(Need input!!!) Plans for the future...

[Misfit_Alien]

Part of me wonders if I should set up only a small handful of OCs to be relegated to major storyline stuff because this past year I've felt so tremendously bogged down not only by the weight and pressure of school but because I also have OCs attached to ongoing stories within LAW that need to be completed on time.

I've done some minor RP sessions that are short, non-serious, and for fun and I found the lack of pressure and intensity was a little more fulfilling. I'm at a crossroads cuz, obviously, Akari would be one of the few meant to carry on in mostly full storyline stuff but I'm wondering how I should proceed.

Like, I'm also really struggling to come up with stories for some of my lesser-used characters but I still WANT to use them, although I don't really want to put them into segments where I'm shipping them or having them go for belts or enter long-term or even short-term feuds with several different people or even just one person at all.

Part of me likes the idea of just having a "for fun" roster and maybe doing shorter matches or just one-off "stories" that are contained within the single thread (or two at most) to try and limit how much I have to invest so that I can get to the result that I want a little quicker.

Not to devalue the integrity of storytelling on LAW or anything, I just feel like I won't be able to maintain the same pace as I used to when starting out and I won't be able to commit to as many BIG storylines going forward. A lot of my personal projects for LAW-related stuff have taken a backseat. One is because I keep coming up with more OCs and ideas in general. Two, because stuff takes a LONG time to set up and things change at the drop of a dime. And three, my mood swings randomly at times and I just lose interest.

I want to make use of all the OCs I have. I want to have sexy matches with hot action and all the good stuff, but I just don't know if I have the capacity to try and wait around and commit to months or years' worth of storytelling just to get around to it for SEVERAL characters of mine.

Am I sounding entitled or anything like that? I'm just rambling via text here trying to voice my concerns and maybe get a little feedback. While I love planning stuff I feel like I'm on the verge of getting overwhelmed right after finishing up this quarter and heading into my winter break. I've still got so much stuff to catch up on though and I have drafts of OC profiles saved up that I want to finish so I can properly use them and have them interact with all the amazing characters on here.

[Underdoggo]

I have found, when I'm overwhelmed, that I just really need to go easy on myself. Sometimes that means doing only 1 post per day. Sometimes it means none. But real life, and more importantly your own physical and well being, always come first. If you have to slow down your posting to do that, then that simply is how it needs to be.

I get that you want to have a lot of fun matches with an amazing roster. But also don't do it to the point that it becomes stressful. Remember, this should never become homework for you.

[BlackAkuma]

I agree with Underdoggo - there's no shame is just stepping back a bit and working within your means. You have a great roster of characters, but if you're stressing yourself out trying to make use of them all, they're not doing you much good.

[Jaystar]

For what they're worth, my two cents...

I can certainly understand how you're feeling. Being usually always strained with work/life/whatnot stuff that affect my time, energy and mood for RPing, I've intentionally been very hesitant over committing to any long-term storylines throughout my time in RPing. Exactly for the reason that in real life, due to my usually rather slow posting pace, those storylines would take ages to write through, while along the way, the novelty factor (usually subconsciously a central part behind an idea's appeal) will gradually be dying down. Inevitably, over time the appeal of the longer storyline will diminish at least to some degree, while you're constantly encountering or coming up with other, more exciting, and more novel ideas that you'd like to explore or play out. (I'm not saying that writing long storylines wouldn't be fun at all, and some writers certainly seem to enjoy them more than others.)

This may be an unpopular opinion, but to me, the idea of trying to get my characters into storylines that could lead to the title belt scene, or are otherwise very long ones or high-profile ones, is actually quite undesirable. It's not that I would dislike such matches or storylines per se, it's just that they take huge amounts of time - plus put more pressure on your shoulders to post frequently and advance the storylines as quickly as you can. And the more pressure you feel to post, the easier it is for posting to turn into a chore. And posting turning into a chore is toxic for mood and energy to post, leading into more pressure and guilt, becoming a vicious circle.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that do whatever you feel like suits your moods and cravings the best! Try to have as much fun as you can, with as little pressure as you can, whether it would be focusing on fun one-off matches, or on longer storylines in the future. I don't think such an approach would be "devaluing" storytelling in LAW in any way, even if it might disappoint some folks who may be really into writing long-term storylines in LAW.

[killcarrion]

The idea of having a small subsection of characters devoted to major storylines with others primarily utilized for fun one-offs is actually a mentality adopted by numerous members, I feel. So you shouldn't feel alone in this since it's honestly unfeasible to have a large and diverse cast with the majority involved in long-term plans and maintain this mentality for an extend period of time. We only have so much time in the day devote to this recreation of ours. There's no reason to feel ashamed for this as if you're dishonoring your other characters or the site's integrity. It's simply the compromise you've made to continue taking part in this hobby in a way that allows you to derive the most satisfaction from it, while still having time for your average everyday responsibilities. Picking and choosing who gets mainstream storylines and who are used in one-offs sounds like it's the way to go since it lessens the chance of being overwhelmed from an abundance of long-term storylines you may lose interest in, but when in doubt just close your eyes and listen to that voice in your head telling you what's the best way to move forward.