Usage of /me and /do

[Stinkywinky]

Now I've been roleplaying with LSRP community since 2007, I'm not sure where this has changed but I've seen an increasing amount of RP that doesn't meet the criteria of /me.

 

For example 

 

The other day I experienced - /me thinks he has a headache. 

 

Now for me, that is a misuse of /me. The way I was brought into LSRP was /me is an action and /do Is used to explain something that is in front of you or your appearance. Here are a few examples : 

 

/me reaches down to tie his shoelace as he peers up to Michael Hill.

 

/do Francis would be wearing a pair of Clarkes shoes that are pristine black leather.

 

Now I understand the world evolves and roleplay evolves but I think /me's and /do's are constantly being misused. I'm not here to slate other people roleplay but it would be nice to clear up what people think /me and do's should be used for.

[SCANDALOUZ]

You're correct. You shouldn't emote thoughts.

 

People are just mid.

[Stinkywinky]

Just now, SCANDALOUZ said:

You're correct. You shouldn't emote thoughts.

 

People are just mid.

 

Have you been experiencing this sort of roleplay too?

[Gaz]

Personally, I think a lot of communication can be lost without being truly face-to-face, 

And without intonation and other audible cues to determine intent, sarcasm, state of mind, among other things, I think, having certain things in your /me that can perhaps give off obvious body language, without specifically describing that body language

 

For example, “/me thinks he’s hot shit.” or something after a comment your character states can really drive home the tone and body language that character is using without having to write out a lot.

 

It’s a matter of knowing when, and how to use it. Though, I do understand where you’re coming from.

[Lindsie]

/me sends positive vibes.

[Fantasia]

Personally, I use /me's to convey some messages or emotions that might otherwise not be known. I'm not a screenshot roleplayer, I don't have a thread on this forum to showcase my character development, so I use /me's in my roleplay to show what my character's feeling at the time. The use of /me was definitely made to perform an action, yes, but I also want to feel like I'm telling a story. The subtle movements my character makes when reacting to information, what they feel deep inside at a given moment, all of this I want to showcase to the people I'm roleplaying with. I prefer not to do this in large crowds and mainly use it when in a small group or doing 1 on 1's with someone.

 

That's just what I think about it. Call me a mid-level roleplayer, but I'm here to tell my story my own way.

[Stinkywinky]

2 hours ago, Fantasia said:

Personally, I use /me's to convey some messages or emotions that might otherwise not be known. I'm not a screenshot roleplayer, I don't have a thread on this forum to showcase my character development, so I use /me's in my roleplay to show what my character's feeling at the time. The use of /me was definitely made to perform an action, yes, but I also want to feel like I'm telling a story. The subtle movements my character makes when reacting to information, what they feel deep inside at a given moment, all of this I want to showcase to the people I'm roleplaying with. I prefer not to do this in large crowds and mainly use it when in a small group or doing 1 on 1's with someone.

 

That's just what I think about it. Call me a mid-level roleplayer, but I'm here to tell my story my own way.

 

I mean from your point of view fine. But I'm in the public roaming around, never even encounter this guy. Then random pulls up /me thinks he has a headache. If you are roleplay solo with another person and they are happy with that fine, it both to your preferences.

 

In public though, I feel that people have lost the capability to role play. It like the realistic factor has gone and some people have been spoilt and other roleplayers that do it right are taking the short fall!

[Tungsten]

Sorry, but this kind of thinking leads to even poorer quality roleplay. The lines you draw here are not at all accurate to the boundaries of /me and /do, allow me to explain why...

 

Roleplaying is about telling a story, and /me and /do are the "stage actions" of that story. While you're correct that thoughts themselves probably are not appropriate, it is perfectly valid to fill in additional stage details like: "/me does not realize his mistake" or "/do John smells like cheese."

 

As this all contributes toward painting a more accurate picture. In fact, roleplaying a thought may take on a slightly different form and be valid: that of physical reaction to the thought: "/me cringes at the thought of himself and John kissing" is far more descriptive to the scene than that of a simple "/me cringes".

 

[SCANDALOUZ]

49 minutes ago, Tungsten said:

"/me cringes at the thought of himself and John kissing"

 

That's practically metagaming though.

From a writing perspective, it sounds better than just */me cringes.

But it's practically metagaming nonetheless.

What if I told you that you can emote in a way where it's both storytelling rewarding as well as appropriate for /me & /do etiquette?

*/me finds himself staring at John's lips for a good second. Eventually he snaps out of it, shakes his head and visibly cringes.

You're welcome

Applies to @Fantasia too.

PS: I'm talking about actually doing it in-game, not how you write/present it on "rp screenshots" in the forums. That's different.

Edited September 10, 2023 by SCANDALOUZ

[Sparkles]

23 minutes ago, SCANDALOUZ said:

That's practically metagaming though.

From a writing perspective, it sounds better than just */me cringes.

But it's practically metagaming nonetheless.

What if I told you that you can emote in a way where it's both storytelling rewarding as well as appropriate for /me & /do etiquette?

*/me finds himself staring at John's lips for a good second. Eventually he snaps out of it, shakes his head and visibly cringes.

You're welcome

Applies to @Fantasia too.

PS: I'm talking about actually doing it in-game, not how you write/present it on "rp screenshots" in the forums. That's different.

Well said. It is inciting MG. Other characters aren't mind readers, they wouldn't know why you're cringing. 

[Tungsten]

2 hours ago, Fiendfyre said:

Well said. It is inciting MG. Other characters aren't mind readers, they wouldn't know why you're cringing. 

there’s no such thing as “inciting mg”, there is only actual metagame which can only be done by the person reading the /me

[Stinkywinky]

2 hours ago, Tungsten said:

there’s no such thing as “inciting mg”, there is only actual metagame which can only be done by the person reading the /me

So in one breathe it isn't metagaming but in the next, you're saying it is metagaming for the person reading the /me?

 

Personally, I'm with Scandal and Frye on this. 

 

I don't get how /me does not realize his mistake, is classed as a /me, it is not an action. You could have easily avoided this but saying in character " Sorry I didn't realize the mistake I made ". 

 

As for you using it on screenshots, I have no problem with this as you would be telling a story for your community page but for ig purposes, it's unacceptable in my eyes.

 

Moving to your /do John smells like cheese. It would depend on the context of what you would be roleplaying.

 

 

AND AGAIN! I move back to the topic, as roleplay evolved into these types of /me and /do's? OR is this wrong of people to roleplay this kind of way?

 

Edited September 10, 2023 by Stinkywinky

[CYBER]

Example 1. /me wonders why Francis looks at him while tying his shoes. Then he remembers the conversation they had two days ago in discord, and nods at him with a smile
Example 2. /me narrows his eyes as he stares at Francis, he arches his eyebrow slightly and looks back and forth between his hands and his face.
                -/me smiles after a few seconds and tilts his head as a sign of approval.
Which of these is right?

I remember when the /me command was first introduced, it was described as an action of the character, while /do was used to describe the result of a particular action against the player. It should also be noted that each type of trait was often represented in /me instead of /do, as opposed to how we do it now.

Example:
/me pisses/pisses on (character) which was often followed by a question /do s/f? and then the player could answer either /do s (success) or /do f (failure) ((/me was also mostly used in this very form))

 

I have seen this kind of RP as well, including from people I never thought would do such a thing. I considered writing a guide, but then changed my mind, since they probably did not even read the rules before creating their characters, and thus the guide would only be seen by players who already know how to use the command properly. Instead, I have given instructions in PMs, and honestly I have never seen any of these players take the advice negatively, and they seems pretty open to learning as well.

I still find it amusing when I see /me's such as /me looks very confident in his new jacket, or /me lets out a heavy sigh as he remembers his ex-wife. I love how people think others know about either their new jacket or their confidence, about what they are thinking or feeling. I love how these players go out of their way to make sure everyone knows, and they also do it in /me and no /ame or /melow.

Well. I personally think that the use of /me /do /ame /my etc.. Is just to enhance roleplay experience and then already tell a story, but it should also be noted that the story needs to be told to... What I'm saying is that you don't often write /me commands when you're alone in your house in the mornings or when you first spawn to drink your coffee, Although when you go out you might RP that your character had a coffee in the morning. This is because you need other players to tell your story to, otherwise you'd be playing single player and not multiplayer. So it should be noted that other players will never know what your character is thinking about, or if he has an ex-partner, or if he misses him or not. Presenting these details in /me isn't only a misuse of /me commands, but in extreme cases can open doors for MG as I or anyone else would have no way of knowing the feelings or stories of others, and I'd have no sufficient reason to use this information IC and thus it makes the story you tell with such a /me worthless to those who read it.

Your story doesn't make mine wrong.
 

Simple enough to understand. Your story matters to me only as I tell mine. We're all storytellers, equals yet different, no more and no less. Somehow I feel like I'm being tested on whether or not I'll MG - I already took the test during account creation, now it's your turn to read the rules and do the same. When you do, please also read 02. Metagaming. If this is about discussing the validity of the rule itself, then I'm sorry for misunderstanding it.
 

-
RP has evolved over the years and this might as well be a new change - so it may be my fault for not understanding it.

But you are definitely not mediocre roleplayers, I know this because I'm low to mid level myself. My standard for a high level roleplayer is a person who successfully plays deaf and dumb, using /me - /do commands according to the current rules and in the usual way. Not /me thinks. I know I'm far from that.

/me smiles as he stands up, he raises the cup in his hand and smiles - he looks confident   ----  That's more or less OK for me.

[Tseard1]

I see it happening more and more, while, as other’s have pointed out is just outright wrong. 
 

I expect server staff to teach players this when they encounter it.

[Nature]

Indeed there is occasions where /me is misused, and incites MG. There's nothing stopping you from having a friendly conversation with the player via /PM and explaining how they're misusing the command. I tend to point it out wherever I can, but I think it's just been accepted on other servers, and a lot of players on V have come from other communities.