Basic Gaming Philosophy

[tasha_yar]

If you don't see something you'd expect on my muse and fandom list - ask. I might have either forgotten to add it, or I'll explain why it's not my thing. I'm always open to a second look at something! (But as you can see from the list, I have no problem with 86ing a story after a certain point either.)

I am headstrong, group-minded, and prefer stories with an epic feel. I enjoy fixing broken characters and smoothing over canon wrinkles. The bigger the mess, the more fun I have in untangling it. If I can't fix it, it gets cut off - but some idiot has to really shatter the hell out of it first.

I am flexible about playing just about any character from any setting I'm familiar with or can do canon review on. While my preference is for PG-13 settings, I have no trouble with sex scenes (or graphic violence) so long as I can trust the person on the other side of the screen and it has a point within a larger narrative. Kink lists are kind of irrelevant for me as a player. Some of my characters are kinky. Some are vanilla. Some have some specific turn-ons and hang-ups - and some honestly have not explored themselves enough to know either way. I'm more interested in how all that fits together with their personalities and history than with specific physical parts or acts. Intense, for me, is all about the moment and how the character is moving through it.

Overall, I trust fan writers and artists much more than those who draw a paycheck. Science backs me on this. I do love working with the "paycheck" crowd, but I know they have limiting pressures on them an unpaid fanfic'er doesn't have. It's too easy for them to take shortcuts with sex and shock for the sake of a deadline.

I believe pros of all kinds don't horde their skills. They use them. Also, based on multiple past and terrible experience, if someone is a pro/looking to go pro and is using a game as mere "practice," a "testing ground," or "stress relief," then I'd like to be kept out of their way.

I've been collecting slash and other pairing-and-poly type slash since I was too young to buy it legally AND when it was mostly being passed around by dirty old ladies in hotel rooms at con between brandy and chocolates - well before it found internet fame. If a pairing (or pairing plus) makes sense with the character's story and makes for a better story, I'm all for it.

I'm in it for the long haul, so a space in which I can tell those big stories is important to me. I also believe that, when you game, you can and should bring your best efforts in crafting your plots and characters. To me, it's a matter of pride in craftsmanship and (more importantly) respecting your co-players.

I know the guy who coined the phrase, "pretend-y fun time games," back on LJ. I've read his essay on the topic and I played off him for a number of years. He's awesome. That said, I thoroughly disagree with him on this topic. This, to me, is art, and art has amazing powers when interacting with the human psyche. In that context, the art form and the artist both need to be treated with respect. Also, the guy who called it pretend-y fun time didn't phone in his lines, ignore stories, or skimp on conflict resolution. Just say'n.

Thanks All,
M