a full indentured servitude can reflect on one's attitude

A few days ago, someone attempted RP in a freebie/gift group I'm in. It was unclear whether it was a wrong window, as the original author did not reply after the RP passage. There was some initial controversy (uncaptured, I crashed briefly), but this was the rest of the conversation afterwards:

[00:05] Mxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: wow do people actually criticize?
[00:06] Vxxxxx Bxxxx: or rp in here? lol
[00:10] rxxxxxx Bxxxxxxxxx: you wouldn't believe it, [vxxxxx].. i've met a person whose entire sl is him acting a character because he's under the impression that his avatar is a seperate entity from himself.
[00:11] rxxxxxx Bxxxxxxxxx: dude was NEVER out of character

I've met people like that. Actually, I have gentles on my friendslist in SL like that. And the best way to be around them is to accept what they're playing. Because aren't we all playing something in SL? Sure, we, ourselves, may not be playing a specific named character from something else, but I guarantee you, even if you had a programmed-from-your-RL-form-by-scientists-and-engineers mesh body, with a scan of your real face over it (and that actually has happened in SL, for certain corporate ventures), you would still be playing a character, because you behind the screen are not virtual. It took me a long time to actually grasp this; not that I wasn't "real" in SL, but that me playing me was just as much of a "character" as someone actually playing a character.

I admit, I do have an issue when I walk into a store and there are two Batmen, five Supermen and a Wonder Woman with inflatable breasts standing around...but that's mostly because I value originality, not conventionality.

(I have the same issue in Neverwinter, when I go back to Protector's Enclave and see ten elves named Legolas, or eight Drow named Drizz't...The whole Drizz't thing has become a complete joke, no one takes them seriously at this point because there are so, so many of them!

[00:11] Mxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: guess it takes all kinds to make the sl world go around lol
[00:11] Zxx Bxxxxxx: and the Oscar goes to.....
[00:11] Lxxx Txxxxxx: Well, while I would never do that, gotta hand it to him for managing to pull it off.
[00:11] Sxxxxxx Dxxxxxx: that would be immersive RP. not all that unusual actually.

Not really, no. Though it's more rare than it used to be, simply because immersive RP sims are getting thin on the ground.

[00:12] Bxxxxxx Axxxxx: omg i hope sl is sepearate cause if it isn't there is a whole lota mean people out there
[00:12] Mxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yeah ther are quite a few mean ones out there but it is easy to act like that behind a keyboard.

Also true, sadly.

[00:12] Lxxx Txxxxxx: I roll on an RP server in my MMO of choice. And there are a lot of folks that never break character. All of the content and stuff they take as 'real'
[00:13] Dxxxxx Sxxxx: anytime you add a layer of amnesia/anonymity people are much more extreme and likely to act badly
[00:13] rxxxxxx Bxxxxxxxxx: i wouldnt call it immsersive rp, i would say the dude was full on off his rocker.. guy was under the impression that nobody else in sl was a person and we were all just intelligent AIs programmed to be in his single player mode
[00:13] Bxxxxxx Axxxxx: i also know ppl in here who take the sl partnership way to seriously

What's too seriously? There are many couples I know who met on SL, became close, and moved in with, or married, each other. (In fact, one of my RL loves, Miss Neome, started as an SL flirtation. She's been with us for five years now, and I look forward to many more to come.)

[00:14] Mxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I just come here to shop, dress my avi up and make my land look nice.
[00:14] Kxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: seen a lots of this kind dudes who thinks we all doll around
[00:14] Mxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I don't think i could RP.

Not everyone can, and that's not a failing. I won't even say that some people lack imagination to do so, because that's not it. It takes a certain type of mentality to invent a character and roll with what that character would do. Authors, artists, even makers of toys and players of games, all of these contribute to characters to drive their creativity forward, but there are others who are perfectly happy simply being themselves, without the need to play 'what if'. And that's fine.

[00:14] pxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: we are all here to be and do as we wish.....just as in RL, we will not always agree on what that is exactly
[00:14] rxxxxxx Bxxxxxxxxx: i've done tons of roleplays, and i'm just so burnt out on it.. lol..

Admittedly, especially if one's style of RP tends towards the intense, it can happen. I freely admit the reason I don't haunt the RP sims these days is that I know now that I tend to get lost in it. I conflate the situation that is happening to the character I'm playing, with what's happening to me as a person. This is not a healthy mindset, and I realize that.

[00:14] Kxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: However Im taking my avi serious enough, I put quite some efforts in her
[00:15] Dxxxxx Sxxxx: I love RP like D&D but I have not been able to wrap my head around RP in secondlife
[00:15] Lxxx Txxxxxx: I greatly enjoy RP. But I keep it on rp sims.
[00:15] Sxxxxxx Dxxxxxx: i miss RP. the last several places i have gone were more about 'discussing' RP and arguing about it than actually DOING it. sighss.

Ouch, that's hard.

[00:15] Mxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yeah there are lots of places closes too i think.
[00:16] Mxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Some mythical ones i think?

I believe Mystara, was it? Closed recently. Black Veil closed months ago; they had a devoted core staff, but other people just didn't come by with enough frequency to support good storylines or the sim itself. On the Adult end of things, Demon Beast Island closed, though there are hints there's a new sim coming with a similar theme.

[00:16] Kxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: RP is a good way to use all the stuff we have, isn`t it?
[00:17] Lxxx Txxxxxx: Oh man. My alt has so much stuff and I'd change several times a day in the RP sim much to the confusion of some of the other players. xD
[00:18] rxxxxxx Bxxxxxxxxx: last good RP i did was a green lantern thing.. then the admins got way out of control and gave us times we had to come and guidelines for things we had to say for exposition's sake.. and i just quit because it was getting less like a roleplay and more like acting out somebody's stupid fanfiction

I've been on sims like that. It gets oppressive.

[00:19] Bxxxxxx Axxxxx: omg i almost got stabbed once in sl for saying sl babies are just prims
[00:19] rxxxxxx Bxxxxxxxxx: prim babies are creepy.
[00:19] Bxxxxxx Axxxxx: ikr
[00:19] bxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: but they are, unless they're mesh
[00:19] rxxxxxx Bxxxxxxxxx: if you like them, go you, but i think they're creepy.
[00:19] Bxxxxxx Axxxxx: and tummy talkers gimmie nightmares

Oh gods, yes. Me too.

[00:20] Bxxxxxx Axxxxx: rofl even mesh ones are prims
[00:20] bxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ahaha, tummy talkers, seriously? I have never met an avi with one, I dont want to, ever
[00:20] Sxxxxxx Dxxxxxx: HAHAHAHA. i think i caused someone to seize up once cause i suggested tossing the primbaby on the grill. in all fairness, i was a very hungry Demoness at the time XD
[00:20] Ali Manifesto (alikat.steampunk): I don't mind some tummy talkers, but the ones that spam chat like every 5 minutes, or scream every time you get bumped irk me
[00:20] rxxxxxx Bxxxxxxxxx: i think avatars that have faces like 12 year olds and bodies like 25 year olds is creepy, the reverse is also creepy.
[00:20] Lxxx Txxxxxx: I ran into a few that talked every thirty seconds. That person was muted.
[00:21] Bxxxxxx Axxxxx: ok now i am all for gay cples having kids but u wanna talk freeky a man being pregnant and delivering a prim baby
[00:22] rxxxxxx Bxxxxxxxxx: litteral buttbaby
[00:22] Sxxxxxx Dxxxxxx: o.O

Yeah, that was a bit much.

[00:22] Axxxxx Sxxxxxxxx: Ladies....
[00:22] Bxxxxxx Axxxxx: sorry off topic i will stop
[00:23] Ixxxxxx Txxxxxx: I had a friend that did that. He's an odd duck to be sure.
[00:23] Nxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: SL is an amazing platform for hybrid role playing. By hybrid I mean using both your avatar as well as text-based role playing in unison. That being said, however, there's a time and a place for role play and as a role player myself, it's important to know when to go OOC. Not everyone in SL is a role player and we have to be mindful of that. I prefer manual text-based role playing (doing the work yourself, instead of relying on a script to do it for you). Having said all that, let's get back on topic. I can't wait to log onto my PC tomorrow to hunt for freebies. :D
[00:25] Mxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: waht OCC means?
[00:25] Axxxxx Sxxxxxxxx: OOC Vania, and it means "Out of Character"

As in, the separation between "IC"--"in character", as in, playing the chosen character in that RP setting--and "OOC", which is generally indicated in chat by statements surround by (( parentheses )) or {{ brackets }} (depending on that sim's rules for OOC communication).

And today, this happened:

[20:42] Rxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: 110/125 .........85/125 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vero%20Modero/246/19/1501
[20:42] fxxxx Rxxxx: shakes head sadly
[20:43] fxxxx Rxxxx: no one from white mans town take you in and care for you?
[20:44] rxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: is that a racist remark?
[20:45] Emilly Orr: (( No, he mostly plays a First Nations person, I think? ))

Note the OOC parentheses, because I wasn't sure if there'd been a conversation prior to that that I'd missed.

[20:45] Bxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: not if it's in rp... chill
[20:45] rxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: this group is not for RP. Nor is it a place to make racist remarks.
[20:46] Emilly Orr: While it's not generally for RP, it's not a racist remark if it's in character.
[20:46] rxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: it was not in character, it was insulting. The world has enough haters without spreading that s**T in here too
[20:47] Bxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: seriously?
[20:47] Sxxxxx Mxxxxxxxxxxxx: oh good lord!
[20:49] Emilly Orr: You...are taking this far too seriously, I think.

I still do, though nothing on his profile suggested a specifically racist background to First Nations folk, just Union soldiers.

[20:49] Emilly Orr: Which is odd coming from a Confederate vampire, that you're objecting so strongly to a Native American.
[20:50] rxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: it's a back story, and I didn't put that in a clothing group for everyone to read, did I?
[20:50] Bxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: nicely put Emilly, and way more tactful than what I was thinking *grins*

Thank you. I was trying.

[20:50] rxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I understand RP
[20:50] rxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: this wasn't the place for it
[20:50] Emilly Orr: Public profile. And I'm not saying you're RPing that character *now*, but you're objecting to someone else making an RP comment.
[20:51] Bxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: had you considered it may have been a "wrong window" thing?
[20:51] Sxxxxx Mxxxxxxxxxxxx: it could also have been put into the wrong window -
[20:51] Emilly Orr: What's morbidly amusing me is that [Gxxx Wxxx] hasn't said anything else.
[20:51] rxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yes, in here yes. On a RP sim, nnope... fair game.
[20:51] Emilly Orr: Yes, exactly.
[20:51] Axxxxx Uxxxxx: Lord have mercy you ever hear of a wrong window blunder? Just shut up, shut the window and get over your damned self already sh*t
[20:51] rxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ROFL.... Ok guys. Points made
[20:51] Bxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: the fact he hasn't said anything else screams wrong window
[20:51] Emilly Orr: It does.
[20:51] rxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Yup, most likely.

Probably intended for it to be said in main chat in the sim he's in, and didn't comment further because he was back in local RP.

[20:52] Emilly Orr: But yes, generally, this group is for clothing and MM announcements, which, btw, I tapped, so hopefully they'll lock.
[20:52] Bxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hehehe... yes, please come and slap the boards, I want this one
[20:52] Emilly Orr: And thank you, sir, for conceding the point. You are a gentleman in truth.
[20:52] Bxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx grins
[20:53] hxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: what is the male's item now?
[20:53] Emilly Orr: I'm not sure, but they're both in the same color palette of red and black, which is interesting. Perfect for couples?
[20:54] Rxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: 118/125 .........95/125 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vero%20Modero/246/19/1501
[20:54] Bxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: um... one of the native outfits funnily enough after all that

Irony.

[20:54] rxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: so the outfit has changed?
[20:54] hxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: black and red? ummmm anyone that is the caste of torturers?
[20:54] Bxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Akmik
[20:54] Emilly Orr: Oh my, is it?
[20:55] Emilly Orr: Well, now, that would be interesting.
[20:55] Bxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: the savages didn't have castes
[20:55] Bxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: lol, but I wouldn't complain
[20:55] Emilly Orr: But if used by a non-savage, it would be attire for a torturer and his kajira?
[20:56] Bxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: well could be I guess, but it is classic savage wear, I doubt a civilized free would normally wear it

I don't know much about Gorean castes, because I don't RP in Gor. I know the books, and I have Gorean friends, I know the basics, but I couldn't tell you at a glance the difference between a kajira's silks and a savage woman's silks. Obviously.

But now I'm curious--how many out-of-context RP sessions are going to occur in fashion or freebie groups? Is this a thing now? I'm used to it in Caledon chat, because we're all characters there, really, but not so much in a store group. And obviously, others don't expect it either.