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+--- Thread: The Clown Paradigm (/showthread.php?tid=3493)
The Clown Paradigm - BaneOfGiygas - 11-06-2014
Since everyone's favorite honking, banana peel laying, pie throwing job has been reintroduced to the general public, I've noticed something fairly harrowing, which I'd like to pontificate on: There is, from my observation, a toxic mindset around SS13 in regards to the Clown, and it's one that stifles the Clown's very purpose: To spread merry and remind the crew that it's not all hull breaches and gibbis in space.
During my very first stint as a Clown, I signed on as Nickeldaft the Singing Clown. I belted out a jaunty, light-hearted tune, and almost immediately, someone called for a vote to have me killed. I heard at least three "aye"s and not a single vote of dissent. Now, whether or not this was in jest was debatable, but before I so much as threw a pie, I had a crewman talking about how I had a "brain tumor" and had to be "operated on". (Read: Beat to death with surgical tools.) After fleeing my attacker into medbay and coming back out, I was almost immediately mugged by a passing monkey, had my mask taken, and was eventually beaten to death. And I'm pretty sure that neither of my two attackers were antagonists.
I spent more of my shift as a Clown running from people who inexplicably wanted me dead than actually doing my job.
This is worrying. This speaks to a mindset that this community seems to be in, and it's that Clowns are free to beat up to near (and sometimes actual) death and have no consequences whatsoever. No one appreciates the job of the Clown in any capacity whatsoever. Not even the Janitor, a job seemingly legendary for getting no credit, gets this much shit on a regular basis.
Now, I'd like to qualify my observations by saying that I am a fairly new player to SS13, and so the overall dynamics of the community might be slipping me by. However, I have noticed a consistent trend of Clowns getting shit for doing absolutely nothing but being Clowns. It's...saddening, almost. The one job on the station explicitly designed to produce humorous shenanigans is almost always the first candidate for an unwarranted toolboxing. But why?
Perhaps it's not just the fault of the vengeful crew members, but of Clowns in times past. When crew members aren't being shit to the Clown, I've observed that the Clown can be just as much shit to the crew, highlighted by a particularly infuriating incident in which the Clown unceremoniously chainsawed all of the plants in Botany, ran off, and started gloating over the radio. These disgraceful Clowns take the motive of having fun and apply it purely to themselves, getting sadistic glee in ruining the work of the crew members. The job of the Clown is to brighten the day of station as a whole, but too many people see it as a sort of antagonist-lite position, and that's wrong.
I could just be taking isolated incidents and blowing them out of proportion. Really, this isn't meant to objectively state anything, but it's merely an observation as a relatively new member of the community, and I'm just afraid that this will lead to the Clown getting shafted again. The position of the Clown can be a truly great one when given to responsible hands, but that doesn't seem to happen much in any round I've been in. Am I alone in this observation, or are there others who have born witness to these sorts of incidents, as well?
Re: The Clown Paradigm - Archenteron - 11-06-2014
Odds are good that there's a lot of crossover players from the /tg/code base where their mime and clowns often can operate on something bordering the Lorde Doome clause: They can do nearly anything in the name of their pranks, but player retaliation can be arbitrary and absolute.
Re: The Clown Paradigm - DyssalC - 11-06-2014
You're not alone, I've experienced first-hand how cruel everyone is to the clown. I've been killed by non-antags a few times as clown, and ya, it seems to be people from /tg/ who think clowns are free game.
However that doesn't mean goons are free of this crime of clown cruelty, though it's more mugging than murder.
And with that, a Clown PSA: Please don't mug the clown, but for the love of god leave him his god damn mask you monsters. IT'S THE VERY ESSENCE OF BEING A CLOWN.
And as a side note please stop trying to horribly murder cluwnes. This is a different case for borgs as cluwnes are non-human on the wiki, but I have seen so many people just murder cluwnes freely without even cloning or borging them afterwards.
Re: The Clown Paradigm - Zafhset - 11-06-2014
BaneOfGiygas Wrote:During my very first stint as a Clown, I signed on as Nickeldaft the Singing Clown. I belted out a jaunty, light-hearted tune, and almost immediately, someone called for a vote to have me killed. I heard at least three "aye"s and not a single vote of dissent. Now, whether or not this was in jest was debatable, but before I so much as threw a pie, I had a crewman talking about how I had a "brain tumor" and had to be "operated on". (Read: Beat to death with surgical tools.) After fleeing my attacker into medbay and coming back out, I was almost immediately mugged by a passing monkey, had my mask taken, and was eventually beaten to death. And I'm pretty sure that neither of my two attackers were antagonists.
I spent more of my shift as a Clown running from people who inexplicably wanted me dead than actually doing my job.
If those guys weren't antags of any sort, I'm fairly certain you could've adminhelped to get it looked at.
From a mentor's perspective, there have been a couple of times where people inquire about killing/harming clowns as a non-antag, which I think might stem from a confusion that cluwnes = clowns (with the former being free game and the latter not).
I generally think it's better to just leave cluwnes alone though (unless it's admin'd cluwnes).
Re: The Clown Paradigm - MrFable - 11-06-2014
Oh god, this is soooo true. One time I was the clown and I tripped a random staff assistant with a banana, made a banana related joke and honked a few times. What did the assistant do? Pull out a fire extinguisher, beat me unconscious, steal my mask, and then call me a shit clown for not being able to get it back from him while he was beating me some more when ever I tripped on my clown shoes. It's shit and not fun, at all. I didn't a-help it because I didn't really care THAT much, but still. The toxic attitude that so many have towards the clown is beyond irritating. When ever I'm the captain or HoP I usually try to help the clown out (all-access IDs, flashes etc). I mean he usually dies horribly no matter what I do but its the thought that counts. Please be nice to the clown. HONK
Re: The Clown Paradigm - Xeram - 11-06-2014
If someone tries to murder you because you're the clown and they aren't an antag you adminhelp that shit. Clowns are not free game, just like how monkeys who used to be human aren't free game. Random murder is random, shitty murder no matter what form you happen to be in, ending a players round simply because they started as a clown is the same as murdering the chef or barman (Good luck with that.) because they're normally silly insignifigant jobs. It's shitty and you shouldn't tolerate it.
This is really bizzare because before clown was reinstated as an actual job this wasn't a problem. In fact, the opposite was a problem, getting the clown suit was basically a one way ticket to convincing anyone to do just about anything because you're dress as a clown. I always assumed anyone dressed in clown clothes to be the most dangerous person aboard the station whenever I was any form of antag.
Re: The Clown Paradigm - icarus - 11-07-2014
I'm not trying to encourage beating random people senseless, but you need to know what to expect. that colorful suit makes you a walking bullseye, and clowns are supposed to be obnoxious to the crew, enough that some might want to get revenge. if you want to do wacky gimmicks with less savage beatings, be a borg or assistant
removing the shoe slipping would be pretty cool though, I've slipped in space
Re: The Clown Paradigm - DyssalC - 11-07-2014
Xeram Wrote:This is really bizzare because before clown was reinstated as an actual job this wasn't a problem.I'd say the murder bit wasn't a problem before being reinstated, though that might be due to the fact that it wasn't super frequent that someone would dress like a clown, but jesus christ I have almost NEVER been a clown without getting mugged, severely beaten, etc.
I would also get randomly arrested or handcuffed by security or forcefully debutted by surgeons, but I consider those to be just normal things for clowns, and the arrests were never really substantial or long lasting and usually lead to security HQ antics, with flashbangs and segways and traitors adding to the chaos.
Re: The Clown Paradigm - UrsulaMejor - 11-07-2014
Xeram Wrote:If someone tries to murder you because you're the clown and they aren't an antag you adminhelp that shit. Clowns are not free game, just like how monkeys who used to be human aren't free game. Random murder is random, shitty murder no matter what form you happen to be in, ending a players round simply because they started as a clown is the same as murdering the chef or barman (Good luck with that.) because they're normally silly insignifigant jobs. It's shitty and you shouldn't tolerate it.
This is really bizzare because before clown was reinstated as an actual job this wasn't a problem. In fact, the opposite was a problem, getting the clown suit was basically a one way ticket to convincing anyone to do just about anything because you're dress as a clown. I always assumed anyone dressed in clown clothes to be the most dangerous person aboard the station whenever I was any form of antag.
Actually, monkeys that used to be human ARE fair game, according to the wiki and a couple admins I asked about a month ago
Re: The Clown Paradigm - Conor12 - 11-07-2014
DyssalC Wrote:You're not alone, I've experienced first-hand how cruel everyone is to the clown. I've been killed by non-antags a few times as clown, and ya, it seems to be people from /tg/ who think clowns are free game.
However that doesn't mean goons are free of this crime of clown cruelty, though it's more mugging than murder.
And with that, a Clown PSA: Please don't mug the clown, but for the love of god leave him his god damn mask you monsters. IT'S THE VERY ESSENCE OF BEING A CLOWN.
And as a side note please stop trying to horribly murder cluwnes. This is a different case for borgs as cluwnes are non-human on the wiki, but I have seen so many people just murder cluwnes freely without even cloning or borging them afterwards.
Cluwnes can be fairly killed by anyone.
But yes, sometimes players can be very harsh to the clown just for existing, it isn't great.
Re: The Clown Paradigm - VictorMAngoStein - 11-07-2014
BaneOfGiygas Wrote:This is worrying. This speaks to a mindset that this community seems to be in, and it's that Clowns are free to beat up to near (and sometimes actual) death and have no consequences whatsoever.
I got a 30 day ban for beating a guy's head in with a chair in the boxing ring so obviously someone disagrees with you. (this happened the round after I chainsawed your weed btw)
Clowns may tend to act like shit because, let's be honest, those in-character reactions (including lynch mobs) are entertaining. There's even a miscreant piss someone off without harming them until they murder you (following them around with a vuvuzela or other noisemaker works well.) And I've noticed that just being a clown pisses people off. A staff assistant could steal shoes and everyone would just roll their eyes, but a clown stealing shoes leaves people screaming in all caps over the radio until he is beaten to death by group of angry, barefoot QMs.
IMO it's a good system and it's only a problem when security are the ones forcefeeding you bojack. Also keep in mind there's a remedy for clown clumsiness and the people who have it will usually give it to you.
Re: The Clown Paradigm - DyssalC - 11-07-2014
Conor12 Wrote:Cluwnes can be fairly killed by anyone.Even wizarded cluwnes? That's harsh.
Re: The Clown Paradigm - Walrus - 11-07-2014
VictorMAngoStein Wrote:I got a 30 day ban for beating a guy's head in with a chair in the boxing ring so obviously someone disagrees with you.
Not to derail but what the fuck? Chairs are barely a step above shoes in terms of damage, you can sit at a window hitting it with a chair for minutes and not break it.
On topic, it isn't an idea from /tg/ that clowns are fair game, a long time ago here they were, and it's always been vague on what the rules towards them are, as they vary from admin to admin.
Re: The Clown Paradigm - VictorMAngoStein - 11-07-2014
Walrus Wrote:VictorMAngoStein Wrote:I got a 30 day ban for beating a guy's head in with a chair in the boxing ring so obviously someone disagrees with you.
Not to derail but what the fuck? Chairs are barely a step above shoes in terms of damage, you can sit at a window hitting it with a chair for minutes and not break it.
On topic, it isn't an idea from /tg/ that clowns are fair game, a long time ago here they were, and it's always been vague on what the rules towards them are, as they vary from admin to admin.
It really does vary from admin to admin. One time I was stealing shoes, the AI noticed, and next thing you know an admin had given me traitor objectives and a clown car. This despite the fact that some of the things I was doing probably fll under the sploded clause. As for that 30 day ban? Well...it wasn't the first time I'd used unnnecessary force, it's just that the last time I killed a vigilanted while clowning I got punished with a krokodil addiction instead of a ban.
Re: The Clown Paradigm - RicartElit - 11-07-2014
This might just have been luck, but the one round I was a clown it was a round with the Martian ambassador gimmick and the Martian was asking for our leader. I happened to be passing by and was instantly made the clown king of the station while the captain flew in space. That round I wasn't beaten or abused much, the detective only farted on me once. And even before the whole thing with the Martian happened the crew let me be.
Basically what I'm trying to say is that it depends very much on who is playing.