The lifeblood of Virtual Congress is its roleplay. People assume the role of a politician and submerge more or less completely, with some areas like the Floor of the House more strictly adhering to the rules, and others like voice chat being more disconnected and loose. But what role does consent play in the server? Is there such a thing as non-consensual roleplay?

To answer this question, let’s take a look at consent and it’s presence in roleplay on VC: As the server is a leisure activity, everyone entering does so of their own volition. Upon entering, they choose who they wish to be within the simulation, a character creation menu of sorts. Through the description of the server as well as advertising, an outline of potential actions is given, such as voting on legislation or attaining higher office. At the latest this understanding is formed by reading the How to Play Guide and talking to members on the server.

Just as people gather as sense of the possibilities on the server, they also gain awareness of what actions are not permissible and may result in their expulsion from the community. They have to consent, or agree, to the rules to remain a part of the simulation.

As consent as a part of roleplay has been established, its opposite may also be true. But most rules of Virtual Congress target out-of-simulation or general behavior such as racist or homophobic comments, harassment or trolling. What would non-consensual roleplay entail if not this?

Consider the first iteration of a crisis scenario system on Virtual Congress. Back in February, the idea of a Crisis system was introduced to give the simulation more weight, especially regarding legislation. It gained support rather quickly and a Crisis Committee was formed. It was headed by Mr. Emperio. On February 15, the Committee launched its first scenario, 4 dirty bombs exploding in Washington D.C. Immediately this caused confusion and scandal, with some thinking this event was real and others questioning the extremeness as well as sudden occurrence of it. The event had only been approved of by then Top Admin CollinMatthew, with no input or consent by the general public. After widespread disapproval, the scenario was cancelled.

This was non-consensual roleplay. By its nature roleplay usually consists of two people, one acting and one reacting. Healthy roleplay involves all parties consenting whatever was occurring. In Virtual Congress, everyone agrees to the rules governing the roleplay, whether they are in positions of power or not. In the Crisis Scenario Incident, only the acting party, the Crisis Committee, consented to the action, while the reacting party did not. If the scenario had been forced to be canon in Virtual Congress, it would have overuled the reacting population who did not agree to it beforehand and were not eager to accept it.

Through this example I have proven that non-consensual roleplay does exist. But in that example everything was rectified. Why am I still talking about this issue? Because this was not the only instance of non-consensual roleplay by far. And not all end up being remedied.

Several times roleplay events (RPEs) were introduced into the canon of Virtual Congress without prior consent by all parties concerned. From President Vita’s assassination taking place at his successors inauguration to news reports regarding various events, a rise in non-consensual RPEs can be observed over the last few months. Being an unwilling participant in an RPE can make you feel uncomfortable, especially if you see no option of saying “no”. These individuals may experience anxiety at this loss of control or may even feel violated. Something having entered the public record is seen as irreversible, forcing everybody to accept it. Some people have even misused this unspoken social rule to deliberately target individuals.

Through this thorough examination I have laid out how consent plays a role in Virtual Congress and why prioritizing it is important for a healthy roleplay environment. Now I want to give some advice, both to those who are considering a RPE and those who end up in a RPE they did not consent to.

If you are thinking about a future RPE, ask yourself if this impacts any other VC member and especially does so permanently. If something only concerns you, you are free to do whatever you wish, as long as you do not break any server rules. If it does involve others, ask them for permission first. The more severe and permanent the action is, the more important consent is. Take assassinations as an example. All canon assassinations were agreed upon by the victim and the assassin. That way the event could be enjoyed by all involved. Do not kill someone without asking first.

If you are affected by an RPE you did not consent to, say so! Speak out and make clear that this was not agreed with you and ask for it to be stricken from the record or considered non-canon. The culture on the server can only change if we all speak up whenever we can. You should not be expected to suffer through something you did not want to experience and have your hands tied by social constraints. Speak up and fight for a future where non-consensual roleplay is no longer tolerated.