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HMD

Hi, and welcome to FH's gamewide How's My Driving meme.

Based on feedback in the Open Forums and the need to balance conversation and player comfort, we've made some changes to the setup and established a few more rules to help keep discussion productive.

Here's how it works:

Participation is completely voluntary.

Players who would like critique should ping in with your character journals (it's up to you whether you use one for each character, or just ping in once and list all the applicable characters). You can:

Specify whether you're open to anon replies, or would only like replies from logged-in players

Note specific areas/subjects you'd like crit on or would rather not discuss

Ping in just to link to an HMD post in a personal journal where you control the settings (if you would like the admins to freeze that thread on the meme afterwards, just ping us in the OOC thread to let us know)

Ping in to let people know that you'd rather receive crit via e-mail or PM (same as above, if you'd like the thread frozen afterwards, just let us know)

Other players will reply with constructive criticism, either logged-in or anonymously depending on what's been requested and their own comfort level.

Rules and Moderation

First, please know that while anon commenting is on, so is IP logging. The admins, who are the only ones who'll be able to see IP addresses, won't be participating in the meme ourselves, or using it frivolously to check up on who is saying what about who, or passing that info on to players. You can still give constructive criticism without worrying that it might be dismissed due to the source or cause personal friction, but we'll have a better ability to help keep things under control.

We also don't want to stifle discussion with too many rules, but in order to balance that with the comfort of our players, we do need some, and here they are:

Taking players to task on the meme for their choices about how to receive crit (anon, public, e-mail, frozen threads, not participating at all) is out of bounds.

Taking players to task on the meme for not replying to comments (or not replying quickly enough) is likewise off-limits. No player is required to be around all the time or be comfortable enough to engage in a dialogue about every critique they receive.

Discussing the characters of players who haven't pinged into the meme is also out of bounds.

Bringing up personal information found on the non-game journal of a player is off-limits as well. If there's something about someone's personal life that concerns you for game reasons, the HMD meme is not the place to say it; either contact the player privately about it, or if you feel it's appropriate, contact the admin team, but it doesn't belong on the meme.

If the admin team sees comments that appear to clash with the rules above, we'll freeze or screen the comment and ask the commenter to re-post without the problematic content.

Aside from those situations, the admins are only going to step in to ask that a thread be toned down if someone asks us to, or if we see blatant game-rules / LJ TOS breaking. However, if we see a situation where we suspect there might be a problem developing, what we will do is contact the original poster of the thread or sub-thread and ask if they'd like us to step in, or if they're doing OK on their own.

We understand that in the past, people weren't sure if coming to us would be overstepping, or didn't realize it was an option. It's not overstepping; it is an option. It's the best option. Please grab an admin if something being said is making you uncomfortable. Even if you're not directly involved in the thread or even participating in the meme, we can contact the OP to see if they'd like our help or not. You can use the OOC thread, grab one of us on IM, or send an e-mail to administration@fandomhigh.net.

Finally, for those participating, please remember that no matter how fast comments can fly if there's a disagreement, you're not obligated to reply. If you're uncomfortable with a question or a statement made in a comment, you can stop right there. You can ask the admins to intervene, or not address the comment at all.

You can also reply telling the poster that you're uncomfortable with something they said and would rather not pursue it, would like to take it to e-mail, or any other variation you prefer.

Or, to sum it up in the immortal words of some dudes from San Dimas, the main rule here is "Be excellent to each other." That's it, though if you have any questions, the floor is open in the OOC thread too.

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Tag in here and change the subject line as necessary!

Especially Topher, being new and such. I'm a bit paranoid about how I've been playing Topher, so any crit on him would be especially helpful.

Anon or non-anon is fine!

Your enthusiasm is boundless and you're a joy to ping with. The only crit I can think to give is the possibility of more conversational openings for the other party when pinging! Sometimes pinging off Wes and Topher can get a little tough on the opposite player because they end up carrying the thread. But otherwise, you're awesome and keep it up.

Thank you! I'll definitely take that into account with future pings.

Hi, I'm basically too lazy to anon.

But essentially, yes, what the anon above me said; you are a lot of fun to ping off of, though occasionally I do have to scramble a little bit to come up with something to keep the conversation going (which in my case may be as much my problem as anything). That said, I've never actually been frustrated when that situation comes up, because see above re: a lot of fun.

Thanks! Noted, and I'll definitely try and work on that for the future.

...pinging as Wes because all of Topher's icons look mean.

Stephanie Brown -

batwaffles | Gabrielle -

ancientbschamp | Tahiri Veila -

weetuskenraider | Kennedy -

brat_intraining | Samuel Anders -

cantgetnorelief
Katina Choovanski -

thismaskiwear | Lacey Burrows -

laceycantlie | Jennifer Scotts -

time_flyer_5

Hit me here or at my HMD (http://brat-intraining.livejournal.com/6038.html) -- anon or non-anon is fine either way.

And yes, I know my attention span has been about the worst thing in the history of ever lately, for reasons I hope should sort themselves out soonish; I apologize for that, but yeah, my thread-dropping problem is bad lately and I know it.

Particular burning issues I wonder about lately: am I getting too reliant on certain words/phrases in my narrative? Am I getting too reliant on my narrative, period? (Which is to say, is there whoamuch expository crap/getting into my characters' heads/random weird unnecessary tangents going on in the narrative that really doesn't need to be there?) And the usual "Am I flogging one issue too much all the damn time with [insert character here]?" Or "Holy crapbuckets, Shanie, STOP BEING SO SRS BZNS?"

Although, you know, any commentary's cool. Unless you are disparaging my footwear.

Also, NOBODY IS REBOOTING ME OUT OF EXISTENCE. >:( *ahem*

Edited 2011-06-11 14:48 (UTC)

Welp, this is just one anon's opinion, but your narratives are a breath of fresh air for me. They're informative enough to show where the character's coming from, and since you often poke a bit of fun at your character in narrative, it shows that you understand how said character is being read and it's deliberate. So getting into your girls' heads is always a great part of a Shanie ping, I think.

it shows that you understand how said character is being read and it's deliberate

See, and me being me (read: too neurotic to live), now I have to worry if when I do that, it treads really closely to the line of "this is how I WANT YOU TO READ/REACT TO MY CHARACTER, DAMMIT."

Though thank you -- I'm glad it works for you! I always fret that I'm going all "HI, HAVE A HUGE RAMBLING CHUNK OF BACKSTORY BECAUSE I'M OVERINDULGENT AND HAVE NO SELF-CONTROL."

Argh, I fail at wording things. I meant it more along the lines of when a character is exhibiting a particular (usually negative) characteristic, your narrative will take note of that and acknowledge it. I think it's something I do as well, mainly because I live in fear of someone being all "UM X CHARACTER WAS BEING SUPER RUDE, WHAT'S WITH THAT." So if anything, I think it's the cautious way to go, and I definitely don't think it's excessive.

Aww, no, sorry, you don't fail at wording things! I have just decided I am now going to worry about this, because I always worry about something. :)

Anon, non-anon, it is all fine as long as no one throws pie in my face. BECAUSE THAT IS WASTEFUL YOU GUYS, GOD.

The only thing I would like to criticize is stupid worktiemz for getting in the way of pinging/brainpower. I play too well off of you to have much in the way of objective criticism, I think; I just miss being able to do it more. :)

Anon, non-anon, any way you like it, please drop off your constructive criticism for me and mine here! Especially since I'm absolute crapper at keeping up my personal HDM. I won't even mind a pie in the face, as long as there's ice cream to go with it.

I'd like to offer you some crit on Ariel in particular. I honestly feel that this point, she's not recognizable from canon at all, and that makes me really sad, because you had such a good grasp on her voice initially. The things I've seen in particular are emphatic cariacatures of her canon attributes, and the fact that you seem to still be playing her for comedy/crack bothers me.

For example, Ariel at FH seems flightier and more flirtatious than she is in canon. Yes, she falls in love with a guy after seeing him dance on ship once for a few minutes, but that doesn't translate, to me, to her serial-dating and insta-crushing, and getting pouty when guys *don't* take an interest in her. It makes her seem spoiled and self-centered, which may be points you choose for characterization but I find it problematic.

Ariel also seems much more one dimensional than she does in canon. In the movie, she has scope and dreams and curiosity beyond her given world. At FH, she seems to base her interests around deep-frying food and the like. Some of that may just be 'I need a prompt for this post!' which I think we all go through sometimes. But Ariel's tendency to also write people off as boring/grumpy/unfun if they aren't interested in her, either conversationally or sexually, is jarring and doesn't mesh with the character I know from my childhood.

Man, I love how I'm the only one so far with a really negative concrit. That's not a good sign. XD I am very sorry that my take on Ariel doesn't fit your perception of her, but, if I may say, I do feel there are a few...flaws in reasoning here. Or at least some widely different perspectives.

I definitely don't want to say Ariel has developed much, but she had been at Fandom for over a year now. Of course she's not going to be the same character from your childhood, as she's had a year of different experiences under her belt. I agree that it's made her flightier. She's constantly being given new distractions and new exciting things to explore, so I imagine her attention span has gone to hell.

She is more flirtatious because she hasn't fallen in love at first sight with anyone and she's a bit more experienced in the field of love than canon Ariel might have been. I think it's really unfair to suggest that she's serial dating and insta-crushing, too. It's very easy for her to like people, but she even hasn't really dated anyone since Bruce. There's been some flirtations with Chuck, and she may be starting something up with a new character, but I hardly call that serial dating to be interested in someone. Or to acknowledge the fact that they are cute and attractive and potentially date-able.

I think writing people off as boring/grumpy/unfun if they aren't interested in the things she's interested is pretty canon, though, really. At least, usually in those situations, I try to think of how she'd try to coax Flouder into doing things, but perhaps I'm off-shooting it a little. It's true that I haven't really watched the main canon in a bit, but I do read a lot of the side stories and books that Disney puts out, and I use that as a lot of my source, since they go more into her character than a 90-or-so minute movie might. Canon memes have shown me that not as many people are familiar with those, so perhaps that's where some differences develop.

The focusing on a few things is mostly due to the fact that I have a lot going on and my availability is everywhere, so finding something to anchor her on makes it easier for me.

I'd absolutely love to develop something deeper, but, unfortunately, it never seems to work very well for me lately. Perhaps that means it's time to put her away, but, to be honest, I'm still having fun with her and would like to get a little more out.

I will definitely consider some of these criticisms and continue to try to improve myself, so thank you for the perspective. But I don't think the view is as narrow as you seem to think it is.

Not the original anon, but I feel like you missed what OA was trying to say.

It's not whether Ariel dates around or has a steady. It's that she's heavily focused on boys. She flirts. If they don't flirt back, she pouts and writes them off. Girls, she competes with.

As a result, it feels like she's becoming increasingly one-note.

I guess I don't feel that she is heavily focused on boys; it's just a nice bonus. Pouting and writing someone off is a natural response, I feel, for a seventeen year old girl who, let's face it, is pretty used to getting what she wants and, if she doesn't, finding a way to make it happen. If she tries to have fun with someone and they're just being contrary, she has to wonder why she should bother. I can see how this impression might be given off from a few interactions I've had, though, so I will try to keep an eye on that.

Competing with other girls, though, I don't see that at all. I've always felt she's celebrated and encouraged the relationships of her friends. Sure, during last summer, she competed. She had to, worried about becoming seaweed and all. But definitely not so much anymore. Even Seifer's off limits just one the basis that Rinoa used to date him...

Original anon here: I feel like you're being disingenuous. Why ping in for crit if you're going to tell your criticizers they're wrong? Clearly people are seeing something here that you maybe aren't aware of.

I definitely see the competition with other girls. It always feels like Ariel's trying to show her friends how much prettier her dress is, or how she's had sex and maybe her friend hasn't, and what you might think of as enthusiasm comes across as competition between Ariel and the other girl. I can think of at least three scenes I've read or participated in where Ariel has made her female friend feel like less, or 'playfully' stole a guy from under her friend's nose, or flirted with the male counterpart of a couple to the extent that the female felt insecure about it.

You might not mean for her to be like this. But it definitely makes me wary of pinging with her, because it feels like no one is safe, and she'll flirt with a character's boyfriend, then turn around and act like the best of friends with her while being -- by my perceptions -- sort of passive-aggressive.

I'll also touch on the Seifer issue, though I have no dog in that race -- from reading those threads, it really does not read like Ariel has no intention of going after him. I'm not sure if I'm missing something, but it seems like there's a token amount of "He used to date Rinoa, I can't....but I'll flirt up a storm anyway!" And the Ariel I know from canon has stronger ties to friendship than that. I guess that's my biggest problem. Ariel's a Disney Princess. As such, she has personality traits that are universal across all of Disney's 'good guys'. She's compassionate. She's kind. She's a good friend. I don't see a lot of any of those traits in your Ariel.

I...guess I don't see it, and I apologize for that, anon. But I try to think of which scenes you may be talking of and...don't. Maybe it's just because I do feel it's just being a typical teenage girl, but I will try to watch for it. I've always felt she's celebrated, in your examples, other girls' dresses and things like that, or perhaps if she did say anything, she was trying to be honest. I can't think of anything outside of when she started talking and was no longer trying to avoid a curse where she'd 'playfully' swiped another guy...and this is the first I've heard of any female counterpart feeling uncomfortable with Ariel's flirting, and so if they have, they should have come to me and I would have stopped it. Like I said in the last meme, I cannot fix a problem unless I know about it.

That is why I sign up for these. Because now I know about it, and now I can hopefully try to fix it or people will be honest with me and let me know when I've cross a line. I still have a right to defend my point. Though I may defend it, I will also do what I can to change it to make others comfortable, just like with Ariel's previous username.

It's a crit meme. It's not Let's Just Throw Stuff at Skylie so she can feel shitty about herself meme. I have a voice in this, too.

It's hard to take criticism when you truly don't see it, but I will try to watch for it. I guess it felt initially just more like less of a criticism and more of simply saying you don't like how I play the character. I honestly do not see myself as playing Ariel this way; it has never been my intention at all.

The way I see her, she is compassionate and kind and a good friend. So we're definitely looking through two different mirrors. Though if anyone reading this would like to address specific cases in which I have offended your character through Ariel's actions, please let me know. Her flirting is usually not anything serious; it's just her having fun and she has no intention of stealing anyone out from anyone else. Ever. She just likes to be friends with everyone. Not everyone who flirts is flirting to an end, but I will try to watch it.

Forgive me, for I apparently do not know what I do.

New anon here. I think another thing that throws people off about Ariel is that her enthusiasm makes it difficult for less enthusiastic characters to really build up a relationship with her. That might be why some characters might be offended by her or picking up on passive-aggressive vibes; she really is just that energetic, and with certain characters, that can be a little off-putting. I've seen threads in the past where characters have edged away from her in the middle of the conversation just because she's a lot to handle, and, Ariel being Ariel, she keeps coming up to those same people time and again because that's who she is. But while it makes me and my kids a little wary of pinging with her, I always picked up on that same relentless, just plain odd enthusiasm from canon!Ariel, too.

My HMD post is here, though I'm also good with crit in this post. Anon, non-anon, whatever.

I'm especially interested in:
* Any feedback on Tara's voice -- does she sound like herself?
* Do I give enough in narrative that you can tell where my character is coming from?

I know I have been flaky and generally not around as much for several months, and I think the reasons for that are understandable. That said, if I have actually been rude with it in some way, please let me know.

Non-anon, because I'm lazy, there's really no point in my trying to be MYSTERIOUS, and you can take the comments for what they're worth in context.

Re: the narrative issue, this being my huge concern as well, I can definitely say that I've never felt lost as to where your characters are coming from in a thread, and I think any misreading I might do of a ping from time to time is on me for not being attentive.

Re: Tara's voice, I will say that these days she sounds closer to later-seasons Tara than she does to S4 Tara, but in the context of her character development in Fandom it makes sense. (Honestly, I have a really low tolerance for wildly OOC character voices in this fandom, so. Take that for what it's worth.) But beyond that, I think you've got it nailed down as far as her mindset and motivations and reactions to things, which IMO is more important than the exact minutiae of dialogue.

Anon or not is fine. Yes, I am looking for crit despite the fact she's going alum at the end of the summer. :)

Oh, and I played a back pocket potential, Archie Goodwin (

not_wolfe), during the job fair, so any commentary on that would also be AWESOME. *begs pitifully*

Either here or at my screened HMD post. While anon comments are not permitted there, I'll take them here.

I am trying to get out of a slump at the moment and I'm always looking for ways to make my posts more inviting of interaction.

Hey you! Been slacking myself, but we need Momo and Lion-o to do more this summer!! Road trip? Plotty? Wagon ride to Oregon City?

Hahahahaha, love the icon!

And yes, Lion-o and Momoko need to do something together before the end of the summer.

Anon or non is fine, but I do wanna say I'm not really looking for crit on how scarce I've been lately - I'm super-aware of my own fail on that, and conditions should improve within a week or so. Belle's introduction unfortunately came right at the time of RL implosion for me, and she'll be my priority once I'm back on my feet.

But yes - anything on my playing, characterization, etc. is totes welcome! I'm a little quiet today because I'm at my new house with no internet and phone pings are hard, but I'll answer any crit ASAP!

Edited 2011-06-11 20:54 (UTC)

The one disclaimer I want to make is that I freely acknowledge that I have been a complete nightmare to ping against lately -- I'm slow, I get worn out easily, and I sometimes forget to ping back entirely. I am scaling back and pushing some characters off-island until my head stops trying to kill me. Please see the post here.

Anon or non-anon, I don't mind.

and my alums, Hurley and Peter, if you're so inclined.

Anon, non anon, all is good.

And a reminder of my always-up concrit post - here (http://mm-squishy.livejournal.com/517.html?mode=reply).

Anon or face-on is good with me, here or here (http://squire-hand.livejournal.com/9673.html).

School has completely eaten my brain this weekend, and so I managed to miss this entirely until now. If there are still people puttering around this page, I would love some concrit for Jim, in particular, since he's the newbie. And if you have anything to say about my other boys, I'd love that, too.

I only ask that all crit you toss at me here be face-on, and if you want to say something anonymously, I've now got a screened crit post over here.

LA.

*taps* I think I'm screened?

LJ, stop hating meeeeeee. Fixed now!

Thank yoooou!

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HMD

Hows My Driving?

Topher Brink, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce

Re: Topher Brink, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce

Re: Topher Brink, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce

Re: Topher Brink, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce

Re: Topher Brink, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce

Stephanie Brown/Gabrielle/Tahiri Veila/Kennedy/Samuel Anders etc.

Re: Stephanie Brown/Gabrielle/Tahiri Veila/Kennedy/Samuel Anders etc.

Re: Stephanie Brown/Gabrielle/Tahiri Veila/Kennedy/Samuel Anders etc.

Re: Stephanie Brown/Gabrielle/Tahiri Veila/Kennedy/Samuel Anders etc.

Re: Stephanie Brown/Gabrielle/Tahiri Veila/Kennedy/Samuel Anders etc.

Bobby Drake / Jake Doyle / Toby Logan / William Murdoch

Re: Bobby Drake / Jake Doyle / Toby Logan / William Murdoch

Ariel / Alexander of Daventry / Shunsui Kyōraku / Jane Porter / Butters Stotch / Charlie Swan

Re: Ariel / Alexander of Daventry / Shunsui Kyōraku / Jane Porter / Butters Stotch / Charlie Swan

Re: Ariel / Alexander of Daventry / Shunsui Kyōraku / Jane Porter / Butters Stotch / Charlie Swan

Re: Ariel / Alexander of Daventry / Shunsui Kyōraku / Jane Porter / Butters Stotch / Charlie Swan

Re: Ariel / Alexander of Daventry / Shunsui Kyōraku / Jane Porter / Butters Stotch / Charlie Swan

Re: Ariel / Alexander of Daventry / Shunsui Kyōraku / Jane Porter / Butters Stotch / Charlie Swan

Re: Ariel / Alexander of Daventry / Shunsui Kyōraku / Jane Porter / Butters Stotch / Charlie Swan

Re: Ariel / Alexander of Daventry / Shunsui Kyōraku / Jane Porter / Butters Stotch / Charlie Swan

Jack Priest / Juliet Darling / Tara Maclay / Quinn Fabray / Romeo Montague

Re: Jack Priest / Juliet Darling / Tara Maclay / Quinn Fabray / Romeo Montague

Momoko Akatsutsumi

Dani Davis, Mary Connell, Lion-o, Harper Finkle, Hoshi Sato and Mike Cannon

Re: Dani Davis, Mary Connell, Lion-o, Harper Finkle, Hoshi Sato and Mike Cannon

Re: Dani Davis, Mary Connell, Lion-o, Harper Finkle, Hoshi Sato and Mike Cannon

Ramona, Sookie, Katniss, Puck, Belle, Robin, Rory

Rinoa, George, Alex, Alice, Rikku

Freddie Benson, Elphaba Thropp, Captain Hook

James of Krondor

Re: Hows My Driving?

OOC

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