I conveyed my opinion on the matter to Pat through a conversation, rather than a forum post. Given he asked that I post the logs here, here you go:
Pat:
https://aeriaroleplay.rpg-board.net/t1067-pariah-and-the-new-era For your consideration.
Drakacus: If I'm speaking from my perspective, I'm generally fine with the RPs that occur in Pariah. As said before, my only complaint comes in from how rushed along things generally seem to be - which while sometimes from Ruta, I feel more often than not comes from you. I understand that you feel rushed by people who are outside the Pariah circle and can't fully integrate themselves, but I honestly get the impression that some of the pressure on that front is in your own head. Maybe people are more on the warpath about it than I'm aware, but it always seemed like you were more anxious about pressing on than they were. Of course, there's really no way to fix that - if one isn't enjoying something for one reason or another, then that's simply how it is. But on a personal level, while things related to the Archfiends, Hell and Sarkun can be worked out from an OOC development stand point to determine what all took place - I'm honestly going to feel bad for leaving the Xe'ae and Xa'ta's story as a 'this is what happened' cliff note.
Drakacus: That'd be my only real problem with leaving this unfinished - for a variety of reasons. That at the very least is the only thing I was 100% firm on seeing through to the end, and wasn't going to accept skimming over.
Drakacus: But if everyone is vouching in favor of skipping, then there's really nothing to be said about it. But it seems like - at least from Ruta and Fuzzy - the answers have just been: "I'm fine with whatever."
Drakacus: Which again brings it back around to: I feel like the only one that's ultra diehard about progressing is you.
Pat: I think you're right. People are excited for the new era, but they aren't CONSTANTLY pressing for it. But that's just the thing - they're excited for the new era. Not Pariah. When they talk about Olden things, it's never what's going to happen in Pariah, it's about the new era. I know both you and Ruta are into Pariah, but to be honest - you're the only ones. Maybe I did it myself, but it was fueled by - real or perceived - feelings of apathy among the community. I can't stand that. As I point out in the thread, I just want to feel like I'm providing an enjoyable experience for my audience.
Pat: I actually feel like death when I try to run a session of Pariah. Like, total creative death.
Drakacus: Thing is though, you generally are. The Ancient scene was enjoyable for what it was, and I think everyone had a good time. If no one is coming to you to talk about the New Era, I think that's because things are more or less set with it. What's the point in talking about what might happen / is going to happen? It's worked out, and all that's left is to do it. What is going over the same points again and again going to do? It's not because there's no interest in it.
Drakacus: Pear obviously has things in mind for the New Era that he's going to be hyped about, but Pariah still has Elly in it. Even if he might seem apathetic about the story from time to time, he still gives a shit about Elly, and she's a crucial piece of Pariah.
Drakacus: Just because people aren't rambling about Pariah doesn't mean they don't care. When it comes to providing an enjoyable experience, I understand that - part of why I dropped out of running team two was because I felt like I was making a shitty product that wasn't going to be enjoyable. But unlike myself, who had difficulty running it because it simply wasn't my creation, that problem is more or less eliminated when you're at the helm. It'd be like me running a Desertia RP - it's more natural. When you get people together for a session, they're enjoying themselves whether you're perceiving it or not. Again, it's in your head. When we were doing the Ancient RP, as you said, you started cracking when you were trying to get things moving, but all of us were sitting there ready to go. We weren't uninterested like you seemed to be thinking - it was just you.
Drakacus: If no one cared, people would flat out say: "Eh, I don't feel like it." Whenever it's brought up, every single time. Or they'd just outright drop out.
Drakacus: Again, drawing attention to Pear: When you asked him if he wanted to do the Ancient session on a Saturday, he responded with: "That's not going to work for me - how about tomorrow?"
Drakacus: And when you hesitantly asked if he'd actually be okay with doing it tomorrow: "..Yeah? Why WOULDN'T I want to do it tomorrow?"
Drakacus: There wasn't any question about it, and he wasn't putting it off. He wanted to get back into it.
Drakacus: I honestly think you're confusing contented silence / peaceful enjoyment with utter apathy.
Drakacus: Where a lack of excited speculation and constantly asking about it / trying to urge for more sessions is an indication that people don't care, when they're simply at a comfortable, calmer pace.
Pat: I think you're partially right, but at the same time also wrong. When I sent the thread to Pear this morning, his response was thus:
Pat: 5:58 AM - Pear: I skimmed regardless
5:58 AM - Pear: The long narrative wasn't nessesary for me
5:59 AM - Pat: yeah
5:59 AM - Pat: i shouldn't have gone on too long
5:59 AM - Pear: "Hey I'm thinking about speeding up or skipping Pariah"
5:59 AM - Pat: yes
5:59 AM - Pear: To which I would say
5:59 AM - Pear: "K"
5:59 AM - Pear: Less Pariah means more BTS which means New Era sooner
6:03 AM - Pear is now Snooze.
6:06 AM - Pat: seems I was right about the disinterest and apathy then, lol
6:06 AM - Pear is now Online.
6:07 AM - Pear: Less so that
6:07 AM - Pear: More so the crushing feeling of work draining away my life one day after the next, steadily lowering my maximum life expectancy
Drakacus: I think if Pariah was more regular, he'd be fine with it.
Drakacus: I think what he wants is whatever means he can have regular RP. As he said, it's not that he doesn't care about Pariah - it's the fact it isn't happening.
Drakacus: That's what's bothering him.
Drakacus: His work is strangling him, and so he wants a form of reliable RP - or anything - as an outlet to detox. Pariah's long pauses is what's causing him to say: "New era plz."
Drakacus: I'd be willing to bet a more frequent Pariah would resolve that.
Drakacus: Alright, here's the hard question I think needs to be asked:
Drakacus: Going around whether or not Pear can be swayed, or if anyone else has interest might not really matter. If everyone is interested but you continue to feel like we're not, then it's all for nothing. So I think this is what needs to be asked:
Drakacus: Is your lack of motivation actually rooted in how you perceive our interest, or have you yourself lost interest? Like if we all were to do a Pariah session soon and all be 100% content / interested in it, do you honestly think you'd be motivated to do it?
Pat: I might? It's hard to tell. A good deal of this is probably my own perception of things, but recently, I did a session of BTS with everyone - including Venom - attending
Pat: There was no combat, only dialogue
Pat: And everyone seemed invested in it, posted frequently, seemed involved.
Pat: I felt good about that. But with Pariah, I go forward with the basic assumption - "This is not something people want."
Pat: Even unconsciously.
Pat: Unless I could derive the same level of interest - even then, I don't know. For the last, long while I've been in a sort of creative stupor.
Pat: I don't know, exactly, if that would change with the new era, but so far the response has been more enthused in general. Fuzzy of course abstained, but Pear was alright with it, Venom was happy with it, Spadge was good with it
Drakacus: Mhm. I honestly sensed the whole creative stupor a while back, which is why I'm asking what I am.
Pat: I don't think I can really occupy a 'leadership' position in any category. My confidence in myself is so low that the mere act of asserting "Pariah first, New Era second"
Pat: Just crushes me
Pat: It makes me feel like an absolute failure, someone trying to push this stale narrative that's keeping people from participating, in which there feels little weight or importance
Pat: The guilt, imagined or real, is killing me, and while I might be willing to say it's imagined now, in a week from now, if I recommitted to Pariah
Drakacus: You'd relapse.
Pat: Everyone would go along with it - yeah
Drakacus: The root of your own insecurity on this, unfortunately to say, is yourself. On the one hand that's a sucky thing to acknowledge, because it's not something that can easily be addressed, but pointing it out at least allows you to know what you're dealing with.
Drakacus: Honestly, I think if a huge part of this is that Pariah's story feels stale and has no weight to you, it's probably because of the New Era.
Drakacus: While I don't think a whole lot on it, upon thought it does become obvious that the New Era kind of.. 'invalidates' Pariah.
Drakacus: It's an apocalyptic scale conflict where the life of the entire sphere is on the line. A screw up means EVERYTHING dies. That's as endgame as you can possibly get, and it WAS intended originally as Olden's big finale.
Drakacus: But knowing that the New Era comes next invalidates a good deal of that struggle, because there's no real way that the Abyss has any chance in hell of winning. If it won, the New Era wouldn't happen, and that obviously isn't going to be allowed.
Pat: Though I had the thought of going forward with the New Era and allowing the Abyss to do whatever within the scope of Pariah... Basically to try and say "Oh, you thought you were safe to do anything? Nope."
Pat: Some... alternate universe bullshit maybe.
Pat: Anyway, go on.
Drakacus: If there's anything that still narratively draws anyone to Pariah, it's the characters. Whatever way you slice it, there's no way Ruta is going to stop giving a shit about Thorn.
Drakacus: I'll be honest - I'LL be fucking pissed if Thorn's story and the conclusion gets boiled down to a cliff note of: "This is what happened."
Drakacus: And as said, the most firm complaint about skipping Pariah I have would be the loss of the Xe'ae and Xa'ta's story. Pear might feel the same about Elly, I'd wager.
Drakacus: Even if we know the Abyss likely won't win, the fate of the characters is still important to us, and I think that's what skipping the Pariah story loses.
Drakacus: I mean, ultimately?
Drakacus: Pariah's almost done, all things considered.
Drakacus: It's literally just:
Drakacus: Marcus.
Drakacus: Go face Ossus.
Drakacus: Then Abyss.
Drakacus: It's as 'act 3' as you can get.
Drakacus: I honestly vouch that if Pariah IS going to be skimmed, important notes should still be struck on in some fashion. If only for those characters.
Drakacus: Because ultimately, you can bet your soul that we're motivated to give a 100% shit about them.
Pat: save this conversation, if you could
Drakacus: Always do.
Pat: as far as the above
Pat: i don't think i can make the decision
Pat: in a role of leadership, i am perpetually convinced that any action I take is loathed by all parties, so I try to get their firm stances but that never really works
Drakacus: This is why I asked the question I did about whether you'd be motivated if we all voiced our support for Pariah.
Drakacus: I honestly get the impression that there's more to your hesitation here than is being said, or acknowledged.
Drakacus: It feels like even if we DID give our firm stances, there's something else at work.
Pat: I don't know what that would be, other than my crippling depression
Drakacus: Whatever it is, it's just causing a cycle.
Drakacus: Honestly, it might be for the best to just skim across Pariah / skip it.
Drakacus: If only because when it comes to the New Era, others can take the helm of their own RPs. You won't have to make these calls anymore.
Drakacus: Which would be best both for the function of roleplay, as well as your own health.
Pat: Can you do me a favor, and post these logs on the forums? I'm having Spadge do the same with the logs he took when we spoke earlier
Drakacus: Sure.