Forget December.

So this Christmas, I have a choice.

I can have my integrity, or I can have my fiancee. One, but not the other.

They say 'tis the season, but they never say for what. They're only scared of the ugly truth, too cowardly to confront what they know and are too shamed to say out loud.

This is the time to bite your tongue, pretend to like the people you can't stand. This is the time to lie, the time to bring all these ugly blemishes to the surface and then cover them over as if no one knows that they exist.

This is a time for lies, a time for chaos, a time for pain, a time for old ugly wounds to gape open anew. This is a time to wish you were with the family you chose instead of the family you can't escape. This is a time for problems, a time for hurts, a time for the small cuts to burn all the worse.

Fuck December.

I can't wait for the new year, if only so this one will be over.

Stream of Consciousness

The most popular myth of all is that love by definition must be romantic. Sex is not the defining aspect of love: it is only one symptom of one facet of one grain of sand on an infinite beach which encompasses the seething ocean of all humanity. Given enough time and enough patience, an individual could learn to love each and every member of this tumultuous, ever-changing family which we all share in common - such is the message which has been passed down through age after age by all forms and variants of the messianic leader, and such is the message which is misunderstood, generation upon generation, by those so bound by fear they would attempt to shackle the heavens themselves in order to bar the stars from shining. Love is a blinding burst of brilliance, without limits, without age, without flaw. The real glory, however, comes not in admiring it from a distance, but in embracing it for what it is - a jewel of surpassing perfection in the palm of one's hand, a crystal palace of curving halls and winding stairs leading one ever upwards, an iridescent looking-glass through which only truth may be seen. Too, it should be cautioned that once embraced, love is not easily released: does the prisoner go willingly back to their cage? Does the flower return easily to the bud? Fear is a prison crafted by will, and love is the light which no manmade bars may contain.

Embrace love, abandon fear. All humanity is a forest, one living, breathing, cooperative organism, every man, woman, and child a sparkling light among the thousands of branching growths, all tangled and intertwined in a labyrinth of explosive, thriving beauty, hope, and optimism. For every leaf which falls from the branch, a new sprout springs hale from the undergrowth, two limbs previously unconnected touch and intertwine, roots mingle and burst uncaring through the soil, building layer upon layer of foundations for the generations to come, men standing upon the shoulders of giants upon the shoulders of titans gazing out upon a misty, unformed future.

To abandon fear is to learn; to learn is to grow; to grow is to become free; to be free is to love. Fear not any earthly demon of uncertain mists and wavering shadows - death comes for us all, and it greets us as we greet it, with irresistible, peaceful joy or overwhelming terror by turn. Mind, a bullet may no more slay an idea than a blade may cut the tides. Though violence wounds the wielder as certainly as the victim, scars fade and new strength grows from the crushing embrace of hope, the tender caress of compassion, and the steadfast support of love. Love granted not only for oneself, not only for the heady intoxication of fresh romance, but for the mighty wellspring of eternal mystery that is all of our shared heritage. Still waters run deep, and this fountain's depths may be plumbed only by those willing to abandon their fears, shed the weighty fears of their pasts, and allow the love which surrounds their every waking moment to be the very light that guides them, the very air which nourishes them. Even as one trips upon epiphany and falls into the sky, cherished by the stars which have watched over us since birth, with every breath of love, the voice of humanity shouts a mighty, wordless cry to the boundless deeps, the lonesome wilds, and the shining heavens alike with a single unmistakable message: Do not forget, and cherish always, the divine's most precious gift to its creation. Love, always and without reservation. Love without bounds, love without fear, love without limits, for love unfettered presents us with a beautiful paradox, an enigma of scented petals and crystal droplets: though love will vanquish all challenges set before it with effortless grace and poise, love advances and retreats only upon command of its host.

Wherefore shalt thou lead, noble child of a misty past? Fear not learning: love asks only a chance, only the slightest breath of hope. Given the opportunity, love will burst through years of rubble left by ancient hurts untended and wounds disregarded as if only freshly born, bringing color to a world long since gray with only a breath to brush away the dust of memories left by skirmishes almost forgotten, aches like old friends, and wounds closed, but never healed.

If one will but only dare to dream the dream of love, child, fear not: for all will be well.

Canby High School 2010 Graduation Ceremony Play by Play

Actual play by play Facebook wall posting from an audience member (that is, me) at the Canby High School Graduation for the graduating class of 2010, made via iPod Touch using the wireless connection available inside the Canby High School outdoors stadium. Each of these posts was made via the Facebook app for the iPhone & iPod touch, which means that each and every one of them had to fit within Facebook's 420-character limit, and be typed using the touchscreen of an iPod touch. Quite the experience, really...how the world has changed since my high school graduation! More importantly, though: Congratulations, seniors, you made it! Good luck with what lays ahead – I am sure that great things lie in store.

11:27 PM

[Author] is contentedly exhausted. Fantastic end to a truly craptacular week, & I can't even begin to describe in words just how staggered, flabbergasted, honored, & privileged I am feeling to be able to be present at Wailan Krebs' graduation today. Wailan, you're a great guy with some awesome potential. I can't wait to see what you accomplish in the coming years, & am more proud of you than words can describe!

8:36 PM

[Author] And we finish with Journey. 'Grats, Canby 2010, and congrats Wailan!

Friday, June 11th, 2010, 8:34:56 PM

[Author] Wailan graduates... NOW! Go Wailan!

(Author's note: for this post, the "share" button was pressed at the moment the students first reached for their tassels, so this is as close as I can come to the exact moment tassels were flipped & caps were tossed!)

8:34 PM

[Author] Beachball number five!

8:33 PM

[Author] Beachball number four!

8:25 PM

[Author] Beachball number three!

8:18 PM

[Author] Alright parents, tell the truth now - are you cheering that loud 'cause your kid(s) just graduated, or is it really just because they're finally going to be out of your house? =b

8:16 PM

[Author] Look, up in the sky, a shooting star! ...oh wait no, just kidding, someone just lost a balloon. lolwut.

Friday, June 11th, 2010, 8:15:03 PM

[Author] Woo, just saw Wailan cross the stage - all that's left is flipping that tassel!

8:11 PM

[Author] Just once, I want to go to a graduation where the names are read dramatically.

8:07 PM

[Author] Beachball number two has appeared!

8:03 PM

[Author] Here come the diplomas!

8:01 PM

[Author] (This is more familiar ground. I do remember wondering who that guy was at my own graduation 5 years ago, at the very least. 5 years ago... dang I feel old.)

7:59 PM

[Author] Principal's done, superintendent's turn. IIRC, this would be the guy in charge who none of the students actually know.

7:57 PM

[Author] THE FIRST BEACHBALL APPEARS!

7:55 PM

[Author] Principal's talking. Nostalgia. D'awww.

7:53 PM

[Author] From [fellow audience member]: "why is the music coming from behind us?" "There are speakers back there." "The band is in front of us." "Yes, the microphones magically move the sound from up here to back there. Isn't it amazing?!" "Shut up if you don't want to get hurt." Teehee. =b

7:47 PM

[Author] Speakers are done, now it's the band's turn. Needs moar cowbell.

7:46 PM

[Author] Almost lost the wifi connection (graduations have changed since mine!). Yikes. Got it back, though. Continuing...

7:43 PM

[Author] Analogy comparing high school to adventurous experience, speech based on quote from famous person. Yep, this is a graduation ceremony, alright!

7:41 PM

[Author] Moar talking.

7:29 PM

[Author] Yay, singing!

7:28 PM

[Author] First speaker - reminds me of that old song by The Who. How did that go? "Talkin' 'bout my graduation!" ...Something like that, anyway, right?

7:25 PM

[Author] Okay, sitting down for real now, listening to welcome address from the class president.

7:21 PM

[Author] Sitting down and clapping now, processional's over...and just kidding, standing again for the national anthem. Facebooking during the anthem, all hail Cyberspace! =b

7:12 PM

[Author] is standing for the processional, and just saw Wailan. Love the hat!

6:01 PM

[Author] is at Wailan's graduation. Congrats, dude, you made it!

Poetry - A Madman's Desire

Fragile Victories
Each time I open my eyes, I wake up to do war with my own nature.
Every second is a battle, every night is a victory.
Fear, anxiety, doubt, hopelessness...
Depression is a hard master, but one which cannot be surpassed for his ability to temper and harden the supple steel of one's soul.
Enemies I embrace, and when enemies become friends, from friends I flee: for I am a man with death riding upon my shoulders.

Crumbling Towers
Life must, by necessity, challenge -
Else we remain nothing more than lost:
Mere mewling babes crawling and stumbling
Through the debris shattered and broken
Of our ruined lives for all eternity.

Dryden's Folly
The strongest man alive is only he
who has daily surmounted a fear
til no fear remains:
the wisdom of Dryden, though
lacks just one vital ingredient:
without fear, a man must die
for when there is nothing left to fear,
there is nothing left to learn.

Escape
Life wearies me.
I long for the hurtling moons of Barsoom, for the Cyclopean architecture of lands long lost, for vistas yet unseen and lives yet unlived.
I long for green meadows underneath my feet and warm, alien suns multiply shining upon my face,
softening the lines drawn upon it by the ravages of long, full years.
Death, you ride upon my shoulders, you chuckle soft, sweet nothings in my ear:
yet ever you shrink from my longing embrace.
Why must you commit to such sweet torture,
tempting us with nectar; the gods' ambrosia;
just beyond a mortal's reach,
Yet slip away in the night
like the guiltiest of lovers
just when we desire you most?

Sanity's Prison
When all fear is exhausted
there is only the vast and formless void
tempting us with vague hints of unnatural worlds,
with strange stars under alien skies.
The deepest madness is that which realizes itself, and yet cannot break the bars of this earthly cage!

Truth
None lie closer to madness
than the completely sane.

Shades of Meaning
Genius is simply a euphemism -
A gentle lie,
for those who burn the wick of sanity at both ends -
of course the light is brighter,
but must you wonder when the flame begins to waver?

The Most Familiar Face
Death rides upon my shoulders
waiting, ever waiting
vulture-like, sharp eyes watching
for just one moment
a moment of frailty, moment of weakness,
savoring fear, feeding upon apprehension:
and yet when the bonds of sanity break
when the chains fall to dust
I turn to embrace her,
breaking all limits;
all physical bounds
plummeting towards her with reckless abandon
Yet just when I can see her face
At that fragile point where the veil is weakest
She withdraws, pulling back yet again
what lie is this, promising eternal peace
Yet one more time
Giving just the taste of ecstasy
allowing just moments upon that razor's edge
living in one world, peering into the next
Only to withdraw, giving nought
but the gift of stealing away my fear
if only for today?

The Palace Guard
Fear is but a guard
Death's own gatekeeper
A menacing mask
All mirrors and illusion
Casting shadows, playing at puppet games
Break the mirrors
Light the shadows
Cut the strings
For the greatest reward:
Just one glimpse
of her beautiful face;
No longer a mere destination;
Now a goal.

Liberation
Only one thrill left for one who has conquered fear of death:
Liberty through madness.

Pacific
A day without rain is without beauty;
a day without sun, without joy.

...also known as ah, how I miss it.

Keep in mind, this writing is four years old. Be gentle with it, please!

The Story Begins...

The wind lightly rustled the leaves somewhere deep in the forests of Avalon. A slim, athletic shape lightly tread upon the firm cushion of leaves carpeting the ground, silently weaving through tightly knit branches and lush curtains of vines gently swaying from the trees above. Easily gliding through the labyrinth of greenery, the shape's feet left no impression in the soft loam, and its passing disturbed nary a twig.
The shape paused in a small clearing, almost as if it were checking some undetectable sign or ascertaining the location of some invisible trailhead. As sunlight filtered through the leaves of the canopy above, details of the shadowy figure became clear - long light brown hair was tied in a braid that hung down to a slim masculine waistline. A lean, muscular torso was covered by a plain dark brown tunic, centering a wiry, athletic build. There was a sharp, clean-shaven face, tanned and weathered by years of exposure. Hazel eyes sparkled green and brown, and upon closer examination in the right conditions, revealed a haunting combination of pain and sadness deep within. Slim, pointed ears, a confident, practiced stride, and an almost unearthly grace, coupled with a rapier strapped to one hip and a supple, powerful longbow slung across the figure's back completed the impression of a lethally agile Avalonian ranger.
Abruptly, the ranger chose a direction seemingly at random and disappeared into the forest, making his way through the thick undergrowth with an easy, purposeful stride. As he disappeared into the forest, a very sharp observer may even have noticed a slight crook at the corner of his mouth, almost as if one side of his mouth was turning up in a half smile sharp enough to cut adamantine like butter.
The famed ranger Erowyn - cool, calculating, precise, lethal - seeking refuge from this senseless war at the hiding place of his childhood. What would my comrades think of me now?
If the birds at that moment could speak, they would have told a tale of a living weapon - a man honed to razor precision, able to kill with the flick of a wrist or the twitch of a finger. They also would have told a tale of a haunted man - one who had seen entirely too much killing, and had acquired a palpable aura of grief and sorrow that followed in his steps. The flowers themselves almost seemed to weep shimmering tears of dew at his passage as he gently brushed them aside on his way through the forest. A man alone, with no refuge to grant him relief from the ghosts of his past, no companions to share his burden. This was a man who had chosen his path in life, and was now paying the price for the choices he had made.
If only they could see me now - all those that I've killed before. What would their faces say? I wonder if they would blame me for their senseless deaths, or if they would grant me amnesty based on this gruesome slaughter they call a holy war. Would they see the pain their tragedies cause? Would they see the children they left behind, the lovers and family, that I so cruelly deprived of comfort and stability in a world already rife with discontent? Or would they simply see me - these cold dark eyes, memorizing their faces as they are pierced by my blade or the unforgiving shafts that fly from my bow?
Silently traveling through the forest, alone with his troubled thoughts, Erowyn Landolier, ranger of Avalon, strode the only path he had ever known - one of solitude, filled with the pain of others, all the grief that others could not bear resting on his weary shoulders.
After several hours alone with his thoughts, constantly moving, stopping at neither obstacle nor exhaustion, he emerged from the thick woods into a clearing, sparkling with strange lights rising from a peaceful pool in the midst of ancient trees overgrown with moss. Very little sunlight penetrated here, and yet a comforting light seemed to emanate from the pool itself. As he walked into the clearing, a sudden observation brought his steps to an abrupt halt.
There was somebody else here.
Sparkling, eery notes twirled from her harp, oddly comforting and yet tragic at the same time. Dark brown hair cascaded down her back, shimmering in the odd light. The glow of the pool illuminated pale skin, and a cloak covering several daggers and a bow lay discarded nearby. A pale horse grazed on the other side of the pool, as an eerily beautiful voice lifted notes in a language just beyond comprehension.
Standing stock still, completely silent except for the breath entering and leaving his lungs, Erowyn simply stood and listened for several long moments, savoring the temporary ease the music seemed to bring. Slowly exhaling, he crossed to the edge of the pool, staying a respectful ten feet or so away from the newcomer, and sat at the edge. Not looking at her, he removed his boots and slipped his feet into the crystalline shallows. Pausing, he looked at her for one long moment, and then shrugged off his tunic and slid into the water...
Savoring the feel of the cool liquid over the scarred muscles of his abdomen, back, and chest, he submerged completely and simply floated, content to lay in the crystal suspension for several long moments. His muscles beginning to loosen, Erowyn relaxed and allowed himself to gently float upwards. As his head slid out of the water, smoothly breaking the surface, he languidly turned, treading water in the shimmering pool. Continuing the turn, he faced the newcomer, studying her for several moments in the calming glow of the clearing.
Pausing briefly, Erowyn bowed his head in a short, courteous nod, speaking in a quiet voice, almost overloud in the silence of the wood.
"I am Erowyn Landolier, ranger of Avalon. My apologies for the interruption."

Roleplaying for Dummies

Because my writing deserves better than obscurity. Or, well, really, just better than the place it currently resides.

Rules for Roleplaying:

First off, let's start with the basics: vocabulary.
OT: Off-Topic. This is when you say something out of character or not directly relating to the RP.
GM: Game Master. This is the person who runs and supervises the game, throws challenges at the players, sets up the encounters, monitors the gameplay, and keeps everything running smoothly. In essence, the god of whichever game they're running. Be nice to them, as they hold the power of life and death over every character in the game. GMs generally do not actually play in the games they run.
PC: Player Character. This is pretty self-explanatory - a player character is a player's character.
NPC: Non-player Character. This is a character not controlled by any of the characters. Run by the GM, these characters (just like yours) can have a variety of attitudes, secrets, personalities, etc. Essentially, an NPC is any character not run by one of the players, and can range from a friendly ally to an apathetic townsperson to an outright hostile enemy.
Godmoding: Trying to be the GM. This will be explained in more detail later.

Character Profiles:
Give your GM something to work with. Just saying "Yeah, my guy kicks butt!" is not good enough. Why are they so kick-butt? What have they sacrificed to gain their combat skills? Do they have a personality? What about history? Do they even have one? Is there a reason they wanted to acquire these skills? Is there some sort of secret in their past for the other characters to wonder about? (i.e. "nobody knows how or where he first showed up, or where he acquired his temper...all that anyone knows is that the first man who made him angry was found the next morning pinned to a doorway with a dagger through his throat.") Give it some depth. A sentence or two isn't nearly enough to tell us who your character is. Remember, your character is an extension of yourself, and nobody is two-dimensional. Give us some detail...your character is a person in their own right, so treat them like it.

Realism:
Keep it realistic. Weapons and armor are heavy stuff - think about it realistically. I know that it's very tempting to make your character a powerhouse with several dozen weapons, but think about it reasonably. If your character were real, would they really want to weigh themselves down with a greatsword, two longswords, three daggers the size of shortswords, a couple of two-foot long kamas, a battleaxe, and three dozen throwing daggers? It doesn't make sense - a realistic character might have one primary weapon and two secondaries, or one primary and one ranged...at most. Keep it realistic. Before you deck out your character, imagine them in real life and think about how well they would function, how they'd fight, how they'd travel...half the trick of believable RPing is making your character real - they're not words on a computer screen or numbers on a sheet of paper, they're a living, breathing person as real as you or me. You don't have to make it totally realistic - after all, half the fun of RPing is pretending - but keep it real enough to be within the realm of plausibility.

Off-Topic:
This should never happen in an RP thread, that's what separate threads are for. It's a matter of etiquette. At the very least, before anyone says anything off-topic, label it as such. An "off-topic" in italics at the top would work, as would putting it in parentheses and sticking an "OT:" in front of it. But keep the story going...too much off-topic ruins it for everyone.

Godmoding:
All too often, people like to assume other people's actions - even NPCs are controlled by the GM, and thus count as characters. As such, instead of "I slice into the guy's arm with my katana," a player should say "I swing my katana towards my opponent, aiming to hit their arm", and let the GM or the opposing character take it from there. This is a huge problem with most new RPers, and although easily solved, it tends to be the most common mistake made in the roleplaying world, even among those with extensive experience and skill in roleplaying.

Spam:
Also a huge problem. A good RP should read like a novel. If the posts aren't in-depth, deeply thought-out, and well and carefully written, the RP won't be any fun for anyone who's played a quality RP before (as I have on more than a few occasions, lol), and it won't be any fun for anyone else to read, either. It should be exciting - it should draw the player characters in and make them want to actually think through their posts and make the story exciting, not just spam it up with impulsive, poorly thought out posts. One- or two-sentence posts were actually grounds for banning on several RP forums I've participated in in the past, because they just annoyed everyone else and didn't actually accomplish anything. Give it some depth - your character isn't two-dimensional, their actions shouldn't be either.

Patience:
One of the greatest qualities of a good roleplayer is patience. In an online text-based RP, one must be willing to wait up to several days for the story to advance even a few minutes. Although this can be infuriating, it also has a valuable aspect to it - you have much more time to think through your post and decide how you're going to respond to any given situation. Patience also manifests itself in another form - remember the realism? Action does not begin right away. Patience can also manifest itself in the willingness to participate in story and character development instead of constant action. Your profile is only the beginning - stay true to your character. How a person acts in everyday situations can let others know an astonishing amount about them - so be willing to develop your character outside of combat. The story may not always move at the pace you want it to, and attempting to force it disrupts things for everyone. Patience is a virtue, and especially so in online text-based RPGs.

Passive Godmoding:
This is also a problem in many RPers. Even after the initial problem of godmoding has been solved, many players have trouble remembering that their character does not know as much as they do. Remember to stay in character - your character would know only what they have been exposed to or observed themselves. In many RPs, players tend to forget that their characters cannot read others' minds, as well. Oftentimes, this can lead to conflict, as one PC may reveal their thoughts in order to add drama or tension to the story, and other PCs may react as if they know these thoughts, when in fact it is only the players themselves that do. Remember to stay in-character - assuming your character knows everything you do can be extremely disruptive to the flow of an RP.

Passive Godmoding, Part II:
The other part of passive godmoding is making your character invincible. Remember, in real life, people get hurt. They get hurt in RPs, too. Your character should not be a god - it should be a dynamic human being who grows and learns as it progresses through the campaign. You will not be invincible or all-knowing right off the bat, and it's important to rememeber that your character getting injured is not the end of the world. Sometimes, your character may get hurt, or even die - this is all part of the game. It does happen, and one of the greatest problems in the RPing world are those who try to overpower their characters...as usual, keep it realistic. Real people are mortal and have flaws, your characters should too.

Doing Your Research:
This is very important. When participating in an RP, if you don't know exactly what's going on, make sure to read the entire RP (at least to a point where you know what you missed) so you can stay accurate to the story. Oftentimes, when this doesn't happen, the story gets twisted or distorted, people get confused, and on occasion, entire RPs can crash because people lose track of where they are or where they're going.
Remember - even though you may not know what's going on, your character is there, and as such, should have a pretty good idea of what's happening in their world. Keep this in mind, and remember to do your research before posting.

Off-topic Communication with others

If the GM requests a hiatus or a brief break in playing, do not publicly respond with your acknowledgement. Simply not responding is not acknowledgement enough, and if you must signal assent, PM the Game master to let them know you received their message. In the interests of keeping the game uncluttered, always remember to keep Off-topic speech to an absolute minimum. Also in this pursuit, if you must communicate with another player outside of the actual game - whether it be a question, a suggestion, or any other sort of off-topic speech - PM them. There are several RPs already with entire pages of nothing but off-topic speech, when an RP should have no more than one or two off-topic posts in a row at the most.
Off-topic speech, while one of the trickiest bits of RP etiquette to observe, since it is not actually clearly defined, can badly disrupt a game - as stated above, if you absolutely must communicate with someone about the game outside of your actual character, that's what PMs are for.

Another idea - if you need to communicate with everyone at once - rather than making a new post entirely devoted to off-topic speech, simply edit your last post and tack whatever you need to say on the end of it, clearly labeling it as off-topic when you do so. The aim of all this is to streamline the gameplay, so if you must make an off-topic comment, try to do it without disrupting the game, and as unobtrusively as possible.

Keeping The Story Intact/Splitting Off:

A pattern I have noticed among RPs on this site is that small groups of people tend to split off and play out their own miniature dramas, disregarding the rest of the players, and indeed the game, entirely. This should not be done - ever. One of the prime appealing factors to roleplaying is a coherent, continuous storyline. With this in mind, when playing, keep in mind that there are other players, and that their characters are living in the same world, at the same time, as yours. This ties into the patience angle as well - while it is extremely tempting to begin a duel or conversation with someone you know is online, this greatly detracts from the storyline as a whole, and is thus something to be strenuously avoided. Remember: In an online RP, patience is key. Make your post, and wait for all others to respond - not simply your target. Giving the others in your group a chance to play just as you are is half of what makes an RP fun for a group of players, rather than just a select few. Keep the story intact, and maintain your patience - it is okay to wait a day or two for all the others to make their move, as a story that takes its time in forming is that much better in the end.

Patience, Part II: Just posting your profile in an RP does not mean you should start posting immediately. Take turns - everyone will not necessarily move at once, and your character should enter in a manner that makes sense - wait until there is a clear opening for your character to enter the story, and then begin posting.

Godmoding, Part IV (NPCs): Introducing and playing NPCs (non-player characters) is the sole responsibility of the GM or GMs. Unless given license to do so by the game master, remember that you only control the specific character or characters that you are playing - all others are introduced and controlled entirely by the GM, unless specifically stated otherwise.

Quality, Not Quantity: The point in an RP is not length - it is quality. A long post does not necessarily equate to a good one... the ultimate aim is a tight, well-written story that grips the reader by the throat and never lets up, dragging them along behind it like a runaway rollercoaster. If one or more of the characters go off into long, rambling monologues in the midst of a gripping, swiftly moving action scene, you're going to lose your readers' attention - this is counter to your ultimate aim. Remember, an RP is not merely a game - it is a novel simultaneously written by many different people, each with their own values and contributions. If these contributions are not woven together in a neat, tightly written format, the tale you are attempting to weave will fall apart. Just as a tapestry is composed of many different colors, an RP is composed of many different authors...and no one of these authors should ever overwhelm.
Remember - the ultimate goal is the story, not your own personal desires.