Yeah, I had to throw in a few coppers

[thebratqueen]

I get the RPS squick. Ironically I have the RPS squick. I don't seek it out and reading it just throws me out of the moment because it's hard for me to suspend my disbelief. So it doesn't bug me when people say they don't like it. I'm bugged when they say it condescendingly, or for the wrong reasons (eg "RPS people only do it because they honestly believe the actors are having sex") but simply not liking it does not bother me. We all have our squicks. I respect an RPS squick in the same way I would hope that someone would respect my squick against pancake schmoop.

But, as I say, hate me for the right reasons. Don't assume I think David Boreanaz and Nick Brendon are really fucking because I don't. Likewise neither do I think the real Dave does crystal, drives a purple Porche or lives in my brother's apartment over on Sweetzer. It's the little things that clue you in to the fact that NotDave and Dave aren't the same person. For example, one's fictional and written by me and called NotDave. The other? Not so much.

I suppose what annoys me most is the pre-judging. Look, not that I think that writing RPS seriously is wrong because God knows I've done that too (cough) but guys? Donkeys. Donkeys. Not even well hidden donkeys at that. How were the donkeys failing to convey the parody aspect for you? Could you maybe remember the barnyard animals before clutching at the pearls and gasping What! About! The CHILDREN!

Granted, it's not all about donkeys and I guess that could throw someone. But still - Dave's dog is named Chanticleer. Am I too much of a lit geek? Was that not a big horkin' clue about the self-aware irony of it all? Do I have to be really depressed now because nobody remembers The Canterbury Tales?

Mind you, not that I'm saying I've written it all with a mind to Chaucer because dear God that's more work than I'd ever care to put into this, I'm just saying I didn't pick the dog's name by accident. The lack of NotDave's chicken fear was only a part of it. I may also just be outing myself as a huge dork English-minorwise. I'm prepared to live with that if I have to.

And while I'm on a tear, can I have a "Girl, please" second here regarding the idea that "The RPS RPG is Tearing! The Fandom! APART!" because really no. It just exists over on its own little board with it's own little community and if you don't like it then you don't have to read it. The voluntary nature of it all can't be stressed enough. Now, granted, I can make no claims to anybody on your friends list who might be talking about it without the handy-dandy cut tags but that's a separate issue.

Plus? there aren't that damn many of us. I haven't done a head count lately but if memory serves me right there's maybe 20 players, give or take, of which maybe a baker's dozen are any kinds of active and of that only a handful of which are truly active. How is this screwing up fandom? Didn't all of Buffydom have, like, a billion fanfic writers at last check? Moreover, of those writers has the RPG really mined that many BNFs? Was the fandom really that fragile?

I also hate the subset of this argument, which is "The new RPG has destroyed the old RPGs!" because again really no. Granted I can't speak for all RPGs out there because I don't play in them, but WesVisions was stalled before BuffyCon and it stayed stalled after. This is what happens after big group meetups come right before summertime. People get burned out, they go on vacations, they get busy with new jobs and such. It happens. Maybe it'll get jump-started again when fall comes around and people's schedules change, but even if it doesn't it's still not the new RPG's fault and you'd think sheer math would bear that out, since there's only 3 WV people doing the RPG, I'm one and the other two are wolfling and mpoetess and they haven't had a chance to do much.

It all goes back to my usual gripe: hate me if you want, but do it for the right reasons. Stop overreacting to problems you've created in your head. I'm sure RPS gives you enough things to hate about in its own right.

And, gosh-darn it I am not playing NotDave stupid! I'm playing him smart and stoned. There's a difference! Harumph!