A Reason

[Bhryn Astairre]

Recently although I've been busy making sure my character hasn't died in childbirth off-site, I've been on msn a lot and listened to a lot of the storyline ideas wandering about, complaints, jokes and a lot of bad blood stirring.

It made me and my friend sit down and think.

Four years ago or so I came to this site when I was feeling down and depressed and I found somewhere I could have fun and forget about life, trouble and all the real problems I was having. It didnt have to be complicated and it didn't have to end with a player crying / getting angry and running off, telling tales behind backs to gang other people up and building walls between friends and potential friends.

Back then, admittedly I knew perhaps... four people from the site in total. But I didn't need to know everyone and everything, I didn't have opinions and I didn't care for 'serious storylines' and being correct.

I was doing what this site has always promoted and that is having fun, having fun being with my friends and enjoying those very reasons that kept me coming back night after night. I enjoyed being around and talking to these people and having just that little edge of escapsim in my life.

Four years down the line and all I see are frowns where smiles used to be, and grumbles in the place of laughter.

It really upsets me to think that a lot of people do seem to forget in the heat of an argument or moment, that Wizards is fun. Wizards is here to let you escape and let you enjoy yourself.

I want to thank my friend for reminding me that whilst we concoct these vast ideas and say, "we'll change the face of wiz", the real truth is, we can't change and force opinions on people. All we can do is hope that we as older players can give those newer to the site the same experiences of fun and enjoyment that we had when we first came here.

It might seem a little irrelevant to you, but I'd like to thank those first few people who helped me have fun.

Those few people I have remained absolute friends with to this day and even though some don't come to Wiz anymore, driven away by all this feuding, they know they had fun. I just wish they could still be here to have fun with me now.

My reason for staying on Wizards is to have fun and be with those I call friends as well as look for new friends. I hope other people share this reason too.

Nic xxxx


A Reason

There have been many reasons for me to come
And for me to walk far away.
But through them all I never imagined
That you would be my reason to stay.
We talked so little and yet so much
As the evening wore on and eventually turned black.
We had a laugh, we shared our thoughts
And memories soon came after that.
I'd not hand over a single one
Nor sell them cheap for precious they are;
You made my memories special to me
Each more perfect than a shining star.
It wouldn't matter if we lived or died
And it didn't matter if none others cared.
You were with me and you were my friend,
You stayed and played when none dared.
Years have passed and on the face
Of the place we have come to call our home;
A frown has gathered where we once smiled
To steal our dreams and know they are gone.
We built an empire from nothing at all,
We had a world to keep and hold.
But now we cannot find any words
That can take that tarnish from our gold.
So we start again with sticks and stones,
We'll use our sweat and our blood.
When it's finished we'll sit and laugh again,
And remind ourselves of how it was good.
A thousand words and a million phrases
All turned over, in twists and bends.
A hoard of memories that I'll never exchange
And a few stolen hours with my friends.
I've had many reasons to come and go
And found a reason yet to stay.
No matter what may come to test us;
I have my friends along the way.


[edit: added that poem]

 

[Dragona Nightsky]

*snugs Bhryn* Thank you...

Please everyone...remember the reason. We're not here to judge and scrutinize. We're here to have fun. That's what it's all about...that's my reason.

~Draggy

 

[Jardel_Karabella]

Well said Nic, well said.

However I am a firm believer that we will always judge and always be judged, and that judgement itself is part of how we have fun. Indeed to say we're not here to judge is to pass judgement on those who judge. (Arean't paradoxes great?) To be realistic, there's not a person having fun here who doesn't judge.

With the rare exception of folks who seem to love all kinds of company each of us will judge some people to be fun to roleplay with and some who arean't. The most important thing to remember is that we are, infact, here to have fun, and so are the other people. Even those you judge not to be fun to roleplay with, and they are just as entitled to their fun as you.

I think that in reality the problem is sometimes we lose sight of what we're here for and instead of chasing fun we start stewing on our grievances.

The reality is we can't have everything all the time, sometimes things go wrong, people get upset, people are rude, etc. When this happens the important thing is pick up and get back to having fun, rather than focusing on what's stopping us from having fun.

We can't change what happened yesterday, we can't change other people. All we can change is ourselves.

We will always make mistakes, we all always make mistakes and not realise them until it's too late. We will always have pleasent surpises and great disappointments. We will always have bad ideas we think are good, and good ideas we mistake for bad.

Roleplaying is a social thing. Social means people, and where there are people there will always be people who are rude, people who bully and people we plain just don't like.

None of these things should get in the way of having fun. All you have to do is learn from the mistakes, move on from the disappointments and onto the fun people and moments when you find them.

So learn from your msitakes, move on your disappointments, hang on to the good times and the good people. Have fun and let have fun.

Don't do it because I wrote a long diatribe about it, don't do it because Nic wrote a poem about it, don't do it to be cool, don't do it because it's a "community", don't do it because the Code of Conduct says to.

Do it because you want to have fun.

 

[Bhryn Astairre]

I think people do judge, it's intrinsic to human nature. However suspending a little bit of judgement or perhaps keeping that judgement to yourself is sometimes in the best interests of people.

If I spent all my time correcting all the truly bad spelling and grammar I find then I would never get anything done and my list of people to turn my nose up at would be massive! But even though I do look sometimes and wonder why people can't spell correctly, that's my judgement of them. Everyone learns, everyone changes and everyone has fun.

I think that's just a little bit more important that standing around, poo-poohing those who don't conform to your own ideas of how roleplaying should be. Roleplaying is about people who have different views and different angles on subjects, be they by a book and rules and guidelines or not.

Like I said, I knew nothing about rules and guidelines for a long time when I first got here. All I knew was, I was having fun and I found some people who were on my level of thinking to have fun with.

Jardel's right in his way; don't do it just because someone points a finger and demands it, do it because you enjoy it and because to be fair, who really cares what anyone else thinks when you're having fun?

~ Nic xxxx

 

[Jardel_Karabella]

That's entirely what I'm talking about Nic. There's nothing wrong with you judging people having poor english skills (guilty here), but what makes the difference what you do about it. You can get all anoyed, angry and bitter and start correcting people and telling them to learn to spell, or you can have a giggle in private and carry on having fun.

 

[Bhryn Astairre]

...I felt the need to re-phrase and re-hash it?

 

[Fenmarel]

Then you have the folks that are only happy when they have made so many comments to anyone that will listen that a player leaves the site. One player on this site does it so much I think that is the only way he can have fun...............am I allowed to hunt down this type of player and rip out their throat with my bare hand? hehe just kidding.......no we aren't.......umm yes I am shut up.......*slap*.....umm okay better now no hunting down morons

 

[Jardel_Karabella]

...I felt the need to re-phrase and re-hash it?

So long as you had fun doing it.

 

[Bhryn Astairre]

:: pokes Fen and then tickles ::

My violent! (has no room to talk really)

I think it's a bit upsetting if all a person can do is complain all the time, makes me feel sad for them. Must be awful to never have anything they way they want, or what they want.

Hehe, just give me a cup of coffee and a bit of silly RPing somedays and I'm pleased as can be!

...you know what they say, simple minds... :embarrass

 

[Ladyshade]

Exaaactly!

Amen Bhryn! Well said.

I really don't understand how anyone could continue to stay around just to complain anyway. RP is only for fun after all. No one I know is chained to a computer or gaming table with life and limb on the line after all. ROFL

*Takes a moment to stop and wonder if anyone 'is' actually chained to their gaming table.*

And just to spread the warm fuzzies around,..ahem ahem,.Bhryn,..you've helped make my RP more-funner-better-er yourself when we've played. So thank you too.