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Re: Rinnek
Stoic, hilariously cold-adverse, sleeps in weird places, has no patience for nonsense, and isn't afraid to say 'screw this, I'm out' in the middle of any conversation.. and also one of the few people Lena would consider a friend. Rinnek is an odd beast, but so is Lena, and I love their grumpy, anti-social butts hanging out together. It's either like two cats in a room half-pretending the other doesn't exist, or a mischief cat (Lena) relentlessly messing with a longsuffering one (Rin). Genuinely a delight, either way.
You yourself are a stellar roleplayer, and Rin is fantastically well-characterized. I always, always perk up when I see you around and in an obvious 'RP-available' location.
Keep being amazing!!
You yourself are a stellar roleplayer, and Rin is fantastically well-characterized. I always, always perk up when I see you around and in an obvious 'RP-available' location.
Keep being amazing!!
Lenoriel
1
Re: Iazamat
I really can't express what a joy it has been watching our two little dead idiots do some growing up together. They've both matured a lot over all their interactions. We've also been writing together for a long time! Any character arcs that have that kind of staying power are always precious.
As for Iazamat. He is one of those incredible characters that is so thoroughly grounded in his own history and presence. It makes him read as fully-fledged and absolutely, undeniably real. Iazamat fills whatever space there is for him in a scene and inhabits it fully. I've mentioned before how envious I am of how much characterization you can put into something as simple as a few gestures or a change in posture, and that's exactly what I mean here. If Iazamat is standing and watching something happen, you're never just throwing out meaningless emotes that say 'I'm here!.' You are actively contributing to the scene, making it clear that it is Iazamat who is there.
There isn't enough to be said about your writing. One of my favorite experiences is reading what someone has written and getting giddy about how good it is. Reading anything you've written allows me to experience a lot of that giddiness.
Most importantly, you're one of the best 'yes, and'-ers in the game. The willingness to pick up the threads that other people are offering, adapting the scene to make it most enjoyable for everyone while still staying true to your character, does not go unnoticed. You contribute a lot to the game and to the people you write stories with. It is very, very good.
As for Iazamat. He is one of those incredible characters that is so thoroughly grounded in his own history and presence. It makes him read as fully-fledged and absolutely, undeniably real. Iazamat fills whatever space there is for him in a scene and inhabits it fully. I've mentioned before how envious I am of how much characterization you can put into something as simple as a few gestures or a change in posture, and that's exactly what I mean here. If Iazamat is standing and watching something happen, you're never just throwing out meaningless emotes that say 'I'm here!.' You are actively contributing to the scene, making it clear that it is Iazamat who is there.
There isn't enough to be said about your writing. One of my favorite experiences is reading what someone has written and getting giddy about how good it is. Reading anything you've written allows me to experience a lot of that giddiness.
Most importantly, you're one of the best 'yes, and'-ers in the game. The willingness to pick up the threads that other people are offering, adapting the scene to make it most enjoyable for everyone while still staying true to your character, does not go unnoticed. You contribute a lot to the game and to the people you write stories with. It is very, very good.
Qelres
3
Re: Customer Review
In the interests of being completely transparent about this situation, I would be remiss if I did not outline my reasoning and clarify some of the details that were missing from the original post.
I first became aware of this auction on 22nd August, immediately following a town hall meeting. At the time I was asked whether an airship home using the token would be possible. My answer then was 'I'm afraid not.'
On 1st November I was asked again if an airship observatory would be possible for the environment token, and my answer was the same. I gave a similar response for a chaotic void environment that was proposed as an alternative.
I opted to decline the requests to exchange the environment token for a special artifact of the winner's choosing, to exchange the environment token for any relic piece, or to run a standalone auction for a relic piece. I explained that these were not what was listed for sale in the specific auction under scrutiny, and that offering something other than what was sold would be unfair and set a bad precedent.
Instead, I offered a full refund of the gold spent on the auction - this in itself is a departure from traditional auction rules, but I felt it was a fair offer given the circumstances of Tiur's departure. Had it been paid in credits, the refund would have been in credits. Had it been paid in coins, the refund would have been in coins.
Following this, the complaint was escalated to Jeremy and I declined a fourth request from Jhin to remove Mazzion's blue name as a tradeoff for the environment token refund. I made the update to HELP CASTLES following Jeremy's handling of the query, and at his request.
I do sympathise with the situation since the ambiguously listed item is an entirely unacceptable way to post an auction. This practice will not continue with future auction listings. I am also going to take this opportunity to reaffirm our position that use of city gold or drawing on any and all resources available to you to win an auction is explicitly not cheating.
It is rare that I have not honoured a decision made by Tiur, but in this case I do not believe that the item could reasonably be interpreted as allowing carte blanche for environments that do not make sense as something a character could reasonably have constructed or had created. I confirmed with a review of server logs that Tiur had not explicitly given the ok to an airship environment at any point during or after the auction.
Airship DOES exist as an environment in Aetolia's database, but its existence on the Talisman of Sapience does not correlate with it being permitted as a housing option. (And the Talisman itself has numerous issues that are not related to the subject at hand).
Maintaining the lore and consistency of the game world is something that's essential to the integrity of Aetolia. Iron Realms has confirmed this stance, and it is for this reason that all customisation-type requests that go through the admin are subject to approval, in much the same way that there are strict crafting guidelines that are similarly subject to their own standards of approval.
It is however not possible to quantify the secondary resources or effort that went into winning the auction. I understand that's frustrating and far from ideal, and this won't happen with auctions in the future.
I first became aware of this auction on 22nd August, immediately following a town hall meeting. At the time I was asked whether an airship home using the token would be possible. My answer then was 'I'm afraid not.'
On 1st November I was asked again if an airship observatory would be possible for the environment token, and my answer was the same. I gave a similar response for a chaotic void environment that was proposed as an alternative.
I opted to decline the requests to exchange the environment token for a special artifact of the winner's choosing, to exchange the environment token for any relic piece, or to run a standalone auction for a relic piece. I explained that these were not what was listed for sale in the specific auction under scrutiny, and that offering something other than what was sold would be unfair and set a bad precedent.
Instead, I offered a full refund of the gold spent on the auction - this in itself is a departure from traditional auction rules, but I felt it was a fair offer given the circumstances of Tiur's departure. Had it been paid in credits, the refund would have been in credits. Had it been paid in coins, the refund would have been in coins.
Following this, the complaint was escalated to Jeremy and I declined a fourth request from Jhin to remove Mazzion's blue name as a tradeoff for the environment token refund. I made the update to HELP CASTLES following Jeremy's handling of the query, and at his request.
I do sympathise with the situation since the ambiguously listed item is an entirely unacceptable way to post an auction. This practice will not continue with future auction listings. I am also going to take this opportunity to reaffirm our position that use of city gold or drawing on any and all resources available to you to win an auction is explicitly not cheating.
It is rare that I have not honoured a decision made by Tiur, but in this case I do not believe that the item could reasonably be interpreted as allowing carte blanche for environments that do not make sense as something a character could reasonably have constructed or had created. I confirmed with a review of server logs that Tiur had not explicitly given the ok to an airship environment at any point during or after the auction.
Airship DOES exist as an environment in Aetolia's database, but its existence on the Talisman of Sapience does not correlate with it being permitted as a housing option. (And the Talisman itself has numerous issues that are not related to the subject at hand).
Maintaining the lore and consistency of the game world is something that's essential to the integrity of Aetolia. Iron Realms has confirmed this stance, and it is for this reason that all customisation-type requests that go through the admin are subject to approval, in much the same way that there are strict crafting guidelines that are similarly subject to their own standards of approval.
It is however not possible to quantify the secondary resources or effort that went into winning the auction. I understand that's frustrating and far from ideal, and this won't happen with auctions in the future.
Ictinus
20
Re: Customer Review
So I debated responding to this as someone who works in the service industry.
The moment time is considered a commodity that requires compensation, there is never going to be a fair result. Quantifying 'loyalty' to the game/business is also never going to have a fair result.
It is equally unfair to ask Ictinus to speak to what was given out prior to him as producer. He may not have given someone a special race, or another a special artifact, or whatever else has been given out by previous producers.
He has to choose to set a precedent for what he is willing to do moving forward with him at the reigns. Will there be unfair situations? Always, and rarely will people get everything they want.
Being offered a full refund for what was paid is, honestly, the only 'fair' thing that can be done, as while it may not meet the precedent that was set for others, it responds to the only thing that can be quantified, which is what was paid in for the auction. A special artifact or another auction item is continuing the trend of 'unfair' - just in your favor. At some point the 'special treatment' would hit someone else, instead, and while the others prior may be satisfied, we run into this situation.
Full refunds on auction items are, on their own, unprecedented. You are getting exactly what you paid, but wanting more compensation beyond that for things that cannot be quantified.
I'm rambling a bit here, and I am biased, because I see this kind of thing every day, and quite honestly? It irks me.
I don't have much more to add, honestly. It is frustrating not getting what you wanted after you paid, I get that. But honestly, this feels like a situation less of honoring what someone else said they would, and refusing to honor something that should not have been offered in the first place.
The gold is returned, and hopefully, the buck is stopped of special exceptions and subjective responses to people's requests and upsets.
The moment time is considered a commodity that requires compensation, there is never going to be a fair result. Quantifying 'loyalty' to the game/business is also never going to have a fair result.
It is equally unfair to ask Ictinus to speak to what was given out prior to him as producer. He may not have given someone a special race, or another a special artifact, or whatever else has been given out by previous producers.
He has to choose to set a precedent for what he is willing to do moving forward with him at the reigns. Will there be unfair situations? Always, and rarely will people get everything they want.
Being offered a full refund for what was paid is, honestly, the only 'fair' thing that can be done, as while it may not meet the precedent that was set for others, it responds to the only thing that can be quantified, which is what was paid in for the auction. A special artifact or another auction item is continuing the trend of 'unfair' - just in your favor. At some point the 'special treatment' would hit someone else, instead, and while the others prior may be satisfied, we run into this situation.
Full refunds on auction items are, on their own, unprecedented. You are getting exactly what you paid, but wanting more compensation beyond that for things that cannot be quantified.
I'm rambling a bit here, and I am biased, because I see this kind of thing every day, and quite honestly? It irks me.
I don't have much more to add, honestly. It is frustrating not getting what you wanted after you paid, I get that. But honestly, this feels like a situation less of honoring what someone else said they would, and refusing to honor something that should not have been offered in the first place.
The gold is returned, and hopefully, the buck is stopped of special exceptions and subjective responses to people's requests and upsets.
Saidenn
4
Re: Customer Review
Think this is a hard one. I think the producer should absolutely have the final say about what goes into the game, even if something else was promised earlier. On the other hand, I do appreciate that there was a huge cost (including financial, time, energy, opportunity etc.) that went into winning this auction so I do agree that a straight gold refund is a bit unfair.
Czcienn
6
Re: Aetolian Picrew!
Gave this one a try! Love that there were playing cards 😍 Everyone else's aesthetics are so good.
Reave
4
Re: Bulrok
Bulrok has really become a staple in my RP diet, and even if it's RL days before we really interact, that connection is kept and developed further with each small tell, glance, etcetera (and even more so when we get to actually RP for a length of time). You have created a character that is authentic who has depth, and I enjoy glimpsing the little bits of him revealed as time goes on. Maeve finds him equal parts infuriating and enjoyable, and may or may not have more dolls planned in the works for his collection 
Maeve
1
Re: Roux Aquila 2.0
What a delicious sna... I mean gentleman! I greatly enjoyed Mae and Roux's date, and appreciate the fact that he is someone from the other side not only willing to engage with her, but devoted an entire date to getting to know her (YES she paid for it, but still! 
). What did they learn? Well, Mae learned that if she ever cures, this guy has the fix for a sweet tooth 
Though our interactions are spotty, I look forward to them!
). What did they learn? Well, Mae learned that if she ever cures, this guy has the fix for a sweet tooth Though our interactions are spotty, I look forward to them!Maeve
1