Pariah and the New Era

Administrator Posts : 458 Join date : 2012-02-04

Hi. It's me, Pat. You know me. If you don't know me, what are you doing here? Go away.

I am using a large font so that you can see this and read it easier and more quickly. Hopefully it will help you READ it and not just skim.

I'm the guy who's running Pariah, BTS, and will, more likely than not, be a major driving and contributing force to the mythical 'New Era' everyone's heard so much about. I also like to world-build things for the setting, and work with others who would like to do the same. Olden is important to me. I have been dedicated to it for years, when it was popular and thriving and when it was not. I haven't had the best track record when it comes to availability or work ethic. It's become a common joke and criticism, whether it's because of my inactivity, my aloof character, or the fact that vast portions of the lore remain 'in my head' rather than written down somewhere. These criticisms are all well-founded, and at innumerable times in Olden's history, they've served to impede the progress and life of the community. Players among us have suffered and lost interest in Olden because of me, whether because of my lack of availability or because of the perpetually unfinished lore. I helped and harmed this community, and this fact weighs heavily upon me. But I've never lost interest. I have loved this community and this setting from the moment I joined it. I have loved it when its own founders, many of its original members, and many, countless other members throughout its history have not. I have been told many horrible things about Olden, been encouraged to forsake it and let it die. Maybe they were right, but I stayed on regardless.

All of that is to say that I love this community, I love the setting, and I love all of the contributions towards it. I love the things that have been retconned - some of them by me. I love the things that have become established parts of the setting. I love the feeling of collaboration and mutual interest that Olden has fostered. I cherish everything that has been added to Olden's history, from ancient shitposts, lore and drama to truly unique additions to the setting. Even when the people themselves have long left, or actually remember their time in Olden badly, I value their additions, and have in many cases continued to develop them, adding on to them in a way I thought they themselves might appreciate.

When Olden died sometime in 2013, I knew I wanted to try to finish the story that Olden had begun to tell. It may not have existed when it began, and was never intended by all of the people who contributed to it, but with Olden seemingly on its last legs, and with those few still involved increasingly devoted to real life concerns, I knew I wanted to try and tell a story that united all the disparate parts of Olden's history into one, final conclusion. The conclusion that I thought it deserved.

And that was Pariah. Pulling details from the Otherworld plotline, the Prophet plotline, the Ossus plotline, the course of events following the 200-years skip (sorry Munroe, but the Black Tower plotline is sort've self-contained) and many more, many slight details from all across Olden's history, Pariah was what I envisioned as the final conclusion. An epic, sweeping conflict resulting in the final defeat of Ossus and the greater threat behind him, the Abyss, resulting in the victory of life over death.

It started well, but in recent times, due to a large number of issues that I won't get into, progress on Pariah has stalled. Meanwhile, we've grown from our initial group of Pear, Dom, Ruta, myself, and Boom, to welcome in Spadge, Drakonnan, Venom, Fuzzy, and Thoro (while ousting Boom). All people who could not easily partake in Pariah, because of the restrictions of the story.

I have tried my best to integrate them, but their interest has always been on the promise of the 'New Era' - another timeskip, after the end of Pariah, that would take place several hundreds of years later, roughly in the technological age of the beginning of the 20th century (1910-1920).

They have, in many cases patiently, in other cases not so patiently, waited for their chance to involve themselves in the roleplay. And all too often I've had nothing to give them but promises of 'someday'.

To put it simply, I feel as though Pariah has become a chore for all involved - even myself. Interest seems to be at an all-time low. I have been told, encouragingly, that people are willing to wait as long as it takes for it to occur organically. But while I believe that they mean that, I don't know if -I- am willing to wait.

We are a small community of people with limited time. A large part of my joy is making this community interested, engaged, and happy with what Olden can provide. And as much as it would hurt to put Pariah behind us, Olden exists because we all enjoy it. Right now, I don't think people are enjoying it.

People have argued against this. I understand their points. But right now, as it is, Olden is not fulfilling its purpose. It has become apathetic, like work, mostly because I have tried to enforce that Pariah must be done before the New Era.

This whole rant may seem disjointed and hard to understand. To put it simply, unless I get a strong, vocal, and unanimous response otherwise, I will begin the move towards the New Era, regardless of Pariah's status. This would start with BTS given priority, along with open lore development of the New Era and the years leading up to the New Age. Once BTS is finished, the New Era would begin.

I don't say this lightly. Pariah is and was extremely important to me, but due to a combination of many factors, even I feel less interested in it than ever before. When I try to run a Pariah session, I get depressed, anxious, desperate. It is this desperation that drives this proposal. I CANNOT continue Pariah if I feel it is not what everyone wants. I thrive on other people's approval and enjoyment. The less Pariah means to you, the less it means to me. And the more I hate myself for trying to continue it.

This proposal may not mean the total end to Pariah - though it might. If interest exists, it would still be possible to continue that story, whether now or later. But anymore, we cannot afford try to adhere to strict ideas of continuity. We have to go where the interest is. Otherwise, the community, the world, is already dead.

Administrator Posts : 458 Join date : 2012-02-04

I wrote this at 5 in the morning. It's probably really confusing to read. Sorry about that.

Administrator Posts : 458 Join date : 2012-02-04

Administrator Posts : 201 Join date : 2012-02-20

I remain here as I always have and mostlike will, lookin' forward to weaving a story that we've had going for a long time.

Subject: Re: Pariah and the New Era Thu Jun 16, 2016 8:22 am

Throughout the years, my presence within the community has been evanescent at best, and ill-motivated at worst. I can recall much of Olden's past as a witness to it, but never as a true participant despite the number of times I've tried to integrate myself as a member of its inner-circle. Primarily, this is due to my own faults and shortcomings – timidity, a lacking dedication, and juvenile experience with writing being my most prominent flaws during said times.

Even still, I've met a lot of people throughout the years here, even as a ghost;

I've met Pear – Someone who's been an undeniably good and loyal friend, one who's stuck around through thick and thin for nigh a decade, and one who's been a key contributor to my current emotional stability and inevitable, albeit light-hearted corruption.

I've also been allowed to re-discover Thoro, Spadge, Ruta, and others. I've been privileged enough to meet Venom and Drak, and their own entourage. All of whom are undeniably good people, with creativity and fun being held not only as their main objective, but as mutual hopes for the people around them.

– But, most notably, I've been able to meet you - Pat - in a proper light.

There are many things I could call you; patient, creative, insightful, open, forgetful, easily distracted, and probably goofy as fuck... But never once have you ever shown yourself as someone who did not care for the setting, or the people in it.

I - of all people - have been welcomed into the limelight of Olden's twilight with open arms, not only from you, but from everyone you've played host to. Though short, my time here as a proper participant of the Olden saga has been great fun, and the acceptance I feel is beyond what I've felt in countless other communities in the past.

I can safely say, without a doubt, that I will support whatever decision you, and by extension - everyone else, come to.

I abstain.

Subject: Re: Pariah and the New Era Thu Jun 16, 2016 10:11 am

Edgelord Posts : 1 Join date : 2016-02-03 Age : 30

I conveyed my opinion on the matter to Pat through a conversation, rather than a forum post. Given he asked that I post the logs here, here you go:

Pat: https://aeriaroleplay.rpg-board.net/t1067-pariah-and-the-new-era For your consideration.
Drakacus: If I'm speaking from my perspective, I'm generally fine with the RPs that occur in Pariah. As said before, my only complaint comes in from how rushed along things generally seem to be - which while sometimes from Ruta, I feel more often than not comes from you. I understand that you feel rushed by people who are outside the Pariah circle and can't fully integrate themselves, but I honestly get the impression that some of the pressure on that front is in your own head. Maybe people are more on the warpath about it than I'm aware, but it always seemed like you were more anxious about pressing on than they were. Of course, there's really no way to fix that - if one isn't enjoying something for one reason or another, then that's simply how it is. But on a personal level, while things related to the Archfiends, Hell and Sarkun can be worked out from an OOC development stand point to determine what all took place - I'm honestly going to feel bad for leaving the Xe'ae and Xa'ta's story as a 'this is what happened' cliff note.
Drakacus: That'd be my only real problem with leaving this unfinished - for a variety of reasons. That at the very least is the only thing I was 100% firm on seeing through to the end, and wasn't going to accept skimming over.
Drakacus: But if everyone is vouching in favor of skipping, then there's really nothing to be said about it. But it seems like - at least from Ruta and Fuzzy - the answers have just been: "I'm fine with whatever."
Drakacus: Which again brings it back around to: I feel like the only one that's ultra diehard about progressing is you.
Pat: I think you're right. People are excited for the new era, but they aren't CONSTANTLY pressing for it. But that's just the thing - they're excited for the new era. Not Pariah. When they talk about Olden things, it's never what's going to happen in Pariah, it's about the new era. I know both you and Ruta are into Pariah, but to be honest - you're the only ones. Maybe I did it myself, but it was fueled by - real or perceived - feelings of apathy among the community. I can't stand that. As I point out in the thread, I just want to feel like I'm providing an enjoyable experience for my audience.
Pat: I actually feel like death when I try to run a session of Pariah. Like, total creative death.
Drakacus: Thing is though, you generally are. The Ancient scene was enjoyable for what it was, and I think everyone had a good time. If no one is coming to you to talk about the New Era, I think that's because things are more or less set with it. What's the point in talking about what might happen / is going to happen? It's worked out, and all that's left is to do it. What is going over the same points again and again going to do? It's not because there's no interest in it.
Drakacus: Pear obviously has things in mind for the New Era that he's going to be hyped about, but Pariah still has Elly in it. Even if he might seem apathetic about the story from time to time, he still gives a shit about Elly, and she's a crucial piece of Pariah.
Drakacus: Just because people aren't rambling about Pariah doesn't mean they don't care. When it comes to providing an enjoyable experience, I understand that - part of why I dropped out of running team two was because I felt like I was making a shitty product that wasn't going to be enjoyable. But unlike myself, who had difficulty running it because it simply wasn't my creation, that problem is more or less eliminated when you're at the helm. It'd be like me running a Desertia RP - it's more natural. When you get people together for a session, they're enjoying themselves whether you're perceiving it or not. Again, it's in your head. When we were doing the Ancient RP, as you said, you started cracking when you were trying to get things moving, but all of us were sitting there ready to go. We weren't uninterested like you seemed to be thinking - it was just you.
Drakacus: If no one cared, people would flat out say: "Eh, I don't feel like it." Whenever it's brought up, every single time. Or they'd just outright drop out.
Drakacus: Again, drawing attention to Pear: When you asked him if he wanted to do the Ancient session on a Saturday, he responded with: "That's not going to work for me - how about tomorrow?"
Drakacus: And when you hesitantly asked if he'd actually be okay with doing it tomorrow: "..Yeah? Why WOULDN'T I want to do it tomorrow?"
Drakacus: There wasn't any question about it, and he wasn't putting it off. He wanted to get back into it.
Drakacus: I honestly think you're confusing contented silence / peaceful enjoyment with utter apathy.
Drakacus: Where a lack of excited speculation and constantly asking about it / trying to urge for more sessions is an indication that people don't care, when they're simply at a comfortable, calmer pace.
Pat: I think you're partially right, but at the same time also wrong. When I sent the thread to Pear this morning, his response was thus:
Pat: 5:58 AM - Pear: I skimmed regardless
5:58 AM - Pear: The long narrative wasn't nessesary for me
5:59 AM - Pat: yeah
5:59 AM - Pat: i shouldn't have gone on too long
5:59 AM - Pear: "Hey I'm thinking about speeding up or skipping Pariah"
5:59 AM - Pat: yes
5:59 AM - Pear: To which I would say
5:59 AM - Pear: "K"
5:59 AM - Pear: Less Pariah means more BTS which means New Era sooner
6:03 AM - Pear is now Snooze.
6:06 AM - Pat: seems I was right about the disinterest and apathy then, lol
6:06 AM - Pear is now Online.
6:07 AM - Pear: Less so that
6:07 AM - Pear: More so the crushing feeling of work draining away my life one day after the next, steadily lowering my maximum life expectancy
Drakacus: I think if Pariah was more regular, he'd be fine with it.
Drakacus: I think what he wants is whatever means he can have regular RP. As he said, it's not that he doesn't care about Pariah - it's the fact it isn't happening.
Drakacus: That's what's bothering him.
Drakacus: His work is strangling him, and so he wants a form of reliable RP - or anything - as an outlet to detox. Pariah's long pauses is what's causing him to say: "New era plz."
Drakacus: I'd be willing to bet a more frequent Pariah would resolve that.
Drakacus: Alright, here's the hard question I think needs to be asked:
Drakacus: Going around whether or not Pear can be swayed, or if anyone else has interest might not really matter. If everyone is interested but you continue to feel like we're not, then it's all for nothing. So I think this is what needs to be asked:
Drakacus: Is your lack of motivation actually rooted in how you perceive our interest, or have you yourself lost interest? Like if we all were to do a Pariah session soon and all be 100% content / interested in it, do you honestly think you'd be motivated to do it?
Pat: I might? It's hard to tell. A good deal of this is probably my own perception of things, but recently, I did a session of BTS with everyone - including Venom - attending
Pat: There was no combat, only dialogue
Pat: And everyone seemed invested in it, posted frequently, seemed involved.
Pat: I felt good about that. But with Pariah, I go forward with the basic assumption - "This is not something people want."
Pat: Even unconsciously.
Pat: Unless I could derive the same level of interest - even then, I don't know. For the last, long while I've been in a sort of creative stupor.
Pat: I don't know, exactly, if that would change with the new era, but so far the response has been more enthused in general. Fuzzy of course abstained, but Pear was alright with it, Venom was happy with it, Spadge was good with it
Drakacus: Mhm. I honestly sensed the whole creative stupor a while back, which is why I'm asking what I am.
Pat: I don't think I can really occupy a 'leadership' position in any category. My confidence in myself is so low that the mere act of asserting "Pariah first, New Era second"
Pat: Just crushes me
Pat: It makes me feel like an absolute failure, someone trying to push this stale narrative that's keeping people from participating, in which there feels little weight or importance
Pat: The guilt, imagined or real, is killing me, and while I might be willing to say it's imagined now, in a week from now, if I recommitted to Pariah
Drakacus: You'd relapse.
Pat: Everyone would go along with it - yeah
Drakacus: The root of your own insecurity on this, unfortunately to say, is yourself. On the one hand that's a sucky thing to acknowledge, because it's not something that can easily be addressed, but pointing it out at least allows you to know what you're dealing with.
Drakacus: Honestly, I think if a huge part of this is that Pariah's story feels stale and has no weight to you, it's probably because of the New Era.
Drakacus: While I don't think a whole lot on it, upon thought it does become obvious that the New Era kind of.. 'invalidates' Pariah.
Drakacus: It's an apocalyptic scale conflict where the life of the entire sphere is on the line. A screw up means EVERYTHING dies. That's as endgame as you can possibly get, and it WAS intended originally as Olden's big finale.
Drakacus: But knowing that the New Era comes next invalidates a good deal of that struggle, because there's no real way that the Abyss has any chance in hell of winning. If it won, the New Era wouldn't happen, and that obviously isn't going to be allowed.
Pat: Though I had the thought of going forward with the New Era and allowing the Abyss to do whatever within the scope of Pariah... Basically to try and say "Oh, you thought you were safe to do anything? Nope."
Pat: Some... alternate universe bullshit maybe.
Pat: Anyway, go on.
Drakacus: If there's anything that still narratively draws anyone to Pariah, it's the characters. Whatever way you slice it, there's no way Ruta is going to stop giving a shit about Thorn.
Drakacus: I'll be honest - I'LL be fucking pissed if Thorn's story and the conclusion gets boiled down to a cliff note of: "This is what happened."
Drakacus: And as said, the most firm complaint about skipping Pariah I have would be the loss of the Xe'ae and Xa'ta's story. Pear might feel the same about Elly, I'd wager.
Drakacus: Even if we know the Abyss likely won't win, the fate of the characters is still important to us, and I think that's what skipping the Pariah story loses.
Drakacus: I mean, ultimately?
Drakacus: Pariah's almost done, all things considered.
Drakacus: It's literally just:
Drakacus: Marcus.
Drakacus: Go face Ossus.
Drakacus: Then Abyss.
Drakacus: It's as 'act 3' as you can get.
Drakacus: I honestly vouch that if Pariah IS going to be skimmed, important notes should still be struck on in some fashion. If only for those characters.
Drakacus: Because ultimately, you can bet your soul that we're motivated to give a 100% shit about them.
Pat: save this conversation, if you could
Drakacus: Always do.
Pat: as far as the above
Pat: i don't think i can make the decision
Pat: in a role of leadership, i am perpetually convinced that any action I take is loathed by all parties, so I try to get their firm stances but that never really works
Drakacus: This is why I asked the question I did about whether you'd be motivated if we all voiced our support for Pariah.
Drakacus: I honestly get the impression that there's more to your hesitation here than is being said, or acknowledged.
Drakacus: It feels like even if we DID give our firm stances, there's something else at work.
Pat: I don't know what that would be, other than my crippling depression
Drakacus: Whatever it is, it's just causing a cycle.
Drakacus: Honestly, it might be for the best to just skim across Pariah / skip it.
Drakacus: If only because when it comes to the New Era, others can take the helm of their own RPs. You won't have to make these calls anymore.
Drakacus: Which would be best both for the function of roleplay, as well as your own health.
Pat: Can you do me a favor, and post these logs on the forums? I'm having Spadge do the same with the logs he took when we spoke earlier
Drakacus: Sure.

Monthly Bather Posts : 336 Join date : 2012-02-04

Usually I can't stand to read something so long but I did it anyways because spadge and venom are waiting on me to play Overwatch and I'm trying to make them wait.

As for my stance on Pariah and BTS and New Era and etc. I like Pariah when I'm involved in it but my characters limited my involvement from the beginning. Pariah is a story for a different group of people so I feel like it doesn't affect me. I rarely get to do anything in Pariah and everything I could do could be written as a note. I enjoy BtS and have big hopes for New Era. I'm in favour of moving ahead with BtS and New Era if just to give all of us a chance to RP together rather than some of us getting to RP and others watching from the outside.

I'm also not going to be like some of these shitters and not give a solid answer.

Subject: Re: Pariah and the New Era Thu Jun 16, 2016 10:24 am

5:07 PM - Pat: yaaay
6:06 PM - Pat: hey spadge
6:06 PM - Pat: can you do me a favor
6:08 PM - Pat: and post the logs you took
6:08 PM - Pat: on the forums
6:08 PM - Pat: same thread

========

11:18 AM - Pat: spledge
11:30 AM - Spadge: putt
11:19 AM - Pat: i wrote a stupid thing on the forums
11:19 AM - Pat: it's like twice as long as it needs to be
11:20 AM - Pat: but basically it's proposing moving forward with the new era stuff, regardless of Pariah
11:34 AM - Spadge: oh my
11:34 AM - Spadge: I'll give it a read
11:34 AM - Spadge: I've got time before I have to leave
11:22 AM - Pat: i wrote it at like
11:22 AM - Pat: 5 am
11:22 AM - Pat: and i regret immensely the way i wrote it
11:34 AM - Spadge: so I should assume this is the best you can do
11:22 AM - Pat: yes
11:38 AM - Spadge: read it
11:26 AM - Pat: oooooooooooooeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
11:38 AM - Spadge: good
11:39 AM - Spadge: I approve
11:39 AM - Spadge: to be frank, when you told me fuzzy/drak wanted to let Pariah happen over the course of months or years
11:39 AM - Spadge: that upset me
11:40 AM - Spadge: since you were maintaining that the new age wouldn't happen until pariah was finished
11:40 AM - Spadge: of course
11:41 AM - Spadge: there is always the option to go with your original idea
11:41 AM - Spadge: let Pariah be the 'end' of olden
11:28 AM - Pat: lol
11:41 AM - Spadge: and start something new in the meantime
11:41 AM - Spadge: while the pariah-ers get grey haired in the meantime
11:41 AM - Spadge: you're not
11:42 AM - Spadge: beholden to create more Aeria Pat
11:42 AM - Spadge: if its not what you want to do
11:30 AM - Pat: well i really do like olden
11:30 AM - Pat: i could also do other things
11:30 AM - Pat: but i like using olden as a sort of uh
11:30 AM - Pat: Well, Ruta and I have agreed that we like using Olden as a sort of sandbox for history and social concepts
11:30 AM - Pat: We learn something, go 'oooooo that's interesting'
11:31 AM - Pat: and apply it to olden
11:32 AM - Pat: i also like to give people a good time in these settings
11:33 AM - Pat: and that's really what's pushing me to change to the new era, the feeling that nobody is really having fun, they're doing it out of loyalty or deference to ME
11:33 AM - Pat: and while i appreciate that it also kills my soul
11:46 AM - Spadge: the feeling of being pitied
11:47 AM - Spadge: or humored
11:47 AM - Spadge: is the most disgusting feeling
11:35 AM - Pat: Yeah
11:35 AM - Pat: Well, that and
11:35 AM - Pat: apathy?
11:47 AM - Spadge: you're putting work in
11:35 AM - Pat: I do this stuff for my own enjoyment
11:35 AM - Pat: but a good deal of that enjoyment
11:47 AM - Spadge: but it doesn't matter to the people you do it for
11:35 AM - Pat: comes from making YOU guys happy
11:47 AM - Spadge: or atleast, they're not giving you anything back for it
11:35 AM - Pat: yeah
11:35 AM - Pat: i admit
11:35 AM - Pat: Well
11:35 AM - Pat: imagine trying to be creative
11:36 AM - Pat: Like, really innovative or at least interesting
11:36 AM - Pat: to make interesting settings and details and a story that exists on its own without the players - which I always figure is a hallmark of an interesting world, it doesn't NEED you to exist
11:36 AM - Pat: While like
11:36 AM - Pat: It feels as if nobody else really cares
11:37 AM - Pat: I've done that before, put real effort into something and had everyone LEAVE the server before it was actually finished
11:37 AM - Pat: came for the combat, left before the actual story - something that would link the main story back to this event - began
11:38 AM - Pat: And like
11:38 AM - Pat: I have my own, base interest
11:38 AM - Pat: But it's very, very much informed by what my audience is interested in
11:38 AM - Pat: i can't be like Drak, totally uncaring of what the audience wants
11:38 AM - Pat: complete purity of story or whatever
11:51 AM - Spadge: im glad
11:39 AM - Pat: when we were uh
11:39 AM - Pat: trying to schedule bts
11:39 AM - Pat: that chat killed my soul
11:39 AM - Pat: and made me dread the session
11:39 AM - Pat: because it seemed nobody cared
11:40 AM - Pat: I need input - I can't run blind here, I'm not confident enough for that
11:57 AM - Spadge: well
11:57 AM - Spadge: thoro and I don't have schedules
11:58 AM - Spadge: if we have something planned we'll bring it up, but otherwise asking either of us when is good is mostly a courtesy
11:58 AM - Spadge: but I can't speak for everyone else
11:59 AM - Spadge: fuzzy is either apethetic, or bent on pleasing the crowd
11:59 AM - Spadge: so she'll never voice her opinion on anything involving her convenience
11:59 AM - Spadge: Pear like
11:59 AM - Spadge: actually doesn't give a shit
12:00 PM - Spadge: unless you tell him it's on a workday, in whcih case he'll curse at you
12:00 PM - Spadge: but yeah, I would say Pear is apethetic
12:01 PM - Spadge: idk about ruta
12:01 PM - Spadge: I can't tell if he's just easy going about when's a good time
12:02 PM - Spadge: or if the M&B rp has totally taken him in and he's become apethetic
12:02 PM - Spadge: venom seemed invested
11:50 AM - Pat: well
12:02 PM - Spadge: but I don't remember a whole lot about that convo
11:50 AM - Pat: everyone seemed invested during the BTS stuff
12:03 PM - Spadge: sure
12:03 PM - Spadge: it's the same thing as when
12:03 PM - Spadge: you ask someone what they want to eat and they say, "Anything's fine."
11:51 AM - Pat: actually infuriating
12:04 PM - Spadge: as soon as the food is on the plate infront of them, they're a whole lot more invested in what they're eating
12:04 PM - Spadge: yes
12:04 PM - Spadge: yes it is
12:05 PM - Spadge: I don't have any experience with countering that
12:05 PM - Spadge: like, IRL
11:53 AM - Pat: to be fair
12:05 PM - Spadge: you just start deciding on your own
11:53 AM - Pat: i don't have much experience with it
11:53 AM - Pat: the rare times it does happen
11:53 AM - Pat: it's usually uh
11:53 AM - Pat: someone offers a place
11:53 AM - Pat: '...naaaahh'
12:06 PM - Spadge: if they decide they have an opinion, they can tell you.
12:06 PM - Spadge: if a 'nah' is all they give you
12:06 PM - Spadge: fuck them
12:06 PM - Spadge: you call them on that BS
12:07 PM - Spadge: and if they still pussyfoot around you decide for them
12:07 PM - Spadge: after a few times of that
12:07 PM - Spadge: either they'll get over their indecision, and start telling you what they want
12:08 PM - Spadge: or they'll go to someone else to be a fuckwit about it
12:08 PM - Spadge: which, y'know, sucks
12:08 PM - Spadge: but atleast the little dance is over then
11:56 AM - Pat: lol
12:08 PM - Spadge: the only way I know to deal with that is to say
11:56 AM - Pat: i mostly just want to know that people care
12:08 PM - Spadge: "Either make a decision, or I'm making it for you."
12:08 PM - Spadge: well then you'll know
12:08 PM - Spadge: if they -really- cared
11:56 AM - Pat: That they enjoy roleplaying in the stories and settings I provide
11:56 AM - Pat: like
11:56 AM - Pat: venom is actually good for this
11:56 AM - Pat: he's very vocal about wanting in
11:57 AM - Pat: And it's not so much that he does that
11:57 AM - Pat: it's that I keep having to tell him no
11:57 AM - Pat: It's fucking agonizing, because enthusiasm should be cherished and rewarded, not stifled
11:57 AM - Pat: same with Fuzzy
11:57 AM - Pat: she's extremely enthusiastic about the new era and BTS
11:58 AM - Pat: but I keep having to hold it from her
11:58 AM - Pat: Anymore, the rewards of Pariah don't match the drawbacks of withholding what they want
12:11 PM - Spadge: I think
12:12 PM - Spadge: if you want to find a solution
12:12 PM - Spadge: whether that be starting the new era, or getting pariah moving
12:12 PM - Spadge: you've run out of 'safe' options pat
12:12 PM - Spadge: you've tried making everyone happy
12:12 PM - Spadge: you've tried shouldering all the weight, and hoping people showed real interest
12:13 PM - Spadge: you've tried scheduling, and doing fun alternative things to break up the 'chore' of pariah
12:13 PM - Spadge: you're going to have to start doing things you don't like to do
12:13 PM - Spadge: you're going to have to stir the shit
12:01 PM - Pat: which is
12:01 PM - Pat: what i'm doing with this
12:01 PM - Pat: moving forward
12:13 PM - Spadge: right
12:01 PM - Pat: Pariah will NEVER happen.
12:01 PM - Pat: It's just not going to happen
12:14 PM - Spadge: if that's the way it is, you don't blame yourself
12:14 PM - Spadge: you've done what you can to make it work, but the people involved aren't giving back
12:02 PM - Pat: and that hurts because the story of Pariah, or at least its themes, they're important to me personally
12:14 PM - Spadge: by your account
12:14 PM - Spadge: it pretty much sucks on all fronts
12:15 PM - Spadge: even though I'm not a participant, hearing about pariah told by people who played it was entertaining
12:15 PM - Spadge: and I too am / was interested in how it concluded
12:15 PM - Spadge: but I have to agree
12:15 PM - Spadge: with what I know, it sounds like it will never conclude
12:15 PM - Spadge: Pear doesn't Pariah anymore
12:15 PM - Spadge: ever
12:16 PM - Spadge: Fuzzy and Drak want to take a year or more to rp it sporatically
12:17 PM - Spadge: ruta is a busybody, and he's even started working again
12:17 PM - Spadge: I think you decision to force things forward is the right one
12:17 PM - Spadge: maybe the only response, aside from discontinuing olden
12:18 PM - Spadge: so know atleast one person supports your choice
12:18 PM - Spadge: but now I have to go. I'll be back in several hours.
12:06 PM - Pat: one second
12:06 PM - Pat: pear does
12:06 PM - Pat: listen to his response:
12:06 PM - Pat: 5:58 AM - Pear: I skimmed regardless
5:58 AM - Pear: The long narrative wasn't nessesary for me
5:59 AM - Pat: yeah
5:59 AM - Pat: i shouldn't have gone on too long
5:59 AM - Pear: "Hey I'm thinking about speeding up or skipping Pariah"
5:59 AM - Pat: yes
5:59 AM - Pear: To which I would say
5:59 AM - Pear: "K"
5:59 AM - Pear: Less Pariah means more BTS which means New Era sooner
12:06 PM - Pat: 6:06 AM - Pat: seems I was right about the disinterest and apathy then, lol
6:06 AM - Pear is now Online.
6:07 AM - Pear: Less so that
6:07 AM - Pear: More so the crushing feeling of work draining away my life one day after the next, steadily lowering my maximum life expectancy
12:19 PM - Spadge: two out of... however many of us there are
12:07 PM - Pat: venom does
12:07 PM - Pat: i told venom about this first
12:07 PM - Pat: the sad thing about this decision is
12:08 PM - Pat: It won't get much backlash.
12:20 PM - Spadge: yes
12:08 PM - Pat: it was mostly just fuzzy, drak, and ruta
12:20 PM - Spadge: and from them I expect you get
12:21 PM - Spadge: "okay." "makes sense"
12:21 PM - Spadge: well maybe not from drak
12:21 PM - Spadge: but maybe yes from drak. idk
12:21 PM - Spadge: we'll see
12:21 PM - Spadge: it is sad
12:21 PM - Spadge: if the same begins to happen for the New Era
12:21 PM - Spadge: we'll need to head it off sooner
12:21 PM - Spadge: immediately
12:22 PM - Spadge: whenever the apathy beings to grow, we'll need a countermeasure
12:22 PM - Spadge: but I've really got to go, so I'll talk to you in a few hours
12:10 PM - Pat: alright
12:10 PM - Pat: seeya
12:22 PM - Spadge: I saved this chat so far for posterity
12:22 PM - Spadge: if you need it again
12:10 PM - Pat: Alright
12:10 PM - Pat: thanks