@HalvtandWhile I did write up most of my recent proposals on very little sleep, and I've technically had barely any sleep right now as well, I still want to give a decent response to the feedback, especially since all this has potential implications down the line and what I've posted up could very well serve as a guide to other people. I was originally planning on sending those to you directly through PM, rather than posting them up here, since there would be no point leaving them posted here if they weren't used, but, like I said, sleep deprivation. I should probably make a point that things are going to get a lot more hectic on my end shortly, so what kind of effect it has on my activity is up in the air.
You're walking towards the character-centred territory again, I should get a dog whistle to get you back here :P
You slightly hit on a personal pet peeve of mine with the way that was worded, but since I'm sure is was just a joke, given how you usually aim at humour (and I usually enjoy that) and how you would have had no context to why it might irk me (and with how Ailyn responded positively to the post, it's clear to me that she either missed why it might've irritated me too, or she was just responding to what you said to her), I'll ignore it. I doubt any offense was intended.
As for the specific point about the character-centred territory, I guess you could say it's a bit unavoidable with me, not only because of the advanced role-player thing but also due to me being a novelist. Characters can't truly exist without a good story and plot, so having a strong focus for the story is important, but a story also can't exist at all without characters. Even the most stereotype/trope-heavy franchises usually fail to win over the audience (from a story-perspective anyway, since plenty of games are popular despite badly written stories or non-existent stories) if the characters don't invoke sympathy or hatred; which is something only characterization can bring to the table, not the narrative. You've been complementing my attention to detail, thorough nature, and writing techniques, in our various PMs, but it does seem like, as I expected, it might be harder for me to simplify myself for this type of RP than would be ideal for the intended focus presented here.
Honestly though. I'm going to have to stick to that limit of three. Not only because it is fair to everyone because everyone is treated the same under the same rules, but also because it is part of the challenge of the game. To contain yourself to a maximum of three good and three bad things (and a minimum of two for each). Some classes could stack both advantages and disadvantages like pancakes, mages are one of these. There is literally no end to the possibilities, which is part of the charm of playing a mage. The real difficulty lies in choosing which three to go with. Now, I've had a look at the stuff you've suggested, compared it to what you've written on your character and I'm sending you some stuff about it in a PM, because that's stuff that only concerns you.
Sticking with three for everyone is no problem, at least so long as everyone manages to have a rather even balance in terms of what their pros and cons bring to the table on an objective level, which is where some of my concerns that resulted in me posting those new ones stemmed from. I'm probably overthinking things, given the more simple nature of the RP, but I guess that's one of the reasons I won't usually work with this sort of casual environment.
I should also point out to you that I'm more or less new to the idea of writing out a character's pros and cons in a format of points like this. Those initial three pros and cons I put up for you were literally my first attempt at ever doing anything like this sort of thing. The closest thing I've ever written is lists of strengths and weaknesses various characters in my own project have, but this was entirely combat-focused so personality never came into the equation due to being listed elsewhere, and it still wasn't in point form because each strength or weakness has a detailed entry to give the reader a lot of insight.
The very first RP forum I ever joined over 10 years ago was a very advanced role-playing site that required you to write several paragraphs worth of information for your character's appearance, personality, and history, and then provide an RP sample at the end to prove that you possess the skills as a writer to believably play the character you just presented in the profile. This was done specifically to prevent people who couldn't role-play the character they were registering, or people with bad grammar or no detail, from joining. While a lot of the staff on the forum (and some of their lackeys, per se) were assholes I couldn't agree with at all (yes, this is the forum I've mentioned in PM), I did agree with the set up of the forum itself (and the creator of the forum had already disappeared by the time I arrived, more or less).
Since this was how I was introduced to play-by-post role-playing (and, to be fair, my character profiles for my own writing projects far exceed the length of those we had to write on that forum), I find it rather difficult to water myself down (I wouldn't say I find it challenging, but rather I don't actually enjoy doing it). This is a recurring problem that has followed me to every forum I've ever joined since that first one, though given my own detail as a writer I'm hardly blaming the site for my situation since I chose that forum precisely because of the high standards.
The only reason I'm mentioning all of this is because I want you, and, honestly, everyone else here besides Ailyn (who already knows), to understand where I'm coming from if I look like I'm going overboard with the work I put in for this RP. I understand that the premise of this RP is to focus on tropes and stereotypes, and you did mention leaving realism at the door in your initial post, but there's a possibility that I might've underestimated how much you meant that (I mostly thought you were saying characters wouldn't be denied for using clichΓ©s, which is a recurrent, and might I add bad, trademark in modern writing and role-playing; clichΓ©s and tropes are not bad things, they are tools to be used and they wouldn't be classics if they didn't work, and many of them are rooted in reality to begin with), especially since I don't believe writing can have much quality without characterization.
I should point out that I don't have a problem with not using the additions I proposed, especially because I agree with you that they're more suited to characterization (though, in my defence, I don't think I'm the only one including aspects of personality in the pros/cons, nor the only one who put some thought into characterization), so I'm not arguing with you on this. I'm more concerned about whether or not my inability (or rather, my inability to enjoy) oversimplifying myself and watering myself down is going to get in the way of either me, or other people, enjoying this particular type of role-play. I thought maybe I could go into an RP with a little more whimsy than I usually would, but it's clearly just not a part of who I am; I don't enjoy myself unless I put my soul into things.
I really do like the concept you have going for the way we will narrate this role-play. My only real concern is that I wonder if I'm able to (or, specifically, willing to) keep my contributions as simple as you're looking for, since I lose interest incredibly fast if I feel like I can't exercise my focus on detail and depth. This is one of the reasons I only ever usually work with my own setting; most verses simply don't have the same scope of creative potential for me to work with as mine does, so I get bored. I really am the "go all the way with something or don't do it at all" type of person. With that in mind, I might not be the sort of person you're looking for.
This isn't something I'm bringing up because of what's happened here, inherently, since I understand the reasoning for not using the additional pros and cons, but more something I've been thinking needed to be brought up sooner or later when it became clear to me I can't take things so lightly. I'd also be lying if I said I didn't join an RP I wasn't responsible for in order to have an opportunity to get back into practice with role-playing again, since it's been ages, so having to constantly hold myself back (other than post length, which I have no qualms with in this sort of story) is going to be an issue. I can't have fun under restraint.
Your two recommendations. I feel that both are very well thought out and I can definitely see your concern about being too great by having Ailyn resolve your actions. I will have that in mind when I put the final posting order together and will fix the opening opst of the OOC to also feature the mention-thing. Thanks for the help.
No problem, and cheers. I felt like it would help everything flow together better for what you had in mind.
Edit: Ailyn confirmed she was strictly responding to your comments to her.
