So I'm in the process of rejecting a character who is the 'angst' Mary Sue. Anyway, there were a lot of problems with the application, but the one I'm arguing with the player about is 'SI' or self-injuring. The player abbreviates it. Adorable. We have another character we accepted with this particular affliction so it's not against any rule to have one, but I don't feel this player is capable of handling it with maturity or responsibility. The player feels like we're being partial because we allowed the other girl to have a character with the problem. I countered with the fact that self-injuring is in essence a mental illness and don't feel schizophrenia is something I'd want every player on the board attempting either. The player then informed me that she self-injures and is obviously able to write about it from experience so she is more than capable.

W.T.F.

I feel like this is a ploy to get what she wants approved. I firmed up and told her she shouldn't play a character with her same medical affliction. It would be akin to naming a character after herself if she feel so intimately bound with this particular illness. Character-player separation dictates she be able to view the issue detached and impartial. I suggested she get some help and she took personal offense to this despite her claim she believes in some movement called "To Write Love On Her Arms" which by her definition was to raise real awareness and stop people 'like me' from thinking it was all about attention. I had to look up this organization and it is about awareness - to get help.

I'd like to know how many other admins out there would be moved to let her have her obvious Mary Sue character just because she 'self-injures.' Would you have felt compelled to accept?

I would reject this person simply based on her obvious instability, to be honest. I make no secret of the fact that I select my members in part based on their maturity and ability to contribute to our community environment. I know we're in the midst of this stupid 'moral relativism' thing, whereby cutting, anorexia, and other such idiocies are labeled 'life choices that OMFG you have to be sensitive to', but screw that (pardon my language). If she doesn't want attention for her 'affliction,' she shouldn't, I don't know, write about it?

REJECT. Reject, reject, reject.

Your board, your choice. Keep the crazies away. It's fine to be partial, it's fine to discriminate.

I have to agree with Smatha here. She actually is raising attention to the fact she does it herself by stating so. And really if there are alarm bells going off, either by her application or who/what she is herself, you have every right to reject her. Really I wouldn't feel comfortable even accepting such a person who obviously puts attention that she is SI'ing herself, but contradicts it by saying she doesn't want any attention towards it.

And to come back to your last question, I wouldn't be moved at all, it would rather irk and annoy me, to say the least XD. I also believe you shouldn't play characters that lie close to yourself or have the same medical condition you have (if you have one), unless you can handle it very maturely. Roleplay is something where you can go away from your own real life for a bit, play a character that's totally different then yourself. That's the fun of RP'ing.

I haven't been an admin in a long time, but I would have personally rejected it. Partially because to have too many characters doing the same thing/having the same affliction would make it possibly become more common in the board itself. If she really wants someone who is mentally unstable so badly, then she should go back through to wikipedia and find some sites that tell her about other afflictions that aren't already being used. Partially because this character is too close to her mentally by being a self-injuring character. She will take offense if her character is rejected and think that she was rejected. Likely, if other people on the board roleplay with her, their characters would act in a 'get real' kind of way and then she would start whining about being rejected by them too. That's if you accept her, though. It is good to have similarities with characters so you can kind of get neutral footing with them (like, say... the character and the player are both really impatient) - but anything to the extreme of self injury is a bad idea.

That, and, with things like cutting and anorexia: I would put pressure on the fact that the player in question MUST accept that their character is very weak and very vunerable because of their affliction. To be anorexic is to not only be sickly thin, but to be vunerable to stroke, heart failure, lack of muscle, and bones so brittle that they could break if they fall down too hard. Cutting, while it does not have stuck a wide range of death possibility, has the same concept behind it. It makes the character extremely vunerable to death and given the plots that I am usually involved in, it would only be too easy to have those odds all stacked up against her and make it almost impossible to escape death every time. And, yes, while I do believe you can't just kill another character... with anorexia or with cutting... they can't just blow it off every time.

"Hey, if you want to stay, please make a new character. Unfortunately at this time I cannot accept this character you have right now due to reasons we've already discussed. If you need help making a new character, please check out the canons/premades/PM me for help."

^ That's what I would say. And then I would close her topic. But see here, you say "No" loud and clear, close it to further debate, but allow her some freedom to make a new character or ask you for assistance.

It's important that you do your best to maintain the standards of your site. In this situation, it seems very clear that you must reject this character in order to do that. It's unfortunate, but necessary. Personally, I would not feel at all compelled to give in in this situation (of course, I have not seen the application for myself, so I cannot be 100% certain).

The issue here isn't whether or not the player in question can identify with her character. Just because people experience things first hand. . . that doesn't mean that they'll be able to write about it in a mature and sophisticated way. Character attributes such as mental illnesses and self-injuring tendencies can be extremely difficult to play. The point of having applications is to make sure that characters can be played properly. If you as an admin don't believe that a character can, you have every right to request mandatory alterations or reject the character entirely.

It's impossible to know whether or not this person is being sincere in her statements, but her inability to handle the situation properly and create a good roleplaying character is a clear indication that she's probably bad news. To be fair and remain the good guy, you should probably give this person another chance at creating an acceptable character, but it seems that these events will only repeat themselves. At some point you'll probably have to just say- "Hey, this game probably isn't right for you. I suggest that you explore other sites and options that will suit you and your characters better."

Go right ahead and reject her. Try and help her later on create a different character, and hopefully, they won't be a mary sue.

It sounds to me, that with all those issues that you stated, that she's only trying to do it so that she can get the spot. You don't really know, and can't ever know unless you see her, that she really does hurt herself. Honestly, I don't really see a need for any kind of mary sue on a forum.

PS: I am female. Therefore, I am much better at writing female characters than any male out there. I don't see why any male has ever had his work with female characters published before me.

^Exactly!

Yeah, reject her, and hope she leaves.

You think the drama is bad now? Wait until she becomes a loyal member with emotional ties to the forum itself. xP

I rejected her. Made, what I think are reasonable suggestions, and she pretty much wants to claw my eyes out. . . because I'm not being understanding. She's a cutter and now I'm an alcoholic because I'm going to need a shot of tequila for the next round of applications I review.

There are certain cliches that I instantly get my 'oh dear god not again' sigh on about. Bulimics, anorexics, cutters and the like. Personally, I'd love to just ban them, but I'd feel like a tool because they're not all Mary Sue tactics. I don't mind some spoiled brat having a habit of sticking her finger down her throat after eating. In that case it's about vanity and appearances and the belief she's helping out her sex appeal, not hurting herself. It feeds into the personality but the personality isn't there because of it. This character was just made to slice and dice herself. I dislike characters that are created to be 'rescued' from herself by her lust/love interest. It's just done on repeat. Write it on livejournel. Spare the rest of us. lol - ps I told her to check out RPG-d and try finding a board that more suited her... so um *hands out helmets*

Gee. Thanks.

*channels the entire output of a ZPM into the canon-only force shield*

Sounds to me like you've done the right thing.

As for the possibility that she'll stumble in here and tweak out- Hey, I'm well prepared. The loads of opinionated threads here will probably be very helpful to her if she chooses to take a look at them. RPG-D is a great source for figuring out what true RP fans value, and lots of other stuffs.

AKA, hope she doesn't stumble upon this thread and thus find you here gossiping about her. xP

I resisted the urge to paste anything to give her the benefit of privacy. If she stumbles on the thread and feels I haven't done her character justice I'd be interested to see what she'd say about the character and our exchange.

Does this :rice: look like it's sitting next to poop to anyone else?

You wanted guidance, and you sought it while showing this person respect by maintaining her privacy. If she chose to immaturely react with a fit of rage, she would be the one embarassing herself. ;)

The little rice smiley- Radioactive, adorable poop. :)

You mean it's not?