[JennnLee]

I'm sure I'll get stoned for this but here goes...

What's with the whole "village" thing that's going on? I guess I missed the boat on it, and don't really find the idea of playing with "pets" and "slaves" and bondage to be very enticing. And I know that's my choice and that's fine, and now that 85% of the forum's posts are given over to that topic I find I don't really come here anymore, or when I do I don't stay long since no one's really talking about much else.

And gah, I know it's not MY site, and I'm not expecting everyone to do what I want them to do, because if we were living in that world all my stories would have a million reviews. But this is the place for feedback, and I'm giving mine.

But I'm not sure if I like that the NC-17 stories about BDSM and bondage thrown up on the same board with the other stories here. I usually come here and from the front page, click on "all stories" to see what new stories have come up, and three of the most recent are all about the above-mentioned stuff.

So is this the new direction the site is going in? If so, I would suggest that the moderators seriously consider some kind of age statement. I know that we rate our stories and the like, but there are a lot of members who are underage, based on the way the forum's been in the past. You might want to add a "must be of legal age" disclaimer on your front page to cover your behinds. It's one thing when it's a few smutty stories, and quite another when it's looking like a large section of the site is going to be given over to this.

I'm not sure what exactly I'm trying to say. I'm not a prude, which I think anyone who's read my stuff can tell you. But I'm also not into piercing nipples and whips and being chained to beds on a regular basis. And it's looking like that's what this site's going to be. So if that's what you want, cool, just make sure you cover yourselves (figuratively, anyway). I've heard it said that you "expect" members to govern themselves, but if this is becoming a predominately adult site, you may need more safeguards against younger eyes.

And I'm a proponent of free speech, and I know whomever I have offended is saying "hey, you don't like it, don't read it." Well, I don't and I'm not. That's fine.

I'm sorry to ramble on, I hope I made some sense; cold medicine always addles my brain. Good luck with the site's new direction. Hope it works out well for you, and that y'all have a good time.[/b]

[Viv]

As far as I can tell, the village stories have been pretty well labeled so far. And the village area in the forum is marked as adult (right? I think that's true, but I haven't gone back and checked).

I don't think this is a direction for the site overall; I think it's just a side-trip, like the challenges and the quizzes and the caption competition. Just another way for folks to get together here on the scrolls.

And I don't generally read bondage stories, so my contributions to the village will likely be more to my personal tastes. I believe that other villagers will do the same.

This disclaimer is currently on the splash page for the site: "By entering the Open Scrolls Archive, you are stating that you are of legal age to view and enjoy adult stories in your area. If you agree with this, come and join us." I think that pretty well covers the site owners. If they really feel compelled, they could register the site with the ICRA.

Please don't stop contributing to the forum! That would be a horrible and unexpected result of the village, which is really kind of harmless.

[JennnLee]

I haven't set foot in the village section, because it seemed to spring out of nowhere, and I would say it's a little more than a side trip. It's on the front page of the site, as prominent as the story archive. The quizzes, on the other hand, got a little "?" on the top bar, which I didn't even know what it was or that it was there till someone mentioned it.

I guess what I was trying to say was that someone coming here for the first time would consider the village to be a pretty prominent part of the site. It's on the front page, you click on "all stories" and pow! Bondage in your face. And if that's what the site wants to become known for that's great. That's just not for me.

I had thought the language on the front page was a little less specific, so sorry if I jumped the gun on that. But I might suggest requiring an age statement of new members or something similar. (another adult forum I once belonged to required that, and it made us all feel a lot more comfortable knowing there were no small eyes seeing certain things.) I know I've gotten reviews (not necessarily here) from people that I KNOW aren't old enough to be reading what I've written, and I can't say I'm entirely pleased.

And I haven't really been contributing here for a while, since the village took over, so I don't see that someone like me will be missed. But thanks for the kind words, Viv. I'm really not throwing a temper tantrum "I'm gonna take my ball and go home" thing, especially since I don't have much on this site anyway that 's 100% mine. But I wanted to at least leave this feedback because...well... it's the way I feel and this is the feedback section.

[dolarabee]

Hi there,

Thanks for the feedback, Jennn. I'm going away for the weekend, and so is Scribe, so I don't have time to get into the details here or anything. Really sorry I can't give you a proper reply at this time but can you hang around until Sunday night (Aussie time)? Then we'll be back and we can go through this. This past week has been a lot of setting up and the likes but announcements and (new, I suppose) ground rules or even definitive decisions in regards to the Virtual Village have yet to be made.

More when I (we) come back. Please, don't go just yet.

Later,

do.

[Thuriniel]

[JennnLee]

Oh, do you have to be invited to join the village? No wonder I didn't know what was going on...

And I'm glad I wasn't the only one who felt that way. I mean I'm glad that it seems to be a popular new idea, and I'm glad that folks are having fun with it. But no attention seems to be given to anything else on the site, including the stories, which seems sad for a story archive.

I even sort of mentioned this among other things in my livejournal one day, that I don't feel the sense of community here that I used to because there was nothing to talk about but the blasted village. Ah well. Have fun, folks...

[sindohte]

Let me just say that I have been guilty of the fact of largely posting in the Village forum only. Until the village happened, I felt that I was floating along basically in isolation from other interested Tolkien folk. Sure people discussed things, but I never felt that I really a sense of personal connection. I knew a few people, but not many. Certainly there has been a great deal of bonding and interest in that particular area of the forums lately. I have really enjoyed getting to know people in this imaginary "village," but I wonder what can be done in general to promote general non-village related discussion?

I want to use the forums as a place to talk with other people about Tolkien. Although I have some knowledge of the Great One, I know that I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. I have a lot to learn and want to learn more. Let me just throw out this idea for folks - would anyone be interested in doing a Tolkien related book club? I did that for a while with romance and fiction novels and I found that to be a fun way to promote discussion.

P.S. - Jennn, you do not have to be invited to join the Village. For anyone who is interested, they just have to drop by that particular forum and take part. What I am hoping/assuming that Thuriniel means is that someone just asked her to take part in the activity.

[Thuriniel]

[JennnLee]

[sindohte]

[Ellbee]

[Viv]

[sindohte]

Viv,

I would be interested in doing a discussion of the Silmarillion. I will be the first to admit that there were some parts where I went huh? and skipped over them. It would be nice to have some assistance from other people in helping me understand the who, what, when of the Silm. And you're what, it would make sense to do it in small chunks, so my brain wouldn't explode.

Ell - you sound like another brave soul who be interested in reading the Silm. Are you game?

[Moralanqua]

Oh Jen! I had no idea you felt like this! I have been waiting for days for you and Ellbee to get involved and it didnt occur to me that it wasnt 'your cup of tea'. Im sorry i missed that.

Having read your points, i think i understand what you mean. The village is the hotest topic of the moment and is all everyone seems to be talking about. Because some ppl dont want to become involved, they are frustrated that there is little else to chat about. Thats fair enough.

However, before the Village popped up, the forums were dead for weeks. We have all been hiding in our own wee groups and not getting together or making OSA a home. I think Sindohte can back me on that?

Its only been recently that ppl here have become firm friends, swapped IM details and emails. There have been many new members joining OSA and signing up for the Village almost immediately.

This is a project by OSA members for OSA members. I know you are entitled to your opinion but i strongly disagree and think this site has never been as friendly and welcoming as it has this past week.

I know the sheer number of posts about the Village is daunting - most of it is silly rubbish and we are still in the organising stages. Nothing has happened and thats why anyone can just jump right in and not have missed anything.

As for your comments on the type of story being posted - how can you even complain? We all know there are utter piles of poo right next to stories that are of superb quality. How can you 'complain' about writers posting well written stuff? Not every story will be the same as not everyone is comfortable writing strong NC17. You have chosen to launch a complaint at the beginning of an experimental project without considering why we are doing it or how we are doing it. I think you should hold off until we are nearly done. Even the Village section is not finished on labelling etc. It was put up quickly because our Admins are considerate enough to respond to our requests as soon as we make them - which can only show what a great place this is!

[Viv]