FEI Newb seeks counsel

[Velax]

Meh. While I don't like seeing it, playing a schoolgirl lesbian is one of less offensive things one of those players has done. I still remember when he was wounded in battle and the noble that caused the wound (not me) wrote an entertaining RP about how it happened and sent it to the region. This Aenilian player then wrote a roleplay that basically said, "Nuh-uh! I didn't get wounded!" Ugh. And the "giving your characters five positions including two council positions and a dukeship in one realm" thing that was already mentioned.

[songqu88@gmail.com]

If my current FEI character wasn't modeled after the strict, proper, aloof noble, then I'd totally make fun of them by saying I can play guitar better than them, have more fans who follow my song and dance performances, that I'm a world-renowned mangaka who is also the star pitcher on the national baseball team, CEO of an international corporation, have superpowers to never age and be indestructible, have beautiful women fawning over me constantly, one of the last dozen true wizards in the world who can cast actual magic beyond human understanding, travel through infinite parallel worlds, have the power to collapse entire planes of reality with a single thought, create my own planes of reality from a single thought that can temporarily overwrite the current reality, possess a magical artifact that allows me to fire a huge freaking beam of light that looks like Ryu's Shinku Hadouken crossed with Goku's Kamehameha wave, be feared by demons of Hell and angels of Heaven, a prince of a long-lost race of sentient beings that preceded humanity by many millions of years, ate puffer fish and survived, and own a Toyota Corolla that was promoted by a scary-looking Miku Hatsune.

Yes, such would be an absolutely awesome character that would be so much cooler than those two anime lesbian schoolgirls. My character would be the protagonist of a successful shounen series that will sell millions of copies per volume, much better than the paltry sales of a wannabe Lucky Star rip-off about anime schoolgirl lesbians and their talking wolf. (Lucky Star doesn't have a talking wolf, but there is a white dog. The green short-haired girl voiced by Minori Chihara has that as her pet.)

And now I have a good laugh at my post....lol

[Jinsyn]

Meh. While I don't like seeing it, playing a schoolgirl lesbian is one of less offensive things one of those players has done. I still remember when he was wounded in battle and the noble that caused the wound (not me) wrote an entertaining RP about how it happened and sent it to the region. This Aenilian player then wrote a roleplay that basically said, "Nuh-uh! I didn't get wounded!" Ugh. And the "giving your characters five positions including two council positions and a dukeship in one realm" thing that was already mentioned.

The Arcaean noble swung a goblet on a string/rope to hit the Aenilian noble on the head, causing a dent in addition to lodging the goblet in place. First of all, is that even possible? We're talking about what is essentially a hollow metal cup striking a thick metal helmet with enough force to get itself stuck. Shouldn't it, in reality, simply strike a glancing blow and just rebound off?

Regardless, the responding RP in no way refuted this event, nor did it suggest that he was not wounded. It allowed for the suspension of disbelief and politely accepted what was already written. The wound was not a serious wound, nor was it a critical wound, and indeed could have been likened to simply banging one's head against the wall. Thus, the Aenilian was not rendered unconscious and had the presence of mind to wittily respond by removing said goblet, downing the remaining dregs of wine, and then saluting the Arcaean for the drink.

Perhaps it would have been much more realistic for him to black out, topple off his horse, and then start bleeding from the nose, since that sturdy, little goblet clearly had more mass than that flimsy, paper-thin helmet?

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About the five positions part, which I will take as referring to King, General, Duchess, Marshal, and Marshal. Do not assume that there was no IC reason for such to happen, that it was nothing more than a desire to hoard power.

Xarnelf has spent his entire life in Aenilia, completely devoted to the realm. After being elected king, he gave his city to his cousin because he knew he could trust her above anyone else. The duchess named herself Marshal of her private, three-noble bureaucratic army in order to direct bureaucratic efforts because her character came to prefer such work over fighting, after a RP'd incident in the Soliferite War where she became stranded behind enemy lines. The king named himself Marshal of the smaller of the two remaining armies because he was an experienced, proud, and stubborn hero. The remaining and largest army has always been overseen by others.

He appointed himself General after the previous one suddenly stepped down, abruptly changed into an infiltrator with no RP, started stabbing people left and right with no warning, and then got himself executed. The war with Arcaea was in its initial stage then, so of course he was not going to appoint some random noble as General, especially when nobody even expressed an interest in the vacated position! Again, the experienced, proud, and stubborn hero kicked in, so yes, he assumed command because he knew he could do the job well.

But you can thank Cathay for pressuring him to relinquish his council positions since nearly a month ago. IC, he put his realm above his pride and stepped down, so please don't suggest that keeping all these positions was some sort of power-gaming that should offend everyone's sensibilities.

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The problem with Aenilia is that at least 75% of her nobles simply do not contribute vocally to the realm, ever. Barely four nobles ever talk in two public councils of eight and twelve, where anyone who is interested may have a spot. Either they don't care enough to bother, or they are spies for other realms. This is what I believe to be the primary reason for why people may think Aenilia is governed by a ruling elite, when in actuality, it's just being run by those who care enough to be active.

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What I find amusing about all these hate messages towards the duchesses' storyline is that if one had been a man instead, then it would have all been fine and acceptable. They never do anything explicit (just the occasional hug, kiss, holding hands), nor do they use Japanese words. There has been definite character development for those who have bothered to read past the silly fluff, which was always placed with the intent to make light of serious situations. They share their worries and concerns with one another like any two people who have grown close. Their storyline was never planned or discussed, but just happened one day and evolved over time as a cooperative effort in the spirit of RP-tag.

Continue to denounce them if it makes you happy, yet note that it has been a memorable experience. I would add that Aenilia would have been an even more quiet place without their antics, but I'm sure there are those who would rather read zero RPs for months than have to suffer through 'schoolgirl anime lesbians'.

[Perth]

What I find amusing about all these hate messages towards the duchesses' storyline is that if one had been a man instead, then it would have all been fine and acceptable.

If they had cat ears, rode mystical wolf steads, and were in any way playing into "anime" or "manga" themes, then no it would not be all "fine and acceptable."

When the old Norland ruler and several of his followers came to Eston after Norland was destoryed they RPed about him being a giant squirrel. It was dumb. It was out of place. It was not fine and acceptable.

But, meh, we chased them out of the realm. If those people in the realm with them seem to have no problem, and obviously don't act on that problem, then whatever. Just saying I would either voice objection or leave if that was in my realm. *shrug*

[Jinsyn]

If they had cat ears, rode mystical wolf steads, and were in any way playing into "anime" or "manga" themes, then no it would not be all "fine and acceptable."

They don't have cat ears, the wolf steed is not mystical but instead is akin to a very smart, intuitive dog, and I have not watched enough anime to be able to comment accurately on whether their actions fit some sort of theme. One enjoys baking cookies and surrounding herself with pillows, while the other one enjoys training with staff, sword, and daggers. The only recurring event that I recall which might resemble a theme is that the latter used to enjoy sneaking up on the former to surprise-greet her with flying tackle-hugs.

[Revan]

Cheers for all the advice gang. Given me a lot to think about. Also, FEI sounds far more interesting than I ever gave it credit for >.<

I also think that the RP in Aenillia? sounds bloody marvellous. I'm from an age when slightly less than serious RP was the way forward and managed to engage everybody. Now everyone's dull, mute and boring. I'm glad that there are still people/places like that in BattleMaster. Though sure, what Norland was doing sounds 'bat!@#$ crazy', if you'll excuse the term.

[Kai]

Cheers for all the advice gang. Given me a lot to think about. Also, FEI sounds far more interesting than I ever gave it credit for >.<

I also think that the RP in Aenillia? sounds bloody marvellous. I'm from an age when slightly less than serious RP was the way forward and managed to engage everybody. Now everyone's dull, mute and boring. I'm glad that there are still people/places like that in BattleMaster. Though sure, what Norland was doing sounds 'bat!@#$ crazy', if you'll excuse the term.
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I enjoyed the drunk rp we have before but anything even remotely inspired by pop culture makes me want to throw up.

[songqu88@gmail.com]

lol, I played a wannabe film noir style detective in Outer Tilog. He kept a monologue about how Giblot killed his non-existent wife, and how he was out to find her killers and make them pay in hard gold cash.

And then I didn't have enough time anyway to dedicate to that stuff so I didn't.

[Velax]

Regardless, the responding RP in no way refuted this event, nor did it suggest that blah blah blah.

Your RP in no way acknowledged that your character had been wounded, and the "salute" came off as a mocking move to say "Ha ha, I'm not really hurt".

About the five positions part, which I will take as referring to King, General, Duchess, Marshal, and Marshal. Do not assume that there was no IC reason for such to happen, that it was nothing more than a desire to hoard power, blah, blah, blah.

What a complete and utter load of bull!@#$. You can come up with IC reasons to justify anything, but the simple fact is you wanted your characters to have more power, you were in a position to give your characters more power, so you gave your characters more power. That simple. Having all the power in a realm may be fun for you, but you're making a conscious decision that your fun is more important than that of everyone else in the realm. Arcaea had a general step down too during this war, but you don't see Jenred as general right now, do you. And there's a reason giving your own character a dukeship is specifically noted in your user data page - because it's bloody selfish thing to do.

He appointed himself General after the previous one suddenly stepped down especially... when nobody even expressed an interest in the vacated position!

Borna stepped down on the 17th of May. You appointed yourself General on the 17th of May. Didn't exactly give anyone much time to step forward, did you, Mr Xarnelf.

What I find amusing about all these hate messages towards the duchesses' storyline is that if one had been a man instead, then it would have all been fine and acceptable, blah, blah, blah

I doubt anyone aside from homophobes cares about your lesbianism. The fact two woman in a relationship is being RPed by two men gives the strong impression you're doing it mainly for titillation value, which does leave a bad taste in the mouth.

[Adriddae]

I joined on FEI once, but that was way back in Soliferum. It seems a little more exciting now that Soliferum is gone. With all this talk it sounds pretty exciting. I think I've just been inspired to pause my Beluaterran character for FEI. :)

[Jinsyn]

What a complete and utter load of bull!@#$. You can come up with IC reasons to justify anything, but the simple fact is you wanted your characters to have more power, you were in a position to give your characters more power, so you gave your characters more power. That simple. Having all the power in a realm may be fun for you, but you're making a conscious decision that your fun is more important than that of everyone else in the realm. Arcaea had a general step down too during this war, but you don't see Jenred as general right now, do you. And there's a reason giving your own character a dukeship is specifically noted in your user data page - because it's bloody selfish thing to do.

Why didn't I appoint Xarnelf as General at the first chance I could, then? I appointed Borna at that time because Borna was actively contributing to the realm, had experience, and was willing to do the job. After Borna went away, there were no such qualified candidates, and the situation was critical with Arcaea incoming to beat us up. Xarnelf made himself General with the intent to only keep the position for as long as the realm was in danger from Arcaea. In his mind, he was the only one who could do the job of General well at the time, and he had every IC reason to take temporary control of the military; he knew what needed to be done to protect the realm that he loved, so he did it.

What you're suggesting is that I should have shared the responsibilities and fun with others, which is a matter with which I agree, both OOC and IC, but why should I have given positions to people who just simply never talk? Or worse yet, give positions to people who suddenly talk when the positions open up? If you're a dedicated and active noble, making yourself heard consistently over time by sharing your opinions and insights, then the positions will come to you, and that's the way it should be. Nobles shouldn't be awarded for not contributing.

I get the feeling that you're attacking me as a player for the choices that my characters made. I make every effort to separate IC from OOC, placing myself in the minds of my characters and acting accordingly to their preset and evolving personalities. But I suppose you're just going to call it bull!@#$ again, so I'm probably wasting my time responding. It just hurts that you're singling me out, when others have certainly done the same with multiple positions. For example, Thain in C'thonia was simultaneously Ruler and General, and Ruler and Banker before, but I don't see you railing at him. Erandi in Zonasa was also Ruler and General at one point in time. Whether they had IC reason is not my place to say, but I maintain that I had IC reason for the multiple positions of my characters.

I've always been willing share the responsibility, and by extension the fun, but as I have said before, I don't approve of throwing positions out left and right to nobles who haven't shown that they care enough to deserve them.

[Indirik]

What you're suggesting is that I should have shared the responsibilities and fun with others, which is a matter with which I agree, both OOC and IC, but why should I have given positions to people who just simply never talk? Or worse yet, give positions to people who suddenly talk when the positions open up? If you're a dedicated and active noble, making yourself heard consistently over time by sharing your opinions and insights, then the positions will come to you, and that's the way it should be. Nobles shouldn't be awarded for not contributing.

Regardless of the merit of the various roleplays or accusations of hoarding power (neither of of which I know anything about in this case) I do have to agree with these statements. If you want a position, especially something as important as a council level position, then you had really better be contributing to the realm long before that position opens up.

[Chenier]

And there's a reason giving your own character a dukeship is specifically noted in your user data page - because it's bloody selfish thing to do.

I'd appoint myself as duke any time I could afford to, personally. I find people who bicker for 1 title per player to be rather extremists.

That being said, I try not to hog more than 2 council positions (including duke), and will not take more than 3 unless I really have a strong opinion against all the other candidates. But hey, sometimes you are just meant to rule. And if nobody around cares or is worth leading the armies, then that can easily make you general and marshal. Maybe you intend these titles to just be temporary as you teach the trade to another, so you may as well grab the dukeship when it frees up so that when you step down, you maintain a good power base. Etc.

Concentration of power is, imo, more often because people don't bother properly campaigning than because some people are evil power mongers.

[songqu88@gmail.com]

...I'm an evil power monger!

No, seriously, if I actually could have my way, I'd take Ruler, Judge, Banker, Duke of Capital, and just sit in the capital with a hugeass unit to prevent rebellion. Then have all the other nobles field units because I can in fact order them to recruit a unit, even if I can't tell them what kind to recruit. If they're priests, well...they can't ALL be priests now, can they?

And then we make sure the capital is in a good position. Align all non-city non-strongholds to the capital. Forget all other cities. Keep strongholds as their own duchies. Then march!!! Who gives a damn about taking over regions, we probably won't ever have enough players to achieve what I would attempt! Just loot all that !@#$ to the ground!!! And use the harshest one, meaning the KRB one! Then we shall stand alone on the continent, our enemies smoldering ashes. And the only regions to fly a realm's banner will be our own. We will take what we can, and all else will be thrown to the ashes as rogue regions.

And then hopefully some power would consider sinking the continent.

Of course, this is done mostly in jest, since such a case happening is highly unlikely, nor do I think I would ever get the opportunity or, most importantly, the players willing to go along with it.

[Chenier]

Of course, this is done mostly in jest, since such a case happening is highly unlikely, nor do I think I would ever get the opportunity or, most importantly, the players willing to go along with it.

Hence why I don't take seriously those who throw a hissy fit about these kinds of things. People who *do* pull it off obviously have players willing to go along with it.