General Roleplay Discussion

[Doug R.]

I honestly wouldn't have a problem at all with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (beyond the fact that I play my characters as if the sun's always shining), nor Bah-Bah Black Sheep (especially on Noniwrok), or any kind of "unattributed" song that's a mainstay in our culture that's Cantr-appropriate. However, I do agree that nicking commercial songs is lame.

[Arenti]

Isn't using real songs in cantr just as much a crb as talking about the real world in game?

[Doug R.]

As I said, I think using commercial songs is lame, but I disagree that it's necessarily a CRB. It would be if the song contained references to the real world. If it doesn't, it's just lame, but not a CRB imo.

[Arenti]

As I said, I think using commercial songs is lame, but I disagree that it's necessarily a CRB. It would be if the song contained references to the real world. If it doesn't, it's just lame, but not a CRB imo.

Ah yes I actually meant that. Though don't most songs use things referring to the world or something that just doesn't exist? Though as you said before if words are changed to do fit Cantr its not a Crb. Though of course I'm sure this person will be ignored by most in game from when they do such a song. I would most likely.

[Kelli]

When the incident that sparked mavs comment occurred, my charrie commented only on the perpetrator's actual guitar playing and didn't say a word about the lyrics. I coudn't bring myself to comment on them. Too irritating. LOL

[SekoETC]

Plagiarism sucks. Most modern music is copyrighted so I think we could have a disclaimer that it's not allowed to copy someone else's text or use images drawn/photographed by someone else without getting permission from the author.

One time I made myself an avatar that had a flaming troll and when I found a cool picture of a flame but noticed it was copyrighted, I contacted the author and he gave me permission to use it, although under the conditions that it would be restricted to the small size I'd specified in the email. He probably wouldn't have found out I was using his photograph or been able to recognize it as a part of a photoshopped image but since the site had a copyright notice and a contact email, I felt obliged to ask for permission.

It always looks better if you include your own contribution and edit or combine pictures, write new lyrics for a song and so forth. At minimum if someone is going to use a real life song or a poem in Cantr, edit it to fit the setting! One time someone wrote a poem for one of my characters and I found it very touching, but later I found out it was copied from some other source. That did make me feel a bit lame. I can't think of it without remembering that it wasn't an original production and that also ruins the mood of the memories related to it.

[Arenti]

If one of my chars sing (and that hardly happens, lol) I just think of something myself.

[Kelli]

One time someone wrote a poem for one of my characters and I found it very touching, but later I found out it was copied from some other source. That did make me feel a bit lame. I can't think of it without remembering that it wasn't an original production and that also ruins the mood of the memories related to it.

Agreed...everything one of my charries shares is original. 100% my own. This makes for a much better experience, even if something I write would have sucked more than something plagiarized.

[Indigo]

One time someone wrote a poem for one of my characters and I found it very touching, but later I found out it was copied from some other source. That did make me feel a bit lame. I can't think of it without remembering that it wasn't an original production and that also ruins the mood of the memories related to it.

I did that just once, in my firsts days in the game. In that moment the only thing I thought was "hey, this poem explains exactly what I want to say". I've regretted that since then. From that moment, everything I have written is purely original.

[Doug R.]

I don't even write poetry for my own wife, so if I suddenly started doing it for my character's, I think that would be way more of a violation of my marriage vows than my character's getting some action.

[Arenti]

I don't even write poetry for my own wife, so if I suddenly started doing it for my character's, I think that would be way more of a violation of my marriage vows than my character's getting some action.

[mavsfan]

This player I referred to earlier literally went word for word from the song. One of the lyrics mentions "traffic lights," which quite obviously do not exist in Cantr.

Anywho, I'm currently enrolled in a Journalism school in college, and I get anti-plagiarism stuff hammered into my brain everyday, so it just pisses me off when someone doesn't see a problem with taking credit where it shouldn't be taken. It doesn't make any sense for a player/character to "cite" what they've copied either, so really it's a lose-lose in my book.

So, stick to your own stuff, regardless of how poor you think it might be. That's my two cents.

[mojomuppet]

I don't even write poetry for my own wife, so if I suddenly started doing it for my character's, I think that would be way more of a violation of my marriage vows than my character's getting some action.

Wrote wedding vows for two chars, did not do this for my own wedding.

[Alladinsane]

I have used traditional arrangements as a basis for some of my characters singing. I like to use a traditional blues beat to frame my lyrics; generally we have all heard these types of music and can easily apply them as a cadence for the lyrics that are being used. I guess the same could be used for country tunes, just don't sing about your pick-up truck in the rain...then again, I did see a vehicle that was a pickup, so maybe that applies, just not the weather part.
Music genres can have stereotypical structure that alot of people are familiar with...country, folk, bluegrass, metal, pop/disco etc. I have sang songs to the blues beat while using a sledgehammer and kinda used them as the Mississippi Delta blues beats common in road-crew and/or prison movies (cool hand Luke maybe?). I actually had another character join in half-way with his guitar and we entertained (I think) the whole location for several minutes, it filled in some of the quiet times. If you let those around you know what beat you are using, it should entertain a portion of the location at least.

But plagiarism is pretty lame, I agree. There have been times when I have made certain references that might require a little knowledge of RL, mostly for comedic effect and not really RP at all. Using the beats is one thing, but stealing someones intellectual property is not cool, even if it isn't for monetary gain. RP asks you to be creative, do it. Make it funny, make it sad, make it a tribute to a friend who recently passed etc. If you can carry on a conversation, you can write a song. If you ever think that its lame, just read some of this gaga girls' lyrics to improve your self esteem.