Board Thread:Fiction Universe Discussion/@comment-1633483-20141228154911/@comment-1892820-20141228230458

I've been relatively silent on this for some time but I think it's time that I chime in on this issue.

As a major contributor to the Great Xonexian Schism, I would first want to echo Tek's sentiment that it feels as though GXS and the users involved with it are being excessively blamed for the current rift in the community. Yes, I understand that a lot of users feel as though they are under attack by the growth of Realpolitik writing, and I completely agree that the attitude of "just go to Borealis" is abhorrent and disgusting. I also agree that we have seen a decline in genre variety over the past year. At the same time, though, I would like to point out that some of the users opposed to the Realpolitik "takeover" aren't helping that matter by abandoning the main Fictionverse; I think one of the main reasons why there is a perceived takeover of Realpolitik in the Fictionverse is because the users who write other genres have sworn off the Fictionverse, and now that leads to less variety in the Fictionverse genres. It's going to be a vicious cycle where the Realpolitik grows into the gaps left by the non-Realpolitik group, and the non-Realpolitik group continues to stay away the more that they see Realpolitik growing. It will continue to enforce the "you have yours, we have ours" attitude embodied by "you still have Borealis" as the users who have left the Gigaquadrant have essentially accepted this maxim as their reality, whether they actively realize that or not.

If it helps at all with that issue, I have been working with the other GXS users to implement some more character-driven narratives into the story, as an alternative to the political-driven stories that seem to have turned people off. Operation Rubicon will eventually be an example of this.

Moving on, I can see that there are victims on both sides and I agree that even though many of us on the GXS team have had no ill intentions, we still hold some level of blame for the current rift in the community. With that being said, I would like to address Techno's latest post on this forum. I agree that we hold some responsibility for users feeling attacked, but it is hypocritical to call Tek out as being defensive (which, I will agree, he became a bit defensive) and ignore the fact that many of us on the GXS quite honestly have felt attacked by some of the users opposed to us. Like I said, there are victims on both sides and we should make sure that neither side feels marginalized. I won't deny that the GXS group has caused problems, directly or indirectly, but the opposite side also holds responsibility and we won't get anywhere on this if both sides don't agree to take some responsibility for their actions.

Tl;dr This discussion feels excessively pointed against GXS and while I won't deny that it has indeed fueled some of the issues, the users opposed to GXS and Realpolitik need to put more effort into cooperating with the GXS/Realpolitik users. I don't mean to offend or marginalize anyone involved with this debate but I am just trying to outline one viewpoint on the GXS side.

(Also, I would support a War of Ages reboot if it meant healing the rift between the user factions. Although chronologically I don't know if the TIAF would be able to get involved.)