Welcome to the fourth, and final episode of the Road to 4! Only fitting we end on the fourth installment, don't you think? These past few weeks, we've been looking at different aspects of what makes the Skylanders Dimensions roleplay so memorable. We analyzed the vast, expansive lore, we looked at our favorite episodes, and we praised our favorite character combinations. 

But now, with this final subject, I wanted to be a bit more broad. I wanted to ask my community what Skylanders Dimensions means to THEM. What has kept them around for so many years? What has it stand out from any other roleplay on the forum? How did it help people not only become better writers, but also better people? What exactly DID we create, here?

And I got an outstanding amount of responses, from members new and old. And I couldn't be more proud than to share it all with you today.

So without further ado... What does Skylanders Dimensions mean to you?

@Ryannumber1gamer

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What the RP means to me after all this time is really a shining example of community. A ton of writers who came together with different beloved franchises, series, characters, and stories to tell, who created brand-new friendships that's stood the tests of time, and have created this whole grand universe together. Every writer had a impact, every writer contributed something to the RP's universe.

Many of us only became introduced to each other through the role-play, and now a lot of us are good friends. A lot of us spend time together, a lot of us have moved past just writing, and do other activities like playing games together. The RP has allowed this tight-knit community of friends to come together and make something they enjoy and are proud of, and I think that's something very special.

@Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon

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This roleplay, to me, helps allow members from wide across, their chance to spark and shine. Essentially, one of the bastions  of creative story-telling.

The roleplay has helped me hone writing skills, even to an extent that such has been able to be incorporated into a job in real life.

It's also a means of meeting new people, and ideally blossoming a new relationship out of the interactions that one is granted to in the RP.

This RP is the site to a whole new avenue....and arguably, it is growing to be the same, but always changing for the better. 

At the root of my praise for the RP is that it really showcases many, if not all, the ways upon which we can do everything. From potential to execution, the RP being a means to cheer  folk up or even fight news challengers on it. This does in turn, tend to give people new to the fray, a good running start, and brings them into the community. And consequently, it all tends to work out in the end.

Therefore, in conclusion, I can say that the RP is a tool, but a highly valuable one rich with culture and history. It's a place we can all feel like we have no limits to our potential, and boy, when we succeed, we truly do.

@SgtBloxx

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I am typing this on my phone, the device I used when I first discovered this RP all the way back in high school. Soon after, it took me a little bit of time before deciding to take the plunge by joining this RP. This decision was one that I do not regret  making one bit.

The Skylanders RP had helped me so much, not just as a roleplayer and a writer, but also as a person. The praises and criticisms from my fellow roleplayers had helped me learn everything that I should do and everything that I should avoid when writing a story, whether it be a standalone novel or a collaborative roleplay. And being around so many positive influences in the form of the roleplayers here had helped me become much more extroverted online, while also helping me through the tough times associated with the internet.

Regrettably, I had been neglecting this RP a little closer to the end of the third season, largely due to me becoming a full-fledged college student and branching out to other roleplay communities. But no matter what, I will never forget the Skylanders RP that helped me become the person I am today. And I cannot wait to see what everyone in the roleplay has to offer for season four.

@Thetrashman

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This rp was something that introduced me to several new people that I'm proud to call friends, united together to tell a story. To me, it's a place where I can nerd out, and at the same time, improve my own skills as a writer. It's a place that's had me laughing till my sides ache, and a place that's broken my heart. At the end of the day, it's a story I'm glad to have been a part of, and so long as I'm welcome, a place I'm excited to come back to.

@Spin Attaxx

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I touched on this a little in my last entry on this series, but to me, the RP has been a place where I have an opportunity to write with my characters outside of their original context, and define exactly who they are and how they think in a given story or situation. That this happens through interactions with other writers (some using established characters, others with their own creations) has been a great boon since aside from seeing the creativity of other people on display, it means things might develop in a positive way that I never initially intended. A character who was intended to be a guest star in one episode I helmed before being killed off (as part of what you might call a "canon event") ended up surviving/cheating her fate because people really liked her - and I hadn't really fleshed her out until that appearance. Even today, while Trinity may have supplanted her as the "babey" of the Skylanders, she's still a popular and beloved character who has her devoted fans, even with those who weren't there for that initial story.

In general, the RP has been a chance to flex my writing muscles and find my "voice". I've only helmed a handful of stories over the years, and most of the older ones I don't think too highly of these days. Every time I think of them, I often find myself going, "Ugh, why did I do this, what possessed me to thing THAT was a good idea?" or, "I should've had X say/do Y instead of Z." Which I guess in some way is a sign of improvement on my part, from the days when I was a college teen who had to rush through a story in a half-term week because that was the only time I was able to do it because of timezone differences.

More than that, though, the RP has been a way of connecting with friends I doubt I would have ever made without it. Failinhearts is the big one, obviously, but there are others, too - from long time members like Ryan and Robrainiac, relative newcomers like Morganoire and Lady Marie, and many others who've come and gone over the years. While at times I feel like I might have made mistakes in one form or another with my contributions to this saga, on the whole I can easily say that this little thing I joined on a whim years ago has had a positive effect on my life. While I doubt the quality and "validity" of my own project almost every day, there's no doubt in my mind that whenever it takes form, however long it might take until then, it'll be better for how this RP has helped shape it than it would be if I hadn't joined.

Thanks for being here for all these years, and I hope I'm with you all for many, many more.

@CharDragoncaster

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I feel like it's an opportunity to outgrow old habits and make myself better, all the while finding friends and new interests along the way. Even if writing things started rocky, it's just a minor blip in the grand scheme of things.

@Emperor Robrainiac

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You know, when it came to the previous questions, I had to ponder which episodes or which character duos I enjoyed the most, as there were plenty to choose from… it was hard to pick! But for this one, I know exactly what the RP means to me.

To me, the RP is a place where people can freely express their love for their favorite franchises through a creative means. With a wide variety of writers, we all have our own interests, and with that wide variety, not all of us are going to share the opinion or be too interested in everything that’s represented in the RP. 

But the great thing about taking part in Skylanders? We don’t need to research every character or where they came from to get to know them. I can guarantee the characters that show up here are written by people who are passionate about said characters and through their writing can express why they love them. 

Another great thing… Have a character you love, but you’re not happy with how they were written or felt they were underutilized? This is the place to write them in a way you would like to! Just look at characters like Sayaka from Madoka or Trinity from Mighty no 9, characters who were given new interpretations due to (at least in the opinion of some of us here) unsatisfying conclusions or executions.

And not only are characters from your favorite franchises welcomed, but you also have tons of creative OCs in addition to that! Sometimes it’s fun to see a well written OC interact with well known characters, and to me it’s awesome seeing how my OCs crossover with all sorts of franchises I love.

Overall, to me, the RP is a very unique way of showing off the movies, games, shows, cartoons, and anime that we are all passionate about. Whether it be making our own adventures after their official stories ended, giving them the justice they deserve by giving them another chance, showing off the original characters and seeing them shaped up through their interactions and adventures, and just making memories and bonds by sharing what we love with each other.

And hell, I can safely say by being in this RP, we’ve gotten into games, movies, shows, ect that we never thought we would get into. I can safely say my interest in stuff like Xenoblade, Ninjago, and My Hero Academia all came from this RP, and I’m really excited to meet more characters and learn more about where they came from!

@Danj86

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What does the RP mean to me?

I'm gonna resist the temptation to start by replying with the obvious joke answer and jump straight to saying, as the years have gone by, that has changed.
I'm not even sure what I was thinking when I first decided to join. So much has happened since then. But I can recall seeing it as potentially a fun diversion. I'd always been interested in telling stories, sometimes getting lost in my own head. It had never really occurred to me to explore those feelings before. It even helped my socialize in a new way, having not much success with other attempts around SSMB.

Sure, sometimes issues would surface, but I'd gotten too invested to give up now. As the years go by, I find myself disliking the environment that SSMB fosters. Obnoxious cynicism, pessimism and sarcasm fester to the point that I hated being there. The RP became the only reason I even showed up at all. In a way, that is still mostly true. I can't confidentially say the attitude at SSMB has improved because I successfully learned how to block it out by complete accident.

But then, my worst fear came to pass and everything changed for me in real life. I lost my hero and with him, I lost my drive, my motivation, my inspiration, my will to carry on. Yes, I'm saying what you think I'm saying, it's all relevant, trust me. As broken as I was, he asked me to do something and that became my primary goal. While working on that, I figured I'd be far too damaged to RP anymore. While I tried to tolerate each day as it comes, I'd notice that I still had a desire to create. To entertain. Modern entertainment had become sewage water, likable characters had become super rare and everything was a damn remake or sequel to something else because new and creative ideas are hard. In short, what used to be effective escapism for when things were getting difficult, no longer was.
My new projects were also taking longer than expected so I thought, since my drive resurfaced, I'd go back to the RP.

All this build up is to show how my feelings towards the RP had changed. In the timeline of events, we have now caught up to the present. Modern entertainment is still awful and is now visibly spreading to video games. We still have old stuff that is just as entertaining as ever, but if it's brand new and provides escapism? That's the RP and not much else.
What started as a little bit of fun, has become an anchor to cling too. A last straw to remind me that the world doesn't totally suck and fun ideas are still out there. It's just us small folk that have them while the narcissistic and overpaid just waste money rehashing the same old crap that always turns out inferior because the original was made by talented individuals.

I am truly grateful for what this RP has provided. Sure, it's only a small group of us, but that's what makes it feel so intimate. Not to mention the friendliness of the people involved.

@CarmenTheNova

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This RP has been a great experience, sure I wasn’t there all that much for Season 3 due to life reasons which is why I’m gonna do my best to be there for Season 4.

I think this RP has really challenged me as a writer, in some good and bad ways but mostly good. I genuinely think my writing has improved ever so slightly since joining the RP. 

And the RP has led me to make such great new friends even I’m still slightly nervous around them. But they’ve all been so kind and accepting to me and, it makes me really happy to have joined.

So, what does the RP mean to me? Joining something truly unique and special and slowly growing more and more as a person, a friend and a writer. 

So with all my heart: thank you all for letting me join this wonderful community. 

Stay true to yourselves, at the end of the day, we’re all alive in some way.

@Winston

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I’ve enjoyed my time here quite a bit in this roleplay. I’ve been a part of roleplays in the past and they were never the best experience. I took about a decade or so break from it, never really expecting me to ever come back into it, until Ryan and Failin talked about it during Game Night. I brought up some interest during a game, messaged Ryan, and was set up to go soon after.

The difference between a lot of the roleplay communities I’ve been in the past and this one are rather huge. Everyone here is very welcoming and kind to me. They don’t insult my characters, and are always very helpful in the process of creating them. I have some oddball choices here and there, but they’re always really excited to see them come to life and it makes me feel good to see characters I have entertain people. It is a stark difference from role plays I’ve been a part of in the past.

Failin is an extremely nice and helpful leader to be behind. He cares for the community and the characters we’ve all created, giving us pointers when we ask for them and always encouraging us to partake in fun activities, much like this one. That goes the same for all the other staff too, both of Dead Zone and Skylanders. 

Ryan has been an inspiration for many of my ideas and characters coming in, so I wanted to give him a special shout out too. I wouldn’t be here without him. 

I love the creativity of everyone here, Table, Bloxx, Spin, Morgan, Marie, LEGOMAN, Carmen, Dan, Crow, Char, Polkadi, Grammy, Robrainiac, Jovah, Orpheus, and everyone else. If I didn’t list a name here, I apologize, there’s just so many people here that I enjoy interacting with. 

I wish I could’ve said more for prior ones for this whole retrospective, but I just simply didn’t have the time. 

But what this roleplay means to me is that it gives me a sense of belonging. As someone that has had a rough time with roleplays in the past as said before, it means a lot to be welcomed by so many. Seeing people bring up Louie or Eustace as someone they like seeing or interacting with fills my heart with joy, and I hope to remain here for many more years. Thanks for all the fond memories thus far!

@Morganoire

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What does the roleplay mean to me? Hmm, well that’s a tough question, and one that I’m not sure how to answer. I feel like I could give a really short answer or a really long-winded one, but both would be genuine. There are a lot of reasons I enjoy the RP for sure though, so I will do my best to convey what the RP means for me. It could be scattered though, so I apologize in advance if that ends up being the case.

The first thing the RP means to me is belonging. That probably doesn’t make sense, or maybe I didn’t word it right, but that is just how it feels for me. I was still somewhat new to the internet and social media when I joined the RP, and was still trying to find a place where I belonged. We met in a separate community, but Failin did some writing for me with my Pokémon trainer OC and his going on a fun little search for his trainer’s Scorbunny, and it just made me happy that someone had felt inspired enough to write something about a character I made. The two of us talked for a while, and eventually, the topic of the Skylanders Dimensions roleplay came up, and Failin encouraged me to join with my Pokémon trainer as well as Dimitri and Byleth. I was beyond nervous, seeing the rules and templates (even though it really wasn’t that bad once I just sat down and filled out the thing), and I was worried that I wouldn’t fit in or people wouldn’t like my characters. Thankfully, right from when Failin first brought me aboard, the community was very welcoming and inviting, and helped me work through the mistakes I made early on. Seeing people sharing the characters and franchises they loved this way was something I had no idea people did, especially as adults, but it made me very happy to find people who do appreciate fiction and share what they love. Ever since then, I’ve gotten to know everyone more, learn about people’s preferred movies, games, and other things, and I’m just happy to have found a place I belong! It came at a time in my life where I didn’t have that much irl, so it meant a lot and still does even as I am improving with my social life irl and am getting busier.

Somewhat linked to the last point, the RP is just a way to share the characters I love with others, and interact with the characters they love as well! The stories everyone makes really run so much deeper than I could have thought, and seeing everyone’s connections between their characters and each other, it’s just something I enjoy being a part of. As you probably gathered from last week’s post, there have been a lot of meaningful and fun dynamics that writers have been able to have with the characters, and I just think it’s cool that the stories and characters can bring us all closer together in a way, too. I’ve kind of always gotten maybe a bit too invested in fiction for my own good, and when it comes to the RP, things aren’t any different. There are so many characters, whether preexisting or original, that I’ve come to love that I probably never would have even known existed if it wasn’t for the RP and the community. And hearing that people enjoy my writing and that what I’ve done has helped them to like the characters that I like really warms my heart and makes me smile. In the wise words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, it’s been “a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one,” when it comes to seeing how supportive people are of my own interests and how the love the writers has for their characters shines through, making me interested in other franchises that again, I might not have looked at otherwise (Madoka, Neptunia, and Kingdom Hearts, to name a few). They even accept my almost-daily Beauty and the Beast fangirling without complaint and without judging me for it, which I greatly appreciate and also still feel a bit bad about  So thanks to the RP for just being a place where I can share the characters I love and enjoy the characters that others love, too!

And finally, the RP means being part of something that’s bigger than myself. Sure, I know there are other things to be involved in that can also be described that way, and I am involved in at least one other such thing with my faith. But seeing this giant, overarching story being written by many different people coming together, is just incredible. Reading the recap for Road to 4, it really is amazing seeing how long some of these writers have known each other and been writing together, with characters old and new coming and going through the years. Through thick and thin, they’ve been with each other, and I hope to forge friendships that also stand the test of time in such a way. I joined in kind of late season 3, so while I haven’t been around too long compared to many of the others, I’m still very happy overall with what I’ve been able to contribute, and feeling like the characters I love and I are part of this really big, long-lasting crossover just makes me feel good, especially with the characters being as generally well-received as they have. When I first joined the RP, I was certainly intimidated at first by pretty much everyone, if I’m being completely honest, though it wasn’t because you guys did anything wrong, I promise! But now I can feel pretty good about calling you my friends, and to have played a part in all of this really just means a lot to me! As I said in the second road to 4 blog, I’ve really loved all the stories I’ve been part of so far, and I can’t wait to see what will come in the future! So yeah, I think I got a bit derailed and scattered there, but oh well, hopefully it makes sense.

I just want to end this by thanking Failin for giving me a chance about 3 and a half years ago now to be a part of this community. It’s been a joy to be able to share the characters I love with everyone, and to be able to see the characters you all love as well! Thanks for letting me be a part of something so big and so important to you, and for letting me be a part of this larger community. I’m happy to have made the friends I have here, and hope to share many more fun times and make more memories together in the future, too!

@Failinhearts

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What does the RP mean to me... I think the easier question would be what DOESN'T it mean?

Starting off, I was a depressed teenager who developed some parasocial relationship to some blue haired anime girl with a LOT of things to vent about. I had no real friends to speak of, no online community to turn to, not even a faintest clue where I wanted to be in life. All I had was this silly fanfic idea of Sayaka Miki, and some weird OC version of Sonic I made when I was 5.

I joined SSMB, saw some RP going, bit my lip, and dove right in with my admittedly very melodramatic storyline.

But that's where I met Crow, Ryan, and Spin. Who... endured my "quirks", my meltdowns, the wonderous concoctions of unstable teenage hormones. But it was also they who not only put my life back in order, practically SAVING it on too many counts. But it made me realize something.

I loved to write. I loved to make stories. I always had a vague idea I wanted to make something when I grew up. But I didn't know how to go about it. A director? An animator? Designer? Artist?

But it was now clear as day as I decided my path in University: Screenwriter. And it's all thanks to me deciding with Crow one day to take what we wrote in this smaller RP, and make it our own. To make Skylanders Dimensions.

And with it, my life would never be the same.

I honed my craft, while also working on myself as I go from an insecure teen, to a learning adult. I made more and more friends, as I slowly gained my confidence to venture out further. Make friends in real life, embrace my talents in other mediums and avenues, I've developed lifelong relationships that span a decade now on this very site.

And now, I have fostered this tight knit, strong community on not just SSMB, but on Discord where I can get to know the people I have come to love so well on so many other levels of discussion. To play games, to pull us through during tough times. It's been a blessing from God that I have been given this opportunity, and this power to maintain this... frankly, support group for so long. (Join the RP, and you too can join us!)

And now, I'm even staff on this very site. All thanks to the writing and the community I've worked so hard to maintain with my wonderful team. But just because I am now a member of the SSMB team, doesn't mean Skylanders will ever be an afterthought to me.

Even through all this evolution, all the change, it's comforting to know that this RP is always around. To give a sense of familiarity, a place where I am welcome to pursue whatever wild idea comes to my head and people... GET it.

People appreciate my weird ideas, my themes, my meta commentary, the characters I chuck into the fray that seem like such odd additions. The subversions I make, and the absurd takes on franchises people thought they knew. Even if other fandoms would condemn what I do, I knew I always have a community of people who see my vision for what it is, and love it. Maybe even more than the source material itself.

Who wouldn't be proud of that?

And now, I am finally able to dig back to one of the earliest ideas conceptualized in 2017: Season 4. It's been a long time coming, but its like I'm popping open an old bottle of well-aged wine. I may be a very different person than I was back then. I may have very different responsibilities now. But some things will always taste good after all this time. And I think Season 4 is going to taste very, very sweet.

And I can't wait to share it all with you.

Thank you for going on this long road with me.

Our destination is coming up soon.

...And thank YOU for reading this far! Yeah, you! I dunno if you're a roleplayer, or some SSMB member, or maybe some dude lurking as a guest! Trust me, I'm looking at the online users. I know who you are. And I'm grateful.

It has been truly a joy hearing from everyone, and looking back at every aspect that made not just this RP, but my entire life online such a joy. And I can't wait to look towards the future. Here's to Season 4, Dead Zone, and whatever may come next!

Remember, the journey with your Skylanders is only just beginning.

SEASON 4 BEGINS APRIL 28TH! JOIN NOW, AND GET A HEADSTART FOR THE BIG DAY!