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Thinking about expectations and the next few months…
I think that a problem that I see with some immersive theater is that the audience goes in as individuals and expects their one-on-one, their experience, their moment. They want what they are owed.
Tension/Lust is different (well, those are too, but I’m calling one in particular a lost cause). It’s different because we get to spend months TOGETHER rather than just a couple of hours as strangers in a performance piece. This is really a communal experience, NOT an individual one, and the absolute joy found here is truly in sharing the experience together.
No one is owed anything, in LA or outside of it. There is no “fair” at play here. This is the creators’ creation and we will all probably disagree with or dislike a decision they make at some point…but they have reasons and I have yet to hear a bad reason.
Some people will be major players, some will not. That’s just how it’s going to work. If you go into it waiting for the time when you get yours, you might end up being disappointed. If you go into it believing wholeheartedly that what happened to @bcbishop and @lilmsfancpants happened to YOU and the rest of us, and we all get to experience that together, then it’s a shared event, and it has so much more meaning.
Being outside of Los Angeles the main thing I was always sad to miss out on was not the possibility of a dead drop or random meetup with a character but the meetups with the other players at the Escondite. That’s why I’m pretty excited to have Twin Cities people here this time around. I wish I had been at Derek’s BBQ – not because I wanted to be chosen for the thing with Addison but because that must have been AMAZING for all y’all’s phones to go off at once! Or that night we brainstormed how to get the Kansas City letter? THAT is what I’m looking forward to, and what I want the newer people here to understand is the real joy in this experience.
It’s really one story, one narrative, that we all experience as a group, and that transcends our individual phone calls.
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@coryphella you nailed it on the head. I loved the intraction with one another last year even though at times I was more of a lurker. And through the Parascopes I kinda did feel like I was there. Like at Derek’s party. Some one just had thier phone recording. Just listening to all of you was fun. And when I came out to LA I already had friends to hang out with. It was pretty awesome!
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From the earliest days, I was very heavily involved in Tension. I was invited to various one-off free events, received phone calls, and had regular online interactions with characters. I was exceedingly fortunate and forever grateful for the opportunities, but the real magic was in sharing it all with a community of friends.
When I made the long drives to do the next cool solo thing my friends and community were excited for me, and I couldn’t wait to run home and share the excitement and detail of what I’d experienced much like @bcbishop & @lilmsfancpants did several days ago. When it was others’ turn to go do the big thing, I was as pleased as if it had been me because I wanted everyone who was putting their heart and soul into this project to have their moments in the spotlight. As far as I can recall we never competed for glory. When chances came where we were allowed to sort of vote on who would be chosen, the generosity amongst the community was palpable. There was no knocking someone out of the way to grab the prize greedily.
And all of this is from my perspective as that person in the warring faction (rebel leader type with BOS). I could have played it like a true enemy, instead I decided in-game rivalry largely didn’t matter. My friends were still my friends. To have done it any other way would have been a lonely road and one I’d not recommend.
People ask me how I became so involved and called upon and it’s simple really. I was just me. I was present, engaged, committed and supportive of others. I always sought to be fair and cooperative within the limits of the “game.” It’s not always easy or without bumps on the road but if something matters I commit to working through it. I became one of us, not just me out to get my own.
I hope to do this thing with all of you and one day we can look back and talk about all the amazing adventures we had together.
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When the Tension forums opened there were prompts to get us started talking. I remember posting that all my life I’ve been the odd duck which has fashioned me into something of an antisocial weirdo. I stated that my hopes in being an Apostle were to find a place to belong. The journey with everyone else on the forum/ARG/Ascension though tumultuous and insane, has resulted in …. oh my goodness, a larger heart, a confidence to get out there a do creative things, to make fun stuff with my hands, to broadcast myself hiding weird packages as presents to my friends, to write and contribute, to meet new people and I came out of this with friends and family who I love deeply. I love Tension as a gift that has enriched my life in unquantifiable ways. I have been given solace, understanding, oceans of laughter and so very much love. And blood and paranoia and “wtf” moments … all the stuff that I prize in life. So deep was my experience, I will wear it for life.
I am a happier person today because I was honest with the OOA about who I am and what I want. I put in as much as I could and received so much more than I could have anticipated. Going forward, I plan to do the same, because the Creators earned my trust and respect.
Also… Lust. My wheelhouse entirely. *chuckle*
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