Are You in Character or Not ?

[Merrydeath]

whether it be in role play or real life, the rule I've tried to follow is No Blood between the pirates. You don't go in for blood unless you know the person well enough not to hurt. I havn't been perfect at this, but I try. I am human too.

There are a few who use this board to make comments that would not be welcome in RL or RP. Emoticons would not help that, but a few more would be nice. Carry on...

[Fancy]

Yea, I try to be nice always, and not hurt any feelings or make anyone mad, although I know I can't please everyone all the time.

But I am more bold here than I would be in real life. For instance I wouldn't really take PtratePhil into the Closet for a nice game of Postoffice.... .... .... (me pondering this) .... .... .... or would I.

[lady snow]

For instance I wouldn't really take PtratePhil into the Closet for a nice game of Postoffice.... .... .... (me pondering this) .... .... .... or would I.

hmmmmmm...pphil......closet........post office......could be interesting. does give food for thought!

[Cap'n Pete Straw]

...I'd give the neighbor's kids to have that working time machine.

While I anxiously await PyratePhil's response to Fancy...

Hawkyns, you may be interested in visiting the Time Machine Project Page(s).

There are some of us whose escapist hobbies are to actually build time machines.... even if only as an escapist hobby. Check out the life-size "working" models, if you want to see how level-headed you actually are.

As for myself, here is the model I built for a children's book, in order to get my character back to the Civil War.

[Cap'n Pete Straw]

Sorry about being incomplete -- that first Time Machine link takes you to the webpage, but you need to click on "Enthusiasts' Pages" on the left-hand menu to see all the models -- minature, micro-miniature, and full-size (and everything in between).

[Merrydeath]

For instance I wouldn't really take PtratePhil into the Closet for a nice game of Postoffice.... .... .... (me pondering this) .... .... .... or would I.

hmmmmmm...pphil......closet........post office......could be interesting. does give food for thought!

um.. ah..

[PyratePhil]

...But I am more bold here than I would be in real life. For instance I wouldn't really take PtratePhil into the Closet for a nice game of Postoffice.... .... .... (me pondering this) .... .... .... or would I.

Now, students, pay attention...

Notice how Ms. Fancy, in her ever-so-winsome statement, has misspelled "PyratePhil", substituting a "T" for a "Y", resulting in "PtratePhil". An accident? A simple mis-alignment of digit upon electronic input device? Hardly...

First, let us consider the ordered schedule of the alphabet - "Y" is the next-to-last letter, indicating a soon-to-be closure of events. "T", meanwhile, is much farther along, nestled snugly in the anonymous "S" and "U" grouping...

Thus, perhaps Lady Fancy's usage of the colloquial "T" is an indication that she seeks safety (and perhaps approval) in the midst of known elements, i.e.- her friends and acquaintances. She spurns the use of the dangerous "Y", the rogue letter of the entire alphabet, said letter being too close to an ending, or final resolution, of the initial problem. Therefore, she can "accidently" avoid closeness with a known rogue.

Another possible interpretation can be found in the Periodic Table of the Elements. "Pt", from the written "PtratePhil", is the symbol for platinum, the precious metal often used in jewelry. Being a metal that is so in demand, it is known to fetch a high price in the marketplace. Therefore, Madam Fancy's usage of "PtratePhil" may be a Super-Ego sign that she considers the subject to be priceless, like platinum. This theory is reinforced by the phrase "Ptrate" - translated as Platinum Rate - a metaphysical nod at PyratePhil's priceless worth. A similar hypothesis holds that she meant to imply that PyratePhil is Platinum Rated, aka "Platinum-Rated Phil".

Finally, we will examine the overall climate in which we find ourselves deployed; namely, a closet. This class is not unlimited enough in either time or scope to investigate the many possible meanings of the term "closet", but a convenient yardstick of measurement is that a closet is a dark, comfortable, warm environment, usually utilized as a storage area for non-currently-used clothing. Hence, the Fancy Lady has shown her desire to shed clothing with a priceless rogue in a dark place - hardly the innocent meaning her original statement might have conjured up among friends. She herself adds much weight and conviction to this argument by questioning HERSELF ("me pondering this" and "...or would I."). Note the lack of the interrogatory question mark - this is not a question in her mind - it is an accomplished fact. She ponders that she would indeed take this PyratePhil into a closet to play Postoffice (again, note the unique structure of the phrase "Post Office" - we will be studying this attribute in next semester's classes).

Ah, there's the bell...all right, class - homework - chapters 14 through 16, and ALL of the self-study questions...

[PyratePhil]

hmmmmmm...pphil......closet........post office......could be interesting. does give food for thought!

PPhil gives Lady Snow food in exchange for her thoughts...(is this like guns for butter?)...

[William Brand]

I am me.

The rest is just frosting.

[Fancy]

Why Phil, how clever you are... I was sure that I had embedded those subtle nuaces of my post much more eloqently than I obviously did... but you figured them all out. I'm very impressed.

And you are right... I would indeed take Platinum-Rated Phil to the afore mentioned dark, comfortable warm environment, shed clothing, and then....

[Rummy3]

Wait~ Will someone please teach me how Post Office is played? I have been missing out on something here...

[lady snow]

pphil - could it also be that the 't' and 'y' are right next to each other on the keyboard?

rummy - you have to be one of the few that i know of that made it out of the teens without playing (or pretending to play) post ofice? how about spin the bottle. make mine rum.

[PyratePhil]

pphil - could it also be that the 't' and 'y' are right next to each other on the keyboard?

...oh...yeah...huh...mmmm.....

[PyratePhil]

Wraps his arms around Fancy's and Rummy's waists and leads them off for a discussion of dark places and teen games...

[Christine]

I know ye get licked and stamped when playing Post Office Rummy. LOL!

Phil, ye should show all us ladies how it's done.

[PyratePhil]

His arms being full, he envelopes Christine and urges her ahead with the rest of the Ladies...

Gee...this is more fun than stacking cats !!!

[blackjohn]

So I'd like to ask the question here to you members of the Pub, when you come here, do you act like the character you wish to be seen as, or just be a name connected to you, but still in reality?

I do act like the character I wish to be seen as, and that character is me.

So no, I don't adopt a persona... because I already am a persona.

[Fancy]

Wraps his arms around Fancy's and Rummy's waists and leads them off for a discussion of dark places and teen games... His arms being full, he envelopes Christine and urges her ahead with the rest of the Ladies...

I know ye get licked and stamped when playing Post Office

Boy, Phil is gonna be SOOOO tired later... passed out with a smile !!!!

[Cap'n Pete Straw]

Gee...this is more fun than stacking cats !!!

DAMN YOU! I will never get that forty-five minutes of my life back again! First try, I reached level 13, at 100,800 points! Argh! My eyes are burning!

[Rumba Rue]

I'd like to say that being a Moderator is no easy job.

There is no way I will ever be able to make everyone happy with editing or removing posts. (Thank you Pyrate Phil and Mission for your help in this)

I absolutely hate having to delete anyone's post. Yup, I get complaints from others a lot, about posts that other members have done. Sometimes I ignore them as just someone getting something out of their system.

But there is a fine line of what's acceptable and what's not. It's not a question of imposing my morals or values on anyone, or intruding on one's private life. It's a question of how far the poster has gone that makes me finally step in and say something (though I admit I'm not the best at writing it).

Yes, we do have a few here that have become so immersed into the character and start posting as such, that it is especially hard for me as a Moderator to determine whether or not they they are just playing or actually thinking it.

That is why I asked the questions I have asked about whether one is the character or just playing the name.

It's to help me understand where you are coming from and I think it's also helped others here see that too.

As it's been stated we cannot tell what the person is trying to express behind a computer screen.

I'd like to tell you something that Boats told me recently. I'm sure some of you may of heard of this study, so I'll try and do the short version of it.

Two groups of law students were given an assignment. One group could only use the Internet to confer with, the other group could only use the phone to confer with.

Can you guess what happened? I bet you can. The group that could use the phone to talk to each other did their assignment well. The group that had only the Internet to use, created bickering and fighting because proper emotions couldn't be conveyed the right way. They of course failed the assignment.

Truly something to think about. I sure have.

Sometimes I think I'd be better at stacking cats. :)

Rumba Rue

**I got lost in thought, it was uncharted territory**

Carry on

[Sealegs Constance]

Aye Rumba being a moderator is a hard job and you do a fine job. I have now problem with that.

Now back on topic My character is all me. Nothing made up here except the name that is.

[Mad Woman Cheryl]

Aye Rumba being a moderator is a hard job and you do a fine job. I have now problem with that.

Now back on topic My character is all me. Nothing made up here except the name that is.

An you wouldn't believe what shell I had to drag her out of....but she twer ready fer it!!!

[Sealegs Constance]

Wench! Aye that what sister's are fer to be bringing Lil sis's out of there shell. I thank ye fer that one.

[Mad Woman Cheryl]

What I post is generally me. I did in fact meet Firethorn in person but did not smother his face in my chest, especially if I am meeting someone for the first time (with my son and hubby there too). We did talk and I did encourage him to get an outfit together. He understood that my posts were "role-playing" since he role-plays games. I never want to mislead anyone and do always try to be nice to everyone. Me sis SeaLegs and I haven't fought in a long time and anything that we post at each other are just in fun. Yes we are actually sisters and different as day and night. I brought her into this knowing that she would be interested and it is something we both can do (she wasn't into the Klingon thing). If I posts anything out of order, I do hope that someone will let me know so I don't do it again.

Rhumba, you are doing a great job! Mayhaps we will meet someday.

[Cap'n Pete Straw]

Rumba Rue! Don't stack cats! Don't go there! Run! Run and warn the others!

For me, this is all mostly play, but you are all getting far more of my real life revealed in here than I ever intended.

I have always endeavored to toe the PG-13 line, as initially explained to me (by Merrydeath, BTW)... although some clearly step over that line, I get where people are coming from, and generally support them.

Merrydeath (I really don't mean to keep quoting her...) said recently, somewhere else, about "no blood between pirates" and I agree and support that, as well. (Although the recent troll attacks cheesed me off -- but they did not belong here)

Ironically, I despise electronic communication of this exact sort because it is so very precisely easy to completely misunderstand what another person means to say. Whenever possible, I carefully reword all my posts (except when I am REALLY drinking a lot of Guinness at the keyboard) to ensure my throughts are clearly stated -- obviously, not everyone does that, and I support them, too.

Sadly, 99% of my job involves e-mail communication which, as I said, I despise; I prefer live communication. Perhaps more sad is that I try to spend much of my free time talking electronically to all of you (EXAMPLE -- did you understand that sentence? Upon re-reading it, it sounds wrong, like I am insulting you comrade pirates. But I am NOT rewording it to emphasize my very point).

What I am trying to say, perhap, is....

I don't envy the moderators. By and large, I feel they are doing a fair job.