Storyboard

[Ninja Vanish]

Woo! Congrats all. :)

[awesomeskaterdude]

hey guys i want to apologize. Some stuff came up unexpectedly so i havnt been able to post. i will get it out here asap

[Avella]

This Role Play Gateway is starting to irritate me to the extreme. One of my other fine stories just crashed because the GM was caught up in some RL stuff. Without an active, involved GM no storyline will survive. And even if someone else takes over they do not have the same vision as the original creator. People make commitments to these storylines, these threads and then come up with the most inane excuses for not participating. Yes this is work, damn right this is work. Have we come to the place that as humans we can’t even commit to the thing we claim to love? Writing?

I check these threads everyday, sometimes two or three times a day and each time I do, I find nothing but disappointment ...day after day...nothing...not one word written save for the standard excuses. I hold little hope for the so called "writers" of this world if this is how "active" we are.

I was taught to write every single day even if it’s total garbage, write something, anything. You may not want to post it but at least you have a kernel of something that might, with a little work, be pounded into a decent post or story. Wordsmithing is not an easy occupation. It takes work, imagination and commitment. Commitment … a word that makes people cringe anymore …Commitment

Commitment: Noun

1. The trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose
2. The act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action

Do we find ourselves signing up for too many threads? Is that the problem? Can we commit to two or three threads instead of ten or twelve? Do we spread ourselves so thin on these boards that we have nothing left for the really good storylines? Or are we afraid of crashing into someone who might write better than we and as a result we stop participating because we think we are “no good”? I like the fact there are better writers than me out here because I learn from them. Working with better writers makes us better writers.

But I rant…

I am down to two threads on these boards now… it takes some work to make up a character and I’m sick and tired of seeing them die without even getting out the door.

If Sworn by Sword dies it will be our fault. This thread is not just Ninja’s story…its ours…and as Captain Picard is fond of saying “Make it so.”

Or as my father was fond of saying “Shit or get off the goddamn pot.”

[Ninja Vanish]

Well said. I'm the same way with one of my favorite sites. Was part of it for over 5 years but the story lines with 2 of my characters just came to a crashing halt all of the sudden. Hard to pump life back into them sometimes ya know?

This is my only active roleplay on the Gateway though, and i have a feeling that people don't know where to jump in or which course to take. My advice would be to be more vocal both here and through PMs about what your intentions are for your character or House. Otherwise we may very well be just circling each other in this story. We need to plan some involvement, some conflict, some interaction. Weave this stuff together. As for posting order, there isn't one. I'm working on my next one already, and once it's done, it goes up. If that means I've posted twice before somebody else posted once, then so-be-it. Sometimes thats how it goes. Just means that the other character has some catching up to do in their next post. Don't worry about covering so much ground though... my last post was much bigger than any other I've put up in here and it only covered about 2-3 hours of time.

Thanks for voicing that though, Avella. I have a lot of polishing to do on the board nd more advertising to try to bring some more writers in. I already ditched Mason because he hadnt even poked his head in after Day 1. And if that's what it takes then that's what we'll do. And i have no intention of letting this die. Writers will come and go, like any other thread. It's the people who stick around who will define this story.

[Oran Tarlin]

Right, so, on to the next morning?

[Ninja Vanish]

I've got more planned for Friday. At least one more post. Then it should carry into Saturday.

[Oran Tarlin]

Wonderful, I look forward to your post.

[awesomeskaterdude]

I also have a bit more planned for Friday. It will carry my characters to Friday night, and possibly early early Saturday morning. I am forsaking video games and socializing tonight to get this out. Sorry about not posting yet, college is getting close to Final exams. Good luck everyone! Posts look great!

P.S. My current plan is to have my tavern burned down on like Sunday or Monday, still working out the kinks but I figured I should tell y'all.

[awesomeskaterdude]

Alright i posted. Its not very good but I posted like i promised. Ill work on adding to it soon.

[awesomeskaterdude]

@Avella- Am I right in assuming that you posted for friday night?

I will update my last post with a little bit more so it will cover friday evening as well

[Avella]

@Avella- Am I right in assuming that you posted for friday night?

I will update my last post with a little bit more so it will cover friday evening as well

yes...my post was for a few hours before dawn on Saturday morning, so i guess that could be considered friday night. If its okay with Ninja, I think I might add a little tag next to the name ie: (sat.), to help eliminate any confusion.

[awesomeskaterdude]

Ok that would be helpful.

I am slowly updating my post as I go. I guess I will post on the OOC when I have posted for the full friday night. Sorry to be doing this so backwards.

[Oran Tarlin]

Since my characters will all be in Olympus soon I'd like to get some clarification. Obviously the festival is a huge event across the entire city, but is there a schedule? The tournament has various levels, I assume, but when will the finals be? Is there a feast for the nobles with the King? I'll play it by ear, but if there's something that characters need to be at I'd like to allot some space for their... presumptions and thoughts about the upcoming events...

[awesomeskaterdude]

There we go, I have posted up to Saturday at noon. Sorry for the short post but I wanted to get it out there, especially for Oran so he can arrive at Rafiki's.

[Ninja Vanish]

I think that's a good idea, Avella. We can add something like:

Saturday, 6:08 PM, 15th of November, 42nd Year of the Red Century.

That's the longhand. I'll add it to the annex. I posts we can list day and/or time.

[Oran Tarlin]

Sorry for the delay, I just relocated, my next post will be by the end of the day.

[Avella]

okay...I think it's time we had some interaction between characters...otherwise we are just going to be writing our own storylines here...LOL...Thomas Henry is down on the dock looking to buy some wine for his cellars and maybe have a drink or two at a local tavern. *hint, hint*

Lady Morgana will be heading to the city center with the girls to do some shopping and take a look at the jousting and fair grounds and maybe a peek at the Castle.

Also, I was wondering if we could come up with a standard description of the city? What the jousting grounds look like. Where the docks are located and the Castle grounds? That way we would have consistent descriptions of the city and have everyone on the same page as to location and size instead of possible conflicting locations and descriptions and …It there a city map in our future?

Shall we get on with it gentlemen?

And could someone please send PM's to all the players reminding them they are still listed here and should try to participate? key word "participate'? (looks pointedly at Ninja)

Please?

[Oran Tarlin]

My characters are in position so I'll get to that first post with Thomas Henry.

According to his profile, Ninja hasn't been on in nearly two weeks.

I'd love to help work out the city layout, since that sort of thing is a hobby of mine. There's the basics that I've thought up:

Castle on hill/acropolis/high part of the city and in the northern half of the city
Ocean to the west
Fields to the east
Tightly knit, old winding roads juxtaposed with newer, wider, straighter roads. (a bit like Paris)
Relatively tall buildings, anywhere from 3 to 5 stories tall.

The port is low lying and there is a long series of docks and promenades along the waterfront stretching from south to north.

How much of the city should be walled? We could go the tiered wall approach if the city has historically been a fortification, or a more sprawling cityscape if its grown economically. I'm thinking the main castle would be quite grand, numerous buttresses stretching to outer walls, glass ceilings, plenty of torches and light. The tournament arena could be tucked between the castle and the outer wall or out in front of the castle, which could face South-East for optimum sunlight to its facade, which should produce a strong heir of authority.

I have some lingering questions on just how true-to-reality we're playing this roleplay, since there are apparently giant spiders on our continent. I'm fine blurring that line later on I guess, but it's not a pressing desire by any means.

[Avella]

Okay Oran, I've sent PM's to all the priciple players asking them if they are going to continue with this thread, including Ninja. I have noticed that each of them has tried being a GM a number of times but with little success. Maybe if they concentrated on being a player and left the GMing to the pro's they might have better success? I avoid being a GM due to the fact that people just don't seem to want to stick with anything long enought to make a difference. As a result, I far am less frustrated and less willing to quit alltoghther and can concentrate on writing rather than babysitting other failed GM's. That said, however, I am feeling a tiny bit frustrated with this thread, but as yet refuse to consider it a totall waste of my talent...so far.

I will have a post for Thomas and another for Morgana in a day or two.

I like your idea for the maps but it would be great to have some imput from our creator regarding his vision for the city. Regardless, I will continue as long as someone, anyone is posting.

[awesomeskaterdude]

I would like to apologize. I am going to be out of commission for a day or two because my work load has just increased exponentially. I will try to find the time to read the posts and OOC but i need a few days to post. Again sorry I wont be here for a short while.