A long time ago,
in a land far away,
the Guiding Hand guild,
looked for new ways to play.

Some liked it hot,
and some like it cold,
but none of them liked,
someone who was bold.

They searched and they searched,
both up high and down low,
but couldn't be nice,
to their tribes all aglow.

They said to themselves,
this one's lazy and fat!
Let's send him away!
Or feed him to a cat!

They made poison stews,
and made potions explode!
They tried with their hearts,
to make villagers old.

Their tribes had no choice,
but to follow along.
They did what they could,
but sang a sad song.

Then out of the blue,
a storm cloud appeared.
The wind made a howl,
and the sun disappeared!

The guilds men did tremble,
and bowed down their heads.
ROM had shown up
and filled them with dread!

"I AM THE GREAT ROM!
NOW LISTEN TO ME!
BE NICE TO YOUR TRIBES,
OR FROM ISOLA FLEE!"

Great poem, Rock!

love the poem

Are they? I think people are joining specifically because they do not take it seriously.

They're pixels for goodness' sakes. And they have a bill of rights? A right to love? A right to housing and comfort when despite having five huts, they all cram into one hut when the weather's too bad to go out and they live in one hut per 25 villagers?

I think it's specifically because people don't take either the SPCV or the SPVC seriously, that they're willing to sign here when they aren't willing to sign at the SPCV.

It's just a game. And this, this is just a joke. Signing on the dotted line isn't subscribing to a way of life, and it's not even showing that you approve of such things outside a game. It's not even showing that you do such things INSIDE a game. There's no vow in my post, and even the 'agreement' is intentionally vague. For instance, if your goals ARE the comfort of your villagers, you can be a member of both organizations without breaking either agreement, or the SPCV vow. (Which I intentionally left out.)

All that it means is that you're partaking in a joke that hopefully, is bringing many chuckles. I'll ask to have the board of chairpersons updated when and if I have a full roster; 12 total. And if I'm not too lazy. I don't want to ask an op to update a post for me over and over again; CFII's been nice about it before, but I had a better reason then. It's also not their job and I don't want to abuse whatever favors I'm granted.

Unfortunately, I failed to take into consideration the 'E for everyone' rating when I posted this, and a few of the articles will have to have their wording amended. I will do my best not to become too warm and cuddly, while eliminating language that children, or particularly parents of young children, might find disagreeable.

These amendments will, of course, be put up to a vote among the board. Unfortunately, I have a 25.5% share in the SPVC, and Lady Ronin also has a 25.5% share. Altogether, that's 51% of the vote. The other 49% will be evenly divided among the other 10 members of the board; once all ten members are in place, that will amount to a 4.9% share each.

In other words, me and my girl's word is law in the SPVC.

Thanks to the ops here for giving me the chance to re-write it; without their say-so, this post probably would have just disappeared.

You know I will always agree with you, Lurkily-love. Afterall it is best if everything remains E for everyone to have a good chuckle!

Please forgive the chopping of your post, but these are the key points I wanted to address.

I have to disagree with you in part. I think people DO take the SPCV seriously. I agree with you that this is "just a game," and that they are just "pixels on a screen." Still, the SPCV entails more than this.

I do find humor in your anti SPCV theme, hence the poem I wrote where "ROM" chases the bad guys/gals off Isola. ROM, of course, exists only in my head, just as the villagers exist only on the screen.

Having said all that, the reason I think people take the SPCV seriously, is that it embodies a principle way of thinking. We aren't deliberately cruel to our villagers just as we aren't deliberately cruel to people or animals.

I realize that at times, some people have carried this to an extreme, but I'm fairly certain that this was unintentional. In those few instances of which I'm aware, I or others have tried to soothe feelings which have been hurt.

The purpose of the SPCV was and is, to give people of a like mind the chance to express openness and appreciation of a way of life that shows compassion and a desire to be sympathetic and understanding of all creatures, human or otherwise.

In other words, you are entitled to your opinion, and we to ours. We should not step on each others toes, nor criticize how you live your life. It's just not necessarily how we choose to live ours.

I think you misunderstand. I know that many take the SPCV very, very seriously, perhaps as part of a stand against cruelty in general, rather than with regards directly or exclusively to pixels.

My point is that the people who post here, and join the SPVC, are the kind who I think are not likely to take either organization seriously. The very fact that you would put your name to principles that would be abhorrent, if applied to humans, shows that you are likely not the kind of person who takes the SPVC or the SPCV seriously.

This is why I say that the people who do not take the SPVC or the SPCV seriously are the kind of people who would sign here, when they would not sign with the SPCV, even if they are kind people who hate cruelty.

I am absolutely not trying to belittle those people who join the SPCV as a stand against cruelty in general.

PS: I did like your poem.

I'm NOT getting involved, we all know how crazy I went with the whole Dragon Breeders thing.

No, I do not, actually. But I think that may be a good thing.