I know I don't have much of a say in this and it's probably hypocritical to even say this in the first place in some way I don't realize yet, but I feel this needs to be said.
We have a tight community despite our differences, flaws, sins, and life outlooks. We make enemies ICly as much as we make friends. We build alliances and break them. We trust and get back stabbed. But this all happens IC. For the most part, we are rather tight and civil with each other OOCly. This is what drew me to and keeps me in this community and Eve as a whole.
I know when I started I was derpy, but since then I have learned. The only reason I came back to Eve was because of you all and because things were not only kept interesting, but high quality. There wasn't a massive amount of cold shouldering or unnecessary exclusion. The community grew, became constructive, and really attractive. So I came back, and I'm happy.
But since that time, I have noticed a steady stream of discontent, vitriol, and in some cases outright animosity over more trivial things. Yes to some they may seem like 'a big deal' whether it be someone 'doing it wrong' or feeling their faction has been given the short straw, but step back a minute. Take a good step back and look at the situation.
Is arguing over one thing again and again and again and attacking people in this community really worth hurting a friend? Hurting an ally? Not IC but OOC.
I like to think that, OOC, we're all pretty tight. ICly Silas and Anslo hate each other, but I love Silas OOC for giving me that little spat of hate. It's fun. I haven't had this much fun or felt this close to a community in years of playing Eve. It's the equivalent of some smaller pvp corps of friends from years and years of knowing each other. Sure we don't always agree, but hey whatever.
But is constantly arguing and telling one of those friends 'you're doing it wrong' because they don't act like you think they should despite remaining within a certain boundary of action that isn't offensive worth hammering again and again? This brings me to my point.
Why does this keep happening? Why does the same YDIW crap and insults and demeaning keep happening? Why are we doing this to one of the few communities left that's actually really fun and lulzy? Constructive criticism is all well and good and it helps to better RP. Anslo's story is all the better for the CONSTRUCTIVE feedback he's gotten as well as the help in tweaking bits here and there.
That didn't happen from insults, that didn't happen from demeaning the idea, that didn't happen from saying trash the idea it's rubbish. It happened from people enjoying the same thing in the same game wanting to better the community and the lore for everyone to have a good time despite the potential derp because that same derp is what can create interesting stories that stick with people for a hell of a long time with a little tweaking.
But no, we keep on with this YDIW, we keep on cutting and gashing and hammering at others for small transgressions because we feel they're ruining the community, when in reality they're acting in an innocuous manner. Sure we have some exceptions where someone tries to stick a Sleeper in them and say they're the King of New Eden...that just isn't going to happen....yet anyway. Boy that'd be weird.
But we do it. And it irks people to no end. The last thing I want to see is a community, a great one, torn apart because people argued about who was friends with who. Yes it's Eve, yes the HTFU is always there, but I'm personally fucking sick of human nature being used as an excuse to HTFU when something like this pops up. I'm sick of people saying if you don't like it, find another game or RP circle. I'm sick of people using Eve's harshness to justify continued vitriolic and venomous rhetoric against people who are friendly, creative, and some of the best friends I've had in a long time. I'm sick of people tearing and ruining things because they don't get their way instead of taking their own advice and HTFUing instead of messing with others for the tiniest reasons.So to those who might do that I say this.
Get the flying fuck over yourselves. I'm sorry to say it, but I don't want to see the RP community turn into some ultra dramatic shit show that ends in everyone just sodding off. Drama will happen yes, but it can be mitigated to only IC with some OOC. We're adults. We're intelligent. We're civilized. Fucking act like it before this continued, angry, and unnecessary passive aggressive (and sometimes aggressive) activities ruin the one last fucking good thing in Eve that drives stories forwards and sparks creativity in people willing to jump into it.
Call me soft, tell me to HTFU, tell me whatever you want but I am sick of it and I'm saying this here and now. Block me, bounty me, do whatever you want. But the vitriol and ydiw and aggressive posturing against OOC, Summit, and everything else needs to stop if we want to see an already flourishing RP community grow.
Get the fuck over yourselves and be civil. Have fun with people instead of holding grudges.
FUCK.