Cyrene

Idelisa

Here are some new railroad tracks for the conversation that started in another thread.  My alt's in Cyrene so it's interesting to hear this discussion and I hope it continues.  

http://forums.achaea.com/discussion/548/this-just-in-ashtan-under-attack-from-yudhishthira/p3

Here is the summary thus far:

I'm sorry you feel that way. - @Melodie

They have cake-gasms and no sense of community. - @Kyrra

No, there totally is community, but military scene is now lacking. - @Exelethril

Cyrene's just fine, you can't sit at CC and truly enjoy the city without being in an oraganiZation. - @Aerek  (z to annoy @Anatral)

Stuff is mechanical and the energy is gone (except from the sugar). - more Aerek

It's just a matter of lacking purpose, not the a fault with the city. - @Thaumas

Blu doesn't eat enough creepers but I love that they actually have an organiZed government, no matter how mechanical people say it is. (my contribution).

Discuss

Asmodron

From my experience in the world of Muds I have found that neutral organizations tend to give no purpose to the gaming environment. The only good aspect of them is that all those that just wish to stretch out and chill generally join them (you couch potatoes you). These no-alighnment nor purpose organizations are almost always going to be ridiculed by the more RP-based organization. Anyway from what I know Cyrene has a very organization government (almost like Hallifax from Lusternia) and I guess that form of stability is endearing.

Asmodron

tl;dr: Give purpose and an Org will advance and grow. Standing aside never works.

Trey

Daeir said:

What irks me the most about Cyrene is a lot of the organizations that reside within it have tremendous basis and backing for some truly fantastic roleplay, which is inevitably lost for some weird reason in the mountains of inactivity that seem to permeate the bulk of the city.

You know this, rather than 'Heart of the Vashnars', is probably more appropriate.

Tvistor

I think they should stop attacking me when I phase in because I am hip and cool.

That is all.

Ephram

As someone who played a character in Cyrene for a long time, what always bothered me was that citizens constantly argued over the definition of neutral-good, and argued over that. And then pretty much everyone hates the core tenant of "respect" because well...

Personally, I always liked the D&D definition of neutral-good, but that wasn't Cyrene's definition.

On the bright side, the argument over whether or not to defend Shallam is done?

Melodie

Something tells me I might regret posting here, but I suppose I'll give it a shot.

First, thanks @Daeir for your post. That post is more or less what gave me the motivation to go on and respond in the first place. I didn't want to join in a mud-slinging fest.

Unfortunately due to how we're founded and what we are, Cyrene has a bit of a plague when it comes to the "uncaring, could not give a - if we tried" players. It's really quite the downer, because a lot of people work really, really hard to make Cyrene engaging and fun. I'm constantly out and around, trying to not only help the city directly, but indirectly by being a good, Cyrenian roleplayer. As a priestess, I often have (had?) to play the balance-game of Cyrene vs. Shallam, as an example.

Some of this is from another thread, but my thoughts are as follows in a basic sense:

-Respect as a core value needs to go away.

-Stagnation is a huge issue in terms of actual citizens. People just don't care. We need something to really get behind, without having to actually change the core foundation of what makes Cyrene, Cyrene. People will likely disagree with this point.

*As a sub-point to the above point, stagnation leads to issues in gaining new  aides/Ministers. We recently took down our Senate from seven to five. We have an up- and-coming crop who are doing well, but tend to get burned out due to overworking. This needs to be addressed, pretty badly. I do what I can, but I'm only one person.

-People need to understand Cyrene isn't neutral. People argue and argue over neutral-good - here is what it is. Politically neutral, morally good. We do the right thing. We don't endorse Chaos/Darkness/Evil, but we don't chase after it either (or if we do, its on an individual basis). We don't tend to (on a city level) get involved with world issues (obvious exceptions come in).

-Kyrra happily pointed out our continuing baked goods/food issue. Don't get me wrong, but this issue is way overblown. Yes, we have one or two citizens who we continually have to remind and deal with, but honestly, a HUGE portion of that crap has been put to rest. It still has to be tended to to make sure it doesn't sneak up on us, but in general this has been an issue that is slowly resolving itself. I'm not going to talk about Kii herself here, because I'm just not that kind of person.

There's likely more points I'm not remembering, as its 2:30 in the morning, but I'm sure they'll come up somewhere. The above is just my main view of issues. Cyrene does a lot of good things, some things people never really get to see because they don't try, or simply give up before really getting into things. We have two amazing Divine who constantly watch the city, an extremely rich history, and a sprinkling of all kinds of different people, from the combat-inclined to the avid roleplayers, to the scholars, to people who just want to relax and get away from other things. Part of what makes Cyrene interesting is the unique make-up of so many different types of people (players) who, in the end, tend to work together and get along, when you ignore the petty issues.

Ephram

@Melodie - Has Cyrene redefined neutral-good then? Because when Ephram was a citizen it was always "Neutral-Good does NOT mean we are politically neutral..."

Melodie

@Ephram - Here's a direct quote from CHELP ETHOS that I always tend to use.

"NEUTRAL-GOOD: Cyrene was re-founded on the principle that we would be and forever remain neutral-good. What is neutral-good, though, exactly? Unlike a truly neutral city, Cyrene is not morally neutral. We do not endorse nor advance the causes of darkness, chaos or evil. Our neutrality is not about seeking some kind of balance between good and evil, nor is it an 'anything goes' neutrality. Our neutrality is largely a political neutrality stemming from our insular heritage as well as our values of respect, peace and tolerance. We are good people, who adopt a live and let live mentality so long as our own way of life is not threatened in any way. We do not take up the righteous fight against evil, darkness or chaos just for the sake of doing so, recognizing the right of others in this realm to choose paths separate from our own."

Ephram

Nice. Not sure how long that's been around but I do like that a lot better than the BS people used to spew my way.

Also, I like how you crossed out respect.

Anyway, to move on from the things that annoyed me about Cyrene, what the city does well (or did, especially when I was a newbie) was foster an environment of creativity and culture. It was a great starting spot for me, when I wanted a house and a city outside the main areas of conflict. I could roam the world, hunting and exploring without getting caught up in combat or faction-driven wars. As much as some people would argue against it, a game this large really does benefit from having a city where you can avoid all of that.

Not sure on the current state, but there's always potential for that city, and @Melodie is right, there's great divine working with it right now.

Just god forbid you ever want to apply to live there... (excluding *shallam refugees, apparently) because that process is a headache and a half.

Salindera

I agree with pretty much everything that's been said, except that respect should be axed entirely. I'm not going to argue that it isn't problematic at times, but I think it could continue to exist in a world where Cyrene was given some other value or unifying purpose. Basically, I don't thing respect is the problem, I think it is the lack of some other motivating aspect or ideal that is.

And I'm sorry to be part of the problem in Cyrene. I'm definitely one of the apathetic people that really only detracts from all the awesome people. That really stems from problems with me as a player though, and I'm trying to fix that best I can.

Melodie

In principle, respect is a good concept, don't get me wrong.

But in actual practice, people end up using it as a shield to everything. Don't do that, that's not respectful. Don't say that about someone, that's not respectful. Hey, you, you're not allowing other people to have a say, that's not respectful. It's gotten to the point where, with a portion of the citizenry, they believe respecting your enemies means you shouldn't say you dislike them, or that saying anything negative about them is just awful and unCyrenian. I've heard people defend people like Cain, Flair, Antidas, Dodder, and so on because someone said something about them. -Defend- an -enemy-. That is beyond crazy. That's just head-imploding stupidity.

Respect also allows a lot of the stagnation and apathy. I'm not saying respect shouldn't be something we think about - my main issue is having it as a core value. When you focus too much on it, you lose sight of the important things that actually make Cyrene what it is.

I say I want to stomp it out on the ground and tear it to pieces, but that's mostly just frustration. In honesty, as long as we tone it down a lot, and stop putting such a huge focus on it, it'll be fine, in regard to that particular issue.

Tvistor

The amount of quibbling over definitions and policy here accurately reflects Cyrene in my eyes. (not to suggest Cyrene in my eyes is accurate at all)

Good thread.

Sylvance

I'll get triple WTFd, but as somebody who has pretty much given up on Cyrene for many of the above reasons, I also think that if people want to be lazy, insular coach-potatoes, that's up to them. The people, not the government, should ultimately decide the tone/tenets of a city (with the below caveat) in a democracy; of course it doesn't help that most people's CBA mentality extends to voting. It's rather like RL democracy in this regard. Now, the caveat (and folks will be tired of seeing me state this): if you want the citizens of org X to do something, then require them to do something. Want soldiers? Introduce military service. Want artists? Start booting people from Ty Beirdd who don't want to do Art. Start by making new entrants swear an oath to protect the right to spam CT about cookies and have cuddlefests, rather than expecting somebody else to. TL;DR - we need people who want to contribute, and a government that shows them how. And, yes, please let's get rid of the R word. You can't require nothing but good manners from people, then expect them to be productive.

Iocun

It seems I'm in a minority here, but I, for one, actually find a "lack of a common purpose" not too bad at all. This is what makes a city feel real, as opposed to a fantasy device. After all, how many RL cities/countries have a distinct "ideology"?

Having a "city of good", "city of evil", "city of nature" may be a good tool to create major axes of conflict, but reducing a game to just clearly defined oppositions like that also makes it a lot less complex. Achaea isn't a comic world, but a rather deep player-controlled sandbox that allows not just major factions with admin-defined purposes to have an influence, but every single house, order, even player. The interesting thing about cities like Ashtan, Hashan, and Cyrene is that their "neutrality" actually creates more room for individuals and smaller organisations to influence the politics of their city and turn it once this way, once that way, making them quite a bit more dynamic.

For a long time, I had considered guilds to be the major carriers of ideologies with cities mostly being a pragmatical, political structure. It took me quite long to realize that in certain cities (like Mhaldor) this is actually quite different and almost the other way round, but I think both approaches have their merits.

Personally I'm usually quite apathetic what concerns the politics of Cyrene and I reserve the right to continue to be so, thank you very much.

Kaden

I'd really rather not go indepth with this especially because I have no problems with Cyrene as it stands other than a few minor quibbles here and there...

So I'll contribute with this anecdote: once, while standing in CC, an Ashtani and a rogue earnestly (not ironically) tried to draw me into talk about baked goods.

Rovelda

That Ashtani was not me, but I also want to hear people talk about baked goods. I have never yet.

Thaumas

@Idelisa: what I meant was temporary feeling of lack of purpose, and even that I just speculated. Cyrene has its purpose, I believe. Peaceful life? (Just guessing because I don't know).

Arlanda

Melodie said:

Something tells me I might regret posting here, but I suppose I'll give it a shot.

First, thanks @Daeir for your post. That post is more or less what gave me the motivation to go on and respond in the first place. I didn't want to join in a mud-slinging fest.

Unfortunately due to how we're founded and what we are, Cyrene has a bit of a plague when it comes to the "uncaring, could not give a - if we tried" players. It's really quite the downer, because a lot of people work really, really hard to make Cyrene engaging and fun. I'm constantly out and around, trying to not only help the city directly, but indirectly by being a good, Cyrenian roleplayer. As a priestess, I often have (had?) to play the balance-game of Cyrene vs. Shallam, as an example.

Some of this is from another thread, but my thoughts are as follows in a basic sense:

-Respect as a core value needs to go away.

-Stagnation is a huge issue in terms of actual citizens. People just don't care. We need something to really get behind, without having to actually change the core foundation of what makes Cyrene, Cyrene. People will likely disagree with this point.

*As a sub-point to the above point, stagnation leads to issues in gaining new  aides/Ministers. We recently took down our Senate from seven to five. We have an up- and-coming crop who are doing well, but tend to get burned out due to overworking. This needs to be addressed, pretty badly. I do what I can, but I'm only one person.

-People need to understand Cyrene isn't neutral. People argue and argue over neutral-good - here is what it is. Politically neutral, morally good. We do the right thing. We don't endorse Chaos/Darkness/Evil, but we don't chase after it either (or if we do, its on an individual basis). We don't tend to (on a city level) get involved with world issues (obvious exceptions come in).

-Kyrra happily pointed out our continuing baked goods/food issue. Don't get me wrong, but this issue is way overblown. Yes, we have one or two citizens who we continually have to remind and deal with, but honestly, a HUGE portion of that crap has been put to rest. It still has to be tended to to make sure it doesn't sneak up on us, but in general this has been an issue that is slowly resolving itself. I'm not going to talk about Kii herself here, because I'm just not that kind of person.

There's likely more points I'm not remembering, as its 2:30 in the morning, but I'm sure they'll come up somewhere. The above is just my main view of issues. Cyrene does a lot of good things, some things people never really get to see because they don't try, or simply give up before really getting into things. We have two amazing Divine who constantly watch the city, an extremely rich history, and a sprinkling of all kinds of different people, from the combat-inclined to the avid roleplayers, to the scholars, to people who just want to relax and get away from other things. Part of what makes Cyrene interesting is the unique make-up of so many different types of people (players) who, in the end, tend to work together and get along, when you ignore the petty issues.

Nah you won't regret, it is a very nice post. I'm sure most mature people can separate what is said here from what is said IC. I tend towards Iocun view that a city need not have a very clear cut ideology. So what if we have a city of people whose ideal is to ... do nothing but eat cookies? As for respect, I take a relatively moderate stance. Sure we need not have people defending enemies too much and stuff but at times we have people in leadership positions talking in a very rude tone which pisses me so much I just turn the CT off. 

On a lighter note, if we remove respect as a Cyrene tenet does that mean I can bring the Mojushai to the Mountains to camp with the drakes? Please?

Idelisa

No matter where you go you are going to find that though. Houses and Cities both have that problem. It's what I love about Mhaldor so much. They don't let you become lazy an apathetic, they will throw you to the wolves first.

All of these things can be said about Eluesis (save for a decent government) and Ashtan and they have things to stand for.

Tanris

Respect seems a bit of a troublesome device. How do Cyrenians have heated debates with each other about the merits of one course or the other if one can cry respect the moment things don't go their way? (Legitimate question.) Hard to be passionate about something if any sign of fervour or potentially disrespectful behaviour can be instantly shot down: just seems counter productive to a good environment. (This is all assumption, I have never played a Cyrenian character, but given that I have to suffer through the freedom nonsense, I suspect its not so far off the mark.) As for saying respect keeps leaders polite or whatnot, that hardly seems necessary to me. If your leaders are obnoxious or distasteful, there is a democratic system in place to replace them if enough people agree with your assessment (and if they don't, its probably just a personal difference).

I appreciate where Iocun's coming from with the stance of cities without a unified purpose, even if I disagree. I 100% concur that it adds an element of realism that not all cities have a singular ideological purpose. However, I also believe that NPC villages fill this purpose quite nicely. Perhaps Hashan and  Cyrene are different--I couldn't say. Ashtan however struggles to get anything particularly interesting done because the city is pulling in four different directions on a good day, which loses its appeal quickly. As for political factions, it rarely works out that way. There will be one faction in power, and they will do absolutely everything possible to mitigate risk of being evicted from power for as long as possible because they know if they are it could be an irl year or more before they get back in leadership. That isn't interesting, and promotes a take no risks and play safe mindset. This situation at least is definitely not unique to Ashtan, its a trend that just over my playtime has been apparent, and I suspect before it too.

Erasariel

SCP-2044: The Heart of the Vashnars

Item #: SCP-2044

Object Class: Euclid Keter

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-2044 theoretically cannot be contained, but due to the nature of SCP-2044-1 it is currently isolated in the multiplayer text game [REDACTED]. The internet connections used by instances of SCP-2044-1 will be intercepted by a proxy and packet sniffer that will automatically block any instance of SCP-2044 being attempted to disseminate. Any parties affected by disseminated SCP-2044 will be IP tracked and given a Class-B amnesiac. In case that SCP-2044-1 successfully disseminates SCP-2044 outside the multiplayer text game, Procedure 441-Selik will be carried out to prevent an XK-class event. Details of Procedure 441-Selik can be found at _______ - ____________.

Description: SCP-2044 is a memetic agent that induces an unnatural appetite for [REDACTED], leading to debilitating and fatal [REDACTED]. SCP-2044 in itself is not harmful if refused by the recipient; however, if the recipient accepts SCP-2044 infection, [DATA EXPUNGED BY ORDER OF 05-1].

SCP-2044-1 are humans participating in the multiplayer text game [REDACTED] who are infected and are disseminating SCP-2044. Most instances of SCP-2044-1 are members of the faction [REDACTED], notoriously known in the game community for the dissemination of SCP-2044. Seeing as SCP-2044 is not made by SCP-2044-1 with harm in mind, they are not to be terminated and their efforts in disseminating it within the game left unblocked; however, any attempts by SCP-2044-1 to disseminate SCP-2044 outside the game are to be blocked in order to prevent an XK-class event caused by the memetic contagion of the unnatural appetite for [REDACTED].

SCP-2044 was first found by Foundation electronic task force 056-Delta "Wardens of the Spire"; by the time of discovery, SCP-2044 infection was widespread, and ETF 056-Delta was forced to initiate Procedure 441-Selik, in which a mass [REDACTED] in the form of the [REDACTED] in-game event [REDACTED]

[REDACTED]

[DATA EXPUNGED BY ORDER OF 05-10]

[DATA WIPED BY ORDER OF 05-1]

Addendum: Due to the heavily memetic nature of SCP-2044 and the great bodily harm it could wreak upon the general populace if a containment breach were to happen, its classification is hereby changed to Keter. O5-12

Iocun

Daeir said:

Point in case, a wonderful interaction with Melodie, Calanthris and a couple of Ashtani just a day ago was summarily ruined by a party of 4 snugglers bursting into CC and talking about getting drunk on rum inbetween a flurry of teehees and hahas.

I think however that some people are just ruining their own playing experience for regarding public light-heartedness in a much too negative fashion. I realize that there is such a thing as excessive silliness and talk about stupid matters that can diminish the atmosphere of Achaea to a chatroom full of twelve year olds, but there's also the fact that things like "joyfulness", "affection" etc. have been burdened with an unfairly large stigma nowadays - to a point where every chuckle, hug, kiss, the colour pink, and the taste sweet is regarded as some kind of terrible affront to roleplay, while everything that's dark, dangerous, bloody and reeking of decay gets an instant pass, no matter how little it may fit into the game world. (Seriously, that zombie elephant thingy is just as bad as Bumblebeevie...)

Being drunk, joking around, laughing, etc. is all perfectly expected behaviour on a central market place of an ancient city. I somehow doubt that peasants passing through the Forum Romanum kept themselves to discussing international politics in a serious and academic fashion and never got vulgar in any way...

And no, I'm not trying to defend the obvious idiots who doubtlessly exist. I'm just saying that some people make this game needlessly annoying for themselves by getting so easily aggravated over certain keywords. ("Oh no, he mentioned a pie! I must now make a huge deal out of it on CT for the next ten minutes, then rant some more on the forums, because that totally ruined my immersion!")

Mishgul

Whenever someone mentions Cyrene and Respect to me, Ic an't help but think of this

Kyrra

@Tanris, heated debates work until the name calling and insults start, because people take a matter of opinion personally.

I remember when Scarlatti randomly called Lady Selene's teachings utter tripe over the city channel one month. I thought it was disrespectful and somewhat rude for a divine citizen of the city to insult the realms of a another divine citizen. Naturally, I was offended on my Lady's behalf. I stood my ground and argued with a god, in public, because I had a difference of opinion. I wasn't punished for it because I did it respectfully and I'd like to think that Scarlatti knew the difference between that and back chat.

There's nothing wrong with the core value of respect. From the times when guilds were still around and Cyrene was a much richer RP environment, core values were something that was expressed through many characters. Particularly for the knight classes (at least the Runewarden), but there was nothing wrong with honouring your elders and superiors. But hey, I was raised to have manners. Being polite is as natural as breathing for me.

Rinzai

I agree with a lot of what is said here. Respect is not the problem it's the fact that people don't understand it and use it as a shield or a sword.  Someone does something utterly ridiculous and then screams you have to respect that neener neener neener. But when you treat them like a moron for doing it, now I am being disrespectful because they in don't return respect my opinion. It's idiocy that ruins the idea of respect. So sure drop respect replace it with something else like 'patriotism!' and we will just have the same stupid arguments over the same stupid crap.

Other major problems in Cyrene is that it is extremely cliquey, and people are willing to back stab over and over again to get what they want, which is good for them and not the city/house. It's kind of disgusting over years and year to see his happen where someone goes "This person should not be a Senator/Minister/House Position" and instead of helping that person (you know so other people can enjoy the game) they go out of their way to prove it to everyone else, and now a good person who was trying to help gets disenchanted and gives up.

In short the city is frustrating as hell, I'm sure my reaction to some of the above stupidity doesn't help though I try to be inclusive, share spotlights and help..

Iocun

I wasn't really commenting on this specific situation, since I wasn't there to judge it. Nor could I judge it from your post, because somehow I have the feeling that "WHEE, LET'S BUY SOME BISCUITS AND THEN GET DRUNK AT MY HOUSE!" might not be an entirely accurate quote. My point is just that people tend to be way too sensitive in that area, while being much more willing to glance past RP transgressions when other things are concerned (e.g. combat talk).

Daklore

I feel like we've been here before, have we been here before?

I tried to find a video clip to sum this up... this'll have to do:

Erasariel

God, my joke post got buried so hard. Ah, well, was a good try. *shrug*

If you don't get it, read this. It's my first joke post in response to the "6666" quote Mosr posted.

Anyway, time to -actually- contribute to the discussion.

I've been a citizen of Cyrene for the past two RL years, and I'll just say that, in my opinion, the problems in Cyrene are very deeply-rooted. I mean..I always get this feeling of entrenchment in Cyrene's politics, culture, and society - it feels like everything is set in stone and people are just acting out the days of their lives.

Let's take new Cyrenians, for example. It's so hard for newbies to hop into Cyrene, even if it can be quite accommodating for them. The problem isn't with the newbie training - that's top-notch, and I'm glad to have contributed to it in the past - it's with what comes after. After settling into a House, I found Cyrenian House requirements to be really thick and high brick walls I can't go through to advance. If I'm a rogue, I can't really hop into -anything- at all - yes, there is an organization for these rogues, but it feels more like a motley group of Cyrenians without a House than an actual organization and faction within the city.

What's the underlying concepts behind this? I can totally stand by Tanris and Melodie about Cyrene's current interpretation of Respect, but I think it's even more deeply-rooted than that.

I believe that Cyrene's definition of its neutral-good alignment is what's holding it back. Even HELP CYRENE interprets it as, if I remember correctly, "usually sitting on a fence, although they will choose a side if they want to". The very opportunity of doing nothing and sit on a fence is in the very definition of the city itself, and that hurts Cyrene a lot.

I'll say this: Cyrene needs to have a more assertive, judgmental, and active neutral-good position. The time that Cyrene takes an actual proactive stance in world affairs and actually participate in the global dynamic has been overdue. Way overdue.

Just my two cents as an inactive Cyrenian.

Idelisa

Am I the only one that finds it amusing that @Daklore's icon is, indeed, a baked good?

Kyrra

I had written out a response earlier. Mainly to address some things that @Melodie and @Aerek mentioned in the thread that was derailed. I ended up deleting what I had written.

I was browsing through logs from 2004 the other night. Was a theft attempt by @Cain while he was still a serpent. I swear he loved snapping me just to watch my eyelashes flutter at him. It gave me a real indication of when I had started playing Achaea though and how long I've been around for. Kyrra was my first character. She's still the exact same race. Still the exact same class. Some things are exactly as they have always been and some things are so drastically different to how I remember them.

I love Cyrene. It's a wonderful city. It used to be enchanting for me. Perhaps five years of dormancy stripped away some of the illusion or perhaps the city has evolved and changed, with the people that evolve and change. I had a brutal time with the Runewarden guild. I clearly recall playing all day, every day, back then. I had to work for two real life years, in a game, just to earn enough guild favours for a single guild rank. By the time I reached GR3 and had class, I was more than ready to follow Jarik into roguedom. Because of the frustration and stagnation of my guild, I naturally leaned toward the city and wanted to involve myself with helping other people instead. Which is what I did. I was happy to forge, do tattoos and runes. I used to risk punishment every time @Xenomorph came to sit in the tunnels and wait to get runes. To this day, I still don't think the man truly understands why I idolized him as a Knight.

When Houses came around, I had no desire to jump on in. Kyrra's never been in a House. Kyrra never will. While I can understand where @Aerek is coming from, with insisting that people ought to join Houses, for me, it's irrelevant to wanting to do more for the city itself. Two extra channels I don't see any other benefit to House other than social interaction, for which I am not lacking. I might have left the Runewarden guild but I never forgot the things that I learned. While times have certainly changed, a Runewarden serves her city first and foremost. That's pretty much all I desire to do and instead of encouraging that, most people go out of their way to stamp out any sort of enthusiasm that I have. I still don't understand why. I'd have thought that most people would appreciate someone willing to volunteer their time to do something their enjoy, which benefits a city. Why have city projects that require citizen donations to complete, if you don't want people to donate? Why encourage people to donate commodities for the community, if they are going to get put down for making the effort?

I've never really had a problem with the city itself, it's more the attitude of the people that has shifted. The day I realised that Cyrene no longer felt like home to Kyrra, was the day that a visitor to the city had to heartstop out of a house in the subdivision because nobody would assist them by being a prism target. The commentary and ridicule over the city channel regarding that little event was a disgrace, and the acceptable mindset that it was the visitor's fault for getting locked in a house in the first place was disgusting. I remember days when everyone was helpful and not just those looking out for their own interests. People in general used to be friendly, easily approachable and helpful. I guess those people are long dormant or something? Centre Crossing used to be a place of social interaction and people were actually in character, and things like daydreaming was pretty much unacceptable. Now it's a given.

My views differ greatly from the views of my character. As a player, as the person sitting behind the keyboard, I got tired of the frustration and restrictions. Like anything I do, I need goals and something to work toward. About the only thing I had left to work toward, was my city rank. Because I'd aspired to be a Lady since I'd started playing. Being assured that I'd get there anytime within the next century was very encouraging while ultimately discouraging me from any form of participation because I don't really need to waste my time doing that. I'm not sure people actually realised how much I enjoy the things that I do in character. I didn't think it was fair to have to bitch and moan to Verrucht every other week about why things were frustrating me despite him always being happy to listen. He took it personally when I took Kyrra out of Cyrene. I know that I shocked quite a few people when I left, @Melodie, and it was those people that I returned for, because I felt guilty for letting them down. In the end though, I am responsible for my own happiness, not anyone else. Nothing would have changed if I had stayed and rather than band-aid solutions for the problems that I was experiencing personally, I chose to leave. My character is now somewhere she is actually wanted and gets to do all things she enjoys doing, and as a result, the person behind the keyboard enjoys logging into the game.

I'm probably always going to miss Cyrene. I have a decade of memories, friends and family there. I care enough that I still defend Cyrene. I still die for the city that people think I turned my back on. It speaks volumes to me that Ashtani would defend Cyrene because I was willing to put my life on the line. I probably care more than most of the people that play this game and that is part of the problem. And this has turned into a 3am reflective rant. GG Kyrra.