Roleplaying

I've recently discovered that the roleplay world (especially Mara's) is drastically divided. And this is worse than the division between illiterates/basics and literates/advanced.

You've got the old-school literates who have been suppressed back into the shadows for a while. People like me and many others. Then you have this new wave of roleplayers that is so focused on ratings and fundamental improvement, that the entirety of their writing has deteriorated.
Because there's NO ONE who cares enough about their writing. They don't put their emotion into it.
They don't drive their heart and soul into their characters. They don't FEEL what their characters feel when they feel it. They don't make others feel it too. They are driven by the ratings.
And that's it.
And I refuse to understand it. I will NEVER understand it. I will not allow myself to understand it.
Then they go and call themselves advanced. No, they're advanced writers. But they're not roleplayers. They're not authors. They're not bound to be authors.

The problem is this:
They have the fundamentals. But that's all anyone is concerned about.
What they don't have is the emotion, the desire, the love, the passion. They want everyone else to like what they write. They want to be "advanced" and "high and almighty." Screw the wretched labels. They're not important. The WRITING is. And they've lost that connection. Roleplay used to be when people would write... they would become someone else. They would mold into someone else and fall into that role. They would portray it to the best of their capability in their own style to please themselves, not someone else. Roleplay used to be when people would write to escape. They could let their emotions become something else to someone else.

And now roleplay evolved into a place where the writers don't care. They're interested in only the ratings, the titles, and the labels. If they can be advanced, then they're better than everyone who can't reach that. These people are so caught up in what they are now, they've lost touch with what could have been.
I'm not trying to make a difference. If they want to lose touch with their writing, fine. I have my friends. I know who the good roleplayers are. I'll keep touch with them. But the most important thing is this:
I know who I was.
I know who I've become.
I know who I am.
And I know who I will be.
THAT is what matters.
And when people start focusing on THAT (about themselves), that is when roleplay will become better again.
I love my writing, and until they love their writing for what it is they won't improve as a roleplayer. Fundamentals are just a single part of it. Remember that, all you roleplayers out there. Remember just what roleplay started as and really should be. And for those of you who don't know, come see me.