On a personal level, reading about how someone emerged victorious from something difficult for them... and how it changed them for the rest of their lives, that is what intrigues me. So, in roleplaying, planning out conflicts, both on a personal and group level, and seeing how the PCs get through them, that is what intrigues me; Even if it is just a fraction of their life we get to see, and everything seems kind of magnified. When we get to feel, experience, and brood over how a character is doing, we want to know what happens to them next (usually; some of us are chemically weird). This is especially so when we can relate to that character, because in a way, they're like us!

So, what engages me? Other than someone kneeling in front of me and brandishing a tiny jack-in-the-box?

Are you confused?



You look confused.

I think it might be easier to say what causes me to disengage from the story, because 9 times out of 10, I try to discipline myself into committing to something and trying to help. Not that I'm saying that others don't, it just means I just stick around and give it my best, and sometimes that's bitten me in the ass when folks didn't really care about my efforts in the first place. I was hurted.

Oh, that's one of the things that disengages me! D:

Well, IC wise, what engages me most is when characters have inner monologue about what they're experiencing (that is, what I put out in front of them with my own PCs). Learning how those characters think teaches me how their writers write, and thus how they think. Which in turn helps me figure out how to engage them and make things fun for them. If I spent all of my time peppering people with questions with things they like, I'd wind up with carpal tunnel.

What urges me to be passionate about my posting!? D: Gee um, let me think. Well, I'm a people pleaser, as one starkly beautiful mind once shared with me. That is true. I'm an entertainer, a showman, a magician. Yes, I'm a fucking magician, with tricks and sleights of hand, who rails his assistant with a sa-- wait, no that's not- .. I mean...



Yes, I'm a fucking magician, who aims to please the eye and confuse it at the same time. My posts have to be captivating and endearing to my readers, my fellow roleplayers. Why should I write when nobody enjoys it? 'Oh, but Mikael/Rumples, you can escape from real life and be your character and improve your writing, and just be awesome.' ^^; A mindset that I empathize with, for sure. But I realized something: I'm always improving my writing (and I'm also typically awesome!)... and some people escape real life by helping others and entertaining them. My characters, though? They're my tools. A piece of me, yes, like one of my fingers. But like a lizard and his tail, I'll gladly cut that finger off so that the huge beast of boredom gets distracted while you and I escape to Narnia (or what have you).

And that is what gets me passionate. ^ Writing like that, to engage others, to amuse them. Now I just need to keep doing that in IC context.

What an intriguing question. If it's referring to IC, then there are no interactions that I would personally like to avoid: I believe any interaction, whether good or bad, can be used for the enrichment of the PCs involved and the advancement of the story. If this question's referring to OOC, then it's probably just to avoid a lack of interactions (or communication), like when people message each other and don't get back to each other.

I think the reasons for the resistance to emerge are perfect ones: being taken over, oppressed, etc. It's a classical story element and there's nothing wrong with it. I don't think it's too big (we've barely gotten started). I think there is certainly something that needs to involve the PCs more: perhaps, as I've done with Fallen's Charles, a personal reason that is dear to them. I have absolutely no problem making sure other PCs have something personal to them get threatened. Rico has his own plans IC for doing this (as Charles put it, why does Rico seemingly want the RG to succeed?), and it just so happens to serve an OOC purpose too (getting other players involved).

More or less what I'm doing now: preparing my villains to be sons of bitches and assessing the weaknesses and strengths of the opposition. What changed is that I was needed sooner to help keep things going. I do wish that my entire Prae Strike Force was already written up and approved, but IRL sapped my energy for doing it. The enthusiasm and interest is still there, I just literally could not find time to sit down and write.