Elite roleplay: Q&A and OOC

Creamy Goodness III
20 Jun 2020, 9:41pm
Oh, there's a cross wire with the storytelling and in-universe lore/technology and so on. It's the"how things work and what actually is an FSD?" or "Who is in charge of the Federation?" that I was referring to in regard to details.

Yes tell an atmospheric story otherwise it's just a chronological report. The ins and outs to space life can be tackled and inserted into the narrative after the bones of the story are set.

I've noticed almost everyone has a disregard for gravity on a space station (Or lack thereof on their ship for that matter) and very few people comment on the change in its effect in regard to distance from the center of a rotating station.

A lot of writers also have a loos and fancy-free approach to how long a journey actually takes. Some go by in-game rules, others stretch the trip so traveling from one side of the bubble to the other is a big deal that one has to pack for. No one bats an eyelid at this big and rather important inconsistency in details. As long as the narrative is flowing, no one minds.

On the other hand, get a bit vague with the technical side of operating your space camper or some little utility systems your writing has added, and out come the Acctully Spouters like a literary Trapdoor Spiders. That's the details I don't worry about and flesh out once I've continued the story.

As for criticism, that is the penalty one has for daring to offer up something you have made for inspection. Not everyone is going to like what you do just as very few critics will be constructive. If you can't deal with that, you probably shouldn't write for the public.

As a hobby writer my self, the last thing I want to do is stifle someone else and limit their creative impulse. Writing within Elites' boundaries is a lot of fun for me, but ramming rules and expectations in someone's face before they have even got their pen poised is less than inviting of a writing community.

Almost every pro writer when asked for advice says "write what you know and tell your story" The rest of the nuts and bolts of actually making that story rounded, like do ya research come along with prof readers and editors that most of us don't have. With the lack of professional back up, we have common sense and the Literary Trapdoor Spiders to help us

Last edit: 20 Jun 2020, 9:50pm
Creamy Goodness III
20 Jun 2020, 9:55pm
Nerys Nymei


Criticism is always appreciated, both for narrative/lore purposes and for the language. Please feel free to correct me and I'll be always grateful, never touchy.



Gah! I feel nitpicky pointing out lil mistakes in your English when I can prof read my offerings 10 times and still find mistakes. English is the only language I know and I get that wrong a lot more than you.

Still, if I see um I'll high light them for ya.
User210613
20 Jun 2020, 10:08pm
Creamy Goodness IIIAs for criticism, that is the penalty one has for daring to offer up something you have made for inspection. Not everyone is going to like what you do just as very few critics will be constructive. If you can't deal with that, you probably shouldn't write for the public.


Criticism isn't a "penalty."  It's just a description of the dialogue that occurs when people with different ideas and values interact in a shared creative space.  Of course taste is a big part of that.  What works for you might not work for me and that's OK.

But there are lines drawn.  I don't think Myra's example was brought up lightly.  Encouraging people to steal other people's ideas and then ram them together under the guise of "letting their creativity flow" is just old fashion plagiarism, plain and simple.

That's never, ever OK.
Isaiah Evanson
20 Jun 2020, 10:24pm
Stop conflating constructive criticism with being "rule police." 

Descriptive details are one thing and it varies from person to person and that's not my concern. My concern is that there are definitive aspects of Elire lore that get glossed over or disregarded entirely even when it is clearly explained.

For example, there are no artificial gravity generators on ships or stations, nor is "true" AI widely used in the bubble, and although we have encountered indigenous species on other planets (Tau Ceti and Achenar) the only alien races we have knowledge of are the Thargoids and the Guardians. 

These are details that, if people are trying to stay true to the lore, can't be ignored or rewritten. Not knowing these things initially are fine, Elite's lore can be quite deep in places (even if the current narrative isn't) and that's why a lot of us speak up when we see blatant disregard for it. 

Basically, if you're writing something set in the Elite universe, try to respect the source material.
Amata Lirein
20 Jun 2020, 10:33pm
Isaiah EvansonThese are details that, if people are trying to stay true to the lore, can't be ignored or rewritten. Not knowing these things initially are fine, Elite's lore can be quite deep in places (even if the current narrative isn't) and that's why a lot of us speak up when we see blatant disregard for it.


Towards this point I would like to add that it is important to not give in to superficial assumptions about the superpowers. On first sight it seems to be quite obvious that the Feds are the good guys ("Freedom! Democracy!" ) and the Imperials (aka "Those evil tyrannical slavers!" ) are the villians. But once you start to look closer you see that this is not true. The Feds are only a democracy on paper, when in reality it is the corporations that rule. And the Imperials are not the warmongers Federal propaganda portrays them as (I mean: Just look at the faction ships. All Fed ships are primarily geared towards combat while the Imperial ones are multipurpose). And these examples are just the tip of the respective icebergs.
LordPsymon
20 Jun 2020, 11:45pm
Careful Isaiah, someone might make a "parody" account of you.

But yes, respecting the source material is important, especially in the RP scene when you're interacting with others.
Isaiah Evanson
21 Jun 2020, 12:03am
Joke's on them, I can parody myself with the same account. No alts needed.
Michael Wolfe
21 Jun 2020, 1:21am
The reason that we "veterans" of Inara bring these subjects up is quite simply because we've seen this before: that every once in awhile, a new member decides that their "creativity" is more important than respecting the lore and produces something inappropriate to the RP. In my time here I've seen:

- An Eagle with a house inside it, including a piano room.

- A fantasy dwarf, a la Warhammer or Lord of the Rings.

- a sentient dolphin piloting a water-filled ship.

- furries.

- Many, many, many secret lovers of Aisling Duval.

- Characters and material from other sci-fi universes. This never makes for a good story. Ever. No matter how convinced you are that it is. No matter how hard you want Kaylee and Scotty in your powerplant bay and Jack O'Neal leading your away teams. Those who say otherwise and encourage you to write it are lying and secretly hate you.

The root of these objections isn't because we want to gate-keep or impose our tastes on others. We simply love the universe that we all inhabit and want to see justice done to it. We also reject the idea that "creative" automatically equates to "good"- we hold the radical view that good is what comprises good!

Last edit: 21 Jun 2020, 1:40am
LordPsymon
21 Jun 2020, 1:27am
You forgot to mention the Khajit.
Synthya Wylder
21 Jun 2020, 2:04am
Lots of consideration-worthy points brought up here. I'll have to cogitate awhile on them before adding my 2 credits appropriately.

In short, shooting from the hip as it were, I think that if it isn't explicitly mentioned in the E:D Lore (relatively sparse as it is in general & NO I won't be buying other 3rd-parties books to read for confirmation) it's implicitly permitted...

But, if I felt my creative RP story stifled by others who as far as I can tell, weigh no more or less than myself, regardless of how they consider themselves as "Lore Police" (unless, of course, Artie has a doppelganger or 2 lurking & masquerading as 1), I'd write in Synthya's death & end the aggravation.

Being the "Rational Anarchist" that I am, I tend to push the boundaries, & my "Inner Diplomat" strives to do so tastefully & with decorum.

In short, I'll do my best to respect what Lore there is, but where its plausible to do so, I intend to push those boundaries. If the level of opprobrium rises to the point of being egregious, I'll simply kill Synthya off & exercise my interests elsewhere.

I tend to abhor the heavy, pretentious, overbearing, pompous, "Holier Than Thou" types. Respect is earned, not given.
User210613
21 Jun 2020, 2:36am
Synthya WylderIn short, shooting from the hip as it were, I think that if it isn't explicitly mentioned in the E:D Lore (relatively sparse as it is in general & NO I won't be buying other 3rd-parties books to read for confirmation) it's implicitly permitted...


With all the Frontier Developments sanctioned literature out there how can you say it's sparse with a straight face?

You're not loose with the lore because there isn't enough.  It's because you're willfully ignorant.
Synthya Wylder
21 Jun 2020, 2:48am
The Inhabitant
Synthya WylderIn short, shooting from the hip as it were, I think that if it isn't explicitly mentioned in the E:D Lore (relatively sparse as it is in general & NO I won't be buying other 3rd-parties books to read for confirmation) it's implicitly permitted...



With all the Frontier Developments sanctioedn literature out there how can you say it's sparse with a straight face?

You're not loose with the lore because there isn't enough.  It's because you're willfully ignorant.


What I know of it so far, is sparse, not to mention, at times contradictory &/ vague; besides, "willfully ignorant" implies that I've been presented with it & made an active decision to ignore it.

Perhaps, if there's a reference list of those Frontier Developments sanctioned literature available, I'd read it & explore. I do enjoy good story-writing.

That, good sir, is how I can say that with a straight face.

With all due respects, ofc.
User210613
21 Jun 2020, 3:03am
Google is your friend. You don't need me to hold your hand.
Synthya Wylder
21 Jun 2020, 3:11am
The InhabitantGoogle is your friend. You don't need me to hold your hand.


I wasn't asking for it & I won't be. I don't like the cut of your jib. In fact, I never have.

I'll be utilizing that Ignore button now; I don't see that the value of Inara will be diminished in any meaningful way by your absence.
User210613
21 Jun 2020, 3:21am
Synthya Wylder
The InhabitantGoogle is your friend. You don't need me to hold your hand.



I wasn't asking for it & I won't be. I don't like the cut of your jib. In fact, I never have.

I'll be utilizing that Ignore button now; I don't see that the value of Inara will be diminished in any meaningful way by your absence.


Do the rest of the site a favor and delete your account!

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