Experiences on WCO

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

This is a personal message I wish to share with the members of WCO. Anyone can contribute their experiences, too. It's been a wild ride, but I'm so excited to be here and to continue roleplaying with my OCs. It's been a true learning experience.

Hello, everybody! It’s TheNyanCatMinecart, and I wanted to write a special message for WCO. This is very personalized. It’s about how much this wonderful website has shaped my life and how grateful I am for you all.

When I first stumbled upon this forum/website as a little 7th grader on January 1st, I had no idea what to expect. I was fresh from the craziness that was Roblox roleplaying (the game made by the same developer as WCUE - before it even existed!). I had no idea how it differed. But I made a decision to log on, and that has forever changed my life.

It was confusing, integrating into this new world. I had to figure out how mentions worked; learn how to navigate the forums; and, most importantly, learn that this was far more structured than Roblox. Each and every person had characters who they loved who, for the most part, were there to stay for a while, not just poof after a few hours. I couldn’t just exit the game if I didn’t like a plot; I couldn’t just delete and restart a character. There was a story woven by every other person, and there were rules I had to learn, too.

I will admit, I still cringe thinking of how I acted. I wanted everyone to hate Twistedpaw for her plot and love Rosepaw for her plot, like they would in my personal story, but this wasn’t my personal story. This was everyone’s. People loved Twistedpaw because she was genuine and sweet; I think three separate OCs had crushes on her, lol. And people hated Rosepaw because she was a jerk. Yet my little self didn’t realize this and kept putting out plots, getting frustrated when people didn’t do things the way I wanted.

However, I had a ton of fun! I remember, during COVID, roleplaying on my computer. Replies came out every ten minutes, though I’d sometimes leave for an hour or so to play on my trampoline. I was frustrated by some things, yes, but... I was having so much fun.

It took time for me to finally realize that I wasn’t in control of everything and that this wasn’t a brief roleplay. Actions had consequences; everything worked in tandem; and there were real people behind these screens, not just characters. This world was different, and I had to adapt. And I did.

I remember getting so excited when Moonraven messaged me, requesting Wolffang for the deputy position. I was in 8th grade then. I’d been dreaming about it! I had so many big plans for him. He had a vendetta against Ashfeather (formerly Twistedpaw); surely he’d act on it. I was getting involved in all these Clan-wide plots, and it was amazing!

Then he was confronted at his promotion about his views, and someone complained about his views (though still congratulated me on the position), and, well... everything sort of turned on its head. I was terrified of losing the role directly after I had gotten it, and I felt so guilty that some people were upset. Not to mention all the intensity occurring on online platforms such as Twitter, cancelling people who so much as breathed wrong. What if they saw Wolffang and accused me of sharing his views? I hadn’t been handling the topic with the sensitivity it required, either.

These led me to start changing his views - but I wanted to do so in a realistic manner. It made sense, after all, for him to start reconsidering and pretending to change to keep up his popularity. Then I realized that this society was different from the one he originated in. There wasn’t rampaging ableism. So, it made sense for him to change - but gradually. A lot of the stress I felt at the time made its way into his character, too.

Yes, I had many worries, but I still view that time as my golden age on WCO. I was almost always on time with my patrols. I organized events. I was young and a little confused, yes, but I still feel like I did a good job. However, those worries ate away at me. What did people think of me and Wolffang? It hurt so much when certain characters weren’t realizing that he’d changed or still thought negatively of him. I’d put in so much time and effort, taken him in a direction he initially was never meant to go in, completely diverted his character - but many didn’t seem to care.

That’s when I learned a lot more about how redemption worked. You don’t just immediately forgive someone as soon as they say sorry. There will be lasting trauma, lasting fear, lasting worries. Wolffang did many terrible things. Not everyone would like him or forgive him. I had to accept that. And there were plenty of people who loved him and forgave him. I just spent too much time focusing on those who didn’t.

And, when I looked at his development... not only did it feel natural. It felt right. So right. It was almost like it was meant to be, and I was so happy with how things turned out, even if it became difficult to roleplay such heavy themes.

I’d finally gotten Wolffang under control, and I felt ready to conquer the world. He’d be deputy for as long as possible as far as I was concerned. Then Twilightstar told him to step down, and I felt pretty disheartened. He’d finally gotten over his mental funk. So had I. But, again, I understood - and, though it hurt to let go of my position, it ended up being a good choice in the end.

As a roleplayer, I’ve found that I can make impulsive decisions. I get an idea for a character, it’s so exciting, I launch into it - only to find that it was ill-thought-out. Either that, or it was very well thought out and just didn’t work. WCO taught me a lot about patience and cooperation. As stated before, these are people behind the screens, not soulless robots or silly cats. They take time to reply; they need to drop out sometimes; and the overarching narrative isn’t my own. I only have so much control over my own characters. Which could be frustrating, but I had to embrace it - even if it sucked sometimes.

2023 was when my worst troubles occurred. My timelines felt all messed up, and I had all kinds of anxiety when it came to my characters. Ivysnake, at that point, had been appointed the medicine cat apprentice. WCO felt like a grind and not really fun anymore. I had no idea how to go about being a medicine cat apprentice - it was an unusual situation where both mentor and apprentice were new to the role - which led to some slacking off on Ivysnake’s part, which was very out of character for her. Twistedpaw and Wolffang all had neglected roleplays that I was too tired to put out because I was on such a grind. That’s when my anxiety ramped up, and all my grand plans fell flat.

I took a lot of breaks and suffered from a lot of anxiety and lack of motivation. It hurt, wanting to fulfill RPs and characters but being held back. I didn’t want Wolffang to go inactive; I didn’t want Twistedpaw to do nothing for so long; I didn’t want Ivysnake’s and Tulipwing’s death RPs to go nowhere. I never even wanted them to die!

But there was another important lesson I learned then, which was... it’s okay to take breaks. It’s okay that times change. I can’t always be as active as I was during the Wolffang era or as laid-back as I was at the beginning of my time here. I was getting too obsessive over everything. The concept that this was all an interwoven story was amazing - but also terrifying because any lack of activity can mess up a character or a plot for good.

For a long time now, I’ve dealt with the same anxiety and lack of motivation. I feel increasingly guilty for how desperate I sounded when trying to talk to people, but, when I tried to apologize, I realized I’d already apologized and... well... it sounded odd. In general, I’m always scared about how I come off. I’m anxious, and I’m not really good at reading whether people are annoyed with me or not (autism, am I right?). I keep wanting to apologize, and yet... what am I apologizing for? Being awkward and confused? I’m scared that I’ve frustrated staff, too, that I sound like I’m begging for attention. And also, I’ve gotten so many lovely comments about my characters and writing... so it feels selfish and rude to worry about whether they’re good. I don’t want to sound repetitive, but I feel like I must repeat... Those thoughts circle in my head and drown out reason.

But now I’m weathering that storm.

Writing out three Wolffang posts today... it felt like a breath of fresh air. A reminder of why I love WCO so much.

It’s such a wonderful space. It’s well-structured and massive, filled with so many roleplayers and their characters. I’ve learned how to work together and go with the flow even if things don’t go to plan, even if I’m frustrated or upset. I’ve learned how to adapt. Yes, it can be frustrating, but... even though I have characters I want to have control over, and I do have some control, there are other rules I must follow, other issues I must work around.

And I won’t let those stop me from having fun.

I’ve learned so many other wonderful lessons, too. How to roleplay heavy topics respectfully; how to deal with controversial characters; how to deal with lack of motivation; how to take breaks when needed; how to control my emotions; how to interact with other people. All vital for someone who's used to being a "lone wolf" when it comes to writing and who tends to plan things out meticulously in advance. I will admit, I’ve been far from perfect, but I’m getting better every day, and I am always open to feedback. I never want to hurt or upset anyone. I’m still not perfect - I'm anxious and awkward and very sensitive - but I’m getting better. I want to be a member people are comfortable around and are happy to interact with. There’s no doubt that WCO has taught me so much about writing and life in general.

Every day, I’m amazed by how many wonderful people are here. Their characters are so rich, their range so broad, their excitement palpable! They all love their OCs, have such fun, face different struggles, weather all kinds of storms... it really feels like a community here. And that isn’t even taking into consideration how kind everyone is. I’m imperfect and awkward, and yet everyone’s been so patient with me, giving me advice whenever I hit an anxiety-induced low. Staff are kind and enforcing rules, though I do desperately hope this isn’t against the rules, as I really, really want to share my thoughts, feelings, and experiences with WCO. I want others to know about my experience and hopefully share their experiences, too.

All in all, this website is more than a roleplaying forum. It’s a community, a hobby, a passion project, a commitment - all borne of love. It’s amazing what this community has created.

As I know only too well, even fun things can have big struggles. It depends on the person, of course, but a website like this one can have a lot of commitment attached. It can become stressful; people can start worrying about their roleplays or OCs; plots get out of control. However, that isn’t meant to discourage or detour. Any major thing has these storms to weather. Nothing is ever fully perfect or all sunshine and rainbows. And that's okay. That's normal. Maybe not the same level of stress I faced, but it was bound to happen with some hobby or other. Anything with this level of social interaction and commitment was bound to.

I've faced a lot, but, in the end, I’m so happy I’m still here. I want to be a part of this amazing place for as long as I can. It’s not for everyone, but for those struggling and unsure, do what’s best for you. If you want to leave, that’s fine. If you want to stay despite the difficulties, I know you’ve got this. Never forget your worth and the fact that there are always people to support you.

For me, I've found a renewed passion in roleplaying. I'm going to swallow as many worries as I can and best my anxiety. I'm going to have fun. And I'm going to strive to be less worried, too. It's a habit that I think I'm annoying everyone, but I need to remember that I'm not. All of you are lovely, and if I was doing something bad, I trust that I'd be told.

I want this to be my new golden era. One I'm happy with where I weather all these storms and come out on top, doing something I've loved since 2020. Again, it won't be perfect, but I'll sure as hell try my best. Nothing's perfect, anyway. And that's okay.

And thank you to everyone who makes WCO possible. This message goes out to everyone.

[Alastor]

me made a cult >:3

[stardust.]

DANG THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE

probably writing mine later, but wow nyan!

[Dakotaa]

I cried while reading this please tell me I’m not the only one. I genuinely felt this.

[lys.luvbot]

Truly amazing

[hades.]

oh wow i never typed this I guess I "merembered"

Ok, as a new(ish) member I haven't had many experiences, but I still have stuff to say.

I used to roleplay on WCUE a lot without knowing a lot about standard roleplaying rules, but i got better about it as time went on. But then I started trying mini-modding thinking I was helping. And then I got tired of telling people to stop breaking the rules all the time.

Then I learned the people behind roblox are kind of the worst, so i stopped. I moved onto scratch for a bit, but lack of dark mode and the same generic animations and platformers were churned out every day.

I wandered the web a bit before learning about WCO. I was ecstatic to start roleplaying again, though at the time I hated writing because I was mostly forced to.

I got over that as soon as a hopped on WCO and saw some of the bigger posts. I thought that it looked cool and fun.

I made an account and immediately saw the chatbox. I saw @/bubble[error] saying hi to @Sakura and decided to join in the conversation. They were so nice to me <3

I never thought anyone was too good to not talk to me. In fact I might have been a little bothersome.

I was a little shy to roleplays at first and I didn't post for my first week. I waited until I knew the ropes through specifically observation and never asking questions.

After I was free from moderation prison, I started trying to get my cat, Kate, to join riverclan. I dropped this character because they were generic and stupid. Then I made Yellowpaw who was originally supposed to be a bill cipher cat. As things go, this never happened because I started bbu more than Gravity falls, so I switched Yellowpaw to a Fantoccio clone. That never stayed and he became his own character.

Yellowpaw was and is my favorite. Don't get me wrong, fallenwish is great, but yellowpaw, now Yellowtwist is the original.

Then december came of 2023. I was essentially starved of pings, which made me think differently. I was always thinking, "Do they not want to reply to me because my characters are bad, or is it because I'm newer? What am I doing wrong, or what they are? Should I fit in more?" I was getting pretty cynical and I kept trying to be the same as someone else in hopes of having more friends on the site, or perhaps I was just attention seeking which is also something I was thinking about.

I tried respond to my posts more which solved the ping problem, which I still think is the most petty, but I was still having the thought of being underappreciated and alienated which was cured the first time by both @/bubble[error]. and @Rose nominating yellow, which gave me a HUGE motivation boost.

And then, no surprise, it came back recently. You can see my "hiatus" post here.
I came back before four days had past, though.

I'm still struggling a bit with feeling alienated, but it's much better than in december.

WCO has help me grown from a petty child to someone I can stand being within less than a year, which I thank you all for! Time to say thanks to everyone I haven't pinged already.

for starters, thank you, @sock , for sending me my first vm! @TheNyanCatMinecart , thanks for coming up with this! @vellichor sorry to bother you because I know you're staff, but you've always been my favorite staff and before I had a full conversation with you it was probably because I thought Beanstar was a funny name. @Spider-in-the-corner for helping me come up with my first plot.

[CallMeCrimson]

Oh <3
Sympathy dude, My lil bro has autism, It is hard. Thanks for sharin this :3
I'm still fairly new, kinda, I joined last year in december, am I really that new? I dunno anymore. But things don't always get planned out, I learned to go with the flow! Even though sometimes it IS hard to think of how your character would respond, think of writing books. (Idk if you do buuuuut) You don't want ALL you characters to have the same personality as you, or the author, You would want them all to be loved for their own weird features, (Wilbur, From a book I'm writing, Is short and sweet, he has white hair and blue eyes,) Or their stern tone, (Zero, same book I'm writing) Or they just want to have fun! (Colby, saame book :3 ) They can't all always have the exact same opinion, some are more calm, some are more fight or die, some are just wimps, but that's what brings the story together. there aren't gonna be happy times 24/7, the character gets hurt, or sad, or just needs alone time but gets jumped by Experiment Hunters that- Okay, No spoilers. I had Adhd, so It is hard for me to focus, So with chapters, like one chapter would be Wilbur's Pov, The next would be Zero's Pov, And so on. They all take turns :3

Anyways, Have a good day @TheNyanCatMinecart

[blxze.]

It looks like it belongs as a famous review on a WCO commerical. Solid gold. Expect mine later. I have a quite interesting story of my own teehee. Keep in mind most things expressed in the beginning are NOT my views now, and not supposed to be taken the wrong way in any means.


When I first joined WCO, things were different. Very. Different. Not by the means of Who roleplayed here, that's not what I mean. My actions on this site changed. My view on it.

When I first joined, High Ranks seemed miles away. Too far to even dream of. But I stayed subtle, tried to stay patient, and focused. Everything that happened in the clans... I wanted to get involved. I still do. But then, I was desperate. I felt... Lower than the High Ranks Roleplayers, less important. Like they were superior to me and my existence. My ambitious, hot-headed, and straightforward attitude didn't help the situation. And that part of my Roleplaying self hasn't changed. But I was desperate to be seen, desiring more when I knew it wasn't my time. I practically shoved my cats into hr roleplays, and then something hurt me. Badly.

I noticed people who joined after me were gaining extreme popularity, and here I was, still at ground zero. This greatly upset me, since I had been working so hard, but I forced my way past that pain and kept going. Sometimes it comes back, but now I know how to deal with it. How to deal with the pain. I know I'm not the only one who feels it, either.

I realized something- my time would come. These people... the people who joined after me... were just more equipped in the eyes of society for the roles I so badly wanted. Anything except ordinary. Society would keep being society. I would keep working my tail off. And when I looked back? I realized just how lucky I was. My cats have friends, best friends, family, and perfect plots. I decided it just wasn't my time yet. Until I'd improved and was seen fit in these... unnoticed eyes, nobody would care. And I'm still working on it.

I know eventually my time to shine will come, my time to have people VM'ing me; "Hey! Hey, are you free to roleplay ___ and ____?" and new people, looking at my profile like I once looked at others'. And I've even made friends with people I thought were untouchable at first. I've realized they're all the same. Nothing makes them 'Much more Superior' than I myself when just plain talking. Their cats may be superior to mine, but not the people themselves. We're all equal. I... I'm a bit ashamed at how long it took me to really notice that. It's been a wild ride in life lately, getting sick and injured so much. But I'm pulling through, and I'm okay. If you folks don't mind, I'm just gonna say who in my new eyes I'd thought was untouchable. Before I say their users, I want to inform you I've never been through this much growth on a website before, let alone a battle kitten forest cat cult website.

First off, I know she'll be laughing hearing this, I used to be dead serious thinking @Breaking Dawn was untouchable LMAO, and now we chat quite a bit and I would consider are friends. Lord have mercy this is so embarrassing now that I know these people. I used to be so, so fidgety about VM'ing-- Yeah, I know-- @Fritter LMAO and to think he's such a nice person and a joy to see around the site! And now, Pepgold is the best ship I can think of out of any possible cat ships I have!! Those are only two out of the many examples I have and I assure you, if you think that a person on this site is untouchable, just shoot them a VM, I guarantee they aren't scary. Or mean. <3

That's my five-minute-written speech. So yeah.

[Fritter]

Originally Posted by blxze.

It looks like it belongs as a famous review on a WCO commerical. Solid gold. Expect mine later. I have a quite interesting story of my own teehee. Keep in mind most things expressed in the beginning are NOT my views now, and not supposed to be taken the wrong way in any means.


When I first joined WCO, things were different. Very. Different. Not by the means of Who roleplayed here, that's not what I mean. My actions on this site changed. My view on it.

When I first joined, High Ranks seemed miles away. Too far to even dream of. But I stayed subtle, tried to stay patient, and focused. Everything that happened in the clans... I wanted to get involved. I still do. But then, I was desperate. I felt... Lower than the High Ranks Roleplayers, less important. Like they were superior to me and my existence. My ambitious, hot-headed, and straightforward attitude didn't help the situation. And that part of my Roleplaying self hasn't changed. But I was desperate to be seen, desiring more when I knew it wasn't my time. I practically shoved my cats into hr roleplays, and then something hurt me. Badly.

I noticed people who joined after me were gaining extreme popularity, and here I was, still at ground zero. This greatly upset me, since I had been working so hard, but I forced my way past that pain and kept going. Sometimes it comes back, but now I know how to deal with it. How to deal with the pain. I know I'm not the only one who feels it, either.

I realized something- my time would come. These people... the people who joined after me... were just more equipped in the eyes of society for the roles I so badly wanted. Anything except ordinary. Society would keep being society. I would keep working my tail off. And when I looked back? I realized just how lucky I was. My cats have friends, best friends, family, and perfect plots. I decided it just wasn't my time yet. Until I'd improved and was seen fit in these... unnoticed eyes, nobody would care. And I'm still working on it.

I know eventually my time to shine will come, my time to have people VM'ing me; "Hey! Hey, are you free to roleplay ___ and ____?" and new people, looking at my profile like I once looked at others'. And I've even made friends with people I thought were untouchable at first. I've realized they're all the same. Nothing makes them 'Much more Superior' than I myself when just plain talking. Their cats may be superior to mine, but not the people themselves. We're all equal. I... I'm a bit ashamed at how long it took me to really notice that. It's been a wild ride in life lately, getting sick and injured so much. But I'm pulling through, and I'm okay. If you folks don't mind, I'm just gonna say who in my new eyes I'd thought was untouchable. Before I say their users, I want to inform you I've never been through this much growth on a website before, let alone a battle kitten forest cat cult website.

First off, I know she'll be laughing hearing this, I used to be dead serious thinking @Breaking Dawn was untouchable LMAO, and now we chat quite a bit and I would consider are friends. Lord have mercy this is so embarrassing now that I know these people. I used to be so, so fidgety about VM'ing-- Yeah, I know-- @Fritter LMAO and to think he's such a nice person and a joy to see around the site! And now, Pepgold is the best ship I can think of out of any possible cat ships I have!! Those are only two out of the many examples I have and I assure you, if you think that a person on this site is untouchable, just shoot them a VM, I guarantee they aren't scary. Or mean. <3

That's my five-minute-written speech. So yeah.

When i Saw a got a mention I honestly didn’t think I’d feel this flattered when i checked out what the mention was for I don’t think any compliment I’ve ever received matches to being seen as a user whose “untouchable” by someone else!! (also peppergold is the best (after garlicfrost ofc ) ship, and roleplaying pepper interacting with gold and how their relationship actually formed and wasnt pre-planned was and is a complete joy) ack i really don’t know to to write so here’s a lil summary: Tysm blxze the last little part was honestly the highlight of my day to read hehe also i had to propf read this line 3 times to make sure it wasn’t misspelled or any words were misplaced :quivering so excuse any grammatical errors or other!!

[Saki]

Amazing. Just amazing