Everyone Read! Main Arc (Again)

[GoldenKitten]

Alright heres the question thats been a long time coming.

Should we, or should we not, continue the main arc?

Understand I am not asking if we should stop RP'ing, I am asking if those still interested believe we should put the larger more epic thinking arcs on the back burner in favor of shorter contained stories. It seems to me the few people still along for the ride are posting more out of duty than enjoyment. So should we put it on hold until either more people join or those around have more free time to devote to a complex/time-consuming full story?

Either way you feel if you could also tell me why, just so I get a sense of where everyone is at.

- Goldenkitten

[Galihan]

I like the idea of once we finish up the current story, we put it on hold in order to start other stuff instead of jumping right in to another arc directly connected to the first. It'd give us more chance to devellop characters and introduce new ones.

[Uryuujin]

I agree with Galihan on this one. I love the big arcs, but it woud be a good idea to take a break from one to the next, only because of the not-so-enthusiastic participation.

-Uryuujin

[Fensake Daito]

better idea. boot everyone who's curently slack-assing out of the arc. and then just go with who-ever is left *nods8 it's so asshole-ish that it just HAS to work.


Okay but to be serious, No no NOOOOO more big arcs. the last sites arcs worked so well cause they were small and all over the place. instead of one big thread where everyone feels they have to out-post one another and waste everyones time by then not posting until they can make something as epic as the last guy, who typically, ISN'T EVEN IN THE SAME AREA.


so yeah, break it now, I'll get the hammer and chisel....and dynamite..lot's of dynamite hehehehe.

[GoldenKitten]

While I agree with you all that we need a break and once we wrap this up thats what we will do I have to argue a point Fensake.

First, you were even on the first site?

Anyway though the way you describe it, thats not what RP'ing is about. I suppose there are people out there who feel that way, you must be one of them to make such a statement but RP'ing isn't about outdoing the last poster. Its about having fun, improving your writing skill and being able to look back at a large collaboration and be proud know that you were a significant driving force in a total sum of all things.

I also have to point out that while we may take a break saying no to a large story completely is folly. Thats akin to saying Bleach should be comprised completely of nothing but filler episodes. Would Bleach be as interesting or popular if it was comprised of 1-2 episode shots involving Kon fighting Hollows, “Bwahahahaha”'ing Rangers save the day or rescuing spirits by baking cakes -_-? The simple fact is that these “Coffee Shop” RP's (or in those examples episodes) as I call them are good for breaking up the main arc and alleviating monotony when it inevitably sets in when a concept has been the focus for to long but not as the central focus of a site. When nothing is connected theres no sense of gain, no sense of what you did before having any impact on what is now going on.

We will take a break for a while and on that note I'm all ears for possible ideas but unless the site as a whole feels that way I plan to return to the central plot once everyones had some break time. Even if it means we do some smaller arcs each time a big arc ends it would be little true test of our characters if the biggest issues they had could be solved in a page or two of posts.

[Fensake Daito]

oh no, i'm not Golden, and I was I THINK on the last site before you ever were(may be wrong but I think I was)) Now then, what i mena is I know poeple who look at a post and think "okay I gotta post on par with that or not post at all" It;'s aggravating and can slow ANYthing down.

Now then, what I mean by "no more large arcs" I mean don't through the entire arc into one thread where you got everyone in a single thread. As sections of it break off, allow the thread itself to break off into a seperate area for them. Make a seperate board,(which we did) and then you will break that single arc thread into a seperate thread, all still connected, but seperately threaded accoridng to posting groups.


say you, takashi, keiji, hyuuu, byt, mun and fuke are all in a thread.

now, you and takeshi amd hyuuu are off omewhere away from the other ones. so you put the other guys into a different thread on thr same basic timeline, and then stay with just the posting group containing you takeshi and hyuuu in the first thread.

Meanwhile you'd have...whatever I named the other fake poepleworking in THEIr post group in a thread where they don't see the massive group[ p[osts you guys seem to enjoy.
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As to taking breaks, yes, they always take a break between. you need the fillers o make a good anime. you wouldn't like bleach if he didn't have to go practice by himself after aizen fuxored him. then after practice/whatever, you can go back into it all.

[GoldenKitten]

This was actually an argument we had before even starting the arc. The whole “single” or “multiple” discussion of what comprises a large arc. The problem we saw with having multiple arcs is that characters in one section of that arc wouldn't have any clue what was going on with another character. Now if all their missing is John and Bob talking about flowers I can completely understand that they don't really need to know, but what if they miss something important? What if say the main antagonist that are coming up to the point where they will all be revealed is in a section where a person has no PC's to post for, so they don't read it? Thus in the next RP when these people show up they ask “Who the hell is that?”, sure its an exaggerated example since most people will spot them since their bound to be mentioned in preparation conversation but its an example none the less.

Just comparing it to Bleach again, it would be like only showing what Ichigo saw through the entire SS arc with no other view points. Sure in real life you might only get one view point but in most stories to make anything cohesive you have to see it from multiple view points since telling it all to any one person would be boring, long, difficult and leave all other characters sort of guessing at what was going on (unless the story is about keeping the mystery but thats not what an RP containing many people is about).

While I agree that smaller sections would speed things up how would it be possible to use them and not lose the whole point of there being a central story?

[Fensake Daito]

you have a central area that posts daily/weekly updates on what's hapening overall. all threads basic activites in a short news-burst of sorts

[GoldenKitten]

Sounds like allot of work for a few people. It'd be a good system if we had 20-30+ members participating but quite overkill for whats now maybe 4-5 at max.

[chanchan05]

I havent been actually posting yet, as I havent even had posted my application, but from my experience, setting a general plot for the entire site or per race of beings, then letting the people role play several small arcs would do good. Then the presence of the general plot would ensure that we can all wind them all together down the road...

using the anime as an example in a what if the anime was a forum scenario...

start with little threads wherein for the most part the people from one thread know nothing of what is happening in the other thread:
shinji taking aizen as a lieutenant
kisuke becoming a captain
aizen's extracurricular plans
tousen as aizen's spy
the boy genius (Gin)
Soifon and Yorouichi
Shunsui's girls
Looking for a lieutenant (kaien shiba)

all suddenly wind up into one big arc:
the disappearing shinigami

after which, the anime degenerates into another multitude of little arcs:
byakuya's promise
the three friends (renji, kira and momo)
gin and rangiku
etcetera...

All of which again may be tied into the greater arc...

what im trying to say is that, let the people have their own little arcs, but make it so that the events in these arcs have an effect on an eventual major arc...