Idle Thoughts
Anyone particularly active in Pharody during November or December could tell you a thing or two about Sword's Dawn Breaker event (fearfully lamented as the Second Scorch by near everyone). This event was made to tie into Rocket's final major event, Starfall.
It is most notable for creating a rare instance of a role-play breaking through its niche and into the main Phighting space. I can't say this was unwarranted, either—both events kept those interested on their toes for what might happen next. In my limited experience, it's really important to create that dread. That is a sign that those reading are feeling some sort of immediate impact from where you're going with your narrative.
Most fandom parody spaces have the advantage of people already caring about the characters in that media. Though not written by the original author, such is inevitably transferred to a similar portrayal of that character.
For the time I've been here, I picked up on the fact a lot of Pharody accounts use the tactic of immediate impact (usually done through a direct tragedy) to draw interest to themselves. Of course, that isn't inherently a bad thing. It causes a reaction, gets people drawn in to your story, and depending on how well its' done, can suffice as a compelling point of conflict for the character or even the account as a whole.
While I think it is fair to use in some cases, I'd like to air caution towards using it leisurely.
Impact is one of those things that need to be spaced out. If every moment in a story has it, then ironically, it may end up lacking it. A lot of people chalk build-up to poor pacing. Not to say they're mutually exclusive, but to encourage further evaluation.
Here's my advice.
When you are planning to either begin or hit the climax of a story part with an impactful event:
- Go into it understanding that it is a multi-faceted concept and not just for the moment. What you do with your impact event is expected to have a lasting, noticeable effect on the character you play. If it's affected anything else in its wake, it is expected to linger on those things. Having an event severely impact a character only to have it be completely reversed too soon will gradually lower the stakes should you intend to have a moment like it again.
- Be ready to commit. You're coming down from a roller coaster's peak and you may feel yourself begin to lose momentum. Often, this is what causes a lot of role-players to resort to reversing the action or outright ignoring it happened. This has the same consequence as the former bullet. Even as the most exciting, shocking part you waited to show off passes, I'd advise you to continue telling your story as you were before it.
- Make sure you have an outline of the events following. Please do not rush head first into something happening to the character if you do not know what you'll do with them after it. Please. For your own sake.
- Explore the respective noun(s) that are impacted as a result, and how they live with this change. Whether it be an inphernal, a place, a thing or an idea—take some downtime to explore daily life after it's happened, especially if it is not limited to your own character.
