Thought you'd never see a post authored by me again, did ja? 
Well, I guess rumor is spreading that I'm back, so I thought I couldn't hide from the forums any longer.
Anyway, me being back isn't the reason I'm making this post. The reason I'm making this post is I wish to address a growing trend amongst our community. And yes, it includes the recent uptrend of vampires and lupines, but it also concerns alot more than that. Hence the name of the title of the post:
Pushing the Envelope vs. Burning the Envelope
Now, the first thing to say is something very important. This is in NO WAY a slam or a backhand to people who play characters that may fall into "burning the envelope" category. It is simply a heads up about what you are getting into when you play that character, and it may lead you to possibly consider taking an alternative route with who your character is and what you do. Alot of the things I'm going to cover in this mini-article are things that were discussed in both my writing workshop classes and acting classes, so I'm not just pulling this out of my rear.
First of all, let me address roleplaying and writing fanfiction. When you roleplay, you technically ARE writing fanfiction. However, this does not usually EXEMPT you from following the guiding laws of that universe. This is the first rule that alot of people are very prone to break. While we all want our characters to be intrinsically different and well remembered, we still have no right to break the laws of the original universe as set down by the creators of that universe. We have the right to exploit loopholes to our heart's content and define our characters more through those means, but we do not have the right to completely change the universe at our own whims.
I say these last lines because alot of the "rationale" for making all of these new "rule-breaking" characters is, "It's my character / my continuation of the storyline, I can do what I want." My response is a pretty harsh one, but a necessary one. "Don't be stupid, get up off your rear and write a better rationale."
If you don't want to take the time to write an appropriate backstory, then you have no right to move forward and continue to play that character. I say this because it is one of the first rules of writing, history is everything. History defines who a character is and where they have been, how they will act to certain situations, and etc. Characters grow and change through experience, and it's important to understand what experiences they already had.
Another commonly used defense is we all hate vampires and lupines because they're something more powerful / it's something we didn't come up with / we're jealous / whatever. Let me be the first to say that I could care less if someone plays a vampire or a lupine. I, however, care that the writing is good. This is because all of our writing affects one another. To say that your writing or your character won't affect me or someone else is very incorrect Because we all share the same universe, we all really need to be on the same level. Why? Let me detail it:
One of the first and most important rules of improvisiation acting is the "give and take". Any actors in a scene will have an effect on one another. Which means that their character will influence the other character, even if it is a negative influence. Many people forget that a negative set of answers or results still affects a character, heck, even doing nothing in a scene affects a character and their standing towards another character and the other actor. It's important to remember this because when two people are roleplaying, the same rule applies. Bad writing will bring about effects you may not intend or want to associate with your character. Inappropriate characters still have the possiblity of really screwing things up in the world and taking roleplaying down the toilet.
This is also why the "If you don't like it, don't play it / participate in it" ideal is falsified. It is almost impossible for a character to turn their heads the other way logistically. One cannot simply ignore these characters when they're causing such problems, such as vampires. You cannot pretend vampires do not exist, because somehow, someway, you will come in contact with them even if you are trying to avoid them.
However, the overseeing principle is simple: Follow the Source Material. While, yes, Vampires and Werewolves have a place in the Matrix, it is not the hugest place. They are far from center stage, and only became center stage for one minor event (Nightfall). During Nightfall, we were presented with the vampire Invalesco, who requested that he was able to make redpills into Vampires using a complex and POWERFUL ceremony which would require some components and the removal of the redpill's blood code. Here we have the source material of how a redpill can be converted into a vampire. The difficulty of this ceremony only made it able to be done by an elder member of the vampire program coven, like Invalesco, whom we really don't have too many of anymore. Malphas is about the only person who really comes into mind.
Please note that the ritual did not include biting, it did not include blood drinking, it did not include normal "vampire" things. It was written with the Matrix in mind. However, lately, people have found it necessary to begin to introduce vampire motivation from other works of literature. While this is fine and dandy, the least that could be done would be to keep the Matrix in mind. I feel that alot of players are beginning to lose sight of the Matrix and only see what they want to see.
This goes for all roleplayers, though. Not just the vampires and lupine players. Take heed of the source material. If you are confused about something, go back and look at the movies, the stories, the comics, the Animatrix, and the Matrix Online history. There is a wealth of knowledge that can spur new and inventive storylines without digressing to already used or overdone plot devices. And, this material can be used to keep your storyline within the guidelines of the Matrix and not massacre it as new storylines have done recently.
With all of this said, I call out a simple plea. Remember who we are. We are redpills in a system of control, with agents and many other programs. This is a computer system where perhaps anything can happen inside, but it cannot outside. Keep your plot lines and stories within the classic Matrix storylines and feel of the system. Feel free to push the envelope to the limits of the universe, but do not burn and blatently disregard what has already been created. And, most importantly:
This is not Dungeons and Dragons Online.
This is not White Wolf Online.
This is not Underworld Online.
This is not Magic: The Gathering Online.
This is Matrix Online.
Well, I guess rumor is spreading that I'm back, so I thought I couldn't hide from the forums any longer.Anyway, me being back isn't the reason I'm making this post. The reason I'm making this post is I wish to address a growing trend amongst our community. And yes, it includes the recent uptrend of vampires and lupines, but it also concerns alot more than that. Hence the name of the title of the post:
Pushing the Envelope vs. Burning the Envelope
Now, the first thing to say is something very important. This is in NO WAY a slam or a backhand to people who play characters that may fall into "burning the envelope" category. It is simply a heads up about what you are getting into when you play that character, and it may lead you to possibly consider taking an alternative route with who your character is and what you do. Alot of the things I'm going to cover in this mini-article are things that were discussed in both my writing workshop classes and acting classes, so I'm not just pulling this out of my rear.
First of all, let me address roleplaying and writing fanfiction. When you roleplay, you technically ARE writing fanfiction. However, this does not usually EXEMPT you from following the guiding laws of that universe. This is the first rule that alot of people are very prone to break. While we all want our characters to be intrinsically different and well remembered, we still have no right to break the laws of the original universe as set down by the creators of that universe. We have the right to exploit loopholes to our heart's content and define our characters more through those means, but we do not have the right to completely change the universe at our own whims.
I say these last lines because alot of the "rationale" for making all of these new "rule-breaking" characters is, "It's my character / my continuation of the storyline, I can do what I want." My response is a pretty harsh one, but a necessary one. "Don't be stupid, get up off your rear and write a better rationale."
If you don't want to take the time to write an appropriate backstory, then you have no right to move forward and continue to play that character. I say this because it is one of the first rules of writing, history is everything. History defines who a character is and where they have been, how they will act to certain situations, and etc. Characters grow and change through experience, and it's important to understand what experiences they already had.
Another commonly used defense is we all hate vampires and lupines because they're something more powerful / it's something we didn't come up with / we're jealous / whatever. Let me be the first to say that I could care less if someone plays a vampire or a lupine. I, however, care that the writing is good. This is because all of our writing affects one another. To say that your writing or your character won't affect me or someone else is very incorrect Because we all share the same universe, we all really need to be on the same level. Why? Let me detail it:
One of the first and most important rules of improvisiation acting is the "give and take". Any actors in a scene will have an effect on one another. Which means that their character will influence the other character, even if it is a negative influence. Many people forget that a negative set of answers or results still affects a character, heck, even doing nothing in a scene affects a character and their standing towards another character and the other actor. It's important to remember this because when two people are roleplaying, the same rule applies. Bad writing will bring about effects you may not intend or want to associate with your character. Inappropriate characters still have the possiblity of really screwing things up in the world and taking roleplaying down the toilet.
This is also why the "If you don't like it, don't play it / participate in it" ideal is falsified. It is almost impossible for a character to turn their heads the other way logistically. One cannot simply ignore these characters when they're causing such problems, such as vampires. You cannot pretend vampires do not exist, because somehow, someway, you will come in contact with them even if you are trying to avoid them.
However, the overseeing principle is simple: Follow the Source Material. While, yes, Vampires and Werewolves have a place in the Matrix, it is not the hugest place. They are far from center stage, and only became center stage for one minor event (Nightfall). During Nightfall, we were presented with the vampire Invalesco, who requested that he was able to make redpills into Vampires using a complex and POWERFUL ceremony which would require some components and the removal of the redpill's blood code. Here we have the source material of how a redpill can be converted into a vampire. The difficulty of this ceremony only made it able to be done by an elder member of the vampire program coven, like Invalesco, whom we really don't have too many of anymore. Malphas is about the only person who really comes into mind.
Please note that the ritual did not include biting, it did not include blood drinking, it did not include normal "vampire" things. It was written with the Matrix in mind. However, lately, people have found it necessary to begin to introduce vampire motivation from other works of literature. While this is fine and dandy, the least that could be done would be to keep the Matrix in mind. I feel that alot of players are beginning to lose sight of the Matrix and only see what they want to see.
This goes for all roleplayers, though. Not just the vampires and lupine players. Take heed of the source material. If you are confused about something, go back and look at the movies, the stories, the comics, the Animatrix, and the Matrix Online history. There is a wealth of knowledge that can spur new and inventive storylines without digressing to already used or overdone plot devices. And, this material can be used to keep your storyline within the guidelines of the Matrix and not massacre it as new storylines have done recently.
With all of this said, I call out a simple plea. Remember who we are. We are redpills in a system of control, with agents and many other programs. This is a computer system where perhaps anything can happen inside, but it cannot outside. Keep your plot lines and stories within the classic Matrix storylines and feel of the system. Feel free to push the envelope to the limits of the universe, but do not burn and blatently disregard what has already been created. And, most importantly:
This is not Dungeons and Dragons Online.
This is not White Wolf Online.
This is not Underworld Online.
This is not Magic: The Gathering Online.
This is Matrix Online.
