I agree with Slate (though I’m probably a bit bias since I’m stationed on the TSN Phoenix as well), but I do recognize that the TSN is an RP community and I respect that. I believe that problem of “too much silliness” in an RP community can be solved not through harsh shunning and punishment of OOC elements but rather a simple means of communicating with people who are overstepping the boundary.
RP is a defining trait of this community, but many people sometimes sacrifice this element to crack jokes / do silly things to get a laugh or have a bit of fun. I do not think this is a bad thing since it helps forge long lasting friendships that last even outside the duty shift. This can get out of hand though. Sometimes people get too comfortable with each other and that detracts from the enjoyment of others.
My solution to this problem is through the use of simple communication. If someone is bothering you, please tell them so that they know they are bothering you. Most people are not intentional jerks and when told that their actions are genuinely bothering someone or making someone angry, they will, generally, stop doing them. Blaze’s original post sort of did this by pointing out some gripes that he has with certain people, but the same effect could have been made without the public condemnation. This can be easily replaced the use of private messages or through verbal messages if they are on the same channel. If you impress upon them how much it bothers you, they usually will try to fix their behavior. If they refuse to listen after being asked repeatedly to cease, then would be the time to inform a superior officer and call for reprimands.
That being said; people who do harmless, insignificant, or otherwise non-affecting infractions to RP should not be reprimanded. Take the example of an entire crew changing their names; Doing so does not do any harm, does not make a significant change to others outside their crew, nor does it affect people in a negative way. Although it is not perfectly conductive to strict RP, getting annoyed at these people is akin to getting annoyed at a kid for not putting on sunscreen at the beach or someone eating their spaghetti with a spoon instead of a fork. They are not the ‘correct’ ways to do things, but they cause no significant impact to others (except maybe the mother of the boy without sunscreen).
The title of this webpage is the “Terran Stellar Navy: TSN RP Community.” RP is a major focus of the TSN, but that does not mean we should be devoid of silliness and shenanigans. Everyone has a different tolerance for OOC elements and if someone oversteps your bounds, then you need to inform them so that they can try correct themselves. That being said, some people like to have the silly kind of fun and not all infractions on true RP are bad and need to be squashed.
Now that I know that you like to role play Blaze, I will make an effort to be serious about my roleplaying when I’m around you, but I will still be silly with my friends who also want to be a bit silly. I believe that what the TSN should be is a balance between hard RP and OOC shinanigans.
“…virtue is a mean between two vices, one of excess, the other deficiency…” – Aristotle