Quicksand Fans

Do agree with Viridian. We are all entitled to our own fetishes We should not inflict them on all & sundry regardless of their wishes. Before I am asked-yes I have been in cow slurry (twice) On both occasions it was to rescue livestock that had fallen in I remember it took 3 baths to remove the smell. The last one in strong disinfectant!!

joedeep130535 wrote:Do agree with Viridian. We are all entitled to our own fetishes We should not inflict them on all & sundry regardless of their wishes. Before I am asked-yes I have been in cow slurry (twice) On both occasions it was to rescue livestock that had fallen in I remember it took 3 baths to remove the smell. The last one in strong disinfectant!!

This is getting very off topic. And yeah, I know it was kinda my fault, so I'll change my original post again.
EDIT: No more poop or waders in my original post. So, to continue the story...

Suddenly, Jenna plunged up to her thighs in the mud and started sinking.

This is far too off topic... >_<

Viridian is right. In hindsight, I should have expected this. I guess I thought people could behave themselves better.

The mud quickly filled Jenna's boots. She tried to lift her legs out of the mud, but they were too stuck to even move.

IxelFate wrote:This post derailed quickly. Decided to blow it up before it got too far out of hand. Now I see why people don't do interactive stories anymore, people can't control themselves.

Yeah, these things almost never end well. I can only recall two interactive stories on a video game forum that were resolved with a definitive ending, and one of them was only because I made a deliberate effort to re-rail it.
Anyway, mods might as well lock this topic.

DJlurker wrote:

IxelFate wrote:This post derailed quickly. Decided to blow it up before it got too far out of hand. Now I see why people don't do interactive stories anymore, people can't control themselves.

Yeah, these things almost never end well. I can only recall two interactive stories on a video game forum that were resolved with a definitive ending, and one of them was only because I made a deliberate effort to re-rail it.
Anyway, mods might as well lock this topic.

Yeah, they should lock it. I'm not passionate enough about this to try to rescue it.

Too bad! It could have been glorious!

Just leaving my final thoughts here.

I don't recall a single interactive thread that has been "glorious". Even the interactive games that have been occasionally been run have, in my opinion, been dismal in its "interactivity". Part of having a good thread is being able to role-play or narrate the story in an engaging way, and that often means that the people involved have to be able to convey the drama, tension, excitement and sensations that make the experience worth reading. Secondly, for the people taking part in the activity, the fun is in being able to interact with others. The better you are at fleshing out your contributions and playing out your role, the more content others have to work with when "playing" with you.

My last experience in writing up an interactive thread was sadly filled with participants who showed no interest in interacting. Really, if you're only going to say something like "Option 1" or just "1.", what's the point of being involved? It's not a competitive game with a prize at the end. Likewise, in a story thread, is it too much to expect a descriptive paragraph that advances the plot? I know most people aren't confident writers, but getting something like "It was a nice day" and "there was a forest" literally stops people from contributing because they're dead-end submissions.

The last time I was involved in an interactive story myself was a rage-quit moment, because everything is so damn predictable. We're on quicksand forum. Sooner, rather than later, the character(s) will fall into quicksand, and people want it to happen. I had my character avoid quicksand. The next person throws in her. I get out. Next person makes her fall into another one. Repeat ad infinitum. It stops being fun. Unfortunately, most people who engage in our specific interest are self-centred, who are interested enough to get their fill, but aren't really interested in creating material for others to enjoy, whether it be because they don't have the skills or means to do so, or they simply don't want to. And I don't blame them. However, we don't have a "critical mass" of creators to make a lot of basic community things possible.

I will lock this thread as requested. For those seeking to create a similar thread in the future, take note of the lessons learned, and hopefully you can make a better one.