UPDATE: (23 April 2011)I am looking for a few new writers to join an existing story. If you think that might be you, please take the time to read this. It shouldn't be longer than ten minutes, and if you do decide to join, it will be a valuable investment.
INVITATIONI am looking for players to take on some challenging, unconventional roles in my current roleplay
When the Lion Wakes. I am looking for writers who are willing to take on a challenge, to write from the point of view of a character who is nothing like them, and who can sympathetically and realistically portray some rather unsympathetic people. In short, I am looking for dedicated, skilled writers willing to take on thought-provoking, vital to plot, and unorthodox roles within this roleplay.
We actually started in March 2010, but don't let that scare you. Despite being around for thirteen months, we have collectively produced a grand total of 113 posts (as of 23 April 2011) on six pages of a single forum thread. I'm looking for new writers because around 80% or more of our original group has either withdrawn from the roleplay or disappeared from the site without explanation. If you've read this far, you're probably part of the group I'm targeting with this posting.
Players must be mature enough to address, discuss, and explore some controversial and potentially inflammatory themes with sensitivity, discretion, and thoughtfulness. Specifically, many of the "tag" keywords for this roleplay evoke themes such as terrorism, religious extremism, national intrigue, journalist ethics, and international politics.
BRIEF PLOT INTRODUCTIONThe basic premise of the plot of this roleplay is that FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive, Tahira Ali, one of the leaders of the terrorist organization Hataf, has voluntarily entered the United States offering information on an imminent Hataf attack. The plot is not intended to revolve around the character of Ali, but rather to use this event (detailed in prose in the first IC post) as the premise and background for the rest of the story, permitting the players to write their own storylines with one another, either closely related to the Ali storyline, or distantly related (or hardly related at all.) Since we've started, there have been a few major developments of which everyone ought to be aware, whether or not their characters would be directly affected. These are discussed in the OOC thread (linked below.)
WHAT WE ARE NOT- We do not have minimum post lengths.
- We do not demand posts once a day or even once a week. (Once a month at minimum is the target range.)
- We do not force all players or characters to be involved with the GM's storyline. (In fact, it shouldn't revolve around me.)
- We are not a hatefest. We vehemently and absolutely condemn all forms of violence, threats, intimidation, bullying, and out of character disrespect in any form.
- We are not a tabletop-type game or a plot-driven roleplay. (Instead, we are character-driven and player-driven.)
- We're also not a group of experts. If you have expertise with the military or government, great. If you don't, have no fear. We don't expect players to come to the table with insider knowledge or experience.
PLAYER EXPECTATIONS- If you cannot keep up with posting once a month, I expect to be informed. (This is polite and shows respect for the other players.) And as long as I know, it's fine.
- I do expect sensitivity. Keep tensions and negativity in character. Always treat other writers with respect in public and in private.
- I do expect you to check the OOC thread if someone posts there.
- I do expect effort in your posts. While I don't require a minimum length, I would like to see your abilities showcased in your posts.
- I do expect you to read others' posts, including those of people with whom your character does not interact. This shows interest in the other aspects of the story.
- Your characters are the focus of this roleplay. Their character arcs and the ways in which they intersect (or not) with one another determine the scope and direction of the story.
CHARACTER POSSIBILITIES Your characters
do not have to be affiliated with a government or a terrorist organization. Your character could be a journalist, a lawyer, a university student, a high school teacher, a musician, a writer, the neighbor of a suspected terrorist, a religious leader, a businessman, or just about any other ordinary person imaginable. That being said, you are welcome to take up a government or terrorist role. (More information on the terrorists below.) It would be nice to have some more law enforcement and intelligence characters, if that's something that strikes your fancy. The current IC and OOC threads list all of the characters (but as I said, the majority of their players have disappeared) if you want an idea of some of the options available to you.
As this is a character driven roleplay, the appearance, past, personality, and other attributes of your character should be developed completely by you, and should be not only realistic, but also compelling, providing a 'hook' for the character's motivation (including the superobjective.) Players are highly encouraged to develop backstory connections between their characters through collaboration, as well as develop plot twists and subplots of their own, without too much supervision from myself.
For players who are interested in playing characters associated with Hataf, the fictitious terrorist organization in the roleplay:Hataf considers itself to be an enlightened, twenty-first century, postmodernist version of most so-called "Islamic" terrorist organizations. It promotes an apocalyptic ideology centering on the idea that it is now the endtimes; and their mission is to bring about the end of all time in order to bring glory to God. Its leaders are both men and women of all nationalities and languages and its size and influence is frighteningly large. (See
my profile of the organization in the OOC segment here.) Players who agree to take up a Hataf role may take on the role of a Hataf leader, a leader of one of Hataf's sub-organizations (see the link), a mid-level member, a clandestine operative, an outside contractor, a liaison to another non-terrorist or terrorist organization, a sleeper cell member, or any other role imaginable within the breadth of such a large organization.
Players who agree to take up a Hataf role should bear in mind that -- a.) Hataf is entirely fictitious. b.) None of the roleplayers participating in When the Lion Wakes espouse any of its ideology, any violent or apocalyptic rhetoric, or any extremist positions whatsoever. -- and should therefore portray their characters with great sensitivity, recognizing that there are many very real people who may be easily offended by an insensitive treatment of these topics. The vast majority of Muslims do not condone any form of terrorism, and many people in the world, of all nations and all faiths, have been affected adversely by acts of terrorism. Even today, there is an ongoing "War on Terror". Players who take on these roles should be sensitive to these facts and should portray their characters accordingly.
TO SUBMIT YOUR CHARACTERWe are using the roleplay tab only for character submissions, and a traditional forum thread for the IC thread. Please contact me via PM, or directly submit your character via the roleplay tab, if you are interested. If you don't know how to do this or are unsure how to proceed, please contact me directly. Also, if you do submit a profile via the tab, chances are that I will not notice (GMs are not informed when characters are submitted), so please inform me that you have submitted (and send a link.)
LINKS TO OOC AND IC THREADSThe OOC thread is
here, and the IC thread has been posted
here. We are still accepting characters. To submit characters, use the roleplay tab page located
here.
QUESTION NOT ANSWERED?If you have questions or other concerns, please send me a PM or post here and I will do my best to allay your concerns. I would love to have you!
Blessings and peace,
Ylanne