I guess I can chime in, though I don't have too much more to add that hasn't been said already.
The biggest concern for me, from the outside looking in, is indeed the application process. It just seems like potential members get 'grilled' before entering. Having led numerous RP groups in the past and being a simple member of just as many, I still find this somewhat...agitating. Don't get me wrong. Interviews, IC and OOC alike, are fairly natural for inducting a new member into a role-play group. But this particular process, which seems partially borrowed from old AETHER, is a bit intimidating. Even more so because the questions are done in a public atmosphere which can actually embarrass the individual being interviewed depending on the nature of the questions. I'm the type of person who likes to follow all the RP shells on a semi-regular basis just to see who's doing what and how they're doing it. So I've seen a fair number of applicants in EW get asked in depth questions that even I wouldn't have been able to answer (and I consider myself a hardcore RPer). There are a lot of pieces of a character's history that may not be fully worked out yet and getting asked to give details on such a piece may cause the individual to rush into making a hasty decision just to satisfy the interview question.
My other issue, which simply boils down to personal preference, is the militaristic nature of the shell. To me, it seems more limiting than other linkshells when it comes to individual storylines and events. Though events seem to be quite frequent within EW, they also all seem quite similar to one another. I could be wrong of course and the events could be wildly different and offer a variety of different things to do. But from the outside, they all look about the same to me. This is the primary reason I haven't yet attempted to attend a single EW public event, though that's probably an unfair reason.
I personally have not heard anything about the ERP issue and likely wouldn't put much stock in it if I did hear it about this particular shell. I can see a huge focus on romance though through the journals, but that's not really a turnoff or anything. Romance is a natural part of character development after all. The "elitist" comment, I do however hear quite often. To an extent, I can see why as well. EW is probably one of the top 2/3 shells that grounds itself so heavily in the lore and /appears/ to leave little wiggle room any other way.
I will say that it's been difficult for me to find a means to approach Everwatch through any IC capacity. As a heavy Rper, I'm always looking for ways to get some RP in with other heavy RPers. But it just feels too difficult for some reason that I can't really explain. I've found it much easier to approach other mercenary type shells like Nebulous and Shimmersong with events and interactive RP. Maybe it's just a fear of having my RP judged or something. I'm not really sure.
Following Stormguard's disbanding, I had actually considered applying to EW. For the above reasons, I chose not to though. It's largely a preference thing though, and the shell seems to be doing just fine regardless of what other people think of it. So long as people are enjoying themselves, that's really all that matters.
The biggest concern for me, from the outside looking in, is indeed the application process. It just seems like potential members get 'grilled' before entering. Having led numerous RP groups in the past and being a simple member of just as many, I still find this somewhat...agitating. Don't get me wrong. Interviews, IC and OOC alike, are fairly natural for inducting a new member into a role-play group. But this particular process, which seems partially borrowed from old AETHER, is a bit intimidating. Even more so because the questions are done in a public atmosphere which can actually embarrass the individual being interviewed depending on the nature of the questions. I'm the type of person who likes to follow all the RP shells on a semi-regular basis just to see who's doing what and how they're doing it. So I've seen a fair number of applicants in EW get asked in depth questions that even I wouldn't have been able to answer (and I consider myself a hardcore RPer). There are a lot of pieces of a character's history that may not be fully worked out yet and getting asked to give details on such a piece may cause the individual to rush into making a hasty decision just to satisfy the interview question.
My other issue, which simply boils down to personal preference, is the militaristic nature of the shell. To me, it seems more limiting than other linkshells when it comes to individual storylines and events. Though events seem to be quite frequent within EW, they also all seem quite similar to one another. I could be wrong of course and the events could be wildly different and offer a variety of different things to do. But from the outside, they all look about the same to me. This is the primary reason I haven't yet attempted to attend a single EW public event, though that's probably an unfair reason.
I personally have not heard anything about the ERP issue and likely wouldn't put much stock in it if I did hear it about this particular shell. I can see a huge focus on romance though through the journals, but that's not really a turnoff or anything. Romance is a natural part of character development after all. The "elitist" comment, I do however hear quite often. To an extent, I can see why as well. EW is probably one of the top 2/3 shells that grounds itself so heavily in the lore and /appears/ to leave little wiggle room any other way.
I will say that it's been difficult for me to find a means to approach Everwatch through any IC capacity. As a heavy Rper, I'm always looking for ways to get some RP in with other heavy RPers. But it just feels too difficult for some reason that I can't really explain. I've found it much easier to approach other mercenary type shells like Nebulous and Shimmersong with events and interactive RP. Maybe it's just a fear of having my RP judged or something. I'm not really sure.
Following Stormguard's disbanding, I had actually considered applying to EW. For the above reasons, I chose not to though. It's largely a preference thing though, and the shell seems to be doing just fine regardless of what other people think of it. So long as people are enjoying themselves, that's really all that matters.
