modship vs politics. nother rant.

I’m having a hell of a time trying to convince people that position isn’t everything.

Just royally pissed someone off. He seems to think that position and names rank more highly than being a decent human being who knows how to act in polite company. We play with toggling pm settings, a game of you log in, I log out. I ease into it, don't attempt to talk to him when he dares to stay with pm on. Finally I get a chance to apologise, seeing as that's what I have to do. I don't consider apologies bad things, I don't consider apologising beneath me. I won't not apologise because of my pride, not even when I'm not in the wrong.

I will not apologise, on the other hand, if I feel I'm in the right. "Not in the wrong" and "in the right" are two distinct things, mind you.

I apologise, and that clinches it. He apologises too. He feels compelled to. I admire him for being willing enough to disagree vehemently enough with me, it must've been difficult to overcome that initial compulsion not to.

I almost feel like telling them, you have a next to nill chance of becoming a mod unless you are a genuine person concerned enough about other people, rather than simply, other players, to help them for the sake of helping them, with the idea of becoming a mod least on your mind.

I'm sorry for bringing this up again, but I thought solid examples might've been in order. I also need to rant.

Don’ts.

• Don’t go round intentionally playing Santa Claus. Giving away items is not going to help much, not if you’re going to be condescending, and not if you’re doing it for your own ends, just to clear some space in your bank. I have almost as much respect for this brand of players, who toot their horn doing this just waiting to be caught in the act as I do for people who beg.
• Don’t condescend to people, no matter what your opinion of their maturity is.
• Don’t gloat when you’ve killed someone in the wildy. Don’t even say “lol”. Schadenfreude isn’t going to get you anywhere at all.
• Don’t discriminate against a player because of their level, their combat type, command of the English language, or anything at all. Never discriminate.
• Never beg. Even if it’s only 5gp you need, never beg.

Now for do’s.

• Give people advice and help.
• Give items you want to give away to people who deserve it. Those won’t be the people asking for items, who patently do not deserve anything of that sort.
• Most importantly, be completely genuine. That covers it all. You cannot hope to be a mod if everything you do is structured around your wish to be a mod. The idea of becoming a mod must be least on your mind. That, imho, would be ideal. Perhaps not the reality, but the ideal.

Realise this. Being a mod is not anything like politics.

In politics, how much you desire the position matters, somewhat. If the only way to change the world is through politics, I’d rather go out and find a new one. It’s good to hear some people’ve found other ways already. I’m not bureaucratic and fake enough to become a politician, nor do I have enough masks. It’s possible to tell yourself you’ll be different amongst people who act as you would never want to. It’s not possible to succeed if you don’t speak their language.

The language in the game would be cash, items, stats. The surest way to a player’s heart would be to give that person good items. That’s the language of rs. Not to use it would involve so much more work. In politics, it’s not possible to succeed if you don’t speak their language. I refuse to speak their language, just as I refuse to speak it in rs.

Argue that codeswitching is the key, and I’ll tell you this. Those are masks. To codeswitch is to change masks.

The other option is to let that become part of your character. That’s something I’ll try never to do.

That’s precisely why you cannot approach becoming a mod the way you would an election. That’s also why you can afford to be human, all the time.

That’s why you must.

undeserving mods.

consider this a full series.

previous posts include why and how to be(come) a mod.

i just came across a forum topic about mods. there were screenshots and complaints, basically about mods who acted in a fully unmodly manner.

consider this akin in format to a public service message.

you can report mods for behaviour you deem not befitting a mod. in other words, if a mod's breaking a rule, or acting as s/he shouldn't, don't be afraid to report. (do bear in mind though, that there's such a thing as "misuse of customer support" so please don't just report mods in a fit of schadenfreude.)

if i acted in a way i shouldn't have, i would want to know. if i didn't deserve an honour jagex bestowed on me, i'd want jagex to know.

and i'd want to accept the consequences, as i'm sure most would.

so if it's richly deserved, consider it a favour you're doing.

(ranting on forums isn't going to help at all, just make matters worse for everyone else. but as always, people have their reasons.)

so my point in saying all this, was just to broadcast that fact, if this counts as a broadcast at all. frankly, it's immensely disappointing to here people say things like "what the hell is up with the latest runescape mods".

i wouldn't want to be the cause of anything like that, and i doubt anyone else would.

do bear in mind this, though. mods are human. mods are people. people with genuine emotions. people who make mistakes. people who have the capacity to anger, just as they have the capacity for kindness. for hope.

for every other emotion you yourself have.

expect that, if nothing else. expect from mods what you would expect from any other person. because really, why are should that make them any different? expect what you will, but please

don't expect perfection.

how d'you become a mod and all.

please read my previous post first if you haven't.

or you might also want to read another rant about the same subject. (i know. it just bothers me, y'know. slightly different subject matter, anyhow.)

this is inspired by a fellow player mod steve. we are mutual strangers, but respect isn't a commodity necessarily bought by familiarity.

i had meant to cover this in my previous post, but for obvious reasons that wasn't possible. really it's only because my previous post seemed long enough to be a stand alone post as it was. here, anyway, is my take on the issue.

similarly, i cannot and will not disclose any information i should not. in other words, i'm not going to be telling you anything outside of what you'll be able to find in the knowledge base, anyway. so if you're looking to become a mod, please read my previous post . if you're back again after reading it, you're not going to find out anything you shouldn't. so if that's what you're here for, bail now.

the best advice i can give you is: you don't need to consciously want it. don't focus your entire gameplay and attitude on that want.

just be yourself. if you aren't genuinely like that, please don't try to fake it. you'll need to fake so much if you do become a mod, that way, and that's practically impossible. sometimes i need to be less genuine than i feel, but i do it, and did it, not because i wanted to be a mod, but because i'd have done it anyway. in doing that, i was being myself. i'd have done it because i'd have know, and i know, it was the right thing to do. do what you would have done anyway. that's a part of being yourself.

i'll look at this issue from my perspective because it's the best, if not only way i'll be able. this is what i did and what i believe. it'll probably not work for you, we're all different, but it's always worth knowing.

it's not all about being rule-conscious, but about doing what's right. sticking by the rules helps though. i did not go all out ananlysing the rules, i read them once through, and skimmed through those i knew enough of. thereafter, i went about doing what i thought was right. or, to be precise, what is right according to my religion, which would be Christianity. it's for this reason that i don't like philosophy. religion pretty much explains it all. on the other hand, just common sense morality might work. in that i don't mean logic, i mean conscience.

it's a hard thing to describe, that concept just floating there. what's right. so reading through the rules, and seeing if they align with what you believe helps too. if they do, then more's the better. if they don't, tough luck. you'll have to stick it, it's jagex's game. for my part, i pretty much agreed with every rule. what i didn't agree with was what should be against the rules that was not, and that didn't make much of a difference. i just acted as i would have, anyhow.

it's about how you act. ingame behaviour. reports matter (only) to some extent. how you act, after all, who you are, and how you go about doing things are reflected in what you report. going crazy with the report button might work, but please understand it isn't all there is to being a mod. of course, do report rulebreaking as you see it.

i guess that's all.

steve mentioned something about tests, of a sort. i've been wracking my brains, and some things do come to mind. on the other hand, these are everyday things. it's something that's just done, all the time, and that's why i don't think it matters, at all.

what matters, ultimately, is not whether you become a mod. it's whether you do what is expected of a mod, and more.

it's how you go about your life. how you live it.

that, after all, is what really counts.

why do you want to be a mod?

that's arguably the most important question of all.

i meet people everyday, and all they ask is "how do you become a mod?" or "is this against the rules?"

i give them the answers, but if they probe further, all i have to say is why.

why do you think it's against the rules?

why do you want to become a mod?

that usually shuts them up. otherwise, i've so far only received two valid responses (imo "the crown is cool" doesn't apply).

that leaves "i deserve it." or "i want to make rs a better place."

i further probe the former till the arrogant little twit realises the answers he has that are true are answers he cannot give me. those who fit into this category typically don't even think about the latter reply. as to the latter, my next question, then, goes back to how.

that shuts them up too, eventually.

how do temporary mutes make rs a better place? why can't you make rs a better place anyway, or do you think that's only the responsibility of mods? how do you think...

writing all this down makes it seem like a job interview, or even a test. but that isn't my intention at all. all i want to do is let them know themselves. let them know why they want what they claim to want. let them judge, for themselves, of themselves.

writing all this down makes me seem cruel. excuses, excuses, you might say, but i say i have a right to them. i don't say all this to "shut them up", to shame them. right after, i move on to another topic. it's their choice if they want to continue talking, and i don't intentionally try to crush them, nor do i. i've become quite the expert at changing the subject now, and it's easy when the person you're talking to wants something mundane to converse about just so they can think, at the same time.

because all most people want is the perceived popularity and prestige that comes with what they want most of all, that little crown by the side of their name.

saddest of all, i think, might be a boy i met, who hasn't spoken three sentences to me since i declined his trade of an emerald ring and expressed my views in a way such as would soften the impact of my opinion on online dating. apparently that didn't work very well, and it's one of the things i've most regretted. it's also one of the things i'd probably do all over again.

my point, anyway, being what he told me. "i want to be a mod so people will listen to me."

i want so much to make people understand. if you have the potential to become a mod, or if you should be one, people will listen to you anyway. people will respect you precisely because you deserve their respect and attention as much, or more so than any mod's.

i've only met a few who don't want to be mods, and that's because they dread the attention, and the time they'll have to sacrifice combating said attention.

it's strange, really. i'm still trying to figure out the lure of it. is it like wanting to become a prefect in school? except many, many people didn't want prefectship, myself included. the desire to prove yourself, desire for popularity, that aside, is there anything left?

the "i want to make rs a better place" works. the problem is, how? by muting people? when it's less necessary i try not to mute because i want to change the person. i want to persuade the person not to, i want to hear what they have to say. sometimes i succeed, other times, i don't.

either way, i don't regret my decisions.

i go about playing in, you might say, the same way i always did. sometimes i remember that my account was modded, and i'm surprised all over again. then i forget it, let it retreat into the background.

before, i did want to be a mod. had you asked me, though, i'd have given you the second response. you'd have been able to shut me up, to make me think, because frankly, i wouldn't have known why.

now i do.

what did you think? i'm not about to tell you. that'll be too easy. it's personal, but aspects of it may well be universal, and not without cause.

what do you think?

think, because the answer's worth it.

frequently answered questions.

it's intrinsically annoying, those questions that i get near every time i log on and actually speak on rs. i do hope i haven't attracted any stalkers, because that'll blow my cover as an intrinsically unoriginal person.

anyway. here's my list of frequently answered questions. some of the answers i've heard spoken/suggested and promptly stole(muwahahaha). those i won't be posting. but those are seriously the best.

disclaimer: yes, i am a hypocrite, and two-faced. but i honestly can't say what i think. i'd like to call it self control. in the meantime, YES. i am working on my inner niceness.

plus. THESE ARE NOT OFFICIAL ANSWERS. these are just the answers i'd have given you, had you come up to me and asked. please don't go around saying "this mod said this on her blog and so there."

1. i need money.
(okay, so maybe i shouldn't label these questions but demands...)

me: don't we all.
then i'll say something about training smithing or wcing. and maybe give away a mith axe to those genuinely needing help. (strangely enough i've only had to give away, what, 5 axes?)

to the unpersuaded: i've never even had 600k before, y'know :) that isn't a lie, either. donate to me pl0x? where did that whole stereotype of mods being rich come from? total credit right now = 439k. bleh.

2. n00b.
is what usually follows... w00t! such a fun one. stolen responses here! :)

3. are you a member?
nope, never been. f2p ftw!

4. how do i become a mod?
when this follows after persistant flooding of public and private chat with things like "my friend told me you'd give me full sara and 100k", the unspoken response would be something along the lines of: seeing as you've been nothing but inhumanly obnoxious, unreasonable and immature so far why d'you think you have a chance higher than an ice cube in hell of becoming one?

i really need to get my people skills down...

what i do say: i could answer that, but the town crier'll have one up on me :) basically though, it's about *insert compacted points and personal anecdotes, if applicable*. for more info, perhaps you'd like to approach your friendly neighbourhood town crier...

5. do mods get free stuff?
what i'd like to say: do you get money for giving up your seat in a crowded bus? no, no and NO! for the last time already. mercenary (brat). GO AND READ THE KB.

what i do say: i wish :) or of course not!

6. so you're saying there isn't any point being a mod/being a mod is boring.
-.-' multiplied multiple times.

personal satisfaction in a job well done is one ;) and that's true, thankfully. it's more intangible, really. things don't need to be quantified all the time...

7. is 17k a fair price for full mith?
do i have price guide stamped in front of my name? i don't buy armour, i don't use melee weapons. for stuff like this, google it yourself. g-o-o-g-l-e.

i've no idea really. i don't deal in armour/weps... the price usually's entirely dependent on the seller though? of course, haggling's always an option :P

8. i need help with a quest.
*gives relevant help* but only if it's one of those amazingly obvious things. or things that actually warrant help like where do i find garlic? otherwise *gives hints* for things like pirate's treasure. *walks through an explanation* for things like dragon slayer.

i was, after all, under the impression that when you're spoonfed info about a quest, it does lose any bit of fun it had in the doing, to begin with.

for p2p quests: nice you're a member. i'm afraid i've never been one. sorry, i wouldn't know :)

9. what's the meaning of life?
another favourite one. except i don't get asked that too often, usually follows after i say something inane like don't worry about it. i like questions :D

that's a tough one. i could tell you, or i could make you figure it out yourself, which would take roughly 7.5 million years, or i could ignore you, because i might subscribe to the theory that if something as inexplicable as life and the meaning of the universe was explained, then it'll disappear and be replaced by something even more unexplainable... if that hasn't happened already, that is...

and that answer i got from wikipedia. by googling it the first time i was asked that :P

so here ends the first installment of frequently answered questions! do remember to tune in for more inanity and insanity as brought to you by yours truly.