Childrensss

[Inks]

I need some advice on bringing up a vnpc child please. What are the techniques that people use? Obviously apart from not hunting and sparring while looking after it etc.

[Malken]

Kill it with fire before it turns.

Or before it consumes all of your rp time and drives you to pure madness! (Thanks a lot Greasygemo!)

[MeTekillot]

emote coddles the cloth-swaddled infant, shielding her from the brawling mercenaries in the bar you brought her to for some reason.

emote guides the curly-haired, pale-skinned toddler around the room by the hand.

emote passes by the curly-haired, olive-skinned teenager in the crowd, smiling in a matronly manner.

[Inks]

So far so good, keep em coming 

[Lizzie]

Mul mix, childhood trauma resulting in sterility, asexuality, homosexuality.

All fine ways of dealing with teh childenz.

[Inks]

I know how to prevent a vnpc child thank you, I was more after RP advice on having one. Not after pregnancy advice though, but thanks for the contribution.

[Tainted Love]

My last whore committed infanticide.

My d-elf had three.

If I added my real children to my rl childrenz I think I'd be up to +10.



How you roleplay your infant should fit the world you're living in. Aide to foofypants? Ask if they can help with a nursemaid. Solo hunter? You wanna play hard core? Give half your pay to a vnpc nurse. When you're having sex, hear the baby cry, wait six weeks before you put out again. Alone in your apt? Play with it, nurse it, change it. Are you foofy? Pass that baby off, visit it every once in a while to pass on your wisdom.


Do what you want, it's your baby.

[Patuk]

I don't particularly feel one way or the other, but reading this may be helpful.

[Inks]

Thanks for the advice. Was genuinely helped.

On a somewhat related note has anyone watched the classic Lone Wolf with Cub series of samurai movies?

[valeria]

I had a dwarf with kids.  She killed the first one because it was a mutant and it upset her focus.  She quit her life (ie, I stored her) so that she could take care of the other one (eventually two).  She was family focused.

I had a human with a kid.  She had a vNPC family who took care of it while she was busy doing important things.  She occasionally paraded it around to show off.  Mostly she ignored it.

I had a desert elf with a kid.  She passed it off to other desert elves while she was running the desert, and brought it out for the other elves to coo over.  She was enamored of being a parent, and would sometimes watch her vNPC friend's vNPC kids.  I RPed having the kid around a lot, especially during solo RP in the clan tents.

Ultimately, my advice is that you should treat it how your character would treat it.  If you would be having the vNPC kid with you a lot of the time, I recommend coming up with an sdesc for it, putting it in your emotes, and maybe having a prop item (a basket, a cloth) to carry the kid around in and drop-desc if you're in the room.

[Inks]

That was extremely useful valeria. All the kudos to you.

[FreeRangeVestric]

Indeed. I've never had a PC have kids, but that post (almost) inspired me to want to do it!

[Barsook]

Indeed. I've never had a PC have kids, but that post (almost) inspired me to want to do it!

[slvrmoontiger]

I've been inspired for a while to have children... None of my male characters can ever find female PC's that are low drama/high free time enough to make it work. Seems non-drama women characters actually have real lives, jobs, a sense of dignity and pride in their work, etc... Who could have known?

[Malken]

Indeed. I've never had a PC have kids, but that post (almost) inspired me to want to do it!

I'll be in the booth tonight from 7pm to 10pm Server time for any ladies who want to have children ^_^

[greasygemo]

Kill it with fire before it turns.

Or before it consumes all of your rp time and drives you to pure madness! (Thanks a lot Greasygemo!)

Hey! It takes -two- to generate VNPC bebes, Malken. Be a man about this. 

[Malken]

Hey! It takes -two- to generate VNPC bebes, Malken. Be a man about this. 

You're banned from my booth bebes giveaway (super highly) RPT!

[Kaineus]

Child rearing RP gets old very quickly for me, but I encourage anyone who wants to try it to try it.

In this game it is acceptable to have personal relations with VNPCs (relatives, whores of choice, etc). But typically child VNPCs requires more involvement than any whore on the side or relative realistically would, unless you sell that baby VNPC into slavery or some shit.

Usually after about an in game year of child rearing RP, I inevitably start feeling like this character from a crappy SNL skit:

Tenant #2: Oh! Question! Question! Do you have children? Because I have one! I just had her!

Nancy: Oh! Congratulations!

Tenant #2: Thank you very much! I love my REAL baby! [ she holds up a broccoli head ] Isn't she beautiful? She gives my whole life meaning! And the BEST part is: Oh, you're never alone when you have a baby!

It's an unavoidable limitation on the game that kids are going to be VNPCs, lifeless objects that have to be animated by other players. And often because the kid VNPC was *made* by your character and another character, other PCs will feel uncomfortable including them in their emotes, at least to start with. This can run the risk of the VNPC kid being something that *you* have to tote around, animate, give a personality to exclusively. To me that can feel power-emotey, lonely and creepy, like the lady with the brocolli child above.

That said, I've had some very cool scenes with VNPC children in the mix, and I've been around other RPers comfortable enough to deal with VNPC kids so that it didn't feel like the child was any player's exclusive burden to animate it. So if anything my advice is that the experience might be better for you if you are around players who would be down to participate in such RP.

[greasygemo]

Hey! It takes -two- to generate VNPC bebes, Malken. Be a man about this. 

You're banned from my booth bebes giveaway (super highly) RPT!

That's fine. I will set up a booth next door and we'll see who gets more participants. Worse case scenario I end up really high and don't care what you are doing and then steal all the pants you guys drop.

[ShaLeah]

Hey! It takes -two- to generate VNPC bebes, Malken. Be a man about this. 

You're banned from my booth bebes giveaway (super highly) RPT!

That's fine. I will set up a booth next door and we'll see who gets more participants. Worse case scenario I end up really high and don't care what you are doing and then steal all the pants you guys drop.

I suspect the booth without children will get more play.

[MeTekillot]

I very very very much hope it would.

[Malken]

I very very very much hope it would.

Stay classy, Tuluk.

[Yseulte]

I've been inspired for a while to have children... None of my male characters can ever find female PC's that are low drama/high free time enough to make it work. Seems non-drama women characters actually have real lives, jobs, a sense of dignity and pride in their work, etc... Who could have known?

There are pros and cons to vNPC children and these pros and cons vary by the player's preferences.

I prefer the vNPC child policy due to things witnessed on other muds:
1. Players eat your baby for OOC hilarity.
2. Players junk your baby for OOC hilarity.
3. Extra work on staff reimbursing eaten/junked babies.
4. Extra work on staff having to update descriptions from infant to toddler to child to teen.
5. The sudden disappearance of said teen NPC when reaching adulthood.
6. The silly, unrealistic play from an NPC infant/toddler/child.
7. The weird allowance of players to play children despite the game(s) policy on no child characters being played.
8. Abuse of NPC children making the game world very uncomfortable to some and bringing to question a variety of consent arguments.

The things I have done or known others to do with their vNPC children:
1. Use BIOs for conversations with their child that had some bearing on their PC's life or personality - such as explaining the child's father or mother perished or that they're being sold to a House for apprenticeship or somesuch thing.
2. Spent solo-rp aka 'quality time' with the family doing domestic things that would be normal like cleaning them up, changing them, playing games, rolling up balls of yarn, etc.
3. Use their existence in long descriptions such as 'the wind-burned man is here, a small boy at his side' or 'the wide-hipped woman is sitting here, holding a baby'.
4. I have seen some players use the existence of an infant in their temporary description too such as: A small, pink-cheeked boy rests in the sling over this woman's shoulder, his hair a wispy nest of black curls and his eyes, when open, the milky blue of an infant.

What I love seeing players do with their vNPC children but rarely get to witness is 'real' behavior:
1. Vomit. Babies do this. Alot.
2. Changing small-clothes or using linen scraps to wipe poo-splosions that can happen anywhere.
3. Screaming, crying, fit-throwing, hysterics. Children do this. Alot.
4. Teaching them skill-trades early on or having their children do manual labor from very early on.
5. Carting their infant every where when they're still breastfeeding because that is what you do without the existence of baby formula and bottles.
6. Using escru milk and milk-bags for babies that men are raising without women to breast feed.
7. Junking food and water when 'feeding' their vNPC children.
8. Having toys for their vNPC children.
9. Giving their child fears and likes and wants - helpful with BIOs.

[greasygemo]

One thing to be aware of on an OOC level, it that it is sometimes -hard- to emote scenes with VNPC kids for a long period of time, especially if you are not a very fast typist. This is because you basically have to tack on the actions of a whole other PC to your own, so if you want them to do anything other than sit in your lap, you're looking at some serious keyboard action at times.

This is true for any VNPC's... but with kids, ..at least realistic kids.. they are always barfing, crying, trying to touch sharp things, sneezing on people, choking, asking why why why why, whining, fighting with their siblings, staring openly at peoples faces, eating beards.... (i could go on) It gets intense. So I wouldn't recommend trying it unless you are pretty comfortable with your typing capacity or it might get annoying pretty quick.

[Lizzie]

The emoting out the vnpc child asking why why why I believe is against the rules. You're not supposed to nest verbal communication within emotes.

[Yseulte]

It gets intense. So I wouldn't recommend trying it unless you are pretty comfortable with your typing capacity or it might get annoying pretty quick.

I suppose that is the price a player pays for wanting that sort of storyline for their character? I don't know. I never found it taxing, overly difficult or by any means intense. I find roleplaying out vNPCs to about as time-consuming or mind-consuming as crafting RP or solo-RP. I have seen players manage multiple children in an active scene with other PCs about and still hold a conversation without it being detrimental to their RP. It could have been hard on their sanity, yes.

The emoting out the vnpc child asking why why why I believe is against the rules. You're not supposed to nest verbal communication within emotes.

I think it is too, and if it isn't, fleshing out a vNPC child to that extent of talking to a PC through an emote as a child would be alot like 'playing a child pc' which isn't permitted.

[MeTekillot]

say (responding to a raven-haired toddler's battery of queries) Because the wind makes sand pick-up. . . Because sand is really light. . . Because sand is really small. . . Becau--Because--Because the Highlord said so, ginka, now eat your scrab meat.

[greasygemo]

The emoting out the vnpc child asking why why why I believe is against the rules. You're not supposed to nest verbal communication within emotes.

You can't do anything that bypasses the language code no.

But, implied speech is possible. In that case it would be acceptable to do something like ..

>em The little, blond rat-faced girl pleads and repeatedly questions @me in a shrill whine about the candy, which is still being withheld.
>say (aloud, to the little, blond rat-faced girl, stuffing the candy back into their pocket) No you lil' shit! You want candy steal your own!

But, as I said. It's a challenge to get this stuff rattled off sometimes. Not everyone finds it as such, and I don't really. But it is something to consider when you go down that road.

[Lizzie]

The emoting out the vnpc child asking why why why I believe is against the rules. You're not supposed to nest verbal communication within emotes.

You can't do anything that bypasses the language code no.

But, implied speech is possible. In that case it would be acceptable to do something like ..

>em The little, blond rat-faced girl pleads and repeatedly questions @me in a shrill whine about the candy, which is still being withheld.
>say (aloud, to the little, blond rat-faced girl, stuffing the candy back into their pocket) No you lil' shit! You want candy steal your own!

But, as I said. It's a challenge to get this stuff rattled off sometimes. Not everyone finds it as such, and I don't really. But it is something to consider when you go down that road.

No, you can't do that either. The whole language barrier thing should prevent everyone at the bar from knowing what your child is talking about, other than -your- character's response.

Also, if this occurred in a bar that allowed the brawl code - such as the Tembo's Tooth. And let's say my dwarf character was sick of having to deal with your child's incessant whining while trades of actual significance were trying to be made. What command is required to haul off and smack that kid off your character's lap?

[Lizzie]

say (responding to a raven-haired toddler's battery of queries) Because the wind makes sand pick-up. . . Because sand is really light. . . Because sand is really small. . . Becau--Because--Because the Highlord said so, ginka, now eat your scrab meat.

This resolves the "speaking" issue - letting -your- character express the topic of conversation by way of his response and leaving the VNPC's end of the conversation vague and lacking any indication of topic.

Now we also need to know - how do we, the captive audience, read this VNPC's mdesc, list of clothing and anything in his/her hands? And how do we interact codedly with it? Such as subduing it, or trying to wrest it loose from the bar where it's sitting in mom's lap, or kidnapping it or hey - even killing it.

[whitt]

And how do we interact codedly with it? Such as subduing it, or trying to wrest it loose from the bar where it's sitting in mom's lap, or kidnapping it or hey - even killing it.

This.  This is why we can't have nice things.

[MeTekillot]

Lizzie, has anyone ever told you you're a complete total downer

[Malken]

Now we also need to know - how do we, the captive audience, read this VNPC's mdesc, list of clothing and anything in his/her hands? And how do we interact codedly with it? Such as subduing it, or trying to wrest it loose from the bar where it's sitting in mom's lap, or kidnapping it or hey - even killing it.

[ShaLeah]

I can see it now:

From out of the shadows behind the whatever bar, Someone roughly takes the perfectly blended mix of you and your mate out of your arms and and bolts to the door, hand clamped over its mouth.

Next banned on Armageddon, vNPC child abductions.

[Malken]

I can see it now:

From out of the shadows behind the whatever bar, Someone roughly takes the perfectly blended mix of you and your mate out of your arms and and bolts to the door, hand clamped over its mouth.

Next banned on Armageddon, vNPC child abductions.

They'll probably ban having children considering that real baby items were banned because they were "abused" and led to problems just described by Lizzie (people doing their best to kidnap and/or eat baby items of other characters), so if that starts to happen with vNPC babies as well everyone will suddenly develop infertility.

I think they're about to get so many player complaints related to the new open/close code added in that we should give them a break about the baby stuff 

[greasygemo]

The emoting out the vnpc child asking why why why I believe is against the rules. You're not supposed to nest verbal communication within emotes.

You can't do anything that bypasses the language code no.

But, implied speech is possible. In that case it would be acceptable to do something like ..

>em The little, blond rat-faced girl pleads and repeatedly questions @me in a shrill whine about the candy, which is still being withheld.
>say (aloud, to the little, blond rat-faced girl, stuffing the candy back into their pocket) No you lil' shit! You want candy steal your own!

But, as I said. It's a challenge to get this stuff rattled off sometimes. Not everyone finds it as such, and I don't really. But it is something to consider when you go down that road.

No, you can't do that either. The whole language barrier thing should prevent everyone at the bar from knowing what your child is talking about, other than -your- character's response.

Also, if this occurred in a bar that allowed the brawl code - such as the Tembo's Tooth. And let's say my dwarf character was sick of having to deal with your child's incessant whining while trades of actual significance were trying to be made. What command is required to haul off and smack that kid off your character's lap?

First of yes you can do this, because the VNPC isn't saying anything. They are whining (a tone) while pleading for candy (which in this context the PC is holding in their hand and withholding, and has been, this is reflective of an ongoing argument. Sorry I didn't write a whole log to set the context for you there.

Secondly, there is no command for it just like there is no command for "spits on your face" or "snuffs out the candle on the bar while you light your pipe". Interacting with VNPC's in such a fashion, or any interactions involving other non-coded RP elements, requires RP.

Emoting an attempt, setting it up by saying something to them, let them know you're about to engage "I'm going to shove that kid up your ass if you don't shut it up!", subdue the PC and emote grabbing the parent by the shoulder with one arm and shoving the kid on the floor or something. I would -hope- that the parent PC involved was like a responsible enough player to play ball in a situation like that. If not, then I'd just >throw daddy north out of the door flap. Gank them and their spawn in an alley later. Solved.

Also if someone really wants to know a VNPC's hypothetical mdesc or if the kid is wearing a loincloth.. I'm sure that could be accommodated with a short emote to describe it.

>em The rat-faced girl, with her tangled and dirty black hair, hollow cheeks, buck-teeth and bulbous nose, sits in @me lap, leering with her dull-grey eyes, sticky substances spattered all over their tattered brown burlap sack dress, barefoot and filthy.

It's a VNPC, not a player character. I've never gotten all that aggravated about not being able to look spam VNPC's to see if they are wearing l33t gear or have green eyes or something, but that's me.

[ShaLeah]

God help you all, breeders, the concept this has inspired will terrify you.

[Kalai]

I don't think I've had vNPC family without an mdesc recorded somewhere. Sufficient amounts of emoting looking at them might produce it / pieces of it?
Afraid I don't tend to know clothes past the general style, though.

[greasygemo]

God help you all, breeders, the concept this has inspired will terrify you.

I for one look forward to this.

[Zoan]

Rules to bringing vNPC children props to the world:

1. They must be triplets. No exceptions.
2. All three must have unique hair colours and eyes. Silver, purple, midnight black are popular choices.
3. Harass your baby daddy about them ALL THE TIME.
4. Give them unusual names so your baby daddy will never remember them.
5. As they grow, employ the Id, ego and superego personalities to them appropriately, for drama purposes.

[boog]

Let's just let people play how they wanna play, so long as they're not hurting anything, or anyone else's play.

Eeeesh.

[RogueGunslinger]

Let's just let people play how they wanna play, so long as they're not hurting anything, or anyone else's play.

Eeeesh.

Huh? This thread is specifically asking for input.

[boog]

Input doesn't need to come in the form of, "You're doing x, y, or z wrong," when people are specifically answering the OP's question.

RPing a baby takes a lot of work, and if people want to emote a vNPC's responses, why can't they? It's much better than, "emote suckles her air baby." Well, why can't it burp, or coo, or blab out, "Mama!" and puke all over her? Because it's a vNPC?

Anyway - creating a life, even in a game is hard. I wouldn't recommend it, because it sometimes blots out other RP you could be having, but if you want it, have at it!

[Zoan]

I take boog's words as authority on all things, becamse dem hips can't lie.

[Lizzie]

Input doesn't need to come in the form of, "You're doing x, y, or z wrong," when people are specifically answering the OP's question.

RPing a baby takes a lot of work, and if people want to emote a vNPC's responses, why can't they? It's much better than, "emote suckles her air baby." Well, why can't it burp, or coo, or blab out, "Mama!" and puke all over her? Because it's a vNPC?

Anyway - creating a life, even in a game is hard. I wouldn't recommend it, because it sometimes blots out other RP you could be having, but if you want it, have at it!

Because if someone -other- than the mommy/daddy emotes that vNPC projectile puking, the person doing that emote will get criticized for it either directly with an OOC or contrary emote, indirectly with a player complaint, or passively-aggressively by a whine on the GDB.

In my opinion, it's a vnpc and is therefore fair game. If you can play with the air-baby, then so can I. If it's on your lap, then I can emote blowing a spit-ball that makes it land directly in its face and causes it to cry. If it's suckling your breast, I can emote making it suckle so hard that it makes you bleed - or reject the breast and start crying. If it's crying incessantly in a virtual cradle you have set on the bar, I can emote stepping over and using the virtual brawl code on that virtual baby and socking it in the virtual mouth, giving it something to cry about.

If it's swaddled in a virtual silk cloth, I can hide, sneak, and semote slinking through the crowd and snatching that kid from your lap, and dropping him on the floor, sans virtual silk cloth, as I set into a run and make my way back out the door into the darkness of the night-time air, then take a moment to add a tdesc of me wearing a slightly torn, puke-stained silk cloth around my shoulders.

I feel the same way about wearable pet-objects too - especially birds. It's remarkable that everyone who has these things do -not- have bird-shit all over their clothes. They should, and *I* should be allowed to emote my amusement as I witness another splash of birdshit on *your* epaullete.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

No, Liz. No.

[The Lonely Hunter]

No, Liz. No.

[RogueGunslinger]

Yeah that's really taking things too far, is power emoting, and generally against the nature of the game which is to facilitate FUN interaction. Shitting all over someones vNPC's by taking them over and doing what you will with them is pretty fucked up.

You wouldn't emote for someone elses vNPC just like you wouldn't emote for their mount. It's also why you don't emote a vNPC suddenly coming out and beating a PC up.  It's just bad roleplaying.

[Malken]

Fortunately, it seems like only Lizzie is thinking that way. The rest of the playerbase seems to be quite willing and more than happy to go along with other people's vNPCs if said vNPCs are played realistically (and if you think the vNPC isn't played realistically, just move along or don't interact along with it.) Life is so simple when you're not a party pooper.

[Patuk]

My clanmate has a vnpc dad. She interacts with him, sometimes.

So I went all Hannibal Lecter and cannibalised him. If she gets to rp with him, so do I.

[ShaLeah]

No, Liz. No.

Liz needs to get virtually laid and become a virtual parent then maybe she can virtually get some understanding that vNPCs are property of the creator, not anyone else.

[greasygemo]

It is possible to have enough of a relationship / trust with another PC to share in the animation and I have had some really great times like this, (dad/mom PC duos, roomates, other family member PC's, etc) but in general, it is something that should be approached in a careful manner and likely not going to happen very often.

Generally you're not going to give actions to someone elses VNPC unless they make it pretty evident you're okay to do so. Interacting with it is one thing, but animating it is entirely another.

[PriestlySiren]

My next objective is to buy a child in game.

[Kismetic]

My next objective is to buy a child in game.

And junk it?

[PriestlySiren]

My next objective is to buy a child in game.

And junk it?

No. And succinctly hand it to someone else and make them deal with it! Mayhem and Havoc!

[Kismetic]

My next objective is to buy a child in game.

And junk it?

No. And succinctly hand it to someone else and make them deal with it! Mayhem and Havoc!

Aw, Hell naw!  Baby's drama momma!

[Patuk]

I'm fairly sure the old docs on slavery at least had prices available right there..

[Zoan]

My next objective is to bury a child in game.

[manonfire]

Jeez, power-emoting someone else's vNPC.

Ridiculous.

[valeria]

Don't let the power emote battle make you decide against having vNPC childrensss for any reason.  This is apparently a very limited point of view, since I've never had anyone power emote at me (much less the extreme examples given). 

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I feel it important to note: Liz wouldn't actually do any of this. She's being belligerent because she hates your VNPCs and your pet objects. But Liz isn't stupid - she wouldn't actually power-emote your VNPC. I think she'd just appreciate people remembering that those VNPCs and pet objects exist all the time, not just when it's fun to flaunt them.

I've known Liz long enough to guess that this was the actual point of her post.

[The Lonely Hunter]

My PC exists all of the time to, not just when I am logged in to animate him. Just saying.

[ShaLeah]

I feel ya. I hate pets too. I once saw a pet owner power emote how the pet attacked another player. The other player took it well, played along, there became a hatred with that pet. I don't know how realistic it became to continue that hatred but it got old after about three real life days of watching the hawk attack the person who would have killed it had it been a tok pup. I don't know if it being "someone else's object" stopped him. I know that's what stopped me.

[Desertman]

Once saw a staff animated gith eat someone's pet songbird.

That is all I have to contribute.

It was hilarious.

[Delirium]

>craft songbird into roasted songbird

[Rahnevyn]

If another player's vNPC is becoming significant enough to a plot that you think you might want to kill or kidnap or be hostile to it in some way, let staff know. We might be able to accommodate your plan.

I'm fairly certain the comment about hiddenly stealing someones vnpc kid with a power-semote was facetious anyway, but please don't do that.

[3kanks]

I've had a rather nice experience recently with other players participating in bringing to life my vnpc child. I was really unsure that I really wanted to explore this avenue of rp. Others have pitched in with bringing the kid to life, intervening in discipline, telling my PC what the kid gets up to behind their back. It makes me glad I went with it.

[Malken]

One of my PC's virtual bebe was kidnapped by either a Faithful or a GHM agent once (still not sure about that) and they demanded the bebe's mama in exchange for his life. Since the bebe's mama was batshit crazy, I gladly accepted the deal. (not that I really wanted the bebe back either, but still..)

It was all Staff-approved and such, though. Good times.

[ShaLeah]

>craft songbird into roasted songbird

Please!

[Delirium]

Try it sometime...

[ShaLeah]

Try it sometime...

Ohhhhhh

[Lizzie]

I feel it important to note: Liz wouldn't actually do any of this. She's being belligerent because she hates your VNPCs and your pet objects. But Liz isn't stupid - she wouldn't actually power-emote your VNPC. I think she'd just appreciate people remembering that those VNPCs and pet objects exist all the time, not just when it's fun to flaunt them.

I've known Liz long enough to guess that this was the actual point of her post.

Exactly. I haven't posted once saying "If you do this, I will do that." I *have* posted a few times saying "I would WANT to do that.." or "it makes me want to.." or "it bugs me because YOU can do that...but I can't do this."

I don't hate the VNPCs or the pet objects. I hate the ridiculous RP that revolves - and doesn't revolve - around them.

[valeria]

I feel it important to note: Liz wouldn't actually do any of this. She's being belligerent because she hates your VNPCs and your pet objects. But Liz isn't stupid - she wouldn't actually power-emote your VNPC. I think she'd just appreciate people remembering that those VNPCs and pet objects exist all the time, not just when it's fun to flaunt them.

I've known Liz long enough to guess that this was the actual point of her post.

Exactly. I haven't posted once saying "If you do this, I will do that." I *have* posted a few times saying "I would WANT to do that.." or "it makes me want to.." or "it bugs me because YOU can do that...but I can't do this."

I don't hate the VNPCs or the pet objects. I hate the ridiculous RP that revolves - and doesn't revolve - around them.

I'm sorry if my previous post came off as an accusation.  It totally wasn't my intent to accuse you (or anyone else) of saying that you would do something power emotey.  My point was inelegantly expressed.  I've been around long enough to know that your posting was just you expressing yourself in your style.  And that these GDB threads tend to digress into discussions of minutia.

The reason for my post was that the new player who originally posted in this thread looking for advice may not be as familiar with the board personalities or the general evolution of GDB threads.  I didn't want them thinking that the power emoting stuff might actually happen if they chose to have a vNPC babeh.  I've never run across a single instance of egregious power emoting here, and my only point was this: people aren't actually going to power emote about someone's vNPC kid.

[Lizzie]

No offense taken. I was feeling like I was being misunderstood by a few of you actually, not just you.

The point still remains - there are at least some of us - though definitely -not- the vocal majority - who just really can't stand the "this is my VNPC, who I'll bring out when it's convenient, and who will conveniently cease to exist when something more interesting happens" kind of RP that often accompanies VNPC children.

So if you -do- plan on having a VNPC child, AND IF you don't want those of us who point out the ridiculousness of some folks who have them, then please play your VNPC believably. It doesn't have to be realistic. In fact, I'd love for you to -not- make it realistic. But do make it believable. Your child WILL shit, your child does NOT have disposable plastic-lined diapers, your child DOES get fed on demand because there is no refrigeration or pasteurization or baby formula. Your child WILL have bouts of screaming and puking, and the barracks ARE filled with really dangerous things and people that would be really dangerous and stupid to thrust a child into. If you RP that your child is being thrust into those situations anyway, EXPECT someone, at some point, to emote watching that toddler toddling over to a chest filled with razor-sharp blades, or race around as toddlers sometimes like to do, and run right into a pair of mercenaries beating the shit out of each other. And please emote out the consequences of such naturally inquisitive toddler behavior appropriately.

Also, please expect that your screaming, shitting, whining, toddling child will not be well-received by silken fancy nobility in the high-class bar, NOR at the bar where a merchant is *trying* to do business and make a profit, NOR in the spice den where people are trying to dope up and whore up. Bear in mind as well, pedophilia is not taboo in Armageddon. If you bring your toddler into a "pleasure den," expect some of the clientelle to be uncomfortably interested in your darling dimpled special snowflake. And, expect that your character shouldn't be surprised, since your character was stupid enough to bring them there in the first place.

RP this out accordingly with your VNPC treasure, because none of the rest of us are allowed to.

[Delirium]

This just in: Lizzie hates babby RP.

[Malken]

Just like IRL, my virtual child is only allowed to shit and be hungry when I'm not logged in.

[MeTekillot]

Is pedophilia not taboo?

[RogueGunslinger]

Is pedophilia not taboo?

It... I am almost certainly sure, IS Taboo. However no PC can't play anyone young enough to be considered a child. 13 is the magical line the game has decided to draw in the sand. Anyone 13 and above is a fully mature adult, both cognitively and sexually.

[ShaLeah]

This just in: Lizzie ShaLeah hates babby in a bar RP.

Ftfy

[Zoan]

If you take your babby into the Gaj and he ain't ready for a knuckle, he's in the wrong bar bub.

[The Lonely Hunter]

"EXPECT someone, at some point, to emote watching that toddler toddling over to a chest filled with razor-sharp blades"

Really, please don't expect this. No one should do something like this. But also be mindful as the creator of the vNPC not to do similar things.

"Feel free to casually interact with VNPCs, but do be careful to not 'power emote' them"
"They are to be considered passive entities, who help to provide flavor and realism for the game."

[Patuk]

I'd actually like for some moral/ethical codes to exist in Zalanthas, if only so there's a basis to go on from. Right now every PC is a psychopath, which works out fine because that's how the world works. If we had a little documentation on it at least we'd have a baseline and a more general idea of society as it functions.

[MeTekillot]

HARSH DESERT WORLD

[Patuk]

DEAD FOR WATER AND BOOTS

[Saellyn]

MAGICK IS BAD.

We can all agree on that.

[flurry]

"EXPECT someone, at some point, to emote watching that toddler toddling over to a chest filled with razor-sharp blades"

Really, please don't expect this. No one should do something like this.

Yep, I agree. I think it's helpful to think of a VNPC family member or pet object as being in the same category as NPC guards or mounts. Essentially they're extensions of the PC in control of them, and so another player shouldn't be imposing actions on them.