09-07-2022, 08:58 PM
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." - Winston Churchill
6:26 AM EST. Having fallen asleep with my laptop still plugged in the night before, I awakened to the sounds of pings from Discord. Checking my phone as I got up, I was shocked to find a couple concerned messages that something in my DMs leaked and some of those people were worried that someone was trying to get me banned. Once comfortable and properly awake, I sent a DM to someone I was concerned with potential involvement for answers.
This was the start of my morning, and one I was certainly not expecting to go the way it did. As a leader player, I knew about the potential war on the horizon, and I knew some would definitely disagree with anything I said or did. However, you can imagine my shock at seeing this. Several hours later, I talk to the player in question, Shivania, and we start discussing the matter at hand. Apparently I'd been told some misinformation by members of our community, and I was explained what was actually going on. At that point, once I got clarification, it was all good. We chatted about how things were going, but eventually we settled on one major topic at hand: the misinformation. We both agreed that we should probably oocly state what our ic intentions were for the future, especially in light of what was going on, and that's where this topic began.
Shivania listed off a set of concerns with what was going on with Geladyne, stating I was escalating things and being much more aggressive than Geladyne, and that I, and Meiaquar, wanted this war. In response, I'd responded with what I knew, which was practically the same information, but Geladyne was the supposed "bad guys" here, rather than Meiaquar. Issues such as falsely stated information that neither party had said, or if they had, not in the same way as stated, issues of who was actually the one pushing for things, of how people were reacting, of how people of each side were leaving their nations for the exact. same. reasons. It was at that point that we realized just how parallel the situations were. After some further clarifications and discussion, we had ironed things out and knew what the other side was thinking, about how both sides had, in essence, their bowls filled with the same food, but different brands.
I won't walk you through all the details, but when we finished the discussion, it was made clear that much of our information was false, that the barrier between ic and ooc interaction was blurring, and that folks were abusing the fact that all was "100% ic." People weren't talking when they should have, individuals in the community were spreading misinformation like wildfire, and people were being told "facts" that were actually lies, myself included. The same thing comes down to this potentially upcoming war.
While some false information is healthy for ic, and it keeps matters interesting, the issues begin when ic becomes so heavily diluted by ooc info, as well as straight up wrong info, that it blurs the line of truth and fiction. Nowhere has this been more apparent than the war. Turns out, from what we discussed, that neither Meiaquar nor Geladyne wants a war with each other, let alone a pointless one. Meanwhile, both are being told the opposite; "your potential enemy is pushing hard for it and they're the crazy ones!" Discussions, negotiations, and peace talks can't occur because the narrative of "them bad, us good" is consistently trampling the truth, putting a gag in its mouth and refusing to let it speak. More and more misinformation spills onto the path between, and both sides are stuck trying to wade through it, only to be met with more and more, a seemingly endless pool. And because what? People want war? It "keeps it interesting" in the long-term? We're far beyond that now.
Now, you might be asking, "Hey, Blade, why didn't you go talk to one of the higher-ups in Geladyne to sort things out in DMs?" I considered it, but I was told myself that no one was willing to do so. I don't know enough to say whether that was spread to them as well, but if I'd been made aware that was a lie sooner, I wouldn't be just covering it as it forms to a head. At the end of it all, the leaders of Geladyne, as well as our people in positions in Meiaquar, were just reacting to the information given to them. We either had no way to know it was icly false if it came from someone else, or if it was, "ic is ic," we can't call them out on it without metagaming. Like I said, don't know how much this impacted Geladyne, whether it was better or worse, but I'm quite certain they were dealing with the same things. I make the same assumptions for Telegrad and Duyuei. And leaders/reps from those countries, if that's not the case, feel free to state it's not so this very set of statements does not join the countless pieces of lies and misinformation that lay out there, festering and sapping the fun away from the game.
Well, what does this mean? Clearly I'm coming to the forums to bring it up and bring about change, right? Well, yes, that's the goal, but change is impossible to make when only one person, a pair, a small handful, are the ones trying to bring it. In the words of George Orwell, "In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." And I get it, it's an arduous task, but if no one covers it, how long will it continue to amount for? When, if at all, will someone else bring it up? Change doesn't start unless someone is willing to take a daring leap, a risk of sorts.
- More ooc channels (and some ic, probably) are kept between the leaders and people of government. This way, if something questionable comes up, there is the room to ask, "Hey, is this icly true?" and have the potential to get an answer. It would also help all the roles, of which are the most susceptible to misinformation being handed right to them, to ensure proper communication, and that if we do have another situation like this, we have the proper measures to either prevent it, or to narrow its impact.
- Ooc channels are made, along with the ic. Same kind of situation as the last, as both options require a way to ensure misinformation does not spread, and if it does, nip it in the bud before it has a chance to flourish like it is now.
- Ooc channels could still be made, DMs could be called for, I don't know. Same kind of situation as both previous. You gotta increase level of communication to make sure this isn't a problem, even if it's oocly because people might potentially be mucking up things again on the ic side. As has been stated in another topic regarding recent events of a different sort, communication is key.
Of course, I just want to state that there are certainly other options, and I'm sure one is out there that appeases as many people as we can without compromising the integrity of the game. At the end of the day, myself and several of those I've talked to prior to making this post just want this slew of issues gone and dealt with so there's less stress on the minds of us all. If the war happens, it happens. If leaders or positions of power die, they die (and if I'm among them, I know what I signed up for, so it's whatever). Nonetheless, this issue cannot remain if Korvara is to succeed, and if it does, it has the potential to push players away from the game, if it hasn't already. So please do voice your thoughts and solutions, and please ensure this does not dip into the dark. This kind of situation is not healthy for the game, and the sooner we can address and solve it all, the better.
Edit for clarification: Situation wasn't enough on its own, but people were more so worried it was being used to try to get me into trouble. It was an image of me asking Shivania about something semi-jokingly, semi-serious that I'd been told by someone (and I'll keep mention of who out of it, with respect to them).
Major Edit #2: I have been informed that a few people believe I'm trying to use the idea of a retcon to get out of the situation. I should start that I put it on the table as a potential option because it would wipe the slate clean and give a fair chance for everyone to do things again without the current clouds of lies, deceit, and misinformation currently in their minds. If it came off as that, I apologize, as that was not my intent with that. At the end of the day, whatever happens will happen, but it was just an idea that popped into my mind that could work, given the severity of it all. If you still want screenshots, Shujin gave me permission, so let me know.
6:26 AM EST. Having fallen asleep with my laptop still plugged in the night before, I awakened to the sounds of pings from Discord. Checking my phone as I got up, I was shocked to find a couple concerned messages that something in my DMs leaked and some of those people were worried that someone was trying to get me banned. Once comfortable and properly awake, I sent a DM to someone I was concerned with potential involvement for answers.
This was the start of my morning, and one I was certainly not expecting to go the way it did. As a leader player, I knew about the potential war on the horizon, and I knew some would definitely disagree with anything I said or did. However, you can imagine my shock at seeing this. Several hours later, I talk to the player in question, Shivania, and we start discussing the matter at hand. Apparently I'd been told some misinformation by members of our community, and I was explained what was actually going on. At that point, once I got clarification, it was all good. We chatted about how things were going, but eventually we settled on one major topic at hand: the misinformation. We both agreed that we should probably oocly state what our ic intentions were for the future, especially in light of what was going on, and that's where this topic began.
Shivania listed off a set of concerns with what was going on with Geladyne, stating I was escalating things and being much more aggressive than Geladyne, and that I, and Meiaquar, wanted this war. In response, I'd responded with what I knew, which was practically the same information, but Geladyne was the supposed "bad guys" here, rather than Meiaquar. Issues such as falsely stated information that neither party had said, or if they had, not in the same way as stated, issues of who was actually the one pushing for things, of how people were reacting, of how people of each side were leaving their nations for the exact. same. reasons. It was at that point that we realized just how parallel the situations were. After some further clarifications and discussion, we had ironed things out and knew what the other side was thinking, about how both sides had, in essence, their bowls filled with the same food, but different brands.
I won't walk you through all the details, but when we finished the discussion, it was made clear that much of our information was false, that the barrier between ic and ooc interaction was blurring, and that folks were abusing the fact that all was "100% ic." People weren't talking when they should have, individuals in the community were spreading misinformation like wildfire, and people were being told "facts" that were actually lies, myself included. The same thing comes down to this potentially upcoming war.
While some false information is healthy for ic, and it keeps matters interesting, the issues begin when ic becomes so heavily diluted by ooc info, as well as straight up wrong info, that it blurs the line of truth and fiction. Nowhere has this been more apparent than the war. Turns out, from what we discussed, that neither Meiaquar nor Geladyne wants a war with each other, let alone a pointless one. Meanwhile, both are being told the opposite; "your potential enemy is pushing hard for it and they're the crazy ones!" Discussions, negotiations, and peace talks can't occur because the narrative of "them bad, us good" is consistently trampling the truth, putting a gag in its mouth and refusing to let it speak. More and more misinformation spills onto the path between, and both sides are stuck trying to wade through it, only to be met with more and more, a seemingly endless pool. And because what? People want war? It "keeps it interesting" in the long-term? We're far beyond that now.
Now, you might be asking, "Hey, Blade, why didn't you go talk to one of the higher-ups in Geladyne to sort things out in DMs?" I considered it, but I was told myself that no one was willing to do so. I don't know enough to say whether that was spread to them as well, but if I'd been made aware that was a lie sooner, I wouldn't be just covering it as it forms to a head. At the end of it all, the leaders of Geladyne, as well as our people in positions in Meiaquar, were just reacting to the information given to them. We either had no way to know it was icly false if it came from someone else, or if it was, "ic is ic," we can't call them out on it without metagaming. Like I said, don't know how much this impacted Geladyne, whether it was better or worse, but I'm quite certain they were dealing with the same things. I make the same assumptions for Telegrad and Duyuei. And leaders/reps from those countries, if that's not the case, feel free to state it's not so this very set of statements does not join the countless pieces of lies and misinformation that lay out there, festering and sapping the fun away from the game.
Well, what does this mean? Clearly I'm coming to the forums to bring it up and bring about change, right? Well, yes, that's the goal, but change is impossible to make when only one person, a pair, a small handful, are the ones trying to bring it. In the words of George Orwell, "In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." And I get it, it's an arduous task, but if no one covers it, how long will it continue to amount for? When, if at all, will someone else bring it up? Change doesn't start unless someone is willing to take a daring leap, a risk of sorts.
I've devised three solutions to deal with the war issue and how to go from there. I'll go through each, starting from most preferable:
Option A: The Big Red Button.
- We retcon part or all of the main issue, up to the point of the end of the first Beggar's Hole incident (I can hear the booing now, please let me explain). Major events, such as Wasgow/Beggar's Hole and Fairview being recognized should still stay, as they are unrelated, as well as any unrelated rp. It'd be wrong to rip any of the character building moments that weren't relevant to the topic away from y'all. We would just retcon the events leading up to the possibility of war because, frankly, if things were purely ic, things would not have gone the way they did. If war still might happen, and if people want to lead things back to similar circumstances, it will allow both parties a fair and comfortable opportunity to icly voice their concerns and speak without worrying as though a supposed lunatic on either side is starting things or going to undermine a discussion.
- More ooc channels (and some ic, probably) are kept between the leaders and people of government. This way, if something questionable comes up, there is the room to ask, "Hey, is this icly true?" and have the potential to get an answer. It would also help all the roles, of which are the most susceptible to misinformation being handed right to them, to ensure proper communication, and that if we do have another situation like this, we have the proper measures to either prevent it, or to narrow its impact.
Option B: Go Off With a Bang. Shivania's solution, with a little extra.
- Plan for a singular event to solve it all. The leaders themselves, regardless of who wins or loses, regardless of which side is which, should be left in office as it feels scummy knowing that someone in Geladyne, let alone myself, could be killed because of misinformation that they needed to icly act on, all with little to no knowledge that it was false. Gets the war over without penalizing either side unfairly for working with what they were given. Life resumes as normal.- Ooc channels are made, along with the ic. Same kind of situation as the last, as both options require a way to ensure misinformation does not spread, and if it does, nip it in the bud before it has a chance to flourish like it is now.
Option C: Council Is Now In Session!
- Regardless of how matters are, we schedule an ic meeting on neutral ground when it works best for those involved and anyone they want to bring. To prevent filibustering or getting off-topic, we find and designate a player willing to be involved that remains unaffiliated to any country (to try to reduce potential bias). Each side gets to bring up what they know and can remove the level of falsehood present while delivering their side's point of view. Everyone in the location would be on equal footing, so one side is checked while the other isn't, or a different side gets more chances to bring up their concerns than the other (as best as we can do). The situation is then resolved naturally, going strictly on what was discussed icly.
- Ooc channels could still be made, DMs could be called for, I don't know. Same kind of situation as both previous. You gotta increase level of communication to make sure this isn't a problem, even if it's oocly because people might potentially be mucking up things again on the ic side. As has been stated in another topic regarding recent events of a different sort, communication is key.
Of course, I just want to state that there are certainly other options, and I'm sure one is out there that appeases as many people as we can without compromising the integrity of the game. At the end of the day, myself and several of those I've talked to prior to making this post just want this slew of issues gone and dealt with so there's less stress on the minds of us all. If the war happens, it happens. If leaders or positions of power die, they die (and if I'm among them, I know what I signed up for, so it's whatever). Nonetheless, this issue cannot remain if Korvara is to succeed, and if it does, it has the potential to push players away from the game, if it hasn't already. So please do voice your thoughts and solutions, and please ensure this does not dip into the dark. This kind of situation is not healthy for the game, and the sooner we can address and solve it all, the better.
Edit for clarification: Situation wasn't enough on its own, but people were more so worried it was being used to try to get me into trouble. It was an image of me asking Shivania about something semi-jokingly, semi-serious that I'd been told by someone (and I'll keep mention of who out of it, with respect to them).
Major Edit #2: I have been informed that a few people believe I'm trying to use the idea of a retcon to get out of the situation. I should start that I put it on the table as a potential option because it would wipe the slate clean and give a fair chance for everyone to do things again without the current clouds of lies, deceit, and misinformation currently in their minds. If it came off as that, I apologize, as that was not my intent with that. At the end of the day, whatever happens will happen, but it was just an idea that popped into my mind that could work, given the severity of it all. If you still want screenshots, Shujin gave me permission, so let me know.