Or, we can claim it's a lazy spelling of "loll" That's what I plan to do, at least.

You could indeed chalk up such things as madness. But let's be honest, even your examples show that it leads to negative outcomes.

Look at it this way- let's say you're at wedding. The chapel is packed with family members and friends from all across the country. The bride is being lead down the aisle with her proud father. Suddenly, the guy sitting next to you starts beatboxing along with the music. Now, while I would find that amusing as hell, in all likeliness the bride and her significant other will be hurt and/or furious, as would a good portion of the other people.

But hey, people can and should play as they want! But they should also be aware of the consequences of doing so.

Well, sure! Where did I say they shouldn't? In fact, I thought my example indicated that the consequences (being thought mad, being ignored, not taken seriously, yelled at, killed) were part in parcel of it. Maybe I didn't explain my thoughts very well. I'm like that sometimes.

No no, you did explain yourself- but I can very well see someone spouting off completely OOC things, and then running here to the forums and crying about it when they are sorted out in a manner not to their liking. Hence, why even indulge the problem to begin with?

That's not what I meant. I didn't mean that everything brought into the game world became a part of the game world. I'm saying that some things can be. I roleplay more than anything else in Lusternia, and never once have I said "lol" in game or said or done anything that is blatantly OOC. I'm saying that vague references that can fit into the Lusternia setting shouldn't be a problem.

Let me take an example from the argument I had with former WoW friends. The subject of the chef in Howling Fjord, named Thomas Kolichio, came up, because one of these former friends is a huge fan of Top Chef and, of course, Thomas Colicchio. He argued that it was a blatant OOC reference and that it ruined his immersion. My argument was, "But your character wouldn't know that there's a Thomas Colicchio outside of the game. Your character knows this chef. He doesn't know what Top Chef is, so what does it matter?"

So perhaps I was a bit vague in my explanation. My apologies if that was the case. I didn't mean that everything from our world that's brought into the game world is suddenly not OOC.

Immersion doesn't affect characters, it affects players because players are involved in both the IC and OOC and can recognize when the IC and OOC worlds get too close together. Arel would never notice of someone was at the Matrix say "OMG Did u guyz watch Project Runway last night?!" besides the fact that he wouldn't know what Project Runway was or what stage it was on, but I as a player would be pissed.

Estarra's voice shatters the cosmic equilibrium, "Congratulations winners! Don't
forget another lottery next week!"

Estarra's reference to an RL week completely ruined my immersion. I had to QQ because I just couldn't RP anymore with that glaring OOC reference.

Inorite? I suicided all my alts after hearing that. I didn't want to raise newbies in a world like this