Personal Colonies

[Alpha Sceptile]

I would like to add my Frames, their colony (i made it up) and the drivers to the lore. I understand that there are fanfictions, but is it practical? Like the serpent group, they are cannon, and i think they are fanmade. So how does that work?

Note: Correct me if any information is wrong

[VitorFaria]

Technically only stuff that Joshua and Soren write are canon. You would have to convince them to include whatever you have made to make it "official", and from what I know about them that's very unlikely.

But, frankly, post whatever you have written on the fanfic section for now, anyway. Nothing to lose. Things like Twanks LLC and the rest of the Budget Frame Wars are all fan-made and we don't love them any less.

[FourEyesIsAFish]

Technically only stuff that Joshua and Soren write are canon. You would have to convince them to include whatever you have made to make it "official", and from what I know about them that's very unlikely.

But, frankly, post whatever you have written on the fanfic section for now, anyway. Nothing to lose. Things like Twanks LLC and the rest of the Budget Frame Wars are all fan-made and we don't love them any less.

I'd say they are the closest thing to canon of our fan work.

[Soren]

'Canon' is a ridiculous concept to apply to the setting given that it is designed explicitly to offer a lot of design freedom to people who want to make stuff up. That was an explicit goal. Every time I posted here, I intentionally made sure to leave room for people to imagine and add to the setting, just as though we were collaborating.

That very little has really been added to the 'canon' by the forum speaks to the attitude that's au courant around here, which is to wait breathlessly for word from on high. Given that Joshua and I are never going to work together again, it seems reasonable to consider your work at least as 'canonical' as mine.

However if I need to be more explicit about my permission, I'm declaring this joke photo I posted before MF0 was even out to be Solar Calendar canon. See how easy it is?

[Mantisking]

'Canon' is a ridiculous concept to apply to the setting given that it is designed explicitly to offer a lot of design freedom to people who want to make stuff up. That was an explicit goal. Every time I posted here, I intentionally made sure to leave room for people to imagine and add to the setting, just as though we were collaborating.

Was that ever called out in the book though? Was it ever written, "Here's where you fill in the rest because it's your world now."?

That very little has really been added to the 'canon' by the forum speaks to the attitude that's au courant around here, which is to wait breathlessly for word from on high. Given that Joshua and I are never going to work together again, it seems reasonable to consider your work at least as 'canonical' as mine.

Nope, you don't get to attribute motive to a group of people you've never met.

However if I need to be more explicit about my permission, I'm declaring this joke photo I posted before MF0 was even out to be Solar Calendar canon. See how easy it is?

Okay, the passive aggressive posting has to stop. I'm not sure what your problem is with the community but, if you're not going to contribute in a meaningful, civil manner then maybe you should leave.

[Soren]

'Canon' is a ridiculous concept to apply to the setting given that it is designed explicitly to offer a lot of design freedom to people who want to make stuff up. That was an explicit goal. Every time I posted here, I intentionally made sure to leave room for people to imagine and add to the setting, just as though we were collaborating.

Was that ever called out in the book though? Was it ever written, "Here's where you fill in the rest because it's your world now."?

It has been stated repeatedly here on this forum by Joshua and I. Making space for additions to the world was part of our creative intent as I was led to understand it, and I think I could substantiate that with chatlog cites from the period when the game was in development.

That very little has really been added to the 'canon' by the forum speaks to the attitude that's au courant around here, which is to wait breathlessly for word from on high. Given that Joshua and I are never going to work together again, it seems reasonable to consider your work at least as 'canonical' as mine.

Nope, you don't get to attribute motive to a group of people you've never met.

You were at one point willing to send me personal gifts out of appreciation for my contributions to the game and community, and I felt I could at least somewhat count on you to be something of a friend, if an internet friend. What changed? My original dispute with VitorFaria on Discord had to do with the sharpness of my response to a request to add me on Facebook, which is a boundary I prefer not to cross with people I don't know well. They (she?) took offense to my tone in setting that social boundary. I'm happy to post the log of that interaction or share it privately if you would like.

I feel like I can impute motive on the basis of text postings and many years of interactions with the community, using nothing more than the basic theory-of-mind we all apply in social settings. There has been a lot of waiting for Joshua or I to rule on things over the years, and many times our responses took the form 'we encourage you to make new things up!' And there's been a pretty dazzling array of responses to that, but also a lot of gatekeeping attitudes about how Only Some Things Are Canon. I'd like to think this community can sidestep some of the issues of canonicity and authority that plague, say, Star Wars fandom.

If you read some of what Joshua has said on twitter about these things, it's pretty clear to me that, though we differ in a number of other areas, he's pretty squarely against nerd gatekeeping behaviors and considers them socially toxic. I don't agree with him on a lot, but I agree about that.

However if I need to be more explicit about my permission, I'm declaring this joke photo I posted before MF0 was even out to be Solar Calendar canon. See how easy it is?

Okay, the passive aggressive posting has to stop. I'm not sure what your problem is with the community but, if you're not going to contribute in a meaningful, civil manner then maybe you should leave.

I'm actually looking to resolve that more directly with Joshua via email in the near future. But yes, I will stop with the passive-aggression because I also think it's toxic; it represented the limit I was capable of expressing myself on the issues at the times those posts were made. I would like to retain access to the forum in order to post at least one announcement to the community clarifying my personal position, however. If you would like to be consulted on that, I welcome your input; you've been around a long time and I value your judgment.

The culture of this forum has in part been shaped by my work and participation at the very earliest stages (after all, every time we make a new post, there my attachment icons are to the right of the editor). I'd be sad to leave, but I also don't feel much tug in my heartstrings towards it any more. It's moved on, to the point where it doesn't need or want me, and so I would miss it, but it wouldn't represent that much of a loss.

If I leave, however, I would like to request that my setting posts be archived by forum staff before being removed from the forum and sent to me. PDF or .rtf format is fine. I would consider it a gesture of respect to remove things like the emotes and any personal information.

[Atavism]

You aren't being asked to leave, you're being asked to behave. The moderator action against you here is not about your interaction with Vitoria on Discord, it is about your behavior here. The moderator action against you has nothing to do with your friendship with moderators or whether the community has outgrown you, it is about your behavior here. You have acknowledged that your behavior is becoming toxic, and it is not appropriate for this space.

I cannot imagine the community would benefit from a definitive statement about your grief with Joshua. It's between the two of you, it also has no place here.
If you are truly at your limit, and you cannot participate without trying to create a negative impression of Joshua, pejorative depictions of the community, or otherwise antagonizing our members, then it is probably for the best that you step away now and hopefully one day you will find it in yourself to be positive and constructive here once more.

To make the path forward absolutely clear both for you and for the combined moderation team, you are being issued a formal warning. Further failure to participate as a good citizen will result in a permanent ban.