Do you really "Roleplay" your character?

[Petitioner]

Only here for blues, nothing else.

I unironically think statements like this should be punished with a permaban.

Earlier I made this statement and it seems some people have misinterpreted it. I do hate to be going off-topic with this thread, because I think this is a good thread and its original topic is absolutely worth discussing, but I think this issue is also worth discussing, and I don't want to be pegged as believing in something I don't, hence the edit I made to my original post:

Edit: Disclaimer: People who quote me do not represent me or my opinions in any way and I do not endorse their statements.

PvP interaction is an essential part of this game. Trying to avoid it or being mad at people who like it is really, really shitty. I used to have a very unpleasant - "toxic", one might say - attitude towards PvP. Over time, I realized that, actually, being bad at PvP isn't something to be mad about; rather, I should try and improve my own skills and be glad about being able to do whatever percent of hull damage to a much better PvPer than myself. In short, I changed my attitude, and I have a lot more fun in the game now. Refusing to engage in PvP at all costs, or being strongly opposed to the idea, is a toxic attitude that needs to change. If you hate Freelancer's combat, stick to the forums.

However, that PvP interaction has to take place within the scope and aims of the server - within a roleplaying environment. It has to be justified in-character. Now, that doesn't mean that my [HF] and @Yber 's BHG| should exchange life stories before we start fighting - on the contrary, that would be terrible RP and I'd never do it. I don't even know if two lines before engaging ought to be mandatory or not. But there's a certain crowd on the server, and they know who they are, that are actively opposed to the idea of engaging in roleplay beyond the rules-mandated bare minimum. This is also neglecting an essential part of the game. Refusing to ever engage in more than the bare minimum exchange of words that this server requires, or being strongly opposed to the idea of participating in the roleplaying environment in any way besides shooting at people, is a toxic attitude that needs to change, and people who act this way should have no place in this community.

Being proud of one's right-clicking abilities is totally a-okay, and I sincerely wish that those who don't know the joys of a good, tense fight get to grow to appreciate it, because they're truly missing out. Being proud of one's ability to craft a whole living, human being, with thoughts and feelings and goals and regrets; that's what we're all here for. Having one without the other is entirely missing the point of the game itself.

At the end of the day, though, given the server's current population trends, I don't think anyone should be permabanned as long as they're making an effort to follow the rules, and the whole discussion is just how things'd be "in an ideal world".