Mantis Head

[sarahjc]

Again I say unfair.. As I have been witness to a guard hanging a mantis head on the edge of his bunk..

It's not like mantis don't extist in game, nor is it like they don't have heads..I just don't see why its that big of a deal..I think you're thinking way to much in the context of the scrolling mantis, and not as an idea of a myth.. Most of myths are based on real life ones.. I just don't see why seeing the mantis should be thought of as totally OOC, I mean clearly some people never knew that it was

But Whatever....

[Anonymous]

Again I say unfair.. As I have been witness to a guard hanging a mantis head on the edge of his bunk..

But the correlation between seeing the mantis head and death is an entirely OOC experience.

Most of myths are based on real life ones.. I just don't see why seeing the mantis should be thought of as totally OOC, I mean clearly some people never knew that it was

The phrase 'seeing the mantis head' has no meaning in Zalanthan terms.  Seeing a mantis head seems to be a pretty safe thing to me, considering it would have to be detatched from its owner to be referred to as a head.  So I don't see where you are going with the myths being based on real life here.  Unless there is something I don't know, like maybe mantis heads EXPLODE!

Going to Drov has always had a nice ring to it.

[John]

Since everything in the documents is fair game to you, John, I suppose your characters know about Ptarken as well.

Talk about taking something I said COMPLETELY out of context. Right above my post, flurry was talking about people mentioning IC stuff on the GDB. I was saying, anything in the docs is fair game to talk about on the GDB. I don't see ANY indication in my post that I was talking about out of character knowledge being used in character.

[Angela Christine]

Does anyone really see a Mantis head when they die? Who knows, nobodys ever come back to tell about it...

I move that until the Imm implement reincarnation that those who wish to believe in the all powerful Mantis head IC do so, because no-one IC can refute it!

Well, I can't argue with that.  My next character is going to be a Jew from the "lost" 13th tribe of Isreal.  Of course she thinks it's the other 12 tribes that got lost.  Sure, Judaism started as an OOC thing, but there's no reason why it couldn't become an IC legend too.


AC

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Jerusalem Rivers returns!

[Comrade Canadia]

Even though I'm really loathe to post anything on this thread, I would like to point out that this is the stupidest thread in the history of the universe.  Please, for the love of god, stop.

-Der Comrade

[Tlaloc]

I must stop the madness. I'm going to take the liberty to step in here, and try to put it in very simple terms:

The mantis that you see when you die, and when you connect and disconnect to the Mud, is a menu. Think of it like the box around your Monopoly game. When you feel like playing the game, you get out your monopoly box, and open it up, revealing the game. When you're done, you pack it all up, and put it back in the box.

The box is not the game.

Does your PC see a Mantis when they die? Who knows. Only your PC will ever know - unfortunately, what your PC sees when they die happens right after their death boots you out of the game. As far as the game is concerned, when you die, you are, in essense, forced out of the game. Game Over. The game boxes itself up for your current PC and shows you the shiny packaging on the outside (the mantis), and its time to make a new PC.

So, to put it in even simpler terms:

The mantis screen is a 100% OOC mechanic used to simply you, the Players entrance and exit to the game. Do not refer to it in game. Your PC's have never seen a mantis screen, and have no idea what one is. They do not think about seeing 'The great mantis' when they die, go to sleep, or wake up in the morning. If you do that, you may as well start worshiping the Grand High Helpfiles, which help us get through life, and the Almighty MOTD, which tells us when the whole cities magickally shrink themselves, and when people evolve to where they can use weapons two-handed.

The end.

[Callisto]

Jerusalem Rivers returns!

That was the name everyone loved to hate

[jmordetsky]

I think it would be completely fine for a character to have folklore describing how when they die they see a big mantis head. Just like the tunnel of light in the RL. If your want to create such IC folklore, I say go ahead and do it. If all of your chars believe that well then...thats a bit much.

But nonetheless....I don't think it's anyone's place to dictate my characters IC belief system.

Thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Quirk]

I think it would be completely fine for a character to have folklore describing how when they die they see a big mantis head. Just like the tunnel of light in the RL. If your want to create such IC folklore, I say go ahead and do it. If all of your chars believe that well then...thats a bit much.

But nonetheless....I don't think it's anyone's place to dictate my characters IC belief system.

I do. That's what imms like Tlaloc are there for. That's why we have documentation. That's why, say, a PC preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ would probably be removed from the game rapidly and terminally, as would a worshipper of the Grand High Helpfiles.

Quirk

[Carnage]

I think it would be completely fine for a character to have folklore describing how when they die they see a big mantis head. Just like the tunnel of light in the RL. If your want to create such IC folklore, I say go ahead and do it. If all of your chars believe that well then...thats a bit much.

But nonetheless....I don't think it's anyone's place to dictate my characters IC belief system.

Thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

GREAT IDEA!

Not even imms, who operate the game, should tell you what kind of character you should make.

Fuck you, Sanvean. Fuck you, Nessalin. Fuck you, everyone who's spent time trying to shape and create an original world. I'm giong to create a Tolkien-esque fire elementalist priest who worships Krath as a god, abhors slavery, is virtuous and would never steal, and always tells the truth.

[jmordetsky]

Okay,

1) I'm not insulting the staff. Lets have a rational discussion without reverting into ridiculousness. I think we're all capable.

2) I'll take it back, as soon you explain to me the following differences:

The difference between:

A PC whose background states they come from a tribe who worships Krath, believing Krath is a deity who brings the tribe life.

and

A PC whose background states they come from a tribe who worships the mantis, believing all mantis stem from one diety....a mantis head.


The point being, the game allows a player to be creative to a point. And I *firmly* state, that I don't believe a PC who believes that upon death they will be greated by a mantis, or mantis head is out of line. It's a game related entity, and I'm within my creative freedom as a player in stating such in my background.

At no point was a "Fuck you" given to the staff, Carnage.

[Anonymous]

2) I'll take it back, as soon you explain to me the following differences:

The difference between:

A PC whose background states they come from a tribe who worships Krath, believing Krath is a deity who brings the tribe life.

and

A PC whose background states they come from a tribe who worships the mantis, believing all mantis stem from one diety....a mantis head.

Because the basis for that belief comes from the game's menu, pure and simple.  It's as fitting in the gameworld as having a tribe that referrred to the known world as 'Armageddon' or believed in a god named Tlaloc.

Be more original and come up with something that won't confuse new players.

The point being, the game allows a player to be creative to a point.

But you aren't being original, you are being corny by insinuating an OOC design on the login into the gameworld.

And I *firmly* state, that I don't believe a PC who believes that upon death they will be greated by a mantis, or mantis head is out of line. It's a game related entity, and I'm within my creative freedom as a player in stating such in my background.

It's not that such a concept is impossible, it is just that the concept is so completely based on something removed from the gameworld that it's cheap.

Could a tribe of elves decide to start making smiley faces in the ground to show they are joking after a conversation?  Sure.  Would that make it original, cool or something universally appreciated?  Doubt it.

[Krath]

A PC whose background states they come from a tribe who worships Krath, believing Krath is a deity who brings the tribe life.

I really like this idea! Bow down before your great master! The Age of Krath! Akaramu already worships me! Who is next going to jump on the bandwagon!

[jmordetsky]

It's not that such a concept is impossible, it is just that the concept is so completely based on something removed from the gameworld that it's cheap.

Well stated. And to an extent I agree with you, but because it's not impossible, or rather, less improbable then say worship good old JC or calling the world armageddon IC, I don't think we ought make a practice of preaching to players that something of this nature is completely banned and out of the question.

Am I going to run around worshiping mantis heads anytime soon? No.

Do I have problem with being told that I *absolutely cannot* when I personally consider it a perfectly reasonable within the context of the game? Yes. I don't like it and I didn't think I'd ever be having this conversation about arm.

Do I think it's the staff's right to turn this bg down? Yea, but I do think it'd be unreasonable to do so. I am allowed (last I checked) to hold an oppinion.

The point being, arm encourages creativity but needs to have a well defined line of how far one can go with said creativity to keep true to the games context, and feel. But I think it's very important to watch where you draw those lines lest you cut off the creativity that makes arm what it is.

Again, thats my story, and I'm sticking to it. Feel free to neg my next app if it does in fact make reference to a pechant for mantis head worship. Which it won't, but this has been fun exercise nonetheless.

My next app will however, clearly worship Krath.

[Carnage]

Do I have problem with being told that I *absolutely cannot* when I personally consider it a perfectly reasonable within the context of the game? Yes. I don't like it and I didn't think I'd ever be having this conversation about arm.

Yeah, see, that basically -does- come out as a big fuck you. You're basically saying that you'll play by the rules you wish to go by, and if you find one you don't like you're going to just completely go against it. That's not excusable at all. I don't agree with certain things in the game either, but I don't run around constantly disobeying them.

[jmordetsky]

Carnage, I'm not even going to bother with a response to that.

[Carnage]

Carnage, I'm not even going to bother with a response to that.

That doesn't count as a response?

[jmordetsky]

Yes it does. Your deductive skills are staggering.

[Krath]

Might as well lock this thread if it is just going to be you two flaming each other.

[Forest Junkie]

Might as well lock this thread if it is just going to be you two flaming each other.

You're not helping. Let it go, friend.

[Malifaxis]

Typical.

When one can not think of an appropriatly intelligent response, yet still feels the need to be superior.  Wonderful, bravo, real knock down way of showing how mature the older players are.

Perhaps a middle ground could be established?

It is obviously not okay to use the term 'mantishead.'  The reason is solely because of the opening ascii graphic.  Perhaps if we had a big happy fluffy bunny as the entry graphic, then maybe the term 'mantishead' could be used EXTREMELY rarely.  Why?  Because it would make absolutely no sense outside of the connotations of that person/tribe's belief system.

There's a lot of possibility for what else could be used, however:
"I'm going to leave your corpse for mantis chow outside of Luir's!"
"After this fight, your life will be as bright as the inside of a mantis's jaws... and I'll be much richer."

Ad Nauseum...

The reason the term 'mantishead' is so innappropriate is because it is an OOC convention.  It is a *glaring* thing to see come up on your screen, and could easily shake you from the feel of your scene if done regularly.

Tlaloc gave some very good reasons to not use stuff like this.

shout (in a loud and commanding voice, raising one hand high) By the Light of the Grand High Helpfiles, Illuminate This Madness and Give Unto Me Knowledge of This Sword's Stats!!

The best reason to listen to Tlaloc is that he knows his shit... and if he tries at all to live up to his reputation, he's going to have people come and sacrifice you to him to make sure the lands are fertile.

jmordetsky, I'm not trying to come down on you, but the staff runs this joint, and they do give us a LOT of freedom about what we want to do.  There are certain things that are universally accepted though.  When you die, you see Drov... not ascii graphics.

[Callisto]

Lets have a rational discussion without reverting into ridiculousness.

Carnage, I'm not even going to bother with a response to that.

Yes it does. Your deductive skills are staggering.

Indeed.

[Sanvean]

Enough.