Stalking is something that can be RP’d, however, it is absolutely not tolerated as an OOC habit. IC stalking is easy to differentiate from OOC stalking - one will be enjoyed by both parties, the other will not.
Do you feel someone is OOCly stalking you? Ask them to give you space. Screenshot instances that give you issue that fall into the “not OK” and “absolutely not” mentions below. Do not engage them OOCly besides asking them to leave you alone. Do not argue or debate, plead, or reason. Avoid getting angry with them directly. State your case and cut yourself off from them OOCly.
Once you ask someone to cease sending you OOC messages, tell block them with the !ignore[player] function. Do not message them again without stating to them clearly that you are fine with them contacting you again. You cannot tell someone “don’t contact me” and then send them messages. That should go without saying.
What is OK:
- Finding other players via !lp if they do not have their location hidden.
- Following the character around as your character.
- Having others (characters played by other players) ICly spy on the target.
- Having others (characters played by other players) try to get info from the targets friends/family etc.
What is not OK:
- Bothering people that have their location hidden about where they are. It’s okay to ask a friend. If they decline, leave it alone.
- Asking other players OOCly to tell you where people with hidden locations are.
- Making slews of alts to spy on the target.
- Following the character around on alts to keep track of them.
- Using alts to disrupt the RP of the target.
- Using alts to harass friends of the target to try to corner them, or segregate them from others.
What is absolutely against the harassment rules:
- Sending tells berating/guilt tripping your ‘target’ for not playing with you.
- Sending tells berating others for playing with your target.
- Having others send tells to your target to scold, berate, coerce or guilt trip them into or about playing with you.
- Sending tells to others to collect OOC or IC information on the target, or having others do so for you.
If someone tells you “do not send me tells/contact me”, do not keep speaking to them. Do no tell them to use the ignore feature. Do not use an alt account to contact them. Do not ask someone else to speak to them on your behalf. Respect their request, and do not send them any more tells. It does not matter how rational their request is, or how wronged you feel. Leave them alone. The end.
“No contact orders”
We’ve been seeing this claimed a fair bit lately but is not an official order, though it follows within the harassment/stalker policy realm of bad faith actors. A player can ask another player to stop sending them tells, and should immediately use the ignore feature to prevent them. The request and the block should be screenshotted for future reference just in case. Any efforts to circumvent that can be thus, reported to the DM team.
If someone has asked you not to speak to them OOCly, but they continue to talk to you? Remind them of their request, and don’t engage until they rescind it. Don’t let them bait you. Keep your own screenshot records.
A request for no OOC contact does not bar a player or their characters from coming to public places/events and engaging with those around you, though it is encouraged that they do not target you or your group specifically. Obvious attempts to troll and harass will stand out as such, however, simply showing up at the same party and talking to other people there is -not- harassment. Give each other space as best you can. Avoid any OOC contact. Keep it IC.
A request for no contact does give them the right to ask you to stay out of the properties they own, be they public or else wise. This only refers to properties that you directly own, not ones that are in any other name even if you hold a builder contract for it. Get the owner to agree with you or transfer ownership, or go to your own houses. There’s no guarantee that the owner agrees with you unless such statement is received from them directly.
I hate to have to say this on a server of adults (Please remember that you must confirm that you are 18+ to play on Sinfar) however:
We have a relatively small community. It’s important that we foster a respectful environment. As it is a sandbox server there are a lot of different playstyles, and so we’re not always going to get along. If you don’t have fun playing with someone, or they express that they are not having fun with you? Go your separate ways. There are other players. There are more things to do. Don’t be selfish. Move on. Have fun. If you find yourself participating in any of the “Not OK” and/or “Absolutely nots”, you may wish to take a step back from the game and remind yourself that it is in fact, just a game.