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Normally, I don't use the lj-cut tag (documented here, by the way). I don't like the way it forces you to another page, and I think it's awkward - especially for people who don't have paid accounts. When the system is loading slowly, and often erratically, the last thing you want is to have to follow a link to finish reading.
Normally, I write about things that are, at least, fairly general. This is probably of little interest to anyone beside myself, and it's certainly not likely to interest those who don't hang out on a World of Darkness mux called Ashes to Ashes. And they're going to get lengthy.
I love Ashes to Ashes. It's odd. It's the first World of Darkness site I've trusted enough to stay on and make a character (excluding one place I have a character object so that I could ooc chat - with the encouragement of one of the staff members, even). It's the only one I'm on so far. Chris had to coax me on, and I really did not think I would stay around.
I was wrong. At first, I didn't have a character. I hung out (under the name Lissa), and I tried to figure out what to do on this not-yet-open site which was, really, so different from everything I was used to thinking was the right way to do things.
And then Sunshine (the Goddess) said something on-channel one day about really needing to get the grid-descs done.
And I offered to help with them. You have to understand: I couldn't come up with a character. I knew I should leave, because I didn't know what to do if I stayed, except it was the one place I had where I might manage to sort a place out and be able to roleplay with various people I knew from a now-closed site called A Time Endless. I didn't want to leave, and I didn't want to stay.
I like descing places. I like it a lot. As long as I can envision it, I don't mind the genre. Ashes to Ashes is set in Washington state. I've lived in Oregon all my life. Granted, there are differences, but I can envision this place. I can envision it utterly. Here was something I could do.
Sunshine seemed surprised, but she agreed, though she made it clear I didn't have to do it if I didn't want to. I'm not sure she entirely understood the odd little person who wanted to describe, of all things, lots of city streets. But I did. Sunshine had put basic "desc notes" on them indicating what they should be like. I did one, so she could see my style.
She enthused over it. A lot. If you want to make me beam and bounce and even wriggle a bit like an over-excited eight-year-old...take something I've written and tell me it's beautiful.
Even if I don't agree, I'll be ecstatic. In this case, I agreed (hey, I'd put my best effort into my 'audition' - who wouldn't?). I was...amazingly hyper. I was hooked. There's no drug better than admiration (or was that relief that someone else was doing it?).
I started descing rooms. I think I've desced about half the grid there, give or take. The slums, someone else had to do. I think I'm almost too gentle for this genre. But it has a shivery effect in places, and I like it, as a setting. I kept within the lines set for me, except for a couple of liberties, each of which I carefully presented to Sunshine so she knew about them.
Here's my take on the matter of descing, as I presented it to Sunshine. And I still feel this way, very much so: Lissa grins, bounces. When I want to desc, I really want to desc. It's tons of fun. Being allowed to do a grid is about perfect - almost nothing else lets you really /sprawl/ that much, do that many different things! *grins* Plus I get compliments. All much good. :)
(That line is from a night I desced 19 rooms.)
Somewhere along the way, she asked me to be her building wiz. I don't remember if I accepted straight away or not. I'd staffed on another place previously, and was a bit gun-shy of it. But as I now am the building wiz, I'm sure it's obvious that at some point I said yes.
I acquired a character, too, my little fuzzball Zulaikh. What can I say? She wanders around as a house cat; anything else, I shall leave be for now.
Right now, Ashes is going through some turbulent times, which is why I write of it. There's been a loss of the original ideals - and I must admit, I've failed them in my dealings with some people. I've made amends where I could and am trying not to repeat the lack of trust or the 'my things' focus I showed before. I don't think it was severe, but I do think it was uncalled for.
We've had some staff members quit, due to real life, personality conflicts, etc. There's various stuff going on. At one point, Sunshine considered closing the place until we could fully open. (We've never been fully open. We've always been in "soft rp". We were opened to that because too many players came to Ashes when it was "sort of" ready to hang out, and it evolved from there. The rp's been really good. I've had enough story without needing the site to be "officially" open.)
She's changed her mind, and I'm glad of that. Staff as staff will be available for only crucial player requests whilst we move toward being ready for full open, it looks like. I'm sure we'll lose some players; I think (but I do not know; I speculate here) that it was pressure from the players which initially caused the intended date for full open to be moved up. And then three of our sphere-heads, including the head of our code-sphere, quit. One of the things that delayed our first attempt to open fully further than we expected was the loss of the then-code-wiz. Bleeding code-staff is not good for your mu*, at least not until it's established.
We'll recover. We have a number of staff who can do code duty on varying levels, myself included, and we have a pool of wonderful players and staff, and with some juggling and reshuffling, we'll go on.
I only hope that most of the people who make it such a wonderful place will wait for us, play along while we sort this out.
Because I don't want to lose this one, and I don't think we need to. I have faith in the staff I work with. I have faith in the players.
What we need is time, and I hope that everyone understands that, and will give it to us.
We have a space for dreams already, a grand place to play. What we need is time, to smooth the rough edges, to test, to tweak. To find our balance, and to feel like we have completed the initial setup.
And while we do it, we need that space to dream. And people to dream with.
Normally, I write about things that are, at least, fairly general. This is probably of little interest to anyone beside myself, and it's certainly not likely to interest those who don't hang out on a World of Darkness mux called Ashes to Ashes. And they're going to get lengthy.
I love Ashes to Ashes. It's odd. It's the first World of Darkness site I've trusted enough to stay on and make a character (excluding one place I have a character object so that I could ooc chat - with the encouragement of one of the staff members, even). It's the only one I'm on so far. Chris had to coax me on, and I really did not think I would stay around.
I was wrong. At first, I didn't have a character. I hung out (under the name Lissa), and I tried to figure out what to do on this not-yet-open site which was, really, so different from everything I was used to thinking was the right way to do things.
And then Sunshine (the Goddess) said something on-channel one day about really needing to get the grid-descs done.
And I offered to help with them. You have to understand: I couldn't come up with a character. I knew I should leave, because I didn't know what to do if I stayed, except it was the one place I had where I might manage to sort a place out and be able to roleplay with various people I knew from a now-closed site called A Time Endless. I didn't want to leave, and I didn't want to stay.
I like descing places. I like it a lot. As long as I can envision it, I don't mind the genre. Ashes to Ashes is set in Washington state. I've lived in Oregon all my life. Granted, there are differences, but I can envision this place. I can envision it utterly. Here was something I could do.
Sunshine seemed surprised, but she agreed, though she made it clear I didn't have to do it if I didn't want to. I'm not sure she entirely understood the odd little person who wanted to describe, of all things, lots of city streets. But I did. Sunshine had put basic "desc notes" on them indicating what they should be like. I did one, so she could see my style.
She enthused over it. A lot. If you want to make me beam and bounce and even wriggle a bit like an over-excited eight-year-old...take something I've written and tell me it's beautiful.
Even if I don't agree, I'll be ecstatic. In this case, I agreed (hey, I'd put my best effort into my 'audition' - who wouldn't?). I was...amazingly hyper. I was hooked. There's no drug better than admiration (or was that relief that someone else was doing it?).
I started descing rooms. I think I've desced about half the grid there, give or take. The slums, someone else had to do. I think I'm almost too gentle for this genre. But it has a shivery effect in places, and I like it, as a setting. I kept within the lines set for me, except for a couple of liberties, each of which I carefully presented to Sunshine so she knew about them.
Here's my take on the matter of descing, as I presented it to Sunshine. And I still feel this way, very much so: Lissa grins, bounces. When I want to desc, I really want to desc. It's tons of fun. Being allowed to do a grid is about perfect - almost nothing else lets you really /sprawl/ that much, do that many different things! *grins* Plus I get compliments. All much good. :)
(That line is from a night I desced 19 rooms.)
Somewhere along the way, she asked me to be her building wiz. I don't remember if I accepted straight away or not. I'd staffed on another place previously, and was a bit gun-shy of it. But as I now am the building wiz, I'm sure it's obvious that at some point I said yes.
I acquired a character, too, my little fuzzball Zulaikh. What can I say? She wanders around as a house cat; anything else, I shall leave be for now.
Right now, Ashes is going through some turbulent times, which is why I write of it. There's been a loss of the original ideals - and I must admit, I've failed them in my dealings with some people. I've made amends where I could and am trying not to repeat the lack of trust or the 'my things' focus I showed before. I don't think it was severe, but I do think it was uncalled for.
We've had some staff members quit, due to real life, personality conflicts, etc. There's various stuff going on. At one point, Sunshine considered closing the place until we could fully open. (We've never been fully open. We've always been in "soft rp". We were opened to that because too many players came to Ashes when it was "sort of" ready to hang out, and it evolved from there. The rp's been really good. I've had enough story without needing the site to be "officially" open.)
She's changed her mind, and I'm glad of that. Staff as staff will be available for only crucial player requests whilst we move toward being ready for full open, it looks like. I'm sure we'll lose some players; I think (but I do not know; I speculate here) that it was pressure from the players which initially caused the intended date for full open to be moved up. And then three of our sphere-heads, including the head of our code-sphere, quit. One of the things that delayed our first attempt to open fully further than we expected was the loss of the then-code-wiz. Bleeding code-staff is not good for your mu*, at least not until it's established.
We'll recover. We have a number of staff who can do code duty on varying levels, myself included, and we have a pool of wonderful players and staff, and with some juggling and reshuffling, we'll go on.
I only hope that most of the people who make it such a wonderful place will wait for us, play along while we sort this out.
Because I don't want to lose this one, and I don't think we need to. I have faith in the staff I work with. I have faith in the players.
What we need is time, and I hope that everyone understands that, and will give it to us.
We have a space for dreams already, a grand place to play. What we need is time, to smooth the rough edges, to test, to tweak. To find our balance, and to feel like we have completed the initial setup.
And while we do it, we need that space to dream. And people to dream with.
