From Kita

Dear Konoha,

I'll admit I'm not a very brave person - both in RL and on the internet. It's not often I'll speak up about something. I'll just stand back and take things and not complain. So saying these things are very tough for me. I don't like to look like the bad guy, but I know I'm doing the right thing. This is the right thing, isn't it? Because there's so many of you out there that I care for, and I don't want to see anyone get hurt anymore. I have to say this, and I have to hope. I have to hope that these words get read, because I'm pouring my heart into them.

I came to Konoha about 8 months or so ago. I've stood by through a lot of things in this place. And for some time I tried to help out. I taught a lot of classes, even made up that character creation one so I could share what I've learnt from my university courses, and that it would help people have more fun in their RPs. I do hope people took something good away from those classes... I had fun teaching them.

And then I've seen a lot of people leave since coming to the village. I made so many friends. But it feels like a lot of them were chased out of town, if that makes sense. I haven't seen a lot of those people since. I worry about them a lot, and I miss them. I miss the fun we used to have, and those first few impressions I had of Konoha. What happened to those halcyon days?

Maybe it was my ignorance. Cracky always tells me I'm too naive for my own good. Regardless, as we slowly were sucked into this tale, it became apparent to us that we'd come across something... well, bigger than us if you remember what midgets we used to be as students. And yet we stayed.

Perhaps this is what it's like to be in an abusive relationship? Like when you see on those tv dramas wives who keep going back to their abusive husbands. You keep thinking "why are you doing that? He's a psychopath! Leave already!". You know, I think this is how it's become with Konoha. I believe that perhaps it's this which has happened to a lot of people in the village. They want to leave, but they just don't. Why? "Because we want to be spies"? "I can leave any time I want"? Those don't really feel like excuses to me. But then, I used those same excuses, didn't I?

I've given up though. I'm... tired and I've taken a step back to see how things really are. I've got so many questions now. I dunno if I'll get answers, but then, maybe you can ask the questions yourself. Like the question of why people continue to stay.

Is it about power? Power over what? People who could leave anytime they wanted? Power over a virtual piece of land they don't own and could be kicked out of anytime the owner's whim demanded it?

Like what happened with that ANBU job review. When everyone in the village was commanded to fill out a performance review on how they thought certain ANBU were doing. And, despite the denial that the information would be used for anything, there ended up being demotions that were given to those who didn't deserve it. Excuses for a more "loyal circle"? Because, before all this, there were complaints that there weren't any ANBU around to watch the place. Less equals more in this place I suppose.

I guess I can understand Riccardo wanting power - as Hokage he has a monopoly on KORPS. By commanding the system be used regularly so that people can't rank up without knowing how to use it, he can dictate that people need to buy jutsu for it. And because he's the only one selling the "legal" jutsu, he can pretty much charge what he wants. More developers on the sim would mean more money, technically.

Is it because of rank? A tag that shows how much you've sucked up to Lisa - telling her she's wonderful, brilliant, that she can do anything she wants to you, including sucking you dry of money. A tag that allows you to be as much of an internet tough guy as you want, such as Chavo, who's mother once asked in the background if his avatar was dressed as Batman. And who, when assigned to be leader of a genin team both I and Cracky were in, completely ignored us and treated us like we didn't exist. I always thought we promoted respect in Konoha.

You know, I guess I should compare Konoha to being a business. Because really, that's what it is. The sim is offering a service to us, and we are its customers. The service, in this case, is a fun time. The managers are higher ranks, and lower ranks are the customers. There's always one fundamental thing when it comes to business, however - get customers to keep coming back. If your management is full of jerks, or if the owner of the business is an asshole, you won't get people coming back. Even the managers won't come into work. But wait, a lot of people have already left, haven't they? I guess that says a lot. You know, I thought it was the ideal that higher ranks encourage people to stay and have fun. Not abuse people and harass them into staying by making them afraid.

I guess that's another thing I should say, about the harassment.

And the glass ceiling. Have you heard that term before? It's when people reach a certain point in the workplace and then just because of who they are, they're denied higher opportunities. In this case, I mean women. I mentioned before how Konoha was a business. How many females are in high ranks - above chuunin, I mean? Last count I did was three - Kila, Ayame, and Brittney. Even then I'm not sure if Brittney is female... since we have Harumi and Yukino in high ranks too.

And for those girls left in the lower ranks? Well, if this truly were a workplace, there would be lawsuits left, right and center for sexual harassment.

Perhaps it's because Lisa feels threatened by other girls, which is why Ayla left, or why Ayame was never promoted to Hokage despite how much soul she's poured into the place. But really, and we can't deny it, Lisa loves her men and how much they suck up to her.

Of course, she'll always try to get what she can't have. Natte was placed in that awkward situation. So was Kaliph. And when she couldn't get what she wanted, she threw a tantrum and kicked them out despite the job they were doing as Hokage.

Occasionally, we'll see Lisa take the step past "friends with benefits" and marry someone. Just look what happened with Kits - I mean Reita. Proof that once again the "hot guy av" works and all power and glory is there for the taking as long as you do a little extra flaunting. But a week later we see a change in heart. After the shotgun wedding, and when Kits wants to do the down and dirty, Lisa begs Ever and Kaliph to get her out of the mess she's gotten herself into. She'll always ask other people to do her dirty work.

And thus, when a "hot guy av" appeared at the front gates, and Rie and I had the unlucky coincidence of being there dressed in kimono, we were conned into being escorts. We had to stand there, confused and humiliated, as Lisa flirted with the guy and trapped him in her web.

Why these guys continue to fall for her, I dunno. If they're searching for power of some kind, they're somewhat mistaken. She'd never let anyone get the better of her. Everyone must always been under her control. And so must every idea, because without the proper sucking up, they get stonewalled. Even if it's a good idea, like the rebuild Natte, Gea, Trowa and I tried to implement, Lisa will always end up banning people over it because people tried to step out of her control and do some good for the village.

Sociopathic tendencies? Maybe so... You can't say that it doesn't seem that way though.

But what makes me all the more curious is just why is she running a Naruto sim? With all these sexual exploits going around, wouldn't it be better to just shut down the sim and re-open as a BDSM club? There was one set up under the Hokage tower for a time as it is, not to mention all the other kinky stuff around the sim like the porn movies, the collection of houses in the sky with the sex beds and other "xcite"-ing toys.

I know this is Lisa's sim and technically she can do whatever she wants (although there has been more than one time when the sim was paid for by another person), it just seems unethical to say it's a PG sim based on a children's anime and have all those sorts of things going on. Not to mention how many underage people are attracted to the place.

Maybe that's it. Naruto's a big thing, it attracts a lot of people, especially guys, and it allows for a lot of power issues and controlling. I haven't really seen Lisa get too involved in the village itself, just the drama. Perhaps the place was started with good intentions, but where has the place gone? I feel like I've been involved with a charade - a fake village intended to lure people in.

This revolution... or should I say "these revolutions" since there's been two now? Perhaps I shouldn't even call them that since nothing has come out of them.

Us, who can't deny how much pain we've been caused. Us, who continue to stand idly by while our friends are subjected to manipulation and hurt. Us, who keep coming back to this village with petty excuses. What if we simply all left? Would we still be hurt? No. How could we be? Is Lisa so scary that we're afraid she'd hunt us down in our sleep and kill us? Really now, that's just silly... If we left, we'd be out of her control. As long as we stay on the sim, we are targets for abuse.

There will be other times. We can make them together, and create new halcyon days. We don't need to stay in a dead place hoping things will get better. We've all been there long enough to know they won't.

We don't want to see anyone get hurt anymore. So many people have tried to stand up and protect our rights, and yet what kind of respect is given to them in return? "DROP THE DRAMA"? That's disgusting. It's ignorant. You cast them aside without a second thought of what they were trying to do for you.

Please. Don't ignore this any longer. Or stand around doing nothing and complaining about how nothing has changed.

Here I make my stand, because both I and Cracky too have stood up to try and protect you along with all those others.

And I hope that maybe... maybe you'll listen. Perhaps one day we can RP together - away from Konoha? I'd like that.

Anyway, what I guess I wanted to say is... see ya around.

Kita Messmer