PL: The EPIC OOC - closed thread

[Monfrox]

Pony posts incoming, if that's cool.

Cool with me.

[Giovenith]

Replies to Brit and unicorns + Rache will probably be up later today.


Like right now!

[Holy Lykos]

I can't actually remember a time where mundanes were said "No" except like the super dangerous things they very much would never be able to handle. Places like the old city in Bielefeld or southern continent on Galli. places that are dangerous to most supers too. None of my characters could visit them without massive risks either, and most of mine are at least somewhat super powered. The only things that can visit those areas in comfort and safety are the gods, but they're on a whoooole other level. Its not just Mundanes and Supers in PL, two distinct and never mixing groups. Its a scale.

A jedi for his world, while being super powered could be considered mundane. Most things have a level of force sensitivity in his world yet few on the level that can actually use the Force. Venla is entirely mundane despite being stronger, bigger, and more dangerous than a human, by sheer fact of biology. Sterling's abilities are mundane for his race too, but are still magic. So there's mixing. There isn't a defined super/mundane split because mundane can mean different things for different races. And two Supers can have such a massive gulf of power that the weak one shouldn't even think of challenging the strong. Think of One Punch Man vs literally anyone. If you know how strong he is you don't fight the guy!

You don't really ask a rocket scientist to grow corn, or a farmer to design/build a rocket. Sometimes there's things a mundane can do better, like blend in. Most mundanes here have more skills than a supernatural player, as the supernatural's skills go to their supernatural power use too.

Could you guys give examples of times this happened, Bran, Mon? Exact examples of when your characters are refused to go on missions or do a random event because "no mundanes allowed"? Giving vague examples doesn't really help others identify why you feel that way.

Just the opinions I have on the things Mon and Bran are bringing up. Pretty much stuff I said in the IRC while Mon and we were discussing it yesterday. Its a rather false dichotomy that they're feeling. Though I do think the Archive/OOC says what areas are safe to go to and what requires OP permission to run stories in.

Also while I wasn't here during the end of the Bielefeld part: I heard it was because of mundanes badmouthing the gods and supers in the setting that things got dangerous. That people in the city were increasingly fed up because they partially fed the fire of anti-super sentiment.

-----

Another thing discussed they didn't bring up: That most stories are choosing characters to bring along ahead of time, that the person running the story thinks will fit the most, or will be most interesting. I'll probably be doing that with my holocron fetching story, and it will be low powered super/mundane focused like my other. Hell, I don't think a single story we have right now is geared towards high powered super. Most of those are OP tools and don't really do much anymore. Most of those characters who are actually played could feasibly fight each other. Remember how the clones took out the Jedi during Order 66. Low supers are rather squishy, even when fighting a mundane.

[Cerillium]

Your name: Cer

How many characters do you have in PL: None. Most are used to move stories along.

How old are your characters: Varies depending upon character

Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Yes

Why or why not? Because I enjoy them.

Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun? (Poptart play): Not outside of F7.

Why or why not? I do not think that word means what people think it means.

Poptart play doesn't fit in PL. By definition it depends upon twinkification to work: TF guns, black hole guns, genderbender bombs, turning into a little baby so other characters have to babysit and interact with it, building a sub base without anyone in the world noticing even though it's right there at the docks, eating babies from the hospital's neonatal ward, blowing up the city park, firing atomic bombs at the building, drone invasions, flaying average citizens, crashing a spaceship into the city, etc. All this occurs but nobody in the world thinks it's unusual, out of place, or cause for alarm? This stuff is typical of a non-consent roleplay. There isn't any objective to poptart games other than to kill time, ease boredom, or make as big an entrance as possible. There isn't character development unless its simple emotion: Anger/jealousy or Love/lust. The latter leads to Fucktart play (don't think that needs explaining). All problems are solved with antics rather than logic. Introspection only occurs when a player wants to do some Teartart - woe is me and my suicidal teen character! Who will save me from my emotional state? There's no penalty for spending a week as a chinchilla but, just as likely, the character will forget what it was like to have a chinchilla's view of the world - the moment to add new perspective to the character's approach is lost.

You're occupying another player's time so you should make an effort to benefit all characters involved.

Light & Fun RP Premise: Naomi and Aegis decide to get a pet cat. In the end, they can't keep the cat.

They start off by taking a trip through a Gate and end up in Hell's Petshop. Lots of things to see. They're allowed to play with a few baby Eldritch things until finally deciding on a snail. It's a cat, Naomi insists. Just go with it. So the pair return to the Building and bring the snail cat to Naomi's apartment. She feeds it liver. It goes wild, growing a full five feet in length. Snappy jaws everywhere, Aegis has to use his sword but the snail just won't die. Naomi runs around the apartment screaming and throwing pillows at the thing. Finally, Aegis pins it between the couch and dining room table and Naomi whacks it with a mallet. She invites him to stay for dinner... escargot! They enjoy the meal. He takes off. She curls up with a book.

What purpose was there to all this? First, it was a great way for players to take a break from the norm. Players probably did a bit of communicating behind the scenes - hard core stories require epic player involvement so this cat-snail story is an easy way to become familiar with planning. Second, Aegis got to play hero for a change. Char dev. Maybe her estimation of him grew? Perhaps he saw her as sweet in a malicious way when she cracked the shell? Third, we see there could be a spark between them. He didn't hang around and flirt all evening. She didn't giggle and coo at him. There's potential there. The reader might like to see more. And fourth, the characters will carry the kitty-snail memory, perhaps falling back on it when feeling blue or when pet-related topics come up.


Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? I don't know. It's why I created the survey.

Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? Yes.

Why? Because we have solid players that enjoy it and do really well at it.



I think part of the problem is people aren't grasping the terminology. Hard feelings build because one group assumes the other group understands the vernacular. Plus we have people all trying to define PL without looking at how I've defined it as the OP.

Personification Life is a multi-line boxcar storytelling game backed by mutual consent rules. Quasi-mechanics are used during character generation and in combat or when doing heroic feats. It is a predominantly Popsicle game though, at times, we let loose with Zalgofests, naked fairies, or Carnal Carnivals that have a Poptart feel. Players are encouraged to explore the world and may sit out stories provided their antics do not disrupt everyone else (the setting, the time of day, the stories). However, what happens becomes canon so play wisely. This is why actual Poptart shit doesn't work in PL.



What else isn't working in PL?

OP: my schedule keeps me away for long periods. The week is especially rough. I have CoOPs but they can't cover small, spontaneous stories if I'm winging them.

CoOPs: don't know the particulars of what I'm winging and thus can't really carry a spontaneous story along. I'd like my CoOPs to get some characters involved in the setting so players get used to their personalities. Mix them in with the Residents. Let them be characters and give them a chance to grow. Holding them in reserve to bail out players when they have Stupid Moments deprives you of fun. Don't worry if the player's character falls down the elevator shaft - remember, Poptarts come two to a package.

Players: Gio's words ring true viewtopic.php?p=30821500#p30821500

PL isn't going to be all about missions but missions are going to be more exclusive. Some of our players are new to being a GM. It rattles their confidence when players bail on them or say things like "It was boring".

Mission does not always equal military. A team might go through a Gate to procure seeds for the upcoming spring. These seeds can be found in a character's hometown. Now there's a reason to reveal background stuff for that character. Allow other characters to be included in the experience instead of serving as an audience member.

PL IS going to have a team of operatives that will be dedicated to Tier I operations. The POC for this is Overseer Neste Trilb. She is run by a wargamer. Swith loves to teach wargaming skills but you won't learn much if you roll up with anime tactics or a BASIC level skill set. Characters currently under consideration range from Romulus to Giovenith, so this isn't about how badass a character is but what skills or talents they possess to carry out special missions. This is by her invite only.


God War: players aren't ready for this. The God War would be an intensive game. Not a difficult one, not an impossible one. It won't require people to write more than 3 lines in a post. It will require teamwork. But, at the moment, I know I can't run the story effectively. Don't fuck with my story elements before I have personally placed them, please. I have not had a chance to place them because I'm not sure where I want to go with it. Characters do know there's a God War though they know very little. Galli must remain sealed from the view of all other pantheons spare a few (Pearlelei and Elohim).

[Cerillium]

Could you guys give examples of times this happened, Bran, Mon? Exact examples of when your characters are refused to go on missions or do a random event because "no mundanes allowed"? Giving vague examples doesn't really help others identify why you feel that way.

Just the opinions I have on the things Mon and Bran are bringing up. Pretty much stuff I said in the IRC while Mon and we were discussing it yesterday. Its a rather false dichotomy that they're feeling. Though I do think the Archive/OOC says what areas are safe to go to and what requires OP permission to run stories in.

Also while I wasn't here during the end of the Bielefeld part: I heard it was because of mundanes badmouthing the gods and supers in the setting that things got dangerous. That people in the city were increasingly fed up because they partially fed the fire of anti-super sentiment.

There was one occasion when Swith said "no" because players wanted to send mortals into a swarm that took down a creature with so many hit points that a Red Dragon would look like a 1 hit die tunnel pest in comparison. It's here and the posts following it.


The Outermark is off limits because we haven't had a chance to explore/dev it yet. The Wold is off limits because too many bailed on exploring and thus dev stopped. The borrows can be fully explored. The countryside can be explored. Don't bring in dragons (there's a Council and everything set up already, but it pertains to only the various species on Galli). Don't try to pawn manufactured gems and gold off on the locals (they know better).

"Also while I wasn't here during the end of the Bielefeld part: I heard it was because of mundanes badmouthing the gods and supers in the setting that things got dangerous. That people in the city were increasingly fed up because they partially fed the fire of anti-super sentiment."

Neste hid her grin behind a sip of tea. Poor Marcus. He had foot-in-mouth disease. She took note of Septimus' lack of perspiration and was about to greet Melly when two things happened: Thaddeus passed her a note and Minerva rose from her chair. The construct glanced at the paper and then back at the old cyborg, a tad wide-eyed at his straightforward query. She nodded in reply.




Minerva stepped in front of the guest table and motioned for everyone to settle. She seemed to be an ordinary woman with a penchant for black leather and too many buckles. There wasn’t anything particularly magical about her although her eyes had a bit of a sparkle to them. She made a small attempt to smile at the group before allowing her face to return to its customary frown.

“I am Captain Minerva Blackwater, Charumati’s cultist leader. Regretfully, Charumati can not be here tonight; god war and all that.” Her crisp British accent, almost colonial in hue, carried a no-nonsense tone to it. “First off, let’s talk about the invasion. There have been a flurry of rumors. I assure you that, as far as we know, nothing is moving on the horizon. We’ve called this meeting for an altogether different reason.”

She had hoped to get through things quickly but the appearance of so many new Residents mean that a recap was in order. The cultist leader sighed. So much for finishing before tonight's Who aired.

“There is too much history to cover,” she admitted. “I’ll offer a brief summary for the newest Residents. Let’s start with the Third Drone Invasion. The Drones are a nefarious alien empire of machines which destroy or ruin all that are not like it. Rotten luck that they chose Earth as a target.

“We – Chaos - had prepared for that invasion for some time. We realized early on that we were outmatched and thus we approached the Nifid, an extremist alien empire, although they are absolutely pleasant towards Earth. They offered to assist with their technology. These combined forces, along with last minute aid from Residents, made it possible to check the Drone Empire. The battle came to a stalemate. The Drones agreed that they would leave IF allowed to destroy the one thing that they believed stood as the bastion of humanity – the Building itself. Thus the old city of Vaffelhelm and the original Building met their end.

“The Building Residents returned to find the city and nation throwing a party in their honor. Not a single citizen had been lost! Bielefeld was a now country that not only overlooked our oddities, but welcomed us in with open arms and often turned a blind eye to our antics provided the citizens went unmolested. They gave us rights, they gave us a place to call home, they gave us liberties and allowed us to pursue happiness.”

Minerva paused to wet her throat with a sip of tea. It sounded so basic when summed up in such a manner, nothing but footnotes in margins. Ah well, there wasn’t time to do the full story any justice.

“Now we come to the present day situation. There is some important history to this as well. Before I begin, I need to stress that I can not disclose everything.” She sighed, fully expecting grumbling from Torii and Katya. “I’m well aware of people’s dissatisfaction regarding a lack of transparency, however, were I to be completely transparent, I would put two lives at great risk.”

Minerva realized the need to word things as delicately as possible, yet still provide necessary back story. “The Nation of Bielefeld eventually determined that we were all uniquely gifted and could have a purpose within our community. We Residents could help it by doing as we did during the Drone invasion – we could protect our new home and render aid when the need arose. On Friday, 5th of July, 2013, the nation’s government called the Residents to a meeting to discuss the possibilities of making things more official.

“Their idea was to form a group comprised of Residents – magical, mechanical, mundane and so on - from this Building. This group would keep tabs on the bad things that rolled in, stop those things before they could become a serious threat, or else help mend the community after the crisis had passed. It was voluntary. The nation and this city offered to fully fund the group. The pay was more than generous.

“The meeting was sparsely attended. In fact, it was a dismal failure because one Resident, a mundane, decided to speak for every last supernatural being in Bielefeld. Her demands insulted the government officials. Specifically, she insisted that her nation be granted greater influence in Bielefeld. Allow their troops to come in, and giant robots. The government said ‘no’, naturally. Bielefeld is a sovereign state. The mundane pouted and ran her mouth. We were all asked to leave. The government was left with this impression: The abhumans want to take control of the nation.

“Another mundane from our group complained in a public taxi on the way to the pub where we were all meeting in order to discuss options. She stated in front of the driver, Why is it we get nothing? We're mortal! We should be getting more recognition for our bravery then these godlings and magicks who just glide through life with their powers! The driver passed along this gossip: The abhumans get too much credit and recognition.

“Inside the pub, the topic of acknowledgement and fame came up. The mundane girl that spoke for all of us at the government meeting stated, I'm already a soldier...and I'm expected to fight for these people, and I feel like I won't be acknowledged for it...I don't want to help them.

“Perhaps this sentiment would have gone over better had she not been sitting in a cultist pub filled with cultist soldiers still mourning the loss of over a thousand cultist friends – the names of which would never appear on any tombstone or monument – that sacrificed themselves to keep the dimensional doorways to the citizen shelters sealed during the final blast? The cultist impression was simple: resentment.”

Minerva shook her head. So much of this could have been prevented. Gossip truly did spread like a wild fire, and ferreting out the genesis of it had taken nearly two years.

“The seeds of contempt were sown on three fronts: the government saw us as demanding and selfish and wanting to control their city; the citizens saw us as ungrateful and overly privileged; hatred found purchase amongst some of the cultists’ hearts. Rancor has built during that time. Abhumans, as the mundane citizens and government refer to all of us, were no longer welcome. These sentiments have been brewing since 2013; we’ve only recently come to realize how pervasive they are.”

She paused to study people’s faces, gauging their reactions to the history. “Before I get to the NMJM and current events, are there any questions? Please don’t ask me to name these two mundane girls. I’m sure you all can appreciate the need to keep some things secret for the sake of another’s wellbeing?”

There was that sinking feeling in one's stomach whenever they knew they were in serious trouble, or like they had terribly screwed up. Both of the Dimitrov sisters had that feeling hit them like a ton of bricks at the same time. Katya wasn't so outwardly affected. Her eyes shifted, and she breathed in. A wave of anxiety went through her, but she managed not to panic by closing her eyes for a second and reminding herself that she was foolish back then. She'd made her mistakes, but those were behind her, and she would fix them.

Torii was...different. Her fingers began to dig into her arms and scratch hard, leaving marks even under the sleeves of her jacket. Her face was hot, and she began to tap her foot. She was trying not to say anything that would land her in any more trouble.

[Giovenith]

I think everyone is bringing up good points. NA pretty much put my thoughts into way better words than I've been doing, it really is a spectrum of power levels and approaching this from the angle of "mundane and super" is erroneous.

Cer is also right that there's probably some confusion on what the different people see as light or heavy play and could use more specificity. Mon also made a point that there might be confusion about which areas are safe to explore, which while I think has been cleared via text, I could understand how it could get confusing. Maybe there could be benefit from a simple threat level system, maybe connected to the power points system we already have? Certain number-powered characters are more suited to different threat ranges assigned to stories and world areas? Just a toss out, not a dedicated suggestion.

[Northwest Slobovia]

That most stories are choosing characters to bring along ahead of time, that the person running the story thinks will fit the most, or will be most interesting.

Yup. PL has a huge roster of players and characters. I can't take everybody, and won't take some. Not only do I chose specific characters, I choose players. Players who get bored, stop posting in the middle of scenes/stories without warning, or otherwise cause story upsets aren't going to be invited on my stories. Running stories takes work: the more interesting the story, the more work it takes, and the harder it is to recover from the disappearance of a player. (I'm working on fixing that, but that will take discussions with the PL Staff.)

On the other hand, players who play well -- and that includes beginners who are willing/trying to learn -- get a second look even if their characters don't quite fit. And I take hard looks at interesting characters even if that requires adjusting the stories to fit them.

Hell, I don't think a single story we have right now is geared towards high powered super.

Yep. Most powerful supers wouldn't work in Raiders: cyborgs, bots, and other obviously high-tech ones would get the characters in deep trouble immediately. Gods would be noticed by the Olympians the moment they stepped foot in the Library of Alexandria, and I need to keep the Olympians as off-stage as possible. (See Cer's comment on the God War.)

[Northwest Slobovia]

I think everyone is bringing up good points. NA pretty much put my thoughts into way better words than I've been doing, it really is a spectrum of power levels and approaching this from the angle of "mundane and super" is erroneous.

Yup. I'd like to emphasize this part of what Squirrel wrote:

You don't really ask a rocket scientist to grow corn, or a farmer to design/build a rocket. Sometimes there's things a mundane can do better, like blend in. Most mundanes here have more skills than a supernatural player, as the supernatural's skills go to their supernatural power use too.

Don't send a brittle historian-sorcerer to do an armored soldier's work.

I tend to think in terms of "capability" rather than "power". Power suggests a simple linear scale of ability. It's not: there are many different sorts of character abilities, and a big part of how useful those abilities in a given story are depends on how good players are at using them.

[Fvaarniimar]

Your name: Fvaar
How many characters do you have in PL: Two PCs, along with various Burrows NPCs and a clone.
How old are your characters: Nick, nine (maturity fluctuates between kid and middle-aged.) Rmwtyliin, nearly fourteen; looks younger, acts a bit older if not under major stress.
Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): YES.
Why or why not? They're fascinating to read and participate in.
Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)? Yes, with caveats. Tl;Dr, I like the sort of light and fun RP Cer is describing...although I'd have them keep the snail, buy the fanciest cat food available, and wonder why it wasn't being devoured.
Why or why not? As you've figured out, I really like - and miss - silliness. When the fate of a world is on our characters' shoulders, that's a pretty serious situation. However, Poptart play has often involved lower-quality posts or excessive idle chatter in the past. I don't like these aspects - but after an OOC week or two of Poptart play, typically either the story stalls because there's nothing else anyone can think of or someone comes up with some objective or point. Dramatic situations do tend to keep the stories going for awhile, but frankly those can be stressful. In short, I love light stories done well, but unless they're meant to be short someone needs to get some idea of where we're going! For more reasons why, see Carly and Bran's posts: they "inject a bit of indulgent joy" "random fun...in smaller doses"; and consider this: they're flexible.
Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? To an extent.
Why? Well, we put work into developing Bielefeld. Suddenly ditching it frustrated me at first, and I had a character who considered it home. I also liked how silly it often was, and the slice-of-life aspects help make our characters seem more real. However, I like that characters are regularly doing more interesting stuff than puttering around. The IC makes for intriguing reading! And Galli is fascinating.
Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? Oh yes, but we do need activities locally.
Why? Amazing stories are coming out of it. But if everyone jumps onto stories made for small groups, things get bogged down fast. If missions are the only really interesting thing anyone can do, and only three or so are running at a time, and we have...let's say thirty active characters, either half of them will basically be parked, half will be chattering, or...we'll have ten characters per mission. Slobo's Amanda story on Galli is a step in the right direction. Ideally, Character A could interact meaningfully at the Building and do light stories - as opposed to being parked or just walking in circles for weeks - while B did a mission, allowing the potentially busy player to focus on playing both well. Besides, our characters need somewhere to unwind and eat their waffles, and it shouldn't just be a background. Additionally, we put a great deal of effort into development, and I for one am miffed that none of my Burrows locations have been visited.

As for adding more missions: worth a shot, but multiple players are: staff and busy, new/inexperienced/not confident GMs, already on or running a story, etc. I'm guessing there's a reason why we don't have eight missions at once.

Also, Gio, Robot of Sherwood was a good episode. Watch it!

[Giovenith]

True, true. "Capability" is a better word.

[Cerillium]

I think everyone is bringing up good points. NA pretty much put my thoughts into way better words than I've been doing, it really is a spectrum of power levels and approaching this from the angle of "mundane and super" is erroneous.

Cer is also right that there's probably some confusion on what the different people see as light or heavy play and could use more specificity. Mon also made a point that there might be confusion about which areas are safe to explore, which while I think has been cleared via text, I could understand how it could get confusing. Maybe there could be benefit from a simple threat level system, maybe connected to the power points system we already have? Certain number-powered characters are more suited to different threat ranges assigned to stories and world areas? Just a toss out, not a dedicated suggestion.

We have something like that for the Outermark. Yellow is lethal to anything that doesn't belong in that large zone whereas blue is dangerous but a mundane can get by if they use common sense.

The other areas are more difficult to pin down. We haven't really done dev on them except for UA. The danger colors doesn't reflect what makes a place dangerous. Gates and Gatehouses are yellow. The Dragon Council is yellow. There is only one other "yellow" on Galli - the Building itself. These are tiny yellow dots on a map.


The one thing I didn't reiterate earlier concerning "what caused X to happen": Characters and players fuck up. It's okay.

Look at what Kale did with the Fred during the fiend attack. It was a genuine player mistake. But look at how much development came out of that fuck up. Carly harnessed it and made her character tighter. Does she fuck up still? Yes. Kale isn't perfect. She's improved, as we can see in the Venla story. She'll continue to improve because Carly herself seems determined to become a stronger gamer.

Klaus fucked up. I purposefully had him think he could use his magic to pop out of the dimension ("Because I know I can, so it happens"). Nearly got Giovenith killed, and it took his ego down a few notches. I haven't had a chance to allow those doubts and concerns to come out yet. They will. He doesn't care if Men die - they pledged their fates to him. He would crumble if his foolishness took the kind godling from the cosmos.

The point is, when we write fuck ups into our character's results, we allow them to learn a lessons. When we fuck up as players and accept responsibility for it, we allow ourselves to become better gamers.

[The BranRiech]

I don't think there's been any time mundanes have been specifically told "No". The reason I made that point is that sometimes stories are just unintentionally set up to be too dangerous, or restrictive. Like, nothing would stop a mundane from participating, but maybe the enemies faced would be too overpowered (They'd just hang back and let the more powerful characters do the job), or the person they have to talk to is "Only interested in the more powerful characters" because naturally, the more powerful characters take the lead in most stories. I can't remember very many times when my characters weren't near the back of whatever group they were in on mission. I know my characters have had their shining moments, and large contributions to PL's history when participating in large-scale stories, but they seem to come much more seldom than a lot of others here.

It's not that I'm being told "Bran, you can't go because your characters are too weak", but it's more of me thinking "I wouldn't be of any use anyways" that keeps me from even sending my characters on missions. It also feels like sometimes I get overlooked when people think of who to bring along on stories. I know I'm probably seen as the least reliable here right now, but I'd still at least like to be considered a bit more.

Is it okay to say that I'm starting to get a little disheartened by everyone's answers on who does and doesn't get to go on stories? People saying they won't take players who stop in the middle of things, or stop posting and such. I feel like by default, I won't even be considered for any of these. And Cer, I know you didn't mention names, but I could tell your argument against Poptart-stories was directed at me. And seriously? If it was that bad, and cringy, I would have loved to get feedback that said so. If it was that dumb and stupid, don't let me keep doing it.

Everything everyone's been saying recently just makes me feel more and more like a fuckup, and a bad Player. I still want to stick around and get back into this, but it's really kind of sad when I recognize myself in everyone's complaints.

[Holy Lykos]

Bran, I was going to ask if you wanted Drova to go on the star wars story I was thinking of. It'd be a good way to get you back into the swing of things in PL, and a great setting for a rather alien looking humanoid character like Drova.

[Cerillium]

I don't think there's been any time mundanes have been specifically told "No". The reason I made that point is that sometimes stories are just unintentionally set up to be too dangerous, or restrictive. Like, nothing would stop a mundane from participating, but maybe the enemies faced would be too overpowered (They'd just hang back and let the more powerful characters do the job), or the person they have to talk to is "Only interested in the more powerful characters" because naturally, the more powerful characters take the lead in most stories. I can't remember very many times when my characters weren't near the back of whatever group they were in on mission. I know my characters have had their shining moments, and large contributions to PL's history when participating in large-scale stories, but they seem to come much more seldom than a lot of others here.

It's not that I'm being told "Bran, you can't go because your characters are too weak", but it's more of me thinking "I wouldn't be of any use anyways" that keeps me from even sending my characters on missions. It also feels like sometimes I get overlooked when people think of who to bring along on stories. I know I'm probably seen as the least reliable here right now, but I'd still at least like to be considered a bit more.

Is it okay to say that I'm starting to get a little disheartened by everyone's answers on who does and doesn't get to go on stories? People saying they won't take players who stop in the middle of things, or stop posting and such. I feel like by default, I won't even be considered for any of these. And Cer, I know you didn't mention names, but I could tell your argument against Poptart-stories was directed at me. And seriously? If it was that bad, and cringy, I would have loved to get feedback that said so. If it was that dumb and stupid, don't let me keep doing it.

Everything everyone's been saying recently just makes me feel more and more like a fuckup, and a bad Player. I still want to stick around and get back into this, but it's really kind of sad when I recognize myself in everyone's complaints.

The one thing I didn't reiterate earlier concerning "what caused X to happen": Characters and players fuck up. It's okay.

The point is, when we write fuck ups into our character's results, we allow them to learn a lessons. When we fuck up as players and accept responsibility for it, we allow ourselves to become better gamers.

You could have had Drova pout and run away from the pit. Instead, you graced him with a moment to explore his thoughts. You allowed yourself to become a better gamer. Besides, a lot of the nonsense play was when you were 15? 16? Too young to know even half of what you know now.

[Giovenith]

Is it okay to say that I'm starting to get a little disheartened by everyone's answers on who does and doesn't get to go on stories? People saying they won't take players who stop in the middle of things, or stop posting and such. I feel like by default, I won't even be considered for any of these. And Cer, I know you didn't mention names, but I could tell your argument against Poptart-stories was directed at me. And seriously? If it was that bad, and cringy, I would have loved to get feedback that said so. If it was that dumb and stupid, don't let me keep doing it.

Everything everyone's been saying recently just makes me feel more and more like a fuckup, and a bad Player. I still want to stick around and get back into this, but it's really kind of sad when I recognize myself in everyone's complaints.

Not to be harsh, but I see this as akin to being disheartened that you're never going to be considered for the honor roll because you have a habit of not doing your homework.

Bran, posting habit isn't just an inconsequential preference, it's a gauge of player responsibility and dedication. People don't want to bring players with those posting habits because those posting habits will kill their stories. I'm sorry, but I don't see how people not wanting to entrust important roles in a story they worked really hard on to someone who might inexplicably stop playing is anything but a no brainer. Irresponsible people don't get responsibilities, it's just a fact of life. I say this as someone who has responsibility problems in real life.

[Northwest Slobovia]

Why? Amazing stories are coming out of it. [...] Slobo's Amanda story on Galli is a step in the right direction. Ideally, Character A could interact meaningfully at the Building and do light stories - as opposed to being parked or just walking in circles for weeks - while B did a mission, allowing the potentially busy player to focus on playing both well.

Aww, thanks! I'm always surprised when anybody other than the players involved reads my scrawlings.

[Tiltjuice]

I agree with NA. For all intents and purposes, all my chars (except MB) are human. Chrys is just a human who doesn't age. Just about anything else will kill her stone dead.

[Swith Witherward]

Giovenith! You scared the fuck out of me!

*prints Willow's trading card just to hold it tightly*

Don't you ever, ever write shit that convinces me he's inches from horrible, horrible death! Never ever again even if it means Pansy's true strength gets revealed!

Well, okay, don't do that for another day or two, at least. That was an awesome roller coaster ride.


Wait.


This is a frikken pony thing.


I... I'm supposed to make fun of pony things. Because MLP is dumb and for little kids.


*looks at Willow's card*

But you don't understand. He's Willow. He's the first pony I ever got to know. I love him.

[Giovenith]

Yay, crises of perception!

Very glad that it's still going strong and that people like it. We're at the climax now, I liked it but I'm eager to get through and relax a little.

[Tiltjuice]

Yay, Pony post! Yay, relaxation!

[The BranRiech]

Not to be harsh, but I see this as akin to being disheartened that you're never going to be considered for the honor roll because you have a habit of not doing your homework.

Bran, posting habit isn't just an inconsequential preference, it's a gauge of player responsibility and dedication. People don't want to bring players with those posting habits because those posting habits will kill their stories. I'm sorry, but I don't see how people not wanting to entrust important roles in a story they worked really hard on to someone who might inexplicably stop playing is anything but a no brainer. Irresponsible people don't get responsibilities, it's just a fact of life. I say this as someone who has responsibility problems in real life.

But now that I'm back, I feel like I won't even be given a chance to begin with. I'm happy that NA wants Drova to go on the Star Wars story (Definitely going!), but it already feels like I have things working against me, and personally, it feels a little unfair. I still don't feel fully welcome back, and I suppose this is why.

[Tiltjuice]

Not to be harsh, but I see this as akin to being disheartened that you're never going to be considered for the honor roll because you have a habit of not doing your homework.

Bran, posting habit isn't just an inconsequential preference, it's a gauge of player responsibility and dedication. People don't want to bring players with those posting habits because those posting habits will kill their stories. I'm sorry, but I don't see how people not wanting to entrust important roles in a story they worked really hard on to someone who might inexplicably stop playing is anything but a no brainer. Irresponsible people don't get responsibilities, it's just a fact of life. I say this as someone who has responsibility problems in real life.

But now that I'm back, I feel like I won't even be given a chance to begin with. I'm happy that NA wants Drova to go on the Star Wars story (Definitely going!), but it already feels like I have things working against me, and personally, it feels a little unfair. I still don't feel fully welcome back, and I suppose this is why.

Nobody can give you welcome except yourself. I gave you clean slate from the last time.

If you don't take it, it is no longer on me, but you. Buck up, matey. Plenty of worlds out there to explore.

[Cerillium]

ENOUGH - THREAD CLOSED

Can't tell if that's red or gold. Fucking cones and rods.

But enough. This thread bleeds. It is closed. Go here to the new OOC: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=399914

This is a fresh start. We KNOW what things need to be fixed. Players KNOW where they fucked up and can now have a chance to fix it. We KNOW that there's still going to be upset. But the new thread is where we put all this fucking insecurity shit, anger shit, festering shit, or whatever shit behind us and focus on the future. Fresh. Start. For. Players. Leave your baggage at the door. Please.

Thank you.

Also, I do not have new apps ready yet. I planned to work on the new thread this weekend but we need a mental change now.