101 Things About Twinks
Just about every game out there has a file like this, talking about what
they don't like to see when it comes to players. Hopefully this one will
be a little different.
The term "Twink" is most often used to describe a form of behavior that is
considered negative to the RP style that is prevalent on a game.
The most common usages are to describe people that never take any sort of
negative effects due to combat (the 'always dodge' response or just
ignoring damage whenever convenient). As Jupiter's Childrens has a heavy
emphasis on consent, people that choose to do this are not considered
twinks. Whether others will continue to RP with someone such as this is
another matter entirely (see 'news role play'), but we don't consider them
Twinks. Rude, perhaps, and probably boring, but not Twinks. ;)
The term Twink is reserved here for a behavior that is much more
insidious. It is reserved for those people that take advantage of other
players for their own personal amusement. It is reserved for those that
believe the time and efforts of others should go toward their own
entertainment.
In other words, Twinks are people that want to be entertained but are not
willing to entertain others. Or worse, demand the efforts of others
unfairly.
Twinks are usually psychological in nature rather than Role Play specific.
It isn't their style of play that is the problem (most are excellent
RPers), but rather how they treat players Out Of Character. A bad RPer
can take the fun out of a scene, but a Twink will take the fun out of a
game. They cause frustration, stress, and anxiety in those that deal with
them. And they are quite adroit at trapping people in their sticky webs.
How they may do this is not often obvious... But chances are, if you end
up feeling more frustrated and upset by the actions of people on line than
you do with people RL, you're dealing with some Twinks.
Twinks can usually be summed up in two ways:
- They take themselves too seriously.
- They force others to take them seriously.
The Watchdog: This person will observe the Role Play of others and judge
it by their own values. They will then seek to make decisions for other
people based on their own desires. The Watchdogs often see themselves as
a moral or thematic police force. They will attempt to herd other players
away from areas of RP, or even players, they consider 'dangerous'. A
Watchdog will often use rumors, suggestions, and lies to control the
actions of those that they elect to be in their 'herd'. Basically, this
person decides that they are the protector of others and will do anything
they can, no matter how despicable, to force their will on other players.
To the watchdog, the ends justifies the means. Their actions will almost
always be through OOC methods.
The Rumor Monger: A gossip, but one with a more malicious cast. They
find their entertainment through the relating of facts. Unfortunately,
these facts barely resemble any form of truth. They rely on shock,
oblique references, and misdirection. Rumor Mongers often collect into
packs... mostly because more reasonable individuals want little to do with
them.
The Couch Role Player: One of the few Twinks that are not malicious, yet
they can be just as problematic. The Couchers don't attempt to play
/with/ others as much as they try to get others to play /for/ them. In
other words, they want other players to do all the 'work' in a scene while
they reap the benefits with little effort on their behalf. A Couch RPer
can usually be spotted by their poses becoming less and less interactive,
with longer and longer waits for those minimal poses. Admittedly, there
are circumstances for players that may cause this. But the Couch RPer
makes a regular habit of it.
Relationship Mogul: It's hard to say if the RM uses online to echo their
RL or vice verse... But the effect on others OOCly is usually detrimental.
The Relationship Mogul seeks to mimic the same sorts of relationships they
have RL in their online life. When this is limited to the IC interactions
of their characters there is little problem. It is when they seek to
cause the same troubles OOCly that problems arise. There is also the
problem that these people are so gradual about entangling players that
their actions are rarely noticed until too late.
Angst Puppy: The angst puppy is a person that looks for the negative
whether it exists or not. They perceive the actions and words of others
through a lens that focuses on themselves. Everyone else is there to
create problems for them. They take things in the worst light possible.
They concoct elaborate plans to reinforce their lack of self worth. Yet
at the same time that they force the world to piss in their Wheaties they
also seek approval and justification.
The Bureaucrat: Officious and often openly helpful, this person also
tends to limit the knowledge of others by forcing their own opinions upon
them. While they can be pretty annoying at times, they are not nearly as
dangerous as the next type:
Middle Manager: Just like out of Dilbert, these are perhaps the worst
twinks of all. Not only are they convinced they are always right, they
are also convinced that they are justified in pursuing their own goals and
desires at the expense of others. The Middle Manager is often combined
with another form of twink, usually Angst Puppy or Relationship Mogul.
Their presence is usually devastating on the moral of the players they
come in contact with. The saddest thing is that Middle Managers almost
always start out well, but the pressure and stress they create for
themselves through their self-imposed limitations causes them to poison
others. It's truly unfortunate that the staffs of many games are filled
with these people.
NewsPolicy
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