Skully/cit002

Skully's Guide to Good Citizenship, Entry 002: Group Scenes are a Chore

Theme Song of the Day: Alessia Cara, "Over Here"

Hello again, citizens of Prospect, and welcome back for Episode 2 of Skully's Guide to Good Citizenship, still maintained by everybody's best friend -- me! This is still intended to be an ongoing series of posts encouraging good MUSH citizenship and productive roleplay, and so far it hasn't not done that, so we continue.

Scenes in large groups can be truly impressive and cool. Tons of people milling around, swapping stories and witty entendres, everyone having the time of their lives... except you. You pose in, but nobody seems to notice. You say hi, but it gets lost in the morass of conversation, so you just sit there, occasionally chiming in to no effect and failing to find a toehold in the exchange. So you slink out and say, "Okay, I'm avoiding group scenes forever," and you feel like the least-popular kid in the Chess Club.

But don't fret, wallflower! Everybody's Best Friend has a few DOs and DON'Ts that may just make your next group scene a more rewarding experience for you and others, and at the very least will make it possible for you to inhabit this sort of scene in a fashion that garners positive attention!

DO Choose a Target

The big key to establishing yourself in a group scene is to pick your target and play right at them. Talk to someone specific and make sure you're doing more than just saying 'hi' so they have a reason to respond and include you. This can be as simple as finding the person you know and saying, "How have you been?", or as complicated as picking a stranger and asking them if they noticed a pair of sunglasses you left laying nearby earlier. Whatever the premise, the key is to lock in on somebody and try to give reasons why people would respond to your pose. After all, they're already RPing; it's your job to get included.

DON'T Be Quiet

Problematically, folks who feel like they're lost in the shuffle of a big scene tend to scrunch up into a quiet little ball in their poses and seal their mouths shut with a caulking gun. The issue here is that you've gone on the defensive against the noise, and now if you're going to join the scene someone else has to come talk to you. This is just death to your chances for RP, so you have to make sure you're ready to speak up and talk to people so that you can actually get something out of the group dynamic.

DO Have Something to Say

All right, so you've picked your target and struck up a conversation and you refuse to be cowed into silence. Now it's time to face the crucible and figure out what it is you have to offer this scene.

Group scenes are usually about dialogue, so while your physicality in poses is still important, it's going to take a back seat to the tidbits of conversation you have to offer. Try to stick to subjects that are relevant to the group and avoid topics that are better broached in private, and build on the conversation already occurring organically if at all possible. Give your perspective on people's statements and opinions and offer your own take or advice where applicable. Above all, whatever you have to say, say it in an interesting way. This is entertainment; be entertaining!

DON'T Just Respond

I can see it now; you're in the scene, you picked your target, you're talking, and you're getting nothing and thinking, "Skully doesn't know what the heck he's talkin' about!". And the reason I'm thinking of is because all you're doing is reacting to what other people are saying, and that's not gonna get you anywhere.

In a group scene, most folks are primed to acknowledge the words and actions of others, but in a minimal fashion. You may be getting nods of agreement, looks in your direction, or the occasional mention of your name, but no one's actually RPing with you because all you're doing is throwing out "I agree" or "me, too" to the conversation and not initiating any actual dialogue. Consider disagreeing, offering an alternate point, or even agreeing but bringing up corroborating facts or opinions. Make sure you've given folks a reason to take what you have to say as new info and not just an augmentation of someone else's statement.

DO Be Inclusive

The greater part of Good Citizenship in a group scene is, of course, to be inclusive of others. When someone new poses in, acknowledge them in a meaningful fashion if you can. If someone isn't being heard or included in the conversation, target them and try to fix that. We're all in this fishbowl together; try to help everyone have a good time!

DON'T Be a Drama Queen

And please, for gods' sakes, do not start drama just to get attention. Whether you think it'd be amazing or not to show up and start screaming or to throw a drink in a stranger's face and accuse them of sleeping with your grandmother is immaterial; you're just going to piss people off, and that's Bad Citizenship. Join the scene; don't cause a scene.

And that, my lovelies, is it for the second episode of Skully's Guide to Good Citizenship. I hope it was helpful and that it made it easier for you to join or participate in big scenes. As usual, feel free to drop me a comment on the Discussion page, and remember: Don't Run with Scissors!