Redwall Online Community

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The Redwall Online Community (ROC) is an array of online media, inclusive of internet forums, news sites and ezines relating to the books of Brian Jacques' Redwall series. As with other Online Communities, the Redwall Online Community is composed of a large group of people who interact in ways which form microsocieties composed of political movements rooted in morality related to various aspects of literature and anthropomorphism.

The ROC is 'constructed' in a manner analogous to the geographic distribution of large and small settlements. It is composed of a few large sites and many smaller ones. Often members of the ROC will be involved in multiple forums on the various sites, sometimes using an identical (or similar) screenname everywhere they go within the community to identify themselves.

1 Sociopolitical aspects of the ROC
2 Ideological Movements
3 ROC History
4 Dibbuns Against Bedtime
5 Further reading

[edit] Sociopolitical aspects of the ROC

Mass roleplay is a phenomenon in which players act as anthropomorphised animals usually native to the British Isles within a 'game world' based on the world of Brian Jacques' Redwall series. It is a banding experience in the ROC, used more to hone writing talent than to escape from the 'real world'. One form of mass roleplay which rose in popularity over the years following 2002 was the Survivor Roleplay. In such organised roleplays, a number of contestants were selected from writing samples and character drafts, then pitted against each other in an audience-decided contest of authorship and skill with language. Four varieties of Redwall Survivor have emerged, and they are:

Another Survivor contest has recently emerged:

The Emperor's Decree, run by the Vulpine Imperium and hosted by Terrouge.

Another form of mass roleplay is Location Play. Roleplay boards such as Fort Ruddler were devoted almost exclusively to inter-character roleplay centred around a single location.

The ideological composition of the ROC is different from that of any country in that there are two themes uniting every member to some degree and the rest fall by the wayside: Literacy is the first defining trait, and is evidenced in the mass appreciation of literary works - for example, the Redwall books. Fandom is the second trait, and consists of each member's individual appreciation of the Redwall series. Both these factors are of course varied between each individual, but they are present to some degree in all ROCers. A certain percentage of the ROC are furries; this is hardly surprising due to the anthropomorphic nature of Brian Jacques' characters.

The age composition of the ROC also reflects the distribution of fans across the globe: people between the ages of 10 and 60 have been or currently are active on the Redwall Online Community.

[edit] Ideological Movements

The Redwall Online Community is not without political intrigue. There are several large groups of members who share a particular opinion on one of the two main aspects of the ROC.

Loyalists are those who believe the author Brian Jacques should continue writing his Redwall novels and find his Redwall material continuously enthralling and stimulating to read. They are a representation of those who side with Redwall and that style of literature.

Dissenters are those who believe that though the Redwall series was magnificent at its prime, it should now be left alone and the author should move on. They are a representation of those who side with the concept of expanding literature for its own sake.

SPAGgers are those who aid others with the improvement of their Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar. They represent those who believe base skills are the most important aspect of literacy. Currently only present on two or three of the main sites of the ROC.

[edit] ROC History

The Redwall Online Community was formed in the mid-1990s during the rise of the internet. This period is seen as the glory days - Redwall fansites stayed true to Redwall, ROCers were ever-present, and sites were updated continually. During this period clubs such as The Long Patrol, Dark Mouse's Cove, Sampetra (INSU), and Camp Willow had member rosters approching one thousand. The center of the community revolved around these popular clubs inspiring many off-shoot clubs and groups. When the new millennium arrived, the steady flow of ROCers decreased, and the large popular sites shutdown one by one. As of 2006, the Redwall Online Community still exists, but the amount of fansites has significantly decreased, along with the ROC population. Many see this as occurring because the Redwall fanbase has grown up - people who were once engrossed with the series when they were younger moved on and pursued other interests. Additionally, many sites only consist of forums, where members discuss random "general" topics, not necessarily relating to Redwall. Furthermore, a lot of sites seem to be fantasy related, and not exclusive to Redwall per se.

[edit] Dibbuns Against Bedtime

Members choose aliases suitable for or taken from characters in the Redwall books, then complete activities in order to earn Candied Chestnuts, the de facto currency of Dibbuns in the Redwall books. DAB is perhaps one of the most well-known of Redwall clubs on the internet, not just because it is so engaging, fun and well-run; but also because it was featured in one of the Redwall books. During Arven's 'reign, Gonfflet wrote to Brian Jacques about Dibbuns Against Bedtime and he very kindly wrote the club into the storyline of Triss. The current leader is Tangle Tumblehog, and has been since DAB switched to the template used in Arven's reign. It is a friendly, interactive community, welcome for all to join!