Welcome to the guild.

Honestly, I don't think there's an issue being open about one's status as a good writer, as long as the person doesn't come across as pretentious. Take me for example; in my introduction topic I made no secret of the fact that I'm a good writer, but I didn't give any sort of presumption that there weren't other good writers on the site. That would be where things become patronizing, and I myself have no tolerance nor respect for people who talk down to me, so I generally only make statements about my own capabilities rather than compare myself to others, especially since I don't care what other people think.

Also, literary education is less important to storytelling than a personal devotion and soulful investment to one's writing. This isn't to say that there is a problem with studying literature, by any means, but doing things "by the book" does not necessarily translate to being effective. That's why I was more impressed when you talked about people applying themselves to their work than I was when you mentioned your education. There are far too many people out there who think education validates proficiency, and in practice it really fails to do so. There are also far too many people with an education on a subject that have a superiority complex due to it, and many who are rather incompetent.

I myself have little in the way of qualifications on paper, since my history made obtaining such things near impossible, but I am heavily self-taught in a variety of fields and I make a point of thoroughly analysing all the works I encounter, including my own. I've provided numerous instances of assistance to other writers and helped them move forward with their projects. I'm also definitely my own biggest critic in that sense, being something of a severe perfectionist. All of this without a real education. I mention this simply to illustrate that bringing up your education as the validation of your skill as a writer is similar to a person relying on their prestige. Do not take this as me questioning your capabilities; I simply think you presented yourself in a less than ideal way. I'm no hypocrite though, so I'm perfectly aware that by being forthright with you here, my stance is also less than ideal since many people are unable to handle a person speaking their mind.

At any rate, welcome back to the site. I know what it feels like to only post up sub-par to what you're actually capable of, since I'm usually the same way. I seldom ever find a role-play which invokes my interest enough to validate giving it my full effort, plus I'm always multitasking due to the sheer size of my main writing project. I really am the "easily masters their passions but is completely disinterested in everything else" type of person. Just one of many reasons why I may not even be participating in role-play here, and instead simply continue working on my story as the sole writing project I invest myself in.

[@ArenaSnow]
Lol, clean slate means a clean soul. That works.