TFF Royalty

[Andromeda]

Oh I'm well versed with Murphy's Law. While I fortunately do not run on that theory, it certainly loves to rear its ugly head from time to time. But if you end up doing something with my character that is fine it'll give me something to post rather than continue building up the world events. I waiting until we end up leaving Haven so that I can bring in Wilhem into the equation to stir things up a little for Eris. Though I have to get him over in that direction since right now he is still following the now week old trail of your characters I think, it might not be week old yet.

[Andromeda]

Alright, I'm double posting, but it is important. I've finally posted in both of the RPs. Magically Appeared has been inactive for four months and well Divided Connections has been away for even longer. If Xeim and Shadow wish to continue it I am game for it. I've got things that I can do with it. As for Magically Appeared I don't want it to fail.

I've done some looking at myself in my downtime. I've been working 70 hours the last couple weeks. And I've been doing 60 hours since the last time that I posted. So as you can imagine it would make it a little difficult to post and do things when all you are doing is working and sleeping. But it did give me the chance to think.

Things are continuing on. I know that you Merlin still had interest and I see Dragonheart back and RPing so I'm hoping that she would reprise her character. I've already talked to Shadow and he seems willing to continue. I know the last post I made dropped a ton of new things into the mix. But I was trying to get the ball moving on things and set things up. The lack of direction had been the primary issue people had and I was starting to resolve that since my vagueness up to that point left things up to the others.

I finally solidified my concept then and took it forward. I can't change all of the things that happened, debates, arguments and confusion. But I think the air is settled and we know where things are at. I'm not going to be removing the characters I made because they are going to serve a purpose to the overall world. They are meant to be addition to the world adding flavor. As well as giving names to the things that are happening anyway. I had planned to do things and as you could already see I was developing a powder keg in kingdoms already. I just decided to put faces that you can relate with there now instead of just saying this is happening vaguely.

For the time being I'm going back to the main two characters I was working with simply because it'll make things easier for things to resume. The events occurred and are out there. I will make slow posts about the developing situation as the time calls for it.

In the mean time I setup Eris back in Farore's house an undetermined time after the events that happened that night. I left an opening for whoever decides to take it. The goal that I'm going to be setting forth as a direction is that that Eris is now going to be dead set on finding the "man" that killed her family. She is convinced that he is nearby and nothing is going to desway her of the contray. I figure that will take us away from Haven and through the course of her continued self enduced amnesia states will find more "clues" to his location. The rest we can figure out as we start posting again.

[DragonHeart]

Honestly it's been so long that I more or less assumed you guys had moved on already, heh. I hadn't realized that only a few new posts had been made while I was gone. I don't really see much more I can do with Farore, so I'm just going to give her an exit (she may or may not come back later, I don't know yet), and I'll think about whether I want to go ahead and introduce a new character or not.

~DragonHeart~

[Merlin]

Nah its not dead. I still have a ton of ideas in my head on a daily basis, just haven't actually wrote them down. I'm gonna work on fixing up the sig issue in the new RP club forum thingy right now. After that I plan on writing, since I was going to tonight anyway. I won't say when it will be done since I have a lot of material to cover in order to get the timeline back where Andro is.

I will say ahead of time that a LOT of mysteries will be resolved in the post, so a quick review over my previous stuff may be in order before reading my latest... I won't say its mandatory, since I wll thoroughly document what connects with what through character realizations. I mean hell, the characters themselves have no clue what the truth is behind the others. Each person has their own piece of the puzzle and their own personal idea of what is going on, but not the whole picture... just like the readers.

I can post a quick synopsis here if you want that. I have pretty much the whole thing in my head by heart anyway. Actually I probably will post it for the heck of it either way. Its been like 4 months.

~~~~
DH: If you plan on nuking your char, you really should consider making a new one. ^_^ Andro and I can whore out posts back-to-back but our way of thinking is so similar half the time, this would end up becoming a book rather than a RP. Well if the others still post... that'd be great too.

[Victoria]

Well, I'm going to work in an hour, so I don't really have enough time to write out my post. I can think up ideas of what I'm going to do while I'm at work, though, so that way I can at least do something concerning my next post.

I've honestly just been concentrating on the Bleach RP lately that I forgot about MA.

[Andromeda]

Shadow changed your name again. At least you stuck with the last for a while. I was wondering who this strange person was that posted last. But yeah, I told to Shadow and reminded him about the RP and that I had been waiting for him post. The opening remains available for anyone, but it is definitely a good opening for Shadow to make a post.

And yeah Merlin's right. I would hate to see you disappear from the RP. I know we've had some troubles with things, but my vagueness is all gone at this point. I've got an idea and a direction in mind. You could probably tell some of that from the way the last few of my posts were going. So the RP is going somewhere and I have plans. And Merlin is probably right about the other thing too. The two of us could post back and forth repeatedly. ^^;

So I would very much love to see you return to the RP either with a new character or Farore. I had actually had somethings setup with Remi and Farore that I had wanted to discuss with you that I thought you might like. I didn't want to do anything with it until I had talked to you though since it involved your character heavily.

But Shadow post as soon as you can. I did not really expect a post in a day. But a short quicky page or two in word should be plenty to achieve in an hour or two. And I look forward to seeing what you got in store Merlin. I know you have a number of characters and I'm not sure which ones are dead or alive or sticking around for the long trek. It'll be fun. You can watch Eris go mad. ^^

[DragonHeart]

I don't know, I guess I can give it one more try. I'm mainly concerned that my characters are too simple for what you guys have been doing, or are about to do, with the plot.

Name: Enki
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Nationality: Kithuran
Magic Element (If applicable): Non-elemental - See Background
Occupation: Assassin
Social Status: Outcast
Weapons (If applicable): A black metal gauntlet worn on his left hand, extending halfway up his forearm.

Appearance: Dusky hair and strange, smoke-gray eyes. Usually has a white shirt and black trousers with the legs torn off at the knees, and sandals.

Background: Enki's always been strange, and not just in appearance. Quiet-natured and intelligent, he keeps mostly to himself. Because of his subdued personality, for the first years of his life he was considered slow, a damaged child.

That is, until the day he was teased too much by some older boys. Upset by their taunts, Enki's eyes darkened, nearly black, as his hidden power awakened. From his shadow sprung three giant wolves, each one a different color, all with dark crimson eyes. Their savage growls sent the boys fleeing in terror, but when their parents came running the wolves had vanished in a swirl of smoke and Enki was sitting by himself, still playing. Suspicious, the townsfolk gathered and decided to keep watch over him, should his power manifest again.

Less than a week later, it did. Having detected the use of magic, the Kithuran military sent an investigation unit. The harsh interrogation caused his power to come forth again. Instead of three wolves however, this time it was one even larger, completely black wolf. It killed off most of the men before Enki's strength wore out and it too vanished.

Concerned and frightened of such raw, primal magic, the survivors sent him to a military base in hopes of controlling him. Enki proved as wild as his wolves, becoming a danger to anyone in his vicinity. Defeated, Kithur then called upon Pilner for aid.

When their attempts to suppress his magic failed, they turned to assassination. Fueled by fear, hatred and anger, Enki's rapidly increasing power proved too strong to be contained and he escaped, leaving a path of devastation in his wake. At just eight years old, he vowed to destroy Pilner's fanatical magic-hating religion and anyone else who got in his way.

For years he's trained himself, his hatred forged into cold resolve. Pilner continued hunting him, so he kept on the move constantly, eliminating those who discovered his presence. His wolves grew with him, eventually evolving their forms to horned direwolves, each gaining their own unique ability. Enki himself also became proficient at combat, fighting with the same cunning and savage strength as his wolves.

Pilner's efforts to eliminate him increased recently, leading him to suspect that they've got some sort of reason for keeping him distracted, as they already know they can't kill him. He's now heading toward Lothua, unaware of Haven's fall. Although he's not a very sociable person, he's driven to protect other magic users, offering what little comfort he can.

Enki's Wolves 'The Pack':

Fenrir - White, with four horns instead of the standard two. He is also noticeably larger in size, and has the ability to speak. He is the fastest and most cunning of all the wolves, often ranging many miles ahead. Fenrir is wise and sensible.

Skoll - Black, with four horns; he is the same size as Fenrir, and can also speak. He's the strongest and most vicious of the wolves, with a lust for human blood. Enki avoids calling on him as much as possible, for he's afraid of what the wolf is capable of.

Garm - A smoke-gray wolf. His wild howling strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies and bolsters the pack's morale. Very rarely, he may also rally wild wolves to battle, as he alone of the pack can communicate with real wolves.

Surma - A white wolf, Surma is a patient hunter. He can track a person by their heartbeat and his gaze is so fearsome he can paralyze those who are weak of heart. He prefers to stalk among the mists of magic, as he can dissolve into it and vanish from all but the strongest mages' sight.

Hati - Silver-furred and swift, Hati's power depends on the moon. He cannot even be summoned during the new moon. At his peak during the full moon, he can gather the moonlight and use it as a shield or a weapon. This power is less effective in other moon phases.

Orthrus - Though called by one name, Orthrus is actually two black wolves, one sleeping in the shadow of the other. Only one can manifest at a time except during the new moon, when both may be present. Orthrus is most often Enki's personal guard, as they can guard him without the need for rest.

Notes: Although the lesser members of the pack may all be present at any one time, Fenrir and Skoll can only be summoned alone for short periods of time. They also cannot be controlled by Enki, whereas the others follow him instinctively. He does not need to issue verbal commands, as they are avatars called from the depths of his own mind and thus know his thoughts. They are also quite capable of acting on their own when the need arises.

[Victoria]

A very cool character, DH. Can't wait to start interacting with him if the opportunity arises. Although I dare Merlin to only use 1-2 characters at most. >_>;

Merlin has like what, almost 10? Maybe 5 and a lot of NPCs? Seriously. It's like a novella in here. If you guys want to do your own novels, that's fine. Don't do that stuff in an RP, please. *cough*

I have a hunch that maybe that's why no one else is posting. But I may be wrong.

Though I do have to wonder why Merlin has so many characters...

I also have a feeling that we've talked about this before...
Did I mention I have a feeling that even though you both claim you want other people to post, you still go off doing your own thing... Sure, andro left room. He always does. But then after it's used up, he does his own thing all over again. XD

[Merlin]

I'm actually narrowing that list down. Don't hate b/c I can come up with that many unique chars and effectively use them all simultaneously... I'm used to writing solo, so writing an entire cast is rather natural for me. My bad. I really didn't think it was that big of a deal. A RP with 8+ active people would easily have that many chars.. so artificially inflating the number of active people really shouldn't be an issue. If it is, I apologize. If you work with me on stuff these things could be resolved. Simply pointing the finger at me and saying its my fault you don't post is a bit silly, eh?

As for why nobody is posting, the story kept going and they were still hanging around their personalized areas. All my chars, along with Andro's all headed towards Haven to meet up with the other posters. Everyone else is still in their own niche place in the world, interacting with themselves and not anyone else. Its only natural that they'd end up dropping off. You've got to actively participate with other people in the RP, otherwise you're just soloing.

DH: You don't have to make some mental case char to "fit in" or whatever. Write with your own style... that's what makes it a RP. I personally focus more on the psychological and sociological side of chars and my world detail comes second. I find it interesting to see what makes people tick. How many candles a room has or the exact placement of a building is irrelavent to me unless it influences the characters in some way that is worth noting. That's just how I write.

I suppose Jay's point is relevant in that me having numerous chars can seem overwhelming, since they all are interwoven together seemlessly. Trying to place something in that net might seem difficult to someone else I guess. Like I said, the list will be narrowed after my next post. Also, interacting with all my chars is irrelevant as well. Just because they are there doesn't mean you have to interact with them... unless they directly influence your char.

If all else fails, you can always bounce ideas off of me or ask me for details on something I haven't explained. I might not post on TFF anywhere, but I'm always poking around. Shoot me a message and I'll be glad to collaborate on stuff. Actually, thats how we used to do it back in the day anyway. I don't bite.

[Victoria]

Well, my main issue isn't your character creation and using them all seemlessly. That's actually pretty cool. The main issue is that you just go off and do your own thing, really. You and Andro pretty much took control of the thing and made it your own, as you had partially said earlier.

Yeah, it's cool that you write solo. That's fine. But it's like, with all those characters you have, it really is kind of hard to pick one and interact with them sometimes. Sure, as you say, it's not mandatory to interact with anyone. But if no one interacts with each other, it's not really an RP anymore is it? =P

But yeah. I don't hate you or anything. It just is kind of overwhelming, I suppose.

Though you do have a point in that people dropped off because they just kept to themselves instead of immediately leaving. Though really one of the participants quit because they indeed thought that Merlin and Andro just took it over for themselves. ^^;;;

But that's just one person. I can't speak for the others.

[Andromeda]

I'm glad that you're giving it another go DH. And as Merlin said you don't have to make mental cases like his and mine. But like Merlin I do love to delve into the mind of the character quite often.

Well we were all divided, but we ended up together in Haven. It was only by random thought that I decided to have Eris kidnapped by a roaming horde of men with a slave harem. I could have easily not done it and we would have been together training. But anyway, that's behind us. The majority of the additional characters that I made are not meant to really meet up and become part of the group. They are there to fill in the gaps of world events as well as if the group does get separated or something they can be something I pull in to keep RPing with you while I'm off with my main in somewhere else. Allows me to RP with several people if the groups are divided. Mine are not really connected, though you can draw some lines between them in a very thin manner.

As for taking over. I don't really think I took over until recently. Up till that point I was pretty much bouncing from one person to the next. I just made sure to keep posting whenever there was a chance. Which is the mind set anyone should have. If there is a place you can post, you probably should post. If for nothing else but to keep it active in person's mind up front rather than in the back.

[DragonHeart]

Merlin: I'm used to writing solo too but I change my style to fit with the RP concept. That's why I don't have a huge cast of characters and I try to keep what character(s) I do have objective. That way there's less pointless meandering, as my character is usually concise and decisive, and any subplots will be done with other writers, not just internally among my own cast. It's not writing cooperatively when every person focuses solely on their own characters and not the aims of the group. If I wanted to have multiple characters and my own storyline, I'd go write a novel.

Andro: I'm not even going to start on how you stole one of my own characters away to further fuel your character's motivations, instead of, heaven forbid, interacting with another writer for more than three posts. Yes, I freely admit that it pissed me off, cause you never even bothered discussing it with me. It may have been a secondary but it's still my character, and I should have had a say in the matter. Last time I checked, controlling other people's characters was that little thing called godmodding.

That is why I was forced into retiring Farore early, because I created her with the purpose of helping guide Eris and establishing a place where all other characters could gather. Obviously it didn't work, so there's nothing left for her to do. There's no communication and no cooperation, so the whole thing is disjointed and confusing, and that's exactly why no one else wants to post. Or at least, it's why I don't.

Hence a new character, only I felt it necessary to give him a completely unrelated purpose because I already know that you two aren't going to interact with him, so he's got to have a story he can do independently. And no RP writer should ever have to even consider making that sort of decision.

~DragonHeart~

[Andromeda]

I thought Remi was just some random NPC that you made up a name for. That's the only reason I did anything with him. If you were considering him one of your characters I would not have touched him in the slightest. The only character that you had was Farore. The person had very little attached to him aside his name. The only reason I use him because it was someone that was already established rather than creating a brand new character. I would think that you would know if I had known you considered Remi one of your characters I would not have done anything with him without talking to you. But you pretty much just sent him off with me so I used him.

If you didn't like it when I posted you should have said something then. I would have immediately changed the name and made up someone to replace him. Our posts are unchangeable, if we end up over stepping or do something wrong need to speak up and get it corrected. Sitting on it is only going to make you more upset the longer it continues. I wish you had told me sooner. This wouldn't have had to been dragged out to this length with you silently sitting upset about something the rest of us did not know about.

I am flexible and nothing I write is so permanent that I can't rewrite it. We are supposed to be open about things so that they can be corrected and have a smoother RPing environment.

[DragonHeart]

How could I have? That was during the six-month period when I had no internet access due to my computer imploding and me not having enough money to fix it or get a new one. There was nothing I could do about that, really. It honestly hadn't occurred to me that I'd have to worry about such things, especially since we've all been doing this for awhile. An NPC is still considered the original creator's character, in my book at least, so it would have been nice if you at least asked if you could change his entire purpose and personality. I probably would have said yes, but still. If you snatch an NPC away when it proves convenient, how do I know you won't do the same later on with my main character if I end up on another hiatus, forced or voluntary? It's about integrity more than anything.

And for the record, there is very little openness as far as this RP is concerned. It's not the Royalty's story, it's yours and Merlin's. The rest of us amount to little more than footnotes along the way. Sure, you can fault me and anyone else for not writing on a grand enough scale, but it's also your responsibility to keep yourselves in check so you're not overshadowing those of us who prefer to play on level ground.

~DragonHeart~

[Merlin]

This is the same exact issue I dealt with in the mod forums for years. Nobody wants to participate in the discussions so the few who bother to post have to make a decision themselves. What happens EVERY time? Everyone else rushes in to bitch that they don't like what happened. Everyone is free to participate in discussions, since hey, it affects you.

Did you or Jay or ANYONE tell me to cut it down to 1-2 chars? Hell to the F-ing no. I would have in a heartbeat if it was a problem. I'm trying my best to work with people here... but its like I'm talking to a brick wall.

This RP didn't die because Andro and I hijacked it. It died because nobody else bothered to participate in the discussion then came running in with 20/20 hindsight vision complaining because it didn't go your way. Its the pot calling the kettle black. Andro and I consistently tried to get you all to actively discuss the RP... and this is the result.

Seriously...whatever. Whitney, SS, and TLM were right. Why oh why didn't I just listen to them all those years ago... You win. I quit.

[Victoria]

This is the same exact issue I dealt with in the mod forums for years. Nobody wants to participate in the discussions so the few who bother to post have to make a decision themselves. What happens EVERY time? Everyone else rushes in to bitch that they don't like what happened. Everyone is free to participate in discussions, since hey, it affects you.

Yeah, I've been a witness to that so many times. Throughout all the times, I never complained about anything. I was always one to post.

Did you or Jay or ANYONE tell me to cut it down to 1-2 chars? Hell to the F-ing no. I would have in a heartbeat if it was a problem. I'm trying my best to work with people here... but its like I'm talking to a brick wall.

You're right. We didn't say a thing, because at the time, I thought it was cool and didn't really think anything of it. Then things got under way, and I realized... "Well... shit."

This RP didn't die because Andro and I hijacked it. It died because nobody else bothered to participate in the discussion then came running in with 20/20 hindsight vision complaining because it didn't go your way. Its the pot calling the kettle black. Andro and I consistently tried to get you all to actively discuss the RP... and this is the result.

Yeah... you're right. People just posted a profile and then proceeded to post. They didn't really talk about what they really wanted to do with their characters or anything.

Musicmuse only posted like once, Aerif twice or so, Rika...Only once. Ryayukou didn't even bother posting at all, I don't think. (Or maybe just once, perhaps.) Clim just left again...

Seriously...whatever. Whitney, SS, and TLM were right. Why oh why didn't I just listen to them all those years ago... You win. I quit.

*sigh* Though, isn't quitting just running away from the problem/s instead of just trying to solve them? I can't really talk, because sometimes I quit or drop things as well.

I'm just saying.

[Merlin]

I'm tired of beating a dead horse. The RP forum hasn't changed in years. I can make all the speeches I want. I can make cute clubs urging people to participate in RPs. I can make Tournaments to gather people together. I can do all those things... but what I can't do is change the TFF Stigma.

That's not running away. Its washing my hands of this mess. Call it what you want. I could care less at this point. I'll take my business elsewhere. Andro's RPs was basically the only reason I come here anymore... He's one of the few people here who seem to give a flying flip about the RP Forum and actually writes RPs that aren't cookie-cutter bullshit.

[Victoria]

I can understand that. I just didn't know what you were really referring to when you said that you quit. I agree that there's a stigma at TFF and that the RP community is dying.

But I had an idea that I hadn't brought up with anyone except a few people..

What I wanted to do was gather a tight-knit group of dedicated RolePlayers and just RP between us, in one project at a time.

Honestly I've never even made an RP before.

[Andromeda]

You know how many times I have asked for input from everyone when creating the RP. I got next none if I remember. I kept the plot completely open ended until the last few posts when I was fed up with people saying there was no direction because I was trying to let you guide the story and not have me guide it for you. I pretty much let the wind take my character if you note what happened. I let others dictate what happened to Eris with the exception of her getting kidnapped. Shadow decided to appear in my village and train me. Farore decided to save me and take Eris back. Merlin had his fun with her too. She was your puppet pretty much up until three posts ago and then I took control of her.

I gave you a world to play in and decide what you wanted to make out of it. And then you complained to me that there was no direction. Now you complain to me that I'm too controlling. I keep trying to bend over backwards to please you guys and give you wanted from me.

So many complaints about this. Maybe I should make you guys make a RP and I just sit back and play my role and keep my mouth quiet. Then you can play things the way you want and can't complain to me. And since character numbers are an issue then the limit is one character. Any others no one owns.

And NPCs are non-player characters. No one owns them, they are meant to be controlled by the group for whatever purpose they need at the time. They are the community's. It is how they do it in table top games. If there are NPCs everyone at the table can do whatever they want with them. So long as they remain "in character" anyone can use them. Random NPCs that have zero background can have backgrounds made for them on the fly by whomever and then it becomes canon. If there is no canon for them, then you can make it up. If they are generic well they are generic. I just happened to make a generic NPC into a plot character. There was no existing canon, so it was free game to play with. Any NPCs I make I create with the intent that they are community property. The additional characters I made are half character and half NPC. They are available for anyone's use, aside from Wehnem, and they have bios that explain them well enough that you know what you can do with them.

And please, Merlin don't leave just yet. We are finally clearing the air that has been locked up for who knows how long. It frustrates me just as much, but I here to work and make things better. If there are complaints and problems I want to hear them and remedy them. If they aren't remedied then I will work harder to see that they are. I'm not giving up on this. I'm stubborn and don't like to give up. That works for and against me, but right now I'm not giving up on this. I'm going to make this work even if I have to turn myself into a pretzel to make it happen. Can't please everyone all the time, but I'm certain going to try to get as close as humanly possible.

[Victoria]

Well, if I remember, by the time the RP was being made; I don't think even some of the RPers were even members of this club yet. Or at least, Rika and Rya weren't around. I think the ones that posted once or twice came after the RP had already been made.

I suppose there may be some misinterpretations going on in the RP. I took the kidnapped thing as Andro not wanting to interact with me anymore, which may not be the case. Though it was nice that I got to interact with Merlin for that one fight scene. I wish we could have done more.

But anyway... I'm thinking of having Matsuri be my main focus character now, and have Kisara be a half-character/half-NPC.

[DragonHeart]

Having multiple characters isn't a problem when you have 2 or even 3, but when you add in enough to count as three or four different participants then yes, it starts feeling overwhelming. I mean, it's to the point where I feel like I should make a little cheat sheet just to keep 'em all straight; I can't even imagine how you do all the time. Hell, I don't think I can even name all of yours off the top of my head. That's all I'm saying.

And yeah, I don't like voicing my opinion because no one wants to hear it. Hence why I stay silent most of the time. I'm probably not alone in that, either. Cause everyone seems to take offense at what I say, it just doesn't seem worth the trouble. It's nothing I can't work around, albeit with some difficulty, I just figured you might want to know why no one's active in the RP, and those are reasons why. So basically all you're really doing is shooting the messenger at this point, as I already explained how my new character was designed to be more proactive and able to function outside of the main plot/subplots. I'm not half as inflexible as I might appear, it just tends to take a lot of frustration during the adaptation process. I probably sounded harsher than I intended, but obviously I can't change that now.

The bottom line is, yeah I was pissed off when I came back and saw what happened, but given the time to cool off and let my subconscious work it out has actually gotten me quite excited about the possibilities Enki brings to the table. Farore did what she had to do but I didn't feel any real attachment to her, so I got bored writing her part. She was mostly static, whereas Enki is dynamic and not bound to anything. Thus, I have a character I feel I can write. Even I know my Farore posts are lackluster compared to my usual work.

And now I'm going to post this before the damn thunderstorm knocks the power out.

~DragonHeart~

[Andromeda]

Well I'm glad to hear that you are excited to work with your new character. All we need is Shadow to post to keep moving forward. I'll try to work on getting Merlin, but I have a feeling that is going to be difficult if his mind is set.

As for my additional characters Eris remains my only character that I have an invested interest in. The rest are just there for flavor to be names in areas of the world where trouble is happening. Most of the time they won't even appear in my posts. I just needed names for things that I was doing since it was not Eris' point of view. Wihnem is the only other character that is meant to be doing something, but you already knew that I think.

And yeah I'll probably get a little upset about being told that you don't like something or that I'm doing something wrong. But I'll get over it. As I said, in the end I just want everyone to be happy. An impossible goal, but you already know I'm crazy and shoot for the impossible.

[DragonHeart]

Part of the problem is, I think, that everyone is more or less in the same place, yet still off doing their own thing. If everyone gathers in the same place and gets some connections going, I think we'd all be better for it. The way I see it now is that we have two separate, distinct sides of the RP. We've got Merlin and Jay on one end and myself and you on the other. If we all meet somewhere in the middle, that should solve most of the immediate issues, not to mention opening up all kinds of new paths for each character to take.

~DragonHeart~

[Merlin]

Legalese: My post implied that I was quitting TFF, which is not accurate. I am semi-permanently leaving the RP Forum(s). If by some act of whatever spiritual force one does or does not believe or acknowledge manages to restructure the said forum(s) and permanently extrude the weak links, then I at that time reserve the right to return and become active.

Addendum to prior post: My posthaste decision to leave this particular RP was fueled by anger and rather foolish. I thereby rescind that particular clause of my leave. I will not withdraw and/or apologize for any comments made in regards to activities/behaviors that have taken place, because they still apply.

My next RP post will be in the prior format in preparation for the reduction in character quantity. I will not say which or by what method such characters will be removed, but their storylines will be ended in a matter that best suits them without damaging plans I have made up to this point. After the post, the total amount of characters I will have will be 3. I reserve the right to use any non-terminated characters as extremely limited NPC roles in the future should I choose to do so.

Note: this post was deliberately written in this format as a bit of humor. I feel sure it’s a pain in the ass to read. If you need a translation, I can provide one. Otherwise think of it as practice in case I ever make a crime novel...

[Victoria]

Nah, no translation needed. I understood it. You'll also be getting a PM from me whenever I decide to write it. >_>;

[Merlin]

Synopsis

• Scene 1: The perky and somewhat air headed Alastora, along with her stern companion Sizuru, both members of an elite group of soldiers known as the M.C.T.U., attack a major church on the northeastern corner of Pilner. They trek into the mountains in order to sneak back across the border into Jumin, but are confronted by Tyrbane. During the confrontation, Alastora loses control and almost kills herself and Sizuru. To make matters worse, their commander, Falaris, arrives and attempts to kill all of them. Tyrbane manages to defeat her and take Sizuru and Alastora to safety.
  

  Mysteries
  1. Why did the M.C.T.U attack a Pilner church when Jumin is already knee-deep in problems to the west?
  2. Tyrbane was engaged to Alastora’s sister Gwinnyn and therefore has met her many times in the past, so why did he threaten to attack?
  3. Why would Alastora so easily attack her sister’s fiancé when she’s the type of person who would rather handle a situation peacefully than with violence?
  4. How was Alastora able to survive a blast capable of vaporizing rock?
  5. Why would the commander of the M.C.T.U. attack her own people?

  
  
• Scene 2: Tyrbane brings Sizuru and Alastora back to his home in the northwestern part of Pilner, where Yuuna, a childlike girl with pink hair, was waiting. She heals Alastora’s wounds and spends the rest of the night with Tyrbane. In the morning, Alastora and Sizuru are both gone and a note is left instructing Tyrbane to head to the country to the west(the general direction of Haven, but not specific), where a man known as Shadow would guide them the rest of the way. Also there was a stack of love letters allegedly written by Gwinnyn to Tyrbane that Alastora had been holding onto. The two set off to Haven.
  

  Mysteries
  1. Yuuna apparently has the ability to heal severe injuries, yet she remains in a childlike form. Stunted growth would seem to be an easy fix compared to the massive injuries that Alastora had suffered.
  2. The townspeople were the ones responsible for turning in Gwinnyn and Tyrbane to the Pilner authorities and the resultant alleged death of her. Why would he continue to live in a place that treated him like a criminal?
  3. Alastora had a number of letters on her that conveniently did not get burned up in the self-created explosion earlier, yet all of her clothes were unrecoverable. Where did these letters come from? They were not on her when she was brought to the cabin.
  4. If Gwinnyn was indeed alive this whole time, why had Alastora never told him until this point?
  

• Scene 3: Tyrbane and Yuuna manage to make their way across the border into the neighboring country where they are confronted by Shadow.
  
  

  Mysteries
  1. Crossing the border into an extremely security-tight country was way too easy.

  
  
• Scene 4: Sizuru awakes in the hospital in Haven to find that she has been brutally attacked by her partner Alastora. Even though she cares deeply for her friend, she had to fight Alastora in order to stop her from killing Gwinnyn, whom was lying on an adjacent bed. Another explosion occurs, collapsing the room into a pile of rubble.
  

  Mysteries
  1. Why are Sizuru and Alastora in Haven in the first place? They were allegedly heading back to Jumin since their mission was complete.
  2. Why did Alastora maim her best friend and moreover why is she trying to kill her sister, when she just wrote a note to Tyrbane a few days earlier to have him reunite with Gwinnyn? Does she have multiple personalities disorder?
  3. Why would Sizuru continue to support Alastora after she’s been attacked twice by her best friend(even though one was by accident)?

  
  
• Scene 5: Tyrbane’s father, Doctor Oraku Silverhand, along with Commander Falaris and a teleport-magic user by the name of Myrii, arrive in Haven. Dr. Silverhand discovers Sizuru and Alastora in the rubble of the hospital and proceeds to kill Alastora. He refers to her as “Sarah” and she seems to look at him as some sort of father-figure. Sizuru is taken back to Jumin by Myrii. Dr. Silverhand confronts Eris, a young girl who wandered into the wrong place at the wrong time. He seems to know too much about her and loosely tries to convince her to switch to his side, whatever side that might be. Eris’s friends arrive to defend her but the girl runs away in panic. Her friends try in vain to stop the intruder, who seems hellbent on wiping the entire town off the map. Commander Falaris returns to the frey, only to turn her attacks onto Doctor Silverhand, eventually killing him. Myrii returns and takes Falaris back to Jumin.
  
  

  Mysteries
  1. Doctor Silverhand was allegedly killed in Pilner for being a magic-user. How did he manage to make his way to Jumin and become aligned with a member of the M.C.T.U.?
  2. Why is he trying to recruit Eris?
  3. Why is he trying to destroy Haven?
  4. Why did a member of the M.C.T.U. knowingly attack a neutral country, specifically a town filled with fellow magic users?
  5. How is Commander Falaris in Haven when she was clearly killed a week earlier by Tyrbane in the mountains? Even if she wasn’t killed, her hands had been severed yet she seems to be completely uninjured, as if the event never happened.

That should refamiliarize you with the characters and the story up to this point. I tried to point out most of the unresolved mysteries that you may or may not have picked up on. I wouldn’t be surprised if you did not catch all of them, because I left some of them intentionally vague or blended into the events that were taking place. My next post will show how these seemingly unrelated mysteries are all interwoven together. I feel like I’m writing a season of 24 or something. Now I see why it seems a bit over-the-top. I come up with too many ideas. How do I keep all of this stuff straight? The same way a thriller novelist does I guess. I don’t write any of it down… its all in my head. O.o

What’s funny is all of that is really backstory, showing you what the characters are like and what they have struggled with. Anyways, hopefully you enjoy reading it. If not I’ll be a sad panda… er… or not. After that I can actually focus on 3 chars and not my humongous web of craziness best suited for a mystery novel. I could so port this… ^_^

I'm finished with my post, I'm just debating some finer points on it. Its a lot shorter than my typical "novel" post. It was actually intentional for effect. Drawing out some of the conflict would have been counterproductive to the feel I was going for. This post concludes all the "prior time" stuff and future stuff will be in line with the current flow.

Also, if Jay isn't going to interact with Eris in that scene, I can. Its up to him. I haven't wrote anything definitive on that angle.

[Victoria]

Wow. That was a LOT of plotholes. How is Mr. Merlin going to fill them in? Find out next time, on Magic Ball Z!

....*cough*

Anyway. Very nicely done synopsis. ...I forgot what else I was going to say.

I suppose I'll get to writing that PM...

[Andromeda]

I don't really mind who takes the opening. I had originally mentioned it to Shadow as a way for him to easy return into the RP. But it is available there for anyone to take. I was very non-specific about what friends the woman was going to inform. If Shadow is going to be PMing you then I guess the two of you can fight it over.

And yeah, that is a lot of hanging threads out there. It'll be very interesting to see how it all gets tied up. But it looks like we are all gathering together now. This should make things a little easier on everyone. I'll see if I can't make another post dealing with Wihnem since he is the other character that I'm dealing with seeing as he is attempting to track Eris, albeit unsuccessfully.

[Merlin]

Well its still open for someone to do something with it. I was mainly focused on tying up loose ends on one arc and starting the new one, which I will go forward with from there. I think I suprised myself with how I did that scene, since I wasn't going for that at first... it just kinda went that way as I wrote it. It just seemed right for some reason. Anywho, its up.

Next task: Work on a new banner. I got a new avatar finally. Its Shirakawa Kotori from D.C. ~Da Capo~ if anyone is curious. I had another I wanted to use, but its probably too borderline offlimits.. hah. Flesh-colored panties... XD

edit: O.o it distorted my avy.. wtf. Gotta mess with settings I guess.

[Victoria]

Very nice post. I just finished reading it. Honestly I'm currently writing my RP post for Bleach, but when I'm done with that, I'll be writing my MA one. Or perhaps I'll work on both at the same time. Preferably I would like to do one at a time.