Ravana: an explanation

[Ravana]

I've posted as Ravana a couple of times in other people's threads in this forum. Neither of these threads were marked as private or solo at the time that I posted so to my brain that makes them fair game.

However, I have attracted some criticism for this policy so I feel I should give a fuller explanation.

Ravana is a derelict, a drunk, a bum, a tramp, homeless. He doesn't have his own story. Like those that live on the street for real, he is just the ugly backdrop to other people's pretty stories. He lies there, he begs, he's unpleasant while nice people are trying to get on with their artful, self-absorbed lives. I fully intend to continue writing him in this manner. If anyone is on a massive, years spanning soliloquy and doesn't want to get a visitation then please mark your threads as private or solo.

I have said that if someone can give the posts I have made a new home, then I am happy to move them but I am not going to just delete them. If the mods feel I have contravened the rules of the site, then of course I shall have no objection to them being deleted.

I apologise if I have offended anyone but I am going to stick to my guns and try to tell the story I want to tell

[Ravana]

LOL be careful what you wish for - I had the post deleted by Church.

As per request by the author of 'That's not funny' your post has been deleted.
Please refrain from inserting your characters into story lines without the permission of the original author, whether it is marked as solo or not. If the thread is labelled as open, then you may do what you wish.
For your benefit I'll add a copy of what you wrote below, so that it isn't lost.
Thank you.

Can I ask that the Rules be updated to state that in the Here We Walk forum, threads that are not explicitly marked Open are considered to be private? Unless I am missing something, that is not stated anywhere and it is extremely misleading for newcomers.

[Church]

Your post was deleted as per request, not because it was in breach of the rules.
I'm simply stating that to save yourself the hassel of future deletions it would be wise (and polite, at that) to ask a writer's permission before inserting yourself into it unless the thread itself is explicitly marked as OPEN.
It's really that simple.
I'm giving you advice, not a slap on the wrist

Saying that, I'll add it to the rules if the community feels it should be as such, as a lot of writers (myself included) forget that SOLO as a tag may be needed, because it's just a common theme for other writers to ask first if there's no tag at all.

[Jenny]

Speaking as a community member and not as a moderator, it comes across discourteously to say that "if anyone is on a massive, years spanning soliloquy and doesn't want to get a visitation then please mark your threads as private or solo". I think most of us are accustomed to an unspoken rule of: Unless it's specifically marked open, you ask before posting. That's generally how this community operates.


Also--welcome! If you're new (which perhaps you might be, or maybe are just re-emerging yourself in the community), it's good to have more writers and fresh perspectives here. The community is pretty self-policing when it comes to treating everyone with respect out of character. I hope you enjoy the stories you begin to unravel with Ravana!

[xxsacrificexx]

Speaking as a community member and not as a moderator, it comes across discourteously to say that "if anyone is on a massive, years spanning soliloquy and doesn't want to get a visitation then please mark your threads as private or solo". I think most of us are accustomed to an unspoken rule of: Unless it's specifically marked open, you ask before posting. That's generally how this community operates.

Mostly that. I also feel the need to note that the post was made in the Captains Log section that was explicitly labeled as an area for characters to post journal entries.

I don't think it's really reasonable to ask an entire community to change a general rule we all work with in order to fit one writer's preference, either. It's really just common courtesy to ask before you contribute to someone else's writing.

Obviously these are just my opinions.

It sounds like Ravana is someone my character would like to interact with, though. I'd certainly enjoy writing that type of IC conflict. But not on any of my forum posts, mostly because they stress me the hell out so I prefer writing in the chats or on Discord. If you're interested.

[Lyrene]

I tend not to post much on forum rp's anymore because of that reason - most of them are solo unless otherwise specified. I love reading the way you write Ravana though and would be up for some writing! I miss long form roleplaying on boards a lot.

[Ravana]

Thank you all. I have come to the understanding now that the community has changed considerably in the 10 years I've been away and the conventions have shifted. It used to be that people wrote collaboratively by default. It seems that a "massive, years long soliloquy" is now the standard form. It used to be that characters had to watch their mouth in the forums or feel the consequences on the game board. Do people still play Vampires!? I am not going to ask anyone to change and I apologise for my misunderstanding. I find it sad that what was once such a vibrant, ragged, dangerous community has descended to this, a couple of forums and much vacuous, ephemeral chat.

I learned to write in this community, a skill I have used extensively elsewhere since. This community meant a great deal to me once. When I read the contents of this forum, it cuts me to the quick, not so much for the quality of the writing, which is very good, but for the total lack of interaction. Everyone's characters are sitting in their perfect little suburban gardens, with their little white picket fences, the only acknowledgement of their neighbour being the occasional nod. I do not write this to be insulting but to try to convey the depth of the change I see returning after so long.

I understand that the bulk of the role playing is done in chat - in truth that was always the case. There is clearly a desire to write as the many fine example in this forum show. The desire that is lacking is that for conflict. I have had my ass handed to me more times than I care to recall in role play (if anyone remembers Shikon they will know what I am talking about). I didn't like it one bit (and still don't) but it honed my skills as a writer and as a teller of stories so I wouldn't change it for the world

My intention here was to shake people up a little, try to shed some of the apathy that is so apparent to me. I am going to take this thread and the brouhaha around my posts to be a clear indicator that people don't want to be shook. Fair enough, it's your community now. For me this game was always about the role play (well that and big clan wars but apparently they don't happen much any more either). The pale shadow I see before me saddens me, but I guess I am just going to have to accept it

Matt

EDIT: Oh Church, while it's sweet that you send me my text back when you delete my posts, it's not necessary, I keep backups. Just a note for next time

[Church]

With a bit of luck there won't be a next time, but for my own peace of mind I prefer to include them, just in case someone wants to say I've lost them their work, if it's all the same to you.

As for lack of conflict that's not exactly true - there's plenty of it, but a lot of writers choose to write within their groups for a number of reasons and Discord has become an easy way of keeping track of their own writing. I have a dozen characters that all get up to no good with other writers' characters within the community, but for the most part we keep it to ourselves unless it's something we're quite confident to share. It's a matter of preference, simply put, not to go public with a lot of the writing I do, barring the short and quick writing that can be done in chats.

The community itself isn't nearly as big or active as it used to be, but that doesn't stop conflict from happening, you just don't see it as much in the papers of late. People want to be shook but it's not such a big ask that you simply request to join in before you go ahead and do the shaking, a simple request for courtesy does not equal boring do-gooders that don't want to write mayhem

[Vex]

Personally, I’m happy to write with people, but my inspiration has up and died. If someone wants my character for something, people are absolutely welcome to let me know, but my threads aren’t open because I can’t commit to lengthy posts with no definite end in sight. I just don’t have the time.

I love writing conflict when people understand the nuance that I am not my character. Far too often that’s not been the case, and it’s left me rather jaded regarding publicly writing things of a... more cloak and dagger nature.

[Greyce]

I feel like it's also worth noting that a good deal of the "shake up" you refer to takes place in the game's in-house chat section. People still remain with their cliques sometimes, but you're more likely to get responses or open collaboration there. That's also a more likely place for someone to feel the IC effects of running their mouths.

The forum has become more of a place to share personal works that we wouldn't otherwise put in chat or discord (from what I've noticed, though this doesn't apply to everyone).

These also aren't all soliloquies, and can be stories or journeys. Some people make those trips alone, some with others. Much like others have said, it's a matter of courtesy and respect to request out of character to interact here in the forum if not explicitly stated it's open. If you want a high-impact, vulnerable group the chats or even discord severs could serve you better in that respect.