Am I the only one who doesn't like the "insert a picture" into the RPG? I feel like it takes away from me picturing the scene when someone is giving me an image to reference. Am I just old?

You’re just old lol

^

Comicbook style visuals for comicbook themed rpgs. Thats just how I roll. But I dont think you're old (I mean you are but lol) inserted images have always been a part of CV's rpg landscape. Cant remember a time in which they werent. Mind you, there are some who dont and get along just fine. But I actually hate reading hahahah so images help get me into someone's else's post.

I remember when we had to use ***to bold something*** so yeah pics weren't a thing. lol

@__hawk__:

We used photobuckets. You can literally see the expired boxes in threads 11 years old :P

@yazhun_sanvun: Yup. But that was mostly in Team Chat threads

@__hawk__: Ya that was just for reference. But your current account is only three years old. By then pics were well established in the majority of primary rpgs. They've been a part of the mainstream well before the insert image tab was the point I was poorly making ;)

I don't agree, but I get at least part of where it comes from. I like them, I feel like they can help enhance a post, make a nice touch, whatever, but I don't take them as necessary in mine or other people's posts. They're unnecessary, but fun.

I remember when I first showed up here, it was so ingrained in the culture that the rules thread of the time said not to post images in RPs because it [paraphrasing] "shows a lack of creative ability to describe the scene." Which is wrong, as happens to be a risk when you use blanket statements, but I understand where the perception comes from and how in some cases people may in fact use it as a mask (i.e. in some cases it may be true).

@rosso:

Was that the rules thread made by Autohitwoman?

I can actually remember when and who started it. It was like 9 years ago when Hotness and Kurrent arrived. Hotness used IC images everywhere for everything. At the time I thought it was the greatest most innovative thing I had seen on here. Influences me to this day.

Never considered myself a writer or even someone who could spot 'masking' or what that really is in terms of an rpg. I get the meaning. Images cover bad writing, but again, not a writer and not looking at anyone's post with a writer's eye. I dont care if a post entertains me because of cool art or cool words. Either or works for me. Truthfully, if a post is long, I check out no matter how well its written. But if its got cool pics, I'm engaged to the end. Not that anyone else should follow that. Its a horrible example however I did say that I hate reading. I meant it lmao

@yazhun_sanvun: I dunno. I didn't really memorize names at the time. I forget who brought it back as a mainstay in the more modern era, but I feel like it was someone unexpected and it caught back on with some of the "big-timers" and just stuck.

Geez, Gambler why are you even on this forum!? You're fired.

I look at things with a writer's eye, but I'm also pretty libertarian about the whole thing. [I even stopped Grammar Naziing so hard, except when a potential typo actively interferes with my understanding of a post.] Everybody do what makes them happy and it's fine as long as it's not infringing upon others in a way that those affected find undesirable. Likewise, I'm here to be entertained. But I've got a better attention span, at least slightly. ;-P I'm blown away by someone's insane description, or it can be someone whose writing may not be as good but their character is fantastic. Or there's a je ne sais quoi, and I'm not sure why, but it's just fun reading and/or writing with someone.

As far as length and description, and that correlation, I don't follow a set standard/ideal, but I don't believe more is always more. Sometimes posts are loaded down with description and it's not good, or it's unnecessary and I may check out. Sometimes a post is much shorter, but the descriptions are still more on-point than one that spent ten sentences per paragraph on it. For a while now I've been trying to trim the fat on posts so I can speed up my responses, and I leave out a lot of unnecessary stuff that I would've been inclined to include before, but sometimes posts still run long because you're trying to set something up, or you don't wanna leave the other person in a position where they're like "I'm not sure how to respond here," or where they might be able to have a response but might feel like they're just making a filler post, and thus be unhappy with the uncomfortable position.

@rosso: See...thats all too long to read without pictures.

Not to sound pretentious but I generally enjoy the artistic vision of my writing partners. Some like to use art and are good at it. It can enhance a post. Other people don't use art and they are generally skilled at describing scene without the use of art.

Both are fine with me. Everyone has a different style. Some people focus more on the writing, some on the RPGing, some bring visual style and flair to their posts, others are more pure wordsmiths and others swap between the two or blend the approaches to accomplish their creative aims.

To me it is more about reading the works of people who are skilled in their craft, whatever that craft might be.

Agreed. I can enjoy the immersive and atmospheric writing of someone like Zauby just as much as I can enjoy the visual flair from properly chosen pics that someone like Gambler uses.

@yazhun_sanvun: I knew you'd say something like that.

@grimmwald: Honestly I would probably get bored if everyone used the same approach. Plus having these individualistic, unique styles fits the comic book nature of the forum. Comic book characters are visually distinctive and many of the writers/RPGers here have equally distinctive approach to writing that help the world feel like a comic book world full of unique and larger than life characters.

@hawkshade: I think a lot of people would. At least I would too. It keeps things from falling into stylistic monotony. There's a real stylistic difference for example in going from reading a Sha post to a Nordok post. And that's fun, it's entertaining.

@yazhun_sanvun: FYI Kurrent was Renegade Lantern before Kurrent. He is OG

@__hawk__:

Before I began RPing here, I role-played on another website that was a "chat room". In that room, we have live RP's with other people and we'd fire off post after post at each other. Each player would have one pic to show what their character looked like (like Avatars, but way bigger). In that chat room, I couldn't post a pic for everyone to see because you'd only see a hyperlink which would take you to that pic and out of the chat room (or opening a new window, depending on your browser settings). So, I was used to text only RP's before coming here. That all changed for when I began to RP here on CV. Now I can suddenly post pics in my RP's like I saw everyone else was doing. I found a new way of RPing and I LOVED it. I had to get used to RPing on a forum because a chat room was different (and way faster).

Like others have said, I find using pics/gifs in my posts visually appealing and it helps set the scene or convey what a writer is trying to tell to the audience. Personally, I love it. But I do understand where your coming from with your viewpoint since I've RPed for years without any pics inserted in my posts and I was fine with it. I'm fine with both styles and it doesn't bother me if one choose one style over another. We all have our different takes and styles that we choose to express ourselves and that is a good thing. It create variety.

Now, what doesn't make sense to me is why some people refuse to RP with someone who uses Anime art or video game art. But that's an entirely different debate....

Yup.

FYI, I'm not "an OG." I AM the OG :D

Pick a Freaking account G.

Okay here's the deal. I'll pick an account if you start putting pics in your posts

and I believe R.E.D. Lamp would be THE OG

Agree with hawkshade. It's the same principal as successful film narration. A bad narration tells you the stoey rather than sbows it, a good narration compliments and enhances the story. Shawshank is a great example. Thay whole movie could have been wiyhout narrstion but woulda been poorer for it. Same applies to image usage. Basically don't let it be a substitute of writing and you'll be straight.