I have a different angle on this same question, and I'm interested in what people think about it. Recently in my own RPing, I realized that I was becoming completely inflexible in my IC vs OOC interpretation, to the point where I almost chose not to participate in certain plots or take certain RP avenues that would have been fun for ME as the RPer, simply because it didn't fit perfectly into the narrative of my character or appeal to my sense of what was completely IC for him.

So my question is this... is it possible we sometimes let ourselves be SO ruled by a fictional voice in our head that we aren't open to experiencing all the RP has to offer? Sometimes plots will come up, opportunities will present themselves, homework will be assigned, and we can refuse to participate because the voice is silent on it, but WE are the ones missing that chance to play.

If we're honest with ourselves, there are already a LOT of OOC elements to the RP (Hogwarts is still open and professors still employed in spite of years and years of dangerous occurrences and deaths, first years know things they couldn't possibly in classes they've never taken before, the Ministry somehow manages to function without any bathrooms, classes IC take a month to finish, I can go on). I love the efforts we go to in order to make things as canon as possible, but this is also a game and meant to be fun. I dunno... I guess I'm just wondering if I can give myself permission to be a little more OOC when it comes to interacting with the RPG.

I'm not talking about asking a character to react differently to something than is in character for them... more like wondering if I'm taking this whole idea of "I can't control what the voice in my head makes me do" thing is actually detrimental to our own RP and the RP in general. Thoughts?