Post by Da Boss on Jul 29, 2020 9:12:54 GMT -5
The staff here at Rage Across the Bloodied Ground already has, and will continue, to take every effort to make it so that everyone feels welcome to play on this site. Any actions which are taken, by anyone, in the OOC areas of this game that are designed to express, exploit, make fun of, demean, deride, insult, or in any way create negative emotional experiences for other players will not be tolerated. The End. This is one of those "I'll take the person being picked on over the bully every day of the week." If the staff observes this kind of behavior happening, you can expect the site's punishment rules to go into effect. If you feel you were targeted or harmed in this way, and there does not appear to be any action taken, please let the staff know. (We're still people with real lives, and possibly missed the posts when they happened.) We want this to be a safe space for all players, no matter your ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, age, gender, mental health classification, etc., etc., etc.
That being said, those of you that have already started browsing the forums will notice a great number of extremely racist things posted already. Those of you browsing can potentially guess what the reaction is likely to be nonnormative character concepts. This is intentional on our part for two reasons: (1) this game is set in Kentucky, and while the state does have a "liberal" Democrat for a governor the phrase "liberal" takes on a different meaning here and (2) there are already a large number of sites out there where these themes and concepts are not a part of the game, and we wanted to explore a game where acceptance isn't necessarily the norm. If you don't feel you can play in a game where these things are true, just let us know! We're happy to help you get established in games where the central setting isn't that restrictive or potentially harmful/critical/openly hostile towards those kinds of characters. We are all here to have fun. If this isn't your brand of fun, let us know and we will help you get established somewhere that is playing your brand of fun.
That being said, when it comes to issues such as race, and sexuality, and generally anything that isn't deemed "traditional" (and don't try to argue historical context here, we all know what we mean when we say "traditional" in American life/philosophy/politics) is generally only accepted in the larger urban areas. Half of the entire state's African American population lives in a single city, I have personally seen a felony judge from the bench order a trans woman to show up to court in a suit and tie and to use her pre-transition name because that's the name on her birth certificate, Confederate Statues and Monuments have only begun to be removed from public areas in the past 4 years, including removing Jefferson Davis from the State Capitol Building in the summer of 2020. I have lived in this state for *REDACTED* decades, and I am yet to find a place where the Confederate Flag isn't flown by the citizens with pride (do not come at me with the history and not hate argument). This state, and thus this protectorate, is very "liberal" in the sense that it will use the state government to its fullest authority to defend and provide for its citizens, while allowing the citizens to be terrible to each other. (It is very much a situation of, "That's our guy to pick on, and not yours. We will defend him from you at all cost, and treat him like shit when you're gone.) While these are not the views of the people on the staff, and there are a vast number of Kentuckians in the real world attempting to change these things, this game is set in a World of Darkness version of the Commonwealth. Instead of being successful in fighting against the machine, the true heroes pushing for the social change that is needed are being worn down and crushed by failure after failure in this setting.
Building off of that idea, there's nothing wrong with telling the staff and other players that there are certain things that are so damaging, so insulting, so emotionally jarring for you, that you will not sit at your screen watching them happen. If we receive one of these requests, the staff will take the time to discuss exactly what issues exist, and we will always mandate that these scenes fade to black if you are involved. Please, take note of that language, the scene will still happen, the triggering, or offensive, event will still happen, but we do not have to play it out for the sake of "completionism" when we know that it is causing someone real world harm/pain. We do not want to cause anybody to have to relive traumatic experiences, or force people to deal with the same struggles they go through every day while playing a game to have fun. At the same time, one of the key themes to this setting is that even the "heroes" have had to make deals with the devil to "win." You promote the racist, because he's who manages to actually win the battles, you heap accolades on the rapist, because he keeps the Sept stocked with fetishes, etc.
We are seeking a balance between telling a truly dark and grim story of a protectorate that believes that it is next on the Wyrm's target list, and is willing to defend itself at any cost, including dealing with people that are truly the scum of the Earth. We do not do these things to insult, deride, or harm anyone; this is merely our way of offering an alternative view of the World of Darkness that we feel was lacking online, and telling the stories that we find enjoyable. (Afterall, sometimes it is fun to play the character who, across an entire campaign, manages to change public perception and belief of an entire Sept/Protectorate. And that story is not available in places where the shift has already happened.)
That being said, those of you that have already started browsing the forums will notice a great number of extremely racist things posted already. Those of you browsing can potentially guess what the reaction is likely to be nonnormative character concepts. This is intentional on our part for two reasons: (1) this game is set in Kentucky, and while the state does have a "liberal" Democrat for a governor the phrase "liberal" takes on a different meaning here and (2) there are already a large number of sites out there where these themes and concepts are not a part of the game, and we wanted to explore a game where acceptance isn't necessarily the norm. If you don't feel you can play in a game where these things are true, just let us know! We're happy to help you get established in games where the central setting isn't that restrictive or potentially harmful/critical/openly hostile towards those kinds of characters. We are all here to have fun. If this isn't your brand of fun, let us know and we will help you get established somewhere that is playing your brand of fun.
That being said, when it comes to issues such as race, and sexuality, and generally anything that isn't deemed "traditional" (and don't try to argue historical context here, we all know what we mean when we say "traditional" in American life/philosophy/politics) is generally only accepted in the larger urban areas. Half of the entire state's African American population lives in a single city, I have personally seen a felony judge from the bench order a trans woman to show up to court in a suit and tie and to use her pre-transition name because that's the name on her birth certificate, Confederate Statues and Monuments have only begun to be removed from public areas in the past 4 years, including removing Jefferson Davis from the State Capitol Building in the summer of 2020. I have lived in this state for *REDACTED* decades, and I am yet to find a place where the Confederate Flag isn't flown by the citizens with pride (do not come at me with the history and not hate argument). This state, and thus this protectorate, is very "liberal" in the sense that it will use the state government to its fullest authority to defend and provide for its citizens, while allowing the citizens to be terrible to each other. (It is very much a situation of, "That's our guy to pick on, and not yours. We will defend him from you at all cost, and treat him like shit when you're gone.) While these are not the views of the people on the staff, and there are a vast number of Kentuckians in the real world attempting to change these things, this game is set in a World of Darkness version of the Commonwealth. Instead of being successful in fighting against the machine, the true heroes pushing for the social change that is needed are being worn down and crushed by failure after failure in this setting.
Building off of that idea, there's nothing wrong with telling the staff and other players that there are certain things that are so damaging, so insulting, so emotionally jarring for you, that you will not sit at your screen watching them happen. If we receive one of these requests, the staff will take the time to discuss exactly what issues exist, and we will always mandate that these scenes fade to black if you are involved. Please, take note of that language, the scene will still happen, the triggering, or offensive, event will still happen, but we do not have to play it out for the sake of "completionism" when we know that it is causing someone real world harm/pain. We do not want to cause anybody to have to relive traumatic experiences, or force people to deal with the same struggles they go through every day while playing a game to have fun. At the same time, one of the key themes to this setting is that even the "heroes" have had to make deals with the devil to "win." You promote the racist, because he's who manages to actually win the battles, you heap accolades on the rapist, because he keeps the Sept stocked with fetishes, etc.
We are seeking a balance between telling a truly dark and grim story of a protectorate that believes that it is next on the Wyrm's target list, and is willing to defend itself at any cost, including dealing with people that are truly the scum of the Earth. We do not do these things to insult, deride, or harm anyone; this is merely our way of offering an alternative view of the World of Darkness that we feel was lacking online, and telling the stories that we find enjoyable. (Afterall, sometimes it is fun to play the character who, across an entire campaign, manages to change public perception and belief of an entire Sept/Protectorate. And that story is not available in places where the shift has already happened.)