Donovan's Point of View - Part 2 - What Of Obligations?

PART 2 - WHAT OF OBLIGATIONS?

A key mistake made by many in the realm, and such results much of the negative stigma attached to bloodlines vampires, is that they disregard the concept of "obligation".  When we ask another to transform their second life and enter our realm, either as human or vampire, we must be willing to accept responsibility for ensuring not only their proper teaching and mentoring, but well being also.  I've encountered many a "destroyed" vampire in my travels and the stories of how they came to be destroyed are not very dissimilar.  "I was wooed by a smooth talking vampire and turned, then left to fend for myself without anyone to teach me or support me.  When getting permission to bite became too hard, I just gave up and haven't worn the HUD since".  That's a paraphrase of a typical response I hear day after day as I meet these lost brothers and sisters in the realm.  To avert these trends from following you into your second life as a vampire I've developed the following guidelines for vampires to consider.  I find that in my work they serve me well, and help me to best care for those that I love and hold dear in my family.  I list them below for ease of reference as follows:

1.  If you ask to bite someone, ensure you know them first.  Don't random bite anyone!  Only bite those you know and care for, and certainly only those that you would want to call "family" one day.  If you're not going to be interested in them 5 minutes after the bite, don't bite them.  It's hurtful to ask someone to participate in enriching your second life if you're not prepared to contribute to enriching theirs as well.

2.  Before you bite a Blood Doll (Human Donor), offer an apple from your inventory prior to sending the bite request from the HUD.  This identifies you as a respectful vampire, and not a "Blood Sucker", and also ensures your partner in the bite sees that you have no expectation of them bearing the burden of the cost of the bite when they need to restore their humanity levels.

3.  If you "turn" someone Vampire or Lycan, you're obligated to feed them while they learn the realm.  Before you ask or agree to turn someone consider the question "Am I willing to feed this person for as long as it takes for them to gain their footing in the game?".  If you turn someone, you cannot simply walk away and leave them fending for themselves.  If you turn them, and especially if they Liege to you, you have an obligation to ensure their survival.  Many times this simply requires teaching, coaching and mentoring as they learn the realm and establish their feet firmly on the ground.  For some this is a long and difficult process as they learn to expand the creativity of their role play, for others the extension into Bloodlines is fairly simple.  Either way, if you turn them you are responsible for them and their well-being.  Ask yourself, "am I prepared to spend roughly 450 Linden Dollars a month to support this person until they can support themselves?".  As you know, Vampires lose .25 Liters of blood every night at midnight to "the curse", Lycans lose 2.5 Lumens per midnight and a Human with the HUD equipped loses roughly 5% humanity with each attack on themselves.  Everyone wants to be seen as the bigger stronger Vampire or Lycan, but can you support such goals without leaving everyone supporting you holding the bag?  If not, don't request that obligation.

4.  If you turn a Human Donor (Blood Doll) you are obligated to check the status of their humanity each day on the Bloodlines main site, and replenish them with Apples as they need refilling.  I do this as part of my daily administrative routine each morning.  If my Human Donors need apples I pass them the apples from my inventory in chat, or in offline messages if they are not signed on at the time.  This ensures when they do sign on there are apples and a personal message from me waiting for them when they return.  I never expect my Human Donors to bear the burden of the financial cost of replenishing their own blood to support my game play.  They enrich my experience, therefore I take personal responsibility to ensure they absorb "no out of pocket costs" to make my experience more fulfilling.  I find that my Beloved really appreciate this art of caring for them, and they know if nothing else that they are thought of by me each day.  That goes a long way to developing deep and meaningful friendships in the bloodlines realm.

5.  If you agree to serve as someone's Liege, you are obligated to teach them the art and skills you've learned to ensure they enjoy their bloodlines experience too.  I try to make myself available to all those I care for whenever they need me.  I spend many hours counseling and advising my "minions" and trying to educate them on the nuances of the lifestyle.  This investment of time and lessons learned aides others in developing their bloodlines style and approach, while introducing good practices and habits that generally benefit all that play the game.  Lord knows there are enough uneducated and mentorless players in the realm already, it would be a disservice to us all to not fulfill my obligation to guide my vampires, lycans and humans to a more professional and respectful approach to the role play.  When my minions need guidance, I offer it.  When I'm not certain as to the response, I tell them that and I look it up.  If it's a matter of art, I offer an approach that I would use in a given situation.  The key is "make yourself available".  There's got to be nothing worse than swearing your allegiance to someone, and then feeling left in the cold or ignored when you need advice or assistance.  If you think you're prepared to be someone's Liege, you need to make sure you're prepared to dedicate yourself to the task.  If you cannot, it's okay to tell them that!  But if you feel you must refuse by all means then introduce them to someone within your family that you know will serve as an expert liege to them.  It will make them a better player, and will make your family a better family because of it.

6.  If you've acquired subordinate souls you have an obligation to stay alive, or if not transfer the souls for safekeeping to someone that will.  This obligation is self-evident, others should never suffer the consequences of a decision they could not control.  If you choose to leave the bloodlines realm, and have no protection from the curse, you must transfer your subordinate souls to someone that will care for them properly.  It's not respectful, nor is it fair, to force others to incur a financial burden to repair the results of a decision only you could make.

Donovan's Point of View - Part 1 - The Importance Of Full Disclosure

Recently many at Haud Pluvia have expressed a sincere interest in learning more about thier Bloodlines Play, how to prepare to serve as a good Liege, and how to better represent themselves and Haud Pluvia when describing our family to others.  To help guide and mentor, Donovan will publish a short series here entitled "Donovan's Point of View".  This series will cover a broad range of topics and should provide useful information to assist all of you. 

PART 1 - THE IMPORTANCE OF FULL DISCLOSURE

Want to overcome the negative image that's affecting the players of our realm?  Want others to not view you with a discriminatory eye when they learn you are a member of the realm?  Want others to learn more about why you find the realm so attractive and rich in role play extension?  Then burn these two words into the forefront of your mind: FULL DISCLOSURE.

Nearly daily I meet someone who isn't aware that their soul is in limbo, or wasn't aware that they were a destroyed vampire or even that their soul was traded to a member of another clan while they were destroyed.  Ignorance of the game plays a small part in contributing to this situation, but most often I find that the person I'm speaking with was unaware due to a lack of full disclosure from the player that bit them, turned them, sold their soul, etc.  I suspect that often this is an innocent mistake by the member of the realm while trying to expedite the process of the bite, the turn or the realignment of souls.  However, this has a very negative effect on future game play and often is the single largest reason that members of the realm become inactive or disenchanted with the play in the realm.  These attitudes or behaviors result in higher garlic use and more destroyed vampires or lycans in the realm, as well as blood dolls that refuse bite requests from honest players.  At Haud Pluvia, we don't want to contribute to this phenomenon.

To ensure happy members of the realm you MUST explain things fully BEFORE the first HUD encounter with a new prospective family member.  Tell them all that you know, and ensure they ask you the hard questions.  If you cannot answer them from experience or direct knowledge, simply tell them you don't know.  Many will respect you further for that.  If you don't know either seek a senior member of the family or simply do some quick research and go find out, for clearly you have much to learn as well.  Once you have the answer return to them and provide the information.  Remember, information is not "assumptions" or "guesses", but rather is what's based in "facts".  It's a fact that you can only use the Electrum Potion "once every 90 days" in the game to force the transfer of your soul from one Liege to another.  Tell them that truthfully.  It's a fact that you can Liege to whomever you want, and there is no requirement that your Liege be in possession of your soul.  Tell them that.  It's a fact that you lose .25 liters of blood each night to the curse, and it's also a fact that if you get to 0 liters of vital blood you will become destroyed if you do not wear a protection amulet.  Tell them that.

If players later find out facts you omitted, or facts that you "guessed" but were wrong or even subjects you "glossed over" to expedite a turn, you'll find they feel a sense of betrayal or deception.  If someone feels deceived that's a difficult perception to change.  I find that it's better to fully explain the realm to everyone.  I then only take under my wing those that have had all their questions answered and still want to enter the realm anyway.  This guideline results in a far higher rate of activity and satisfaction within game for everyone, and has ultimately produced some of the more passionate and proud players that I know to date.

Remember, when you provide full, open and honest information, and fully disclose all the tools, knowledge and resources to a prospective family member "up front"...they then are armed with everything they need to make an "informed decision".  An informed family member is a happier family member, and one that will grow to love and respect you over time.  You have nothing to hide, and we're not about soul counts anyway....so focus on earning trust and respect.

What's this my eyes behold? Snow!

Donovan wakes gently to a bright hue glaring through his window, and stretches his arms out before him warding off the temptation to return to slumber.  As his sleeves slip up along his wrists he notes a new crispness upon the air of his bed chamber.  Withdrawaling his comforter, he slides his feet from beneath the covers and places his feet to his familar floor.  As he stands and presses his feet to the boards, he shivers at the coolness of the planks and lazily maneuvers to the hearth in his kitchen to prepare morning coffee.  As he looks up from his labored steps he stops firm in place near his kitchen window.  His body stands firm upon the creaking floor as the hearth pops embers behind a chain-mailed curtain.  He gazes in wonder at the site that has overtaken his eyes beyond the panes of diamond shaped glass, obscured now by a hue of natures frost.  Snow!!!

Dear ones the holiday seasons are upon us, and in that spirit the Queen has worked very hard to provide the magic you've all come to expect.  Snow and wonder-land have decended upon the Haud Pluvia home SIM in Second Life.  Snow, winter camp fires, trees that have captured the crystaline aura of ice, ice sculptures...you name it...the magic his here!  Oh, and if you're feeling festive for a feast, visit the Tavern and have a gander.  The Queen, Nessa and Donovan have been cooking around the clock to provide you all a feast fit for you!  Stop by and have a look, bring your friends and frolic in the magesty of a winter landscape provided especially for you. 

We love you all so very much dear ones.  Let's make this year's holiday seasons some of the best and most memorable we've all known.

Family SIM Relocation and Renovation are now complete! Enjoy Dear Ones!

We wish to thank everyone for thier patience and understanding over the course of the past three days as the family SIM was moved to the Jesso Region in Second Life.  We're happy to announce that the SIM rebuild is now complete and we're certain none will be disappointed.  The lag issues that prompted the move are inconsequential at our new location, and the terrain is spacious and abundant.  The theme has been kept consistent, though much more "magic" was incorporated into the design to enhance the ambiance and feel that you've all come to know and love.

We've added a Haud Pluvia Guest House for visitors and friends to the new design.  This will allow your friends that currently lack a home location to have a place to change, as well as a place to log from when visiting you on SIM.  Please make full use of this facility as you require.  It's there for all to share.  The Blood and Lumens have been stored on the groud floor of the Guest House should anyone have difficulty finding them on SIM.  As always the casks are open to you for your use, simply remember to display your Group Tag when you need to feed as they are set for Group use only.

Meet us in the Tavern Saturday, November 20th, 2010 between the hours of 5-10pm SLT to celebrate the SIM Grand Re-opening.  It would be wonderful to see you all there if you're able to make it.

With much love and best regards!
Blessed Be!

Haud Pluvia has moved to a new SIM in Second Life!

Wonderful News everyone! Haud Pluvia relocated to a full region SIM last night, and we're in the process of re-landscaping the SIM at this time. Our previous residential SIM in the Barlenga region was experiencing tremendous lag due to heavy employment of scripts by all residents in the region.  After a bit of debate, the Queen and Donovan decided it would be in the best interest of everyone to upgrade the family's land to a full estate region.   This option offers more control and greater sprawl distance, as well as better control of privacy on the SIM.  Please delete all old landmarks for the family that are connected to the Barlenga region.  All items have been removed from those parcels already, and we're returning that land to the Realtor today.

The Queen has placed everyone's residence before her own, and will complete landscaping and ambiance features early this afternoon.  After that design and the Tavern are complete, she will begin restoring her own home.  Donovan has placed the Blood Cask and Lumen Tank on the new land near the Tavern.  They should be very easy to find should anyone require immediate access to blood or lumens.

We ask everyone's patience through this very brief transition period, and apologize for any inconvenience this move may cause as we get settled.  Stay tuned for details on the progress of the sim. We'll send out a notice when it's ready for prime time....probably later this afternoon. We love you all very much! :)

Congratulations Hard Rust and Candace Flossberg!

The entire Haud Pluvia Horde extends our warmest wishes and fondest regards to our dear friends Hard Rust and Candace Flossberg on thier marriage.  It's always a wonderful time when we're able to share in the joy and happiness of our family and friends, and this event was absolutely first class.  Our own SufferingFrom Lockjaw officiated this wedding for the happy couple, and did a magnificent job decorating the SIM and coordinating the entire wedding party through the process.  Our own family Price, Donovan O'Hanlon was honored to serve as a groomsman for his friend Hard Rust.  Rumors abound about Donovan's attention to details while taking photos of the event, but that matter is a story for another day.

Congratulations Hard and Candace, may you always find the joy and happiness that brought you two together.

Great Party and a Wonderful Family!

Last nights party at the new O'Hanlon's Corsets and Kilts Pub was a riot, and again went well beyond the published hours.  We all had such a wonderful time, and many new snapshots from the event are now posted our Flickr Photostream.  We have a great family, and great parties happen when that family comes together. 

At Haud Pluvia the concept of family is very important to us.  We intend to take the concept of family seriously to ensure that all who commune with us know how much we love and care for them.  To us, family is far more than simply a group tag or affiliation.  It's also far more than a place to come hang out and meet new friends.  Family genuinely cares about what's happening to you, and goes above and beyond what's expected to be as supportive as possible when you need support.  We accept all people, in whatever form they choose to express themselves each day.  None should ever feel like an outsider in a family.  At Haud Pluvia we don't judge others.  All are welcome, vampire/lycan/donor or not.  Neko or Fae, Human or alien, Dog or Cat, Elemental or even Mushroom.  No matter who you are, if you're above the age of legal majority, there's a place for you at Haud Pluvia.  You simply need to reach out to others. 

Families are patient, loving, kind, accepting, and when needed.....well....tough loving as well.  There's a saying that "Only your real friends will tell you the truth".  Well, truth be told, only your "family" will ever give you the entire truth about yourself when you need it.  And they do this out of love for you.  At Haud Pluvia we are open, and honest.  We are accepting and forgiving.  We love each equally.  There is no status barrier here.  The Queen is no more important than our most junior vampire.  We all make contributions that make our family stronger.   Each of us has our strengths and weaknesses, but no one person's strengths are any more important than another's.  We're a family, and you should reach out to us for support and guidance when you need us.  Don't ever sit back silent waiting for others to notice something's wrong.  Reach out, get involved, offer your talents.

Thanks again to everyone who attended last night's event!  So wonderful to call you all our family. :)