Sephiroth (satisfied): There, that ought to inject some life into this place!

(A laugh that sounds something like a record being scratched echoes over the melting snow.)

Kefka (bouncing up and down like a hyperactive child): You sound like you're having a lot of fun congratulating yourself, Sephiroth! Whatcha do, save the world?

Sephiroth (mildly annoyed): At least it's a start.

Kefka (wags a finger): But that isn't enough, is it? Sooner or later the same problems will come back, and next time there might not be any "concerned citizens" to care!

Sephiroth (as above): I don't suppose you have some miraculous plan to turn the tide, do you?

Kefka (laughs): Of course not! I might have delusions of grandeur, but I'm not that crazy.  The RLs will have to save themselves.

Sephiroth (as above): And how do you propose they do that?

Kefka (sagely): Ah, now we're getting somewhere! (clears throat) Oh, Authoress!

You called?

Kefka: It sounds too suspiciously Out of Character if I say it, so why don't you just skip the formalities and tell our good readers what you have in mind?

Well...all right, there's no real point in putting words in your mouth, I guess...

(The scene dissolves into a very messy-looking stage on which the Authoress is seated.)

Okay, here goes: basically, all group writing efforts suffer from the same three recurring problems--1) fear of failure, 2) lack of cooperation, and 3) unfamiliarity.  Personally, I don't mind any of these things with Ijishi because its motto is (or might as well be) "Anything Goes".  I like all the plotting, monkey-wrenching, destiny-changing posts because they're challenging to write and fun to read.

Kefka (from backstage): You've got that right! (cackles)

But of course not everybody enjoys this, so here's what I have in mind...

(A large screen descends from the ceiling.)

First of all, we need to have at the very least an accurate "timeline" of everything that's happened from the very beginning.  I had volunteered to be Ijishi's historian, but unfortunately laziness got the better of me and the archives I have are mostly a disorganized mess that is missing at least one large chunk.  This is definitely something I can't do alone--and I don't want to rely entirely on Chatty, either, because she's already done so much to keep Ijishi alive.  I can rebuild some parts of the archive where I posted, because I have a file of all my writings in chronological order, but I am a relatively late member compared to other people.  If anybody can contact the older RLs and ask them if they have any posts (or at least memories pertaining to these posts), no matter how seemingly insignificant, that would be a big help.

(Another slide pops up.)

Second, we need to be more cooperative.  While unexpected twists in the plot can be fun, I also like to collaborate with other RLs to produce co-posts or multi-RL storylines.  Talking with other RLs in advance also lets me know where I should hold back on powerplaying and gives me great suggestions for various ideas. (Many ideas involving the current Snow thread, for example, were inspired in talks with Chatty.) I'm against a long list of rules (and who isn't), but I think we really need to enforce a respect for other people.

(The slide changes again, this time to a picture of the various characters.)

Finally, remember that we are here to have fun.  Ijishi should be an enjoyable experience for both newbies and veterans alike.  The suggestions I made, although they might not solve everything, will at least make Ijishi a more pleasant experience.  I really like it here, and I hope that Ijishi doesn't just fizzle out and die.

(And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming...)

Kefka and Sephiroth are arm in arm, singing loudly:

(On second thought...)