there are going to rough moments now and then but I can't imagine its not something that doesn't just tapper of as we start to relax. In perfect honesty I've witness very few moments of drama that weren't quickly resolved by a change in subject. But OPs I implore if you are being bothered by trivial troubles of such moods just refuse to participate and instruct the people to take the problem elsewhere.

A thought came to me only last night one I hadn't thought to express till now but now that it has occurred it seems valid enough to share. Years ago I had my own room and my own game which was successful in it time but during that time I learn something very key to the growth of a game. Every game is or should be a living thing never still and always growing. With that in mind you have to make a game appealing to new players and some might say this sounds outdated but I found that many judge the success of a game by the activity of their ooc. At any given time you might only have a handful of ppl ic and involved in a scene but the ooc might have 30 or better ppl filling the room. This judgement of success might be true even more so with a place like TLI where you can only log in one char at a time and the ranks of the OOC can offer a true assessment of how many players are active in the game and when you have I think 8 different ic rooms so if a new comer were to pop into any one of which randomly which may or may not have anyone in it what reflection of the game might they take from that. The OOC is a beast with many functions it helps promote rp through the offering of stores or chars it helps us to become acquainted with one another and since people are far more likely to rp with players they are comfortable and familiar with that too helps rp to not only happen but to happen between larger and more diverse groups instead of lil cliques. If there are troubles there must be solutions far better than stripping the game of such a broadly useful tool as the OOC.

Thanks for for bearing with me in my little assessment by no means do I mean to place judgments on anyone but a moment such as this I couldn't help but to think on previous experience and thought in truth it could be helpful to share and even if its not I'm glad to have the chance to share my thoughts.

[Infernis]

It would seem as if we already have those unofficial OOC channels. I say that the players are quite capable of policing themselves in their own channels now.

I would not be adverse to an official and 'real' OOC channel that is focused 100% upon the game itself. No goofing off, no stupid crap, no pseudo-rp, no drama, no gossip, no nothing but subjects and topics related 100% to the game itself. A place for workers to hang out and a place to linger QUIETLY while arranging RP.

But no more of the old OOC. No more. It was poison.

If I had my way, one hundred percent, I'd leave things exactly as they are now. With unofficial OOC channels and the players actually going IC to find RP on their own. But, Ehl's compromise could work.

[Ishtori]

The problem with that Ehl, is that the elsewhere channel wouldn't ever be just one and what players wants (clearly a majority) is a single place where everyone is, not being divided into the channels they know or like or even having to be in multiple player created channels for the purpose.

If the OPs didn't want to deal with the drama that pops up in the channel (and from what i see it's not that much, there is some but it rarelly gets big proportions though i certainly cannot know what goes on in PMs) and closed the channel. That to me is simply giving the "I don't care anymore" card. While this is a bad thing if the OPs aren't prepared to deal with the drama which is also supposed to be part of their duties as an OP, then at least they could have created a special OP status for the OOC, get players who will only be there to take care of the drama, but players who can deal with it, that means level headed people who just don't get hotheaded easly just because someone was an ass to throw an insult from behind a keyboard. It was a simple solution that none of the OPs seamed to want consider and the why is still unclear. To me this simply comes across as what I stated before. The OPs just don't care anymore, we've been assisting to this over the years, rules created after rules not with any intent to better the game or the community but simply so that they didn't needed to care about this or about anymore.

Quite frankly, i know this that I am writing is just going to be ignored. Bad things are done people complain and the complains fall of deaf ears, as players we simply get a. Players had it coming, they can't do better so we're doing this to solve it and they know it's not solving anything, it's just saving them headaches. I've been OP in mirc channels, I've been part of development of games, I've been moderator for games and quite frankly things are just this simple. You join without being paid for it because you want to help with something you like. Even though you're putting your time from good will and are not getting anything in return, it is your obligation to do things well. The moment you feel incapable of continue to do so, you should step down from that position or take a vacation from it, not just trying to change things in order to get less headaches making the game overall worse for everyone... I will ask this of the OPs. Do you remember how the game was 7 years ago or 10 years ago? I'm sure you do and I am sure you'll all agree to one thing. The game became a very far cry from what it used to be, it is but a pale shadow and don't tell me that it was the players. The players do not make the rules, that is a convinient escuse. OPs make the rules! If someone or a group causes problems, deal with it, don't change things for the worse so that you get less headaches.

As for me I just grew tired. Not tired of the drama or tired of the game or even the community. I'm tired of watching this game suffer from a prolonged sickness and with each passing year acummulation more and more bad simptoms. I am going to take a leave of the game for a while, quite likelly I will never come back because I only see things changing for the worse. If I see things actually changing for the better I might come back, if not I'll probably just end up deleting the characters further down the line.

[Jessyka]

since everyone else has an opinion...I'll give mine....take it for what you will...

I think this entire situation is completely childish. For all the talk of being "adults", this situation sure isnt being handled in an adult way.

As far as this "you can have your own OOC room but it can't have TLI in the name" stuff...thats like giving somebody permission to do something you have no authority to stop them from doing in the first place. The new room is not proof that the ooc room is not needed...it is proof that getting rid of it is a STUPID idea.

text based RP is slowly dieing out. look at rooms that have died that nobody thought woul go away.... Cainpub, Hermits`Fire, WK_Pub...just to name a few.....letting drama cause DRAMAtic changes to be made doesnt lessen drama...

[Kitani]

Not many people really know me anymore, but I've been around here, off an on, for a lone time... All I can say is that I'm really seeing an infection in the community. An infection of modern-day internet issues. Mainly the part where everyone seems to think that since they're on the internet, that their pride and lack of polite language skills make their opinions all the more louder and listened to.

They're wrong. No pointing fingers, but I was seriously taken back by the posts on this thread. The matter-of-fact tone of some (even the relatively new!) players as they spit their "This place will die" comments is nothing short of insanity. I don't doubt the longevity of this game. Even in the past when it's boiled down to a dedicated few, that population brushed off the dust, kept having fun, and the rest filled itself in.

I don't want to seem like some sort of veteran from a war long ago, but I do know this... I've seen this same thing happen twice before, this being the third... The first two were handled in ways that the OOC wasn't technically dissolved... But now? Third strike. We're lucky if they bring it back.

This is no longer a time where we get to say "You're doing it wrong! Listen to us!"

This is now the time to prove that we CAN be the community we say we are, and earn the right to have our old OOC room back...

Stick to your guns, Ops... You're doing the hard job, and I wish I was strong enough to help you with it...

~Kit

[Marren]

Kitani. I have seen your name in this game for so long i cant remember the first time. your one of the players that has been there -every- time I came back from a LOA. I cant say I really know you, but I know your name, and your characters.

I dont think TLI will die. the ops are to strong-willed, and so are the players. yea, we'll lose some. some really great people will choose to walk away instead of having to watch this happen... I know I'll miss them, but I also know we'll get more players. slowly yes... but we'll get them. I've seen a couple new people come in in the past few days. (maybe 1 or 2 were not new players? but i know 1 who is.) and even just 1 is a start.

I still stick to what I said. the Ops have my support 100%. I'll do as they say, when they say it, and ask the Goddess to breath new life into the game. yea, it's slowed a bit, but like you said,

The matter-of-fact tone of some (even the relatively new!) players as they spit their "This place will die" comments is nothing short of insanity. I don't doubt the longevity of this game. Even in the past when it's boiled down to a dedicated few, that population brushed off the dust, kept having fun, and the rest filled itself in.
~Kit

in my opinion, TLI is -the- embodiment of the phoenix metaphor. rising from the ashes? yea thats us people! I may not have been around for a while, a few times, but I do remember when this game was in trouble last time. wasn't pretty at all, but really, it pulled through. but Ishtori was right, its a shadow of itself. I think we need to try and rise now, from the ashes, and bring the game back to life. its about fun, people... lets have some huh?

[Tawny]

OK I have read and posted then read some more and posted again and now read more. L`aqueras last post here opened my eyes to something I was not seeing before and I would like to take this time to right a mistake I made. In my other post I was trying to offer suggestions on how the Ops could better handle the stress. But I completely over looked one thing and its that one thing I wish to fix in this post.
L`aquera, I am sure that in the past I myself or some of my chars have contributed to the stress you and the other Ops feel. I wish to say I am sorry for that. I would also like to ask that when you feel up to talking that you please pm me and let me know how I as either myself in the OOC room, or as any one of my chars, can help you and the other Ops not have as much stress to deal with. I want to know what mistakes I have made so I can correct them. I am willing to do whatever I can to help make this game be a better place for you the Ops and the players. And I want to thank you for your time and for caring enough about the game and players to get to the point you and other Ops are at. If none of you cared then the stress wouldnt bother yous so much. My pm is always open to you L`aquera and any other Op. Please help me to help you and understand what I have done so that I can make sure I dont do it again. I wish to see this game continue and I would like to see it grow. Without the Ops, the players and the OOC I fear that isnt going to happen.
So in closing please accept my apology for the stress that has come from me or my chars and I will await a Pm from you L`aquera or any other Op who wishes to help me help you,them and the players.

Sincerly
Tawny