going semi-private with this is just a brilliant idea. i really hope it works well for you, and i'm wondering if it would be helpful for other sites too. very interested to see how if it helps with retaining members.

the thought you've put into this concept is just fantastic, and the style is off the charts. bravo all around. this is definitely something to get excited about.

i blame people more than i blame discord.

the friends i've lost to discord rp all write in completely closed communities. they have their clan that they met through various sites over the years on proboards, and they're happy with it. they change up the theme, the characters, the stories, and write with people that they know are on the same wavelength. that's great for them! but it doesn't work for me. i need new folks to breathe fresh concepts into a story.

the chief reason i still use forums? formatting is important to me. when i have a brick of text, i want it to be in a format that doesn't play with my eyes, and discord doesn't provide that.

the second reason is because, legit, i have had serious struggle vibing with what open discord communities i've joined. it seems like the greater majority of writers in the servers i've scoped out don't flesh out their characters beyond the initial concept or hook - and it makes the interactions fall flat for me. i've met a few that prefer inventing things as they go rather than hiding things for me to discover later. it works for them. i just don't like that style of writing.

the investment that forums command is definitely a part of what lets me enjoy them so much. i would love to go back to the days of checking in on forums as much as you'd check a discord. discord tag systems are great though, i think they bring a lot to the table.

worth noting, too, that i can't really argue on the "phone accessibility" issue because - i absolutely never use my phone for roleplay. pc only over here.

tldr is in the first line. it's not the platform. it's genuinely people. interests, styles, and available times are different than what they used to be.

and that's fine. folks are entitled to what works for them.

less a complaint, more a little realization that kicks up every once in a while. ;P
the roleplay community has really changed through the years. sometimes i look around and i feel like i'm on another planet.

it's nice to be able to enjoy your hobbies in adulthood. writing 20 years now, with no intention of stopping.

i'm old.

glad to hear you're taking care of yourself. still super excited for this one. really looking forward to seeing it all come together!

it sounds like fun! i'm all for minimum word counts - it's when i need to count how many words are in a post to equate them to gained experience that i start losing my mind a little bit. going statless sounds like it'll make things a lot more easygoing, and simplifying to X levels per mission is a lot less intimidating than counting fractions. great to hear there will be story progression too. i like it!

guess i'd better open up my pokedex. xD

off hand. but i'm left handed. probably learned from watching the majority use it with their dominant.

edit:: reconsidered. while it's entirely possible i'm just copying the people around me, i tend to take notes on important phone calls, and need my dominant hand free for that.

"pokemon as faceclaims" scared me at first, ngl. but as i think about it? the idea really grows on me. it seems like a good way to enforce variety. having a character limit, too, will prevent people from snapping up all the "popular" pokemon.

humans turned to pokemon sounds great. i haven't seen that in a mystery dungeon roleplay before, and i think it would work really well.

my wishlist for a pmd site would be something like:

no npc teams.
team up with other players to complete missions.

ongoing story.
the site doesn't completely rely on member plots.

lighthearted events.
festivals, contests, and fun games to keep a sense of levity.

no gifted canons.
guild masters and key shop owners are npcs. maybe their positions can be earned by active players?
( when folks take a break you don't want orgs and businesses falling apart. )

system-lite.
progression is great. word counting and exp tracking is not.

i might be the odd one out on a number of these, but there you have it!

layout is looking adorable, btw.

just had to pipe in and say - you don't deserve shame for this.

they do.

thank you for being a genuine, kind, compassionate person. i'm sorry that someone thought they should try and take advantage of that.

guess i'm living here now.

1920's prohibition era antics. speakeasies, gumshoes, entertainers, moonshiners, police, politicians, old money, new money, no money, blackmail. a jazzy lite-crime site. something mundane without the fantasy spin. light-hearted with a dark edge. animanga faceclaims, original characters.

i'm setting up camp in "please avoid." i agree that liberal use of the words "trigger" and "squick" waters down the meaning, and honestly? trying to remember everyone's "please tags" to tag things could get pretty daunting. myself, i don't like anything writing concerning the occult (ghosts, fortune telling, demons, realistic magic) so that always gets put into my "triggers." it's a popular theme, and i hardly expect people to tag it every time its used. i just want to avoid it in the threads i'm participating in.

currently in a lancer campaign and i am absolutely loving writing zero gravity mech battles. i have been eagerly awaiting a site that breaks away from fantasy tropes - and i am really starting to think mechs are the way to go. gundam, especially, would be just spectacular.