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STATE OF THE SHELL SURVEY | DECEMBER 2018
✽ GAME UPDATES AND PLAYER INPUT SURVEY Hello Dreamers! Khu Ioduan has now been running for about a year, and it's time to do take a look at where we're headed next year! This post contains a few process changes that will be implemented next year, and a player survey that will be a required component of December AC. You can reply to the survey any time between now and when December Activity Check closes. • PROCESS CHANGES • AC CHANGES - Starting January 1, the AC requirement for all active characters in game will be reduced to ten (10) comments from that character per month. These 10 comments may be accumulated across up to 3 separate threads on any qualifying network post or log, with any other player's character, as per our existing AC policy. All other aspects of AC will remain unchanged. EVENT MANAGEMENT - We are going to be implementing new management for large plot events based on some player input. Prior to the posting of an IC log, an OOC post will go up explaining the details of the event. The OOC post will have sign-ups for individual players to lead one or more specific quests or mini-plots within the broader plot we have planned. The player(s) who sign up as leaders will OOCly be given all the things that needed to be uncovered IC, and will be able to direct the gameplay within their thread(s) that way. It is our hope that this will reduce the need for regular mod input on threads and allow players more independence to interact with a plot. NOTE: Characters played by individuals who sign up as mini-plot leaders are NOT automatically 'leaders' of their team(s) of characters. That character can take a leadership position if agreed upon ICly, of course. We encourage all players to sign up to be a mini-plot leader at least once! OUTREACH RESOURCES - As we move into 2019, we hope to ramp up recruitment of new players and appreciate the efforts of our existing players who regularly visit comms like ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small} enablemeplz to show off our game. To help make this process easier, we are going to be adding an 'elevator pitch' or talking points about Khu Ioduan, likely to the Game Ad.We are also going to change how we solicit Wanted Characters from current players. Instead of a monthly Wanted Characters OOC post, there will be a static page with monthly comment headers where players can submit a request at any time during that month. There will be posted reminders in the monthly agenda where players will be directed to the new comment header. • PLAYER SURVEY • Our initial plan with this survey was to present an outline of our metaplot plans moving forward for player consideration, but with some reflection we decided that it would be more beneficial for the modteam and the game to better understand your individual narrative (IC) and OOC objectives. We believe that this will provide us with stronger guidance of what our players wish to do in this setting than asking for input on specific elements of the metaplot, and allow us to provide paths for your objectives more effectively. Your answers aren't binding in any way, and if you do not have a clear answer that's alright! Just write down your initial thoughts, and you may be as succinct as you wish. NARRATIVE/STORY OBJECTIVES (IC) - These are the goal(s) you have for your character(s) in-game, or the overall objective(s) you may want them to achieve through the metaplot.
OOC OBJECTIVES - The reasons behind why you wanted to join Khu Ioduan and why you stay may have changed over time, and we are dedicated to providing an enjoyable, supportive player experience. Some of you may play to decompress, to experience something new, or to exert some control over life in a chaotic, unsure world. Knowing what draws you here and what you hope to accomplish OOC will help us make the game more welcoming. And you can have multiple goals!
METAPLOT AND REAL LIFE - We are living in a time of great uncertainty and we want to be sensitive to the circumstances of real life when building metaplot. Aspects of our metaplot that make for complex and rich storytelling may also hit too close to home depending on how they are rolled out (e.g. the past war and standoff with the Chihuelans). Tl;dr: we don't want to make things too dark. Please use our Content Opt-out post as needed!
Use this form to answer the survey questions about IC and OOC objectives. You may be as succinct as you wish; please try to answer all the questions in your response. A response to this post is required as part of December AC. A line will be added to the AC Check form to link to your comment here. If there are aspects of any questions which you would like to answer but do not feel comfortable commenting on publicly, please use the Mod Contact page to submit your answers instead. Mod Contact • Calendar & Plot Suggestions • Game Navigation |
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Character Name(s) Rutile!
NARRATIVE/STORY OBJECTIVES (IC)
What goal(s) do you have for your character(s) in-game? I want Rutile to
make something of themselvesto learn how to function independently and not define themselves by their occupation, role, or their contributions to society. I'm not quite sure yet how they're going to do this, that's for us to find out!What adventure(s) do you want to set them on? Every adventure! Mostly I want them to get heavily involved in the meta and worldbuilding of Khu; it would be so cool to build them into kind of a naturalist, although I know that won't quite work. (Maybe I'll send them to school, lol...)
What challenges would help your character grow, and what challenges would prevent or slow that growth? Anything where Rutile is allowed to cede to some other character's authority or personality will probably be detrimental to their growth. I'm as in favor of teamwork as the next person (I want Rutile! to have friends!) but they are very liable to 'rebound' by attaching strongly to someone else. You don't just get over several thousand years of codependency. Thus, it's probably better for them to be forced to go solo somehow.
OOC OBJECTIVES
Why did you want to join Khu Ioduan? What elements of setting and community attracted you? Have these reasons changed? I used to write all the time, but I've gotten so busy now that I rarely do, and I certainly don't have the ability to maintain longford fiction like I used to. So I really wanted a hobby that would get me writing again, and would have the added benefit of some socialization and deadlines to keep me honest. DWRP ended up being a really good fit for me!
Khu specifically I appreciate for being close-knit and very chill. It's been a great game to learn on. I'm sticking around because I care deeply for Rutile's CR so far, and there are a few people I really like. However, the pace is starting to feel snail-like, and with only like five to ten active rpers, such a close knit community is also stifling.
Beyond that, I ADORE the worldbuilding. This is such a cool setting, and I want to work with and develop it into something truly spectacular!
What do you hope to get out of playing in Khu Ioduan?A chill literary-oriented hobby with some cool people, opportunities to tell stories and explore characters and character dynamics, and discover a cool plot along the way.
What, if anything, made you feel welcome in the game, and what could have been improved? The community, and how accessible the mods are! Also, the way the OOC information is written and laid out feels very friendly. You just get a vibe as soon as you start going through the material that these people are understanding and want you to come. (The fact that you don't take yourselves too seriously really helps. I love how silly some descriptions and situations can get!)
It was also nice that Rutile got so much attention so early on, that really helped! But that was largely due to the community, and not so much to the game's layout, I think.
METAPLOT AND REAL LIFE
What are some examples of media (books, movies, games, etc.) that you feel balance or handle serious topics gracefully? I spent a long time thinking about this and communing with my friends about it, and I came up with a few suggestions. I am only recommending things I have read/watched/etc, and I want to emphasize that my thoughts are naturally filtered through my own experience of the world.
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is a fictional work set during the Holocaust. It's widely lauded as a classic and handles the incredibly complex experience of living in 1940s Germany very well, while not shying away from the terrible things that happened or mincing words about it. It's been a long time since I've read it, so I can't describe it in more detail, but even if you don't reference it, the novel is well worth the read. It is absolutely somber and moving, and it was the first thing I thought of.
The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, is a quasifictional semiautobiographical work about the Vietnam War. It discusses the horror and glory of war and how contradictory experiences sometimes go hand-in-hand. It has an incredible portrayal of PTSD and the storytelling style is stark and jarring. Its particular claim to fame is how it uses lies to communicate truth, calling into question how we understand experience and communication of that experience. It is not for sensitive readers.
A Quiet Place (dir. John Kasinski) is a 2018 horror movie set in a post-apocalyptic world where monsters who use echolocation to hunt their prey roam the world. It revolves around a family but its protagonists are the pregnant mother and the daughter who is hard-of-hearing, and how they defend their family (or fail to do so) against the creatures. This movie is astounding for its very limited dialogue being in sign language and using a striking combination of visuals and sound design (or lack thereof) to communicate events. Especially well-handled is the daughter's disability and how, while it does limit her realistically, it also becomes a serious asset to her; furthermore, while her character arc is about far more than her disability, neither is the disability set aside and ignored or handwaved away. Not for sensitive viewers.
The Handmaid's Tale (created by Bruce Miller) (or season 1, anyway) is a 2017 TV show about how panic about a declining population and the rise of evangelism cause the regression of women's rights and the takeover of a dystopia where fertile women are held hostage for the purpose of childbearing. It is a fascinating discussion of women's rights, mass hysteria, the role of motherhood as sacred, and what happens when fear overtakes a population. In this day and age, it is also a shrewd political commentary and a chilling glimpse at a world that has never seemed more real. Where it fails is its propensity to 'torture porn' (especially in season 2), calling into question whether it is truly feminist or just an excuse to get misogyny past the radar. It also fails to be intersectional, as political commentary in current times ought to be. Not for sensitive viewers.
Wit, by Margaret Edson, is a 1995 play about an English professor who is diagnosed with cancer. The play covers her final hours of life as she goes through experimental treatments and is a guinea pig for various students and clinicians as they teach or study her condition. The play is a discussion of the current state of medical care and a criticism of neglecting patients' rights. It's very well done, since the playwright drew on personal experience in and around hospitals.
What kinds of conflict do you find engaging, and what kinds of resolution appeal to you? I'm ALWAYS a slut for political intrigue! Also, I love horror, but at this point that should surprise no one. Particularly though, I love strongly social encounters, heists, twist endings, bait-and-switch, morally gray characters and organizations, etc. I hope that's helpful!
What are your thoughts/concerns about the possible intersection of metaplot and real life? I'd stay away from anything too analogous to real life. I come to Khu to escape current politics, not to reenact them. Otherwise, I'm game for anything; I've got a strong stomach.