I seem to have struck a chord yet again. Maybe if we got that next tournament going, things would balance out. It’ll still be a lot of stabbing and screaming, but not so much phalic in nature.

All in all, I gave my feedback form the point of view of someone who has been trying to nurture activity on this site (albeit poorly as of late). However, this is the most active I have seen it in years. We have plenty of new writers, some who prefer smut and others who prefer whatever else. How would you correct what you see as an issue? No sex in threads? Keep it PG-13? Not sure how well a PC Fantasy forum would go. Suppose we could try and be like Gaia? Do we ban explicit material? How do we police it?

The difference with olthanas and what we are doing now does have a lot to do with our member base. Despite the increased activity, the member count is still low. Oldthanas had members by the fistful and staff to crank out judgments left and right. There was freedom in how judges gave feedback and how they scored. One judge gave you a 34, but another thought you were a 72. One staffer approved you about as strong as a level three, while the next said you needed to lock all but one fireball spell.

There choas, and in it we heard complaints, drama, ruined friendships. We added more order, rules, regulations. Activity started to take a dive. Member count dropped, judgments were handled by maybe three people at most. Staffers burnt out, players got bored. Althanas needs to find that balance of flexibility and rigidity. Althanas points were an attempt at that. Did it work? Sort of? More currency, more rules, more systems to encourage an environment to participate in and be judged in a workshop setting. But also, less rules, more play. The players that want to write and enjoy the gaming aspect are using NJs and Workshops as intended. If they don’t write as well as you or someone else that deserves more, why punish them if they’re having fun and enjoying our site?

Are the causing any harm? No. Is it setting a bad atmosphere for new players interested to start writing here? Maybe. The workshop and growth of Althanas was our core and we used it as a means to create RPG elements into fictional writing. Those elements are still there, but optional because we simply don’t have the numbers. Staff already takes up half of the member base. But that’s not saying much since there’s such a small member base.

I miss oldthanas too. But until we’re seeing 30 people signed in at the same time and 120 logged in today (not those shitty google bots) it’s just not feasible. If Althanas went back to full rubric only, we’d lose staff and members alike. Then we’d be a group of a dozen old codgers writing for our own little circle. I’m surprised we’ve had Althanas this long. Most RP sites die within 5 years. So what if there’s a shit ton of smut now? It’s writing isn’t it? People are making stories together aren’t they? And that continued effort together is, whether or not it’s quantified, helping them grow as writers. The romance novel market is huge. Who’s to say Kayla or Tiffany couldn’t see themselves published because they enjoy a smutty thread or two?

I’m getting a little off topic here. Smut isn’t as big a deal as this thread has brought it out to be. As an admin, I’d like to see a little less of it and a little more fantasy adventure, but it’s also my fault for not providing the members with inspiration and opportunity. The important thing and what we should really be discussing is passion. Not the sexual kind but pure, emotional, driving passion. What does this site need to do to kindle that in you writers and new writers who have yet to find our site? What is it about Althanas that makes you passionate about it? What makes you argue your point when we want to make it better? How do I and the staff use that to make this place better?

That’s what we need to open the floor to. What would make you excited to write? To participate in a workshop? To want to improve as a writer? Rewards? Praise? Acknowledgement? Or just a comfortable community to call your own where you can write what you want when you want without people saying “this sucks” or “I don’t like it”?

I have no side in this argument except Althanas and it’s members. I just want people to have fun, strive to improve themselves on their own terms, and create a welcoming community that welcomes you however you are. Weird, normal, strict, horny, or flippant.

Or maybe I’m outdated? Maybe I’m wrong and should take this more seriously? Maybe you do have a point that has been made abundantly clear to both smutty and non-smutty writers. Maybe that statement alone is enough. You tell me.